The Tenor Sax Album (The Savoy Sessions)

Side 1:
01) Honeysuckle Rose - Ben Webster
02) I Surrender Dear - Ben Webster
03) Blue Skies - Ben Webster
04) Kat's Fur - Ben Webster
05) Body And Soul (alt) - Cozy Cole and his Orchestra
06) Girl Of My Dreams - Ike Quebec
07) Jim Dawgs - Ike Quebec

Side 2:
01) Scufflin' - Ike Quebec
02) I.Q. Blues - Ike Quebec
03) Lunatic - John Hardee
04) Can't Help Loving That Man - John Hardee
05) Red Man Bounce - John Hardee
06) Baby Watch That Stuff - John Hardee
07) Misty Blues - Billy Taylor
08) Take The A Train - Billy Taylor

Side 3:
01) Don't Blame Me - Illinois Jacquet
02) Jumpin' Jacquet - Illinois Jacquet
03) Blues Mood - Illinois Jacquet
04) Jacquet In The Box - Illinois Jacquet
05) Savoy Blip - Emmett Berry
06) Doggin' With Doggett (alt) - Emmett Berry
07) Minor Romp - Emmett Berry
08) Berry's Blues - Emmett Berry

Side 4:
01) Last Stop - Coleman Hawkins
02) Should I - Coleman Hawkins
03) Flight Eleven - Coleman Hawkins
04) Modern Fantasy - Coleman Hawkins
05) Confessin' - Coleman Hawkins
06) September Song - Coleman Hawkins
07) They Can't Take That Away From Me - Coleman Hawkins

The Tenor Sax Album (Mega)

The Tenor Sax Album (Zippy)

Back to the 1940s Savoy sessions with another double helping of a treat that's hard to beat. Muscular tenor sax jazz workouts from some of the greatest players around at the time and definitely no over the top honkin' and squealin' on show here as things stay on the right side of tasteful. Heck, even Illinois Jacquet is in restrained mood on his session. In fact this 2LP set came as some relief to me after I'd overindulged in a honk honk honk fest by listening to a Hal Singer collection followed by an Apollo compilation of various R&B sax men, all of which left me rather exhausted and half deaf. This stuff is rather easier on the discerning ear.

Side 4 is the odd one out as it contains a 1954 session recorded by Coleman Hawkins in Chicago, but everything else is from that time and place with which I have a fascination - New York in the 1940s. Some of these tracks have appeared on the blog before as I have occasionally dipped into this set for tracks to post on a homemade comp (John Hardee) and some reconstructions of 1950s Savoy EPs (Ike Quebec and Illinois Jacquet) but these are all new rips for your delectation, and boy was it hard work getting rid of the clicks and pops hence the delay in posting. There is still some surface noise in evidence on a couple of tracks but I'm pretty pleased with the way it all turned out.

The session details are on the LP cover and there is an essay by jazz critic Leonard Feather to fill in the background. As usual I have provided the details of the original release of the tracks. Note that one Ben Webster side is an alternate take of a track originally released under Cozy Cole's name. Two of the John Hardee tracks were originally credited to pianist / organist Billy Taylor and four of Illinois Jacquet's tracks were from a session credited to trumpet player Emmett Berry, although all four of the Berry tracks were eventually released under Jacquet's name.

Original Release of the Tracks:

Ben Webster:

Body And Soul - alternate take of side released on Savoy 501 - Body And Soul / Talk To Me - Cozy Cole and his Orchestra, released May 1944. This take first released on this 2LP set.

Honeysuckle Rose / Blue Skies - Ben Webster - Savoy 553, part of 78 RPM Album "Tenor Sax Album" (Savoy A-500) released April 1945

I Surrender Dear / Kat's Fur - Ben Webster - Savoy 580, part of 78 RPM Album "Tenor Sax Album No. 2" (Savoy 502) released January 1946

jazzdisco.org and 78discography.com list the following 2 releases, both probably 1944 -

Blue Skies / I Surrender Dear - Ben Webster - Savoy 505

Honeysuckle Rose / Kat's Fur - Ben Webster - Savoy 506

I have not come across any reference to these two releases in Billboard or The Cash Box, nor have I come across label shots of the discs.

Ike Quebec:

Jim Dawgs / I Q Blues - Ike Quebec - Savoy 570 - probably September - October 1945

Don't Blame Me - Illinois Jaquet All Stars / Girl Of My Dreams - Ike Quebec All Stars - Savoy 620 - released August 1946. Also released as part of the 78 RPM album "Tenor Sax Stylists" (Savoy S-503) in October 1946.

Scufflin' - first released on 1954 EP "Tenor Sax - Ike Quebec" (Savoy XP 8083) in 1954.

John Hardee:

Baby Watch That Stuff / Bad Man's Bounce - John Hardee Quintet - Regent 121 - July 1948

Lunatic / Can't Help Lovin' That Man - John Hardee Quintet - Savoy 703 - August 1949

Misty Blues (aka Misty Morning Blues) and Take The "A" Train first released on Savoy EP XP 8113 "Billy Taylor - John Hardee" and on Savoy LP Savoy MG 9035 "Billy Taylor - Piano" - both released in 1953

Illinois Jacquet:

Don't Blame Me - Illinois Jacquet All Stars / Girl Of My Dreams - Ike Quebec All Stars - Savoy 620 - released August 1946. Also released as part of the 78 RPM album "Tenor Sax Stylists" (Savoy S-503) in October 1946

Jumpin Jacquet / Blue Mood - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 593 - released February 1946

Minor Romp / Berry's Blues - Emmett Berry's Hot Six - Savoy 594 - released February 1946

Jacquet In The Box / Jacquet And Coat - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 910 - released November 1947. "Jacquet And Coat" is Emmett Berry's "Minor Romp" retitled.

Illinois Goes To Chicago / Jacquet And No Vest - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 911 - released late 1947 / early 1948. Both of these tracks are retitled Emmett Berry tracks as follows - "Illinois Goes To Chicago" is "Doggin' With Doggett" and "Jacquet And No Vest" is "Savoy Blip." The version of "Doggin' with Doggett" on this 2LP set is an alternate take of the version released on Savoy 911.

Note - Don't Blame Me / Jacquet Blues - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 651 - released July 1947. "Jacquet Blues" is a retitled "Berry's Blues"

Coleman Hawkins:

All tracks first released on the LP "The Hawk Returns" (Savoy MG-12013) in 1955.

Elsewhere On The Blog:

John Hardee - Bad Man's Blues

Click on the link for a homemade comp of John Hardee plus an in depth look at his career. New download link on the post if you wish to grab the album.

Ike Quebec - Tenor Sax (Savoy XP 8083)

Click on the link for a short but I like to think informative post on Ike Quebec and Savoy Records. New download link now on the post.

Illinois Jacquet Vol. 1 (Savoy XP 8068)

Again, the link above takes you to a short but worth-a-look post complete with new download link.