Classic Urbie, great band
James A. Vedda | Alexandria, VA USA | 12/22/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I picked up the "Persuasive Trombone Vol. 1" LP back in the 1970s, but never found a copy of Vol. 2. Now both are available on this single CD, a total of nearly 72 minutes of music. Urbie is in fine form both technically and stylistically, and as usual makes everything he plays sound easy (which it isn't). The band is composed of many of the top New York studio players of the day (1960-62). A couple of names that are still likely to be familiar today are Dave McKenna on piano, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, and best of all, Doc Severinsen on trumpet.
The first 20 tracks are big band; the final four are sextet. (Severinsen is on all of them.) The big band arrangements, by Ralph Burns and Bobby Byrne, are very well done, crafted to show off Urbie's playing both as a soloist and on top of the trombone section. Enoch Light, producer of these volumes and several other Urbie Green albums, has been criticized for relying heavily on popular old standards and avoiding original material. That's certainly the case here as well, except for the final track which was written by Urbie. Nevertheless, the material is well played and well produced, and will be a welcome addition to your big band and trombone repertoire - and trumpet as well, thanks to Doc. Complete liner notes and pictures from the original releases are included.
As of this writing, Amazon is showing only one copy available from an alternate vendor, for a price that seems quite high for a CD release only a month old. I hope availability improves - it would be a shame if it disappeared from the market before Urbie's fans had a chance to discover it."
Traditional Yet Sophisticated Dance Music
Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 03/21/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Since my prior experience with the music of Urbie Green consisted only of hearing his ever-so-smooth trombone on an Antonio Carlos Jobim album, I didn't really know what to expect when I picked this up recently at a good price in a favorite Encinitas music store. Oh, I'd seen his albums around since I was a kid but even though I once played trombone myself I was never too curious about his music. Anyway, the acquisition of The Complete Persuasive Trombone turned out to be another victory for my knack for finding great music by relying only on a gut feeling.
Even though the heyday of the Big Band genre predates my musical awareness, I occasionally enjoy listening to it with Claude Bolling being one of my favorites in the style. But Urbie Green's sound is something else entirely. This is the kind of sound that the some of the hippest of those who came of age in the early post-war years enjoyed.
The Complete Persuasive Trombone contains basically two types of music: it either swings or it sways. My favorite swinging cuts are: At Last, I've Heard That Song Before, Close Your Eyes, On The Street Where You Live, and On A Slow Boat To China. My favorite swaying cuts are: Dream, Moonlight Serenade, I'm Getting Sentimental Over You, and Love Letters.
If big band and jazz are to your taste, here is an album that offers more than seventy minutes of traditional yet sophisticated dance music replete with virtuoso performances by Green and some of the finest session musicians of the day. I came away more than pleasantly surprised. I came away persuaded."
Simply one of the BEST trombone albums ever!
Paulo Leite | Lisbon, Portugal | 02/19/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Urbie Green was one of the best trombone players on the Jazz scene during the sixties, having worked with names like Gene Krupa, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman and Count Basie. He recoded with Louis Armstrong, Charles Mingus, Ella, Billie and Antonio Carlos Jobim. The first thing you'll notice about Urbie is his versatility - look at the track list and you'll see he does it all.
This CD comprises two albums releases in 1961-62. The orchestra you'll find here has nothing but top musicians in peak form. Through 24 tracks, you'll find greats song beautifully arranged:
1 - AT LAST
2 - PRISONER OF LOVE
3 - DREAM
4 - I'VE HEARD THAT SONG BEFORE
5 - MOONLIGHT SERENADE
6 - STAIRWAY TO THE STARS
7 - LET'S FALL IN LOVE
8 - MY SILENT LOVE
9 - MY MELANCHOLY BABY
10 - I HAD THE CRAZIEST DREAM
11 - I'M GETTING SENTIMENTAL OVER YOU
12 - I CAN'T GET STARTED
13 - WHILE YOU'RE YOUNG
14 - IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU
15 - LOVE LETTERS
16 - CLOSE YOUR EYES
17 - I FALL IN LOVE TOO EASILY
18 - ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE
19 - SKYLARK
20 - RUNNIN' WILD
21 - NO MOON AT ALL
22 - ON A SLOW BOAT TO CHINA
23 - HELLO YOUNG LOVERS
24 - THE POOR SOUL
So, in a nutshell, it swings as good as it mellows. This CD also comes with a great 24-page booklet with full of information about the recordings and the artists.
A gem!!!"
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1