I’ve never heard Back to Back before now, so I decided to research the album. Google led me to what might be the most curmudgeonly review I’ve ever read on Amazon. But I get what the guy is saying. Hodges’ playing is so good that he makes me forget that saxophone is my second-least favorite instrument. The rhythm section is rich and deep, and Les Spann’s guitar work is unobtrusive (which I appreciate, since guitar is my least favorite instrument). Ellington, of course, is amazing.
Then there’s Sweets Edison, who kinda does stick out like a sore thumb. But I like the way he plays here. I remember going to see a Texas blues guitarist in some rotten club in the San Fernando Valley, and one of his entire solos was a single note, played in about as many different ways as you can play a single note on guitar. I kept hoping he’d stay on that note for the duration of the solo, and he did, and I left a forgettable night with an unforgettable memory. That’s what Edison reminds me of. He takes simple phrases and explores different ways they might fit alongside the graceful lyricism of Hodges and Duke. He makes it work, and the record comes together in a way that it wouldn’t if he were of the same caliber as Ellington and Hodges.
Nothing about this record is indispensable, but I’m glad I heard it, Sweets and all.
Released: 1959