Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XV)

Vito Price

Swingin' The Loop

Born in New York in 1929, Vito Price, née Vito Pizzo, began playing tenor sax at the age of fourteen. After high school, he apprenticed on the road with various bands, as well as with Chubby Jackson's small group. He finally settled in Chicago in 1955, and went on to become one of the Windy City's top tenormen. In essence, Price has always been an exceptionally smooth swinger with a warm-toned horn, somewhat in the Al Cohn tradition. Swingin' The Loop was his first album, and a promising start. Price himself said at the time that he was "not trying to blaze new paths". So while no new trails were blazed and no frontiers were opened, Price emerged from the recording session with a valuable set of originals and standards that swing loose and easy. Five of the tracks feature a 10-piece band with a big, bold tone that was surely enhanced by the writing of Bill McRae. The other five are elevated by the incomparable guitar of Freddie Green, who joined in to make the quintet tracks that much more of a delight. *Jordi Pujol*

Rare work from obscure Chicago tenor player Vito Price — recorded back in the days when there actually used to be a jazz scene in the city's center – also known as The Loop! Price was a New Yorker by birth, but worked in Chicago clubs, TV, and radio in the 50s — and was most likely brought to Argo for this session by Chubby Jackson – with whom he'd worked on a previous date for the label. Price has a strong, bold tone in his horn – swing-based, but with a fluid sense of movement that's absorbed plenty of bop — and on the album, he's playing in two different settings. Side one features a largeish group with two more trumpets and two trombones, and side two features a quintet with a slightly more intimate sound. Lou Levy plays piano in both groups, and titles include "Credo", "Eye Strain", "Swingin The Loop", "Mousey's Tune", and "Duddy".  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

1 - Swinging The Loop

(Vito Price)

2 - Mousey's Tune

(Vito Pizzo)

3 - Why Was I Born

(Kern, Hammerstein II)

4 - Duddy

(Vito Price)

5 - In A Mellow Tone

(Duke Ellington)

6 - Eye Strain

(Vito Price)

7 - Time After Time

(J. Styne, S. Cahn)

8 - Beautiful Love

(Young, Van Alstyne, King, Gillespie)

9 - Credo

(Vito Pizzo)

10 - As Long As I Live

(H. Arlen, T. Koehler)

#1 to #5

Vito Price (tenor sax, alto sax [#5]); Bill Hanley, John Howell (trumpets);

Paul Crumbagh (trombone); Barrett O'Hara (bass tombone); Bill Calkins (baritone sax);

Lou Levy (piano); Max Bennett (bass); Remo Biondi (guitar); Marty Clausen (drums).

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, January 25, 1958

#6 to #10

Vito Price (tenor sax), Lou Levy (piano), Freddie Green (guitar),

Max Bennett (bass), Gus Johnson (drums).

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, January 20, 1958