Four Classic Albums Plus (The Swingin's Mutual! / In The Night / Beauty And The Beat / Nat King Cole Sings - George Shearing Plays)

AVID Jazz presents four classic George Shearing albums plus including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD.
"The Swingin's Mutual", "In the Night", "Beauty and the Beat", "Nat King Cole Sings - George Shearing Plays" plus 10 tracks from "Cool Canaries"
"Mutual admiration" is indeed the catalyst for our first selection, "The Swingin's Mutual" where Mr Shearing is joined on six numbers by vocalist Nancy Wilson. Both are quoted in the original liner notes singing, (or should that be swinging) each others praises having worked together some time previously. For the remaining numbers the Quintet features Warren Chaisson on vibes, Dick Garcia on guitar, Ralph Pena on bass, Vernell Fournier on drums and Armando Peraza on percussion. As quoted in the original liner notes…"makes the Quintet at home with both jazz buffs and fans of good music in general". "In The Night" released four years earlier in 1957 finds Shearing joined by another female top vocalist Dakota Staton. Like Wilson, Staton is featured on six numbers and the results are summed up in the original liner notes as, "some of the most surprising, happy and rewarding sides ever recorded". Completing the other numbers on the album is a very different Quintet featuring Emil Richards on vibes, Toots Thielmans on guitar, Al McKibbon on bass and Percy Brice on drums. "Beauty and the Beat" from 1959 finds Shearing with yet another female vocalist, this time it is the legendary Miss Peggy Lee for the pairs debut recording date together. A slightly changed Quintet is on hand to provide accompaniment , Ray Alexander takes over on vibes, Carl Pruitt on bass and Ray Masca on drums. Performed live in front of a convention audience of 2500 DJ's, the pair are amazingly relaxed in each others company as they glide through a set of both ballads and up tempo numbers. "Nat King Cole Sings - George Shearing Plays" finds two of the greatest musicians and entertainers of the time playing together for the first time ever! With a string choir conducted by Ralph Carmichael, the original liner notes contain a wonderful description of the singing of Nat King Cole…."Nat sings as he has always sung, with a deeply masculine gentleness that is intimately expressive of the language of love". And to finally sum up the results of this unique collaboration we quote again from the original liner notes. "As might be expected when two jazz rooted stars get together for the first time, there's an undercurrent of gently swinging mood throughout…..it all occurs within a tasteful context of romance- a musical style at which both artists have long since been proven masters".
All four albums plus have been digitally re-mastered