Junior Mance Trio & Eric Alexander - Groovin' Blues (2002)

Tracklist

01. Night Train Forrest 7:15
02. Blueberry Hill Lawrence, Lewis, Rose 7:03
03. Blues in the Closet Pettiford 7:02
04. Lonely Avenue Pomus 11:14
05. Blue ‘N’ Boogie Gillespie 4:04
06. I Got My Mojo Workin Waters 9:46
07. All Blues Davis 7:53
08. Bag’s Groove Jackson 6:15
09. America the Beautiful Ward 4:12

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Junior Mance is well-known for his soulful bluesy style, but he is also expert at playing bop standards. He started playing professionally when he was ten. Mance worked with Gene Ammons in Chicago during 1947-1949, played with Lester Young (1950), and was with the Ammons-Sonny Stitt group until he was drafted. He was the house pianist at Chicago’s Bee Hive (1953-1954), worked as Dinah Washington’s accompanist (1954-1955), was in the first Cannonball Adderley Quintet (1956-1957), and then spent two years touring with Dizzy Gillespie (1958-1960). After a few months with the Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis/Johnny Griffin group, Mance formed his own trio and has mostly been a leader ever since. He has led sessions for Verve, Jazzland, Riverside, Capitol, Atlantic, Milestone, Polydor, Inner City, JSP, Nilva, Sackville, and Bee Hive, among other labels.
By Scott Yanow. AMG.

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Junior Mance- Piano
Eric Alexander- Tenor Sax
Chip Jackson- Bass
Idris Muhammad- Drums