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These 3 CDs and 28-page booklet, compile recordings made by Oscar Moore as a soloist between 1945 and 1965. The first CD features outstanding tracks from his work as both a sideman and a leader, including his collaborations with the Nat King Cole Trio, Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers, Ray Charles, and Illinois Jacquet, spanning from 1945 to 1954. CDs 2 and 3 gather the albums and recordings from 1952 to 1965, offering a complete overview of his remarkable legacy.

Oscar Moore (1916–1981) is best known as the guitarist of the original Nat King Cole Trio, a role he held for ten years beginning in 1937. His innovative use of harmony and chords was essential to the trio’s iconic sound, earning widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike. During this period, he won prestigious awards from Down Beat, Metronome, and Esquire magazines (1944–1948), firmly establishing himself as the premier jazz guitarist of his era.

After leaving Cole's trio in late 1947, Moore joined his brother’s group, Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers, for five years, marking a shift toward the R&B field with occasional forays into jazz. In 1952, he returned to leading small jazz combos, performing primarily in Los Angeles clubs. However, his career never regained its former prominence. Between 1952 and 1955, he recorded for labels such as Standard, Skylark, Tampa, Norgran, and Omegatape, leaving behind a small but impressive body of work.

Moore voluntarily stepped away from the music scene in the mid-to-late 1950s, amid the rise of rock and roll. In 1965, producer David Hubert persuaded him to record an album in tribute to the recently deceased Nat King Cole, marking Moore’s final recording.

Jazz guitar legend Kenny Burrell summarized Moore’s legacy in 1994: "Moore laid down the foundation for future guitarists in jazz and popular music."

—Jordi Pujol

TRACKLIST:

