Challis in Wonderland
| Challis in Wonderland | ||||
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| Studio album by Bucky Pizzarelli | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Arbors Records | |||
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Format (s) |
CD |
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Title (number) |
14th |
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running time |
1:04:29 |
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Challis in Wonderland is a jazz album by Bucky Pizzarelli . The recordings made on August 15, 2010 were released in 2012 on Arbors Records .
background
In 1974 Bucky Pizzarelli had already presented the album Playing the Piano Music of Bix Beiderbecke in arrangements by Bill Challis . Bucky Pizzarelli also dedicated the present album to the arranger Bill Challis , who was responsible for many of the most important arrangements of the Jean Goldkette Orchestra and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and helped to transcribe the few compositions of the legendary cornetist Bix Beiderbecke . Guitarist Pizzarelli played together with bassist Jerry Bruno and on some tracks with his son John Pizzarelli on guitar or with a swinging string quartet under the direction of the young violinist Aaron Weinstein with string arrangements by Dick Lieb.
Most of the repertoire includes music from the 1920s and 1930s, with two exceptions. Pizzarelli's original composition "Challis in Wonderland" is a relaxed ballad that was dedicated to the arranger as a guitar duet, while Bob Haggart's ballad " What's New? “Has long been part of the leader's repertoire. Zez Confrey, novelty pianist and composer of “Kitten on the Keys” wrote the little known “Romanza”, which was played as an intimate father-son duet.
Track list
- Bucky Pizzarelli: Challis in Wonderland (Arbors Jazz ARCD19435)
- Sunday (Chester Conn, Bennie Krueger , Ned Miller, Jule Styne ) 4:59
- Sugar (Edna Alexander, Sidney D. Mitchell, Maceo Pinkard ) 4:05
- Challis in Wonderland (Bucky Pizzarelli) 4:01
- Davenport Blues (Bix Beiderbecke) 7:09
- In the Dark (Bix Beiderbecke) 3:00
- Romanza (Zez Comfrey) 1:29
- Singing the Blues ( Con Conrad , Sam M. Lewis , J. Russel Robinson , Joe Young) 5:38
- In a Mist (Bix Beiderbecke) 4:52
- Oh baby ( Owen Murphy ) 3:40
- Sugar (Edna Alexander, Sidney D. Mitchell, Maceo Pinkard) 5:55
- Candlelights (Bix Beiderbecke) 5:11
- What's New ( Johnny Burke , Bob Haggart ) 6:38
- I'm Coming Virginia ( Will Marion Cook , Donald Heywood) 4:54
- Flashes (Bix Beiderbecke) 2:58
reception
Ken Dryden gave the album four stars in Allmusic and wrote that the trio's nested interpretation of Beiderbecke's "In the Dark" was a lyrical masterpiece. Pizzarelli is inspired by the strings in his airy, toe-tapping rendition of Beiderbecke's “Davenport Blues”, while Beiderbecke's “In a Mist” has long been a brilliant, expected solo feature for the guitarist at jazz parties. Weinstein switches to the mandolin for a swinging version of "Oh Baby" with the bandleader and Bruno. These rewarding sessions by Bucky Pizzarelli are proof that the master guitarist keeps the mood of Bix Beiderbecke and Bill Challis very much alive.
According to Mike Joyce ( JazzTimes ), the album may be a more urban proposition than the previous western swing forays into Pizzarelli, but it is no less charming in its own way. It is not difficult to share his enthusiasm when you hear the five Beiderbecke-Challis collaborations gathered here, especially the harmoniously demanding “In a Mist” with its tricky intervals and its restless chord movement and “Davenport Blues”, one of four performances that have been enriched by Dick Lieb's atmospheric string quartet arrangements. The title track of the album, on the other hand, is a Pizzarelli original, a beautiful minor homage to a top-tier artist.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bucky Pizzarelli - Playing the Piano Music of Bix Beiderbecke in Arrangements by Bill Challis (entry at Discogs)
- ↑ a b Review of the album at Allmusic (English). Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ↑ Mike Joyce: Bucky Pizzarelli: Challis in Wonderland. JazzTimes , April 25, 2019, accessed April 7, 2020 .