Joe Marsala: Reunion in Harlem

Description

Joe Marsala (1907-1978), born in Chicago, is considered one of the greatest jazz clarinetists in history, particularly renowned for the beauty of his playing in the lower register (rivaling his idol, Jimmie Noone). Yet, aside from aficionados, he remains relatively little known, an injustice rectified by this very first double album tracing his recorded legacy. Reunion In Harlem, the latest addition to Retrospective's expanding jazz line, brings together (in the words of liner note author Digby Fairweather) "an intoxicating cornucopia of Dixieland and Swing legends." From the late 1930s to the mid-1940s, Marsala led star-studded groups with trumpeters such as his brother Matty Marsala, Bobby Hackett, Bill Coleman, Billy Butterfield, Joe Thomas — and even Dizzy Gillespie. No fewer than 36 of these classics are gathered here, including 14 with the almost unique ingredient of Adèle Girard's delightful jazz harp. She and her husband Joe were nicknamed "the swing sweethearts." Additionally, there are fine examples of Marsala playing with other groups such as those of Adrian Rollini (Bouncin' In Rhythm — one of his earliest from 1935), Sharkey Bonano, Yank Lawson, and, above all, Wingy Manone (Shake The Blues Away). Although Marsala left the scene in the late 1940s, he made a notable comeback in 1957 when, alongside Girard and Rex Stewart, he recorded the final four tracks of our "reunion."