Four Classic Albums (The Dave Pell Octet Plays Rodgers & Hart / The Dave Pell Octet Plays Irving Berlin / The Old South Wails / I Remember John Kirby)

"A bright and fresh approach has been added to the wonderful music of Richard Rodgers" to quote the original liner notes to our first selection, "The Dave Pell Octet Plays Rodgers & Hart". The Dave Pell Octet was formed from the nucleus of the Les Brown Big Band. Together the small group comprise Dave Pell on tenor and clarinet, Don Fagerquist swinging on trumpet, Tony Rizzi on guitar, Dann Tanner on piano, Bill Richmond on drums and Rolly Bundock from the Glenn Miller Band on bass. This compact unit play with authority and finesse born of having got to know each other's personalities and characters over a number of years playing with the Les Brown band. The above notes could also apply to our second selection "The Dave Pell Octet Plays Irving Berlin". For this tribute Pell adds Ray Sims on trombone, Ronnie Lang on alto, baritone and flute, Geoff Clarkson on piano and Jack Sperling on drums. With arrangements by Shorty Rogers, Wes Hensel, Jerry Fielding and Bill Holman enjoy these "new interpretations filled with jazz both cerebral and emotional…..jazz that is as mature as it is modern……the jazz of the Dave Pell Octet". During the years between 1938-1942 the small group sextet formed by John Kirby was arguably the most important and revolutionary combo in jazz! Until Kirby came along there was no truly organised small unit with horns. He changed the scene with the same carefully written organisation and meticulous preparation as you would have expected from the big bands of the day! As a thirteen year old Dave Pell's first group was a John Kirby style band, Pell modelling his own clarinet style on Buster Bailey's. He would often sneak into Kirby gigs with his pal Roy Harte to listen to the best band of the day! Inspired by the great bass man the Dave Pell sextet run through a selection of classic tracks for "I Remember John Kirby" including the Kirby standard Rose Room that was so closely associated with Kirby that Pell decided to copy the entire original, note for note including the solo's. The result an album of Kirby magic with "finesse, warmth, a gently propulsive beat and an air of complete dedication to a job nobody had done before." Musicians include Dave Pell on tenor, Benny Carter on alto and Ray Linn on trumpet taking over the Charlie Shavers seat! No less than six arrangers help the Dave Pell Octet swing through the South with their "smooth danceable stylings of Dixieland favourites" for "The Old South Wails" Many of these tunes begin life in the Dixieland style before morphing into the Dave Pell style of soft swing………..from hot to cool! Musicians include Dave Pell on tenor, Jack Sheldon on trumpet, Harry Betts on trombone, Med Flory on baritone sax,with two of the arrangers Marty Paich and Johnny Williams sharing piano duties. The rhythm section comprises Lyle Ritz on bass, Tommy Tedesco on guitar and Frankie Capp on drums.

All four albums plus have been digitally re-mastered.