The Dave Pell Octet - The Complete Trend And Kapp Recordings

The success of the Dave Pell Octet was one of the fairy-tale stories of the West Coast jazz of the Fifties. Founded by Pell in 1953, this small jazz group, drawn from the nucleus of Les Brown's orchestra, was among the most popular jazz outfits in Southern California within months. The Octet's first library had the stimulating and ingeniously voiced arrangements of Shorty Rogers and Wes Hensel, which gave this group the feel of a big band. "We used the guitar as a voice in unison with trumpet", Pell explained, "and so the Octet sound had a successful formula which allowed us to play a tempo that was danceable and yet still had a jazz feel".

Bill Brown, Daily News jazz columnist wrote: "Pell and his group have flipped fans everywhere they've appeared. It's a skilled and interesting group and one you should hear". The Octet's cohesion was remarkable, and additional scores by such talented arrangers as Marty Paich, Johnny Mandel, and Bill Holman, helped establish its sound and personality.

All of the Octet's recordings for the labels Trend (1953-1954) and Kapp (1956), which epitomize its smooth sophistication; with their tightly scored ensembles, the deft styling concealed some excellent musicianship, and they all contain highly individualistic contributions by its stellar soloists, Don Fagerquist, Ray Sims, Ronny Lang, and the airy, swinging tenor of Dave Pell, who said, simply: "We play jazz for dancing. That's our forte". *Jordi Pujol*

Mine is not the approach of a jazz musician who goes into the recording studio to play 40 minutes of completely improvised jazz. Our projects are carefully planned. I feel that our music should be well designed, interesting yet easy to follow. We find it best to state the melody first, then come the spots for the blowing. But even behind a jazz chorus I want backgrounds going at the same time to give an overall big band sound. The restatement of the melody, in one form or another, in the closing completes the pattern. *Dave Pell*

The Dave Pell Octet

The Complete Trend And Kapp Recordings

1953 ~ 1956

Back in the 1950s, a group of guys from New York and Philadelphia moved to Hollywood to get steady work in the nascent TV and movie recording industry and developed a sound called "West Coast Cool". Essentially, is was a reaction to the torrid tempos and harmonics of bebop; a kinder, gentler sound, more adaptable to cruising along Pacific Coast Highway in your convertible while wearing your Hawaiian shirt. The softer and more arranged sounds have been denigrated by some, but they have surprisingly aged well, especially when the music was in the capable hands of Pres-inspired tenor saxist Dave Pell, who faithfully carried the lighter than sound air and kept it popular until it was finally taken over by the cacophonous shrieks and wails by the barbarians at the gates in the late 50s and early 60s.

This two disc set has the soft and sleek toned tenorist with fellow Angelenos including Don Fagerquist, Ray Sims, Ronny Lang, Jeff Clarkson, Don Trenner, Claude Williamson, Tony Rizzi, Rolly Rundock, Bill Richmond and Jack Sperling. The polished chrome arrangements are by the likes of Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers, Johnny Mandel, Med Flory, and Bill Holman among others. The themes of the three albums produced here give tributes to composers Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hart and Burke & Van Heusen.

Vocalist Lucy Ann Polk gives girl next door versions of daiquiri-flavored "Like Someone In Love", "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and "Aren't  You Glad You're You". Pell himself is lithe and warm as he coos on "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket" and "Kate". Pell adds some rich harmonics as he switches to the English horn on "Russian Lullaby" and Ronny Lang wisps on the flute during "It Never Entered My Mind" and "Darn that Dream". The team is light enough to swing with soft shoes, but thick enough to show some muscle in the process, and the creative charts keep the music concise, coherent and clever.

The liner notes include all of the studio info, as well as some great background on a period when a jazzer could make a good living and buy a house in the Valley just by blowing his horn. Any complaints? *George W. Harris*

The Dave Pell Octet was one of the definitive cool jazz groups of the 1950s. Tenor saxophonist Pell played with Les Brown's big band during 1948-56 and started to record with an octet drawn from the orchestra in 1953. His first project was a set of a dozen Irving Berlin tunes, and the results are quite memorable. The swinging and subtle ensembles, concise and emotionally restrained solos, and excellent musicianship would be trademarks of the band. Consisting of Pell; trumpeter Don Fagerquist; trombonist Ray Sims; Ronny Lang on baritone, alto, and flute; pianist Jeff Clarkson; guitarist Tony Rizzi; bassist Rolly Bundock; and drummer Jack Sperling, the octet plays arrangements by Shorty Rogers, Jerry Fielding, and Wes Hensel. Recommended.

The Rodgers & Hart set was one of the group's most famous recordings, with classic renditions of "Mountain Greenery", "The Blue Room", "Spring Is Here" and "Ten Cents a Dance" being among the highpoints. The arrangements (by Marty Paich, Wes Hensel, Shorty Rogers, and Johnny Mandel) practically define the idiom, as do the cool-toned solos. A gem.

This release reissues the band's two Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen albums. Lucy Ann Polk sings eight of the 16 selections, and she is a major asset, displaying a relaxed, straightforward, basic, and winning approach, warmly uplifting each song. The arrangements are by Shorty Rogers, Wes Hensel, Bill Holman, Bob Enevoldsen, Jack Montrose, Med Flory, Jim Emerson, and Buddy Bregman. The octet sounds at its best on "But Beautiful", "Suddenly It's Spring", "It's Always You", "Aren't You Glad You're You", "It Could Happen to You", and "Imagination". Timeless music. *Scott Yanow*

*CD 1*

1 - I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket

2 - Change Partners

3 - Love And The Weather

4 - Russian Lullaby

5 - Kate

6 - Say It With Music

7 - I Used To Be Color Blind

8 - Let's Have Another Cup Of Coffee

9 - Better Luck Next Time

10 - They Say It's Wonderful

11 - This Year's Kisses

12 - He Ain't Got Rhythm

13 - Why Do You Suppose?

14 - Have You Met Miss Jones?

15 - You Are Too Beautiful

16 - Mountain Greenery

17 - A Ship Without A Sail

18 - The Blue Room

19 - I've Got Five Dollars

20 - Sing For Your Supper

21 - It Never Entered My Mind

22 - The Lady Is A Tramp

23 - Spring Is Here

24 - Ten Cents A Dance

(#1 to #12: All compostions by Irving Berlin)

(#13 to #24: All compostions by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart)

*CD 2*

1 - But Beautiful

2 - My Heart Is A Hobo

3 - Like Someone In Love

4 - Swinging On A Star

5 - Suddenly It's Spring

6 - It's Always You

7 - What Does It Take

8 - Aren't You Glad You're You

9 - All This And Heaven Too

10 - It Could Happen To You

11 - Just My Luck

12 - Imagination

13 - When Is Sometime

14 - Darn That Dream

15 - Humpty Dumpty Heart

16 - Polka Dots And Moonbeams

(All compositions by Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen, except #14 by Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen and Eddie De Lange)

#1 to #12 (CD1):

Don Fagerquist (trumpet), Ray Sims (trombone, vocals [#10]), Ronny Lang (baritone sax, alto sax [#6, #11], flute [#4]), Dave Pell (tenor sax, English horn [#4], Jeff Clarkson (piano), Tony Rizzi (guitar), Rolly Bundock (bass), Jack Sperling (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, April 22 (#3 to #6) and May 28, (#8 to #11), 1953; May 14 (#1, #2, #7, #12), 1956 

#13 to #24 (CD1):

Don Fagerquist (trumpet), Ray Sims (trombone), Ronny Lang (baritone sax, flute [#21]), Dave Pell (tenor sax, bass clarinet [#23]), Donn Trenner (piano, celeste [#15]), Tony Rizzi (guitar), Rolly Bundock (bass), Bill Richmond (drums).

Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California, June 11, 21 and 24, 1954

#1 to #16 (CD2):

Don Fagerquist (trumpet), Ray Sims (trombone), Ronny Lang (baritone sax, flute [#6, #14, #16]), Dave Pell (tenor sax, English horn [#6, #14, #16]), Claude Williamson (piano, celeste [#14, #16]), Tony Rizzi (guitar), Rolly Bundock (bass), Jack Sperling (drums), Lucy Ann Polk (vocals [#1, #4, #6, #8, #10, #12, #14, #16]).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, December 18 (#1, #4, #6, #8, #10, #12, #14) and December 28 (#16), 1953; May 7 (#2, #3, #5, #7, #9, #11, #13) and May 21 (#15), 1956

#1, #2, #7 and #12 (CD1): from "The Dave Pell Octet Plays Irving Berlin" (Kapp KL-1036)

#3 to #6 and #8 to 11 (CD1):  "The Dave Pell Octet Plays Irving Berlin" (Trend TL-1003)

#13 to #24 (CD1): "The Dave Pell Octet Plays Rodgers & Hart" (Trend TL-1501, reissued as Kapp KL-1025)

#1, #4, #6, #8, #10, #12, #14 and #16 (CD2): "Dave pell Octet · Lucy Ann Polk" (Trend TL-1008)

#2, #3, #5, #7, #9, #11, #13 and #15 (CD2): "The Dave Pell Octet Plays Burke & Van Heusen" (Kapp KL-1034) 

Hampton Hawes - The Trio

Hampton Hawes was born in Los Angeles in 1928, the son of a Presbyterian minister. His mother was the church pianist, and he began picking out tunes from her lap at home as a toddler. He taught himself to play, and by the time he was a teenager, bebop had arrived and he was gigging on Central Avenue with its West Coast progenitors, including saxophonists Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Art Pepper, and Teddy Edwards. Perhaps his most notable collaboration early on, though, was with trumpeter Howard McGhee, whose quintet also included alto saxophonist Charlie Parker.

Hawes befriended Parker, and when he saw what an awful driver the saxophonist was, took on the responsibility of getting him to gigs. He wrote: "When I came early one night he motioned me to follow him to his room. I waded through piles of sandwich wrappers, beer cans, and liquor bottles. Watched him line up and take down eleven shots of whiskey, pop a handful of bennies, then tie up, smoking a joint at the same time. He sweated like a horse for five minutes, got up, put on his suit and a half-hour later was on the stand playing strong and beautiful".

Hampton Hawes was not just a pianist; he was also the author of one of the most compulsively readable books ever written about jazz. Raise Up Off Me, co-authored with Don Asher and originally published in 1974, is an unflinching but darkly hilarious exploration of his life, encompassing music, addiction, encounters with racism, military service, and jail time, in a tone somewhere between Chester Himes and William Burroughs. It won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for music writing the following year. Unfortunately, Hawes died just two years later, suffering a brain hemorrhage on May 22, 1977, at 48.

As Hawes recounts in the book, he first recorded on his own in 1952, but shortly thereafter joined the Army and served in Japan for two years. When he returned to the US, his solo career took off in earnest. He signed with Lester Koenig's Contemporary label, and recorded three albums' worth of material in three sessions between June 1955 and January 1956, with a trio featuring bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Chuck Thompson.

"We recorded our first album for Lester Koenig one night in June from midnight to dawn in the Los Angeles Police Academy gymnasium in Chavez Ravine", Hawes wrote. "They had a good Steinway there that Artur Rubinstein used, and Lester wanted to get away from the cold studio atmosphere, experiment with a more natural sound. It was a relaxed session, the lights low, Jackie and Red [Mitchell]’s wife Doe sipping beer at a table behind the piano while we played…"

These three trio sessions are about as exciting a calling card as any in jazz. Hawes has a light, dancing touch on the piano; the technical intricacy of 1940s bebop is occasionally present in some of his right-hand runs, but he’s deliberately slower than Bud Powell and faster than Thelonious Monk, sitting in a comfortable middle zone where he can swing with a seeming effortlessness. "Hamp's Blues", from the first session, is a perfect example. It’s speedy, but surprisingly precise; he drops the notes into place like they're locked to a Pro Tools grid, as Thompson lays down an equally immaculate beat and Mitchell glues it all together. On the second album, This Is Hampton Hawes, his version of the standard "Yesterdays" begins with an ornate introduction – a series of trills and extrapolations which sound solo at first, until you notice that Mitchell is creating low bowed drones behind him. After two minutes, the rhythm kicks in, a hard-swinging shuffle, and the foot-tapping groove is irresistible.

Hawes wrote two pieces for 1956’s Everybody Likes Hampton Hawes, the straightforward gospel-jazz workout "The Sermon" and the album-closing bebop sprint "Coolin’ the Blues". In between, the trio explored versions of standards like "Lover Come Back To Me", "Embraceable You", and the bouncing "Billy Boy", a tune fellow pianist Ahmad Jamal had recorded a couple of years earlier. Hawes takes a similar approach, hitting the chords hard, but makes it his own.

Hampton Hawes' 1950s albums feature some of the best jazz performances to ever come out of Los Angeles. And Raise Up Off Me is a sometimes harsh but other times riotously funny look at a life in jazz, the army, and prison, on drugs and off – one of the best musicians’ autobiographies ever written. Hawes’ name should be written in bold type in the history of American music.

*Philip Freeman (udiscovermusic.com)*

Hampton Hawes

The Trio • Complete Sessions

Hampton Hawes remains one of the most swinging and distinctive pianist in jazz. His two years of isolation from other jazz musicians and their music (while stationed overseas) combined with the extensive free time that he devoted towards honing his skills, produced one of the great voices of the instrument.

Here are the definitive recordings of one of the most celebrated top-ten piano trios in jazz history. This outstanding two-CD set features the complete Hampton Hawes trio recordings with bassist Red Mitchell and Chuck Thompson. In addition to the three aforementioned sessions included here in their entirety, the trio also recorded three tracks —"All The Things You Are", "I Got Rhythm" and "How High The Moon"— at the Embers Club in New York on May 15, 1956, which can also be found here.

In addition, this release contains three bonus tracks, the first featuring Hawes and Mitchell accompanied by Mel Lewis at a live performance in Hollywood on May 2, 1955, and the second and third teaming the pianist and bassist with West Coast drum stalwart Shelly Manne for a concert recording at the Irvine Bowl in Laguna Beach on June 20, 1955. While the recording quality of these bonus tracks leaves much to be desired, the music remains consistently excellent throughout. *Sheldon Cohen (liner notes)*

*CD 1*

1 - I Got Rhythm

(G. and I. Gershwin)

2 - What Is this Thing Called Love?

