Atlantic Jazz: Kansas City aspires to be a sampler of the city’s rich jazz heritage, offering such popular tunes as “Moten Swing” and “Jumpin’ at the Woodside.” However, as the liner notes attest, Atlantic Records formed after the likes of Count Basie and Charlie Parker had pulled up stakes for the bright lights of New York. So what remained in the early Fifties for the fledgling label were the leftovers. I wouldn't quite call them B-list musicians, but some are a degree or two separated from the originators. They could say they were there when, but not necessarily active participants in, the development of the city’s unique sound.

Take, for example, the band led by fellow Basie alums trombonist Vic Dickenson and trumpeter Buck Clayton. They are represented by two tracks, "The Lamp is Low" and "Undecided," that are pleasant enough to hear, but ultimately sound like just a regular jam band.

Pianist and vocalist Jay McShann, with whom Charlie Parker got his start, is the featured artist on three tracks recorded in 1977, a little late to get that authentic Kansas City taste. To hammer the point home, on one of the tracks McShann plays the electric piano. I can’t fault his choice of musicians, though, which include Buddy Tate and Paul Quinichette on tenor sax, Milt Hinton on bass, and a young John Scofield on electric guitar, as they play on McShann's "Hootie Blues" and "Confessin' the Blues" and on Basie's rug-cutter, "Jumpin' at the Woodside."

Saxophonist Buster Smith is best known as an arranger for Basie and an early influence on Parker, but his two self-penned tracks included here, "E-Flat boogie" and "Buster's Tune," both from 1959, don’t seem to be anything special. Again, pleasant to hear, but not memorable.

Jump blues guitarist T-Bone Walker shows up on one track, the light-dimming "Evenin'". This Texas native's inclusion, however, seems to be an afterthought as he is not even mentioned in the liner notes.

That leaves us with blues singer Big Joe Turner. Turner certainly is a Kansas City legend and is best known for his jump blues and early R&B material, so wonderfully captured on Atlantic’s sister set Atlantic Rhythm & Blues 1947-1974. Here he is backed by some fine musicians, most notably Coleman Hawkins, as he dives into such tunes as “You’re Driving Me Crazy” (from which “Moten Swing” originated), "Until the Real Thing Comes Along," and "Piney Brown Blues." I enjoyed hearing Turner the most on this compilation, probably because his booming voice added variety to the rest of the album.

As on other compilations in this series, I wish that Atlantic had the good sense to reference the original albums from where these tracks were pulled. They provide informative liner notes, a personnel list of musicians, producer, recording engineer, and even date and place of recording. Would it have been that difficult to name the source of the material, even if the album is long out of print?


Recommended: No