LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

During its 20 years or so at the corner of Turk and Hyde in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, the Black Hawk was the scene of live recordings by Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Thelonious Monk, and Dave Brubeck, among others. But, in terms of quality and quantity, Shelly Manne holds the Black Hawk house record. In 1959, Manne & His Men played so strongly, with inspiration so consistent, that tapes of the engagement yielded four albums. Years later, it was discovered that there was enough music not originally issued to make a fifth album. Volume 3 in the OJC series of Manne’s Black Hawk recordings includes “Black Hawk Blues,” a tour de force for the drummer as soloist and supercharged accompanist.
Track listing: I Am in Love, Whisper Not, Black Hawk Blues, plus CD bonus track Whisper Not (alternate)