The Sabby Lewis Orchestra
A limited number of tracks featuring Paul Gonsalves with the Sabby Lewis Orchestra are available.
Edna and its B-side Alone in the City were recorded in 1946 in New York City and released in 1947 on Continental C-6035. Boston Bounce, also recorded in 1946, was released on Continental C-6030. These original discs are extremely rare - however, the tracks were released on the LP Boston Bounce in 1975 under the Phoenix label.
The Italian jazz magazine Musica Jazz gave away a free compilation CD (entitled The Happening) on the cover of their June 2003 magazine that featured both Edna and Boston Bounce.
Paul Gonsalves solos on both Edna and Boston Bounce and therefore represent some of the earliest available recordings featuring Paul in a solo capacity.
Review of Edna and its B-side Alone in the City (Continental C-6035):
Pianist Sabby Lewis and his small jam-packed band make with the jump rhythms as they blow it hot for the Edna riff. Backside dips into the race register, Lewis's aggregation merely serving as a backdrop for the slow blues moaning of Al Morgan for Alone in the City Blues.
The Billboard, 19th April 1947
Eugene Caines - Trumpets
Maceo Bryant - Trumpet & Trombone
Jimmy Tyler - Alto Saxophone
Paul Gonsalves - Tenor Saxophone
Bill Dorsey - Baritone Saxophone
Sabby Lewis - Piano
Al Morgan - Bass
Eddie Feggans - Drums
The Count Basie Orchestra
Illinois Jacquet left the Count Basie Orchestra in August 1946 at the end of a three week engagement at the Aquarium theatre in NYC and was replaced by Paul Gonsalves. Until his departure in 1949, Paul would have been present at all the main recording sessions undertaken by the band. Although this period was interrupted somewhat by the musicians union ban on recording that ran from January to December 1948, most (if not all) of the recordings that took place in late 1946, 1947 and 1949 were released on 78s (this is still the pre-LP era of course). Fortunately for us, the wonderful Chronological Classics series of CD compilations collate all these recordings into three CDs.
Ken Vail's wonderful book Count Basie - Swingin' the Blues 1936 - 1950 is a terrific resource that details each and every engagement that the Basie band undertook, both recording sessions and live performances. I refer the reader to this book for details on Paul's activity with Baise during this period.
Please click on each image for more details on these recordings, including personnel, dates, and releases.
Dizzy Gillespie And His Orchestra
Track Listing
1. Say When (Mundy, Davis & Pollard) - Capitol 797
2. Tally Ho (Gillespie) - Capitol 839
3. You Stole My Wife You Horsethief (Sims & Reif) - Capitol 797
4. I Can't Remeber (Reif & Sims) - Capitol 839
5. Coast To Coast (Gillespie & Harding) - Captiol 15852
6. Carambola (Villa-Lobos) - Captiol 892
7. Oo-La-La (Gillespie, Williams & Acea)) - Captiol 15852
8. Honeysuckle Rose (Razaf & Waller) - Captiol 892
9. She's Gone Again (Gillespie) - Prestige 736
10. Nice Work If You Can Get It (Gershwin) - Prestige 736
11. Thinking of You (Kahner & Ruby) - Prestige 728
12. Too Much Weight (Unknown) - Prestige NJLP8296 (LP)
13. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Traditional) - Discovery 140
14. Lullaby of the Leaves (Petkere & Young) - Discovery 142
15. Million Dollar Baby (Rose, Dixon & Warrne) - Discovery 143
16. What Is There To Say (Harburg & Duke) - Discovery 143
17. Alone Together (Schwartz & Dietz) - Discovery 141
18.These Are The Things I Love (Barlow & Harris) - Discovery 141
19. On The Alamo (Kahn & Jones) - Discovery 142
20. Interlude In "C" (Rachmaninov) - Discovery 140
Personnel
Tracks 1 to 4 - New York City, 21st November 1949
Dizzy Gillespie (tp & vo - 3), Don Slaughter, Elmon Wright, Willie Cook (tp), Mathew Gee, Sam Hurt, Charles Greenlea (tb), Jimmy Heath, John Coltrane (as), Paul Gonsalves, Jessie Powell (ts), Al Gibson (bs), John "Adrian" Acea (p), John Collins (gt), Al McKibbon (b), Charlie "Specs" Wright (dr), Tiny Irvin (vo - 4)
Tracks 5 to 8 - New York City, 9th January 1950
Add Floyd Smith (gt) replacing John Colling (gt). Add Carlos Duchesne (cga), Francisco Pozo (bgo), Joesph Pail "Joe" Carroll (v -7 & 8)
Tracks 9 to 12 - New York City, 16th September 1950 - Dizzy Gillespie Sextet
Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Jimmy Heath (as), Sheldon Powell (ts), Milt Jackson (p), Percy Heath (b), Joe Harris (dr)
Tracks 13 to 16 - Los Angeles, 31st October 1950
Dizzy Gillespie with the Johnny Richards Orchestra.
Tracks 17 to 20 - Los Angeles, 1st November 1950
As above.