Bob Powers

MARIETTA, OH, USA - Over the past four years or so that I've written "Powerssound" for G21, one thing continues to irritate. There's never enough time. That damned deadline pops up, almost unexpectedly, every week and despite what seemed to be best efforts, there are stacks of new CDs that have gone unplayed and new stacks arriving on a regular basis through the good graces of the U.S. Postal Service, UPS and Fed Ex.

Finally, this spot of the dial has taken on the look of a winner, a place where record companies can send material and have it written about in a reasonable amount of time. Nevertheless, the reader doesn't know that the four or five new albums devoured in every column have required an amazing amount of time to hear, research and play more than once. In fact, most of the material sent to me by gracious record companies proves worthwhile and should please collectors who care as much about music, particularly jazz, as this scribbler.

Arriving unannounced a couple of months back was a new and brilliant biography of the now mostly forgotten jazz alto sax player named Gi Gi Gryce. Rat Race Blues (Berkley Hills Books, $18.95 paperback) tells its compelling story with a great amount of detail. Authors Noal Cohen and Michael Fitzgerald have performed their duties with skill. The book doesn't offer as much personal detail as some readers might desire, but overall it's an excellent book that examines Gryce, a reserved man whose extreme talents never received the full recognition he deserved.

In an action that left fellow musicians puzzled and his fans disappointed, Gryce wound up a decade of progress on the New York jazz scene during the 1950s, dropped out and finally was rediscovered after launching a successful career as an educator in the New York school system.

The book benefits from outstanding research, including exhaustive interviews with many of Gryce's fellow musicians. While never a familiar figure in jazz, Gryce achieved a modicum of reknown with a small stack of albums that were soon the favorites of his small but avid group of fans. Some of his compositions, such as "Minority," "Nica's Tempo" and "Social Call" eventually became jazz standards and were covered by a host of jazz artists working in various styles.

My only quibble about Rat Race Blues comes from its relative few explorations into the private life of a musician who possessed huge talents, but fought the familiar fight of discrimination over his lifetime because of the racial attitudes of his time.

Readers of the book will want to look into the CD of the same name recently reissued by Prestige New Jazz Records. It offers five tunes from the Gryce catalog, giving an enticing demonstration of Gryce's great talents as a player and composer. The album, recorded in 1960, includes backing musicians Richard Williams on trumpet, Richard Wyands on piano, Julian Euell on bass and the familiar Granville "Mickey" Roker on drums.

Good book, good album, and it'll make a good investment for your library and CD collection.

Overlooked, But Worth Hearing

Recently discovered and long overdue for review are a bunch of releases from the prolific Arbors Records, easily the leader in spotlighting bright jazz names from earlier times, as well as discovering new talent worthy of appreciation. I tip my hat to the folks at Arbors, who simply don't release anything but great music worthy of a wide spot in your current collection of traditional jazz stunners.

Kenny Davern is one of the finest clarinet players in the world of jazz and his album, made three decades ago, deserves your attention. "A Night with Eddie Condon" spotlights the famous guitarist with a collection of outstanding jazz performers, including Lou McGarity on trombone. The tunes selected are all zingers, such as "Jazz Me Blues," "Rose of Washington Square" and "I Can't Get Started." Sound quality is surprising, considering the age of the material. It's worth a listen.

Bucky and Friends

When talking about the great guitarists, the name Bucky Pizzarelli will eventually come around. His talent makes him one of the great jazz players of recent decades and he sounds simply terrific in two Arbors albums of recent vintage.

"Manhattan Swing: A Visit With the Duke" spotlights the fabulous fingers of Pizzarelli along with veteran pianist John Bunch and the sure-handed bassist Jay Leonhart. The collection of tunes shows how versatile these three folks are, ranging from such Ellington faves as "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me," "I'm Beginning to See the Light" and a bunch of other winners from the Duke.

If you've heard Pizzarelli on solo guitar, ask your local record shop to get you a copy of "One Morning in May," an Arbors release which should occupy heavy playing time on your CD equipment in the immediate future. The guitarist has excellent taste in songs and here he handles such gems as "Guess I'll Go Back Home," "Laura," and "Wait Till You See Her." Playing the seven-string guitar, Pizzarelli proves once again that he's a great one.

Bob Powers always is interested in hearing from record distributors who deal in jazz, rock, folk, and anything that's good. For instructions on getting your album reviewed, contact him at rpow123@charter.net.

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