Bijou - Ralph Burns

 

Spring In Naples

Bijou

Ralph Burns and His Ensemble

Recorded in New York City

Bethlehem Records BCP-68

1957

Ralph Burns - Piano (Multitrack on Side A, Band 5; Side B, Band 5)

Jimmy Raney - Guitar

Clyde Lombardi - Bass

Osie Johnson - Drums

From the back cover: It is not often, in the jazz world, that a musician is blessed with two different talents, one of which obscures the other even though both are highly developed. Such has been the case, nevertheless, with Ralph Burns.

Internationally, down as the arranger with Woody Herman for the past decade, Ralph won many awards on the strength of his brilliant, swinging orchestration: the Esquire New Star award in 1946, the Down Beat poll in 1952 and '53, the Metronome poll in '53. Yet he remains almost unrecognized as a pianist.

As anybody with an extensive knowledge of Ralph's keyboard exploration will attest, this represents a great injustice. The fault is partly Ralph's, or perhaps we should say Woody's for he has been so busy writing that there has been very little opportunity to worry about the question of how, when and where to present him as a pianist.

Actually Ralph was playing piano long before he began arranging, starting at the age of seven in his native Newton, Mass. After studying at New England Conservatory in 1938-9 he was heard with local bands, then came to New York in 1940 with a combo led by clarinetist Nick Jerret, a brother of singer France Wayne. Following a year with Charlie Barnet and six months with Red Norvo, he joined Woddy Herman early in 1944 as pianist and arranger, but the first year of so convinced him that arranging was a full-time occupation. He settled in New York, and from that time on his sparkling and original solo style was heard only occasionally – notably with Charlie Ventura sextet along 52nd Street in 1947; with Mildred Bailey, for whom he acted as accompanist and musical director on her final tour in 1951, and its Fran Warren in a similar capacity in 1943-4.

Early in 1954 Woody persuaded Ralph to go along with the Herman Herd's first European tour – not as pianist in the band, but as an "extra added attraction" to perform some of his original works on the continental concert appearances.

Europe liked Ralph and Ralph liked Europe – most of all Italy, where he stayed on for several months after the band had bone home. He worked at Bricktop's in Rome and began to feel like a pianist again.

By the time he got back to New York he was ready, with a little coercion, to be convinced that it was about time somebody put him on records as pianist in his own LP.

Ralph chose the fine bassist Clyde Lombardi, an old friend from Norvo and Ventura bands, to work with him on this session. On drums he brogue in Osie Johnson who has propelled the bands of Earl Hines and Illinois Jacquet with his fabulous beat and who won the Down Beat award as New Star of the year in the 1954 critics' poll. The guitarist was Jimmy Raney.

Here is the first extended argument in favor of more piano by Ralph Burns. A few hearing will convince you that his style is as original and attractive as the more famous Burns arranging personality.

Bijou, the title number of this album, was originally written and arranged by Ralph to feature the trombone of Bill Harris, who recorded it with the First Herman Herd in August 1945. In its new guise as a piano vehicle, it acquires a new and more emphatically Latin luster.

Spring In Naples bring back memories for Ralph of the pleasant months he spent in Italy (even though to be honest, he did not live the title).

Lover come back to Me has long been one of Ralph's preferred vehicles for extemporaneous swinging.

Gina is a Burns original, dedicated to a young lady whose last name is Lollobrigida and who similarly inspired Oscar Peterson not long ago ( but he used her last name for the title).

Perpetual Motion could also have been named Dual Motion, for Ralph dubbed in a second piano track to play an ingenious duet with himself on this one.

Spring Sequence calls to mind, both musically and in the similarity of names. Ralph's beautiful, pensive Summer Sequence, played in the mid-forties by the Herman band.

Echo Of Spring offers the delicate melodic lines of Willie "The Lion" Smith, still active as a jazz pianist around New York. Willie composed this delightful melody almost two decades ago and Ralph is the first  modern jazzman to bring it to the breath of a new spring.

Spring Is Here was selected by Ralph as one of the best of the dozens of great spring-titled standards that were considered for inclusion in this set.

Autobahn Blues is a jumping opus Ralph wrote in 1954 for Woody Herman to record, not long after they had gained a first hand view of many an Autobahn highway during the band's European tour.

Sprang is something that sprang out of Ralph's mind to lend variety of mood and tempo to the set. Here again Ralph has dubbed in a contrapuntal second piano line for a duet with himself. – Leonard Feather

Bijou

Spring In Naples

Lover Come Back To Me

Gina

Perpetual Motion

Spring Sequence 

Echo Of Spring

Spring Is Here

Autobahn Blues

Sprang