Diving back to 1962 this weekend with a set by Brew Moore and guest Don Byas, recorded at the Casino in Aarhus Denmark on February 11, 1962 and broadcast by DK-Radio.
Brew Moore and Don Byas are joined by Bent Axen on piano, Erik Moseholm on bass and William Schiopffe on drums.
A word or two about Brew Moore from Wikipedia:
In the liner notes for a Storyville Records issue, critic Alun Morgan suggests in liner notes for the CD reissue No More Brew that Moore’s “total discography is small for a man of his musical stature” because of the saxophonist’s unswerving adherence to his Lestorian roots. As critic Scott Yanow observed: “In the early ’50s, [Moore] recorded . . . with fellow tenors Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, and Alan Eager; at the time, they all sounded identical. Moore was the only one of the five who did not change his sound through the years.”
Alternatively, Danish scholar Soren Schou has likened Moore’s “epic melodist” playing to writing a novel and contrasted it with the concentrated “short story” approach practiced by post-Bird improvisers. Certainly Moore’s expansive style of playing tested the attention span of post-bop era listeners. (In evidence of this, one is referred to his X-rated comments to an apparently less than fully engaged Stockholm audience while introducing “Manny’s Tune” on “No More Brew,” Storyville CD 8275, 1998.)
Moore himself told critic Ralph J. Gleason in 1954: “The idea of playing for me is to compose a different, not always better I’m afraid, melody on the tune and basis of the original song, rather than construct a series of chord progressions around the original chords.” An idea the more pre-bop inclined Gleason clearly approved of, noting that Moore “has two absolutely golden gifts. He swings like mad and he has soul . . . he also has a priceless gift for phrasing. . . . When Brew says it, he says it simply, but it rings true.”
Don Byas, associated with swing and bebop, played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also led his own band. He lived in Europe for the last 26 years of his life. In September 1946, Don Byas began his exile in Europe to tour with Don Redman’s big band in Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany. They were the first civilian jazz big band to tour the continent after the war. After playing in Belgium and Spain, he finally settled in Paris.
While still in Geneva, Byas recorded “Laura” and “How High the Moon”. In December 1946, he recorded for the first time in France, with Redman, Tyree Glenn and Peanuts Holland. He recorded for the Swing and Blue Star labels in 1947, working with Eddie Barclay. In 1947-48, he lived in Barcelona, due to the lower cost of living and the thriving atmosphere. Pianist Tete Montoliu sneaked into the Copacabana Club in Barcelona to hear Byas.
Byas played with Bill Coleman in early 1949; touring that autumn with Buck Clayton. From 1948 onward, Byas became a familiar figure not only around the Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, but also on the Riviera, where he could be seen in Saint-Tropez sporting a mask, tenor sax, flippers and an underwater spear-gun. Byas collaborated again with Andy Kirk and recorded together on Vogue in 1953. Byas also recorded with Mary Lou Williams in 1953 and Beryl Booker in 1954.
Now you know – press Play – relax – enjoy Sunday.
