Freddy Gambrell

[felser]

Listening to "Introducing Freddy Gambrell" with Chico Hamilton.  Really nice, Tatum-influenced stuff, some of it more in, some more heading out.  Have never heard of him before.  Anyone have any thoughts or info on him?

[Dave James]

Interesting album cover:

[sonnymax]

2 hours ago, Dave James said:

Interesting album cover

I thought it looked familiar:

Gambrell alternate cover:

2 hours ago, felser said:

Listening to "Introducing Freddy Gambrell" with Chico Hamilton.  Really nice, Tatum-influenced stuff, some of it more in, some more heading out.  Have never heard of him before.  Anyone have any thoughts or info on him?

Never heard of him, but I very much enjoyed listening to the entire album on youtube. Freddie's real name was Federico Cervantes, and discogs.com lists only one other title under his name:

Edited January 24, 2020 by sonnymax

[mikeweil]

Once again Fresh Sound has covered both Gambrell LPs:

https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/freddie-gambrell-albums/5431-chico-hamilton-introduces-freddie-gambrell-2-lps-on-1-cd.html

[Clunky]

I had the Pacific LP with Tucker and let it go on account of being IMO pretty dull. Nothing terrible but too much like cocktail lounge music.

[Stonewall15]

Also did "Mikado" on World Pacific WP-1262 with Dick Horn.

[JSngry]

Didn't some of this show up on Kimball)sp?)?

[Peter Friedman]

4 hours ago, Clunky said:

I had the Pacific LP with Tucker and let it go on account of being IMO pretty dull. Nothing terrible but too much like cocktail lounge music.

I share what Clunky said. Not an interesting jazz album.

[felser]

3 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

I share what Clunky said. Not an interesting jazz album.

Different album than the one I a heard.  Mine was the trio album with Tucker and Chico Hamilton, not the duo album with Tucker.  Any thoughts on the one I heard?  I certainly find something like this to have jazz value, at least in a Gene Harris - Ray Bryant - etc. sort of way.

 

[Late]

3 hours ago, felser said:

Mine was the trio album with Tucker and Chico Hamilton, not the duo album with Tucker.  Any thoughts on the one I heard? 

I think it's excellent. His "out" tendencies are what make this trio album special — it's much better than the duo album. 

[jazzcorner]

[Joe]

Listening to the Hamilton-sponsored trio date now. Gambrell sometimes sounds like Tatum, via the same pathways as Andre Previn, sometimes like Herbie Nichols, and sometimes like Jaki Byard. Not what I expected!

Also, apparently he played trumpet and recorded on that instrument under the name Federico Cervantes... https://federicocervantes.blogspot.com/2009/03/

[jazzbo]

He recorded at the piano under the Federico Cervantes name as well.