Although
Tony Scott's album of jazz interpretations of the Broadway musical South Pacific was neither the first nor the last such project, it has stood the test of time fairly well. Accompanied by
Dick Hyman (who doubles on piano and organ), bassist
George Duvivier, and either
Osie Johnson or
Grassella Oliphant on drums,
Scott's arrangements pick up on the fun and sentimentality of the music, though only one of the selections, "Younger Than Springtime," has since become a standard. His arrangement of "Younger Than Springtime" is quite unusual, featuring his baritone sax (which utilized a bass clarinet mouthpiece with a reed for a tenor sax!) with
Hyman's organ.
Scott plays this hybrid instrument on several other tracks with equal success, while his eloquent clarinet is highlighted by "Bali Ha'i." In retrospect, the organ used (probably a Lowrey) sounds a bit dated, but that alone should not keep fans of
Tony Scott from looking for this long unavailable ABC-Paramount LP.