When Shorty Rogers signed with RCA in the early 1950s, he had two jobs: to record albums for the label and to function as an A&R executive who would come up with new ideas with talent and record them. One of those ideas in 1956 was to help Lou Levy create a new sound for a quartet.
During the weeks Rogers and Levy were in conversations, Levy worked a job with Larry Bunker on vibes. The two clicked. They added Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Stan Levey on drums. The goal was a quartet that could record and perform gigs. As Rogers wrote in a short introduction to Levy's detailed liner notes, “This album could be called 'the birth of the Lou Levy Quartet," and I must say that it was a privilege and a great thrill to be a witness to the birth of this swingin', tasty, musical baby." The album was all of those things and more. Recorded over two days in 1956, on March 31 and April 2, these weren't just four West Coast musicians thrown together. Levy had a smooth grace and was both a jazz combo player and female vocalist accompanist. Bunker is today best known as a drummer but he was a swinging multi-instrumentalist and brought a keen sense of rhythm to the vibes. Stan Levey was an original bebopper who had played in New York with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Leroy Vinnegar was a sublime bassist who could lay down a gorgeous groove. [Photo above of Larry Bunker by Roy Harte]
What's special about this album for me is how each musician shines. Levy has a distinctly West Coast feel on the piano, Bunker keeps the swing bright on vibes, Vinnegar's soft, round bass can be heard distinctly and Levey's drums keep tight time, though he isn't heard as distinctly on the mix. I'll also say this: If you want to know just how great Vennegar was, this is the album to dig. [Photo above of Leroy Vinnegar]
Here's this overlooked gem, without the interruption of ads...
During the weeks Rogers and Levy were in conversations, Levy worked a job with Larry Bunker on vibes. The two clicked. They added Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Stan Levey on drums. The goal was a quartet that could record and perform gigs. As Rogers wrote in a short introduction to Levy's detailed liner notes, “This album could be called 'the birth of the Lou Levy Quartet," and I must say that it was a privilege and a great thrill to be a witness to the birth of this swingin', tasty, musical baby." The album was all of those things and more. Recorded over two days in 1956, on March 31 and April 2, these weren't just four West Coast musicians thrown together. Levy had a smooth grace and was both a jazz combo player and female vocalist accompanist. Bunker is today best known as a drummer but he was a swinging multi-instrumentalist and brought a keen sense of rhythm to the vibes. Stan Levey was an original bebopper who had played in New York with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Leroy Vinnegar was a sublime bassist who could lay down a gorgeous groove. [Photo above of Larry Bunker by Roy Harte]
What's special about this album for me is how each musician shines. Levy has a distinctly West Coast feel on the piano, Bunker keeps the swing bright on vibes, Vinnegar's soft, round bass can be heard distinctly and Levey's drums keep tight time, though he isn't heard as distinctly on the mix. I'll also say this: If you want to know just how great Vennegar was, this is the album to dig. [Photo above of Leroy Vinnegar]
Here's this overlooked gem, without the interruption of ads...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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