In 2007, the Lone Hill Jazz label reissued two Verve albums by clarinetist
Buddy DeFranco: Generalissimo and Live Date!, which despite the title was a studio recording. In a producer's note,
Morton James verbally winces at the pun on the name of the notoriously genocidal Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco, and speculates that this grossly insensitive gimmick, thought up by some clueless A&R director or advertising agent, might actually have delayed the album's appearance on CD until 2007.
Boniface Ferdinand Leonardo de Franco was born in Camden, NJ, in 1923. The son of a piano tuner, he excelled on several instruments before settling into his role as one of the premier clarinetists in early modern
jazz. Recorded on Wednesday, April 2, 1958, Generalissimo turns out to be a solid little blowing session involving trumpeter
Harry "Sweets" Edison and Milwaukee-born tenor saxophonist
Bob Hardaway, with an awesome rhythm section in
Jimmy Rowles,
Curtis Counce,
Barney Kessel, and
Alvin Stoller. On Friday, April 4, 1958,
DeFranco brought
Kessel and
Hardaway back to the studio, this time with drummer
Stan Levey, bassist
Scott LaFaro, pianist/accordionist
Pete Jolly, vibraphonist
Victor Feldman, and multi-instrumentalist
Herbie Mann, who played flute, tenor sax, and (on "These Foolish Things") bass clarinet. This double reissue is composed mainly of
jazz standards with a couple of originals and two sumptuous ballad medleys. Unfortunately, the combined running time for both albums exceeded the 80-minute mark by about 120 seconds. For this reason, "Tin Reed Blues" from the Live Date! album was omitted, but may be enjoyed on the equally excellent double CD I Hear Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw [Lone Hill Jazz 10281]. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide
Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide © a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.© 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
