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AVID Jazz here presents four classic Louis Bellson albums plus including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD. Just Jazz All Stars; Concerto For Drums; At the Flamingo; The Hawk Talks plus selections from Drummers Holiday Louis Bellson was born on July 26th in Rock Falls, Illinois. He was one of the great drummers of his era alongside such other greats as Buddy Rich, Shelly Manne, Art Blakey and Gene Krupa (who he admits was a huge influence on his playing). His illustrious career saw him playing in the bands of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James and Duke Ellington. Concerto For Drums (a slightly pretentious title perhaps but a good set all the same, being recorded in one take with all titles improvised!) Bellson is joined by a fine line up including Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Zoot Sims on tenor, Don Abney on piano and George Duvivier on bass, as Bellson quotes the musicians had exactly the same approach to the music we were playing. A four piece line up for a date recorded in 1957 at the famous Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas gives us our third album At The Flamingo. Joining Louis in the band are Don Abney on piano (happy to be able to perform more as a lead instrument rather than as an accompanist!) Charles Truck Parham on bass (coming out of recent self- imposed retirement) and the renowned trumpeter Harry Edison. Bellson pays tribute to former bosses Harry James (The Hawk) and Count Basie for The Hawk Talks accompanied by among others Lew Stein on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, Charlie Shavers on trumpet and Seldon Powell on tenor. For Drummers Holiday Bellson was trying to get a new take on the Big Band sound, he and arranger Frank Camstock came up with the idea of a small band sound within a big band line up! As Bellson states regarding the sound in the original liner notes, its a good one for the dance set
.I think its wise to give our young listening audience the tempos they love to dance to and at the same time give them the benefits of a big band musical sound
.. All four albums plus have been digitally re-mastered.
CD1 1-8: Just Jazz All Stars 1. Eyes 2. Rainbow 3. Sticks 4. Shadows 5. The Jeep Is Jumpin 6. Passion Flower 7. Punkin 8. Johnny Come Lately 9-16: Concerto For Drums 9. Concerto For Drums 10. Basically Speaking, Duvivier, That Is 11. Love For Sale 12. The Man I Love 13. Charlies Blues 14. Ill Remember April 15. Buffalo Joe 16. Stompin At The Savoy 17. Blues For Keeps from Drummers Holiday 18. For Louies Kicks from Drummers Holiday 19. Im Shooting High from Drummers Holiday
CD2 1-6: At The Flamingo 1. Flamingo Blues 2. Driftwood 3. Opus 711 4. Broadway 5. Medley: Love Is Here To Stay / Flamingo / Makin Whoopee 6. Sweet Georgia Brown 7-13: The Hawk Talks 7. Basie 8. Charlie O 9. Jump It, Man! 10. Greetings 11. The Hawk Talks 12. Festivale 13. Mambo A La Louis Bellson 14. T-Bones from Drummers Holiday 15. How Many Times from Drummers Holiday
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