No Greater Love Buy Now!
Chuck Hedges Quartet -
Chuck Hedges: Clarinet, Eddie Higgins: Piano
Bob Haggart: Bass, Gene Estes: Drums

1. There Is No Greater Love
(Jones/Symes)
2. My Old Flame
(Johnson/Coslow)
3. Samba Dese Days
(Brooks)
4. I’ll Be Seeing You
(Kahal/Fain)
5. I’m Getting Sentimental Over You
(Washington/Bassman)
6 Magnolia Rag
(Higgins)
7. I Thought About You
(Mercer/VanHeusen)
8. Jitterbug Waltz
(Waller)
9. I Remember You
(Mercer/Schertzinger)
10. I Love You
(Porter)
11. Cheek To Cheek
(Berlin)

Produced by Arbors Records – ARCD 19121
Executive producers – Rachel and Mat Domber
Recorded 12/7 & 8 , 1992 at Starke Lake Studios, Ocoee, Florida
Engineer; Gary Baldassari & Bob Webb
cover photography: From Chuck Hedges’ Collection

Liner Notes

Commentary by Eddie Higgins

On a warm, humid afternoon in December, 1992, a group of veteran jazz musicians gathered in Orlando, Florida to make a recording. Although all of them were friends and had worked together in various combinations before, this would be their first time in a recording studio as a quartet, and the producer was anxiously awaiting the first sign that his hunch was correct: that these four would work smoothly together and be able to strike the sparks of inspiration that distinguish a truly memorable recording date from one that merely goes through the motions. He didn’t have long to wait: from the first take it was obvious that the rhythm section was compatible and there would be no time wasted in getting to the heart of the matter.

The first tune illustrates perfectly this chemistry: “There Is No Greater Love” has been a musicians’ favorite since it was written by Isham Jones in 1936. Bob Haggart has been an admired bass player since the mid-30’s, and he and Gene Estes (drums) and I (piano) felt perfectly at ease with this time-honored standard. Chuck Hedges, on clarinet, is also no stranger to fine tunes (he picked all the material for this session) and the result was an inspired performance: swinging, fluid and articulate.

The ultimate goal for jazz musicians is to be able to play whatever they think: to be able to express their ideas instantaneously without being hampered by technical limitations. The closer to this goal a musician approaches, the more satisfied he will be with his playing, and the striving toward this goal is what motivates serious players throughout their creative lives. On this particular recording, the goal seemed close at hand for all four of these seasoned players.

The leader, Chuck Hedges, is a clarinetist whose reputation began in the Midwest and has spread worldwide. From his home base in Milwaukee he performs with his own swingtet at the world famous Andy’s Jazz Club in the Chicago area. He has become a favorite at jazz concerts and festivals all over the U.S. and Europe. One of his important musical associations was with Wild Bill Davison, with whom he toured extensively. His playing has always been exceptional: a warm, supple tone, long melodic lines, an infallible sense of swing and perhaps most important, an unquenchable enthusiasm for playing.