Corn Bread - The Hal Singer Collection 1948-59

Saxophonist, composer and bandleader Hal Singer was one of the jazz saxophonists of the 1940s who took advantage of the opportunity to make a commercial impact in the world of R&B during years when the “honking” style of jumping R&B was becoming especially popular, although he managed to keep in both camps, recording successfully both in R&B and jazz idioms. This 44-track 2-CD collection comprises A & B sides and selected album tracks under his own name on the Savoy, Acorn, Mercury and Coral labels, plus the tracks from his Prestige album “Blue Stompin’”. It features his 1948 R&B No. 1 “Corn Bread” and his No. 11 from the following year, “Beef Stew”, which established the successful style primarily exhibited in this set, on which he records with the likes of Milt Larkins, Wynton Kelly, Sir Charles Thompson, Walter Page, Tyree Glenn, Milt Hinton, Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor, Kelly Owens, Mickey Baker, Leonard Gaskin and many more. His album “Blue Stompin’”, however, was very much a jazz project and sees him recording in a quintet on some extended performances with Charlie Shavers, Ray Bryant, Wendell Marshall and Osie Johnson. It’s an entertaining showcase for his distinctive honking style, but also underlines his prowess as a jazz musician.