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
