Tommy Flanagan Overseas

Tommy Flanagan Trio

La Mer, Nocturnes, Jeux, Salut Printemps, Marche Écossaise, Invocation

When J.J. Johnson toured Sweden in the summer of 1957, his pianist, Tommy Flanagan, drew accolades. The result was Overseas, Flanagan's debut album as a leader, recorded (overseas) in a Stockholm studio. Later in his career, Flanagan became known as the "Jazz Poet," an artist whose consummate lyricism and remarkably smooth swing feel have long captivated listeners. His first album included bassist Wilbur Little and drummer Elvin Jones. The appealing program boasts Billy Strayhorn’s lulling "Chelsea Bridge," Charlie Parker’s lively "Relaxin’ at Camarillo," the crafty original "Eclypso" - part calypso, part swing - a blues, and two numbers dedicated to Swedish climes. The album is reissued here as a hybrid SACD with LP style gatefold jacket packaging.