Johnny Glasel & Mel Davis - Presenting... Rare and Obscure Jazz Albums: Jazz Session + Trumpet with a Soul (2 LP on 1 CD) (2022)

Jazz Session, Featuring Dick Garcia
Johnny Glasel (1930-2011) was a skilled trumpeter with a solid classical background, who came to prominence in the jazz field in the mid-1950s as a memberof The Six. On Jazz Session, his first album as a leader recorded in 1956, he plays fluidly, backed by the warmth of a guitar, bass and drums. The entire session comes across as lucid and relaxed, and it is this relaxed air, this unpretentiousness, which strongly contributes to the success of this presentation. Glasel's conception was mature, and his technical resources allowed him to express his ideas. His support is excellent. Whitey Mitchell, called by Glasel “Red's East Coast brother,” plays well, and guitarists Dick Garcia and Perry Lopez surround Glasel's assertive tone with complementary vigor. Osie Johnson plays with delicious and tasteful efficiency as ever. Although Glasel did not have much influence as an instrumentalist, he did stand out for his memorable respect for rhythm and melody,realizing that concern for both can be simultaneous, and demonstrating that well-played jazz is a multi-faceted gem.

Trumpet with a Soul
After studying music at the Curtis Institute and at Temple University, trumpeter Mel Davis (1931-2004) played with the Philadelphia Opera Company and Symphony Orchestra. He had some interest in jazz too, but his concert teachers were the first and most significant influences in his subsequent development as a trumpet stylist. In 1954 he went to New York, and after playing all the jobs that came his way, he joined Benny Goodman's band in 1956, and traveled with him to perform in Thailand. That same year he recorded his first album Trumpet with a Soul, a collection of well-known standards played with tradi tional overtones. Davis is showcased with three different instrumentations. His sound is big-toned, lyrical and beautiful, and it stands out particularly on the ballads, which he plays directly and with a singing resonance.