The Be-Bop Boys - Boppin' A Riff

Side 1:

01. Boppin' A Riff, Parts 1 and 2

02. Fat Boy, Parts 1 and 2

Side 2:

01. Everything's Cool, Parts 1 and 2

02. Webb City, Parts 1 and 2

Download from:

http://www9.zippyshare.com/v/gj7ddQ5e/file.html

Recorded in New York, September 6th, 1946. Personnel: Kenny Dorham; Fats Navarro (trumpet); Sonny Stitt (alto sax); Morris Lane (tenor sax); Eddie DeVerteuil (baritone sax); Bud Powell (piano); Al Hall (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums); Gil Fuller (arranger)

The session was credited to Fats Navarro / Gil Fuller's Modernists / The Be-Bop Boys

Release details:

01. Boppin' A Riff, Parts 1 and 2 - Savoy 588

02. Fat Boy, Parts 1 and 2 - Savoy 587

03. Everything's Cool, Parts 1 and 2 - Savoy 586

04. Webb City, Parts 1 and 2 - Savoy 585

The above four 78 rpm singles were listed in Billboard's Advance Record Releases section of 12th October 1946 as being due for release as a 4 disc set called "Be Bop Jam Session Album" (Savoy S-506). "Webb City" was later reissued as Savoy 900 and "Fat Boy" was reissued as Savoy 901. "Everything's Cool" was reissued as Savoy 941, credited to Fats Navarro.

These tracks have been reissued many times on LP and EP but with changing credited artists. For example "Fat Boy" was on "New Sounds In Modern Music - Fats Navarro" (Savoy MG 9005) issued in 1951:

"Everything's Cool" was on the 1952 Sonny Stitt LP (MG 9006) in the same series:

This is one of those "knock off" posts where a few tracks are gathered together into a home made compilation on some pretext or other. I've cobbled together a set inspired by the previous post on Morris Lane. I referred to the fact that prior to his first recording for Savoy as named artist, Lane had recorded for that label as a member of "The Be-Bop Boys" alongside some of the biggest names in bop, including Fats Navarro, Sonny Stitt and Bud Powell. Here are the four singles which resulted from that session, presented in the order in which they were recorded. Each track was split in two to fit onto a 78 rpm single, which leads to some odd sounding fade outs and fade ins.

"The Be-Bop Boys" was a generic name used by Savoy for recordings by various lineups of boppers, including bands led by Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Allen Eager and Sonny Stitt. Anyway I'm a sucker for bop, so I'm off to find my beret and bop shades, then I'm going to  dig these cool vibes! I might even grow a goatee too. Way out, daddy-o.

Morris Lane - Tenor Saxsation (Re-up)

Side1:

01. Bobby's Boogie

02. Ghost Town

03. Luke The Spook

04. Down The Lane

05. Blue Jeans

06. BO Plenty's Return

07. Midnight Sun

08. Pale Moon (An Indian Love Song)

Side 2:

01. Moon Ray

02. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire

03. It Ain't Necessarily So

04. Stairway To The Stars

05. Poinciana

06. Blues In The Night

07. Twilight Time

08. Everything I Have Is Yours

Download from:

Tenor Saxsation (Mega)

Original post (1st March, 2009) is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/morris-lane-tenor-saxsation.html

Good compilation of sides by ex-Lionel Hampton tenor sax player Morris Lane. Sides recorded 1947 - 1952. The first six tracks (recorded for Savoy, Apollo and Robin) are good rousing jump blues. In 1952 Lane changed style, recording a series of swing standards for Coral with a band featuring Bill Doggett on organ and Leroy Kirkland.  He recorded another four sides in the same vein for the small Scooter label. The Coral and Scooter sides are comparable to the sax stylings of Earl Bostic and Lynn Hope and obviously aimed at the same audience.

Not covered in this comp are sides Lane recorded in 1946 for Savoy with, inter alia, Sonny Stitt, Fats Navarro, Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke as part of a group billed as the "Be-Bop Boys." They may well be coming up in a future post.

Morris Lane - Tenor Saxsation

This is yet another LP which has languished on my shelves for many years. I’ve been a fan of honkin’ tenor sax for nearly thirty years and when I bought this 1988 Official album I was anticipating a honk fest. Only the first six tracks are jump blues blasters, while the rest of the album consists of organ backed swing standards, so my initial response to the LP was one of disappointment. A couple of decades down the line I can now better appreciate the artistry that is contained in this excellent collection.

Perhaps Morris Lane is best remembered today for his spell in the Lionel Hampton band in 1947 when he and Johnny Sparrow manned the tenor saxes. But before that, in September 1946, Lane had taken part in a recording session for Savoy as part of a group called the Bebop Boys, who included Sonny Stitt, Fats Navarro, Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke. The tracks from that session are available on the Proper 4CD set “Sonny Stitt: Sax O’ Bebop.” In January 1947, Lane returned to the Savoy studio and recorded the fiery “Luke The Spook” b/w “Down The Lane.”

In 1951 Lane recorded a couple of jumping sides for Apollo which were released on Apollo single 808: “Blue Jeans” and “B.O. Plenty’s Return.” Later in 1951 Lane recorded several fine jump sides for Bobby Robinson’s new label Robin. “Bobby’s Boogie” and “Ghost Town” were in fact the first sides released on Robinson’s label.

In February and May 1952, Lane recorded two sessions for Coral, backed by a quartet led by organist Bill Doggett. This was a change of sound from the first six tracks on this collection, with swing era standards featuring prominently on releases aimed at the late night smooch crowd. “Moon Ray” in particular is a haunting performance, right up there with Earl Bostic’s “Serenade”, in my opinion. There’s also a beautiful treatment of “Stairway To The Stars” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So” starts off by quoting Jimmy Forrest’s “Night Train.”

In December 1952, billed as “Morris Lane & His Magic Saxophone”, Lane recorded four sides for the tiny Scooter label in the same vein as his Coral material. This time Billy Taylor was on organ while Art Blakey was on drums. “Poinciana” and “Blues In The Night” are particularly fine efforts.

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps

Download from here:

Tenor Saxsation (Mega)


1. Bobby's Boogie
2. Ghost Town
3. Luke The Spook
4. Down The Lane
5. Blue Jeans
6. B.O. Plenty's Return
7. Midnight Sun
8. Pale Moon (An Indian Love Song)
9. Moon Ray
10. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire
11. It Ain't Necessarily So
12. Stairway To The Stars
13. Poinciana
14. Blues In The Night
15. Twilight Time
16. Everything I Have Is Yours