Norman Mapp - Jazz Ain't Nothin' But Soul (1961/2012)

Discovered by Dinah Washington in a Harlem nightclub, Norman Mapp (1928-1988) was a singer and composer whose public renown never quite matched either his talent or the high regard in which he was held within the jazz community. That much is clear from even a cursory glance at the personnel on these fine sessions from the start of the Sixties. They include such notables as trumpeter Clark Terry, multi-reedman Seldon Powell, pianist Tommy Flanagan and drummer Dave Bailey, who do so much to showcase Mapp at his best here.

The singer wrote eight of the ten tunes on “Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul”, his most celebrated album, investing the music with the warmth, taste and sensitivity for which he was celebrated. Both as accompanist and as soloists, Terry, Powell and Flanagan respond inventively to the singer and the material, creating a gem of its kind.

As a bonus, three tracks from “We Paid Our Dues” with Seldon Powell’s quartet and its leader’s vastly under-rated tenor in Lesterian mode, are included.

Tracks:

1.In The Night (4:37)
2.Blues In Bloom (3:55)
3.I Worry About You (5:00)
4.Who Do You Think You Are (2:08)
5.Dream Girl (2:11)
6.Daddy Knows (3:36)
7.Jazz Ain't Nothin' But Soul (2:54)
8.Moanin' (3:56)
9.When I'm With You (3:47)
10.Free Spirits (3:24)
11.Two For One (7:53)
12.Bowl Of Soul (6:09)
13.For Lester (7:16)

Personnel:

Norman Mapp (vcl), Clark Terry (tp), Seldon Powell (ts, fl), Tommy Flanagan (p), George Duvivier, Peck Morrison (b), Dave Bailey (d).