Mr. Wilson and Mr. Gershwin (CD) by Teddy Wilson & His Trio

0079890812024. New condition. CD. Teddy Wilson covers a dozen songs by George Gershwin on this live date with bassist Arvell Shaw and drummer Bert Dahlander. All of the music had been in Wilson's repertoire for some time at this point in his career, so his playing seems effortless. The sequencing is a bit unusual, in that all of the faster numbers, including a very brisk "Liza" and "Oh, Lady be Good" (powered by Dahlander's brushwork), are on the first side, while all of the ballads, including a lush "Summertime" and an inventive "Bess, You is My Woman Now," are heard on the second half. Wilson is in top form with his typically eloquent yet swinging style. Shaw is given a number of solo opportunities, displaying his superb arco bass technique in "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "Love Is Here to Stay." Formerly a long out-of-print LP, this album was combined with Wilson's And Then They Wrote in a compilation reissue on Collectables. ~ Ken Dryden, Rovi