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RLP12-272
8 Ways to JAZZ the music of COLE PORTER

melodies of a great American composer, as interpreted
by SONNY ROLLINS, DONALD BYRD, TONY SCOTT, ZOOT SIMS, ERNIE HENRY,
HERBIE MANN, BOBBY JASPAR, GIGI GRYCE, MUNDELL LOWE, BILLY TAYLOR,
BILL EVANS, WYNTON KELLY, and other top jazzmen

RLP-117 118 A
RLP-117 118 front
RLP-117 118 back.jpg
RLP-117 118 A.jpg
RLP-117 118 B.jpg

SIDE 1

 1.Looking at You (4:20) TRIGGER ALPERT All-Star Seven, featuring TONY SCOTT, ZOOT SIMS

  Joe Wilder (tp) Urbie Green (tb) tony Scott (cl, ts) Zoot Sims (ts) Al Cohn (brs) Trigger Alpert (b) Ed Shaughnessy (drs) Arrangement by

  Marty Paich, 1956

 2.Easy to Love (7:13)  MUNDELL LOWE Quartet, featuring BILLY TAYLOR

  MUNDELL LOWE (G) Billy Taylor (p) Les Grinage (b) Ed Thigpen (drs). March, 1957

 3.I Love You (3:52)  BILL EVANS Trio

  Bill Evans (p) Teddy Kotick (b) Paul Motian (drs). September, 1956

 4.All of You (3:52)  BOBBY JASPAR Quartet

  Bobby Jaspar (ts) George Wallington (p) Wilbur Little (b) Elvin Jones (drs). May, 1957

SIDE 2

 1.Every Time We Say Goodbye (3:20)  SONNY ROLLINS Quartet

  Sonny Rollins (ts) Sonny Clark (p) Percy Heath (b) Roy Haynes(drs).   June, 1957

 2.I Get a Kick Out of You (4:30)  ERNIE HENRY Quartet

  Ernie Henry (as) Wynton Kelly (p) Wilbur Ware (b) Philly Joe Jones (drs)  September, 1957

 3.Get Out of Town (5:29)  HERBIE MANN’s Californians

  Herbie Mann (b-cl) Jack Sheldon (tp) Jimmy Rowles (p) Buddy Clark (b) Mel Lewis (drs) Arrangement by Mann.  July, 1057

 4.Love for Sale (7:58)  GIGI GRYCE jazz Lab Quintet, featuring DONALD BYRD

  Donald Byrd (tp) Gigi Gryce (as) Wade Legge (p) Wendell Marshall (b) Art Taylor (drs)  February, 1957


   The name of Cole Porter has, for some three decades, consistently stood for a quality product among the often-shoddy hodge-podge of mass merchandise known as American popular music. Above all, Porter has been synonymous with sophistication: not only the witty lyrics, but also the melodies surrounding them, have always had an urbanity and a flair unequalled by even the most talented of his colleagues. To jazz musicians, Porter has in addition usually meant the most inviting and challenging kind of ‘standard’ – structurally sound tunes, with the sort of chord changes that make sense and that, consequently, give a man something to grab hold of and build on.

   It follows, therefore, that a great many versions of a great many Porter tunes have been committed to records by a very wide variety of current jazz artists.

   The eight numbers that make up this LP have been selected from as many different Riverside albums. They include differing instrumentation and, even more importantly, some very different approaches to the art of playing modern jazz. What links them and gives point to their being presented together here is, of course, the fact that each of the eight groups has as its jumping-off place a Porter composition. Each groups makes it clear that such a tune is worthy of respect; each includes one or more individualized jazz talents with something to say on the subject of Cole Porter. Thus the total picture is, indeed, eight ways to jazz the music of Cole Porter: eight different sets of explorations of the jazz values that can be extracted from the writing of this superior songwriter, as presented by a formidable array of highly articulate and skillful ‘blowing’ musicians.


   Other “anthology” albums of Riverside jazz include –

RIVERSIDE DRIVE: 

  top jazzmen at top tempos; featuring Thelonious Monk, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Rollins, Johnny Griffin, Donald Byrd, etc. (RLP 12-267)

BLUES FOR TOMORROW:

   previously unissued versions of the blues; featuring Sonny Rollins, Herbie Mann, Coleman Hawkins, Art Blakey, etc. (RLP 12-243)

JAZZ FOR LOVERS: 

  top jazzmen play tender ballads; featuring Kenny Dorham, Don Elliott, Zoot Sims, Mundell Lowe, Clark Terry, etc. (RLP 12-244)

   iverside LPs featuring outstanding stars of modern jazz include –

Mulligan Meets Monk: THELONIOUS MONK and GERRY MULLIGAN (RLP 12-247)

Monk’s Music: THELONIOUS MONK Septet; with Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, Art Blakey (RLP 12-242)

Thelonious in Action: THELONIOUS MONK Quartet, with Johnny Griffin (RLP 12-262)

CHET BAKER in New York; with Johnny Griffin, Al Haig (RLP 12-281)

It Could Happen to You: CHET BAKER Sings (RLP 12-278)

Freedom Suite: SONNY ROLLINS (RLP 12-258)

The Sound of Sonny: SONNY ROLLINS (RLP 12-241)

Portrait of Cannonball: JULIAN ADDERLEY Quintet (RLP 12-269)

Deeds, Not Words: MAX ROACH Quintet (RLP 12-280)

It’s Magic: ABBEY LINCOLN, with Kenny Dorham, Benny Golson, Art Farmer (RLP 12-277)

Way Out: JOHNNY GRIFFIN Quartet (RLP 12-274)

The Modern Touch: BENNY GOLSON Sextet; with J. J. Johnson, Kenny Dorham (RLP 12-256)

In Orbit: CLRK TERRY Quartet featuring Thelonious Monk (RLP 12-271)

This Is the Moment: KENNY DORHAM Sings & Plays; with Curtis Fuller (RLP 12-275)

A HIGH FIDELITY Recording – Riverside-Reeves APECTROSONIC High Fidelity Engineering

   (Audio Compensation: RIAA Curve)

Produced by ORRIN KEEPNEWS

Cover photograph: HUGH BELL. Cover designed by PAUL BACON;Men’s hats in cover photo courtesy of F. R. Tripler & Co.)

Recorded by Reeves Sound Studios, New York City – except for Side 2, #3: recorded at Capitol Tower, Los Angeles


RIVERSIDE RECORDS are released by BILL GRAUER PRODUCTIONS, Inc.

553 West 51st Street New York 19, N.Y.

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