Gene Norman Presents Just Jazz Concerts (1947-49) - Various (1984) (3LP Vinyl) - Near Mint (NM)

Gene Norman Presents Just Jazz Concerts (1947-49) by Various.

This three-record set gathers a remarkable run of live performances captured by producer Gene Norman under his Just Jazz banner, documenting concerts staged between 1947 and 1949 at some of Southern California's most storied halls. Pressed in Japan by GNP Crescendo Records, it collects an ambitious cross section of bebop, swing, and boogie woogie, with a roster that reads like a who's who of the era's finest players.

The earliest sessions, recorded at the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena on April 29, 1947, open the set with combustible energy. Benny Carter, Charlie Barnet, Chuck Peterson, Vic Dickenson, and Dodo Marmarosa power through "Just You, Just Me" and "Perdido," while a bebop-charged unit featuring Sonny Criss, Wardell Gray, and Howard McGhee tears into "Groovin' High," "Be Bop," and "Hot House." Erroll Garner steps in for "Lover," and the ensembles trade brilliance across "Blue Lou" and "One O'Clock Jump," with Willie Smith, Irving Ashby, Red Callender, and Jackie Mills anchoring the proceedings.

A true centerpiece arrives on sides C and D with a stellar gathering: Nat King Cole at the piano, joined by Charlie Shavers, Stan Getz, Red Norvo on vibraphone, Oscar Moore, Johnny Miller, and Louis Bellson. Together they light up "How High The Moon," "Body And Soul," and "I Got Rhythm," a lineup that captures Cole in a rare and thrilling small group jazz context alongside some of the most gifted soloists of the moment.

Sides E and part of F draw from the Shrine Auditorium concert of December 27, 1947, where Wardell Gray, Vido Musso, Howard McGhee, Arnold Ross, Barney Kessel, Harry Babasin, and Don Lamond dig into "Sweet Georgia Brown," "C Jam Blues," and a fiery "Just You, Just Me (Just Bop)." Pete Johnson then takes command for a run of boogie woogie showpieces, rolling through "Yancey Special," "Swanee River Boogie," "St. Louis Blues," and "Just Jazz Boogie" with the kind of two-fisted drive that defined the style.

The final stretch turns to the blues, drawn from Pasadena dates in July 1948 and May 1948. Vocalist Jimmy Witherspoon fronts a group with Donald Hill, Gene Gilbeaux, Oscar Moore, and shifting rhythm players including Herman Washington, Nelson Boyd, Henry Tucker Green, and Teddy Stewart, delivering "Just You, Just Me," "Big Fine Girl," "No Rollin' Blues," "Falling By Degrees," and "New Orleans Woman."

Housed in a package illustrated by Hisamitsu Noguchi with photography by Michio Mikami, and supervised by Akira Yamato, this Japanese pressing carries catalog number K18P 6259~61. It stands as a generous document of a golden moment in American jazz, spanning bebop, swing, boogie, and blues across six sides.

Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Just You, Just Me
A2. Perdido
B1. Groovin' High
B2. Be Bop
B3. Hot House
B4. Lover
C1. Blue Lou
C2. One O'Clock Jump
D1. How High The Moon
D2. Body And Soul
D3. I Got Rhythm
E1. Sweet Georgia Brown
E2. C Jam Blues
E3. Just You, Just Me (Just Bop)
F1. Yancey Special
F2. Swanee River Boogie
F3. St. Louis Blues
F4. Just Jazz Boogie
F5. Just You, Just Me
F6. Big Fine Girl
F7. No Rollin' Blues
F8. Falling By Degrees
F9. New Orleans Woman

Credits:
Benny Carter - Alto Saxophone (A1, A2, C2)
Donald Hill (3) - Alto Saxophone (F5 to F9)
Sonny Criss - Alto Saxophone (B1 to B3)
Willie Smith (2) - Alto Saxophone (C2)
Harry Babasin - Bass (E1 to F4)
Herman Washington - Bass (F5 to F9)
Johnny Miller (2) - Bass (D1 to D3)
Nelson Boyd - Bass (F5)
Red Callender - Bass (A1 to C2)
Don Lamond - Drums (E1 to F4)
Henry Tucker Green - Drums (F5 to F9)
Jackie Mills - Drums (A1 to C2)
Louis Bellson - Drums (D1 to D3)
Teddy Stewart - Drums (F5)
Barney Kessel - Guitar (E1 to F4)
Irving Ashby - Guitar (A1, A2, B4 to C2)
Oscar Moore - Guitar (D1 to D3. F5)
Hisamitsu Noguchi - Illustration
Michio Mikami - Photography By
Arnold Ross - Piano (E1 to E3)
Dodo Marmarosa - Piano (A1 to B3)
Erroll Garner - Piano (B4 to C2, E5)
Gene Gilbeaux - Piano (F5 to F9)
Nat King Cole - Piano (D1 to D3)
Pete Johnson - Piano (F1 to F4)
Gene Norman - Producer [Produced By]
Akira Yamato - Supervised By
Charlie Barnet - Tenor Saxophone (A1, A2)
Stan Getz - Tenor Saxophone (D1 to D3)
Vido Musso - Tenor Saxophone (E1 to E3)
Wardell Gray - Tenor Saxophone (B1 to B3, C1, C2, E1 to E3)
Vic Dickenson - Trombone (A1, A2, C2)
Charlie Shavers - Trumpet (D1 to D3)
Chuck Peterson - Trumpet (A1, A2)
Howard McGhee - Trumpet (B1 to B3, C2, E1 to E3)
Red Norvo - Vibraphone (D1 to D3)
Jimmy Witherspoon - Vocals (F5 to F9)

Notes:
℗ 1947 GNP Crescendo Records.

# A1 to D5: Recorded at Civic Auditorium. Pasadena, California - April 29, 1947
# E1 to F4: Recorded at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles - December 27, 1947
# F5: Recorded at Civic Auditorium. Pasadena, California - July 26, 1948
# F6 to F9: Recorded at Civic Auditorium. Pasadena, California - May 9, 1948

Made in Japan.

Cat # variations
- Spine & Obi: K18P 6259~61
- Front Cover: :K18P 6259 / 61
- Center labels: K18P 6259-61 Ⓜ

Artist: Various

Format: 3LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: GNP Crescendo

Catalog Number: K18P 6259 / 61

Release Year: 1984

Country: Japan

Condition: Used

Media Condition: Near Mint (NM)

Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM)