Roy Eldridge
Little Jazz
Inner City Records IC 7002

James Moody
In The Beginning
Inner City Records IC7020
www.musicminusone.com
By George W. Harris

Inner City Records has been putting out a division called Jazz Legacy that spotlights some of the best music from the bebop to early hard bop era. What these two recent reissues emphasizes is the beauty of putting out a concise (under 5 minutes) piece with solos that say what needs to be said. Not only that, but each artist has his own identifiable sound. Nowadays, guys take 10 minute solos sounding like everyone else. These discs ask the question, “Where did we go wrong?”

Trumpeter Roy Eldridge is usually considered the bridge between Armstrong and Gillespie. On this pair of recordings from June of 1950, he is caught in a Paris studio with Zoot Sims, Pierre Michelot, Ed Shaghnessy, Gerald Wiggins, Kenny Clarke and Dick Hyman for some joyously effortless swing. Eldridge is the consummate artist, whether it’s on ballads like “Someone To Watch Over Me” or swingers like “Undecided.” Even his singing on “Ain’t No Flies On Me” makes perfect jivey sense. Sims on tenor is just a wonder of the world, with his warm tone wrapping its arms around “King David” and “It Don’t Mean A Thing.” This puts to shame 90% of what’s out there today.

James Moody is still alive and kicking-just saw him last year, and he still sounded great. Here are some French and Swiss sessions from 1949 that find him as either a sideman with Max Roach’s Quintet or leading his own band. Roach’s group essentially has Moody replacing Charlie Parker, as it has Kenny Dorham/tp, Al Haig/p and Tommy Potter snapping through some bopping stuff like “Prince Albert” with the sharpness of a Zoot Suit. His own band (which includes Trummy Young) hums through “Star Dust” and “Hot House” like they invented the stuff. Hey, wait a minute, they did!!!! These discs should be played before every jazz concert to remind the audience what music is supposed to sound like, and compare it to the attended performance.