CD 1

01. Sweet Georgia Brown (Bernie-Pinkard-Casey) 2:19

02. Penthouse Serenade (Jason-Burton) 3:07

03. I Can't Give Anything but Love (McHugh-Fields) 2:41

04. Fugue in C Major (Oscar Moore) 2:47

05. Melancholy Madeline (Robert Scherman) 3:05

06. Tell Me You’ll Wait for Me (Moore-Brown) 2:57

07. Escapade (Oscar Moore) 2:43

08. Nightfall (Oscar Moore) 2:47

09. Maureen (Robert Scherman) 3:03

10. You Name It (Nat Cole) 1:57

11. Cole Slow (Nat Cole) 1:48

12. Hard Tack (Moore-Moore) 2:52

13. Pasadena (Moore -René-Brown-Moore) 3:10

14. Scratch Sheet (Oscar Moore-Johnny Moore) 2:44

15. Cold in Here (Roger Royce-Ray Houseman) 2:28

16. Snuff Dippin' Mama (Hairston-Moore-Moore) 2:43

17. Citation (Oscar Moore) 2:35 - Solos: Oscar 1st, Johnny 2nd

18. Bop-A-Bye Baby (Tibbles-Idriss) 2:39

19. What Does It Matter (Irving Berlin) 3:06

20. Shuffle Shuck (Valentine-Moore-Moore) 2:36

21. Rock with It (Valentine-Golberg) 2:53

22. You're Getting Tired (Gross-White) 2:58

23. Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand (Ray Charles) 3:02

24. Speedliner (Illinois Jacquet) 3:04

25. Cloudy Skies (Hurley-Carpenter-Three Blazers) 2:32

26. You Don't Have To Treat Me Like A Stranger (Alexander-Davenport) 2:48

27. Gee, It's Rough (Josea-Taub) 2:44

28. Bed Time (Ray Agee) 2:26

29. Jesse James (Freed-Livingston) 2:38

CD 2

01. Got a Name? (Oscar Moore) 2:20

02. Fine and Dandy (Swift-James) 1:58

03. Soft Touch (Oscar Moore) 2:17

04. Too Marvelous for Words (Whiting-Mercer) 2:22

05. Roses of Picardy (Wood-Weatherly) 2:18

06. Three Little Words (Ruby-Kalmar) 1:58

07. Willow Weep for Me (Ann Ronell) 2:16

08. Peg O' My Heart (Fisher-Bryan) 1:46

09. Neverthless (I’m in Love with You) (Ruby-Kalmar) 2:05

10. What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry (Donaldson-Lyman) 1:54

11. Walkin' Home (Oscar Moore) 2:30

12. Roulette (Oscar Moore) 4:28

13. The Nearness of You (Carmichael-Washington) 2:52

14. Love for Sale (Cole Porter) 1:47

15. Body and Soul (Green-Heyman-Sour-Eyton) 2:35

16. Kenya (Oscar Moore) 5:17

17. Blues in Flat (Oscar Moore) 2:26

18. Up Tempo (Oscar Moore) 4:59

19. Buddy Can You Spare a Dime (Gorney-Harburg) 2:35

20. There'll Never Be Another You (Bergner-Nelson) 2:31

21. April in Paris (Vernon Duke) 2:37

22. Samson and Delilah Theme (Victor Young) 3:14

23. Moonlight in Vermont (Blackburn-Suessdorf) 2:06

24. Kiss Me Again (Victor Herbert) 1:26

25. Dinner for One, Please James (Michael Carr) 2:31

26. Walkin' Home (Oscar Moore) 5:43

27. Warm Up (Oscar Moore) 2:50

28. Why Did You Leave Me (Benny Ray) 2:52

CD 3

01. Sonny Boy (DeSylva-Brown-Henderson-Jolson) 3:25

02. A Foggy Day (G. & I. Gershwin) 3:42

03. Beautiful Moons Ago (Oscar Moore) 2:45

04. Oscar's Blues (Oscar Moore) 3:38

05. Tangerine (Schertzinger-Mercer) 3:06

06. I Can't Get Started (Vernon Duke) 2:56

07. Angel Eyes (Dennis-Brent) 2:29

08. To a Wild Rose (Edward MacDowell) 3:49

09. It's a Pity to Say Goodnight (Billy Reid) 4:45

10. Sweet Lorraine (Burwell-Parish) 2:43

11. There's Small Hotel (Rodgers-Hart) 2:43

12. If You Were Mine (Bob Merrill) 3:17

13. Taborra (Oscar Moore) 1:29

14. That's All (Haymes-Brandt) 3:06

15. Body and Soul (Green-Heyman-Sour-Eyton) 4:09

16. It's Only a Paper Moon (Arlen-Rose-Harburg) 1:34

17. Afterglow (Oscar Moore) 3:16

18. Old King Cole (Oscar Moore) 2:26

19. I'll Remember April (Oscar Moore) 2:37

20. This Will Make You Laugh (Irene Higgenbotham) 3:07

21. Beautiful Moons Ago (Oscar Moore) 3:05

22. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You (Don Redman) 2:05

23. Come In Out Of the Rain (Sigman-Russell) 2:52

24. Sweet Lorraine (Burwell-Parish) 3:18

25. The Christmas Song (Tormé-Wells) 3:10

Sources CD 1 (All 78 RPM releases):

Track #1, from Capitol 239

Tracks #2 & 3, from C.P. MacGregor Transcriptions (Laserlight 15749)

Tracks #4 & 5, from Atlas OM-107 (AT-121 & AT-107)

Tracks #6 & 7, from Atlas OM 110 (AT-123 & AT-128)

Tracks #8 & 9, from Atlas OM 124 (AT-163 & AT-164)

Track #10, from Capitol ET B-162 (ET1020-2)

Track #11, from Capitol ET B-159 (ET1063-2)

Track #12, from Exclusive 226 B (EXC-1031)

Track #13, from Exclusive 246 A (EXC-1032)

Track #14, from Exclusive 259 A (EXC-1181)

Track #15, from Exclusive 261 (EXC-1253)

Track #16, from Exclusive 69X (EXC-1261-2)

Track #17, from RCA Victor unreleased

Track #18, from RCA Victor 22-0034-A

Track #19, from RCA Victor 22-0034-B

Track #20, from RCA Victor 22-0047-B

Track #21, from RCA Victor 22-0073-A

Track #22, from Columbia 30207 (CO43143)

Track #23, from Swing Time 250A

Track #24, from Clef 8951 (C-497-3)

Track #25, from Aladdin 3106 (RR-1757)

Track #26, from Aladdin 3106 (RR-1759)

Track #27, from Modern 881 (1887)

Track #28, from Blaze 103 B

Track #29, from Kem 2730

Sources CD 2:

Tracks #1-11, from two 16-inch LP Standard Radio Transcriptions

R-222 (#1-6, 8, 11) and R-227 (# 7, 9, 10)

Tracks #12-17, from the 10-inch LP “Oscar Moore” (Skylark SKLP-19)

Tracks #18-27, from the 12-inch LP “Oscar Moore Quartet” (Tampa LP-10)

Track #28, from the 10-inch 78 rpm Blend 1001

Sources CD 3:

Tracks #1-4, from the 12-inch LP “Swing Guitars” (Norgran MGN-1033)

Tracks #5-13, from the reel-to-reel 7 ½ “Presenting Oscar Moore” (Omegatape ST-7012)

Tracks #14-25 from the 12-inch LP “We’ll Remember You, Nat” (Surrey 1013)

Personnel on CD 1:

Track #1: Nat King Cole Trio

Nat King Cole, piano; Oscar Moore, guitar; Johnny Miller, bass.

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, May 23, 1945

Tracks #2-3: Anita O’Day with the Nat King Cole Trio

Anita O’Day, vocals; Nat King Cole, piano; Oscar Moore, guitar; Johnny Miller, bass.

Recorded at MacGregor Transcriptions Studios, Hollywood, May 26, 1945

Tracks #4-9: Oscar Moore with the Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers

Charles Brown, piano & vocals (#6); Johnny Moore, guitar; Oscar Moore, guitar (soloist); Eddie Williams, bass; Frankie Laine, vocals (#5,9).

