Artie Shaw - The Complete Gramercy Five Sessions (1989)

Artie Shaw The Complete Gramercy Five Sessions

Review:
Many swing big-band leaders featured small groups out of their orchestra as added attractions, particularly Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey with his Clambake Seven, and Bob Crosby's Bobcats. In contrast, Artie Shaw recorded relatively few sides with his Gramercy Five. His original unit from 1940 found the great pianist Johnny Guarnieri playing harpsichord exclusively and matched Shaw's clarinet with trumpeter Billy Butterfield. Their eight recordings include "My Blue Heaven," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and a million-seller, "Summit Ridge Drive." The remainder of this CD is from 1945 and features Shaw, trumpeter Roy Eldridge, and the two young modernists, pianist Dodo Marmarosa (on piano) and guitarist Barney Kessel. Shaw would lead a few other Gramercy Fives in the future, but these are his two most famous. The music is consistently brilliant with every note counting. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide


Track list

01.Special Delivery Stomp Artie Shaw (2:42)
02.Summit Ridge Drive Artie Shaw Artie Shaw & His Orchestra (3:18)
03.Keepin' Myself for You ... Vincent Youmans, Sidney Clare Artie Shaw (3:13)
04.Cross Your Heart ... Buddy DeSylva, Lewis Gensler Artie Shaw (2:37)
05.Dr. Livingstone, I Presume? ... Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (3:22)
06.When the Quail Come Back to San Quentin ... Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (3:18)
07.My Blue Heaven Walter Donaldson, George Whiting Artie Shaw (2:50)
08.Smoke Gets in Your Eyes Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach Artie Shaw (3:13)
09.The Grabtown Grapple ... Artie Shaw, Buster Harding Artie Shaw (2:57)
10.The Sad Sack ... Artie Shaw, Buster Harding Artie Shaw (3:07)
11.Scuttlebutt Artie Shaw, John Carleton Artie Shaw (3:11)
12.The Gentle Grifter ... Artie Shaw, John Carleton Artie Shaw (2:47)
13.Mysterioso [Take 1] ... Artie Shaw, John Carleton Artie Shaw (2:59)
14.Mysterioso [Take 2] ... Artie Shaw, John Carleton Artie Shaw (2:58)
15.Hop, Skip and Jump ... Artie Shaw, John Carleton Artie Shaw (2:56)

Total time - 45:28

Rec.1940/45

Credits
Artie Shaw (Clarinet), Artie Shaw (Main Performer), Artie Shaw (Bandleader), Steve Backer (Executive Producer), Ray Hall (Audio Enhancement), Ed Michel (Producer), Artie Shaw & His Orchestra (Performer), Pietro Alfieri (Art Direction), Pietro Alfieri (Design), Ria Lewerke (Art Direction), Ria Lewerke (Design), David McMacken (Illustrations)


Many of the big-band leaders of the swing era featured a small group from within the band, a throwback to their own origins in "hot" jazz. Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five, though, was an exceptional combo, as distinctive in its way as Benny Goodman's trio, quartet, and sextet. While the purpose of such bands was blowing, something Shaw did brilliantly, the clarinetist also used the opportunity for striking instrumentation.
The first eight tracks come from 1940 and the first version of the group. Trumpeter Billy Butterfield adds assorted mutes to vary his glorious open trumpet sound, while pianist Johnny Guarnieri turns exclusively to harpsichord. As with Shaw's unusual use of a string quartet in 1936, the inclusion of harpsichord is genuine innovation, not just novelty, and it becomes even more striking when Shaw adds electric guitarist Al Hendrickson. The result is classic small-band swing that can't be readily placed in time.

The final seven tracks come from 1945, including two takes of "Mysterioso" --a harmonically advanced Shaw composition, not the Monk tune. Shaw was always a kind of proto-modernist, and here the band includes the explosive swing trumpeter Roy Eldridge and two young boppers, pianist Dodo Marmarosa and guitarist Barney Kessel. --Stuart Broomer

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