1. Did You Call Her Today?
2. Ceora
3. Good Queen Bess
4. Prelude to a Kiss
5. Little Jazz
6. Blue Monk
7. Someday You'll Be Sorry
8. Nuages
9. Undecided
10. Elegy in Blue
Benny Carter - Alto sax
Harry "Sweets" Edison - Trumpet, vocals
Cedar Walton - Piano
Mundell Lowe - Guitar
Ray Brown - Bass
Jeff Hamilton - Drums
In 1994, Elegy In Blue was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Jazz Instrumental Performer, Solo or Group category (but did not win), while Benny Carter won a Grammy for Best Jazz Solo Performance for Prelude to a Kiss which was one of the cuts on the previously-noted album. Some sixteen years on, the question might be asked: "Were these honours merited?"
While it may be churlish, the answer is: perhaps - perhaps not. Even as Benny Carter's and "Sweets" Edison's places in jazz history are not in question, at the time of these recordings on MusicMasters, Carter was 87 and Edison was 79, and both were well beyond the peak of their improvisational powers. This was especially noticeable in Edison's playing. Nevertheless, embraced by a stellar backup band that provided swinging support, they embarked on a set of tunes associated with peers and friends, and tried to summon up their past glory.
Leading off with Ben Webster's delightful Did You Call Her Today? Edison struggles through the opening chorus and his muted trumpet solo is weak in tone and ideas. Carter is much better and his playing is more forceful, even though his solos are more compact but less fluid. This trend continues through Lee Morgan's Ceora and the Johnny Hodges' classic Good Queen Bess, although Cedar Walton has a wonderful solo turn on the former cut, with Ray Brown and Jeff Hamilton providing some interesting dynamics on the opening of the latter piece. Moving to Ellington's Prelude to a Kiss for which Carter was awarded a Grammy, although his solo is masterful, it certainly does not compare to some of his best work. Listen to his 1961 recording Further Definitions and his solo on Blue Star and you will appreciate the talent he had, compared to what he had become. Conceivably the Grammy was awarded for longevity rather than a single solo's creativity. We'll never really know.
Roy Eldridge's Little Jazz is the next tribute piece and Edison must have been channelling his inner youth as he plays on an open horn with fire and style that certainly belied his age. Carter continued with his sparse renderings and Walton also presented an effective interlude. Of the remaining offerings on the disc, several are appealing, such as Louis Armstrong's essential Someday You'll Be Sorry where Carter's solo is a treasure, but Edison's vocal, while sincere, only sounds tired. Undecided, the Charlie Shavers anthem, swings along briskly with Carter setting the tone and Jeff Hamilton showing off his brush skills in a couple of chorus trades with Mundell Lowe and Ray Brown. Lastly, Carter's own title composition Elegy In Blue is dedicated to those friends whose work is showcased on the disc and manages to grab hold of the blues through the solos offered by the band.
For those jazz fans that are into nostalgia and are willing to overlook the shortcomings age has brought to the principal artists, this disc will undoubtedly fill the bill.
Pierre Giroux
See an additional review by Don Mather
CD Reviews
Nimbus NI 2702
