Johnny Lytle - Four Classic Albums (Blue Vibes / Happy Ground / Nice and Easy / Moon Child) (Digitally Remastered) (2017)

Born into a musical family Johnny started his professional musical career playing drums for the likes of Ray Charles and Jimmy Witherspoon before moving on to the vibes where he began touring as a three piece unit around 1957. Famously encouraged by one of his idols, Lionel Hampton, who declared Johnny to be the best vibes player in the world, Johnny Lytle had an incredibly fast technique and was somewhat of a consummate showman on stage. In fact he became known as “fast hands”. Perhaps because Johnny never recorded for any of the major labels, he never quite gained the attention that he, and vibes greats like Hampton and Milt Jackson thought he deserved. Our four selections find him primarily in a Trio unit with his trusted companion Milton Harris on organ, backed up by either William “Preppy” Hinnant or Albert Heath on drums. On “Nice & Easy” the mood is broken when Johnny lets rip accompanied by firebrand tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, Bobby Timmons on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Louis Hayes on drums.