Red Callender - The Complete RCA Victor Sessions 1951-1952. The Red Callender (2016)

George Sylvester “Red” Callender was born in Haynesville, Virginia, on March 6, 1916. His family moved to New York, where he immersed himself in the local scene, particularly in Harlem. Moving to Los Angeles in 1936 he found work, if not much renown, along Central Avenue, the city’s jazz focal point. That changed when he got the chance to play and record with Louis Armstrong. His jazz profile increased to the point that in 1944 Norman Granz called to ask him to be ‘house bassist’ for the “Jazz at the Philharmonic” concerts.

Recognised as being among the city’s top bassists and arrangers of the 1940s and 50s, he played and recorded as a sideman with such greats as Lester Young, Nat King Cole, Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker, Benny Carter and Art Tatum. Outside the jazz scene, Red was also one of the leaders in the early Rhythm and Blues years, recording for almost all LA’s independent labels. Finally, he signed for the blues and R&B department of RCA Victor. During 1951 and 1952 he recorded sixteen tunes as leader of both a sextette and fourtette groups of great musicians. All these fine, long forgotten recordings, restored from the master tapes, appear here for the first time on CD, including six previously unreleased tracks that will fill a gap in Red Callender’s long and successful career.