Joe Venuti • Joe & Zoot & More

Review by Alex Henderson

 At first glance, Philadelphia violinist Joe Venuti and Los Angeles tenor/soprano saxophonist Zoot Sims might seem an unlikely combination. Venuti was known for swing, classic jazz, and Dixieland, whereas Sims (who was young enough to be Venuti's son) was primarily a cool/bop musician along the lines of Stan Getz, Al Cohn, and Paul Quinichette. But when you think about it, the combination makes perfect sense. Before Sims made bop changes his main focus in the mid-'40s, he played in swing bands -- and Sims (like Getz, Cohn, and Quinichette) was heavily influenced by the seminal Lester Young. So all things considered, it makes perfect sense for Venuti and Sims to join forces on Joe and Zoot and More (which was recorded in 1973 and 1974). Stepping outside of cool jazz and bop, Sims enthusiastically joins Venuti in a classic jazz/swing setting. The performances generally recall the early '30s, and Venuti and Sims enjoy an undeniably strong rapport on inspired versions of "I Found a New Baby," "Indiana," and other familiar standards. As gutsy and hard-swinging as the up-tempo performances are, Venuti and Sims are unapologetically sentimental on ballads like "There's a Small Hotel" and "My One and Only Love." Some bop snobs might think the ballads are toosentimental -- in bop, ballad playing has often tended to be less sentimental and more intellectual than the swing and classic jazz ballad playing of the '30s. (Lyrical, romantic, and pretty don't necessarily mean ultra-sentimental.) But truth be told, there is nothing wrong with jazz instrumentalists being sentimental -- it certainly worked well for Bunny Berigan, Chu Berry, Artie Shaw, and countless others who emerged in jazz's pre-bop era. Joe and Zoot and More is an excellent album that Venuti fans and Sims admirers should both make a point of obtaining.

///////

Reseña de Alex Henderson

 A primera vista, el violinista de Filadelfia Joe Venuti y el saxofonista tenor/soprano de Los Ángeles, Zoot Sims, podrían parecer una combinación poco probable. Venuti era conocido por el swing, el jazz clásico y el Dixieland, mientras que Sims (que era lo suficientemente joven como para ser el hijo de Venuti) era principalmente un músico cool/bop en la línea de Stan Getz, Al Cohn y Paul Quinichette. Pero cuando se piensa en ello, la combinación tiene perfecto sentido. Antes de que Sims cambiara su enfoque principal en el bop a mediados de los 40, tocó en bandas de swing -- y Sims (como Getz, Cohn y Quinichette) estaba fuertemente influenciado por el seminal Lester Young. Así que, considerando todo, tiene sentido que Venuti y Sims unan sus fuerzas en Joe y Zoot and More (que se grabó en 1973 y 1974). Dejando a un lado el cool jazz y el bop, Sims se une con entusiasmo a Venuti en un ambiente clásico de jazz y swing. Las actuaciones generalmente recuerdan los primeros años 30, y Venuti y Sims disfrutan de una relación innegable de versiones inspiradas de "I Found a New Baby", "Indiana" y otros estándares familiares. Tan valientes y duros como son las actuaciones de ritmo, Venuti y Sims son sentimentales en baladas como "There's a Small Hotel" y "My One and Only Love". Algunos esnobs del bop podrían pensar que las baladas son demasiado sentimentales... en el bop, las baladas tienden a ser menos sentimentales y más intelectuales que el swing y la balada clásica de jazz de los años 30. (Lírica, romántica y bonita no significa necesariamente ultra-sentimental.) Pero la verdad es que no hay nada malo en que los instrumentistas de jazz sean sentimentales - ciertamente funcionó bien para Bunny Berigan, Chu Berry, Artie Shaw, y un sinnúmero de otros que surgieron en la era pre-bop del jazz. Joe y Zoot and More es un excelente álbum que los fans de Venuti y los admiradores de Sims deberían obtener.

Tracklist:
01. I Found A New Baby (4:20)
02. There's A Small Hotel (3:25)
03. Indiana (4:56)
04. My One And Only Love (2:34)
05. The Wild Cat (3:34)
06. It's The Girl (3:48)
07. Oh, Lady Be Good (4:38)
08. Someday Sweetheart (6:05)
09. C Jam Blues (4:13)
10. Blue Too (3:49)
11. Oh, Lady Be Good (3:10)
12. Dinah (3:13)
13. Tea For Three (1:59)
14. Diga Diga Do (3:27)
15. I'll Never Be The Same (3:43)
16. String The Blues (3:28)
17. The Blue Room (2:48)
Total Time: 63:09

Joe Venuti (Violin)
Zoot Sims (Soprano and Tenor Saxophone)
Spencer Clark (Bass Saxophone)
Dick Wellstood (Piano)
Dill Jones (Piano)
Bucky Pizzarelli (Guitar)
George Duvivier (Bass)
Milt Hinton (Bass)
Cliff Leeman (Drums)

MORE Joe Venuti ...
MORE Zoot Sims ...





This file is intended only for preview!
I ask you to delete the file from your hard drive or device after reading it.
thank for the original uploader

 

Tip: Use JDownloader