Bob Cooper (ten); Bud Shank (bar); Howard Roberts (gtr); Claude Williamson (pno)*; Joe Mondragon (bs)**; Curtis Counce (bs)*; Shelly Manne (dms)**; Stan Levey (dms)*.
*July 30, 1954. ** May 7/14, 1954.
As I continue my alphabetical trip down memory lane delving into the world of 10" vinyl the letter C presents a problem. Two great discs - Something Cool by June Christy or Kenton Presents Bob Cooper - which one? The choice is made even more difficult due to the fact that many of the musicians on the Cooper disc are also on the Christy album. Not only that, Cooper and Christy were also married! However, as they're now long gone (Christy, 1990, Cooper, 1993), it shouldn't cause any matrimonial friction when I've chosen Coop's album, despite thinking that Something Cool is one of the greatest jazz vocal albums ever!
Cooper epitomised the cool school of tenor playing, swinging and sounding just that little bit harder than Getz did at the time. Shank, on baritone, lets us know that Mulligan wasn't the only cat playing baritone on the west coast. Howard Roberts, himself a legend on guitar, provides the contrast to the horns. Four originals and four standards - Polka Dots and Moonbeams; The Way You Look Tonight; When the Sun Comes Out and She Didn't Say Yes.
West Coast Jazz has been much maligned over the years but, listening to this, most definitely a miscarriage of justice!
Pick up on local band Lickety Split to realise that the west coast of America is alive and well on the east coast of England!
Lance
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