Jimmy Raney

Two of Jimmy Raney's most remarkable albums make up this set. The performances on the first feature Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn, and Red Mitchell, all felicitous choices, since, in addition to being compatible and inventive soloists, their presence adds to the tonal palette and avoids the similarity in tonal color of most guitar records. But Raney also shows that his superiority in the quick, alert swinging of the up tempo tunes is balanced by his lyric work on the ballads.

For the second album he teamed up once again with Brookmeyer, adding Osie Johnson, Teddy Kotick, adding pianists Dick Katz and Hank Jones, who combine taste and imagination with swinging time, on four tunes each. Among the several virtues of this quality example of the art of improvisation on relatively challenging thematic-and-chordal structures is the lucidity and logic with which all here approach, develop, and round off their solos. And, as with all of Raney's work, the music is polished, coherent and formidably well conceived and performed.

Personnel on tracks #1,4,8:
Bob Brookmeyer (v-tb), John Williams (p), Jimmy Raney (g
Red Mitchell (b), Osie Johnsone (d).
Recorded in New York City, May 14, 1956.

Personnel on tracks #3,6:
Al Cohn (ts), John Williams (p), Jimmy Raney (g),
Whitey Mitchell (b), Jack Edie (d).
Recorded in New York City, May 23, 1956.

Personnel on tracks #2,5,7:
Hall Overton (p), Jimmy Raney (g), Red Mitchell (g),
Osie Johnson (d).
Recorded in New York City, June 15, 1956.

Personnel on tracks #9,10,13,14:
Bob Brookmeyer (v-tb), Dick Katz (p), Jimmy raney (g),
Teddy Kotick (b),Osie Johnson (d).
Recorded in New York City, July 23, 1956.

Personnel on tracks #10,12,15,16:
Same as above, but Hank Jones (p), replaces Dick Katz.
Recorded in New York City, August 1, 1956.

Tracks #1-8 from the original ABC-Paramount LP Jimmy Raney In Three Attitudes Attitude 1: Bob Brookmeyer, Attitude 2: Al Cohn, Attitude 3: Red Mitchell" (ABC167).
Tracks #9-16 from the original ABC-Paramount LP Jimmy Raney Featuring Bob Brookmeyer (ABC129).

Tracks:

01. So in Love
02. Indian Summer
03. Fanfare
04. Last Night When We Were Young
05. On the Rocks
06. Passport to Pimlico
07. Strike Up the Band
08. Up in Quincy’s Room
09. Isn't It Romantic
10. How Long Has This Been Going On
11. No Male for Me
12. The Flag Is Up
13. Get Off That Roof
14. Jim's Tune
15. No One but Me
16. Too Late Now

Total time: 74:00 min.