Russ Freeman/Shelly Manne

[Tom 1960]

Recorded in 1982 it features the duo of Russ Freeman and Shelly Manne. Any thoughts on this release since I'm a big fan of both?

[Chuck Nessa]

Bought the Atlas lp when issued. Bought the cd when issued. Owned the 1954 duo on Contemporary for over 40 years - that's why I bought the Atlas lp. Good stuff.

[BruceH]

Not the most fortuitous choice of name, but I'd like to hear it.

[brownie]

I'm a big fan of both, too!

Like Chuck, bought the Atlas LP when it came out. I was happy to see the CD release which added one track and four alternates.

Excellent session!

[AllenLowe]

Freeman is highly under-rated, I think in part because his life didn't have the kind of drama that someone like Art Pepper's had (though he had been, as he told me a few years before died, and to my great surprise, a junkie "like everybody else.")

I hope there's a good interview out there with him, because we never got it together to do this, and he was nice, smart, and articulate. He spent his last years working out in Los Vegas, and he seemed fine with it. Though he does, I think, make an interesting appearance in a documentary, though I can't remember if it's about Chet Baker or Pepper (I'm sure someone out there knows).

Edited January 28, 2010 by AllenLowe

[jlhoots]

Confirmed shipping on a new copy from Newbury for $3.99 + shipping.

[Justin V]

Whenever I listen to this recording, I wonder why I don't listen to it more often. It always strikes me as strange to read in the liner notes (written by Freeman 19 years later) that it was his last recording. He sounds so good on it that it's shocking that he didn't record in the final 20 years of his life. I'd love to see some kind of private treasure trove of Freeman recordings get released.