Nate Dorward

Joe: no, Lovano's not on the Silvano/Waldron disc, though he cowrote one track. The disc was the last release during Waldron's lifetime but the session was in the can for a little while--there are more recent recordings of his (e.g. the Sketch disc with Avenel & Lacy). -- I can't say I really like Riding a Zephyr all that much, though it has its moments: but the lyrics are hit or miss & Silvano's voice doesn't greatly appeal to me. Waldron is unimpeachable throughout, though. There's also the use on one track of Silvano's multiply overdubbing her voice to create a chorus, which irritates me a bit, & the final track has one of those "[Jazz Musician X] is the greatest" lyrics which comes off as awkward flattery when the subject is Waldron himself & he's in the studio there accompanying the words....... Yeah, Blossom Dearie can be good--Once Upon a Summertime has truly stunning versions of "Tea for Two" & "Manhattan", in particular. I have a couple other Verve discs of hers but they haven't grabbed me as much.

It's good music of course--the first two discs are some of Powell's greatest recordings, & the last two while not nearly as essential are at a consistently good level, unlike some latterday Bud. That said the RVG remasters are I understand a considerable improvement on the rather unimpressive sound of some of the earlier sessions (I haven't done the comparison myself: I'm going on what Stuart Broomer tells me) so bear that in mind. The liner notes are OK but not remarkable.

Jeri Southern recorded a nice version for Decca. It's available on the compilation The Very THought of You.