A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing is
Ray Nance's first LP as a leader, aside from a recording session in 1948 that produced a pair of 78 rpm records. Recorded for the
Charlie Parker label in 1959,
Nance is heard exclusively on violin. He is backed by two slightly different groups, with either tenor saxophonist
Budd Johnson or alto clarinetist
Rudy Powell, along with fellow
Ellington sidemen
Cat Anderson on trumpet, bassist
Jimmy Woode, and drummer
Sam Woodyard, as well as pianist
Leroy Lovett. Unlike later dates featuring
Nance solely on violin, this one is a bit of a disappointment because
Lovett's arrangements don't feature enough of the leader, and they obviously pale beside the charts created by
Ellington and
Billy Strayhorn. "Accen'tuate" is particularly odd, as this lame Latin number is more of a feature for
Anderson, and
Nance doesn't make an appearance until the end of the piece. Even so,
Nance's warm violin is worthy of attention even when he doesn't get enough solo space, so this long unavailable and difficult to find record is worth acquiring.