Revered in France during the last decade of his life, Sidney Bechet was one of the seminal forces in the roots of New Orleans jazz and the first musician to give the soprano sax a voice in jazz. This release presents the complete LP The Fabulous Sidney Bechet (Blue Note BLP 1207), featuring two brilliant sextet sessions by the saxophonist on which he is teamed alternatively with trumpeters Sidney DeParis and Jonah Jones. Eight bonus tracks have been added, among them Bechet’s “One-man Band” sides (on which he played all of the instruments by means of overdubbing), and his classic renditions of “Summertime”, “Strange Fruit”, “Si tu vois ma mère” and the immortal “Petite fleur”.

Sidney Bechet, soprano sax On all tracks plus:

1-6: Sidney DeParis, trumpet; Jimmy Archey, trombone; Don Kirkpatrick, piano; Pops Foster, bass; Manzie Johnson, drums.

New York, November 5, 1951.

7-12: Jonah Jones, trumpet; Jimmy Archey, trombone; Buddy Weed, piano; Walter Page, bass; Johnny Blowers, drums.

New York, August 25, 1953.

Originally issued as The Fabulous Sidney Bechet (Blue Note BLP1207).

*Bonus Tracks:

Sidney Bechet (soprano sax) with various groups.

Recorded in New York and Paris, 1939-52.

1. Original Dixieland One-Step
2. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me
3. That's a Plenty
4. Ballin' the Jack
5. Avalon
6. There'll Be Some Changes Made
7. Rose of Rio Grande
8. Black and Blue
9. Sweet Georgia Brown
10. All of Me
11. I'm a Ding Dong Daddy (From Dumas)
12. Shine
13. Summertime*
14. Blue Horizon*
15. The Sheik of Araby*
16. Blues of Bechet*
17. I'm Coming Virginia*
18. Strange Fruit*
19. Si Tu Vois Ma Mhre*
20. Petite Fleur*