The Nocturne Session • Jazz in Hollywood Series
  • Liberty LRP-3003
    Liberty LRP-3003
  • Nocturne FSR-750
    Nocturne FSR-750
  • Pacific Jazz JWC506
    Pacific Jazz JWC506
  • Mode MOD-128
    Mode MOD-128
  • Jimmy Rowles
    Jimmy Rowles

Jimmy Rowles

The Nocturne Session • Jazz in Hollywood Series

Fresh Sound Records

Personnel:
Jimmy Rowles (p), Al Hendrickson (g), Red Mitchell, Ben Tucker, Joe Mondragon (b), Art Mardigan, Mel Lewis, Nick Fatool (d)

Reference: FSRCD1149

Bar code: 8427328611497

James George Hunter (1918-1996), known professionally as Jimmy Rowles, epitomized the countless talented musicians whose professional careers were interrupted by World War II. Despite this setback, Rowles swiftly resumed his trajectory upon re-entering civilian life in 1946, showcasing exceptional talent that foreshadowed a prominent position within the national jazz music scene. Inspired by Teddy Wilson, Rowles delved into exhaustive studies of the renowned pianist's styling and technique.

Throughout his extensive career, Rowles became one of the most sought-after pianists in the Los Angeles recording studios, collaborating with virtually all of the city's top jazz musicians. He also earned acclaim as an accompanist for singers, frequently playing and recording with icons like Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Carmen McRae, who praised him as "the guy every singer in her right mind would like to work with."

This 1954 Jimmy Rowles trio recording session was originally intended for release on the Nocturne label, but the company folded, and it remained unreleased until 1956, when it was issued by Liberty Records under the title "Rare but Well Done." Nat Hentoff of Down Beat magazine awarded it four stars, hailing it as "one of the most satisfying piano recitals in many months." Additionally, four bonus tracks recorded by Jimmy in trio, quartet, and solo piano settings from 1956-57 are included here.

Jimmy Rowles was undoubtedly one of the great piano jazz improvisers, his style immediately recognizable among the few. He cultivated a phrasing flexibility akin to that of a horn player, with a remarkable sense of time and solo construction, and moreover, he possessed the ability to intensely communicate every human emotion through music.

—Jordi Pujol

Tracklist

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Album details

01. All the Things You Are (Kern-Hammerstein) 4:20
02. The Day You Came Along (Johnston-Coslow) 3:33
03. So Far So Good (Lawrence-Mundy-White) 2:57
04. I Wouldn’t Change You for the World / You Are Too Beautiful
(Jones-Newman / Richard Rodgers) 5:41
05. Serenade in Blue (Warren-Gordon) 3:10
06. Let's Fall in Love (Harold Arlen) 4:26
07. Remember Me / There Goes My Heart (Warren-Dubin / Silver-Davis) 4:13
08. Lady Be Good (G. & I.Gershwin) 4:32
09. Chloe (Moret-Kahn) 4:24
10. Topsy (Durham-Bahle) 5:56
11. Let's Fall in Love (Harold Arlen) 4:06 *
12. We'll Be Together Again (Fischer-Laine) 3:35
13. Sonny Speaks (Sonny Berman) 3:45
14. That Ole Devil Called Love (Roberts-Fisher) 3:05
15. The Blues (Jimmy Rowles) 2:26

Total time: 60:39 min.

Sources:
Tracks #1-11, original unreleased 1954 Nocturne recordings
(Released on CD by Fresh Sound Records as part of
“The Complete Nocturne Recordings” NR 3CD-101)
Tracks #2-10, first released in 1956 on the LP “Rare—But Well Done” (Liberty LRP-3003)
(Also released in 1990 by Fresh Sound as “Jimmy Rowles Trio” Nocturne FSR-750)
Track #12 & 13, taken from the LP “Pianists Galore” (Pacific Jazz JWC506)
Tracks #14 & 15, taken from the LP “Piano Playhouse” (Mode Records MOD-128)

(*) Alternate take

Personnel:

Tracks #1-11: Jimmy Rowles, piano; Red Mitchell, bass; Art Mardigan, drums.
Recorded at Western Recorders, Hollywood, December 13, 1954

Track #12: Jimmy Rowles, piano; Al Hendrickson, guitar;
Joe Mondragon, bass; Nick Fatool, drums.
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, September 13, 1956

Track #13: Jimmy Rowles, piano; Ben Tucker, bass; Mel Lewis, drums.
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, December 11, 1956

Tracks #14 & 15: Jimmy Rowles, solo piano.
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, 1957

New liner notes by Jordi Pujol
Photos by Tom Heffernan © Fresh Sound Archives
Original recordings produced by Harry Babasin (#1-11),
Dick Bock (#12 & 13) and Red Clyde (14 & 15)
This CD release produced by Jordi Pujol
© 2024 by Fresh Sound Records

Hi Fi · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered
Blue Moon Producciones Discograficas, S.L.

Press reviews

Ringer of the Week ★★★★

"At one time, Los Angeles/Hollywood was the hub of jazz. Back in the 1950s-60s, with TV and radio soaring in popularity, studios were filled with jazz musicians playing things like the theme song to “Leave It To Beaver” and living a comfortable middle class life. Local clubs were packed, and even restaurants had piano bars with musicians like Johnny Guarnieri or Page Cavanaugh.

One of the stars of the 88s was Jimmy Rowles, best known for his work with Stan Getz. This pair of sessions from 1954 and 1956 have him in a trio with Red Mitchell/b and Art Mardigan/dr and a quartet with the addition of Al Hendrickson/gr and Goodman drummer Nick Fatool/dr with Joe Mondragon/b and a last trio with Ben Tucker/b and Mel Lewis/dr.

The trio collection includes standards with a dash of bop, as on “All The Things You Are”, but the joy of Rowles is the more mellow swing, as on “Chloe” and “Let's Fall In Love” all filled with classy lyricism. He is bouncy on “Let's Fall In Love” and has fun with “Topsy” and goes into a couple obscurities as in “So Far So Good” and “I Wouldn't Change You For The World”.

The quartet session includes a romantic “We'll Be Together Again” while the trio with Lewis digs into the obscure “Sonny Speaks.” The real reward is a pair of solo takes that takes you into Rowles' mind with lovely read of “That Ole Devil Called Love” and a shadey “The Blues”. This is when LA was LA!"

—George W. Harris (June 20, 2024)
https://www.jazzweekly.com

Price:

10,95 €  (tax incl.)

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