Bill Hardy is a Bountiful dentist, a longtime season ticket holder for the Utah Jazz and the owner of one of the most extensive jazz collections in the region.
Recently he loaned me one of the most extraordinary collections I have ever heard. Oh, I knew that Nat King Cole was more than "Nature Boy" and "Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer," but I was unprepared for the magnitude of "The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio." The 18-CD package is issued by Mosaic Rec-ords and, as expected from Mosaic, the sound is marvelous, the packaging rich and the 64-page liner notes read like a novella. If there is anything missing about Cole between 1943 and 1961, I wouldn't know what it would be.I had heard some of his trio but, obviously, not to this extent. There was the familiar treatment of "It's Only a Paper Moon" and "Sweet Lor-raine" and "Embraceable You," but most of the tunes I had never heard before. Cole, with piano and vocals, melds wonderfully with guitarists Oscar Moore and Irving Ashby and bassist Johnny Miller. It was exciting to be reminded how exceptional Cole was on the piano. This is a must for any serious collector. My mamma taught me not to ask people how much they paid for an item, but, knowing that other Mosaic CD's cost $15, the Cole collection is probably in the neighborhood of $270.
By the way, the Cole collection was named Reissue of the Year in Downbeat's 40th Anniversary International Critics Poll, and Mosaic was voted third in the same poll as Record Label of the Year, one vote behind Verve, 66-65. Blue Note was first.
- As long as Hardy was in a lending mood, I asked him if he had Joe Henderson's "Lush Life" (CD Verve 314-511-779-2). In the same Downbeat poll "Lush Life," the music of Billy Strayhorn, was named Jazz Album of the Year and Henderson a runaway winner as Jazz Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophone. Not only did the good dentist lend me Henderson, but also "Billy Strayhorn Lush Life" (CD Red Baron AK 52760).
Henderson is backed by Steven Scott on piano, bassist Christian McBride and Gregory Hutchinson on drums. Wynton Marsalis sits in for three of the 10 cuts, including the tasty ballad "A Flower Is a Lonesome Thing." Henderson closes the session with a solo of the title tune. Gorgeous. The awards are deserved.
It's a good thing Strayhorn made his reputation as a composer (mainly for Duke Ellington from 1939 until his death in 1967) because he is as flat as a Kansas highway when he vocalizes the title song in the first of his 20-track album. But hey, it's his song and his album so he can do whatever he wants. There are various sized units represented on this album, but there is a healthy serving of such legends as Ellington, Clark Terry, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gon-salves and Harry Carney. Stray-horn adds his piano and Ozzie Bailey his vocals for the album, most of which was recorded in 1965.
- I've been a longtime fan of big bands and, after hearing for years about Toshiko Akiyoshi, I finally got a chance to listen to her jazz orchestra at the "Carnigie Hall Concert" (CD Columbia Ck 48805). Bet-ter put on the seat belt. The set was recorded Sept. 20, 1991, and the nine tracks are arranged and composed by pianist Akiyoshi. She is backed by a heavyweight brass section, the headliner being Lew Tabackin on tenor and flute. This is a great aggregation. Give it a listen.
Oh, yes. I loaned this CD to Hardy.