Johnny Hodges - The Clef & Norgran Albums 1951-54 - It's a snapshot of a particular and intriguing phase of Johnny Hodges' career. - Johnny Hodges was a jazz alto saxophonist, who enjoyed a performing and recording career that lasted from the 1920s through to his death in 1970. Best-known for his work with Duke Ellington, he had a pure tone and economy of melody on both the blues and ballads that won him admiration from musicians of all eras and styles, and made him ubiquitous on recording sessions across the spectrum of jazz. He occasionally led his own bands, and this 41-track 2-CD collection focuses on albums he made in a concentrated period in the mid-1950s with his small orchestra for the Clef and Norgran labels, owned by renowned impresario and producer Norman Granz, which were forerunners of Verve. It features the titles from the albums. "Johnny Hodges Collates", "Johnny Hodges Collates No. 2", "Swing With Johnny Hodges", "Memories of Ellington", "Castle Rock", "The Blues" and "In A Tender Mood", with some of the titles appearing on more than one album. A number of the titles were also released as singles, and two of them "Castle Rock " and "A Pound Of Blues", were US R&B hits. It naturally features some notable musicians of the era, including Al Sears, Leroy Lovett, Billy Strayhorn, Al McGibbon, Sonny Greer, Emmett Berry, Lloyd Trotman, Flip Phillips, Red Callender, Ray Brown, J.C. Heard and others. It's a snapshot of a particular and intriguing phase of Johnny Hodges' career, and a great showcase for his understated virtuosity as a jazz musician and leader.

Tracklist:

You Blew Out the Flame in My Heart [Rabbit's Blues]
Something to Pat Your Foot to
Blue Fantasia
My Reward
Good Queen Bess
Jeep's Blues
Solitude
The Jeep Is Jumpin'
Castle Rock
Sophisticated Lady
Globetrotter
A Gentle Breeze
Sideways
A Pound of Blues
Wham
Who's Excited ?
Sweepin' the Blues Away
Day Dream
Standing Room Only
Below the Azores
Tenderly
Sweet Georgia Brown
Duke's Blues (PT 1 ; PT 2)
Tea for Two
What's I'm Gotchere?
I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
Nothing Yet
Rosanne
Hodge Podge
Jappa
Through for the Night
Come Sunday
The Sheik of Araby
Latino
Easy Going Bounce
Indiana
Johnny's Blues (PTS 1 ; 2)
In a Mellow Tone
I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Burgundy Walk

UPC: 824046353421
Label: Acrobat
Release Date: 12.6.24
Format: CD

Johnny Hodges - Johnny Hodges (CD)