Buck Clayton-Earl Hines All-Stars - Jazz from a Swinging Era (1967 Fontana , 2006 Lonehill)

This "Jazz from a Swinging Era" session can never be repeated. This was a "once in a lifetime" combination, and these are "once in a lifetime" recordings. Buck Clayton called it "The best mainstream session ever recorded"


Recording Date :
Mar 12, 1967-Apr 6, 1967
CD2-06,10-13 3april'67 stuttgart; CD2-07,09 6April '67 Ronnie Scott's ,London.
CD2-08 17march 1967 copenhagen; others 12 march '67 paris.

Release Date
2006

Label
CD Lone Hill Jazz 10245

Featuring: Buck Clayton, Earl Hines, Roy Eldridge, Vic Dickenson, Budd Johnson, Bud Freeman, Earle Warren, Sir Charles Thompson, OliverJackson, and Bill Pemberton.

Beginning on March 9, 1967, and concluding almost one month later on April 4, an all star group of ten American musicians directed by Buck Clayton toured twenty-four European cities, playing their timeless brand of jazz to tens of thousands of enthusiasts. This record contains the complete studio date recorded in Paris on Sunday, March 12, 1967, the fourth day of a 28-day tour that was to cover 10 countries and was the result of approximately 10 months of preparation. The night before the recording, the group performed at the Olympia, in Paris.

The session features a large all-star assemblage with some of the best mainstream jazzmen: Buck Clayton, Earl Hines, Roy Eldridge, Vic Dickenson, Budd Johnson, Bud Freeman, Earle Warren, Sir Charles Thompson, Oliver Jackson, and Bill Pemberton.

This record contains also some of the high points culled from three of the twenty-seven concerts played. The music heard here gives more than ample proof of jazz’s excellent state of health in the year 1967.

CD1
1. Into The Blues Bag
2. Satin Doll
3. Smilley's Blues
4. Rosetta
5. Swingn' The Blues
6. Tre's Chaud
7. It's Magic
8. Secret Love
9. 3 D's In 2 B Time
10. I'll Try
11. Swingville
12. Wahat It There To Say
13. I Can't Get Started
14. Jive At Five

CD2
15. Disc 02
16. If I Had You
17. Indiana
18. This Is Always
19. Lester Leaps In
20. Night Cap
21. Bonus Tracks
22. Into The Blues Bag
23. Tres Chaud
24. Swingin The Blues
25. Swingville
26. Buck's Blues
27. Body And Soul
28. Indiana
29. St Louis Blues
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Review by arwulf arwulf
Count Basie's trumpet alumnus Buck Clayton organized and led a fine "all-star" band that toured Europe during March and April of 1967. They visited ten different countries, performed at 27 concerts in two-dozen cities, and laid down 19 tracks in a Parisian studio on March 12th. This double-disc compilation presents all of that material with the addition of eight jams recorded live at the Tivoli Konzerthalle in Copenhagen on March 17th, at the Liederhalle in Stuttgart on April 3rd, and at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London on April 6th. The extraordinary front line included trumpeter Roy Eldridge; trombonist Vic Dickenson; and saxophonists Earle Warren (who also played clarinet wonderfully), Budd Johnson, and Bud Freeman. Pianist and organist Sir Charles Thompson, who had been a primal force in the bop revolution of the mid-'40s, was placed in the unenviable position of alternating with Earl Hines, who is said to have precipitated the dissolution of this touring ensemble by dominating the group with his powerful persona. This friction, along with the presence of Roy Eldridge, certainly helped to spark things up a bit both in the studio and on-stage. The upbeat numbers from the live dates are wild, particularly a screaming 11-minute race through "St. Louis Blues," which is very much dominated by Earl Hines. Crucial support was provided by bassist Bill Pemberton and drummer Oliver Jackson. Since many of the players shared a Basie background, a pleasant and interesting contrast was provided by the sunny tonalities of Bud Freeman, a gentle soul whose handling of the ballad "What Is There to Say" brings to mind a large orange tomcat curled up on a cozy cushion inside of a wicker basket.