CiTR

This was a gathering of a group of then young men, mostly in their 20s in January 1959 in New York for this informal get-together. All of these men were now living in New York and had established themselves on the national Jazz scene. Several were part of some great working bands and some were freelancing. They all came together on this recording. All of these men were born and had their first early musical experiences in their hometown of Memphis Tennessee. On trumpets: Louis Smith and Booker Little. On saxophones: George Coleman on tenor saxophone and Frank Strozier on alto. The great Phineas Newborn on piano, Newborn's brother Calvin on guitar. On bass George Joyner who became Jamil Nasser when he adopted Islam. On drums, the reliable and tasteful Charles Crosby. Only four tunes make up this date and all of the musicians are featured to a greater or lesser extent in long solos. Phineas Newborn carries "After Hours". Frank Strozier is featured on "Star Eyes". Everyone gets a chance on "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" and "Blue 'n' Boogie" These four tunes were all jam session favourites and everyone scores a hit on each one. Sit back and enjoy, "The Young Men from Memphis".