Man, tenor saxophonist and arranger Phil Urso could swing! And he pops up all over the place in the tastiest places. He was paired with Art Pepper on Picture of Heath (formerly known as Playboys); with Allen Eager at Birdland; with Terry Gibbs in 1952; with Brew Moore in Kai Winding's Septet of 1953; with Zoot Sims in Neal Hefti's orchestra that same year; with Bob Brookmeyer in 1954; with Chet Baker in 1956 and with trumpeter Carl Saunders in 2002.
One of my favorite songs composed and arranged by Phil was P.U. Stomp, recorded in February 1952. Here's the fabulous lineup for the record: Tony Fruscella (tp), Herb Geller (as), Phil Urso (ts), Gene Allen (bar), Bill Triglia (p), Red Mitchell (b) and Howie Mann (d).
To read my interview with Phil Urso and his brother, Joe, go here.
Here's Phil Urso's P.U. Stomp...
Other Perfection tracks in this ongoing series...
- Paul Desmond and Jim Hall: Any Other Time, go here.
- John Coltrane: You Say You Care, go here.
- Quincy Jones: Funk Junction, go here.
- Art Farmer's Work of Art, go here.
- Miles Davis: A Gal in Calico, go here.
- Gene Krupa: Mulligan Stew, go here.
- Dave Brubeck: The Duke, go here.
- Horace Silver: The Back Beat, go here.
- Horace Parlan: Up & Down, go here.
- Dexter Gordon: Society Red, go here.
- Barney Kessel: You Go to My Head, go here.
- Count Basie: Corner Pocket, go here.
- Herbie Mann: Manteca, go here.
- Donald Byrd: Bronze Dance, go here.
- George Shearing: I'll Be Around, go here.
- Ammons & Stitt: You Talk That Talk, go here.
- Count Basie: Blues in My Heart, go here.
- Moonlight in Vermont, go here.
- Johnny Griffin / Matthew Gee, Here, go here.
- Jimmy Smith / Stanley Turrentine, When I Grow Too Old to Dream, go here.
- Chet Baker: Estate, go here.
- Jazz Studio 1: Tenderly, go here.
- Herb Pomeroy: Down Home Outing, go here.
- Frank Sinatra: There's a Small Hotel, go here.
- Bill Harris Herd: Blackstrap, go here.
- Gerry Mulligan: Westwood Walk, go here.
- Red Garland/Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: We'll Be Together Again, go here.
- Bill Evans: Reflections in D, go here.
- Ted McNabb & Co.: Mountain Greenery, go here.
- Maynard Ferguson: Fox Hunt, go here.
- Serge Chaloff & the Herdsmen: The Most!, go here.
- Maynard Ferguson: Starfire, go here.
- Urbie Green, Please, go here.
- Machito, Conversation, go here.
- David Allyn, Love Is a Serious Thing, go here.
- Lennie Tristano, Wow, go here.
- Teddy Charles, Borodin Bossa Nova, go here.
- Gerry Mulligan, Night Lights, go here.
- Tommy Flanagan, In the Blue of Evening, go here.
- Stan Getz, Stella by Starlight, go here.
- Erroll Garner, It's the Talk of the Town, go here.
- Sonny Stitt, Miss Ann, Lisa, Sue and Sadie, go here.
- Jimmy Forrest, Soul Street, go here.
- Harry James, late 1950s/early '60s, go here.
