Peter Appleyard and the Jazz Giants – The Lost 1974 Sessions (2012)

A vibraphonist very much in the tradition of Lionel Hampton, Peter Appleyard — who’d, fittingly, worked with Benny Goodman in the period that these recordings were made — has issued 21 albums as a leader. Unfortunately, many (maybe most) of them have long been out of print, including a pair of memorable 1990 live projects for Concord called Barbados Heat/Barbados Cool, with Bucky Pizzarelli and Butch Miles. Here, he’s joined by another star-studded group that includes Hank Jones on piano, Zoot Sims on sax, bassist Slam Stewart, Mel Lewis on drums and others. Recording after a Goodman date at Ontario in 1974, the date has the off-handed, friendly atmosphere of a jam session — maybe, because it really was. Pleasant, if a little unchallenging, The Lost 1974 Sessions (to be issued on February 14 on Linus) is nevertheless a rare opportunity to hear many of these performers one more time. All but Appleyard and trompbonist Urbie Green have since passed.

‘Half Notes’ are quick-take thoughts on music from Something Else! Reviews, presented whenever the mood strikes us.

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Nick DeRiso

Nick DeRiso has written for USA Today, American Songwriter, All About Jazz, and a host of others. Honored as columnist of the year five times by the Associated Press, Louisiana Press Association and Louisiana Sports Writers Association, he oversaw a daily section named Top 10 in the U.S. by the AP before co-founding Something Else! Nick is now assistant managing editor with Townsqaure Media. Listen to NICKRADIO here: bit.ly/NICKRADIO.

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