The Sensational Pete Jolly Gasses Everybody

 

It Ain't Necessarily So

The Sensational Pete Jolly Gasses Everybody

Production Supervised by Robert Scherman

Cover Design: Howard Goldstein / Grandiose Graphics West

CP Parker Records PLP 825 S

1962

From the back cover: Pete Jolly is always a gas. This is a well known fact – first to the West Coasters who knew this all along... and then through the miracle of the phonograph records – a hit record at that – the piano of Pete Jolly became famous throughout the world. Pete's jazz piano is heard swinging from the loudspeakers of home phonographs and car radios every day. But in this recording, we present a Pete Jolly that may surprise many of his fans and probably make a lot of new ones, at that. Here Pete Jolly swinging like crazy – on accordion... and it is a gas! Now the hard core jazz buff may say" Wha-a-aatt?? An accordion?? Maybe even add more question marks! But it is a fact and the proof is in the listening. Here is jazz accordion that makes this sound like a new instrument just created for jazz. Pete Jolly fans will dig it, new arrivals to the Pete Jolly Accordion fan Club will conclave in bundles and anyone who likes accordion will wonder why they never heard accordion played like this before.

That's one reason for this record. Another reason? Okay, there is the great musical ability of such as Buddy Collette who did the charts for the album, plus such excellent and tasty musicians as Louis Bellson, Jim Hall, Red Callender and Gerald Wiggins. All together they come up with a zinging sound that makes for a happy session – which this undoubtedly is.

Then there is the initial concept – selecting excerpts from the jazz opera, Porgy and Bess and giving it this unorthodox treatment. Buddy' choice of instrumentation is unique and challenging. Mixing organ, accordion, flute and  guitar calls for unusual skill. The imagination and ingenuity – and leaving those holes in the charts for swinging – rebounds to Buddy Collette's credit.

The choice of material is interesting, because certainly these tunes have been recorded in many versions in the past. This is great music, however, that stands the test of time and frequency of listening. It proves once again that George Gershwin was more than just a song writer and avant garde composer. Today he stands with the very few American writers in a very special niche. If there is one singular achievement in Gershwin's life, it could be the creation of his opera, Porgy & Bess. The sweet and magnificence of the music, the color and violence of the libretto, the unutterable poignancy of crippled Porgy's love for Bess, these and many more features of the opera have secured lasting place in the annals of great theatrical creation. Then, too, Gershwin was a jazz writer, was ahead of his time. Much of his creativity has influence many serious writers of our time.

To some extent, the freely swinging aspect of this music is just coming to the fore... and it stands up – and how does it stand up! This album is stunning proof of this. Sometimes heading into previously unexplored territory, the performing musicians in the album seem to be gripping poor Porgy's goat by the horns and tugging in into Jazzland, an area tin which the beast has never been turned.

Pete is heard up front with Buddy swinging all the way and there are so many high spots, we'll mention but a few... you will hear them for yourself. There is the taste and delicacy of Louis Bellson' brushes on Oh, Where Is My Bess; Pete Jolly going funky on Summertime – giving this tune new dimension; Collette's jazz bass clarinet statement on It Ain't Necessarily so; Red Chllender's very tasty thing in I've Got Plenty Of Nuttin'. There are the very pretty closing moments of There's A Boat That's Leavin' For New York; Bellson playing tom-tom in an interlude preceding Bess, You Is My Woman; and Gerry Wiggins comes up with some stabbing figures on organ that flash excitement on that same melody. Jim Hall goes "down home" for some guitar feeling on A Woman Is A Sometime Thing... which makes the mood of the song's intention come alive. Through it all, Wiggins has opportunity to display his excellent control of organ dynamics. Actually, Gerry's primary ax is the piano. So here we have two great piano men on one scene playing accordion and organ.

Yes, this album is really a gas, and as one of the participants stated after the last session was tucked away, "Buddy, the album is going to shake a lot of people up!" We agree... and feel you will, too, that Pete Jolly and this group will gas everybody.

Where's My Bess

My Man's Gone Now

Summertime

It Ain't Necessarily So

I Got Plenty Of Nuttin'

There's A Boat That's Leavin' For New York

Bess, You Is My Woman

A Woman Is A Sometime Thing