Memoirs - Irving Ashby

Irving Ashby played guitar in Lionel Hampton's big band, as well as serving as a member of the Nat King Cole Trio and the Oscar Peterson Trio, but aside from a handful of sessions that produced a few singles, this is his only recording as a leader. Accompanied by pianist Jimmy Rowles, electric bassist Joe Comfort (another former Cole sideman), and drummer Ed Sharkey Hall, Ashby's album is a mixture of swing and bop, with some contemporary R&B flavor in the compositions of "P. Randolph" (who is listed as an ASCAP member but is not found on the organization's website). Though Ashby had concentrated more on teaching jazz than actively performing at the time of the recording, he obviously had kept up his chops. Although the sidemen often stick to providing backgrounds for the leader, the relaxed groove of "East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)" features a driving solo by Rowles, while the focus is on the pianist in the somewhat dark interpretation of "Chelsea Bridge," with Ashby returning to the forefront for "Sophisticated Lady." One awkward track is "Tribute to Oscar Peterson and Carl Perkins," which leans more toward funky jazz, not an attribute one generally associates with either of these pianists. Ashby's sole original is his haunting unaccompanied ballad "Return." It is sad that Ashby did not have more opportunities to record under his own name; this small-label LP will take some effort to locate. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide