In the 1980s, a recording came out titled Ballads by Four, which had a ballad feature apiece for tenors Johnny Griffin ("Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"), Joe Henderson ("Good Morning Heartache"), John Klemmer ("God Bless the Child") and altoist Art Pepper ("Over the Rainbow"). All were recorded during a four-day period with fine support from pianist Stanley Cowell, either Cecil McBee or John Heard on bass, and drummer Roy Haynes. For the CD reissue, not only are second versions of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and "Over the Rainbow" from Griffin and Pepper included, but also tenorman Joe Farrell's exploration of "Body and Soul," which did not make it onto the original album. Despite the consistent slow tempo, there is a fair amount of variety on this collection, with Klemmer's passionate "God Bless the Child" and Pepper's two "Over the Rainbow"'s taking honors.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo