Joe Newman - Swinging Octets

Joe Newman Octet

All I Wanna Do Is Swing

The band Joe has assembled here is remarkable not merely for its cohesive unity, but for the individual brilliance wich each one of its members demostrates in his solo work —solo work wich is, happily, given to them at frecuent intervals.

Arrangements for this session are the work of Manny Albam, Al Cohn and Ernie Wilkins, all of whom have turned out scores in a great variety of tempos wich serve to showcase the multitudinous talents of Joe and each one of his colleagues.

Whether on mute or open horn, Joe's work is a delight to the ears —not merely because it is sane jazz in the midst of much that today is either overwritten or vacuous, but because it is always swinging, always blown from the top-drawer of inspirations. And it is remarkable tribute to all involved that this session, which ran from midnight to 10 A.M., produced jazz of this highly infectious sort. But in reality, it is undoubtedly true that regardless of the time of day or night, these men, in the midst of such telling arrangements, could not but blow wonderfully —and in these recordings, led and sparked by Joe Newman, they have all obviously engraved some of their most sincere, and jazzdom's most sparkling, efforts. *Jack Lewis and Bill Zeitung (liner notes)*

Newman is an excellent lyrical trumpeter with Count Basie band, and this set shows him off in a comfortable, Basie-inspired setting. The arramgements, by Mannie Albam, Al Cohn and Ernie Wilkins, are all in the Basie idiom — relaxed and swinging. Basie-ites Wilkins and Greene are present, along with bassist Milt Hinton, Cohn on tenor and Nat pierce —a Basie follower— on piano. The style is modern, not "progressive", swing. Solos are extremely tastly all around, and the ensembles are very smooth, and very easy on the ears. Should do okay if demonstrated.

*Billboard, July 30, 1955*

Side 1

1 - Soon

(George and Ira Gershwin)

2 - Limehouse Blues

(Braham, Furber)

3 - Dream A Little Dream Of Me

(Andre, Kahn, Schwandt)

4 - Corner Pocket

(Freddie Green)

5 - If I Could Be With You

(James P. Johnson, Henry Creamer)

6 - It's A Thing Of The Past

(Manny Albam)

Side 2

7 - Pretty Skinny Bunny

(Ernie Wilkins)

8 - Leonice

(Joe Newman)

9 - Jack's Wax

(Al Cohn)

10 - Topsy

(Eddie Durham, Edgar William Battle)

11 - Captain Spaulding

(Al Cohn)

12 - I Could Have Told You

(Arthur Williams, Carl Sigman)

Joe Newman (trumpet), Frank Rehak (trombone), Ernie Wilkins (alto sax), Al Cohn (tenor sax), Nat Pierce (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Milt Hinton (bass), Shadow Wilson (drums). 

Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, February 8, 1955.

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Joe Newman Octet

I'm Still Swinging

A compelling octet recording – with arrangements by Ernie Wilkins, Al Cohn, and Manny Albam – with a lineup that includes Cohn on tenor, Gene Quill on alto, Urbie Green on trombone, and Freddie Green on guitar! Nice Andy Warhol cover, too! Titles include "Top Hat, White Tie, And Tails", "You Can Depend On Me", "We'll Be Together Again", "It's Bad For Me", "Daughter Of Miss Thing", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Sweethearts On Parade", and "Slats". *dustygroove.com* 

A label or a catch phrase can be a convenient thing, but it rarely tells a rounded story. In the Thirties, in the Swing Era, Benny Goodman was called "King of Swing". As pat labels go, this one was pretty accurate, for it was Goodman who brought on the Swing Era and it was Goodman who, to the general public, was the pre-eminent figure of that era. But Goodman, at that time, was a mover and shaker, not a polisher. It was Count Basie's band, riding onto the scene in the wake of Goodman (and with Goodman's ardent support), which became the epitome of the swing band and turned out ro be the most influential band of the period.

The strength of Basie's influence, after two decades, is widely evident in the playing of numerous small groups today, particularly in recording-groups which have access to genuine, Grade A Basie sidemen. One reason —and a rather basic reason— for the continuing appeal of the Basie manner was aptly summed up by Joe Newman when he was considering the approach to be taken on these numbers.

"I want them to have a swing to them", he said, "to be easy, to be good listening. I want to try to reach the mass of people, and I think the way to do it is with things I'd want to listen to if I were a listener".

There can be little question of what Joe Newman would listen to if he were a listener. For many years he has been an outstanding member of Count Basie's band. He is steeped in the Basie tradition and so are most of the men in his octet.

Freddie Green, a member of the original Basie band who was of enormous importance in creating what has come to be recognized as the typical Basie attack, is generally considered the greatest rhythm guitarist working today. Shadow Wilson has served two stints as Basic's drummer, while Eddie Jones is Basic's current bassist. Al Cohn, though a man of parts of the jazz world, has never achieved Basiedom, but his approach to the tenor sax is patterned to a large degree on that of Basie's Lester Young.

The octet's recruits from the non-Basie world are Urbie Green, a trombonist of such versatility that he has played successfully with Frankie Carle, Jan Savitt and, most notably, Woody Herman; Gene Quill, a rising young alto star who has worked with Claude Thornhill and Charlie Barnet; and Dick Katz, a pianist closely associated with Tony Scott, who effects a remarkable adaptation of his normal, sharply modern style to fit the mood of these performances.

There are other influences besides that of Basie at work here. Joe Newman has a pungent personality of his own which constantly makes itself felt. There are lines reaching out to Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Mildred Bailey. There is even, as we shall see, a badly shredded skein attached to S. J. Perelman. *John S. Wilson (liner notes)*

Side 1

01 - Top Hat, White Tie, And Tails

(Irving Berlin)

02 - You Can Depend On Me

(Hines, Carpenter, Dunlap)

03 - We'll Be Together Again

(Laine, Fisher)

04 - It's Bad For Me

(Cole Porter)

05 - Exactly Like You

(McHugh, Fields)

06 - Shameful Roger

(Manny Albam)

Side 2

07 - The Daughter Of Miss Thing

(Wilkins)

08 - Sometimes I'm Happy

(Youmans, Caesar, Grey)

09 - Sweethearts On Parade

(Newman, Lombardo)

10 - Slats

(Joe Newman, Ernie Wilkins)

11 - Lament For A Lost Love

(Ellington, Bigard, Mills)

12 - Perfidia

(Dominguez, Leeds)

Joe Newman (trumpet), Urbie Green (trombone), Gene Quill (alto sax), Al Cohn (tenor sax), Dick Katz (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Eddie Jones (bass), Shadow Wilson (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, October 3 (#1, #2, #6, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12), and 4 (#3, #4, #5, #7), 1955.