Search - Ralph Sutton & His Allstars :: Echoes of Swing: Complete Hamburg Concert

While this pair of CDs is tagged as Echoes of Swing, the spirit of improvised jazz instead emerges (there is a difference). As one might expect, these cuts are dominated by the richness of Ralph Sutton's piano, with its lovely, lyrical, and/or stomping stride in his every chorus--an astonishing feat, achieved only by the greats of Harlem's golden years, Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, and Willie "the Lion" Smith. Waller's 1928 classic, "Clothesline Ballet," singly reveals the astounding dimensions of Sutton's touch. In truth, no one has done more to keep this tradition alive than Ralph Sutton, and certainly no one comes near him in blending this style seamlessly with the extraordinary talent on these two CDs. For those who loved Sutton's Commodore sessions of the late 1940's when they heard this youngster from rural Missouri for the first time, these two CD gems are going push you over the edge. --Daniel Bartlett Jr.