Mundell Lowe – Porgy & Bess (Full Album)

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Porgy & Bess is an album by American jazz guitarist Mundell Lowe and his All Stars featuring their interpretations of the George Gershwin folk opera Porgy and Bess recorded in 1958 for the RCA Camden label.

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow:
This obscure LP is well-worth searching for. Guitarist Mundell Lowe heads an all-star group also including trumpeter Art Farmer, Don Elliott on mellophone and vibes, Tony Scott on baritone and clarinet, tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, bassist George Duvivier, and either Osie Johnson or Ed Shaughnessy (who also takes a rare solo on vibes) on drums. The musicians perform a set of themes from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, including “Summertime,” “I Loves You Porgy,” “Redheaded Woman” (which is turned into a cooking blues), and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” Three numbers are played by the Lowe/Duvivier/Shaughnessy trio, while the octet is featured on the other selections. Webster and Scott (who mostly plays baritone) are in particularly fine form, and Lowe’s arrangements are colorful and swinging, doing justice to the music while turning the familiar themes into jazz.

0:00 Summertime
4:49 Bess, You Is My Woman
7:57 I Love You, Porgy
12:58 I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’
15:52 Where’s My Bess
18:12 Redheaded Woman
20:38 My Man’s Gone Now
24:05 It Takes A Long Pull To Get There
27:22 It Ain’t Necessarily So
30:14 There’s A Boat Dat’s Leavin’ Soon For New York

 

Personnel:
Mundell Lowe – guitar
Art Farmer – trumpet (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 6-9)
Don Elliott – mellophone, vibraphone (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 6-9)
Tony Scott – clarinet, baritone saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 6-9)
Ben Webster – tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 6-9)
George Duvivier – bass
Osie Johnson – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 6-9)
Ed Shaughnessy – drums, vibraphone (tracks 3, 5 & 10)