Jimmy Raney: Woody Herman's Cool Guitar Player-Quadromania Jazz Edition

Read About This Recording

One of the great jazz guitarists of the 1950s, Jimmy Raney had a cool tone, a quiet sound, a lyrical improvising style and yet a lot of fire in his playing. Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1927, he worked in Chicago with local groups in the mid-1940s before becoming a member of Woody Herman's Second Herd in 1948. That exposure made him greatly in demand in the jazz world. He had important stints with groups led by pianist Al Haig, clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs and Artie Shaw's big band and Gramercy Five. Raney really hit the top during his historic association with Stan Getz during 1951-52 for the two of them had highly complementary sounds and could take surprisingly blazing solos. Raney also worked with the Red Norvo Trio during 1953-54 before mostly performing in supper clubs with pianist Jimmy Lyon. He dropped out of music in the early 1960s, made a comeback in the 1970s, and was active now and then up until his death in 1995.

This four-CD set from the European Quadromania label features Raney in his prime. The first CD has Raney as a sideman with Al Haig and Kai Winding in 1949, with Red Norvo in 1953 and on six notable numbers with Stan Getz including Parker 51 (based on Cherokee). The second and third disc has more material with the Norvo Trio but also Raney's sessions which feature pianist Sonny Clark or altoist Phil Woods. The final CD, from 1954-55, mostly has the guitarist playing in a quartet and quintet with pianist Hal Overton.

Since much of this melodic material rarely gets reissued, this four-CD set is a real treat that will be particularly enjoyed by fans of cool and bop guitarists.

-Scott Yanow

Contents

Imported from Europe!

Remastered!

CD 1 (TT: 52:16): Pinch Bottle; Earless Engineering; Be Still, TV; Short P, Not LP; The Song is You; Parker 51; Thou Swell; Motion; Lee; Signal; Can't We Be Friends; Blues for Tiny.

CD 2 (TT: 48:16): Somebody Loves Me; 'Deed I Do; Our Love is Here to Stay; Signal; You Are Too Beautiful; The Best Thing for You; Jumping for Jane; Invention; Once in a While; Pennies From Heaven; Yesterdays; There Will Never Be Another You; Body and Soul.

CD 3 (TT: 55:54): Stella By Starlight; You Go to My Head; Bernie's Tune; J9 Hate K9; Out of Nowhere; Crazy Rhythm; Prelude to a Kiss; Everything I've Got; Just One of Those Things; Stella By Starlight; Five; Joanne.

CD 4 (TT: 52:19): Back and Blow; Minor; Some Other Spring; Double Image; On the Square; Spring is Here; One More for the Mode; What's New; Tomorrow, Fairly Cloudy; A Foggy Day; Someone to Watch Over Me; Cross Your Heart; You Don't Know What Love Is.

John Wilson, Trumpet; Kai Winding, Trombone; Phil Woods, Alto Sax; Stan Getz, Gosta Theselius, Tenor Saxes; Al Haig, Hal Overton, Sonny Clark, Pianos; Jimmy Raney, Guitar; Teddy Kotick, Red Mitchell, Simon Brehm, Bill Crow, Basses; Roy Haynes, Tiny Kahn, Frank Isola, Elaine Leighton, Joe Morello, Art Mardigan, Nick Stabulas, Drums; Red Norvo, Vibes; Blossom Dearie, Vocals.