Mercury Records Collection: MG-20628: Reminiscin'

MG-20628: Reminiscin' / Gigi Gryce Orch-tette

Label Type :	white Mercury promotional
Matrix Number :	SIDE-A	MG 20628A MS1 FF
	SIDE-B	MG 20628A MS1 FF

Comments

with original Mercury inner sleeve.

promotional copy (for broadcast) with white Mercury label.

Inside The Groove

His last leader recording - a great hard-bop session featuring funky and earthy tracks.

Personal Impression (and brief notes)

Gigi Gryce, being famous not only as a good alto saxophone player but also as a great arranger/composer, spend very busy period in the 1950s. They include superb sessions with Tadd Dameron, Lionel Hampton, Clifford Brown and many more. The “Jazz Lab” Quintet (by Gigi and Donald Byrd) is also famous.

This is his last album as a leader, just before he stopped playing altogether (suffering from a variety of psychological pressures and strains, according to the biography of Gigi Gryce at All About Jazz website ). Then he had been a teacher of music in New York, until his death on March 14, 1983.

All tracks have fascinating themes (probably arranged by Gigi Gryce himself), and very funky moods. Richard William's trumpet solo is being out of control on some parts, but overall very boppish and eathy. A refreshing hard-bop session.

Strictly Personal Rating (to what extent I could enjoy this album)

7 out of 10

Track Listing

SIDE-A
A-1	20631 (PB3810)	Blue Light (Gigi Gryce)	3:25
A-2	20633 (PB3812)	Caravan (Juan Tizol, Duke Ellington & Irving Mills)	4:26
A-3	20636 (PB3815)	Reminiscing (Gigi Gryce)	4:01
A-4	20634 (PB3813)	Yesterdays (Otto Harbach & Jerome Kern)	4:46
SIDE-B
B-1	20632 (PB3811)	Gee Blues Gee (Randy Weston)	3:22
B-2	20627 (PB3806)	A Night In Tunisia (John “Dizzy” Gillespie & Frank Paparelli)	5:12
B-3	20630 (PB3809)	Dearly Beloved (Johnny Mercer & Jerome Kern)	4:20
B-4	20635 (PB3815)	Take The “A” Train (Billy Strayhorn)	3:36

Personnel

Personnel/recorded date/master numbers confirmed with the Ruppli's discography.
(“The Mercury Labels - A Discography” by Ruppli and Novitsky, Greenwood Press, 1993)

B-2:
Richard Williams (tp), Gigi Gryce (as), Eddie Costa (vib),
Richard Wyands (p), Reggie Workman (b), Walter Perkins (ds).
Recorded in New York City on November 7, 1960.

A-1, B-1, B-3:
Richard Williams (tp), Gigi Gryce (as),
Richard Wyands (p), Julian Euell (b), Walter Perkins (ds).
Recorded in New York City on November 9, 1960.

A-2, A-3, A-4, B-4:
Richard Williams (tp), Gigi Gryce (as), Eddie Costa (vib),
Richard Wyands (p), George Duvivier (b), Bob Thomas (ds).
Recorded in New York City on November 10, 1960.

Recording Director: Hal Mooney.

The Artist Also Appears on...

Gigi Gryce (as, arr, comp) :

Mercury MG-20628 / SR-60628 : Reminiscin'

EmArcy MG-26030 10-inch : Blakey Featuring Art Blakey
Mercury MG-20428 / SR-60133 : Rich Versus Roach / Buddy Rich & Max Roach (appeared as an arranger)
Mercury MG-20492 / SR-60171 : The Fascinating Ernestine / Ernestine Anderson (appeared as an arranger)