Fats Navarro Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
Taken from three different, late-'40s sessions, Nostalgia features Navarro in the fine company of bebop stars like Dexter Gordon, Tadd Dameron, and Art Blakey. While looser sounding than the legendary sides the trumpeter cut for Blue Note, the tracks here still include the usual bevy of sharp Navarro solos, plus stellar contributions by all involved. The first session with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse (one of the earliest recordings of the future Monk sideman), Dameron, and Blakey, finds Navarro mixing poised and fluid solo work with more intense high-note statements, demonstrating his masterful blend of both Miles Davis' cool approach and Dizzy Gillespie's incendiary technique. The highlights continue with four more cuts from a Dexter Gordon-led session from 1947, which adheres to the brief head statement and round of solos mode used on the earlier cuts. Dameron returns on piano, nicely comping behind Gordon's already distinct solo work and more of Navarro's pearl-like horn lines (these numbers have also been released on various Gordon titles on Savoy). The disc ends with a date led by honking tenor man Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, which, while less intriguing than the other sessions, stills swings mightily with a mix of bebop and R&B flavored tunes. Nostalgia is worthy of any jazz collection and certainly is an essential title from the bebop era. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide
'Fats Navarro with Tadd Dameron'
Release Date 3/11/1992
Tracks 13
Label Milestone
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
On this CD reissue are all of the contents of a former two-LP set. Trumpeter Fats Navarro is featured on ten of the thirteen selections with pianist-arranger Tadd Dameron's Orchestra; the other three songs have trombonist Kai Winding in his place. With tenor saxophonist Allan Eager and (on six of the numbers) altoist Rudy Williams as the other key soloists, the boppish music is quite enjoyable. The recording quality of the live performances is decent for the time and the material (all but five are Dameron originals) is consistently of high quality. This valuable CD is easily recommended for bop collectors as is virtually every record that Fats Navarro made in his brief life. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