(C. Porter)

3 - Blues The Most

(H. Hawes)

4 - So In Love

(C. Porter)

5 - Feelin' Fine

(H. Hawes)

6 - Hamp's Blues

(H. Hawes)

7 - Easy Living

(Robin, Rainger)

8 - All The Things You Are

(Kern, Hammerstein)

9 - These Foolish Things

(Marvell, Strachey, Link)

10 - Carioca

(Youmans, Eliscu, Kahn)

11 - Just Squeeze Me

(D. Ellington)

12 - Stella By Starlight

(Washington, Young)

13 - Yesterdays

(Kern, Harbach)

14 - Steeplechase

(C. Parker)

15 -Autumn In New York

(V. Duke)

16 - Section Blues

(Mitchell, Thompson)

17 - You And The Night And The Music

(Dietz, Schwartz)

18 - Blues For Jacque

(H. Hawes)

*CD 2*

1 - 'Round Midnight

(T. Monk)

2 - Somebody Loves Me

(DeSylva, MacDonald, Gershwin)

3 - The Sermon

(H. Hawes)

4 - Embraceable You

(G. and I. Gershwin)

5 - I Remember You

(Schertzinger, Mercer)

6 - A Night In Tunisia

(Gillespie, Paparelli)

7 - Lover Come Back To Me

(Romberg, Hammerstein)

8 - Polka Dots And Moonbeam

(Burke, VanHeusen)

9 - Billy Boy

(Traditional)

10 - Body And Soul

(Green, Heyman, Eyton, Sour)

11 - Coolin' The Blues

(H. Hawes)

12 - All The Things You are

(Kern, Hammerstein)

13 - I Got Rhythm

(G. and I. Gershwin)

14 - How High The Moon

(Lewis, Hamilton)

15 - I Hear Music

(Loesser, Lane)

16 - Walkin

(R. Carpenter)

17 - The Champ

(D. Gillespie)

#1 to #18 [CD1] and #1 to #14 [CD2]):

Hampton Hawes (piano), Red Mitchell (bass), Chuck Thompson (drums).

#15 [CD2]:

Hampton Hawes (piano), Red Mitchell (bass), Mel Lewis (drums).

#16, #17 [CD2]:

Hampton Hawes (piano), Red Mitchell (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

#1 to #10 [CD1]: from Hampton Hawes Trio, Vol. 1

Recorded at Los Angeles Police Academy, Los Angeles, California, June 28, 1955

#11 to #16 [CD1]: from Hampton Hawes Trio - This Is Hampton Hawes, Vol. 2

Recorded at Contemporary's Studio, Los Angeles, California, December 3, 1955

#17, #18 [CD1] and #1 to #11 [CD2]: from Hampton Hawes Trio - Everybody Likes Hampton Hawes, Vol. 3

Recorded at Contemporary's Studio, Los Angeles, CA, January 25, 1956

#12 to #17 [CD2]: *bonus tracks*

#12, #13 and #14: Recorded at "Embers Club", New York City, May 15, 1956

#15: Recorded at Capitol Melrose Studios, Los Angeles, California, May 2, 1955

#16, #17: Recorded at "Irvine Bowl", Laguna Beach, California, June 20, 1955

The Hank Bagby Soultet - Opus One

Clarance Henry "Hank" Bagby was born in Denver, Colorado in 1922 or 1923 and died in Modesto, California on December 11, 1993. He began his musical life as a singer and performed here and there in the Midwest and on the West Coast in the 1940's. It was during the late 40's in San Francisco that he took up the saxophone. He began playing with local players such as pianist Kenny Drew, and the Farmer brothers (trumpeter Art and bassist Addison), drummer Frank Butler and others around Los Angeles and became sort of an underground musician in a world of underground musicians. If you have never heard of Hank Bagby, even if you are a devoted Jazz buff, there's no shame. Bagby worked alongside some Jazz giants like Dexter Gordon, Jack Sheldon and various other greats in Onzy Matthews' big band which demonstrated his qualifications as a player but made no recordings. The only time this writer ever heard of Bagby was sometime in 1960 in Down Beat Magazine reading the only article on pianist Elmo Hope. The article was called "Bitter Hope" and was written by John Tynan. It summed up Elmo's frustrating 4 years in Los Angeles with a few bright moments thrown in. Mr. Hope was highly critical on the whole West Coast Jazz scene but had high praise for players such as Harold Land, Frank Butler, Leroy Vinnegar, trumpeters Dupree Bolton, Stu Williamson and others and mentioned that he's been working in a quartet that he co-led with Hank Bagby. He had high praise for Bagby. Soon after the article was published, Elmo and his new wife Bertha headed for New York. No recordings of the Hope/Bagby Quartet surfaced and that was it.

The Hank Bagby record was done for a one-shot label in Los Angeles in 1964. The label was Protone Records. It's his only album and a damn good one. It appears to have been done in two different sessions. One of the six original compositions by Bagby has Hank on tenor saxophone with Chuck Foster on trumpet, Dave MacKay on piano, Gary Driskell on bass and Al Levitt on drums. MacKay and Levitt are little known but MacKay played with Don Ellis' big band and Levitt has played with a variety of musicians like Lee Konitz and Stan Getz. The other two are unknowns. The rest of the 5 tunes have bassist Al Hines and drummer Charles "Chiz" Harris replacing Driskell and Levitt while the others are the same. Chiz Harris was very well known in the L.A. area and performed with a multitude of bands. That is the makeup of The Hank Bagby Soultet. The album called Opus One is his only recorded legacy and he proved to be a very solid player with a good sound that reflected a Rollins/Land/Gordon influence. The only other information on Bagby is that he eventually moved to Modesto, California and worked as a musician and a substance abuse counselor for the California Government until he retired. He was 71 when he died in 1993.

*Gavin Walker*

There's always more hardbop out there than expected. Live and learn. Die and reincarnate as the insect from Kafka's Die Verwandlung, crawl on the pavement of Sunset Boulevard and get squashed on the star tile of Hugh Hefner before, to cite Kinky Friedman, you were able to bug out for the dugout. Come back again as Mahatma Gandhi, slip into suit and tie and invest in big data. Be ashamed of yourself. Nothing to be ashamed of if you’re Hank Bagby. Hank Bagby is ok. But is Opus One an album we should be ashamed of having ignored for so long? No not exactly. It's not a milestone of mainstream jazz. But then again it’s about time it gets the attention it very well deserves.

The pulse of the album is pretty contagious, Jazz Messengers-like in spots. Moreover, both "Dee Dee" and "The Great Wall" wouldn't have been out of place on Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers albums. Perhaps most striking, the typical hard bop format of quintet line-up featuring sax and trumpet, blues-based repertoire and medium tempos is strengthened by a number of exotic flavors, the melodies of Soul Sonnet and Iborian (Nairobi spelled backwards) in particular.

Obviously, Bagby was a good writer. As a tenor saxophone player, his big hard tenor sound is exciting but his lines have a tendency to somehow pass by unnoticed. Trumpeter Chuck Foster is more impressive. His bright tone and sparkling lines lift up the fresh set of tunes. Even better is pianist Dave MacKay, who provides pulsating backing with a combination of strong-willed chords and pesky lines. As a soloist, without exactly imitating them, he’s somewhere between McCoy Tyner and Horace Silver. Not a bad place to hang around. *flophousemagazine.com*

One of our favorite "lost" albums ever – an amazing small combo jazz session that rivals the best that 60s Blue Note or Prestige had to offer! The group's led by tenor player Hank Bagby – an artist we only know from this record, but who has a rich sense of imagination that comes out right from the start – not just on his well-penned tunes for the record, but also on his inventive arrangements, and his way of leading the sharp combo through the perfect realization of his musical vision! Bagby's tenor solos alone are worth the price of admission – but the record's a cooker that really gets equal energy from the whole ensemble too – trumpeter Chuck Foster, pianist Dave MacKay, bassist Al Hines, and drummer Chiz Harris – perfect throughout on original tunes that include "Dee Dee", "The Great Wall", "Soul Sonnet", "Kiss Me Quigley", "Iborian", and "Algerian Suite". *dustygroove.com*

1 - Dee Dee

2 - The Great Wall

3 - Soul Sonnet

4 - Kiss Me Quigley

5 - Iborian

6 - Algerian Suite

(All compositions by Hank Bagby)

Hank Bagby (tenor sax); Chuck Foster (trumpet); Dave MacKay (piano); Gary Driskell [#1], Al Hines [#2 to #6] (basses); Al Levitt [#1], Chiz Harris [#2 to #6] (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, 1964.

Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers - Play Lerner And Loewe

"This was a tough session. Some of those tunes were really rough. But we just wanted to stay in there and do it right. Nobody wanted to give up".

That's Art Blakey speaking. The 37-year-old drummer and leader of the Jazz Messengers started recording this album about 10 p.m. on March 13, and wrapped it up at 6:30 a.m. the next day. 

"At first, we didn’t really know what to do. We had figured out some arrangements, but show tunes are so strange. We started right in reworking the arrangements. We figured out some ideas of our own, all five of us, and things began to shape up".

The set comes off as a good distillation of the style of the Jazz Messengers. Starting with a melody, or even a scrap of one, the Messengers work out among themselves the unison opening and closing, then fit their solos into the framework. Behind it all is Blakey, highlighting, underlining, pushing and commenting with his battery of drums.

The tunes, now familiar to anyone with ears, are by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, and are from their three substantial stage successes, "My Fair Lady", "Brigadoon" and "Paint Your Wagon".

The transition from show tune to jazz vehicle did happen overnight. Says Blakey, "This was like a challenge. The guys cooperated well together. The group was like a family. This is the kind of thing I’d like to do again. A challenge, but the kind we now know we can lick".

*Dom Cerulli (liner notes)* 

One of the rarest of all Art Blakey records, this LP finds the Jazz Messengers (featuring new member Johnny Griffin on tenor and trumpeter Bill Hardman) performing jazz versions of six show tunes by Lerner & Loewe, including three ("Almost Like Being in Love", "I Could Have Danced All Night", and "On the Street Where You Live") that would soon become standards. Despite some of the musicians' unfamiliarity with the songs, this date is quite successful. *Scott Yanow*

The music of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe — composers usually associated with the Broadway stage, brought into a whole new light here by the late 50s Jazz Messengers! The album's one of Art Blakey's more unusual outings — part of that great 1957 run away from Blue Note — but it cooks strongly with a lineup that includes Jackie McLean on alto, Johnny Griffin on tenor, and Bill Hardman on trumpet — all players who bring an unusual degree of bite to these tunes, while still reflecting the lyrical beauty within! The group sparkles and shines with the sort of brilliance and energy that Blakey's leadership brings to the group, completely transforming tunes that include "I Could Have Danced All Night", "Almost Like Being In Love", "On The Street Where You Live", and "There But For You Go I". *dustygroove.com*

1 - I Could Have Danced All Night

2 - On The Street Where You Live

3 - There But For You Go I

4 - They Call The Wind Maria

5 - I Talk To The Trees

6 - Almost Like Being In Love

7 - A Night At Tony's (take 3) 

8 - A Night At Tony's (take 4) 

9 - Social Call (take 4) 

10 - Social Call 

11 - Off The Wall (take 5)

12 - Couldn't It Be You?

(All compositions by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe)

#1 to #6: from Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers - Selections From Lerner And Loewe's...

Bill Hardman (trumpet), Johnny Griffin (tenor sax), Sam Dockery (piano), Spanky DeBrest (bass), Art Blakey (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, March 13, 1957.

#7 to #12: *bonus tracks*

Bill Hardman (trumpet), Lee Morgan (trumpet [#7 to #10]), Melba Liston (trombone [#7 to #10]), Cecil Payne (baritone sax [#7 to #10]), Johnny Griffin (tenor sax [#7 to #12]), Sahib Shihab (alto sax [#7 to #10]), Wynton Kelly (piano [#7 to #10]), Jackie McLean (alto sax [#11, #12]), Sam Dockery (piano [#11, #12]), Spanky DeBrest (bass), Art Blakey (drums).

Recorded at RCA Studio 3, New York City, April 2 (#7 to #10) and April 8 (#11, #12), 1957.

•• Blow Hot | Blow Cool ••

Herbie Fields Sextet & The Melrose Avenue Conservatory Chamber Music Society

Blow Hot | Blow Cool

As the title of this album would indicate, you are in for both some hot and some cool moments. The fact that Herbie Fields and his Sextet have been appointed the group representing the hot side and The Melrose Avenue Conservatory Chamber Music Society has been appointed the cool propounders doesn't necessarily end there because for some happy reason Herbie Fields and his Sextet have some very cool moments, indeed, and the boys from Melrose, as you will notice, leap in a very warm manner.

Be Assured that there is not a battle of the bands planned or to be assumed here. This is no hot versus cool sound dual. Rather, it is more like a formula for getting things to just the right taste. This is one of those dates where you know (even if you don't know) that a lot of hard work has gone before...arranging work, scoring, or to make it sound easier, scratching out a chart, writing a few originals, thinking up new ways of saying old familiar things, selecting musicians with compatible ideas and compassion for one another and then hoping fervently that instruments, studios, musicians and their respective chops will all be in the best possible condition for the date.

Whatever came out of this date came through work and persistance and there were some experiments tried that paid off, as you will hear. The serious student of contemporary music, however, will find no revolutionary upset in the musical concept. But, at the same time, he shouldn't expect to get 'knocked out' or to hear a 'new sound' every time he puts the needle to the groove. It's impossible. But the groups here have assimilated some interesting sounds and provided quite a few pleasurable moments.

That can sometimes be more important than the other. *Al "Jazzbo" Collins (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - No Word Blues

(Herbie Fields, Manny Albam)

2 - The Lady Is A Tramp

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

3 - Baltimore

(Herbie Fields, Manny Albam)

4 - Nutcraker Swing

(Herbie Fields, Manny Albam)

5 - St Louis Blues

(W. C. Handy)

6 - Makin' Whoopie

(Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson)

Side 2

7 - I'm Forever Counting Geigers

(Marty Paich)

8 - Id

(John Graas)

9 - Skip to My Loot

(Jack Montrose)

10 - Speak Easy

(Jack Montrose)

#1 to #4: 

Herbie Fields (clarinet); Billy Byers, Kai Winding, Eddie Bert, Bart Varsalona (trombones); Joe Black (piano); Rudy Cafaro (guitar); Peter Compo (bass); Harvey Lang [a.k.a. Guy Vivdros] (drums); Mercy Lutes [a.k.a.Marcella Galbraith] (vocal).

Recorded in New York City, September 14, 1954.

#5, #6: 

Herbie Fields (tenor sax); Nick Drago (trumpet); Joe Black (piano); Rudy Cafaro (guitar); Harvey Lang, Jr. (bass); Harvey Lang [a.k.a. Guy Vivdros] (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 1955.

#7, #10:

Stu Williamson (trumpet); Herb Geller [a.k.a. Bert Herbert] (alto sax); Jack Montrose, Buddy Collette (tenor saxes); Bob Gordon (baritone sax); Marty Paich (piano); Curtis Counce (bass); Chico Hamilton [a.k.a. Forest Hamilton] (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, March 17 (#7, #8) and March 18 (#9, #10), 1955.

Buddy DeFranco - Pretty Moods

Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco was born in Camden, New Jersey (February 17, 1923). He was raised in South Philadelphia. He was playing the clarinet by the time he was nine years old and within five years had won a national Tommy Dorsey swing contest. 

He began his professional career just as swing music and big bands — many of which were led by clarinetists like Artie Shaw, and Benny Goodman — were in decline. While most jazz clarinet players did not adapt to this change, DeFranco successfully continued to play clarinet exclusively, and was one of the few bebop clarinetists. In addition to his work as a bandleader, DeFranco led the Glenn Miller Orchestra for almost a decade in the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1950, DeFranco spent a year with Count Basie's septet. He then led a small combo in the early 1950s which included pianist Sonny Clark and guitarist Tal Farlow. In this period, DeFranco recorded for MGM, Norgran and Verve; the latter two labels were owned by Norman Granz. Buddy died in December 24, 2014.

