Hep Records, jazz in depth from the 1930's to the present day.


ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES


Red Norvo (leader, piano, xylophone, vibraphone) 1908-1999 Kenneth "Red" Norville was born in Beardstown, Illinois on March 31, 1908. By the middle 20's he was playing professionally throughout the mid-west states and on radio. He worked for Paul Whiteman in the early 30's and married singer Mildred Bailey. He formed his first band in 1935 and played at the Famous Door in New York. This group was augmented the following year for an engagement at the Commodore Hotel using arrangements by Eddie Sauter who also played trumpet with the band. For the next four years Norvo recorded for Brunswick and several of these recordings are regarded as highly important - especially "In A Mist" and "Dance Of The Octopus" - as are the many Sauter arrangements both instrumental and those written for Mildred Bailey. As the Swing Era hit its zenith in 1939 the band faltered due to internal difficulties and the public preference for the more exuberant orchestras. In late 1941 Norvo reformed with a larger band and with arranger Johnny Thompson giving the band identity it seemed as if success was at hand. However the implications of the war economy proved too much and they disbanded in mid 1942. For the next eighteen months he led very successful sextets with stars in the making such as Shorty Rogers, Eddie Bert, Flip Philips, Aaron Sachs, and Ralph Burns. He subsequently joined Benny Goodman and Woody Herman having switched to vibraphone and in the fifties formed his Trio with Tal Farlow and Charlie Mingus. He also added class to innumerable sessions including some by Frank Sinatra. Norvo is generally regarded as having been one of the great creators in jazz and he remained active well into his seventies. He died in Santa Monica on April 9, 1999. His career between 1933 and 1942 is covered by 5 CDs on Hep with exhaustive notes and photographs. Available now on Hep: CD 1044 Dance Of The Octopus 1933-36 Review: "...from Hep... Red Norvo's Dance of The Octopus, which contains the first 26 selections recorded at sessions led by the pioneering jazz xylophonist (who switched to vibes in 1943)... The earlier sides contain most of the classics, including Norvo's showcase on 'Knockin' on Wood', two unusual numbers (Bix Beiderbecke's 'In A Mist', and the delightfully mysterious 'Dance Of The Octopus') with Benny Goodman on bass clarinet (!), and a few jams with such stars as trumpeter Bunny Berigan, clarinetist Artie Shaw, Charlie Barnet and Chu Berry on tenors, and pianist Teddy Wilson. Not every one of the later performances is all that unusual (despite the xylophone and arranger Eddie Sauter's mellophone), but all are fine examples of small-group swing." e.bop: Reissued and Vintage Jazz Reviews by Scott Yanow, Dec 29, 1995. CD 1019 Jivin' The Jeep 1936 Review: "Fifteen out of 21 tracks have vocals (all but one by Mildred Bailey) but, unless you're a Bailey fan, attention is liable to focus on Norvo's quaint but absolutely right playing and Eddie Sauter's frequently wonderful arrangements." Jazz: The Rough Guide, Penguin Books, 1995, p.478. CD 1040 Rock It For Me 1936-37 CD 1050 Wig-Wammin' 1938 CD 1072 Nuances By Norvo 1938-42 Discography (1945-1997): 1945 Time In His Hands (Xanadu) 1945 Red Norvo's Fabulous Jam Session (Spotlite) 1950 Red Norvo Trio (Discovery) 10-inch album 1951 Red Norvo Trio, Vol. 1 (Discovery) 1951 Fabulous Jazz Session (Dial) 1952 Red Norvo Trio (Discovery) 10-inch album 1952 Town Hall Concert, Vol.1 (Commodore) 10-inch album 1952 Town Hall Concert, Vol. 2 (Commodore) 10-inch album 1953 Dancing On The Ceiling (Decca) 10-inch album 1953 The Red Norvo Trios (Fantasy 1953) reissue of Red Norvo Trio 1953 Battle Of Jazz, Vol. 6 (Brunswick) with Henry 'Red' Allen, 10-inch album 1954 Improvisation (EmArcy) 10-inch album 1955 Red's Blue Room (X) 1955 Classics In Jazz (Capitol) 1955 Red Norvo And His All Stars (Epic) 1955 Red Norvo Trio (Fantasy/Original Jazz Classics) 1956 Red Norvo With Strings (Fantasy) 1956 Move! (Savoy) 1956 Midnight On Cloud 69 (Savoy) 1956 Vibe-rations In Hi-Fi (Liberty) 1957 Red Norvo Naturally (Rave/Tampa) reissue of Red Norvo Quintet 1957 Ad-Lib (Liberty) 1957 Joe Morello Sextet (Intro/Score) with Joe Morello and Art Pepper - reissued as The Art Pepper-Red Norvo Sextet 1957 Music To Listen To Red Norvo By (Contemporary/Original Jazz Classics) 1957 Hi Five (RCA Victor) 1957 Some Of My Favorites (RCA Victor) 1958 Red Norvo In Stereo (RCA Victor) 1958 Red Plays The Blues (RCA Victor) 1958 Red Norvo Trio (Rondolette) 1958 Windjammer City Style (Dot) film soundtrack 1960 Dinah Sings Some Blues With Red (Capitol) with Dinah Shore 1962 Mainstream Jazz (Continental) 1962 Pretty Is The Only Way To Fly (Charlie Parker) 1962 Red Norvo Quintet (Studio West) 1969 Swing That Music (Affinity) 1975 Vibes A La Red (Famous Door) 1975 The Second Time Around (Famous Door) 1977 Red In New York (Famous Door) 1978 Live At Rick's Cafe Amaricain (Flying Fish) 1979 Red & Cross (Concord Jazz) with Ross Tompkins 1983 Just Friends (Stash) with Bucky Pizzarelli 1985 Benny Carter All Stars, Featuring Nat Adderley & Red Norvo (Sonet) with Nat Adderley and Benny Carter 1991 The Forward Look (Reference Recordings) recording from 1957 1992 Red Norvo Orchestra Live From The Blue Gardens (Music Masters) recording from 1942 1997 Live In Australia, 1959 (Blue Note) with Frank Sinatra 1997 Red Norvo And Mildred Bailey (Circle) recording from 1938 Compilations: Dance Of The Octopus (Hep Records) recordings from 1933-1936 Red Norvo (Time Life) recordings from 1933-1957 Rock It For Me (Hep Records) recordings from 1936-1937 Red Norvo And His Big Band Featuring Mildred Bailey (Sounds Of Swing) recordings from 1936-1942 Red Norvo Featuring Mildred Bailey (Portrait) recordings from 1937-1938 Nuances By Norvo (Hep Records) recordings from 1938-1942 Red Norvo, Vol 1: The Legendary V-Disc Masters (Vintage Jazz) recordings from 1943-1944 Legendary Trio Vol.2: The Norvo- Mingus- Farlow Trio (Vintage Jazz) recordings from 1943, 1949, and 1950 Just A Mood (Bluebird) recordings from 1954-1957 Top
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Three labels covering jazz in depth from 1930 to the present.

Hep Jazz, P.O. Box 50, Pitlochry, UK. PH16 5YL