Personnel:
Urbie Green (tb, v-tb), Joe Wilder, Johnny Carisi, Phil Sunkel (tp), Chauncey Welsh, Jack Satterfield, Lou McGarity, Rex Peer (tb), Hal McKusick, Al Cohn, Sol Schlinger (saxes), Dave McKenna (p), Jimmy Raney (g), Percy Heath (b), Kenny Clarke (d)
Reference: FSRCD 436
Bar code: 8427328604369
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This CD presents Urbie Green, one of the most versatile of all top-ranking trombonists in two facets. On the first quintet recordings we hear him playing relaxed, modern mainstream jazz with strong roots in the blues. His tone is full, his ideas personal and imaginative, and his beat equal to that of his gassing rhythm section.
Urbies role on the remaining tracks is that of the leader of a big band. He had often expressed a desire to front a large dance band of his own before he had this opportunity. His choice of Johnny Carisi as chief arranger and unofficial musical director was made because of a rather mutual agreement between the two about the purposes of a band of this kind and the methods of achieving them. Johnny was among the group of writerslike Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Tiny Kahn, et al.who were setting new stepping-stones in band and small-group arranging. Carisis writing in this set is clean and functional achieving the prime purposes of providing a good jazz and dance-band style and setting a foundation upon which Urbie can project himself as leader-soloist.
"Its title to the contrary, All About Urbie Green is in fact all about forging a big, bold sound, so much so that Green must fight for facetime with rival trombonists including Jack Satterfield, Chauncey Welch, Lou McGarity, and Rex Peer, not to mention a sprawling ensemble of trumpeters, tenorists, and other assorted contributors. John Carisi's thoughtful arrangements nevertheless place Green squarely at center stage, and if anything, the large settings and friendly competition seem to galvanize his solos. No matter how many players join in on a particular track, there's no question about who's in charge. Long out of print, it was finally reissued in 2007 on a two-fer CD alongside its 1955 predecessor Blues and Other Shades of Green."
Jason Ankeny -All Music Guide
