Backgrounder: Paul Quinichette: Moods, 1954

Mercury Records began as a Chicago R&B label in 1945, shortly after the first musicians union recording ban was settled. As the LP business took off in the early 1950s, Mercury became a mainstream pop label, launching EmArcy to handle its jazz business. Run by Bob Shad, EmArcy began production in 1954 by recording Dinah Washington's Dinah Jams; Erroll Garner's Contrasts; and Clifford Brown, Maynard Ferguson and Clark Terry's Jam Session.

EmArcy's fourth album of 1954 was Moods, by Paul Quinichette, who, up until then, had worked largely in swing, blues and R&B bands as a sideman and soloist. What made Moods particularly interesting was that six of the eight songs were composed by Quincy Jones, who arranged all eight. 

The album's songs are Tropical Intrigue, Grasshopper, Dilemma Diablo, I Can't Believe You're in Love with Me (by Jimmy McHugh and Clarence Gaskill); Plush Life; You're Crying; Shorty Georgie (by Harry “Sweets" Edison and Count Basie); and Pablo's Roonie.

The first four tracks on the album were recorded on November 22, 1954 and the last four were recorded earlier, on November 4. The band on the first four tracks includes Herbie Mann (fl,ts), Paul Quinichette (ts), Jimmy Jones (p), Al Hall (b), Tommy Lopez (cga), Manny Oquendo (bgo) and Willie Rodriguez (timb). The band on second four songs: Sam Most (fl), Paul Quinichette (ts), Sir Charles Thompson (p), Jerome Darr and Barry Galbraith (g), Paul Chambers (b) and Harold Wing (d).

Here's Paul Quinichette's Moods without ad interruptions...