SANDY MOSSE - Relaxin’ with Sandy Mosse / The Chicago Scene / Cy Touff - Touff Assignment
Fresh Sound Records FSR-CD 845
Sandy Mosse and the Chicago Scene
Tracks 1 to 3
Sandy Mosse ( tnr ) Jimmy Gurley ( gtr ) except track 3 Eddie Baker ( pno ) Leroy Jackson ( bass ) Dorrell Anderson ( drs )
Track 4 add Ira Schulman ( tnr ) & Dave Mullholland
Track 5 as Track 1 but add Ira Schulman ( tnr )
Recorded Chicago 6th July 1956
Sandy Mosse Quartet
Tracks 6 to 8
Sandy Mosse ( tnr ) Junior Mance ( pno ) Bob Crenshaw ( bass ) Marty Clausen ( drs )
Recorded 5th September 1958
Touff Assignment
Cy Touff Quintet featuring Sandy Mosse
Tracks 9 to 16
Cy Touff ( bass tpt ) Sandy Mosse ( tnr ) Eddie Higgins ( pno ) Bob Crenshaw ( bass ) Marty Clausen
( drs )
Recorded 28th & 29th August 1956
Sandy Mosse Quartet & Bill McCrea’s Strings
Tracks17 to 21
Sandy Mosse ( tnr ) Eddie Higgins ( pno ) Art Tabachnik, Carl Racine & George Palermo ( violins ) Harold Kupper ( viola ) Harry Wagman ( cello ) Bob Crenshaw ( bass ) Marty Clausen ( drs )
Bill McRae ( cond / arr )
Recorded 13th October 1958
Detroit born Sandy Mosse spent ten years studying and playing clarinet then took up the alto and spent three years with that instrument before switching to tenor in 1950. The following year he left for Europe where he met the drummer Walter Bishop whose group he joined and toured the Continent gaining experience.
On his return to the USA he spent six months in the Woody Herman saxophone section but returned to Europe in 1954 and worked with a group of Dutch jazz musicians. On his return to the USA ain 1956 he was signed by Argo Records and recorded “The Chicago Scene” which is represented on this album. The five tracks from this album do not set the world alight but the presence of guitarist Jimmy Gourley does lift the session to some extent.
Two years later he recorded the album “Touff Assignment” with bass trumpeter Cy Touff and the standard of his playing has improved dramatically, there is new found maturity and he has developed his own sound. The two of them also recorded together on the Delmark album “Tickle Toe” with the same positive result.
The rhythm section on this album is much more together than on the previous one and has the dependable Bob Cranshaw who always lends stability to a section. Eddie Higgins punchy piano style brings to mind John Williams who was with Stan Getz for a number of years.
The combination of bass trumpet and tenor saxophone is one that works well and in the hands of these two players it can swing with ease. They play a nicely balanced programme of Standards and originals, Sandy Mosse shows he can bring new life to a well worn ballad on “How Long Has This Been Going On”. Ernie Wilkins “Tough Touff” generates amighty swing and is probably the best track on the album.
‘Relaxin’ with Sandy Mosse is something of an odd mixture and recorded at two sessions a month apart. At the first session the Sandy Mosse Quartet recorded three tracks of which Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birks Works” is the best and longest track at nine and half minutes and has a hard swinging piano solo by Junior Mance. The remaining five tracks feature a Sandy Mosse Quartet with a fairly turgid string section, Sandy Mosse plays well enough but sounds weighed down by the strings.
On balance a fairly un even release but the “Touff Assignment” tracks have been out of the catalogue for some time and have been difficult and expensive to purchase even on second hand Lps I would therefore consider this an essential purchase.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Fresh Sound Records FSR-CD 845
Sandy Mosse and the Chicago Scene
Tracks 1 to 3
Sandy Mosse ( tnr ) Jimmy Gurley ( gtr ) except track 3 Eddie Baker ( pno ) Leroy Jackson ( bass ) Dorrell Anderson ( drs )
Track 4 add Ira Schulman ( tnr ) & Dave Mullholland
Track 5 as Track 1 but add Ira Schulman ( tnr )
Recorded Chicago 6th July 1956
Sandy Mosse Quartet
Tracks 6 to 8
Sandy Mosse ( tnr ) Junior Mance ( pno ) Bob Crenshaw ( bass ) Marty Clausen ( drs )
Recorded 5th September 1958
Touff Assignment
Cy Touff Quintet featuring Sandy Mosse
Tracks 9 to 16
Cy Touff ( bass tpt ) Sandy Mosse ( tnr ) Eddie Higgins ( pno ) Bob Crenshaw ( bass ) Marty Clausen
( drs )
Recorded 28th & 29th August 1956
Sandy Mosse Quartet & Bill McCrea’s Strings
Tracks17 to 21
Sandy Mosse ( tnr ) Eddie Higgins ( pno ) Art Tabachnik, Carl Racine & George Palermo ( violins ) Harold Kupper ( viola ) Harry Wagman ( cello ) Bob Crenshaw ( bass ) Marty Clausen ( drs )
Bill McRae ( cond / arr )
Recorded 13th October 1958
Detroit born Sandy Mosse spent ten years studying and playing clarinet then took up the alto and spent three years with that instrument before switching to tenor in 1950. The following year he left for Europe where he met the drummer Walter Bishop whose group he joined and toured the Continent gaining experience.
On his return to the USA he spent six months in the Woody Herman saxophone section but returned to Europe in 1954 and worked with a group of Dutch jazz musicians. On his return to the USA ain 1956 he was signed by Argo Records and recorded “The Chicago Scene” which is represented on this album. The five tracks from this album do not set the world alight but the presence of guitarist Jimmy Gourley does lift the session to some extent.
Two years later he recorded the album “Touff Assignment” with bass trumpeter Cy Touff and the standard of his playing has improved dramatically, there is new found maturity and he has developed his own sound. The two of them also recorded together on the Delmark album “Tickle Toe” with the same positive result.
The rhythm section on this album is much more together than on the previous one and has the dependable Bob Cranshaw who always lends stability to a section. Eddie Higgins punchy piano style brings to mind John Williams who was with Stan Getz for a number of years.
The combination of bass trumpet and tenor saxophone is one that works well and in the hands of these two players it can swing with ease. They play a nicely balanced programme of Standards and originals, Sandy Mosse shows he can bring new life to a well worn ballad on “How Long Has This Been Going On”. Ernie Wilkins “Tough Touff” generates amighty swing and is probably the best track on the album.
‘Relaxin’ with Sandy Mosse is something of an odd mixture and recorded at two sessions a month apart. At the first session the Sandy Mosse Quartet recorded three tracks of which Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birks Works” is the best and longest track at nine and half minutes and has a hard swinging piano solo by Junior Mance. The remaining five tracks feature a Sandy Mosse Quartet with a fairly turgid string section, Sandy Mosse plays well enough but sounds weighed down by the strings.
On balance a fairly un even release but the “Touff Assignment” tracks have been out of the catalogue for some time and have been difficult and expensive to purchase even on second hand Lps I would therefore consider this an essential purchase.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
