‘This Is Billy Mitchell’ Joins Verve Vault Series
The 1962 album from bandleader Billy Mitchell is available for pre-order on vinyl now.
This Is Billy Mitchell, the signature album from Billy Mitchell’s time as a band leader, is coming to the Verve Vault Series. The 1962 album returns to high-quality vinyl, preserving the work of the saxophonist at the height of his powers joined by a band totally in the pocket together. It is available for preorder now.
Considered one of the most essential releases in Mitchell’s catalog, This Is Billy Mitchell is made up of both originals and jazz classics. Opening track “J & B” is attributed to just Mitchell, who plays tenor saxophone across the record. This is immediately followed by “Sophisticated Lady,” the classic composed by Duke Ellington with Irving Mills and Mitchell Parish. Other tracks on the album include the Louis Alter and Sidney Mitchell composed “You Turned the Tables on Me,” the Melba Liston-penned “Just Waiting,” and Billy Wallace’s “Tamra.”
As bandleader on the album, Mitchell is joined by an impressive roster of musicians. His band includes Dave Burns on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Clarence “Sleepy” Anderson playing organ on three tracks, “Tamra” composer Billy Wallace on piano for four tracks, Herman Wright on bass, and Otis “Candy” Finch on drums. This Is Billy Mitchell is not the flashiest release of this era of jazz, but it’s certainly one of the most skillful, remembered for its mellow, warm tones, and its place in the history of the Detroit to New York jazz pipeline.
This Is Billy Mitchell represents Mitchell’s first album as bandleader, but it was hardly his last. His career stretched on throughout the following decades, including with Now’s The Time in 1976 and De Lawd’s Blues. Mitchell also appeared on several other Verve and Blue Note releases, working with musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, and Thad Jones.
The Verve Vault Series is dedicated to bringing deep cuts from the Verve archive back into circulation—and into the cultural conversation. Recent entries into the series have included Bill Evans’ California Here I Come, Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s Gospel Train, Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley, He’s Coming by Roy Ayers Ubiquity, and The Individualism Of Gil Evans.
