Customer Reviews

Essential Vic Dickenson

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone wanting to know what the very essence of jazz is, should listen to this recording. There are moments in recorded jazz history that stand above even the best, and this is one. It truly ranks with the Billie Holiday-Teddy Wilson recordings of the '30's, and no recorded session swings more. A must!

Dickenson is a superb trombonist, inexcusably overlooked in contemporary opinion, and he is playing very well here. These sessions, put together by John Hammond, which ought to be enough of a recommendation by itself, feature also Ruby Braff, playing exquisitely, and Edmond Hall. A good bet.

This CD is a partial reissue of a great two-record set, which featured Dickenson with Edmond Hall and other swing stars. The other CD, also sold by ..., is titled "Nice Work." All of the selections would have fit on a CD, but--probably for financial reasons--the two reissues only include part of the orginal material. My pick of the two CDs is "Nice Work" because it features Edmond Hall's wonderful solo on "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me," and "When You and I Were Young, Maggie," a slow humorous blues treatment of the folk song that perfectly showcases Dickenson. Both reissues overlap with seven selections, the best of which is probably "Jeepers Creepers."
The music here is swing, but, taking advantage of the LP format, the musicians stretch out in 6 to 8 minute cuts. The instrumentation suggests so-called Dixieland, but swing is the strongest influence. The general feeling of the music is relaxed, warm, and happy. The quality of the playing is excellent. Trombonest Dickenson and clarinetist Hall are fabulous. Trumpeters, including Ruby Braff, and the pianist, Sir Charles Thomson, are good but not quite in the same class.
This second-best reissue does include "Keeping Out of Mischief Now," a good cut, and two pretty good cuts: "Sir Charles at Home" and "I Cover the Waterfront." But I'd recommend "Nice Work." But wouldn't it be nice if the skinflint music industry would put 80 minutes on a CD instead of forcing us to make these choices? -TTA

Fortunately I have the 2 record set. I especially love Sir Charles Thompson's sensitive piano. Minimalist but so effective. I play it time and again and never tire of it.