Al Haig Plays the Music of Jerome Kern (MP3 album)

One of the finest pianists of the bop era.

9 MP3 Songs in this album (40:59) !
Related styles: JAZZ: Bebop, JAZZ: Piano Jazz

People who are interested in Charlie Parker should consider this download.


Details:
There is a curious sense of history revisited, or rewritten, in the release of this album by Al Haig. More than three decades ago, in 1947, Haig was a member of the large orchestra (woodwings, strings, French horns) conducted by Johnny Richards for a Dizzy Gillespie record session. The date was dedicated to Jerome Kern; in fact, two of the four songs recorded, The Way You Look Tonight and All the Things You Are are found in the present Haig collection.
As one of the first and most gifted pianists to become involved in the revolutionary new jazz of the period, Haig was in and out of the bebop scene for several years, working from time to time with big bands such as Charlie Barnetâs or Jimmy Dorseyâs, but also answering calls from Dizzy or Bird.
The present album finds Al in his element, provided with material from the long-prolific pen of Jerome Kern. Haigâs version of Yesterdays (introduced in a 1933 musical, Roberta) finds him in a reflective mood, with fills and ornamentations that are at times evocative of Art Tatum. It is interesting that even on the up tempo pieces such as Iâm Old Fashioned, Al bears little resemblance to Bud Powell, who was generally accepted in his day as the pace-setting bebop pianists. The supple bass work on this and other tracks is by Jamil Nasser.
-From the 1980 liner notes.