Search - Vic Dickenson :: Gentleman of the Trombone

Exquisite Trombone

John C. Graham | toronto, ontario Canada | 11/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Warm, quaint, and fine as only the best aged things can be; this is truly a Vic Dickenson showcase. With a rhythm section only, including the wonderful and under-rated Johnny Guarnieri on the piano, Vic can do no wrong. All the familiar tunes are done with a grace and elegance that Vic Dickenson always brought to the table. Although his smokey voiced crooning on a few numbers adds nicely to the programme, it is his magnificent trombone playing that is at the heart of this timeless cd.



Vic was a major stylist who came up through the ranks of the big bands, did some small group things with Eddie Heywood in the forties, recorded those enduring albums for Vanguard in the fifties, did the Saints and Sinners thing with Red Richards in the sixties and played with Bobby Hackett and the World's Greatest Jazz Band in the seventies, among many other sessions. His playing,with its warmth and humour,was so easy to recognize.



There was an album from the late fifties, on Verve, with Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Teddy Wilson, and Vic that stands out as a masterpiece of small group swing. Vic's playing was exquisite. His playing on this recording, some fifteen years or so later, has lost none of it's charm or character. This guy was one of the best and will always be fondly remembered by those who heard him play. "Gentleman of the Trombone" is one to keep.



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