On Wednesday, June 6, 1945 vibraphonist Red Norvo led two sessions inside the WOR Recording Studios in New York City, under the supervision of producer Ross Russell, founder of Dial records. When in 1995 Tone Cool released All Existing Takes from the day’s proceedings, the title referred to the fact that five incomplete and/or unissued takes from the first session were not preserved for posterity. Norvo started out as a successful swing xylophonist and big-band leader during the ’30s and then switched over to vibraphone and became a dynamic participant in the rapid development of bop and early modern jazz. This dramatic update began in the autumn of 1943, solidified during a subsequent series of V-Disc, Brunswick, Keynote, Dial and Capitol sessions, then reached full bloom in 1950 and 1951 with the records he cut for Savoy with Tal Farlow and Charles Mingus. The Dial recordings of June 6, 1945 are unique in the Red Norvo discography, for here were trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and saxophonists Charlie Parker and Flip Phillips with pianist Teddy Wilson, bassist Slam Stewart and Gordon Specs Powell, a fine drummer who was replaced on “Congo Blues” and “Slam Slam Blues” (also known as “Bird’s Blues”) by virtuoso percussionist J.C. Heard. With all of these multiple takes on board, this album is obviously best suited for listeners who adore the music so deeply that five consecutive versions of “Congo Blues” will serve as the key to perfect happiness. For those who are in too much of a hurry for such savory meditations, the master takes have been issued elsewhere. The best choice, and indeed one of the most satisfying Norvo albums ever made, is called Red Norvo 1944-1945. It is number 1356 in the Classics Chronological Series, and may serve as a rewarding prologue to Tone Cool’s All Existing Takes, Rovi – arwulf arwulf
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