In the early thirties he became one of the most sought after lead alto saxophone players in the New York area and prospered with the growth of radio and studio recordings. In every way this is a splendid set.ĭevoted to the Shaw-led Gramercy Fives, this triumphantly reinforces their virtuosity, imagination and flexibility.Artie Shaw was born in New York City on May 23,1910 and he became one of the top bandleader/soloists of the swing era. Once again this Living Era two CD set lives up to its high standards in documentation and transfer quality – these seem to be a feature of the series and the compilers are to be congratulated. The introduction of vibes only added to the sense of currency and the tight swing engendered by the later band is in its own way just as apt as the early Gramercy exhilaration. Shaw always sounds effortlessly up to date, respecting his own lineage, tonally, whilst open to the new sounds rhythmically and harmonically. There are some rather vogue-ish moments – reprises of The Peanut Vendor (never a good idea, then or now) and some slapdash quotations from popular songs – but they’re few indeed. The 1953/54 tracks settle into a good, though not always inspiring groove, but when the tail’s up the band piles on the fun – take Besame mucho for some Machito-inspired fun. The 1945 sessions are all-Shaw compositions and see Eldridge playing a contained, highly effective lead full of rich tone and fine ideas. The arrangement of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes for instance is especially effective with the melodic statements given to instruments in turn – a real lyric democracy in action. Shaw was always a master of the detail of these kinds of songs he slips in classical trills and introductions and endings of almost operatic panache, but always tightly argued and witty, never portentous. The 1940 Gramercy Fives are deservedly renowned even when injecting a note of spurious boogie-woogie ( Cross your Heart) or when Shaw shows off some klezmer and drum colour in the otherwise straightforward Dr Livingstone, I Presume. Coming back to the earlier tracks it occurred to me that Billy Butterfield modelled his playing far more on that of Muggsy Spanier than I’d remembered and that the leader himself had listened as closely to Jimmie Noone as had his rival Benny Goodman, though Noone’s influence on Goodman was always the more pronounced. The standards are universally high and the level of musical consistency – often overlooked – quite phenomenal. The list of musical companions is a strong one, from Roy Eldridge, Hank Jones, Dodo Marmarosa, Johnny Guarnieri, Billy Butterfield, Barney Kessel and a number of other equally powerful players. Here, in the round, we see Shaw moving from the antique titillation of that unusual keyboard (not unique – people such as Meade Lux Lewis had recorded on harpsichord or celeste) through to the bop-tinged later sessions and some topical Latin-American music. It’s a useful way to consider the bulk of these small band recordings since compilations tend to concentrate on the Big Band discs and to confine the Gramercys to the earlier 1940 sides – those startling chamber jazz sessions with harpsichord. Reviewers: Don Mather, Dick Stafford, John Eyles, Robert Gibson, Ian Lace, Colin Clarke, Jack AshbyĪrtie Shaw and his Gramercy Five - Summit Ridge DriveĪrtie Shaw and his Gramercy Five, include the New Gramercy Five sessions, recorded 1940-1954ĭevoted entirely to the various Gramercy Fives that Shaw led, this two CD set triumphantly reinforces his virtuosity, imagination and flexibility. Artie Shaw and his Gramercy Five - Summit Ridge Drive : Jazz CD Reviews- 2005 MusicWeb(UK) CD Reviews
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