VA - The Verve Story, 1944 - 1994 [1994] (4 x CDs)

JAZZ SUNDAY

VERVE

VA - The Verve Story, 1944 - 1994 [1994] (4 x CDs)

Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Stan Getz, Bill Evans, Billie Holiday, and Oscar Peterson, among others. It absorbed the catalogues of Granz's earlier label, Clef Records, founded in 1946; Norgran Records, founded in 1953; and material which was previously licensed to Mercury Records.  Verve also served as the original home of rock acts such as The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. The restructured Verve Records is now part of the Verve Label Group (VLG), a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. This company is also home to historic imprints including Verve Forecast, Impulse! and Decca Records. (Wikpedia)

For his tireless, effective, and classy promotion of first-rate musicians, Norma Granz must surely be one of the great cultural influences of our century, even if no one but jazz types know of him. More admirable (because courageous and selfless) is that he absolutely forbade racial segregation in his audiences and for his musicians. Granz was famous for making sure that all his musicians received first-class treatment, without distinction.  And what first-class music his people made! From the "Jazz at the Philharmonic" series to his long tenure with Verve (which he founded), Granz brought together the very, very best jazz musicians, under the best conditions, and let them play what moved them. 

Presented here is the The Verve 50th Anniversary (Canadian CD Box set) of  Story of Verve Story 1944-1994.

CD1 covers the first ten years of Verve’s history when jazz was moving on from swing and into its bop era. For the most part, this era is quite enjoyable with its brisk rhythms and free-wheelin’ solos. There’s an energy and zest for performing to the best of one’s abilities captured with these recordings, a chunk of which are live as performed in concert halls. Even the slower, bluesy numbers have enough soul in them that you can’t help but hang on each note.

CD2 showcases the mid-‘50s in all its boppin’ glory. There’s a good deal of the bebop groove here that’ll have you realizing where the roots of rock’n’roll originated from. The rhythm guitar was getting more opportunities to strut its stuff, that’s for sure. While swing was essentially on the outs by the Fifties, that didn’t mean big-bands went by the wayside too. Quite a few offerings of ‘orchestras’ are on display here.  We see vocalists showcased. Obviously jazz music had singers before, but when Granz established this print, it was with promoting singing talent in mind. This included such vocalists as Anita O’Day, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald, who he personally managed. The duet with Louis Armstrong (They Can’t Take That Away From Me) is the clear highlight.

CD3 sees the Verve machine in full swing including a couple swing tunes. In the 1960s, jazz was entering its ‘sophistication’ era. It was no longer the default music of choice for hep cats and cool kids but upper-crust parties and college-educated professional adults. Fancy musical innovations like ‘high fidelity’ and ‘stereo’ were getting their starts too, and only rich folks had the money for playback machines that could take advantage of it. 

CD4 Verve Records must have sensed the changing tides, branching off into other music after founder Norman Granz sold the label to MGM. They still had successful jazz records early in the Sixties, but as the decade wound down, so did their jazz output. The music here showcases some of the more ‘leftfield’ records they released in this time, including Latin sounds of Cal Tjader’s Soul Sauce (Guachi Guaro), Kenny Burrell’s Last Night When We Were Young, and The Girl From Ipanema with Stan Getz and João Gilberto. The set closes with Hello My Lovely by Charlie Haden

A wonderful and highly varied collection of great jazz! It includes so many of the greats and others, that should have gotten a whole lot more attention than they did! The recordings are clear and crisp, and this is a good way to introduce newcomers to the wonderful world of jazz. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 JATP - Blues 10:24

02 Charlie Parker; Lester Young - Oh, Lady Be Good 11:08

03 Lester Young - I've Found A New Baby 4:05

04 Billie Holiday - Trav'lin' Light 3:25

05 Charlie Parker - Repetition 2:59

06 Coleman Hawkins - Picasso 3:17

07 Machito - Tanga 5:10

08 Bud Powell - Celia 3:00

09 Charlie Parker - Just Friends 3:32

10 Charlie Parker; Dizzy Gillespie - Bloomdido 3:26

11 Johnny Hodges - Jeep's Blues 2:58

12 Gene Krupa - Drum Boogie 3:06

13 Illinois Jacquet - Port Of Rico 2:44

14 Oscar Peterson - Tenderly 5:47

15 Dizzy Gillespie; Stan Getz - It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) 6:40

16 Roy Eldridge - Echoes Of Harlem 4:00

CD2

01 Art Tatum - Tea For Two 3:33

02 Dizzy Gillespie - Manteca (Theme) 4:16

03 Benny Carter - My One And Only Love 3:55

04 Lionel Hampton - Flying Home 3:16

05 Flip Phillips - Lemonaid 21 6:33

06 Count Basie; Joe Williams - Every Day I Have The Blues 5:29

07 Count Basie - April In Paris 3:49

08 Anita O'day - Honeysuckle Rose 3:15

09 Lester Young; Teddy Wilson - All Of Me 5:10

10 Ella Fitzgerald - Just One Of Those Things 3:33

11 Billie Holiday - Lady Sings The Blues 3:46

12 Oscar Peterson - Swinging On A Star 4:58

13 Buddy Defranco - Cooking The Blues 7:00

14 Ella Fitzgerald; Louis Armstrong - They Can't Take That Away From Me 4:40

15 Coleman Hawkins; Ben Webster - La Rosita 5:04

16 Dizzy Gillespie; Sonny Stitt; Sonny Rollins - I Know That You Know 5:28

CD3

01 Stan Getz; J.J.Johnson - Crazy Rhythm 7:45

02 Blossom Dearie - Surrey With The Fringe On Top 4:19

03 Duke Ellington; Johnny Hodges - Stompy Jones 6:41

04 Sonny Stitt - I Can't Give You Anything But Love 4:04

05 Gerry Mulligan; Ben Webster - Chelsea Bridge 7:21

06 Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife 4:43

07 Mel Torme - Too Close For Comfort 4:04

08 Jimmy Guiffre - In The Mornings Out There 6:51

09 Gerry Mulligan - I'm Gonna Go Fishin' 5:51

10 Stan Getz - Night Rider 3:59

11 Lee Konitz - I Remember You 4:29

12 Oscar Peterson - Something's Coming 3:53

13 Stan Getz; Charlie Byrd - Desafinado 5:52

14 Jimmy Smith - Walk On The Wild Side 5:54

CD4

01 Bill Evans - 'round Midnight 6:32

02 Stan Getz; Joao Gilberto; Antonio Carlos Jobim - The Girl From Ipanema 5:24

03 Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce (Guachi Guaro) 2:29

04 Kenny Burrell - Last Night When We Were Young 4:39

05 Wes Montgomery; Wynton Kelly Trio - If You Could See Me Now 8:24

06 Jimmy Smith; Wes Montgomery - Night Train 6:48

07 Joe Williams - Every Night 5:19

08 Betty Carter - The Good Life 7:00

09 Shirley Horn - You Won't Forget Me 7:12

10 Abbey Lincoln; Stan Getz - Bird Alone 8:34

11 Joe Henderson - Johnny Come Lately 6:32

12 Charlie Haden - Hello My Lovely 6:47

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