Larry Kart Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 Was listening today to Bert's 1954 or '55 Savoy album "Musician of the Year," which makes up the first seven tracks of the two-CD compilation below; on the compilation's remaining tracks, which I haven't heard, Joe Puma and JR Monterose are added, and how bad can that be. In any case, "Musician of the Year" is a gem. Bert is one of the best somewhat Lester Young-influenced trombonists who came up in the late '30s/early '40s -- some others might be Earl Swope, Jimmy Knepper, and Willie Dennis -- and I've never heard Bert in better form. Rhythm section is Hank Jones, Wendell Marshall and Kenny Clarke, fine RVG sound. A nice, albeit tricky touch is that on most tracks Bert is multi-tracked on the "in" and "out" choruses for a Jay & Kai-like effect, which he handles with ease; and he usually solos twice on most tracks, e,g, once on open horn, once muted, to further the two-trombone effect. What a fine lyrical, swinging player Bert was, and an individual one too -- I can usually tell it's a Bert solo in just a few notes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 I originally had the Bert material on a couple of Savoy LPs back when they were first issued in the 50's. My strong interest in tenor player J.R. Monterose was a motivating factor. Always enjoyed them. I was especially pleased when Fresh Sound reissued the Savoy Bert material on CD a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 yeah, I have one of those Savoys and enjoy it very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted October 10, 2019 Report Share Posted October 10, 2019 I have them both on separate discs. Bert was a great player. And Kenny Clarke! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted October 11, 2019 Report Share Posted October 11, 2019 I agree. I bought the "Musician of the Year" LP a long time ago some time after it had been reissued by French RCA in the mid-80s. It's been a while since I listened closely to it but remember I was very impressed by the effortless fluency and swing of the proceedings. I have "Encore" (feat. Monterose and Puma et al.) on the Savoy-Denon reissue CD of the early 2000s. TIme to pull out that one again too. So I guess, owning 2 out of 3 of the contents of this FS reissue I will have to make do without "Montage" (until that one comes along somewhere else if it turns out to be a must). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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