The brilliant West Coast arranger Onzy Matthews was a master of the blues in many hues. He contributed to important recordings by Lou Rawls, Ray Charles and Esther Phillips, but his career never caught fire and, after working for the Duke Ellington orchestra as both a pianist (when Duke was ill) and an arranger, he spent much of his later years in Europe. Onzy made two albums for Capitol, the first of which “Blues With A Touch Of Elegance" is considered by many to be a big band masterpiece. This set collects those albums plus 29 previously unissued Capitol tracks by Matthews. They include an album of jazz sambas and four-tune session of tunes from “Blues With A Touch Of Elegance" with Richard Groove Holmes as the principal soloist.These big band sessions include soloists Sonny Criss, Gabe Baltazar, Curtis Amy, Clifford Scott, Dupree Bolton, Bobby Bryant, Bud Brisbois, Lou Blackburn, Ray Crawford and Richard Groove Holmes. An added bonus is the legendary, previously unissued two-tune session by Earl Anderza and Dupree Bolton for Pacific Jazz.
Onzy Matthews died in relative obscurity in 1997 in his native Texas. Beyond the few sessions he arranged for other artists, these Capitol sessions made between 1963 and '65 are his only recorded legacy. 3 CDs - $44.00
For more information contact All About Jazz.
