Tough and sultry as
Coleman Hawkins,
Ben Webster, or
Herschel Evans, tenor saxophonist
Chu Berry (his first name is pronounced "Chew") made significant contributions to jazz before his premature death at the age of 31 in an automobile wreck (a tragic point in common with
Evans, who was felled by heart disease at the age of 29). So active was
Berry as a sideman that historical reissue compilations must touch upon a dizzying array of classic swing recordings. For example,
Indispensable Chu Berry 1936-1939 (released as part of French RCA's
Black and White series) often feels like the indispensable
Wingy Manone, a noble concept in its own right.
Blowing Up a Breeze, a 1995 Pearl/Topaz chronological compilation, does a splendid job of following in
Chu's footsteps. The trail begins in 1933 with
Spike Hughes & His All American Orchestra and passes through the bands of
Fletcher Henderson and
Teddy Wilson in 1936 and 1937. The heart of
Chu Berry's legacy lies among the
Little Jazz Ensemble recordings waxed for the Commodore label in November of 1938. The interaction between
Chu and trumpeter
Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge makes these his very best moments ever captured on record. Here the saxophonist demonstrates his brilliance as a hot improviser on "Sittin' In" (listen for his casual dialogue with
Eldridge during the introduction) and "Forty Six, West Fifty Two," and his ballad mastery in a four-minute rendering of "Stardust."
Berry's path proceeds through examples of his work with the
Count Basie,
Lionel Hampton, and
Cab Calloway bands in 1939 and 1940. Young
Dizzy Gillespie shows up with both
Hamp and
Cab, while
Milt Hinton enlivens the chemistry alongside
Chu on "Pluckin' the Bass." Reluctant to surrender the limelight,
Calloway tried to discourage his band from making instrumental records despite the fact that during this period he employed some of the greatest living jazz musicians. The inclusion of no less than five
Calloway instrumentals greatly increases the artistic merit of this compilation. This excellent core sample closes with four solid sides that
Chu Berry recorded for Commodore in the company of trumpeter and vocalist
Oran "Hot Lips" Page only weeks before his sudden death on October 30, 1941.