Personnel:
William Green (fl, as, ts), Bill Robinson (bs), Dick Hurwitz (tp), Lawrence Tricky Lofton (tb), Art Hillery Jr (org), Mel Pollan (b), Tony Bazley, Bob Gibson (d)
Reference: FSRCD 1083
Bar code: 8427328610834
Fresh Sound Records presents:
Rare and Obscure Jazz Albums
A CD series created for the most discerning jazz collectors
· Hard to find albums in Collector's Edition
· 2 Original LPs on 1 CD
· Original Cover Art, Liner Notes
· Comprenhensive new notes
· Complete Personnel Details
· Stereo Recordings
· Newly Remastered in 24-Bit
Shades of Green
William “Bill” Green (1925–1996), master of saxophones, clarinets, and flutes, was a vital force in Los Angeles jazz and a sought-after studio musician, performing with Quincy Jones, Louis Bellson, Henry Mancini, and vocal legends like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Nat King Cole. 'Shades of Green,' his only album as leader, features his working group with Arthur Hillery Jr. on organ, Tony Bazley on drums, and Tricky Lofton on trombone. The set of all-original compositions reveals Green’s artistry as both composer and soloist, blending swing, blues, and modern jazz with the tight interplay of a seasoned ensemble.
The Great Gerry Mulligan
Little is known about baritone saxophonist Bill Robinson, yet this rare 1963 Los Angeles session shows him deeply attuned to the cool sounds of West Coast jazz. A former member of Stan Kenton’s orchestra, Robinson was in 1963 with Si Zentner’s band, where he assembled a quartet with fellow Zentner sidemen Dick Hurwitz (trumpet), Mel Pollan (bass), and Bob Gibson (drums). Together they deliver originals and inventive adaptations, including Billy Boy (Willun), Allá en el Rancho Grande (Big House), and Mulligan’s Walkin’ Shoes (Shoe Nuff), in a respectful tribute to the Gerry Mulligan Quartet.
"Between 1949 and 1990, if an instrument had a reed, William Green played and recorded on it. He also was a gifted flutist. While the Kansas Cit born multi-instrumentalist was never a household name (you probably are drawing a blank as you read this post), musicians, producers and recording-session leaders knew him well. As a sideman, Green recorded on a modest number of LPs by Los Angeles leaders Benny Carter, Fred Katz, Louis Bellson, Buddy Collette and Quincy Jones. Like many little-known jazz musicians, Green managed to record just one leadership album, and it’s terrific.
Shades of Green was released by Everest Records in 1963, and the band was billed as William Green and His Marty Jazz All Stars. Recorded in Los Angeles, the ensemble featured Tricky Lofton (tb), William Green (fl, pic, as, ts, comp), Art Hillery (org). unknown (g-1st track) and Tony Bazley (d).
Who was Marty of the Marty Jazz All Stars fame? His identity isn’t disclosed on the album’s original liner notes but Jordi Pujol, who wrote the Fresh Sound notes, included this:
“In the 1960s, Green’s jazz group became a fixture at Marty’s, a club located on Los Angeles’ South Side. It was during this period that he recorded his first and only album as a leader, Shades of Green."
Now, Fresh Sound in Spain has just re-issued the record as part of its terrific “Rare and Obscure Jazz Albums” series.
The other half of the two-fer is the Bill Robinson Quartet’s tribute to Gerry Mulligan, on which Robinson, on baritone saxophone, recorded originals and traditional songs (presumably to avoid royalties) arranged in the Mulligan style. Just one song is by Mulligan—Walking Shoes, re titled as Shoe Nuff. Not quite a Jeru tribute but compelling.
Green spent much of his career in bands backing singers on stage or performing in clubs. He also was a long-time instructor at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music.
—Marc Myers (October 22, 2025)
https://jazzwax.com/
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"Just when you think you have heard all that’s out there… Fresh Sound Records continues to mine the vaults for wonderfully obscure jazz albums from the 50s and 60s. There are a handful that are…a handful!
LA in the 60s was paradise for jazzers, as shown by this pare of West Coast Warm session. The first is William Green on flute, tenor and alto saxes with Lawrence Lofton/tb, Art Hillery/org and Tony Bazley/dr for a swinging session of originals. His tenor is warm and mellifluous on “The Paz” and rich over Bazley’s crisp sticks on “Arrowhead” while Lofton gets some practice sliding on “Blues Six Bits”. Bill Robinson gives tribute to fellow bari man Gerry Mulligan with a team of Dick Hurwitz/tp, Mel Pollan/b and Bob Gibson/dr. The team has the feel of the classic Mulligan/Baker quartet of the 50s, but there’s a bit more muscle to Robinson’s own tunes such as the hip “Willum” and “Side Track” He gives a nod to Mulligan’s “Walkin’ Shoes” on “Shoe Nuff” and make a great paring with Hurwitz on the clever “Yknuff”. Birth of the warm."
—George W. Harris (October 20, 2025)
https://jazzweekly.com/
