Flip live at the "Beowulf"
Bomojaz | South Central PA, USA | 03/15/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"
Flip Phillips fans should be drooling over this 2-CD set, which collects two live dates made at the "Beowulf" in Florida in 1977 and 1978; 15 of the sides originally appeared on two Grendel LPs (not the easiest LPs to find), while the remaining 10 are unissued. Flip is one of the best swing tenor saxophonists ever, and he's in very good form on both these CDs.
The first CD opens on fire; in fact, the first two-thirds of it is taken up-tempo. BEOWULF BLUES is the only blues in the set and it's a wailer. WHIRLY BIRD sounds like SLEEP in the opening section before going into the familiar Neal Hefti theme (Basie recorded it often in the 1950s). Finally at the end of the CD we get a couple of slow ballads - SWEET AND LOVELY and BODY AND SOUL - and Flip plays them beautifully.
The second CD is much more subdued, with half the selections taken in ballad tempo. Again Flip is gorgeous on all of them. He pulls out his bass clarinet on CHLOE and also for the opening chorus on A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE before switching to tenor when the tempo picks up a notch. He even plays soprano sax on one number (SULTRY SERENADE), an instrument I'd never heard him play before (he sticks close to the melody and sounds a bit tentative). CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST is a handsome original, and his lovely treatment of I WON'T LAST A DAY WITHOUT YOU might be the highlight of the set. He ends with another scorcher, however, SPANISH EYES, a tune he recorded in the same manner in 1975 on the Choice label. Tom Howard is on piano on all selections as is drummer Don MacLean; the bass chore is shared by John Mason and Joe Reichgott: they all play superbly. This is an excellent CD set that shows off Flip's playing at the early height of his "comeback" phase in the 70s, and the music is fabulous. Definitely worth checking out."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
