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Reviewers: Don Mather, Dick Stafford, Marc Bridle, Ian Lace, Peter Woolf, Colin Clarke


The Danny Moss/Roy Williams Quintet
STEAMERS!
Nagel-Hayer CD 048
AmazonUS $15.99

The Danny Moss Quartet
WEAVER OF DREAMS
 Nagel-Hayer CD 017
AmazonUK  £11.99 AmazonUS  $15.99

Steamers!
  1. Just In Time
  2. It's Allright with Me
  3. Them There Eyes
  4. Too Late Now
  5. It's A Wonderful World
  6. Li'l Darlin'
  7. You're My Everything
  8. Isn't It Romantic
  9. There is No Greater Love
  10. Mood Indigo
  11. Hiya
  12. Blues to Be There
  13. I've Found a New Baby

Danny Moss - Tenor Sax
Roy Williams - Trombone
John Pearce - Piano
Len Skeat - Bass
Charlie Antolini - Drums

Weaver of Dreams
  1. 9-20 Special
  2. This Heart of Mine
  3. Then I'll be Tired of You
  4. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
  5. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
  6. A Gal in Calico
  7. In A Mellow Tone
  8. My Romance
  9. Fine and Dandy
  10. Weaver of Dreams
  11. I'm Glad there is You
  12. Poor Butterfly
  13. There's No You
  14. Blue Lou

Danny Moss - Tenor Sax
Brian Lemon - Piano
Len Skeat - Bass
Butch Miles - Drums

Weaver of Dreams was recorded in 1994/5 and Steamers in 1998, apart from the leader; the only other musician on both sessions was excellent Bass player Len Skeat.

Danny Moss has done just about everything that can be done in the jazz world. He was star soloist with the Big Bands of both Ted Heath and Johnny Dankworth; he often guested with the fabulous Chicago style band of Alex Welsh and a two-year stint with the Humphrey Lyttleton band followed. After that he started to tour with his own band often in the company of his wife vocalist Jeannie Lamb. As well as in the UK, he rapidly became a festival regular throughout Europe, USA, Canada and the Far East and after his third visit to Oz, he decided to make it his home, he now lives in Perth.

Danny is immediately distinguishable in any company, to my mind he makes the kind of sound the Tenor Saxophone should do, a full sound somewhat similar to Ben Webster at his best. He never fails to swing at any tempo and his exquisite breathy sound makes him an ideal ballad player. His partner on Steamers is the equally talented Roy Williams on trombone, when you see Roy on a live appearance, you would think that playing the Trombone was the easiest thing in the world to do. They are both World-Class jazz musicians, products of the British jazz scene that we can justly be proud of. Danny chose the rhythm sections to suit the kind of music he plays and both of them do it well, marginally I would give my vote to the Pearce/Antolini combination, but there is not much in it.

Roy and Danny combine excellently in the ensemble work and all though the instrumentation is different, the concept of the Mulligan/Brookmeyer band is there, and the interplay between the horns is always interesting. Roy plays a fine solo on Isn't It Romantic.

On Weaver of Dreams, the opener is the Basie favourite 9-20 Special; it sounds just as good in the Quartet version. It was good to hear This Heart of Mine again, it is a great tune that deserves to be heard more often. Blue Lou is a tune I had completely forgotten, which has now been put into the DM Quartet library!

Nagel-Hayer made these recordings both of which were made in Germany possible, they are to be congratulated on both of them.

Don Mather

Don Mather is a Saxophone Player and Bandleader in Coventry UK


 

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