Centenary Celebration (1997)

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The great soprano saxophonist and clarinetist Sidney Bechet performed in many contexts during his career, and some of the most significant are represented on this excellent compilation. The pianist-songwriter Clarence Williams not only gave Bechet plenty of solo room but also joined him with Louis Armstrong, thus linking the two most gifted New Orleans soloists ever. The results are spectacular, with Bechet even sounding fantastic playing a bass "sarrusophone." His long creative partnership with cornetist Tommy Ladnier graces four inspired tracks from 1932 by the New Orleans Footwarmers as well as Mezz Mezzrow's elegiac "Really the Blues," recorded in 1938. The same profound and exalted expression colors the rendition of Gershwin's "Summertime," a jazz "hit" from 1939 that launched the Blue Note label. The later recordings include meetings with a who's who of traditional jazz piano, including Jelly Roll Morton, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Earl Hines, and Meade Lux Lewis. This is a first-rate introduction to one of the essential figures of jazz history. --Stuart Broomer

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