VSOP #119 JERRY FULLER: CLARINET PORTRAIT

Jerry Fuller, clarinet; Howard Roberts, guitar; Bob Florence, piano; Frank Capp, drums; Gene Estes, vibes; Mel Pollan, bass.

• Recorded March 17, 19 and 20, 1959 at Third Street Studios, Los Angeles, CA.
• Liner Photos: The Wayne Knight Collection.
• Liner Notes: Scott Yanow.

   

   

• I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (Bassman, Washington);
• That's A Plenty (Pollack, Gilbert);
• Minor Epic (Gene Estes);
• On Green Dolphin Street (Kaper, Washington);
• Judy (Carmichael, Lerner);
• Somebody Loves Me (Gershwin, Mac Donald, De Sylva);
• Makin'Whoopee (Donaldson, Kahn);
• Raz-Ma-Taz (Bob Florence);
• Benny's Idea (Jerry Fuller);
• Georgia On My Mind (Carmichael, Gorrell).

Native Californian, Jerry Fuller is a clarinetist in the Benny Goodman vein, who later achieved recognition with the Dukes of Dixieland. Before making this recording, he had been working with Jack Teagarden, after having played in Will Osborne’s big band and with Pete Dailey’s Chicagoans. This 1959 session is Jerry Fuller’s first session as a leader. It is a swing and modern jazz session which showcases Fuller’s clarinet in the company of Howard Roberts, Bob Florence, Gene Estes, Frank Capp and Mel Pollin. The sessions that make up this recording are interesting in that they bring together several styles of jazz that seldom come together. The 10 selections include seven standards, “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You”, “That’s Aplenty”, “On Green Dolphin Street”, “Judy”,  “Somebody Loves Me”, “Makin’ Whoopee”, and “Georgia”. The three original compositions are modern jazz pieces, with elements of swing, bebop and cool jazz thrown in. A month after this session, Jerry Fuller joined the Dukes of Dixieland and gained significant notoriety with that group, appearing on many recordings. He also worked in the studios for many years, and played, on occasion, with Bobby Hackett, Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton and Gene Krupa.

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