Jimmy Raney Trio - But Beautiful (1990)

They say that some things never age, they just mature with time. This is certainly the case with Jimmy Raney who never seizes to amaze us on the last recording of his life for the Criss Cross label accompanied by seasoned veterans George Mraz on bass and Lewis Nash on drums in a set mostly consisting of standards where musical ideas flow like sparkling water. A more than graceful exit then for a jazz giant of Raney's caliber.

This post brings our small tribute to Jimmy Raney to an end. RIP Jimmy, we will always love you.


track listing:
1. Long Ago (And Far Away)
2. But Beautiful
3. Indian Summer
4. Someone to Watch over Me
5. I Get a Kick out of You
6. Elegy for Ray Parker
7. He Loves and She Loves
8. Way You Look Tonight
9. Long Ago (And Far Away) [take 2]
10. Blues Cycle

personnel:
Jimmy Raney: guitar
George Mraz: bass
Lewis Nash: drums

rec. Dec. 5, 1990
Criss Cross Jazz 1065

Play Duets with Jimmy Raney!

Jamey Aebersold has been a household name with jazz musicians for decades and his play-a-longs have helped launch many a jazzman's career. His Vol. 29 places Jimmy Raney in a solo recording in the same context as his Solo offering for Xanadu of 1975 (see a few posts back). Intended for use by aspiring jazz guitarists, we have Jimmy Raney play melody on one channel and harmony on the other on 10 original compositions, the idea being for the student to learn by isolating either channel. Luckily for the rest of us the whole can be enjoyed as a normal music CD where Raney's superb sense of melody, harmony and rhythm, his superb musicianship in short, stand out as Jimmy was a musician extraordinaire.

P.S. for the tone-minded, track 1 consists of tuning notes, so tune up your ears and enjoy!

personnel:
Jimmy Raney - guitar

track listing:
# Tuning Notes
# Invention
# Suspended Moon
# Together
# Jonathan's Waltz
# Action
# Samba Teekens
# The Flag Is Up
# Blues Andante
# Fugato
# Blues Allegro

Rec. 1983

Jimmy Raney '81

Amazing European debut on Dutch Criss Cross label for Jimmy Raney who sounds here better than ever with his quartet including his son Doug on guitar who, not surprisingly, sounds just like dad - no mean feat!

Track listing:
1. What Is This Thing Called Love (Cole Porter)
2. This Is New (Kurt Weil)
3. My Shining Hour (Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer)
4. Peri's Scope (Bill Evans)
5. Sweet And Lovely (Gus Arnheim / Harry Tobias / Jules Lemare)
6. Chewish Chive And English Brick (Jimmy Raney)
7. If I Should Lose You (Leo Robin / Ralph Rainger)
8. What Is This Thing Called Love (alt. take) (Cole Porter)
9. Peri's Scope (alt. take) (Bill Evans)
10. My Shining Hour (alt. take) (Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer)
11. Sweet And Lovely (alt. take) (Gus Arnheim / Harry Tobias / Jules Lemare)
12. If I Should Lose You (alt. take) (Leo Robin / Ralph Rainger)
13. Chewish Chive And English Brick (alt. take) (Jimmy Raney)


Personnel:
Jimmy Raney (g)
Doug Raney (g)
Jesper Lundgaard (b)
Eric Ineke (d)


Recorded February 27, 1981 in Hilversum, The Netherlands.

The Date : Jimmy Raney - Martial Solal (1981)

This time Jimmy Raney is joined by Algerian-born pianist Martial Solal (of Jean-Luc Godard's À bout de souffle fame) for en exquisite duet session of standards and originals giving us some very introspective music a la Bill Evans - Jim Hall.

