Customer Reviews

Five Feet of Soul [LP VINYL]

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

 

 

Jimmy Rushing in fine form as Count Basie's greatest singer sings blues, standards, novelties as only he could. Few recordings feature Jimmy near the end of his career in the 60's-70's, but this one features a kickin' big band loaded with great Swing players like Gene Quill and Zoot Sims. A dynamite combination!

This 1963 Roulette Records release was remixed from the original three-track masters and mastered in 24-bit resolution in 2003 by Malcolm Addey at the Malcolm Addey Studio in New York City. "Five Feet of Soul" was arranged by the legendary Al Cohn, and it features Rushing in his familiar big band setting. Rushing was joined on this recording by the female jazz pianist Patti Brown, who had not worked much with big bands previously. The resulting recording highlights a swinging affair, Rushing having stated later that the album was somewhat progressive for him.

The feeling here is reminiscent of his time spent with Count Basie, and the sound quality on here is excellent. "Trouble in Mind" is of course a classic, and Rushing delivers it in his own one of a kind way. Jimmy had that rare vocal quality which serves to accentuate the great music going on behind him, a voice among a sea of other instruments. An enjoyable listen from start to finish, this album is sure to be listened to often.

Personnel: Gene Quill - Phil Woods (alto saxophones), Budd Johnson - Zoot Sims (tenor saxophones), Sol Schlinger (baritone saxophone), Ernie Glow - Markie Markowitz - Joe Newman - Snooky Young (trumpets), Billy Byers - Jimmy Cleveland - Willie Dennis - Urbie Green (trombones), Patti Brown (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Milt Hinton (bass) and Gus Johnson (drums).

Not the best of Rushing's albums, this cd is still a swinging joy.
However, the big band arrangements obviously had basie in mind, but the band lacks the strength of even the later versions of Bill Basie's orchestra. Musicians are great, but the tempo is often too fast, rhythm is not strong enough and soloing is somewhat neglected. They should have looked for other, slightly lesser big bands as role models. For, instance, Gene Krupa's band, with Snooky Young playing the role of Roy Eldridge....

Although the album seems slightly unprepared for such an ambitious project, swing fans and Rushing funs will still enjoy it very much.