Buddy De Franco is one of the few, and, in fact, quite possibly the only new name to be accorded giant recognition on the clarinet. I think possibly that the only things that have held him back have been, in certain cases, choice of material and lack of quantitative output, because the quality was always there no matter what Buddy played.

It is also true that any great artist in any art form must be able to do all things. The jazz artist must be able to create; to play different tempi, all of them with equal facility and creativeness; to create different moods — happy ones, sad ones, blue ones; and to operate, as it were, under different musical conditions. He must in short have adaptability.

Well, this album displays another facet of Buddy De Franco's tremendous artistic ability. For the first time, Buddy produces ballads with the melodic line primary, and the result is a rewarding one — for the composition, for the listener, and, yes, for De Franco himself, because it represents another step upward in his growth. 

This album is another in the series designed to make the jazz audience increasingly aware of Buddy De Franco's rich and many contributions to the jazz scene. *Norman Granz (liner notes)*

Buddy DeFranco with Sonny Clark on piano — an early classic in the wonderful run the two players cut for Verve Records — a key chapter in jazz during the early 50s ! Buddy's clarinet has these wonderfully angular turns here — very different than the generation before, and spurred on by some new bop modes from Clark's work on the keys. The format is lean, clean, and extremely tight — some of the best jazz clarinet work of the time, and proof that the instrument could have a life long after the swing years had ended. Other players include Bobby White on drums and Gene Wright on bass — and the whole thing's packaged in a sweet David Stone Martin cover ! Titles include "Lover Man", "Yesterdays", "If I Should Lose You", and "Deep Purple". *dustygroove.com*

1 - Tenderly

(Lawrence, Gross)

2 - Lover Man

(Davis, Ramirez, Sherman)

3 - Deep Purple

(DeRose, Parish)

4 - Yesterdays

(Kern, Harburg)

5 - If I Should Lose You

(Rainger, Robin)

Buddy DeFranco (clarinet), Sonny Clark (piano), Gene Wright (bass), Bobby White (drums).

Recorded at Fine Sounds, New York City, April 7, 1954.

Stan Getz - Early recordings for Verve

The December, 1952 sessions that formed the original Stan Getz Plays LP marked the beginning of one of the most prolific and productive relationships between an artist and the same record company in jazz story. For twenty years, from 1952 to 1972, Stan Getz recorded more than 50 albums for Verve, albums that form a body of work as distinguished as any recorded jazz.

The twelve performances that comprise Stan Getz Plays are superb examples of the fluid, swinging and highly melodic approach to standards Getz favored in this period. Jimmy Raney's guitar and Duke Jordan's piano are the perfect complement to Stan's tenor.

A couple of years ago a new jazz star came into prominence in the jazz world. The name of this star: Stan Getz. Of course, the punch line is that Stan Getz is not "new", but has actually been on the jazz scene for over fifteen years, and has played with many of the great bands, among them Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, and Benny Goodman. He currently leads his own quintet.

Although Stan's approach in many ways is similar to that of Lester Young, he is, nonetheless, one of the most original tenor saxophonists playing today, and his style mirrors Getz' approach to life in general as well as to music; thus, though he is cool, he can be very hot when he wants to. And Getz has so influenced a whole new school of young musicians, that in the years to come it may well be that Getz will be judged one of the original giants in the jazz tradition that he has set today. *Norman Granz (1953)*

Stan Getz

Stan Getz Plays

This is another album by Stan Getz that is entirely overlooked, but then, the man had so many brilliant records coming out within a few years of each other that people are naturally drawn to a personal, if not subversive list of what they think best. In reality, one needs only to listen to one album at a time without considering that one is better than the other, after all, it's all about the pleasure of the music.

Stan Getz Plays is another in a continuing series of standards Getz lends his sax to. If anything is of note, it's that this release, on the original vinyl, sounds sonically far better than say Quartets, so remarkably different that I'm surprised more people weren't drawn to the record for that fact alone. Add that that during these sessions, Stan is entirely more focused and in control, more confident here, and while Stan is as cool and breathy as ever, his line of attack is strong, coming off as visionary and self-assured. Getz does improvise a bit here and there on the album, though not more than necessary, and these remarkable flights are simply elegant and beautifully warm.

There are those who are forever nipping at Getz's heels, dogging the man about his slower paced songs, suggesting that they are nothing more than restricted musical embroidery, yet for this listener, it's within these slower numbers that one gets to meet Stan face to face as he spins his gracious stories. Without a doubt, Stan Getz was a restless artist, mildly changing his stance from album to album, though not much, where he cherishes his lyrically simple jazz standards, concentrating foremost on the melody, though at the same time, weaving countless variations on and within those familiar themes, where even his uptempo numbers possess a lightness, even a delicacy that are purposely designed to be enhanced and supported by a discrete and never intrusive rhythm section that is worth while focusing on in its own right.

Getz was married to Beverly Byrne, a vocalist with the Gene Krupa band at the time of this album's release. The child on the cover is one of the three children they had together.

*rateyourmusic review*

Side 1

1 - Stella By Starlight

(Young, Washington)

2 - Time On My Hands

(Youmans, Adamson, Gordon)

3 - 'Tis Autumn

(Nemo)

4 - The Way You Look Tonight

(Fields, Kern)

5 - Lover Come Back To Me

(Romberg, Hammerstein II)

6 - Body And Soul

(Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton)

Side 2

7 - Stars Fell On Alabama

(Parish, Perkins)

8 - You Turned The Tables On Me

(Mitchell, Alter)

9 - Thanks For The Memory

(Rainger, Robin)

10 - Hymn Of The Orient

(Gryce)

11 - These Foolish Things

(Strachey, Marvell, Link)

12 - How Deep Is The Ocean

(Irving Berlin)

Stan Getz (tenor sax), Duke Jordan (piano), Jimmy Raney (guitar), Bill Crow (bass), Frank Isola (drums).

Recorded in New York City, December 12 (#1 to #8) and December 29 (#9 to #12), 1952.

Note: All of this material had been previously released as two ten inch extended plays by Clef Records: Stan Getz Plays [Clef Records (MGC-137)] and the Side 1 of The Artistry Of Stan Getz [Clef Records (MGC- 143)] from which the cover was taken for this nice 1953 French pressing.

Joe Morello - Collections

Intro is extremely happy with the result of this st. However, it is said that confession is good for the soul, therefore we must confess that there was some skepticism about the results of this album, not because the musicians present, but because of the handicaps under which this set was done. The decision to do this album was quite sudden, caused by the fact that drummer Joe Morello, was in town for two days, on the way to San Francisco to join the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Therefore, three sessions had to be packed into one day. It is certainly no secret that Morello is one of the most sensational new drummerson the jazz scene today. Naturally, an oportunity to record him couldn't be passed by.

When you hear the great jazz in this set, and especially Joe Morello, who contributed so much, you will understand why we wished to take advantage of Joe's short stay in town.

