Webster Young • For Lady

 

Review from AllMusic (by Jim Todd):
While trumpeter Webster Young pays tribute to Billie Holiday on this, his only studio date as a leader, the set is equally a tribute to Young's musical role model, Miles Davis. Young has Miles' soft-focus tone from the early to mid-'50s and, according to Ira Gitler's liner notes, he is actually playing Miles' cornet on the date. The similarities between the two players make this 1957 session a satisfying companion to Miles' work circa 1951-1953. Young is nicely matched here with tenor saxophonist Paul Quinichette, with the two of them using a pleasantly blowsy approach to weave loose, discursive counterpoint around each other. Guitarist Joe Puma distinguishes the set with thoughtful, understated playing that calls to mind Kenny Burrell's own Prestige dates from this period. Pianist Mal Waldron, drummer Ed Thigpen, and bassist Earl May infuse the performances with a cohesive, relaxed swing. They give each other lots of space, and Waldron makes astute choices in his chord selection, phrasing, and comping strategies. The tracks comprise five pieces associated with Holiday and one Young original, written in homage to Lady Day. True to Holiday's approach, the mood is world-weary, bordering on bleak, but with breaches of light like those that would briefly suffuse Holiday's songs. "Strange Fruit" is the one track that misses the mark. Where Holiday allowed the stark irony of the lyrics to carry the song, Young's instrumental version labors the point by including an execution squad drum roll. This could have been effective had it been limited to the intro and ending, but when Thigpen's martial snare also crops up midsong it breaks the subtle, macabre atmosphere of the piece.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/for-lady-mw0000087852

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Reseña de AllMusic (por Jim Todd):
Mientras el trompetista Webster Young rinde homenaje a Billie Holiday en esta, su única fecha de estudio como líder, el set es igualmente un tributo al modelo musical de Young, Miles Davis. Young tiene el tono de enfoque suave de Miles de principios a mediados de los años 50 y, según las notas del liner de Ira Gitler, en realidad está tocando el cornete de Miles en la sesión. Las similitudes entre los dos músicos hacen de esta sesión de 1957 un compañero satisfactorio del trabajo de Miles alrededor de 1951-1953. Young está bien emparejado aquí con el saxofonista tenor Paul Quinichette, utilizando ambos un enfoque agradablemente suelto para tejer un contrapunto discursivo entre sí. El guitarrista Joe Puma distingue el set con un toque reflexivo y discreto que recuerda las propias fechas de Kenny Burrell para Prestige de este período. El pianista Mal Waldron, el baterista Ed Thigpen y el bajista Earl May infunden las interpretaciones con un swing cohesivo y relajado. Se dan mucho espacio entre sí, y Waldron hace elecciones perspicaces en su selección de acordes, fraseo y estrategias de acompañamiento. Los temas comprenden cinco piezas asociadas con Holiday y un original de Young, escrito en homenaje a Lady Day. Fiel al enfoque de Holiday, el clima es cansado del mundo, bordeando lo sombrío, pero con destellos de luz como los que brevemente impregnaban las canciones de Holiday. "Strange Fruit" es el único tema que no da en el blanco. Donde Holiday permitía que la cruda ironía de las letras sostuviera la canción, la versión instrumental de Young fuerza el punto incluyendo un redoble de tambor de pelotón de fusilamiento. Esto podría haber sido efectivo si se hubiera limitado a la intro y el final, pero cuando la caja marcial de Thigpen también aparece en medio de la canción rompe la atmósfera sutil y macabra de la pieza.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/for-lady-mw0000087852

Tracks:
1 - The Lady
2 - God Bless the Child
3 - Moanin' Low
4 - Good Morning, Heartache
5 - Don't Explain
6 - Strange Fruit


Credits:
Webster Young - Cornet, Trumpet (playing Miles Davis' cornet)
Paul Quinichette - Tenor Saxophone
Joe Puma - Guitar
Mal Waldron - Piano
Earl May - Bass
Ed Thigpen - Drums

Compositions:
The Lady - Webster Young
God Bless the Child - Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog Jr.
Moanin' Low - Howard Dietz / Ralph Rainger
Good Morning, Heartache - Ervin Drake / Dan Fisher / Irene Higginbotham
Don't Explain - Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog Jr.
Strange Fruit - Lewis Allan (Abel Meeropol)

Production:
Supervised by Bob Weinstock
Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder
Liner Notes: Ira Gitler
Photography: Esmond Edwards
Design: Reid Miles
Digital Remastering: Phil DeLancie
Recorded June 14, 1957 at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey

Label: Prestige Records PRLP-7106 (original LP, 1957) / Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-1716-2 (1992 CD)
Country: US
Released: 1957 (original) / 1992 (OJC CD reissue)
Genre: Jazz
Style: Cool, Post-Bop, Bop
Duration: 42:09

Sources:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6WtXmh4CdbLBIrKbvfuV8d
https://www.allmusic.com/album/for-lady-mw0000087852
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Lady
https://www.discogs.com/master/662142-Webster-Young-For-Lady

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