Shelly Manne & His Friends, Vol 1

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

In addition to his regular quintet recordings with "His Men," drummer Shelly Manne recorded a series of trio dates with "His Friends" which generally included pianist Andre Previn and bassist Leroy Vinnegar; eventually Red Mitchell would take over the bass spot. This initial release from the group, as with all of the later sets, is really a showcase for the remarkable piano playing of Previn who was not even 27 yet but already had a dozen years of major league experience behind him. The trio largely sticks to standards and jazz tunes on this date with "Tangerine," Johnny Hodges's "Squatty Roo" and "Girl Friend" being among the highlights.

00:00 A1 Tangerine (Johnny Mercer, Victor Schertzinger) 4:21 04:22 A2 I Cover The Waterfront (Edward Heyman,Johnny Green) 6:08 10:35 A3 Squatty Roo (Johnny Hodges) 7:55 18:34 B1 Collard Greens And Black Eyed Peas (Oscar Pettiford) 7:54 28:32 B2 Stars Fell On Alabama (Frank Perkins, Mitchell Parish) 4:38 31:16 B3 The Girl Friend (Rodgers & Hart) 5:20 Bass – Leroy Vinnegar Drums – Shelly Manne Piano – Andre Previn Recorded
February 11, 1956
Contemporary Studios
Los Angeles
Contemporary Records