*Don Clark (liner notes)*

Joe Morello was virtually unknown when he recorded this date for the Intro label in January of 1956. While he did have a handful of gigs with both Stan Kenton and Marian McPartland under his belt, it would be several months before his association with Dave Brubeck's classic quartet. Perhaps this fact was on the minds of the folks at Intro, because initial pressings of the album gave very little indication that Morello was, in fact, the session's leader. Instead, it was packaged rather like a jam session date in that Red Norvo, Art Pepper, Gerry Wiggins, and Morello all received equal billing on the front cover. Add to this a different title (Collections) printed on both the jacket and spine and it's a wonder people refer to it as The Joe Morello Sextet at all. Regardless, the most interesting performances on this record are by the similarly young Pepper, who appears on five of the album's ten tracks. Pepper sticks to alto sax on all but the appropriately titled original "Tenor Blooz," and delivers a meatier-than-expected tone for an alto player. Fine performances by both Norvo and Wiggins help make this a timeless West Coast jazz release. No real surprises here, but every track is a gem. Easily recommended for fans of the genre. *Brandon Burke*

Quite a rare one from the LA scene of the late 50s — a one-off session that features a group led by Red Norvo on vibes, and also including Art Pepper on alto and tenor, Howard Roberts on guitar, Gerry Wiggins on piano, Joe Morello on drums, and Ben Tucker on bass. The unlikely group really gell well together — thanks especially to Pepper, who plays with that strong and soulful line that he's got on some of the better tiny label sessions that he recorded at the time. Tracks include "Tenor Blooz", "Little Girl", "Pepper Steak", "Yardbird Suite", and "Straight Life". *dustygroove.com*

1- Tenor Blooz

(Art Pepper)

2 - You're Driving Me Crazy

(Walter Donaldson)

3- Sweet Georgia Brown

(Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard, Kenneth Casey)

4 - Little Girl

(Francis Henry, Madeline Hyde)

5- Pepper Steak

(Art Pepper)

6 - Have You Met Miss Jones?

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

7 - Yardbird Suite

(Charlie Parker)

8 - I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You

(Victor Young, Bing Crosby, Ned Washington)

9 - I've Got The World On A String

(Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler)

10 - Straight Life

(Art Pepper)

Art Pepper (alto sax [#2, #5, #7, #10], tenor sax [#1]), Red Norvo (vibes), Gerry Wiggins (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Ben Tucker (bass), Joe Morello (drums).

Recorded at United Western Recorders, Los Angeles, California, January 3, 1957.

Buddy Collette - Calm, Cool & Collette

I became very serious with music in my last year of High School, and knew it was for me. I took up clarinet about this time and started studying sax, clarinet and piano with a great teacher named Floyd Reese. I owe a lot to him. He taught me chords, progressions, scales, harmony, etc. Before I went to Floyd, I was just playing what I heard. I would listen for the chard, and then play it. I soon found out this wouldn’t work all the time, because there were many piano players who did't know the tunes either. After studying with Floyd Rees for two years I began to really understand what to do. In 1942 I enlisted in the U.S.N.R. and made first class musician in, the Navy band. Later, I was put in charge of a military aid dance band. We needed music for our dance band, so i began to write short arrangements and counter melodies to some of the tunes that I knew. This was the beginning of my composing and arranging. 

After getting out of the Service in 1946, I helped organize an all-star group with such artists as Charles Mingus — Bass; Lucky Thompson — Tenor; Britt Woodman — Trombone; Spauldin Givens — Piano, and Oscar Bradley — Drums. The group was terrific. We had six writers out of seven guys and this really made each guy work hard to bring in something good. After the group broke up, I started studying at Los Angeles Conservatory, then later I studied at California Academy of Music, and the American Operatic Laboratory. I started playing Flute while at Los Angeles Conservatory and later studied with Martin Ruderman and Henry Woempner. I studied Sax with Merle Johnston, Clarinet with Soccorso Pirolo, and the Shillinger System of Musical Composition with Franklyn Marks.

I think of the quartet as one section. When I play Flute, I think of some Chamber Group or Woodwind Group. With tenor or alto, I still try to blend with my rhythm section as though they were other horns. In this way, we get a lot of variety for a quartet. We enjoyed making this album for ABC-Paramount very much because of the freedom we had. *Buddy Collette (liner notes)*

Quite possibly the rarest session ever cut by Buddy Collette — a quartet session with an unusual group that includes Dick Shreve on piano, John Goodman on bass, and Bill Dolney on drums — all players that get past the usual west coast crew that Buddy mostly recorded with! The format here builds on Colette's work with the Chico Hamilton group — and features a number of sprightly tracks with flute in the lead, and Hamilton-like support from the rest of the group. But then there's other numbers that have Buddy more out front on alto sax — blowing with a nice raspy edge and a bit more of a bop feel that's mighty nice. *dustygroove.com*

In the summer of 1956, Buddy Collette left Chico Hamilton’s successful quintet to begin his own career as a leader. His first quartet stayed together for three months. Then, along with John Goodman, still on bass, Buddy found in pianist Dick Shreve, and drummer Bill Dolney, his ideal rhythm section. With such an outstanding group, Collette, on alto, tenor, clarinet and flute, developed a concept full of beauty, taste and strength, played with warmth and great feeling.

Dick Shreve, too, proves in this session that he was not only a talented and underrated pianist in a gentle and reflective manner, but also a fine composer. *Jordi Pujol*

Side 1

1 - Winston Walks

(Goodman)

2 - If She Had Stayed

(Shreve)

3 - They Can't Take That Away From You

(G. and I. Gershwin)

4 - Undecided

(Shavers, Robin)

5 - Flute In "D"

(Collette)

6 - The Continental

(Conrad, Magidson)

Side 2

7 - Three And One

(Collette)

8 - Night In Tunisia

(Paperelli, Gillespie)

9 - Johnny Walks

(Collette)

10 - Perfidia

(Dominguez)

11 - Morning Jazz

(Shreve)

Buddy Collette (alto sax [#4, #9)], tenor sax [#2, #7], flute [#1, #3, #5, #8, #10], clarinet [#6, #11]), Dick Shreve (piano), John Goodman (bass), Bill Dolney (drums). 

Recorded at ABC Studios, Hollywood, California, January 24, 1957.

Art Farmer • Benny Golson - Meet The Jazztet

"This is a musical organization and we want it to sound like that, not like the usual jam session that goes under that name. The jam session can be a wonderful thing, but it’s a hell of a thing to try to pull off every night!" That’s the way Art Farmer thinks of the aims and ideas of The Jazztet. 

"What we’re actually trying to do is to get a loose sound that allows each man a chance to say what he has to say musically on his instrument, but still have uniformity and togetherness". That’s the way it is for Benny Golson. 

The Jazztet, in case you are meeting it for the first time is a musical organization that does not sound like the usual jam session, and in which each man has a chance to say what he, has to say, but in which there is still uniformity and togetherness.

The genesis of The Jazztet goes back to the summer of 1959. "Art had in mind to organize a group and approached me", Golson says, "and I had in mind to get a group and approached him!"

Farmer and Golson are both careful planners and this is reflected in the group. Arrangements are mutually discussed and plotted, and all the rest of the minutae of organizing and routining a band is a community enterprise. In a night club each member of the front line is given a feature number, and it is interesting, in view of their concept of the group as a unit, that even on such tunes the other two men are busy now and again with little backgrounds and fills.

