Back in New York after three years spent gigging and recording in Europe, a mature and rejuvenated
James Moody resumed the endless North American scuffle to get by as a contemporary
jazz musician. Volume five in the
Classics James Moody chronology presents 16 rare
Mercury recordings made between October 1951 and June 1953, followed by eight
Prestige titles from January and April, 1954. The first four tracks feature baritone saxophonist
Cecil Payne; high points include the rowdy, bristling
"Moody's Home" and
"Wiggle Waggle," an
R&B rocker that sounds like something right up out of the
King record catalog. Beginning with the material recorded on May 21, 1952,
Moody is heard leading a group largely composed of players who, like him, had worked in
Dizzy Gillespie's big band. Two of these individuals -- trumpeter
Dave Burns and baritone saxophonist
Numa "Pee Wee" Moore -- show up regularly in the front line of
Moody's excellent recording ensembles between 1952 and 1955. Special mention should be made of pianist
Sadik Hakim as well as hip vocalists
Iona Wade,
Babs Gonzales, and the amazing
Eddie Jefferson, who also served as
Moody's band boss and road manager. If the
Mercury titles are uniformly excellent, early modern
jazz,
James Moody's 1954
Prestige recordings, particularly his gorgeous rendition of
"Over the Rainbow" and the breathtakingly vivid, dangerously danceable
"Mambo With Moody" are enduring masterworks that warrant repeated listening. ~ arwulf arwulf