Tracklisting:
1. Motion (Raney)
2. It Could Happen To You (VanHeusen, Burke)
3. Just Friends (Lewis, Klenner)
4. Body And Soul (Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton)
5. The Date (Solal)
6. Almost Like Being in Love (Lerner, Loewe)
7. My Old Flame (Johnson, Coslow)
8. The Way You Look Tonight (Kern, Fields)

Jimmy Raney - guitar
Martial Solal - piano

Rec March 7, 1981

Jimmy Raney - Solo (1975 - 76)

As the title suggests, this album is Jimmy Raney all by himself, the genuine article if you will, as Raney chose to accompany himself using overdubbing like Bill Evans did on his famous "Conversations with Myself" string of recordings. Raney said in an interview that he doesn't think of the guitar in guitar terms, but rather as a means of making music. Nowhere is this more evident than on this album where he lays his artistry bare to the listener and everything falls into place magnificently. My favorite Raney recording.


Tracklisting:
1. The Fugue
2. New Signal
3. How Deep is the Ocean
4. The Way You Look Tonight
5. Wait Till You See Her
6. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
7. Blues Variations
8. Suzanne
9. The End of a Love Affair

Personnel:
Jimmy Raney - guitar

#1-7 NYC 12/20/1976
#8-9 NYC 09/02/1975

Stan Getz & Jimmy Raney - Complete Studio Sessions (1948-53)

Any tribute to Jimmy Raney not mentioning the amazing work he did with Stan Getz during 1948-1953 would be lacking in perspective. To that end, here are the complete studio recordings made by these two giants for a multitude of labels including Sittin' in With, Roost, Savoy, Sesco, Clef, Prestige et al with musicians of the caliber of Duke Jordan, Curly Russell, Blossom Dearie, Horace Silver, Roy Haynes, Frank Isola, and many others in this lovingly remastered 41-track, 2-disc set.

Disc: 1
1. Pardon My Bop
2. As I Live and I Bop
3. Interlude in Bebop
4. Diaper Pin
5. Stan Getz Along
6. Stan's Mood
7. Slow
8. Fast
9. Skull Buster
10. Ante Room
11. Poop Deck
12. Pennies from Heaven
13. Pinch Bootle
14. Earless Engineering
15. Be Still, TV
16. Short P, Not LP
17. Melody Express .
18. Yvette
19. Potter's Luck
20. The Song Is You
21. Wildwood


Disc: 2
1. Stella By Starlight
2. Time on My Hands
3. 'Tis Autumn
4. The Way You Look Tonight
5. Lover, Come Back to Me
6. Body and Soul
7. Stars Fell on Alabama
8. You Turned the Tables on Me
9. Lullaby of Birdland
10. Autumn Leaves
11. Fools Rush In
12. These Foolish Things
13. Thanks for the Memory
14. How Deep Is the Ocean
15. Hymn of the Orient
16. These Foolish Things
17. Signal
18. Lee
19. 'Round Midnight
20. Motion

Recorded between 1948-53

Jimmy Raney Visits Paris (1954)

1. Fascinating Rhythm
2. Too Marvelous for Words
3. Cherokee
4. Everything HAppens To me
5. Night and Day
6. Soneone to Watch Over ME
7. Tres Chouette
8. Imagination
9. Dinah
10.Love For Sale
11.Have You Met Miss Jones
12.What's New


* Jimmy Raney - guitar
* Bobby Jaspar - Tenor Sax
* Roger Guerin - Trumpet
* Maurice Vandair - Piano
* Jean-Marie Ingarnd - Bass
* Jean-Louis Viale - Drums

Recorded in Paris on Feb. 10, 1954

Jimmy Raney - A (1954-55)

1.Minor
2.Some Other Spring
3.Double Image
4.On The Square
5.Spring is Here
6.One More For The Mode
7.What's New
8.Tomorrow, Fairly Cloudy
9.A Foggy Day
10.Someone To Watch Over Me
11.Cross Your Heart
12.You Don't Know What Love Is


Selections #1-4 recorded on May 28, 1954 by the Jimmy Raney Quartet:
Jimmy Raney (g)
Hall Overton (p)
Teddy Kotick (b)
Art Mardigan (d)

All other selections recorded Feb 18 and March 8 1955 by the Jimmy Raney Quintet:
Jimmy Raney (g)
John Wilson (tp)
Hall Overton (p)
Teddy Kotick (b)
Nick Stabulas (d)

at the Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ.