Personnel:
Joe Carroll (vcl), Grant Green (g), Clark Terry (tp), Connie Lester (ts), Cecil Payne (bs), Duke Jordan (p), Specs Williams (org), Ron Carter (b), Lee Ainsley, Charles Persip (d)
Reference: BMCD 1637
Bar code: 8427328016377
Legendary bebop singer Joe Carroll had not recorded for most of the late Fifties, but when he finally returned in the early Sixties he did so with a solid pulse and a happy feeling on these two sessions for the Charlie Parker label, recently launched by Doris Parker, Bird’s widow and owner of his estate. On the resulting album, “Man with a Happy Sound” (1962), he was backed by an exuberant trio led by organist Specs Williams, with Connie Lester, tenor sax, Lee Ainsley, drums, and featuring the young guitarist Grant Green on five of the tracks. The album includes some of the tunes that the singer made famous while he was with Dizzy Gillespie during the late Forties and early Fifties, as well as some fine new material.
A year before this album was released though, Joe Carroll had recorded two sides for the same label—Anthropology and Hi-Fly—backed by such notables as Duke Jordan, Clark Terry and Cecil Payne, and featuring some duets with Payne. For Joe, the release of this single was his chance to “do a thing with some good cats and let everybody stretch out a little”—and this single eventually led him to put together the selections and musicians that make up “Man with a Happy Sound.”
"Man with a Happy Sound is a wonderfully fun 1962 session, showcasing Carroll's breezy, engaging scat style on both standards ("Route 66," "Honeysuckle Rose," "I Got Rhythm") and swinging blues. Carroll's backing group -- guitarist Grant Green, Specs Williams and Connie Lester -- provides dynamic support, often taking the spotlight without stealing it."
Leo Stanley -All Music Guide
