DAVE PELL: FOUR CLASSIC ALBUMS (JAZZ AND ROMANTIC PLACES / JAZZ GOES DANCING / I HAD THE CRAZIEST DREAM / A PELL OF A TIME) (2CD) AVID

AVID Jazz here presents four classic Dave Pell albums including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD.
“Jazz and Romantic Places; “Jazz Goes Dancing”; “I Had the Craziest Dream” and “A Pell of a Time!”
The subject may be “Jazz and Romantic Places” and the locations may range from Paris to Rio but the jazz is strictly West Coast and Cool! Dave Pell on tenor sax is joined by the cream of jazz players from the Les Brown band with whom Pell had played for many years. The band having found time between their lucrative “day job” on the Bob Hope TV show to join their old band mate for the trip! For “Jazz Goes Dancing” Dave Pell writes in the original sleeve notes that for this project he was determined to create a jazz album to dance to, just like in the old dance band days. The swing was away from the clubs and concert stages and back to the dance halls, colleges and proms where Pell’s band were making an enjoyable and lucrative living! Pell’s octet here includes three members of the Les Brown band, Pell himself on tenor, Dan Fagerquist on trumpet and Ray Sims on trombone., while the other members included Tony Rizzi on guitar from the Lena Horne TV Show and Bob Barnes on bass from the original Dave Brubeck Quartet. What a line up!! The Dave Pell Quartet with the following arrangers-Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers, Bob Holman, Andre Previn, Jack Montrose and Wes Hensel. It’s no wonder that “I Had the Craziest Dream” the Octet’s album most steeped in the original jazz tradition became one of Dave Pell’s most popular albums and one he would get requests both for the arrangements and the playing some forty years after release! “A Pell of a Time” finds Dave Pell getting a little more serious about his jazz! As he writes in the original sleeve notes up till then his style of jazz playing had been dance and fun orientated, tightly arranged , relatively short numbers and with little room for traditional jazz improvisation. For this album he decided to get top arrangers Marty Paich, Bill Holman, Paul Moer and Jack Montrose to loosen up a little and give the Octet room to get “funky” and blow! Joining regulars were some new faces in Jack Sheldon on trumpet and Pepper Adams on baritone sax. Dave Pell’s final comments in the original sleeve notes best some up his style and philosophy to playing jazz! “it’s been fun all the way, and that’s how it should be to listen to”!
All four albums plus have been digitally re-mastered

CD1
1-12: ‘Jazz And Romantic Places’
1. How Are Things In Glocca Morra?
2. On A Slow Boat To China
3. Memphis In June
4. Paris In The Spring
5. London In July
6. Isle Of Capri
7. The White Cliffs Of Dover
8. Sunday In Savannah
9. Deep In The Heart Of Texas
10. Shuffle Off To Buffalo
11. New Orleans
12. Flying Down To Rio
13-24: ‘Jazz Goes Dancing’
13. Look Who’s Dancing
14. East Of The Sun
15. You
16. Young & Healthy
17. The Continental
18. Dance For Daddy
19. When I Take My Sugar To Tea
20. If I Had You
21. Cheek To Cheek
22. Let’s Face The Music And Dance
23. Prom To Prom
24. Walkin’ My Baby Back Home

CD2
1-10: ‘I Had The Craziest Dream’
1. I Had The Craziest Dream
2. The Way You Look Tonight
3. Nap’s Dream
4. Time After Time
5. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
6. Jazz Wagner
7. On The Good Ship Lollypop
8. Crescendo Date
9. People In Love
10. Star Eyes
11-19: ‘A Pell Of A Time’
11. Jazz Goes To Siwash
12. Suze Blues
13. Grey Flannel
14. Angel Eyes
15. G Tune
16. Sandy Shoes
17. Cameo
18. Love Me Or Leave Me
19. Them There Eyes