Although originally billed as the Pat Moran Quartet—featuring pianist Pat Moran, bassist John Doling, drummer Johnny Whited, and vocalist Bev Kelly—the group’s recordings were often divided between instrumental trio sessions and vocal tracks with Kelly as the featured singer. This 2-CD set offers a complete overview of their output between 1956 and 1958.
CD 1 is entirely instrumental, showcasing the complete Pat Moran Trio recordings for the Bethlehem and Audio Fidelity labels, the latter featuring the great Scott LaFaro on bass, as well as several solo piano performances by Moran.
CD 2 focuses on the vocal material: it includes the Quartet’s celebrated Bethlehem sides with Bev Kelly as solo vocalist, her complete Audio Fidelity album backed by the Moran Trio, and six charming quartet vocal tracks where all four members take part.
With Kelly’s warm, expressive voice and Moran’s soulful and lyrical piano style, these recordings reflect a unique moment when jazz was both modern and playful. A vivid portrait of a group full of musical personality—before Pat and Bev went their separate ways in early 1958.
—Jordi Pujol
Tracklist
CD 1
01. A Foggy Day (G. & I. Gershwin) 6:10
02. Have You Met Miss Jones? (Rodgers-Hart) 3:53
03. The Best Things in Life Are Free (DeSylva-Brown-Henderson) 3:34
04. Spring Is Here /It Might As Well Be Spring
(Rodgers-Hart/Rodgers-Hammerstein II) 4:47
05. I'll Remember April (DePaul-Johnston-Raye) 4:15
06. I Can't Get Started (Duke-Gershwin) 3:11
07. Jordu (Duke Jordan) 3:45
08. Silverware (Horace Silver) 2:04
09. Making Whoopee (Donaldson-Kahn) 5:20
10. In Your Own Sweet Way (Dave Brubeck) 4:57
11. Onilosor (Frank Rosolino) 4:08
12. Come Rain or Come Shine (Arlen-Mercer) 5:31
13. Collard Greens and Black-Eyed Peas (Oscar Pettiford) 3:27
14. I Could Have Danced All Night (Lerner-Lowe) 3:28
15. Yesterdays (Kern-Harbach) 4:27
16. Blues (Moran-Frey) 4:02
17. Someone to Watch Over Me (G. & I. Gershwin) 2:47
18. Stella by Starlight (Young-Washington) 3:08
19. When Your Lover Has Gone (E.A.Swan) 3:20
20. Goodbye (Gordon Jenkins) 4:01
CD 2
01. What A Difference A Day Makes (Grever-Adams) 2:02
02. Sunday Kind of Love (Bell-Leonard-Rhodes-Prima) 3:49
03. Lover Man (Davis-Sherman-Ramírez) 4:10
04. Lullaby of the Leaves (Petkere-Young) 3:13
05. The Man I Love (G.& I. Gershwin) 3:23
06. Little Girl Blue (Rodgers-Hart) 3:48
07. Lover Come Back to Me (Youmans-Caesar) 2:43
08. You Don’t Know What Love Is (Raye-DePaul) 3:57
09. I Get a Kick Out of You (Cole Porter) 3:21
10. I'm Glad There Is You (Dorsey-Madeira) 4:25
11. I Wish I Knew (Harris-Young) 2:12
12. Sometimes I'm Happy (Youmans-Caesar-Gray) 3:15
13. This Love of Mine (G. & I. Gershwin) 2:47
14. But Not for Me (G. & I. Gershwin) 3:41
15. Embraceable You (G. & I. Gershwin) 4:45
16. The Man I Love (G.& I. Gershwin) 2:57
17. You and the Night and the Music (Schwartz-Dietz) 2:26
18. Spring Is Here (Rodgers-Hart) 3:50
19. This Can't Be Love (Rodgers-Hart) 2:01
20. I Should Care (Cahn-Weston-Stordahl) 2:08
21. Gone with the Wind (Wrubel-Magidson) 1:48
22. Somebody Loves Me (Gershwin-DeSylva-MacDonald) 1:46
23. Two Sleepy People (Loesser-Carmichael) 2:21
24. Pick Yourself Up (Kern-Fields) 2:04
25. It Never Entered in Mind (Rodgers-Hart) 3:06
Album details
Sources CD 1:
Tracks #1-4, from the album “The Pat Moran Quartet” (Bethlehem BCP-6007)
Tracks # 5-7, from the album "The Pat Moran Quartet —While at Birdland”
(Bethlehem BCP-6018)
Tracks #9-20, from the album “This is Pat Moran” (Audio Fidelity AFSD-5875)
Sources CD 2:
Tracks #1-2, from the album “The Pat Moran Quartet” (Bethlehem BCP-6007)
Tracks # 3-4 & 19-24, from the album, "The Pat Moran Quartet —While at Birdland”
(Bethlehem BCP-6018)
Tracks #5-6 & 25, from ABC-TV show “Stars of Jazz”
Tracks #7-18, from the album “Beverly Kelly Sings” (Audio Fidelity AFSD-5874)
Personnel on CD 1 · PAT MORAN TRIO and SOLO
Tracks #1-8: Pat Moran, piano; John Doling, bass; Johnny Whited, drums.
