After his heyday in the 1930s with the hit
"I'se Muggin',"
jazz violinist
Stuff Smith
was sporadically recorded over the remainder of his career, which ended with his death in 1967. But that hasn't stopped collectors from seeking and issuing long overlooked broadcasts, telecasts, and private recordings. While a cursory look at the song list on the back cover might make one think that this CD is compiled with tracks from earlier
Smith
releases on
Storyville
, that is not the case, as only one song has previously appeared anywhere, while most of the repertoire will be familiar to his longtime fans.
is heard in five different settings. The opening selection, the violinist's
"Stand by Blues,"
pairs him with Dutch violinist
Paul Olson
, pianist
Kenny Drew
, bassist
Niels Pedersen
, and drummer
Alex Riel
(his regular rhythm section).
's bluesy dissonant sound contrasts with the more conventional style of his partner.
uses the same rhythm section for the next two songs, including an upbeat swinging setting of
"How High the Moon"
with terrific solos by
,
Drew
, and
Pedersen
(the latter who was a few weeks shy of his 19th birthday at the time).
is joined by two violinists,
Ellington
sideman
Ray Nance
and
Soren Christiansen
, for
"Soft Winds,"
a fun performance in spite of the uneven sound (due to an aged source tape) and editing to remove an obnoxious voice-over by a hapless announcer. The violin trio is also heard on
"When You're Smiling,"
while
alone plays his relative tame
"Swinging Softly."
Several additional tracks feature
Christiansen
sharing the vocals, while the only previously issued track,
"Oh, Lady Be Good,"
pairs
with the Danish violinist
Svend Asmussen
(who often played the lower-pitched tenor violin in sessions with other violinists to provide great contrast, as he does here). This good-natured performance features fun vocals, scatting, very swinging solos, and lots of trading of fours.
scholar
Anthony Barnett
, who composed a bio-discography of the violinist and has also issued several rare
sessions on his own
AB Fable
label, contributed the informative liner notes. This CD will be of great interest to fans of
. ~ Ken Dryden