The title of this collection of obscure live and location recordings by tenor saxophonist Allen Eager (1927-2003) refers to a song penned by Mary Lou Williams and Milt Orent about a mythical bebop kingdom where bebop was spoken. Of course, 52nd Street in the late 1940s was that kingdom, and Eager was one of the familiar faces on that street. Eager, who came to 52nd Street leading his own quartet in 1945 at age 18, had served his apprenticeship in the wartime bands of Sonny Dunham, Shorty Sherrock, Woody Herman, and Tommy Dorsey, whose depleted ranks offered opportunities for young talents like Eager. He featured a sound influenced by Lester Young and a prodigious will to swing, but he was also hip to what the boppers were doing. Besides leading his own groups, he later became a member of Tadd Dameron's group with Fats Navarro. He was one of the few white musicians accepted as an equal among the leaders of the bop movement, and he was looked up to by the hipper of the young, white jazz fans, not only for his playing but also for his cool demeanor and attire.
Eager recorded as early as 1946 by Savoy, and he can also be heard on Fats Navarro's Blue Note recordings, among others. While he enjoyed the respect of many, Eager, according to the voluminous liner notes in this beautiful package produced by Robert Sunenblink for Uptown's Flashback Series, felt rejected by the majority of white players, with the exception of a few such as Gerry Mulligan, Al Cohn, and Zoot Sims. Eager had interests-horses, fast cars, and skiing-other than music, as well as a heroin habit, and his career faded after he left for Paris in 1956. There was a return stateside in the late 50s, followed by 20 years of obscurity before he was "reborn" in the early 1980s.
These recordings, which are sequenced backward chronologically, capture Eager at the height of his ability. The first session was recorded at Boston's Hi-Hat in February 1953 from a Symphony Sid Torin live broadcast, and is notable for the appearance of pianist Dick Twardzik, who died a year later in Paris. There is a single recording from a CBS television broadcast in April 1949 and then three sessions recorded at photographer Milton Greene's studio on Lexington Avenue in New York City. The first and second of these sessions also feature Serge Chaloff, who plays Eager's tenor on one track. The third session is the most interesting from a historical standpoint, with Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and Max Roach in the band. On one track, Parker and Eager switch horns; Parker fares better than Eager. There's one track with Parker in a quartet setting as well.
Besides being of historical interest, these recordings capture the feeling of the bop era in the same way that the Charlie Parker's Royal Roost recordings on Savoy do. Props too for the liner notes and packaging.
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