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, May, 1956 (#1-4); Capitol Studios, New York City, March, 1957 (#5-7), and at “Stars of Jazz” TV Show, Hollywood, June 10, 1957 (#8)
Tracks #9-16: Pat Moran, piano; Scott LaFaro, bass; Gene Gammage, drums.
Recorded in Chicago, December 1957
Tracks #17-20: Pat Moran, solo piano.
Recorded in Chicago, January 1958
Personnel on CD 2 · PAT MORAN TRIO Featuring BEV KELLY
Tracks #1-6: Pat Moran, piano; John Doling, bass; Johnny Whited, drums; Bev Kelly, vocals; Sam Most, flute (added on #4).
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, May, 1956 (#1 & 2); Capitol Studios, New York City, March (#3), April (#4) 1957, and at “Stars of Jazz” TV Show, Hollywood, June 10, 1957 (#5 & 6)
Tracks #7-18: Bev Kelly, vocals; Pat Moran, piano; S. LaFaro, bass; G. Gammage, drums.
Recorded in Chicago, December 1957
Tracks #19-24: Pat Moran, piano & vocals; John Doling, bass & vocals; Johnny Whited, drums & vocals; Bev Kelly, vocals.
Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, May, 1956
Track #25: Pat Moran, solo piano.
Recorded at Stars of Jazz TV Show, Hollywood, June 10, 1957
Original recordings produced by Red Clyde (Bethlehem),
Sidney Frey (Audio Fidelity) and Jimmie Baker (Stars of Jazz)
New liner notes: Jordi Pujol
This compilation produced for CD release by Jordi Pujol
© 2025 by Fresh Sound Records
Mono / Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered
Blue Moon Producciones Discograficas S.L.Press reviews
Ringer of the Week ★★★★★
"When you think of classic piano trios, Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans come to mind. Here’s a guy, Pat Moran that had an impressive and swinging unit for a few years, but simply never caught anyone’s ear. Not that he was a slacker; one of his bassists for these sessions is none other than Scott LaFaro, just hours away from doing legendary work with Bill Evans, and he sounds fantastic here.
Moran alternated between LaFaro and John Doling for bass, with Gene Gammage or Johnny Whited doing the drum work. You can get a feel for Moran’s touch on some rich and harmonically advanced solo outings, as on “Someone To Watch Over Me” and the textured “When Your Lover Has Gone”. Where’d this guy come from?!?
The two disc set features trio instrumentals, with some Garner garnish on “A Foggy Day” and impressive interplay on “In Your Own Sweet Way”, while La Faro is in his element on Oscar Pettiford’s “Collard Greens and Black-Eyed Peas”. Bill Evans who?!?
The second disc features the clear Anita O’Dayish voice of wife Bev Kelly, and she shines on “Lullaby Of The Leaves” and sizzles through the sprint of “Lover Come Back To Me”. A collection of pieces with everyone singing includes harmonies akin to the Mel-Tones with some fun and festive takes of “This Can’t Be Love” and “Gone With The Wind”. The music,75 years hence, still sounds fresh and optimistic. Which of today’s working trios will boast the same?"
—George W. Harris (September 9, 2025)
https://www.jazzweekly.com/
