Jimmy Raney was one of the finest East Coast jazz guitarists of the 1950s. He possessed a marvelously aggressive sense of swing, an urgent, lyrical technique and wonderful taste on solos. Two of his best albums at the start of the 12-inch album era were Jimmy Raney in Three Attitudes and Jimmy Raney Featuring Bob Brookmeyer. Recorded for ABC-Paramount in May, June and July of 1956, and produced by Creed Taylor, who had just joined the label from Bethlehem, the two Raney albums had it all.
In Three Attitudes was an interesting concept, featuring Raney teamed with three different major players. Attitude 1 tracks (So in Love, Last Night When We Were Young and Up in Quincy's Room) were with Bob Brookmeyer, Attitude 2 tracks (Fanfare and Passport to Pimlico) were with tenor saxophonist Al Cohn and Attitude 3 tracks (Indian Summer, On the Rocks and Strike Up the Band) were with pianist Hal Overton. On the tracks with Bob, the pair were backed by John Williams (p), Red Mitchell (b) and Osie Johnson (d).
One of Raney's most engaging band-mates was Brookmeyer, so it's no wonder that Featuring Bob Brookmeyer is the standout of the two albums. On Isn't It Romantic, How Long Has This Been Going On, Get Off That Roof and Jim's Tune, Bob and Raney were backed by Dick Katz (p),Teddy Kotick (b) and Osie Johnson (d). On No Male for Me, The Flag Is Up, No One But Me and Too Late Now, Hank Jones replaced Katz.
Bob and Raney's passion for harmony and brotherly improvisation was unbeatable. They weave in and out of each other's lines on intros and then solo with gusto, inventing new melodies along the way. Raney's attacks are perfect in terms of his precise time. On the guitar, he sounded like someone banging out a novel on a typewriter. Bob also has that impeccable exactness on his powdery valve trombone. In this regard, they sound like the Nicholas Brothers in a dance routine. [Photo above, from left, Bob Brookmeyer, Jim Hall and Jimmy Raney at The Street Swingers session]
If you like the sound of Raney and Bob together, here's a list of small-group albums where they are paired...
- Bob's The Dual Role of Bob Brookmeyer (1955)
- Raney's In Three Attitudes (1956)
- Raney's Featuring Bob Brookmeyer (1956)
- Bob's The Street Swingers (1957)
- David X. Young's Jazz Loft (two tracks) (1957)
- John Carisi The New Jazz Sound of 'Show Boat' (four tracks) (1959)
- Bob's Trombone Jazz Samba (1962)
Jimmy Raney died in 1995; Bob Brookmeyer died in 2011.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Jimmy Raney in Three Attitudes and Jimmy Raney Featuring Bob Brookmeyer on one release from Fresh Sound here.
JazzWax note: For my 2009 interview with Bob Brookmeyer, you'll find Part 1 here. For subsequent parts, see the link above the red date on each post.
JazzWax clips: Here's So in Love from In Three Attitudes...
And here's the full album of Featuring Bob Brookmeyer...
