Jazz Articles about Junior Mance

Junior Mance Trio & Orchestra: That Lovin' Feelin'

by C. Andrew Hovan
July 12, 2002

Along with stylists such as Gene Harris and Bobby Timmons, pianist Junior Mance is too frequently thrown into a category of players put down for using the blues and other implicit forms that speak directly with their audience. The fact is, Mance can be a deftly imaginative artist whose best work can be heard on a series of excellent albums he cut for the Riverside/Jazzland logos in the ‘60s. The most unusual of the bunch would be 1962’s The Soul ...

Junior Mance: That Lovin' Feelin'

by C. Michael Bailey
July 1, 2002

The difficulty with pop culture...

This release is reminiscent of a recent Bobby Timmons release by the Fantasy Group, Quartet and Orchestra . Both recordings tried to capitalize on these famous, blues-oriented jazz pianists playing popular songs of the day (e.g., the '60s and early '70s). In unfair retrospect, Timmons faired badly. On That Lovin' Feelin', Junior Mance fairs better, but the results are far from perfect.

That Lovin' Feelin' is derived from two Fantasy-related albums recorded a decade apart. ...

Dinah Washington: Queen of the Juke Box "Live", 1948-1955

by Dave Nathan
January 1, 2001

Ted Ono's Baldwin Street Music has rescued Dinah Washington's live performances from New York's Birdland, Royal Roost and Basin Street. There are also a couple of cuts from the soundtrack of Harlem Variety Review. It was during this period that many of her recordings consistently appeared at the top of the R & B charts. But it wasn't until her classic “What a Difference a Day Made" that she broke through to the pop charts. The first performance on the ...

Junior Mance: Happy Time

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 1, 2000

To the chagrin of certainly many a musician, there are some critics who equate audience appeal with commercial sell-out. It is just such an attitude that must have played a part in establishing pianist Junior Mance's position on the jazz map just at the outskirts of critical acclaim, despite wholehearted acceptance by those with a talented ear for real music. Throughout the '50s and '60s, Mance went quietly about his way making noteworthy recordings for the Verve, Capitol, and Atlantic ...

Junior Mance Trio: Happy Time

by Derek Taylor
January 1, 2000

An integral cog of the bands of Gillespie and Adderly Junior Mance’s move to the role of leader was a relatively late one in life. His obvious talents at the piano however counteract any contention that his longevity as a sideman was due to a lack of prowess. Once he did decide to form his own groups the regular results were much like those found on this exemplary and aptly titled trio recording. Mance’s style is a happy one indeed, ...