Search - Jack Sheldon :: Jack Sheldon Presents the Entertainers

Frustratingly talented

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 06/22/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Jack Sheldon is such a singularly gifted player (if you've listened carefully to his early contributions on the Curtis Counce recordings, it's not a stretch to place him ahead of Chet--in a Pantheon with Louis, Diz, Clifford, Miles and few others). But he's been poorly served by the jazz press, by record producers, and often by his own misjudgments (not that there's evidence of much thought in some of his career moves). His singing and humor--aided by inferior, amateurishly recorded tapes that "accidentally" became part of his severely limited discography--indeed can become overbearing but rarely as bad as his non-discerning dismissive detractors (at allmusicdotcom, for example) claim. Both his humor and his singing can be winsom, endearing, outrageously funny (the "Girl from Ipanema" skit is funnier each time I listen to it, and it cracked me up the first time)--despite the pans it's received (someone has no sense of humor).



But the inferior audio of yet another Sheldon jam session must "condemn" this recording to the listening environs of only his loyal fans. Despite the presence of Johnny Mercer and some truly impressive playing and blues "bellowing/belting" by Jack, the looseness of the proceedings and the audio distortion just don't pass muster. It's simply a record of something that happened, guaranteed not to win Jack any new fans or to support any claims that he's a major player. If it were Bird, perhaps the recording would fly. But Jack's inimitable sound on the horn--personal, warm, incandescent--practically requires that he be recorded and produced with forethought and intelligence.



Jack is, despite appearances to the contrary, an exceedingly modest, humble, diligent, hard-working musician and artist. If anything, he's sold himself short while the jazz impostors were all wrapped up in image, persona, and presentation, becoming the darlings instead of the bane of the critics. Perhaps the new film, "Trying to Get Good," will help set the record straight, but that's wishing for a lot.



Pick up any of the timeless Curtis Counce recordings that include Jack as well as the wonderful "Playing for Change." Also, count it as a bonus whenever he appears on a recording with a Lena Horne, the Hi Los, BG, Kenton, or whomever. The other worthwhile items are perhaps best downloaded on an individual basis."