They have deliberately chosen a name that does not include the name of any of the men and they are willing to fight club owners and anyone else for the length of time necessary to put this name across. "Naturally I think the music itself is the important thing", Golson says. "If you re really producing the music, you can call the group anything!" But The Jazztet is what they have elected to call it and it will stick. You can mark it down in your book as one of the groups in jazz that will make it. *Ralph J. Gleason (liner notes)*

The first album of "Meet Jazztet" is a musical manifesto of the first order. Meet The Jazztet must undoubtedly be placed among the jewels of modern jazz. Essential. *Ernest Stevenson*

When people discuss the cream of the hard-bop crop, names such as Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Art Blakey, and Horace Silver usually rise to the top. Without question, the Jazztet deserves inclusion in that discussion. Co-leaders Farmer and Golson had already made names for themselves before the sextet's 1960 recording debut; upstarts Curtis Fuller and McCoy Tyner were well on their way. Benefiting from Golson's usual crafty arrangements, the ensemble rolls through 10 cuts, offering a nifty combination of down-home funk and lyrical flair. Two of Golson's most revered compositions — the gentle "I Remember Clifford", led by Farmer's silky trumpet, and the urgent "Blues March" — accompany the original recording of Golson's "Killer Joe", which includes his verbal description of the title character. The band also rips merrily through Cole Porter's "It's All Right with Me" and struts easily through Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So". *Marc Greilsamer*

One of the top hard bop contingents of the '50s and '60s, the Art Farmer and Benny Golson co-led group known as the Jazztet featured some of the best original charts and soloing of the entire era. While the group was only in existence between 1959-1962, its excellent reputation could rest on this stunning disc alone. Cut in 1960, the ten-track date features four of Golson's classic originals ("I Remember Clifford", "Blues March", "Park Avenue Petite", and "Killer Joe") and one very fetching Farmer-penned cut ("Mox Nix"). The rest of the standards-heavy mix is given the golden touch by the sextet. And what a combo this is — besides Farmer's svelte trumpet lines and Golson's frenetically vaporous tenor solos, one gets a chance to hear a young but already very accomplished McCoy Tyner, the tart and mercurial trombonist Curtis Fuller, and the streamlined rhythm tandem of Addison Farmer and Lex Humphries. An essential hard bop title. *Stephen Cook*

Here is the swinging debut of the Jazztet, the group that set the jazz world on fire just a few months after they made their official first public appearance on November 16, 1959 in New York’s Five Spot café.

Art Farmer and Benny Golson led this sextet that sounds like a big band, with the idea of giving ample space to each soloist, but within a framework that did more than set up lines at the beginning and end in a jam session type of group. With composer-arranger Golson doing the majority of the writing, this was fully accomplished. "I feel that with three horns, we can get any effect we want. How do we get such a big sound? It’s really no trick. It’s there and obvious — you just have to pick the right notes. They’re there. You have to emulate the things you have in your mind", said Golson.

The Jazztet won the new star award among jazz groups in the 1960 Down Beat International Jazz Critics poll. *Jordi Pujol*

Side 1

1 - Serenata

(Anderson, Parrish)

2 - It Ain't Necessarily So

(G. and I. Gershwin)

3 - Avalon

(Rose, DeSylva, Jolson)

4 - I Remember Clifford

(Golson)

5 - Blues March

(Golson)

Side 2

6 - It's All Right With Me

(Porter)

7 - Park Avenue Petite

(Golson)

8 - Mox Nix

(Farmer)

9 - Easy Living

(Robin, Rainger)

10 - Killer Joe

(Golson)

Art Farmer (trumpet), Benny Golson (tenor sax, narrator [#10]), Curtis Fuller (trombone), McCoy Tyner (piano), Addison Farmer (bass), Lex Humphries (drums).

Recorded at Nola Penthouse Studios, New York City, February 6, 9 and 10, 1960.

Horace Silver - Silver's Blue

Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver is the most important new keyboard comet to flash across the jazz firmament in recent years. This statement, though it may sound like a publicity blurb, happens to reflect the opinion of an authoritative body of prominent musicians.

Here is an album that presents one of the brightest, hardest-swinging groups in contemporary jazz. There may be many items in your collection that you would gladly be willing to trade for these seven pieces of Silver. *Leonard Feather (liner notes [1956])*

Silver’s Blue was basically a Jazz Messengers record, but since Art Blakey wasn’t on it and since he was so vital a component of the original Messengers, it was decided that this was to be a Horace Silver Quintet album. But the elements of the record are the same — some original tunes, some treatments of standards and good, solid playing from everyone. My influences have always been the same — the best in American music. Gospel, blues, bebop, show tunes, Latin rhythms, even American classical music show up in my writing.

*Horace Silver (liner notes [2005])*

In my late twenties and early thirties, most of the jazz record companies wanted their artists to record standard compositions that people were familiar with. They would allow you to record some original compositions, but their main thrust was the standards. I recorded an album called Silver's Blue for Epic Records in 1956. George Avakian was the producer. I approached him with six originals that I wanted to record. He wanted me to do three standards and three originals. I reviewed some of my favorite standard compositions and chose three to arrange for the session. The session came off well, and I am proud of it.

*Horace Silver (from Let’s Get to the Nitty Gritty: The Autobiography of Horace Silver)*

Two sessions (sic) in the mid-'50s produced the material for this album, which despite or perhaps because of being one of the historical early recordings of the Horace Silver Quintet, was later treated to a confusing mess of reissues, some of which never really mentioned what was so historic about the material in the first place. Maybe there was no reason to, since by the new millennium the type of groovy, funky jazz Silver was famous for had become so in demand that any recording of the authentic item was considered coated with golden fairy dust. In the late '80s, when this particular imprint was released on the public, just the fact that it was a reissue of something old seemed to be enough. The liner notes begin with a pretentious description of the lengths to which the geniuses who remastered this went, in order to not only preserve the integrity of the original tapes but to bring them up to the standards of the era. Which everyone knows were no standards and, anyway, these tapes sounded fantastic in the first place.

First off, the liner notes should have said, "Listen to Hank Mobley". The tenor saxophonist is the first to solo on the title track, and what a beautiful improvisation it is, always centered around the blues but twisting through some melodic turns of phrases that reference folk songs and who knows what else. Besides the pianist, who is in his usual tasty form, it is Mobley who makes this álbum really breathe, as neither trumpeter Will really knock one's socks off. Joe Gordon is a bit undersung, true, but he also has a pinched sound in the upper register and a habit of noodling his way from change to change as if he felt inspiration was just around the corner. For the second sesión he is replaced by Donald Byrd, who has his moments despite relying on stock phrases at times when the intensity of his solo is just building up. The arrangement of "How Long Has This Been Going On?" is refreshingly quiet and gentle, showing that Silver had more than one direction and bringing forth another type of tone from Mobley, all velvet and feathers. Songwriter Frank Loesser's "I'll Know" is also given a bright, catchy arrangement. The theme is stated in a series of slowly unfolding pronouncements building up to a great moment right before the solos start, when a strong medium-tempo groove comes in. On his solo, the pianist lays out his notes like a casino dealer providing cards all around to all the players, following blues licks with rapid chromatic bop devilments. The original "Shoutin' Out" is the kind of stuff Silver is really known for, and it is fantastic. The fine drummer Kenny Clarke, who always played well with Silver, is on hand throughout.

*Eugene Chadbourne*

The Horace Silver Quintet

Silver's Blue

1 - Silver's Blue

(Horace Silver)

2 - To Beat Or Not To Beat

(Horace Silver)

3 - How Long Has This Been Going On?

(Ira and George Gershwin)

4 - I'll Know

(Frank Loesser)

5 - Shoutin' Out

(Horace Silver)

6 - Hank's Tune

(Hank Mobley)

7 - The Night Has A Thousand Eyes

(Buddy Bernier, Jerry Brainin)

Horace Silver (piano); Joe Gordon [#2, #5], Donald Byrd [#1, #3, #4, #6,#7] (trumpets); Hank Mobley (tenor sax); Doug Watkins (bass); Kenny Clarke [#2, #5], Art Taylor [#1, #3, #4, #6,#7] (drums).

Recorded at Columbia Studio "D", New York City, July 2 (#2, #5), July 18 (#3, #6, #7) and July 19 (#1, #4), 1956.

Julius Wechter - Jazz:West & Intro Sessions

Before vibraphonist Julius Wechter became a pop-rock studio musician in Los Angeles,  played marimba on Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass recordings, led Alpert's Baja Marimba Band, wrote "Spanish Flea" for the Tijuana Brass and played on movie and television soundtracks in Hollywood, he was a West Coast jazz combo leader.

