Charlie Ventura Quintet
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Very nice indeed. Certainly a type/style of playing that's becoming more and more extinct these days and an unfortunate thing in my opinion. There's a 4 cd set of Charlie that's pretty inexpensive (got mine at a Half Price Books store) called "Bop For The People" and it's a great cross section of Charlie's playing over the years. Available for just over $12 bucks on Amazon.com.......yes, for a 4 cd set. Highly recommended!
John
John
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Me too! That's the Proper Records box. I bought it a few months ago. Great company from the UK!
Charlie Ventura - geez! I strolled into a small bar in Sunset Beach, CA about 25 - 30 years ago. A quartet was playing some bop and really swinging. An old guy was killing it on tenor. I asked the waitress who it was; Charlie Ventura - one of the players I used to really like during the old JATP days. He didn't play for Granz but was around the NYC scene for years. The waitress pointed out a woman sitting alone at a table - "that's his wife." I went and introduced myself. She invited me to sit with her. At the break Charlie came to the table and we gassed about the "old days." He told me he was ripped off in Vegas - all his horns and music collections stolen. He was playing on a rented tenor that day.
They were living in a mobile home in Seal Beach. He was just working gigs to make a few bucks. Imagine, one of the great tenor players in jazz reduced to saloon gigs! I had, and still have, an LP record with tunes he played on every sax type - soprano to bass. His take on "Sweet Lorraine" on baritone is superb. He asked if I could make a copy of the LP on tape for him. Hell yes. I made it the next day and delivered it to him. What a great guy and what a shame he was a.) ripped off and b.) relegated to saloon dates. Man, that's awful. Saloon dates is where a lot of us started - playing the only 3 or 4 tunes we knew over and over. But then, a gig is a gig. huh?
They were living in a mobile home in Seal Beach. He was just working gigs to make a few bucks. Imagine, one of the great tenor players in jazz reduced to saloon gigs! I had, and still have, an LP record with tunes he played on every sax type - soprano to bass. His take on "Sweet Lorraine" on baritone is superb. He asked if I could make a copy of the LP on tape for him. Hell yes. I made it the next day and delivered it to him. What a great guy and what a shame he was a.) ripped off and b.) relegated to saloon dates. Man, that's awful. Saloon dates is where a lot of us started - playing the only 3 or 4 tunes we knew over and over. But then, a gig is a gig. huh?
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