Billy Bauer - Plectrist (1956 Norgran) (re-issue Verve Elite 2000)

Biography by Jason Ankeny AMG

Guitarist Billy Bauer was a critical force behind jazz's
evolution from swing to bebop, his precise, progressive fretwork
foreshadowing the emergence of cool jazz and even the avant-
garde. Born in New York City on November 14, 1915, Bauer played
banjo as a child but moved to guitar in his late teens, first
earning notice behind clarinetist Jerry Wald. In 1941 he made his
first recordings with Carl Hoff & His Orchestra — three years
later, Bauer signed on with Woody Herman's First Herd, with whom he cut a series of sessions, followed by stints in support of Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden. The small groups that emerged from these big bands would prove Bauer's most fertile creative environment, however.

After brief collaborations with Chubby Jackson and Bill Harris,
he teamed in 1946 with pianist Lennie Tristano, a three-year
partnership that yielded the most inspired and influential work
of the guitarist's career. Across a series of duet and trio
recordings, Tristano and Bauer proved uniquely complementary
musicians, with Bauer's razor-honed guitar navigating Tristano's
intricate arrangements with nimble ease. Together, both men were
cited as leaders of the growing bop movement, and on recordings
like "Intuition" and "Digression," they effectively created free
jazz.

After ending his partnership with Tristano, Bauer found another
kindred spirit in alto saxophonist Lee Konitz. Their
collaboration reached its creative apex with the 1951 session
Duet for Saxophone and Guitar, which expanded upon its unusual
instrumental pairing to essentially redefine the role of jazz
guitar. By now Bauer was regularly winning awards from the
magazines Down Beat and Metronome, but he retained the humility and disdain of the limelight that would ultimately serve to marginalize his contributions to contemporary music — only in 1956 did he cut Plectrist, the first and last studio recording
released under his own name.

Bauer was instead happiest and most effective as a sideman,
working with the likes of Milt Hinton and Pete Candoli. He also
served with the NBC Staff Orchestra and taught at the New York
Conservatory of Modern Music. During the last three decades of
his life Bauer rarely recorded or performed live, instead
channeling his energy into the Billy Bauer Guitar School, which
he operated from a small office in Roslyn Heights, NY. In 1997 he
published his autobiography, Sideman, and continued offering
private lessons until just weeks prior to his death from
pneumonia on June 17, 2005.

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Billy Bauer - Plectrist (1956 Norgran)

Personnel:
Billy Bauer (guitar), Andrew Ackers (piano), Milt Hinton (bass), Osie Johnson (drums)


01. It's a Blue World
02. Maybe I Love You Too Much
03. Lincoln Tunnel
04. Night Cruise
05. Too Marvelous for Words
06. Lady Estelle's Dream
07. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
08. When It's Sleepy Time Down South
09. The Way You Look Tonight
10. Lullaby of the Leaves
11. Blue Mist
12. The Way You Look Tonight [#]
13. The Way You Look Tonight [Alternate Take][#]
14. The Way You Look Tonight [Alternate Take][#]
15. Lullaby Leaves [Alternate Take][#]


Review by C. Andrew Hovan (from All About Jazz)

Well, the premise of Verve's Elite Edition series is to uncover
esoteric and obscure gems that will have a limited appeal. This
means that some albums many of us thought would never again see the light of day have made it to CD after all. But with Billy Bauer's The Plectrist, Verve has gone off the chart with a highly desirable collectors items that demands the attention of anyone even remotely interested in jazz guitar. In its original incarnation you're looking at close to a three-digit purchase price, so say ''hallelujah!'' to this limited edition disc which sports excellent 24-bit remastering and four bonus cuts.

A veteran of Woody Herman's band in the '40s and later part of
the Lennie Tristano entourage that included Lee Konitz and Warne
Marsh, Bauer recorded this sole album as a leader in 1956 and
then was almost never heard from again, although he teaches and
still plays on occasion. All but pianist Andrew Ackers are known
entities (bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Osie Johnson fill out
the ranks) and Bauer's warm and crystal clear lines are rendered
beautifully on this mono recording done at Fine Studios in New
York City.

Standards mix in well with four of Bauer's own unique charts,
with the guitarist garnering the lion's share of the solo
spotlight. Nothing is taken faster than a medium tempo romp, yet
there's certainly zero lacking in terms of variety and Bauer's
strength as a soloist keeps your attention throughout. Had he
stayed on the scene, he might have been as viable a player as Jim
Hall or Tal Farlow or Barney Kessel. That's saying a lot and this
disc more than speaks volumes in regards to Bauer's talents.