Born in Chicago in 1935, Wechter moved to Los Angeles when he was 8. When he was 21, he recorded two swinging albums in the mid-1950s —Linear Sketches for the Jazz:West label in May 1956, and an album for Intro Records with a quintet in 1957 that went unreleased. Now, both have been issued on a single, 24-bit digitally remastered CD as The Julius Wechter Quartet & Quintet 1956-1957 by Fresh Sound.

Linear Sketches featured Cy Colley, Jr. (as), Julius Wechter (vib), James Bates (b) and Frank DeVito (d). Colley recorded this one album and then disappeared, either into the studios or another occupation. Which is rather odd given how good he is on here, with a sound on his alto saxophone that's somewhere between Art Pepper and Charlie Mariano. I'm not sure if James Bates is still with us and Frank DeVito has a webpage.

The second album features a Wechter-assembled quintet: John Bambridge, Jr. (cl), Julius Wechter (vib), Dennis Budimir (g), James Bates (b) and Jerry Williams (d). Bambridge's last known recording was in 1998, Budimir died in January, and Williams' last known recording was in 1990. Bill Kirchner tells me Bambridge later played alto saxophone and arranged for the Tonight Show band in Los Angeles. So how did Fresh Sound wind up issuing what was never released?

There's a fascinating note in the booklet accompanying the new release:

Tracks #9 to #15 are previously unreleased and they have been taken from a unique disc (test pressing) used to test the recording quality of a vinyl master. The original sound is very good, but unfortunately, on this copy, a superficial noise appears that is sometimes quite present. We have chosen not to seek to attenuate it down at all costs, preferring to keep the sound as natural as possible. In spite of everything, we regret not having been able to include the three tracks that are missing from this album which, due to their state of deterioration, we have not been able to restore.

I didn't hear the sound referred to in the note above, so if it's there, higher-end systems may pick it up. And I count five missing tracks: "Get Happy", "Greensleeves", "Mambo", "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" and an untitled song.

The music on both albums is uniformly excellent. Here, again, is what Fresh Sound does so well —rescuing little-known jazz recordings that would never be re-issued by label conglomerates in the U.S. Can you imagine if Fresh Sound never existed? We wouldn't have had the joy and privilege to experience thousands of great jazz albums by astonishing artists simply because there's no way for U.S. labels to turn a profit. For filling this gap in jazz history, Jordi Pujol, the founder and owner of Fresh Sound, is truly a jazz hero and savior.

Julius Wechter died of cancer at age 63 in 1999. *Marc Myers*

The Julius Wechter Quartet & Quintet 1956-1957

Jazz:West & Intro Sessions

I didn’t recognize Julius Wechter’s name but with a little digging I found he played vibes and percussion for Martin Denny in the 1950s. In the 1960s he worked on movie and television soundtracks.

He did session work for people like the Beachboys, the Monkees, and Sonny & Cher. He played with Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass for quite a while. In 1963 he formed the Baja Marimba Band.

Before all this Wechter recorded two delightful west coast jazz records, Linear Sketches and a quintet recording that never saw the light of day. Somehow Fresh Sound Records found a test pressing of the unreleased material and released it as a 24-bit digitally remastered CD . The sound on both of the recording dates is excellent.

Linear Sketches Cy Colley, Jr. on alto sax with Julius Wechter on vibes, James Bates on bass, and Frank DeVito on drums. Colley seemed to disappear after this recording which is strange because he was a good player. He’s not Art Pepper but that’s who he reminds me of. Colley wrote "Cy’s Blues", one of the better tunes on the album.

Bass player Jim Bates is a great timekeeper and he throws out some really nice solos on both sessions. "My Melancholy Baby" is one of the most overworked tunes in the jazz repertoire but this version is pleasantly upbeat. Bates solo adds some needed panache.

For the 1957 recording John Bambridge, Jr. was added on clarinet. He’s a fine player but he sounds like swing-era Benny Goodman. Someone like Buddy DeFranco probably would have been a better fit.

Dennis Budimir was on guitar and his fluid single note improvs sound great. Budimir died this year at the age of 84. He mainly did session work but he seemed to have worked with everyone from Tom Waits and Frank Zappa to Stan Getz and the Carpenters. He played on more than 900 movie soundtracks.

Cool West Coast jazz was a response to the fast-paced bebop style of jazz coming out of the East Coast. Cool jazz tried to be laid back. It used multiple melodic lines interweaving with subtle harmonies. You could often catch glimpses of classical composers like Debussy and Ravel.

Besides the great jazz vibes from Julius Wechter this is another example of Fresh Sound Records preserving a piece of jazz history. American labels would never reissue these sessions.. It wouldn’t be profitable enough for them. *Tim Larsen*

Julius Wechter played vibes in a combo that won first place at the initial Festival of Inter-collegiate Jazz in April of 1954 sponsored by Howard Rumsey at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach. Saxophonist Cy Colley was part of that combo and joined Wechter as they formed a quartet to play clubs in Los Angeles after graduating from Los Angeles City College.

Herb Kimmel heard the quartet and recorded them for his Jazz:West label in 1956. The resulting album, Linear Sketches, was awarded three and a half stars in Nat Hentoff’s review of the albumin Down Beat. Herb Kimmel departed the jazz scene after recording his last album, The Return of Art Pepper, in August of 1956.

Don Clark was hired as director of A&R to continue the jazz line as Intro Records for the parent company handling distribution for Jazz:West, Aladdin Records. Clark produced several albums for the new label including a second album by Julius Wechter that reached the test pressing stage before Aladdin terminated the jazz line. The aborted album showcases the recording debut of guitarist, Dennis Budimir, who continued to forge an impressive jazz career with Harry James, Chico Hamilton, Bobby Troup, and Bud Shank to name a few.

Wechter replaced Arthur Lyman in Martin Denny’s exotica ensemble in 1958 where he played vibes, marimba, percussion, and continued to compose original music for Denny’s group. A chance studio gig playing marimbas on Herb Alpert’s first Tijuana Brass albumin 1962, The Lonely Bull, led to joining the Tijuana Brass and later creating a spin-off, the Baja Marimba Band. *James A. Harrod*

1 - Trousseau

(Julius Wechter)

2 - Autumn Leaves

(Mercer, Prevert, Kosma)

3 - Love Letters

(Heyman, Young)

4 - My Melancholy Baby

(Norton, Burnett)

5 - Cy’s Blues

(Cy Colley)

6 - I Remember You

(Mercer, Schertzinger)

7 - I’ll Close My Eyes

(Kay, Reid)

8 - Sissy

(Julius Wechter)

9 - Undecided

(Robin, Shavers)

10 - Dave’s Tune

(Julius Wechter)

11 - Scotch Hop

(Julius Wechter)

12 - Peanuts

(Julius Wechter)

13 - Melancholy Serenade

(Jackie Gleason)

14 - Lover Man

(Davis, Ramirez, Sherman)

15 - Blues Riff

(Julius Wechter)

#1 to #8, from the album Linear Sketches (Jazz:West LP-9)

The Julius Wechter Quartet

Julius Wechter (vibes), Cy Colley, Jr. (alto sax), Jim Bates (bass), Frank DeVito (drums).

Recorded at Master Recorders, Los Angeles, California, May 5, 1956.

#9 to #15, from a previously unissued album by Intro Records

The Julius Wechter Quintet

Julius Wechter (vibes), John Bambridge, Jr. (clarinet), Dennis Budimir (guitar), Jim Bates (bass), Jerry Williams (drums).

Recorded at Audio Arts Recording Studio, Los Angeles, California, March 27, 1957.

For more interesting reading on this go here