Porgy & Bess Revisited
| Porgy & Bess Revisited | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1959 | |||
| Recorded | late 1958 | |||
| Studio | Webster Hall, New York City, NY | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 37:21 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. W/WS 1260 | |||
| Producer | George T. Simon | |||
| Rex Stewart chronology | ||||
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| Cootie Williams chronology | ||||
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Porgy & Bess Revisited, subtitled Played by a Very Unusual Cast, is an album of jazz interpretations of songs from the George Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess performed by cornetist Rex Stewart and trumpeter Cootie Williams, with saxophonists Hilton Jefferson and Pinky Williams and trombonist Lawrence Brown, that was recorded in late 1958 and released on the Warner Bros. label.[1]
Reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
Scott Yanow of AllMusic states, "The two lead characters are played instrumentally by swing all-stars. Cornetist Rex Stewart portrays Sportin' Life, trumpeter Cootie Williams (who emerges as the main star) is Porgy, altoist Hilton Jefferson is Bess and trombonist Lawrence Brown is both Serena and Clara. Somehow it all works. Jim Timmens' arrangements for the big band keeps the momentum going, making this a surprisingly successful effort".[2]
Track listing[edit]
All compositions by George Gershwin
- "It Ain't Necessarily So" - 3:58
- "Bess, You Is My Woman" - 4:33
- "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" - 2:23
- "My Man's Gone Now" - 3:09
- "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin 'Soon for New York" - 3:24
- "Summertime" - 4:05
- "A Red-Headed Woman" - 3:03
- "Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess" - 3:27
- "A Woman Is a Sometime Thing" - 3:49
- "Oh Lawd, I'm on My Way" - 3:58
Personnel[edit]
- Rex Stewart – cornet, trumpet (soloist: tracks 1 & 5)
- Cootie Williams – trumpet (soloist: tracks 2, 3, 7, 8 & 10)
- Hilton Jefferson – alto saxophone (soloist: track 2)
- Pinky Williams – baritone saxophone (soloist: track 9)
- Lawrence Brown – trombone (soloist: tracks 4 & 6)
- Al DeRisi, Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Joe Wilder - trumpet
- Eddie Bert, Urbie Green. Sonny Russo – trombone
- Abraham 'Boomie' Richman, Al Klink – tenor saxophone
- Sid Cooper, Walt Levinsky – alto saxophone
- Buddy Weed – piano
- Barry Galbraith – guitar
- Milt Hinton – double bass
- Don Lamond – drums
- Joe Venuto – percussion
- Jim Timmens - conductor, arranger
- Unidentified musicians – French horn, wind instruments, string section
References[edit]
- ^ Edwards, D., Eyries, P. & Callahan, M. Both Sides Now: Warner Brothers Album Discography, Part 1: B/BS-1201 to 2N/2NS-1399 (1958-1960), accessed December 3, 2018
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott. Rex Stewart / Stewart-Williams: Porgy & Bess Revisited – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved December 3, 2018.