Search - Edison, Shavers :: Complete at Midnight/at

Capitol's Jam Sessions

John C. Graham | toronto, ontario Canada | 06/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As advertised, you get two lp's on 1 cd, the complete 'at Midnight & at Riverside Sessions', all of it gloriously remastered in sparkling fidelity with a total time of nearly 70 minutes. The first session took place in Los Angeles, Dec. 2, 1955 and the second was in New York, May 25 & 26, 1956. The lineup of players was most interesting in that lesser known professional musicians, some from the studios, were able to jam with the seasoned veterans whose names will be familiar to every jazz enthusiast. Benny Carter, Harry Edison, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Shavers, Milt Hinton, Arvell Shaw, Osie Johnson, Earl Warren and others mix it up with the relatively unknown Gus Bivona, Al Hendickson, Mike Rubin, and Irv Cottler. Billy Butterfield, Lou McGarity, Urbie Green, Peanuts Hucko, Jerry Jerome, Art Ryerson, Lou Stein, Shorty Sherock, Willie Smith, Plas Johnson, and Jimmy Rowles are also featured on the mostly riff based jam tunes. A list of the soloists for each number is included in the liner notes.



A few years before these recordings, with the advent of the long playing record, Columbia had released the Buck Clayton jam sessions to critical praise that has not diminished to this day. They were landmark recordings that showcased the musicians and their ability to improvise on familiar riff based tunes -with strong rhythm section support- in a relaxed and unhurried way. The concept was to create an after hours jam session feel to the proceedings. It worked beautifully. The At Midnight and At Riverside sessions was Capitol Records answer to this formula.



The tunes are all familiar as are the chord changes. The arrangements are good and everyone plays well when backing a soloist. There is a real spark to the rhythm section on both sessions that puts heat on the soloists to dig in and blow. It's that spark that makes these sessions attractive and compelling and it's probably that spark that inspired many of the soloists to shine so brightly. This one is definetely worth a listen as it appeals to both old and new jazz buffs. The Buck Clayton Jam Sessions, mentioned above, should be in everyone's collection. This would be a close second."

Complete at midnight/at riverside sessions

Mansilla Luis Cesar | 10/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Desde que aparecideron los CD esperé la oportunidad de conseguirlos; gracias lal cielo (y a amazon.com) lo logré.

A quienes no lo conocen (y les gusta el verdadero jazz)les digo que si lo oyen, no se van a poder olvidar de él."