The Birdlanders, Vol. 2

In the '50s, serious bop fans made a point of visiting Birdland when they visited New York. Henri Renaud was no exception; the French pianist/producer knew that the club's original location attracted a wealth of bop talent. And he played alongside some of those Birdland heavyweights when he produced a series of Birdlanders dates in 1954. The Birdlanders, Vol. 2, which was the second of two Birdlanders reissues that Fantasy provided in 2000, focuses on sessions from March 5 and 13, 1954. The March 5 session is a quartet date that boasts Renaud on piano, Al Cohn on tenor sax, Gene Ramey on bass, and Denzil Best on drums; the March 13 date, however, unites Renaud and Cohn with trombonist Kai Winding, guitarist Tal Farlow, bassist Oscar Pettiford, and drummer Max Roach. As one might expect, many inspired moments occur, and the musicians are in fine form on material that ranges from the standard "You Stepped out of a Dream" to Leonard Feather's "Rhumblues" and Gerry Mulligan's "East Lag" (which that famous baritone saxophonist had yet to record himself when he agreed to let the Birdlanders record it). Meanwhile, Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" is primarily a vehicle for Pettiford's acoustic bass. It isn't surprising that the chemistry between the musicians is as strong as it is; many of them knew each other from Birdland and elsewhere, and Renaud was well aware of that when he produced the Birdlanders' 1954 sessions. Now, here is the ironic part: the New York bop heavyweights who Renaud recruited for his Birdlanders project were only a fraction of the New York bop heavyweights who were often booked at Birdland in 1954 — that's how much first-class talent the club was able to attract. This CD is recommended to bop enthusiasts without hesitation.