An Evening With Mary Ann McCall and Charlie Ventura

We'll Be Together Again

The Breeze And I

An Evening With Mary Ann McCall and Charlie Ventura
Norgran Records
Supervised by Norman Granz
Cover design by David Stone Martin
MG N-1053

From the back cover: The title of this album is singularly appropriate, for this is indeed as an evening with Mary Ann McCall and Charlie Ventura. Or, to be more specific, if not an entire evening then a set or so from a good jazz spot boasting these two on the marquee. In such a situation, you are likely to hear Ventura play about five selections on the saxophone – two or three different kinds of saxophone, of course – and the same number of vocals by Miss McCall. In recording the Ventura group and Miss McCall, an attempt has been made to emulate the feeling, the mood and atmosphere of a jazz club as well as the range of content heard on the bandstand (where variety is more the aim than is general in a recording studio.)

For her part, Miss McCall is at her best in the jazz idiom with a hard-hitting jazz background since her attack is largely that of an instrumental and always in superb taste. Miss McCall, also a native of Philadelphia, worked with the Ventura group in the mid-1950s after stints with the Tommy Dorsey and Woody Herman bands.

On "Careless," " Please Be Kind." and "Detour Ahead." the personnel includes: Bob Carter, bass; Sonny Igoe, drums; Dave McKenna, piano, and Ventura, saxophone. Personnel on the other sides are: Leonard Hambro, alto saxophone; Daniel Bank, baritone saxophone; Charlie Shavers, trumpet; Kai Winding, trombone; Dave McKenna, piano; Perry Lopez, guitar; Bob Carter, bass; Sonny Igoe, drums, and Ventura, tenor saxophone.

The songs by Miss McCall are:
Careless
Please Be Kind
Detour Ahead
We'll Be Together Again
There'll Be Some Changes Made

The instrumental sides are:
It Don't Mean A Thing
Soft Touch
The Breeze And I
Charlie's Venture
Swinging On A Star