Billy Taylor - Cross Section

Cross Section Review

 

by Scott Yanow

For this CD reissue, pianist Billy Taylor is features on eight songs with his trio of 1954 (which included bassist Earl May and drummer Percy Brice); the four originals (which alternate with standards) were all dedicated to disc jockeys of the time. The trio was pretty tight with Taylor in the lead and, although boppish, it also looked back toward the swing era. The remaining four numbers match Taylor and May with what was dubbed "Machito's Rhythm Section": Charlie Smith on conga, Joe Mangual on bongos, Uba Nieto playing timbales and Machito himself on maracas. The four mambos are ideal both for listening and for dance music. An enjoyable set.

Billy Taylor 

Cross Section       

All compositions by Billy Taylor, except where noted.

1. "Eddie's Theme" – 2:45
2. "Mood for Mendes" – 3:06
3. "Lullaby of Birdland" (George Shearing, George David Weiss) – 2:52
4. "Goodbye" (Gordon Jenkins) – 3:21
5. "Tune for Tex" – 2:56
6. "Moonlight in Vermont" (John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf) – 3:44
7. "Biddy's Beat" – 3:09
8. "I'll Be Around" (Alec Wilder) – 2:48
9. "I Love to Mambo" – 2:53
10. "Candido Mambo" – 3:08
11. "Early Morning Mambo" – 2:53
12. "Mambo Azul" – 2:16

Note

• Recorded in New York City on May 7, 1953 (tracks 9-12) and at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey on July 30, 1954 (tracks 1-8)  

• Billy Taylor – piano
• Earl May – bass
• Charlie Smith – drums, congas
• Machito – maracas
• José Mangual – bongos
• Ubaldo Nieto – timbales

Cross Section is an album by American jazz pianist Billy Taylor featuring tracks recorded in 1953 and 1954 for the Prestige label.^[1] The album rereleased eight tracks from 1954 which had originally been issued on the 10-inch LP Billy Taylor Plays for DJs along with four Mambo sides from 1953.^[2]

From Wikipedia