Recorded in Hollywood, June (#4-7) and September (#8,9) 1945

Tracks #10-11: Nat King Cole Trio

Nat King Cole, piano; Oscar Moore, guitar; Johnny Miller, bass.

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, April 11 (#10) & 25 (#11), 1946

Tracks #12-16: Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers, featuring Oscar Moore

Charles Brown, piano & vocals (#13, 15, 16); Johnny Moore, guitar; Oscar Moore, guitar (soloist); Eddie Williams, bass.

Recorded at Gold Star Studio, Hollywood, September 1946 (#12 & 13); June (#14) & September (#15 & 16), 1948

Tracks #17-19: Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers, featuring Oscar Moore

Lee Barnes, piano, celeste (#19) & vocals (#18, 19); Johnny Moore, guitar; Oscar Moore, guitar (soloist); Johnny Miller, bass.

Recorded in Hollywood, April 4, 1949

Tracks #20-21: Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers, featuring Oscar Moore

Billy Valentine, piano & vocals (#21); Johnny Moore, guitar; Oscar Moore, guitar (soloist); Johnny Miller, bass.

Recorded RCA-Victor Studios, New York City, July 26 (#20), and October (#21), 1949

Track #22: Oscar Moore and His Rhythm Aces – with “Keys” Mahon

“Keys” Mahon, vocals; Oscar Moore, guitar; unknown piano, bass and drums.

Recorded in Hollywood, April, 1950

Track #23: Ray Charles Trio

Ray Charles, piano & vocals; Oscar Moore, guitar; Johnny Miller, bass.

Recorded at Universal Recording Studio, Hollywood, November 24, 1950

Track #24: Illinois Jacquet Quintet

Illinois Jacquet, tenor sax; Carl Perkins, piano; Oscar Moore, guitar; Red Callender, bass; J.C. Heard, drums.

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, January18, 1951

Tracks #25-26: Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers featuring Oscar Moore

Nelson Alexander, piano & vocals; Johnny Moore, guitar; Oscar Moore, guitar (soloist); Eddie Williams, bass; featuring Maxwell Davis, tenor sax (#26).

Recorded in Hollywood, October 3, 1951

Track #27: Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers featuring Mari Jones and Oscar Moore

Mari Jones, vocals; Nelson Alexander, piano; Johnny Moore, guitar; Oscar Moore, guitar (soloist); Eddie Williams, bass; Maxwell Davis, tenor sax.

Recorded at Modern Studios, Hollywood, July, 1952

Track #28: Oscar Moore’s Combo, with Frank Ervin

Frank Ervin, vocals; Oscar Moore, guitar; plus 2 tenor saxes, piano, bass, drums.

Recorded in Hollywood, 1954

Track #29: Kitty White with Oscar Moore Quartet

Kitty White, vocals; Oscar Moore, guitar; piano, bass, and drums.

Recorded in Hollywood, February, 1954

Personnel on CD 2:

Tracks #1-11: Oscar Moore Trio

Oscar Moore, guitar, Ernie Freeman, piano; George Bledsoe, bass & vocals (#4 &10).

Recorded at Standard Radio Transcriptions Studios, Hollywood, 1952

Tracks #12-27: Oscar Moore Quartet

Oscar Moore, guitar, Carl Perkins, piano; Joe Comfort, bass; Lee Young, drums (#12-17, 19, 20, 24, 25), Mike Pacheco, bongos (#18, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, 1954

Track #28: Dru Pegee with the Oscar Moore Trio

Dru Pegee, vocals, Oscar Moore, guitar, Carl Perkins, piano; Joe Comfort, bass.

Recorded in Hollywood, January, 1955

Personnel on CD 3:

Tracks #1-4: Oscar Moore Quartet

Oscar Moore, guitar; Carl Perkins, piano; Joe Comfort, bass; George Jenkins, drums.

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, 1955

Tracks #5-13: Oscar Moore with Leroy Vinnegar

Oscar Moore, guitar & rhythm guitar; Leroy Vinnegar, bass.

Recorded at Audio Arts Studio, Hollywood, December 12 & 14, 1956

Tracks #14-25: Oscar Moore Trio

Oscar Moore, guitar; Gerald Wiggins, piano; Joe Comfort, bass.

Recorded in Burbank, April, 1965

Original recordings produced by:

CD 1: Paul Weston (#1); Frank Evans (#2, 3); Robert Scherman (#4-9); Jim Conkling (#10, 11); Leon René (#12-16); Walter Heebner (#17-20); Steve Sholes (#21); Danny Kessler (#22); Jack Lauderdale (#23); Norman Granz (#24); Eddie Mesner (#25, 26); Jules Bihari (#27); Unknown (#28); Bill Richards (#29)

CD 2: Unknown (#1-11); Robert Scherman (#12-27); Benny Ray (#28)

CD 3: Norman Granz (#1-4); David Hubert (#5-25)

Other photos X from Fresh Sound Records archives

Compiled and produced for CD release by Jordi Pujol

Special thanks to Daniel Gugolz

Mono / Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered