This is the sixth volume of the complete recordings of
Charlie Ventura reissued in chronological order. Four out of the five sessions represented here are strictly instrumental. This gives fans of
Jackie Cain and
Roy Kral a taste of that duo's kicky vocal routine without detracting from the overall instrumental jazz content. On August 8, 1951, the saxophonist made his only recordings under the banner of
Charlie Ventura's Big Four, with pianist
Teddy Napoleon, bassist
Chubby Jackson, and drummer
Buddy Rich, whose megalomania accelerated the speedy dissolution of this tight little group. In a bizarre turn of events,
Rich sang "Love Is Just Around the Corner" while
Mel Tormé sat in at the drums. On December 22, 1952,
Ventura waxed seven beautiful sides using alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones in front of a rhythm trio for producer
Norman Granz.
Ventura's baritone work is particularly attractive on "Blue Prelude." A second date for Norgran Records took place on January 5, 1953, with
Hank Jones at the piano and the great
Jo Jones behind the drums.
Ventura opens on tenor but switches to baritone on "Blues for Two" and sticks with the basement horn on "Somebody Loves Me." These are some radically advanced improvisations, signaling a profound ongoing artistic evolution. Moving over to Coral Records for most of the remainder of 1953,
Ventura first chose to collaborate once again with
Jackie Cain and
Roy Kral. The band behind their vocals is superb, and
Ventura hauls out his baritone for extra emphasis. Four romantic sax solos with orchestral accompaniment close out this segment of the
Ventura chronology with all the subtlety of a sugary dessert wine garnished with a blood-red maraschino cherry.
–
arwulf arwulf, Rovi