Acrobat label gaffer, Paul Watts, in his taxonomy of research and detailed liner note states the following-:‘Occasionally, there’s an artist who has an immeasurable influence, and whose work is extremely important and ubiquitous but who remained largely unheralded during their careers. One such jazz artist is jazz, r&b, blues, rock and easy listening saxophonist, Sam 'The Man' Taylor'.
Well….This is quite
an indictment of ‘sessioner’ saxist
Taylor, who is well captured on this 2 CD set recorded during his heyday from 1949-1958.
The variety of the 39
track compilation is nothing short of staggering. A balanced mix of r&b material of the day, American songbook
chestnuts and a clutch of movie themes. They include Harlem Nocturne, As Time Goes By, Tara’s Theme (from Gone With the Wind) and A Kiss Before Dying. There is also a
healthy amount of Taylor originals modelled 1950s r&b anthems replete with a rollicking
blues swagger atop punchy rhythmic underpinnings.
The Man, Sam, was able to
slide seamlessly between the genres with skill,
enthusiasm and integrity. An enjoyable and comforting showcase of an
important stylist of the times yet sadly
unsung figure. Frank Griffith*
*Listen also to Frank's radio show THE JAZZ CAVERN On www.purejazzradio.com (from NYC) on Tuesdays at 4:00am, Fridays at 6:00am and Saturdays at 7:00am - NYC time (5 hours later in the UK).
This week's programme includes tracks by: Nikki Iles, Roger Beaujolais, Ray Gallon, Mark Lockheart, Dick Sisto, Simon Spillett, Baiana, Ben Reed, James Chadwick and Mike Denny
None of the above shows are available on a catch-up option. Lance
No comments :
Post a Comment