Blue Pyramid (Johnny Hodges and Wild Bill Davis album)

Blue Pyramid is an album by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges and organist Wild Bill Davis featuring performances recorded in late 1965 and early 1966 and released on the Verve label.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

Allmusic awarded the album 3 stars with its review by Scott Yanow stating, "Although the blues feeling (as pointed out in the liner notes) is emphasized throughout the date, many of the songs, including "The Brown Skin Gal in the Calico Gown" and "Stormy Weather," are not really blues, but only bluesy. Overall this is a fine outing".

Track listing

All compositions by Johnny Hodges except where noted

"Blues for Madeleine" – 4:48
"Feelin' Kinda Blues" (Gerald Wilson) – 2:30
"Pyramid" (Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol, Irving Gordon, Irving Mills) – 2:10
"Nonchalance" (Wild Bill Davis) – 4:45
"At Dawn" (Johnny Hodges, Thomas Whaley) – 3:00
"The Brown-Skin Gal in the Calico Gown" (Ellington, Paul Francis Webster) – 2:35
"Stormy Weather" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) – 3:56
"Rabbit Out of the Hat" – 5:10
"Hash Brown" – 4:00

Personnel

Johnny Hodges – alto saxophone
Wild Bill Davis – organ (tracks 1-4 & 6-9)
Lawrence Brown- trombone
Jimmy Hamilton – clarinet (tracks 1-3, 5, 6, 8 & 9)
Jimmy Jones – piano (track 5)
Billy Butler – guitar
Bob Bushnell – bass (tracks 1-3 & 5-9)
Johnny Hodges Jr. (track 6), Herbie Lovelle (tracks 2, 3 & 5), Joe Marshall (tracks 1, 4 & 6-9) – drums

References

Verve Records Catalog: 8600 series accessed July 27, 2017
Discography of the Verve, Clef and Norgran labels accessed July 27, 2017
^ Yanow, Scott. Blue Pyramid – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2017.

v t e Johnny Hodges
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader or co-leader	Castle Rock (1951–52) In a Tender Mood (1951–52) The Blues (1952–54) Used to Be Duke (1954) Creamy (1955) Duke's in Bed (1956) Ellingtonia '56 (1956) The Big Sound (1957) Blues A-Plenty (1958) Johnny Hodges and His Strings Play the Prettiest Gershwin (1958) Not So Dukish (1958) Side by Side (and Duke Ellington, 1958–59) Back to Back (and Duke Ellington, 1959) Gerry Mulligan Meets Johnny Hodges (1959) Blue Hodge (1961) Johnny Hodges with Billy Strayhorn and the Orchestra (1961) Blue Rabbit (and Wild Bill Davis, 1963–64) Sandy's Gone (1963) Mess of Blues (and Wild Bill Davis, 1963) Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges (1964–65) Blue Pyramid (and Wild Bill Davis, 1965–66) Con-Soul & Sax (1965–66) Inspired Abandon (and Lawrence Brown, 1965) Joe's Blues (and Wild Bill Davis, 1965) Wings & Things (nd Wild Bill Davis, 1965) Blue Notes (1966) Stride Right (and Earl Hines, 1966) Wild Bill Davis & Johnny Hodges in Atlantic City (1966) Don't Sleep in the Subway (1967) Swing's Our Thing (and Earl Hines, 1967) Triple Play (1967) Rippin' & Runnin' (1968) 3 Shades of Blue (1970)
With others	Hawkins! Eldridge! Hodges! Alive! At the Village Gate! (and Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge, 1962) Joya Sherrill Sings Duke (Joya Sherrill, 1965) Cue for Saxophone (Billy Strayhorn, 1959) Taylor Made Jazz (Billy Taylor, 1959) Duke with a Difference (Clark Terry, 1957)
Duke Ellington discography

v t e Wild Bill Davis
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.
Albums with Johnny Hodges	Mess of Blues (1963) Blue Rabbit (1963 & 1964) Con-Soul & Sax (1965) Joe's Blues (1965) Wings & Things (1965) Blue Pyramid (1965 & 1966) Wild Bill Davis & Johnny Hodges in Atlantic City (1966)
Compositions	"Azure-Te (Paris Blues)" (1952)
Related articles	Tympany Five Count Basie Orchestra

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