brianbrora's Jazz and Soul: Paul Gonsalves - Tell It The Way It Is .

Great LP from an in-form Paul Gonsalves. But that's not all, as Johnny Hodges is simply Brilliant as well. And the excellence of the short that Osie Johnson lays down makes it all sound even better. In fact this is an all round superb performance by everyone. Just.Great! 1. Tell It the Way It Is! (Walter Bishop Jr. 11:38 2. Things Ain't What They Used to Be (Mercer Ellington) 4:44 3.

Duke's Place (Duke Ellington, Bill Katz, Ruth Robers, Robert Thiele) 5:29 4. Impulsive (Johnny Hodges) 5:01 5. Rapscallion in Rab's Canyon (Johnny Hodges) 3:47 6. Body and Soul (Frank Eyton, John Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour) 5:25Rolf Ericson (trumpet - except 3 & 6); Ray Nance (cornet - except 3 & 6,violin on 3); Johnny Hodges (alto sax - except 1& 6); Paul Gonsalves (tenor sax); Walter Bishop Jr. (piano); Ernie Shepard (bass, vocal on 3); Osie Johnson (drums). Recorded at RCA Studios, NYC, September 4, 1963 Originally issued as Paul Gonsalves LP''Tell It The Way It Is''on ABC Impulse AS-55 (1963) Review by Alex Henderson (allmusic guide): .''When Duke Ellington's sidemen recorded on their own, the Duke's influence often had a way of asserting itself even if he was nowhere near the studio. This was good in the 1930s and 1940s, and it was true on some of Paul Gonsalves' recordings of the 1960s. Nonetheless, Gonsalves was his own man, and this excellent Album points to the fact that the breathy tenor saxophonist wasn't afraid to enter a form of musical situations. 'Tell It the Way It Is' unites Gonsalves with the big Swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson and pianist Walter Bishop, Jr. as well as such Ellington alumni as Johnny Hodges (alto sax) and Ray Nance (cornet, violin). The strong Ellington influence asserts itself on pieces that run from Hodges' "Rapscallion in Rab's Canyon" to "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and "Duke's Place." This is highly recommended to anyone who has appreciated Gonsalves' soulful tenor playing.More.....