These are amongst the earliest of pianist Ralph Sutton's solo recordings. The first fifteen selections come from a session in San Francisco in 1949 originally issued on Down Home Records. Even less known are the final eight tracks recorded in London in 1952 and originally issued on the Lyragon label. At the time, Sutton was performing as a jazz concert artist, but still found time to put down on wax these brief interpretations of material he was to rework through his long career. The highlights include three Willie "The Lion" Smith compositions - "Concentratin'" and "Morning Air" remained staples of Sutton's repertoire, but his version here of "No Local Stops" may well be it's only recorded performance.
These are amongst the earliest of pianist Ralph Sutton's solo recordings. The first fifteen selections come from a session in San Francisco in 1949 originally issued on Down Home Records. Even less known are the final eight tracks recorded in London in 1952 and originally issued on the Lyragon label. At the time, Sutton was performing as a jazz concert artist, but still found time to put down on wax these brief interpretations of material he was to rework through his long career. The highlights include three Willie "The Lion" Smith compositions - "Concentratin'" and "Morning Air" remained staples of Sutton's repertoire, but his version here of "No Local Stops" may well be it's only recorded performance.
