Plectrist
A brilliant bop improviser with an advanced harmonic conception, Billy Bauer is the most overlooked member of a largely neglected generation of guitarists. First emerging withWoody Hermanin the 1940s and soon appearing onLennie Tristano's breakthrough recordings, Bauer was winningMetronomeandDown Beatpolls by the end of the decade. In the '50s, he concentrated on studio work, occasionally doing sessions withCharlie ParkerandBillie Holiday, then he gradually settled into a long and gratifying career teaching and playing out of the spotlight. While his ongoing reflections on music are included in his 1997 autobiography,Sideman, Bauer's recordings as leader were rare, and reissues even rarer.This reissue ofPlectrist, from 1956, marks the first time a Bauer-led session has been available on CD in North America. His ballad work has a distinctively dark sound and an effortless, flowing lyricism, while his inventiveness at bop tempos is strongly evidenced in the four complete takes of "The Way You Look Tonight." Whatever the tempo, Bauer's lines are filled with surprising turns, executed with grace and a buoyant sense of swing. He's joined here by pianist Andrew Ackers, a thoughtful accompanist but reluctant soloist, and the excellent rhythm team of bassistMilt Hintonand drummer Osie Johnson. Acker's reticence opens up the field for some close interplay between Bauer and Hinton, including the beautiful conclusion of the guitarist's ballad "Lady Estelle's Dream." "Blue Mist" is an unaccompanied solo that highlights Bauer's strikingly pianolike chordal imagination.--Stuart Broomer