2 LPs ON 1 CD

Bassist Eldee Young and drummer Issac “Red” Holt were founding members of the hugely successful Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1956, and made their first sessions as leaders with the two fine albums included here.

Recorded in Chicago in December 1961, they feature two warmly delivered sets of originals and standards. As he shows in “Just for Kicks,” Young was a competent bassist, direct and forceful, with a pleasing flair for lighthearted drama. This date’s prime musical asset is, perhaps, altoist and flutist Leo Wright, who plays well throughout, and stunningly (on alto) on Cry Me a River. Young also plays soul cello on several numbers, providing moments of real beauty as flute and cello blend. Under the blunderbuss performances of Young and Wright, pianist Mal Waldron keeps much of his work simple and basic, always to the point.

On Holt’s “Look Out!! Look Out!!” the Ramsey Lewis trio is intact, augmented by the almost barrel-house trombonist Floyd Marvin on Riders, and by altoist Wallace Burton and guitarist Roland Faulkner on the rest of the album, excluding both drum-and-bass Look Out tunes. Burton shows flawless intonation and instinctively good phrasing, while Faulkner is strongly blues-rooted on a session swung hard by the rhythm section, with Ramsey Lewis adding his solo strength consistently to the mix.

PERSONNEL:

[1-10]from the Argo album Eldee Young – Just for Kicks

LEO WRIGHT, alto sax, flute
MAL WALDRON, piano
ELDEE YOUNG, bass, cello, vocals
RICHARD EVANS, bass
ISSAC "RED" HOLT, drums
Chicago, December 28, 1961.

[11-22] from the Argo album Red Holt – Look Out!! Look Out!!

FLOYD MARVIN, trombone
WALLACE BURTON, alto sax
RAMSEY LEWIS, piano
ROLAND FAULKNER, guitar
ELDEE YOUNG, bass
ISSAC "RED" HOLT, drums
Chicago, December, 1961

TRACKS:

01. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
02. Goodbye
03. Crazy She Calls Me
04. Big Brother
05. Cry Me a River
06. Truly
07. Mr. Kicks
08. Motherless Child
09. Just for Kicks
10. John Henry
11. Look Out No.3
12. Little Liza Jane
13. My Favorite Things
14. Red Sails in the Sunset
15. Drum Drunk
16. Soul Mist
17. Ghost Riders
18. Stella by Starlight
19. Sanctified Indian
20. I Cover the Waterfront
21. Tonight
22. Look Out No.1