CD (Item 37501) Universal (France), 1954 -- Condition: Mint

Pretty unique work by Mary Lou Williams -- recorded in Paris during the 50s, but with an edge that's missing from most of her American work from a few years earlier! The sessions feature Williams in a number of different settings -- all small group, but some with tenor and trumpet, and a few with vocals and washboard by Beryl Briden. The drumming on the set is wonderful -- handled by either Jean-Louis Viale, Jacques David, or Kansas Field, all of whom seem to open up in the new range of styles handed to them by Williams. There's a total of 19 tracks on the CD -- lifted from one full LP, and a shorter 10" release from the 50s -- and titles include "Club Francais Blues", "Freight Train Blues", "Rock Me", "Scratchin In The Gravel", "Avalon", "Carioca", "Nicole", and "Leg N Lou".