1944-1950

• Artist: Jess Stacy
• Rating:
• Release Date: January 08, 2002
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Jazz

Review

Real jazz happens when the musicians really listen to one another. You, the listener after the fact, can hear this communication woven into the music itself. "D.A. Blues," played by Pee Wee Russell's Hot 4 with Jess Stacy at the piano, moves slowly enough for this dynamic to be spelled out as big as skywriting. "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now" works like a charm. The interplay among the four -- and especially between pianist and clarinetist -- is remarkable. It's emblematic of everything that Commodore Records ever stood for. The next session in the Jess Stacy chronology resulted in a fine crop of piano and drum duets. It is strange that Commodore didn't issue them at the time, but such decisions often seem odd many years later. These are really piano solos with gently percussive accompaniment -- about as gentle as Specs Powell ever played on record, in fact. That is, until the fast-paced "Ridin' Easy" and "Song of the Wanderer," where Stacy runs his hands like lightning over the keys and Powell responds with steamy licks of his own. What a shame it is that Jess Stacy's big band only managed to record enough music to fit on both sides of a single, 10" 78 rpm platter. "Daybreak Serenade" is a very pretty instrumental and Stacy's wife Lee Wiley sings "Paper Moon" splendidly. Just imagine what they could have accomplished given the opportunity to wax a few more sides. Instead what we get are one dozen examples of the Jess Stacy Quartet, recording for Capitol and Columbia during the summer of 1950. These are gorgeous reveries, heavily featuring the guitar of George Van Eps. This makes the second-half of the CD decidedly cool and relaxing, friendly and unobtrusive. Bassist Morty Corb walks briskly through the changes of "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," a melody still associated with Fats Waller even though he didn't write it. Waller's "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now" reappears, joyously stir-fried to perfection. This handsome collection of top-notch piano jazz ends with a virtuoso realization of Bix Beiderbecke's "In a Mist," something like Chantilly cream over strawberries after four courses. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Take Me to the Land of Jazz	Bert Kalmar, Edgar Leslie, Pete Wendling	Jess Stacy	(3:03)
Rose of Washington Square	Ballard MacDonald, James F. Hanley	Jess Stacy	(2:40)
Keepin' Out of Mischief Now	Fats Waller, Andy Razaf	Jess Stacy	(3:01)
D.A. Blues	Johnny Hodges, Milt Gabler	Jess Stacy	(3:25)
After You've Gone	Henry Creamer, Turner Layton	Jess Stacy	(2:20)
Old Fashioned Love	James P. Johnson, Cecil Mack	Jess Stacy	(2:11)
I Ain't Got Nobody	Roger Graham, Spencer Williams, Dave Peyton	Jess Stacy	(2:46)
Blue Fives	Jess Stacy	Jess Stacy	(2:10)
Ridin' Easy	Jess Stacy	Jess Stacy	(2:14)
Song of the Wanderer	Harlan Howard, Neil Moret	Jess Stacy	(2:13)
Daybreak Serenade	Wendy Brueder	Jess Stacy	(2:56)
It's Only a Paper Moon	Harold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Billy Rose	Jess Stacy	(3:11)
Careless	Dick Jurgens, Eddy Howard, Ben Watt, Lou Quadling	Jess Stacy	(2:44)
I'll Be Seeing You	Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal	Jess Stacy	(3:03)
Can't We Be Friends	Kay Swift, James Warburg	Jess Stacy	(2:28)
Imagination	Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen	Jess Stacy	(2:44)
Under a Blanket of Blue	Jerry Livingston, Al J. Neiburg, Marty Symes	Jess Stacy	(3:15)
I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me	Jimmy McHugh, Clarence Gaskill	Jess Stacy	(3:00)
Lullaby of the Leaves	Joe Young, Bernice Petkere	Jess Stacy	(2:56)
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter	Fred E. Ahlert, Joe Young	Jess Stacy	(2:42)
Lover Man	Jimmie Davis, Roger "Ram" Ramirez, Jimmy Sherman, Jimmy Davis	Jess Stacy	(3:21)
Keepin' Out of Mischief Now	Fats Waller, Andy Razaf	Jess Stacy	(2:37)
Cherry	Don Redman, Ray Gilbert	Jess Stacy	(2:52)
In a Mist	Bix Beiderbecke	Jess Stacy	(3:37)