This fourth volume in the
Classics Buck Clayton chronology is mainly devoted to the excellent music he recorded in Paris during the first two weeks of November 1953. Much different from the old-fashioned
jazz he blew with
Mezz Mezzrow during the same tour, this material represents a fresh, modern approach to the traditions
Clayton had helped to establish with (and without)
Count Basie during the 1930s and '40s. Tracks one through five showcase informal jam bands co-led by
Clayton and drummer
Gerard Pochonet. There are several fine soloists featured here, including electrically amplified guitarist
Jean-Pierre Sasson, clarinetist and baritone saxophonist
Michel de Villers, trombonist
Benny Vasseur, and pianist
Andre Persiani. That's a short list -- these pleasantly loose blowing sessions involved some of the top
jazz musicians available in Paris at that time. Back in New York and recording for Columbia on December 14 and December 16, 1953,
Clayton led a ten-piece group that was essentially the
Count Basie Orchestra with
Sir Charles Thompson at the piano. Three extended romps close out this highly rewarding segment of the
Buck Clayton story: "Lean Baby," a sultry
blues by
Billy May, cruises at a relaxed lope for eight-and-a-half minutes; the great Kansas City
swing anthem "Moten Swing" rolls for twelve-and-a-half minutes, and a cool "Sentimental Journey" stretches out for nearly 14 minutes. Excellent music, superbly rendered. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide
