BUDDY DE FRANCO & THE OSCAR PETERSON QUARTET
Phoenix Records 131615
Buddy De Franco ( clt ) Oscar Peterson ( pno ) Herb Ellis ( gtr ) Ray Brown ( bass ) Louie Bellson
( drs )
Recorded Los Angeles, 29 October 1954
Track 7 add Roy Eldridge ( tpt ) Dizzy Gillespie ( tpt ) Bill Harris ( tmb ) Flip Phillips ( tnr )
Recorded Los Angeles, 30 October 1954
Unfortunately Buddy De Franco the clarinet player appeared on the jazz scene just as the focus was moving away from the use of the clarinet in modern jazz. Buddy De Franco was one of the few clarinet players to embrace the use of the clarinet in the Bop idiom.
On the first six tracks on the album Buddy De Franco is accompanied by the then current Oscar Peterson Trio plus drummer Louie Bellson which was very much in vogue at the time and was used extensively by Norman Granz the record label owner as a backing group for his stable of musicians.
The first six tracks are all well known standards by composers such as George and Ira Gershwi and Cole Porter to name two.
Contrary to his usual machine gun approach of the period Oscar Peterson reins in his technique and is the ideal accompanist.
The album opens with “Sweet and Lovely” taken at ballad tempo which displays Buddy De Franco’s total command of his instrument, Oscar Peterson’s solo is neat and concise and gets to the heart of the tune.
“Love For Sale2 is a fairly long track at nine and a half minutes and is a number of two halvess with the first part at ballad tempo which breaks into a hard swinging number half way through and finds Buddy at his most fluent.
The best performance on the album occurs on the long “Pick Yourself Up” with a fine solo from Buddy but it is Oscar Peterson who takes the honours with his longest solo on the album which swings hard but he does not let his formidable technique spill over.
The final track is a studio jam session which Norman Granz was fond of recording but it does not quite descend into a Jazz at the Philharmonic free for all. The number is “Lullaby in Rhythm” and starts off at a fairly brisk pace with Oscar Peterson opening the proceedings with some finger busting playing before Bill Harris takes over and delivers a fairly fluent solo which must difficult at this tempo. Next up is Flip Phillips who was a veteran of this type of performance but he keeps his solo within the bounds of decency without resorting to unnatural noises.
Buddy De Franco‘s solo is hard swinging without having a great deal to say this proceeds the two trumpet solos, Roy Eldridge relishes this type of situation but Dizzy Gillespie does like to be bettered and gives as good as he gets. There is the inevitable drum break before it desends into a shamble of a climax.
If you don‘t have any Buddy De Franco in your collection this may be a good place to start if you consider the final track to be a bonus.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Phoenix Records 131615
Buddy De Franco ( clt ) Oscar Peterson ( pno ) Herb Ellis ( gtr ) Ray Brown ( bass ) Louie Bellson
( drs )
Recorded Los Angeles, 29 October 1954
Track 7 add Roy Eldridge ( tpt ) Dizzy Gillespie ( tpt ) Bill Harris ( tmb ) Flip Phillips ( tnr )
Recorded Los Angeles, 30 October 1954
Unfortunately Buddy De Franco the clarinet player appeared on the jazz scene just as the focus was moving away from the use of the clarinet in modern jazz. Buddy De Franco was one of the few clarinet players to embrace the use of the clarinet in the Bop idiom.
On the first six tracks on the album Buddy De Franco is accompanied by the then current Oscar Peterson Trio plus drummer Louie Bellson which was very much in vogue at the time and was used extensively by Norman Granz the record label owner as a backing group for his stable of musicians.
The first six tracks are all well known standards by composers such as George and Ira Gershwi and Cole Porter to name two.
Contrary to his usual machine gun approach of the period Oscar Peterson reins in his technique and is the ideal accompanist.
The album opens with “Sweet and Lovely” taken at ballad tempo which displays Buddy De Franco’s total command of his instrument, Oscar Peterson’s solo is neat and concise and gets to the heart of the tune.
“Love For Sale2 is a fairly long track at nine and a half minutes and is a number of two halvess with the first part at ballad tempo which breaks into a hard swinging number half way through and finds Buddy at his most fluent.
The best performance on the album occurs on the long “Pick Yourself Up” with a fine solo from Buddy but it is Oscar Peterson who takes the honours with his longest solo on the album which swings hard but he does not let his formidable technique spill over.
The final track is a studio jam session which Norman Granz was fond of recording but it does not quite descend into a Jazz at the Philharmonic free for all. The number is “Lullaby in Rhythm” and starts off at a fairly brisk pace with Oscar Peterson opening the proceedings with some finger busting playing before Bill Harris takes over and delivers a fairly fluent solo which must difficult at this tempo. Next up is Flip Phillips who was a veteran of this type of performance but he keeps his solo within the bounds of decency without resorting to unnatural noises.
Buddy De Franco‘s solo is hard swinging without having a great deal to say this proceeds the two trumpet solos, Roy Eldridge relishes this type of situation but Dizzy Gillespie does like to be bettered and gives as good as he gets. There is the inevitable drum break before it desends into a shamble of a climax.
If you don‘t have any Buddy De Franco in your collection this may be a good place to start if you consider the final track to be a bonus.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
