Verve Records celebrated the 50th anniversary of
Norman Granz's first
Jazz at the Philharmonic concert with an all-star get-together at Carnegie Hall. Different groups of top players from Verve's legacy (both past and present) had opportunities to perform, and this CD has many of the highlights. Pianist
Peter Delano plays "Tangerine" with a trio;
Dee Dee Bridgewater sings "Shiny Stockings" with
the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band;
Hank Jones pays tribute to
Art Tatum;
Abbey Lincoln sings "I Must Have That Man";
Joe Henderson meets up with
Antonio Carlos Jobim (who made his final concert appearance) on "Desafinado";"Manteca" features trumpeter
Roy Hargrove and trombonist
Steve Turre; pianist
Yosuke Yamashita pays tribute to
Bud Powell;
Betty Carter scats on "How High the Moon";
Herbie Hancock and
John McLaughlin play a restrained acoustic version of
Bill Evans' "Turn out the Stars";
Hargrove teams up with altoist
Jackie McLean and guitarist
Pat Metheny for "The Eternal Triangle"; organist
Jimmy Smith revisits
Oliver Nelson's arrangement of "Down by the Riverside";
Art Porter and
Jeff Lorber play some crossover, and
J.J. Johnson contributes a few trombone solos. Not that many special moments occur (too many of the original Verve stars had long since passed away) but jazz historians and bop fans may want to get this one. ~ Scott Yanow