Nat played two shows in Paris on 19th April 1960 with Quincy Jones Big Band, including John Collins on guitar. By the time of this recording, Nat was known as a hit-making crooner and had alienated many jazz lovers, especially in Europe. His blues credentials are limited to his influence on Charles Brown, Ray Charles and others in the same vein, and maybe the jive-y “Straighten Up And Fly Right” and his 1946 hit, “Route 66”, which has been covered by many artists since then. He remakes that twice here, though unfortunately the momentum of these small combo renditions (the band comes in right at the end) is lost a little with the inclusion of lengthy solos on both performances. Contrary to what the notes might lead us to believe, Nat sounds like he’s having great fun throughout both shows. He performs two jazzy versions of “Joe Turner’s Blues” (which Nat recorded on this 1958 album, “St; Louis Blues”), and gets a little bluesy on “Sweet Lorraine” too, though any song which has the line, “I’m as happy as a baby boy with another brand new choo choo toy” will make many readers of this magazine think of Big Joe Turner – no relation to the previously mentioned Joe Turner. The other material here is admittedly of less interest, but with Quincy’s band behind him, Nat puts in a far straighter jazz performance than might have been expected. The French audiences obviously loved it to judge from the massive reaction.
Par Norman DARWEN – BLUES & RHYTHM
Par Norman DARWEN – BLUES & RHYTHM