Piano Genius At Work
Price $64.99
- Catalogue Number
- 1088615
- Format
- 7CD Box + DVD
- Artist
- Earl Hines
Contact Storyville
Description
Earl Hines is often named the “Father of Modern Jazz Piano” and not without good reason. He was a piano pioneer, not only in excelling and exercising his mastery of harmony and rhythm in solos, but in establishing the piano as an important member of any jazz ensemble. The trumpet-style phrasing Hines formed a close creative unit with Louis Armstrong all the while being a band leader and extravagant reformer: Never afraid to go beyond known borders and challenge the listener’s ear.
The 7 CD plus one DVD box set features solo sessions from Hines’ early days in 1928 and up to 1974 in New York and Chicago, 1948 radio broadcasts from Blue Note in Chicago with Louis Armstrong and his All Stars, a series of 1954 through 1955 live recordings from the infamous Club Hangover in San Francisco, 1954 collaborations with the Muggsy Spanier All Stars, numerous 1959 recordings with the Earl Hines Quartet from London House in Chicago and on the DVD, a 1970 take of Earl Hines solo on piano and vocal.
In the detailed liner notes, Dan Morgenstern writes: “Hines endures, and this collection is a fine representation of his art and craft”.
Personnel
CD1: Earl Hines solo piano
You can listen to a small part of all the songs from CD1 in the right side of this page.
CD2: Earl Hines Solo Piano + Louis Armstrong and his All Stars
- I've Got The World On A String
- Somewhere over the rainbow
- Between the Devil and the deep blue sea
- Come rain or come shine
- My shining hour
- As long as I live
- When it's sleepy time down south
- Muskrat ramble
- A song is born
- Basin Street blues
- St. Louis Blues
- High society
- Royal Garden blues
- I've got a right to sing the blues
CD3: Earl Hines/ Muggsy Spanier All Stars
- A Monday date
- Mood Indigo
- Wang-Wang blues
- Pops' Blues
- Apex Blues
- Caravan
- I ain't got nobody
- Mahogany Hall Stomp
- Savoy blues
- I've found a new baby
- Relaxin' at the Touro
- Medley: Bugle Call Rag/Ole Miss
- I'm coming Virginia
- It's right here for you
- When the saints go marching in
CD 4: Earl Hines Esquire All Stars featruing Dicky Wells
- Theme: Deep Forest
- Boogie Woogie on St. Louis Blues
- Tin Roof Blues
- Sleepwalking
- Rosetta
- Jump for Joy
- One O'Clock Jump
- Ballin' the Jack
- You're the cream in my coffee
- Love is just around the corner
- Hot soup
- The C jam blues
- Low down blues
- Jumpin' with Symphony Sid
- Piano man
- Theme: Deep forest
CD5: Earl Hines' Dixieland All Stars
- Theme: Deep forest
- Ballin' the jack
- Jazz me blues
- St. James Infirmary
- Lady be good
- Darktown Strutters Ball
- Some of these days
- Sweet Georgia Brown
- Boowgie woogie on St. Louis Blues
- On the sunny side of the street
- Back O'Town blues
- Theme: Deep forest
CD6: Earl Hines Quartet
- Theme: Deep Forest
- On the Alamo
- Tangerine
- Blues for Tatum
- Thou swell
- Willow weep for me
- Stompin' at the Savoy
- Theme: Deep Forest
- Do nothing 'till you hear from me
- Louise
- It all depends on you
- Stars fell on Alabama
- Little girl
- Someone to watch over me
- Get happy
CD7: Earl Hines Quartet
- Theme: Deep forest
- Thou swell
- Memphis blues
- Rosetta
- Can't we talk it over
- Mack the knife
- Tin roof blues
- Theme: Deep forest
- Give me the simple life
- You're getting to be a habit with me
- Basin Street Blues
- Liza
- Moonlight in Vermont
- Perdido
- The song is ended
DVD: Earl Hines piano solo & vocal
- I cover the waterfront
- Medley: Black and blue/ Two sleepy people/ Ain't Misbehavin'/ Squeeze me/ Honeysuckle Rose / Tea for two
Reviews
"Few other than Earl Hines could give the piano orchestral dimensions with a wickerwork of complex melodic strings, weaving themselves in an out of one another, while still anchoring wild soloist excursions in solidly swinging rhythms. Alone at the piano is where his virtuosity shines the brightest."
- Politiken, "A Homage to Hines". April 14, 2016
"These solo-takes from 1928 and onward prove that Hines was a pioneer in improvisaiton... The box is a beautiful Earl Hines-documentation and I love these original radio broadcasts where every little detail is included"
- Jens Jørn Gjedstd, Jazz Special 150 (2016)
If you do not have all of this material otherwise, do yourself a favor and grab this set of recordings by one very important jazz musician. Highly recommended and if were awarding stars, several dozen would not be out of line.
Herb Young, IAJRC
"We can but rejoice that we have this new volume dedicated entirely to one of the greatest creators in the history of jazz... I would like to stress that with Earl Hines, nothing is anodyne and you will always find something interesting and undiscovered and surprising to admire in him... If you don't have any of the music that you find in this collection, you will definitely not lose by acquiring this album!"
Bulletin du HCF, 654, October 2016
