Mosaic Records • Classic Earl Hines Sessions 1928-1945

JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH

Earl Hines (1903-83) was always a true original. When he emerged on the scene in the 1920s, he sounded unlike anyone else. His unique playing would influence such future greats as Joe Sullivan, Jess Stacy, Nat King Cole and Erroll Garner but it is difficult to trace his style back to any obvious predecessor. His right hand often created ringing octaves that could be heard above horn sections. His left, particularly when he was playing unaccompanied, broke away from the timekeeping of stride pianists and often seemed to suspend time in wild breaks before getting back to earth without losing a beat.

The seven-CD limited-edition Mosaic box set Classic Earl Hines Sessions 1928-1945 has many of the highpoints of the pianist’s early years. Regretfully it does not include his eight piano solos from 1928 for QRS but it does have the four that he made in December for Okeh including the dazzling “57 Varieties.” While there are also seven other piano solos and a couple of small group dates plus a session with Sidney Bechet’s New Orleans Feetwamers in 1940, the rest of this large reissue features the Earl Hines Orchestra.

Starting as a classic jazz unit and evolving into a solid swing band and even helping to pioneer bebop (although the 1943 orchestra with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sarah Vaughan unfortunately never had a chance to record), the big band featured top soloists in addition to its leader (including at various times trumpeter Walter Fuller, trombonist Trummy Young, Omer Simeon on alto and clarinet, clarinetist Darnell Howard, and tenor-saxophonist Budd Johnson) and introduced singer Billy Eckstine.

Because it was based in Chicago during the 1930s, the Earl Hines Orchestra tended to be a bit underrated but it was a fine outfit that is well served by this out-of-print Mosaic box which includes 12 previously unissued performances among its 171 performances.

Classic Earl Hines Sessions 1928-1945
Mosaic MD7-254

Scott Yanow

Since 1975 Scott Yanow has been a regular reviewer of albums in many jazz styles. He has written for many jazz and arts magazines, including JazzTimes, Jazziz, Down Beat, Cadence, CODA, and the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, and was the jazz editor for Record Review. He has written an in-depth biography on Dizzy Gillespie for AllMusic.com. He has authored 11 books on jazz, over 900 liner notes for CDs and over 20,000 reviews of jazz recordings. Yanow was a contributor to and co-editor of the third edition of the All Music Guide to Jazz. He continues to write for Downbeat, Jazziz, the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, the Jazz Rag, the New York City Jazz Record and other publications.