Michel de Villers - Low Reed (Complete Small Groups Sessions 1946-1956) 2018

25 Dec, 02:23
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Artist: Michel de Villers
Title: Low Reed (Complete Small Groups Sessions 1946-1956)
Year Of Release: 2018
Label: Fresh Sound Records[FSR-CD 951]
Genre: Jazz, Bop, Swing
Quality: FLAC (tracks + .cue,log)
Total Time: 74:59
Total Size: 331 MB(+3%)
WebSite: Album Preview

Tracklist

01. How High the Moon (3:01)
02. Sweet Lorraine (2:45)
03. Shuffin' at the Hollywood (2:50)
04. Blues at Eleven (2:54)
05. Lover Man (3:13)
06. The Small Bag (2:48)
07. I'm Sorry (3:08)
08. Working Eyes (2:59)
09. Stuffy (2:51)
10. I Surrender Dear (3:29)
11. Fisher's Wife (3:58)
12. I Can't Get Started (3:38)
13. Over the Rainbow (4:24)
14. Indiana (4:04)
15. Let's Try Again (3:32)
16. 'Round Midnight (4:17)
17. These Foolish Things (2:45)
18. Cat on the Stairs (2:07)
19. I Only Have Eyes for You (2:20)
20. Penitas de amor (2:36)
21. Somebody Loves Me (2:32)
22. Portrait of Django (2:30)
23. Happy Flying Carpet (3:02)
24. Don't Blame Me (3:16)

Michel de Villers (1926-1992) was one of the most influential French reed players in modern jazz, known by most of his fellow musicians by his nickname: “Low reed.” From a very young age, de Villers excelled on alto sax and clarinet. After gaining the attention of fans and musicians as an amateur, he was hired by Django in 1946. Shortly afterwards he began recording as a leader, improvising with cohesive drive and swinging passion, with a clear tone and vocabulary straight from the leading swing alto players—Benny Carter, Willie Smith and Johnny Hodges.
Looking to achieve a more modern sound, he adopted the baritone as his main instrument in 1949, swinging authoritatively with a muscular fullness of tone, but with the initial fierceness of his attack tempered by the cool influence, of Bird first, and Mulligan later. His skill as a soloist and improviser put him among the best European baritonists when Jazz-Hot awarded him from 1950 onwards first place in their annual readers’ poll. This led to calls from American jazzmen on their way through Paris. His fame spread to the United States when in 1956 he was voted one of the best new baritone players by the Down Beat international critics’ poll.
This CD set contains all his small-group recording sessions as a leader during his most prolific years (1946-1956). The way he makes his sounds swing so naturally may lead one to believe that perhaps others possessed better technique or ideas; but the truth is few surpassed Michel de Villers in soul and feeling. In his own words: “I get bored deeply when it does not swing.”

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