Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Shorty Rogers & Andre Previn - Collaboration (1954)
An unusual "concept" album by two of America's most talented & versatile musicians. On side one, Shorty Rogers arranges three standards & Andre Previn contributes three originals based on those standards (a common be bop practice). Side two is reversed, Previn does the standards, Rogers the originals. I like side two a little better as it plays more to the strengths of the two. But the album is really good. The band Rogers assembled, a nonet, was comprised of young, first rate West Coast players. Collaboration is a fine example of the West Coast sound, inaccurately called "cool."
Bass - Joe Mondragon or Curtis Counce
Drums - Shelly Manne
Guitar - Al Hendrickson
Piano - André Previn
Saxophone [Alto], -- Bud Shank
Saxophone [Baritone] - Jimmy Giuffre
Saxophone [Tenor, Soprano] - Bob Cooper
Trombone - Milt Bernhart
Trumpet - Shorty Rogers
Cover art by Jim Flora.
