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Georgie Auld Double Image OCIUM OCM 0033

Georgie Auld is a figure in jazz that has not been treated well over time; he was an outstanding saxophone player with a rich full sound like Ben Webster and an improvisational style somewhat akin to Lester Young. He was born John Altweger, but always worked professionally as Georgie Auld. He was born in Toronto, but moved to New York in 1929 at the age of 10, eight years later he joined the Bunny Berigan Band. Stints with the bands of Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman followed before he formed his own band. The tracks on this record were recorded between 1949 and 1952, they really show two different facets of his style. Tracks 1 to 10 show him with his own 10-piece band, which included Billy Byers on trombone and Alvin Stoller on drums. This is a neat band with slick arrangements (some were by Gerry Mulligan). Tracks 9 & 10 use only tenor and rhythm section.

Tracks 11 to 24 show off Georgie Auld the soloist, a role that he was more than capable of. The tenor sound is full and and the playing of the melodies straightforward and extremely pleasant. When you listen to several tracks in this style altogether, it does become a bit too much of a good thing.

Just You Just Me has a vocal from the Jud Conlon Rhythmaires and not enough tenor from Auld! They are also on the remaining tracks and it is only when the tenor takes charge that things begin to swing. Lullaby of Broadway takes off in a way none of the other vocal tracks do.

When I was in the RAF from 1954 to 1956 Georgie Auld was a favourite player of mine and I am grateful to OCIUM RECORDS for memories of some good times. Let’s hope that more of his work is released, he was a great favourite of the Japanese Market and made several albums to sell there, it would be nice to hear some of them.

Don Mather

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