Historic album: Tony Fruscella & Brew Moore - Fru'n Brew (Spotlite)

Tony Fruscella (trumpet); Brew Moore (tenor sax); Bill Triglia (piano); Teddy Kotick (bass); Art Madigan (drums)

NYC, mid 1953, the Open Door down in Greenwich Village, five of the most under-recorded, underrated and now mainly unremembered, musicians jammed.

With the exception of Fruscella who, prior to this session had only been recorded once, all five had a pedigree. Moore had, recorded with Mulligan and would later have several albums under his belt in both America and Scandinavia. He was very much of the Lesterian school of tenor playing. He was also a heavy drinker who died after falling downstairs when 'under the influence'. Triglia played piano on Mingus' Tijuana Modes. Kotick was one of Bird's favourite bassists whilst Madigan recorded with Wardell Gray and Art Farmer. 

In truth this record isn't that wonderful, the piano's out of tune and Fruscella who sounds as if he influenced, or was influenced by, Miles and Chet meanders ineffectively and Moore, one of my all-time favourite tenor players, is equally uninspired.

What does make the record something else are the sleeve notes by the late Dan Morgenstein, they're priceless. His description of the Open Door makes the old Jazz Café in Newcastle sound like the Ritz*.  

*No one I knew ever ate there, but when we were flush we ordered beer or whiskey. The cups were chipped and brown around the rims, and the grimy glasses often bore lipstick traces. Dan Morgenstein (Feb. 1981).