JOHNNY HARTMAN

JOHNNY HARTMAN
I JUST DROPPED BY TO SAY HELLO (1964)
320 KBPS

Johnny Hartman may have been the greatest of the jazz balladeers, his unmistakably rich voice and subtle sense of pitch and diction developing the art of Billy Eckstine and Arthur Prysock. Most know his work only in the superb 1963 collaboration with John Coltrane, but this CD from the same year is as fine a showcase for Hartman's abilities, both on medium swing tunes and the romantic standards that were his forte. The accompaniment is at the highest level, with Hank Jones on piano and brother Elvin on drums, and appearances by the two subtlest guitarists of the era, Jim Hall and Kenny Burrell, embellishing Hartman's cashmerelike voice. The burred sound of Illinois Jacquet's tenor, reminiscent of Ben Webster on ballads, is a fine, grainy complement to Hartman's smooth baritone.

1. Charade
2. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
3. Sleepin' Bee
4. Don't You Know I Care
5. Kiss & Run
6. If I'm Lucky
7. I Just Dropped by to Say Hello
8. Stairway to the Stars
9. Our Time
10. Don't Call It Love
11. How Sweet It Is to Be in Love