Personnel:

John Young (p), Herbert Brown, Bill Yancey, Sam Kidd (b), Larry Jackson, Philip Thomas (d)

Pianist John Young (1922-2008), crisscrossed the country in the '40s with a vastly popular big bandAndy Kirk and His Clouds of Joybefore he became a revered figure on the Chicago jazz scene. His approach was reminiscent of Erroll Garner, but he also looked for inspiration in the work of younger pianists like Ahmad Jamal and Ramsey Lewis, who also launched their careers in this city.

This set presents four of Youngs trio albums from the mid '50s and early '60s for the Argo and Vee-Jay labels. Although Young never attained the fame of other of his contemporaries, in these recordings he showed he was a polished and capable player with a style that made considerable and effective use of blocked chords.

In a career that spanned over six decades, Young regularly played popular clubs either with his own trio, orchestra, or as a sideman, accompanying artists such as Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon, Lurlean Hunter, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Lorez Alexandria and many others. The noted jazz authority Dan Morgenstern in Living with Jazz, called Young one of Chicagos several unsung piano originals.

Tracklisting:

CD 1

01. Three Penny Opera (Kurt Weill) 4:19

02. Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White (Louigay-M.David) 3:19

03. Invitation (Bronislau Kaper) 2:45

04. Star Eyes (Don Raye) 3:58

05. Warsaw Concerto (Richard Addinsell) 4:09

06. Medley: (Rodgers-Hart) 3:49

-It Never Entered My Mind

-Spring Is Here

07. The Boy Next Door (Martin-Blane) 3:56

08. Bags Groove (Milt Jackson) 4:37

09. Close to Me (Peter De Rose) 2:25

10. The Continental (Con Conrad) 5:50

11. Opus de Funk (Horace Silver) 3:40

12. Bye Bye Blackbird (Henderson-Dixon) 4:11

13. Baby Doll (Hopkins-Hanighen) 4:08

14. Surrey with the Fringe on Top (Rodgers-Hammerstein II) 3:33

15. Blues in the Closet (Oscar Pettiford) 3:58

16. If They Asked Me I Could Write a Book (Rodgers-Hart) 3:15

17. Jessie May (John Young) 3:16

18. My Funny Valentine (Rodgers-Hart) 3:49

19. Patsy (John Young) 2:44

20. Pretty Legs (John Young) 3:16

21. Hymn (O. Trevor) 3:59

CD 2

01. Portrait of My Love (Ornadel-West) 3:02

02. When Sunny Gets Blue (Fisher-Segal) 2:36

03. Take Five (Paul Desmond) 2:53

04. Peyton Place (Yuffy-Halyate-Bass) 3:29

05. Fever (Glover) 2:39

06. Mr. Lucky (Henry Mancini) 2:50

07. Spartacus (Love Theme) (Alex North) 3:29

08. Weaver of Dreams (Young-Elliott) 3:13

09. My Romance (Rodgers-Hart) 3:26

10. Playboy Theme (Cy Coleman) 2:34

11. One Eyed Jack (Hugo Friedhofer) 2:48

12. MJR Blues (Thompson-Wilson-Evans) 3:36

13. Blues Oreenee (John Young) 4:05

14. Joey (Frank Loesser) 5:19

15. Everythings Coming Up Roses (Sondheim-Styne) 3:15

16. A Lot of Living to Do (Adams-Strouse) 4:16

17. Search Me (Sam Kidd) 3:52

18. Serenata (Leroy Anderson) 5:07

19. Inch Worm (Frank Loesser) 5:30

20. The Bridge (Sonny Rollins) 3:26

21. In Other Words (Fly Me to the Moon) (Bart Howard) 5:02

Sources CD 1:

Tracks #1-10, from the album "Young John Young" (Argo LP 612)

Tracks #11-21, from the album "Opus de Funk" (Vee-Jay VJS 3060)

Sources CD 2:

Tracks #1-12, from the album "Themes and Things" (Argo LP 692)

Tracks #13-21, from the album "A Touch of Pepper" (Argo LP 713)

Personnel on CD 1

Tracks #1-10: John Young, piano; Herbert Brown, bass; and Larry Jackson, drums.

Recorded in Chicago, 1956

Tracks #11-21: Same personnel as above.

Chicago, November 19 (#11-14) & 21 (#15-21), 1957

Personnel on CD 2

Tracks #1-12: John Young, piano; Bill Yancey, bass; and Philip Thomas, drums.

Chicago, June 6 & 7 (#1,2,3,7,9 & 11), 1961

Tracks #13-21: John Young, piano; Sam Kidd, bass; and Philip Thomas, drums.

Chicago, November 29 & December 4, 1962

Original Argo recordings supervised by Phil Chess (CD-1 #1-10), Sid McCoy (CD-1, #11-21), Ralph Bass (CD-2, #1-12), Esmond Edwards (CD-2, #13-21)

Compiled for CD release by Jordi Pujol

Mono / Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered