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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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)
Time to turn our attention to Jimmy Raney (1927-1995), one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar and one of a handful of guitarists possessing a really transcendental technique on the instrument.
Raney was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His work as a pro started at the early age of 17, earning accolades for his superb work from 1951–1952 and 1962-1963 with Stan Getz and for his work from 1953–1954 with the Red Norvo trio, replacing Tal Farlow. In 1954 and 1955 he won the Down Beat critics poll for guitar. Raney has worked in a variety of jazz mediums, including cool jazz, bebop, post bop, hard bop and mainstream jazz.
In 1946 he worked for a time as guitarist with the Max Miller Quartet at Elmer's in Chicago, his first paying gig. Raney also worked in the Artie Shaw Orchestra and collaborated with Woody Herman for nine months in 1948. He also collaborated and recorded with Buddy DeFranco, Al Haig and later on with Bob Brookmeyer. In 1967 alcoholism and other professional difficulties led him to leave New York City and return to his native Louisville.
He resurfaced in the 1970s and also did work with his son Doug, an accomplished jazz guitarist in his own right. Raney tragically suffered for thirty years from Meniere's Disease, a degenerative condition that eventually led to near complete deafness in both ears; fortunately, his playing remained unaffected. He died of heart failure,in Louisville Ky. on May 10th of 1995, just short of his 68th birthday. An obituary in the New York Times referred to Jimmy Raney as 'one of the most gifted and influential postwar jazz guitarists in the world.'
An unassuming man, his playing conveyed a gentle, inner fire. Famous for his wry wit, he uttered dictums like the following on the March '77 issue of Guitar Player magazine: "Your melodic gifts really come out when you're playin' a ballad. It's one good way to separate the artist from the bullshit artist. Musicians who can play a million notes and run all over the guitar and sound very impressive are playing their practiced patterns. Give them a slow ballad and then see what their melodies are like. Slowed down a lot of people sound dull and boring." We couldn't agree more Jimmy...
We're still in the wild '60s when Howard Roberts was on a roll producing some very fine pop-oriented guitar jazz as was the fad these days, a fact easily witnessed by these two magnificent Capitol LPs on one CD. Forget rock 'n roll for a moment, this is expertly crafted Daiquiris-by-the-pool music by the top session men du jour.
Personnel: Howard Roberts (guitar); Henry Cain (organ); Bill Pittman (guitar); Chuck Berghofer (bass); Earl Palmer (drums); Jill Roberts (percussion); Larry Bunker (drums)
Track listing: 1.The Shadow of Your Smile 2.Sweet September 3.Pussy Cat 4.Whatever's Fair 5.This Is the Life 6.On a Clear Day You Can See Forever 7.I'll Only Miss Her When I Think of Her 8.Manha de Carnaval 9.Michelle 10.A Taste of Honey 11.Bye Bye Blues 12.It Was a Very Good Year 13.Soft Winds 14.Autumn Leaves 15.Theme From a Summer Place 16.Mr. Lucky 17.Comin' Home Baby 18.Danke Schoen 19.Work Song 20.Desafinado (Slighty Out of Tune) 21.The In Crowd 22.Misty
The attitude of the gallant Six Hundred which so aroused Lord Tennyson's admiration arose from the fact that the least disposition to ask the reason why was discouraged by tricing the would-be inquirer to the triangle and flogging him into insensibility.
F.J. Veale,
Advance to Barbarism
(Mitre Press, 1968).
Music posted here is for information purposes only. I don't subscribe to the notion that record companies are ripped off by the proliferation of blogs like this one. It is my firm belief that quite the contrary happens i.e. by bringing awareness to hitherto virtually unknown artists to the general public the music benefits greatly and a new level of interest is created.
Listeners are therefore kindly requested to buy the original music and support artists if they fancy what they hear - remember: if you like it, buy it!
