SHELLY MANNE & HIS FRIENDS
Li'l Abner (Contemporary/OJC)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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In 1957, drummer Shelly Manne, pianist Andre Previn and bassist Leroy Vinnegar reunited in the wake of their triumph in the previous year with a jazz interpretation of My Fair Lady. For material, they turned again to Broadway, this time to Johnny Mercer and Gene de Paul's score for Li'l Abner. While the music didn't achieve the popular success of Lerner & Loewe's study of Higgins and Doolittle, the trio made good use of the musical adventures of Abner and Daisy Mae, improvising freely through sparkling swing and evocative ballads.

It was just the second chapter in what would become a series of jazz adaptations of Broadway shows by the trio, recording variously as Shelly Manne & His Friends or Andre Previn & His Pals, and while it didn't achieve the commercial success of the first installment, it was a distinctive artistic achievement just the same. While the songs may not have the immediate familiarity of the Lerner & Loewe score, the interpretations by Manne, Previn and Vinnegar deserve wider attention from jazz fans. This reissue makes the music more accessible, and you should access it ASAP.

Track List:

Jubilation T. Cornpone * The Country's In The Best Of Hands * If I Had My Druthers * Unnecessary Town * Matrimonial Stomp * Progress Is The Root Of All Evil * Oh, Happy Day * Namely You * Past My Prime

© 2003 - Shaun Dale