Newport 1957 with Eddie Costa, Mat Mathews and Don Elliott

After my recent post of music by Johnny Costa, good friend David Federman suggested that I present that pianist's namesake, Eddie Costa.

It happens that I transferred an Eddie Costa record many years ago for a now-vanished blog, so here it is, all shiny and newly refurbished for David's and hopefully your enjoyment.

Costa shares the billing with accordionist Mat Mathews and multi-instrumentalist Don Elliott, each leading separate groups. The occasion was the Newport Jazz Festival of July 1957.

I must confess that I picked up this LP for Mathews and Elliott, both of whom I enjoy, more so than Costa, whose skill I admire but whose pianism I find too intense. Many people disagree - including I imagine David - and Costa was considered a bright star in the jazz world before his death in a 1962 car accident at age 31.

Like Elliott, Costa was a skillful vibes player, but here he confines himself to the keyboard. With him on two numbers are clarinetist Rolf Kuhn and alto saxophonist Dick Johnson, neither of whom make much of an impression.

Mat Mathews leads off the second side of the LP with a quartet including the reliable Hank Jones on piano. Mathews, who came to the US from the Netherlands in 1952, took up the jazz accordion after hearing Joe Mooney. (Both Mathews and Mooney have appeared here before.)

Finally, Don Elliott appears on vibes, the bongos and the mellophone, an instrument more often found in marching bands. Elliott also played the trumpet and sang, although he does neither here. Later he did film, Broadway and advertising work. He also invented the Nutty Squirrels with Sascha Burland, but let's not hold that against him.

Elliott features his pianist, the young Bill Evans, on one of the three cuts, "I Love You." This was before Evans joined Miles Davis, but he had already made a name for himself as a sideman and had made a few recordings under his own name, including his most famous composition, "Waltz for Debbie."

Just so there is no confusion, that is Elliott at the top right on the cover and Mathews at the bottom. Elliott appears to be playing a French horn, although that instrument does not feature on the record, as far as I can tell.

The sound is lively but a little raw, reflecting the outdoor venue, I suppose. At that time, the Jazz Festival was broadcast via the U.S. Government's Voice of America, so the record includes introductions by the annoying VOA announcer Willis Conover. I've tracked these separately for easy deletion.

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