John Lewis & Sacha Distel - Afternoon In Paris / Sam Records

It was in Paris that John Lewis co-led this 1956 date with Sacha Distel, a French guitarist who never became well known in the U.S. but commanded a lot of respect in French jazz circles. The same can be said about the other

French players employed on "Afternoon In Paris" -- neither tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen nor bassist Pierre Michelot were huge names in the U.S., although both were well known in European jazz circles. With Lewis on piano,

Distel on guitar, Wilen on tenor, Michelot or Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke or Connie Kay on drums, the part-American, part-French group of improvisers provides an above-average bop album that ranges from "Willow

Weep For Me", "All The Things You Are", and "I Cover The Waterfront" to Milt Jackson's "Bags' Groove" and Lewis' title song. The big-toned Wilen was only 19 when "Afternoon In Paris" was recorded, but as his lyrical yet hard-swinging

solos demonstrate, he matured quickly as a sax man. A mythic LP and one of the best recorded in France!!!

John Lewis (p); Sacha Distel (g); Barney Wilen (ts); Pierre Michelot, Percy Heath (b); Connie Kay, Kenny Clarke (dr)

We recommend the use of "L'Art du Son" LP cleaner to wet wash your vinyl. Even new records of high quality production will benefit from this.

Title

Side A

1. I Cover The Waterfront

2. Dear Old Stockholm

3. Afternoon In Paris

Side B

1. All The Things You Are

2. Bag's Groove

3. Willow Weep For Me