Customer Reviews

Live at the Black Hawk 1

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first volume in a series of five which Shelly Manne & His Men recorded at San Francisco's legendary Blackhawk jazz club on September 22-24, 1959. This is 100% pure jazz at it's finest. I could not give less than five stars to any of the five albums in this series of music. The clean and precise sound of Manne's drumming, along with the excellent chemistry of Joe Gordon's trumpet and Richie Kamuca's tenor sax seems to have been taken to a higher level in this intimate live setting. Victor Feldman, known more for his vibe playing, fills in well at the piano for Russ Freeman (Manne's regular pianist on a European tour at the time). And Monty Budwig's outstanding bass solos' are not to go unmentioned. Manne's dialog between sets only adds to the excellent club atmosphere these albums capture. If I was to be asked what pure west coast jazz sounds like in a small, intimate live setting more common in the '50's & early '60's, I would simply have to say listen to Shelly Manne's albums recorded live at the Blackhawk.

If you don't think a drummer can make a group, listen to this cd. Everyone in the band is really hip, but Shelly's the one that makes this band a knockout. It is his band, but he doesn't get in the way with theatrics or bombastic playing, he just propels the band to new heights with every chorus. I think the guys could have taken shorter choruses, but when a band swings as hard as this one, it doesn't matter.

If you want danceable, blasé psudo-jazz, don't get this. It will scare and hurt you. But if you want a burning session, get this. You will be knocked out. And you will want to get all 5 volumes.

I purchased this and the other volumes of Live at the Blackhawk when they first were released on Contemporary Records, and those copies have long since worn out. Shelly Manne was one of the best and most influential drummers in the "West Coast" modern jazz idiom, and this band and these live recordings are proof of that. In addition to Shelly's consumate skill as accompanist and occasional soloist, Richie Kamuca and especially Victor Feldman shine as solo voices. Shelly is heard announcing many of the tunes and introducing the band, the sound is very intimate, and the recording has great historical significance as an example of the wonderful but often underappreciated music that was produced by musicians on the "left coast", many alumnae of the Stan Kenton and Woody Herman bands of the fifties.

Like all great music (e.g., Bill Evans Live at the Village Vanguard, Kind of Blue), these 5 CDs sound simple. Don't be fooled: it's the sound of mastery. A great band at the height of its expression. Buy one, two, or five. It's all good.

Twenty years ago I was in this little record store on the South Side of Chicago looking for music. I found magic. The old men there were listening to "I Am In Love" from Volume 3 of this 5 Volume set which was recorded live in 1959. It changed my life. I brought the album on the spot. This was jazz that I could follow. It starts from a point, takes you on a magical journey,and then brings you back. If you want to hear some "real smooth-jazz" then this is it. The live recordings are done so well, you can almost smell the booze and cigarettes. If you're
interested in jazz at it's best listen to Vol.3 enough said.

Since all the other reviews here apply to Volume 1 of this 5-disc series, or to the series as a whole, I thought I'd add a few words applicable to the disc at hand. Volumes 1-4 were originally released on LP, which might lead you to think that this disc is just a bunch of cobbled-together leftovers and that, perhaps, you don't need to spend the extra dough on Volume 5. Wrong! This is some of the most adventuresome music in the entire series, tunes that may have missed the original cut for that very reason, or because the searing solos by Richie Kamuca (who really stepped up his game during these Black Hawk sets) and (gasp!) the tremendous Joe Gordon just went on a chorus or two too long, or because these tunes really emphasise that the supernova among these five star musicians that night was actually guest pianist Victor Feldman, who penned two of the scorching tunes here and gets a terrific trio feature.

If you haven't heard of this guy pick up this disc and you will start collecting the other volumes. This is just a moment where a band clicks and someone (apparently Manne himself) is wise enough to get the equipment in and record it. I don't know how many versions of Summertime I have heard but when you hear this one as the opener to the collection you will find that it eclipses all the others. Just plain great jazz and a must buy!

This is an essential part of any jazz collection. great smooth sound!