Featuring: Russ Freeman (p), Bud Shak (as & fl), Stu Williamson (tp), Billy Bean (g), Bob Whitlock, Joe Mondragon, Carson Smith, Monty Budwig (b), Bobby White, Shelly Manne, Mel Lewis (d)


While other West Coast jazz pianists during the Fifties and early Sixties cut their share -and some perhaps more than that - of albums for a variety of recording firms, Russ Freeman’s output of records under his own name was nowhere near enough to reflect his enormous talent.

Thanks to his involvement in the groups of such standard bearers as Howard McGhee, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper and Wardell Gray, he developed rapidly and when Chet Baker made his first quartet recordings in December 1952, he chose Freeman as pianist, composer and musical director. Freeman’s reputation also earned him a place with the Lighthouse All-Stars, Shorty Rogers’ Giants and, for ten years from 1955, with Shelly Manne and his Men. This CD is dedicated to the memory of Russ Freeman (1926-2002), an extraordinary but too often underrated jazz pianist who deserves a place among the greatest.

LP Sources:
Tracks #1-3 not issued on LP
Tracks #4-11 from Pacific Jazz LP-8 (10")
Track #12 from World Pacific JWC-501 (12")
Track #13 from World Pacific JWC-505 (12")
Track #14 from World Pacific JWC-502 (12")
Tracks #15-21 from World Pacific PJM-404 (12")
Track #22 from World Pacific JWC-511, and Stereo-1031 (12")


Personnel:

Tracks #1-3: Russ Freeman (p), Bob Whitlock (b) and Bobby White (d).
Recorded in Hollywood, at Gold Star Studios, on December 15, 1952.

Tracks #4-11: Russ Freeman (p), Joe Mondragon (b) and Shelly Manne (d).
Recorded in Hollywood, at Radio Recorders, December 27 (#4-6) & 28 (#7-11), 1953.

Tracks #12-14: Bud Shank (as & fl), Russ Freeman (p), Carson Smith (b) and Shelly Manne (d).
Recorded in Hollywood, at Music Box Theater, on February 19, 1956.

Tracks #15-21: Russ Freeman (p), Monty Budwig (b), Shelly Manne (d) and Stu Williamson (tp, added on #18-21).
Recorded in Hollywood, at Radio Recorders, on August 12, 1957.

Track #22: Russ Freeman (p), Billy Bean (g), Monty Budwig (b) and Mel Lewis (d).
Recorded in Hollywood, at Sound Enterprises, on March 26, 1959.


Original recordings produced by Dick Bock and Russ Freeman (15-21).


Tracklisting:

01. Lullaby in Rhythm (2:22)
02. East of the Sun (4:11)
03. Steeplechase (3:23)
04. Laugh Cry (2:58)
05. At Last (2:43)
06. You Stepped Out of a Dream (2:42)
07. Yesterday’s Gardenias (2:37)
08. Bock's Tops (2:49)
09. Don't Worry 'Bout Me (3:07)
10. Backfield in Motion (2:53)
11. The Eye Opener (3:00)
12. Bojangles of Harlem (2:41)
13. It’s a New World (4:40)
14. Blues in the Night (7:23)
15. The Party’s Over (2:58)
16. Joey, Joey, Joey (3:40)
17. Woody’s Dot (5:06)
18. Namely You (3:37)
19. Love in a Home (3:55)
20. Progress Is the Root of All Evil (3:46)
21. Independent (3:58)
22. Invitation to the Blues (4:41)

Total time: 79:00 min.


24-Bit Digitally Remastered