Eddie Costa with Oscar Pettiford and Ed Thigpen

[sgcim]

After over 40 years of looking for this, I just received the Oscar Pettiford 'Discoveries' CD from a seller on Discogs in The Netherlands for only $10 and change.

I only bought it for one cut, 'Taking a Chance on Love' which featured Costa on piano. I have EC playing this on the Newport 1957 Live LP, and on the Tal farlow lp, The Swinging Guitar Of...,

but this recording is much more enjoyable, because the sound is better than the Newport LP, and the tempo is much more conducive to swinging than Tal's faster tempo.

Costa uses his descending alt. chords harmonization on the melody, as he does on the other two LPs, but starts it with a rubato statement of the melody.

His solo is classic EC, with the repeated lines, off beat attacked and sustained notes, double octaves chorus, and humorous content, but most important, it all swings.

The only quote I know from EC was his comment, "GOOD JAZZ MUST SWING", and this lives up to his one demand.

The rest of the album is OP playing pizz. cello on many cuts and other groups with Matt Matthews, Hank Jones and Paul Quinichette. I was surprised to hear a bass clarinet solo by the late Chasey Dean, an old gigging mate of mine. 

The liner notes unfortunately are by the verbose Phil Schaap, who true to form, doesn't even mention Costa's name once! If you listen to WKCR, this won't surprise you...