Now hear this -- all of
Earl Bostic's earliest recordings as a leader are available in chronological succession on the Classics label. This man was a formidable alto saxophone virtuoso, respected by
Charlie Parker and revered by
John Coltrane. He also wrote arrangements for
Gene Krupa,
Artie Shaw,
Paul Whiteman, and
Louis Prima. When
Bostic sat in on a Victor recording date with
Lionel Hampton in October of 1939 and made 20 hot sides with
Hot Lips Page in 1944, 1945, and 1946, he paved the way for his own exciting and lucrative career as a star in what would soon be called the R&B market. The 13-piece big band he assembled for his recording debut as a leader during the last weeks of 1945 included guitarist
Tiny Grimes, trumpeter
Benny Harris, swing trombonist
Benny Morton, clarinetist
Eddie Barefield, and both
Don Byas and
Walter "Foots" Thomas on tenor saxophones. Four titles from this session appeared on the Majestic label. "The Man I Love" begins as a lush ballad, accelerating to a mad pace as
Bostic demonstrates his somewhat ferocious dexterity. During the years 1946-1948,
Bostic made more than 30 sides for Gotham Records. Each of these bore the company's handsome logo, with a linear big-city skyline pictured on the label.
Bostic's octet during 1946 had
Tony Scott playing the clarinet and the mighty
John Hardee blowing tenor sax, and featured guitar ace
Jimmy Shirley. While jazz standards like "Liza" and "Where or When" were always an essential ingredient in
Bostic's repertoire, danceable party music based on the blues quickly became his one-way ticket to popularity. "That's the Groovy Thing" and the rowdy "Let's Ball Tonight" were enlivened by call-and-response vocals between the leader and his band. Other voices heard during this part of the chronology are trumpeter
Roger Jones -- on ballads he sounds almost like
Al Hibbler -- and a fellow calling himself
Cousin Joe. Two exquisite instrumentals deserve special mention. The very handsome "Tippin' In," composed by
Erskine Hawkins' alto player
Bobby Smith, was a huge hit for the
Hawkins band in 1945.
Bostic's version is superb, and the next phase of this tune's trajectory would be
Lou Donaldson's outstanding rendition from the 1960s. "Away," a languid strolling daydream with a rolling boogie bridge, is
Bostic's masterpiece -- simple, direct, and ultimately unforgettable.