James Moody - Flute 'N The Blues

When a musician as high up on the musical ladder of success as James Moody completes a two-day recording session, sandwiched between two distant in-person engagements, with a glowing look of satisfaction, you listeners and legion fans can be assured that the finished product, herewith enclosed, is a real "gasser"...

The true essence of Jazz is maintained throughout the 10 tunes on this LP... Swing... Creativeness... Individuality of Conception... Positive, Professional approach... AND... The ability to Interpret the Composers Original Idea, so that even he may recognize it!!! How rare this last talent, Indeed...

Material-wise, the music here-in is either "Blues" or a "Standard". The title tune of the album, "Flute 'N The Blues" showcases MOODY on his newly conquered instrument, the ever-lovin' Flute... (Evidently a new-found necessity in todays Modern Jazz Scene). The way James gets down into it should have "flautists" galore hitting the wood-shed trail. On "Flute N'", and "BOO'S TUNE", with just the rhythm section him, J. Moody really does what he so aptly calls, "The Thing"... I Think you'll agree that, "The Thing" is really it!

"CREATIVE" is the most happy to welcome JAMES MOODY his FLUTE, TENOR, ALTO, MIND, and BAND into our select group of JAZZ ARTISTS... The recording date was a ball to do, and I'm sure those of you "ear" this LP, the finished High Fidelity Product, will also have a glowing look of satisfaction upon your happy faces. *Joe Segal (liner notes)*

Recorded soon after Moody had taken up the flute demonstrate that he could already put the instrument to rewarding jazz use. This album advertises the instrument’s presence in its title, Flute ‘n’ The Blues, although there is also plenty of the Moody tenor (as on "Body and Soul") and alto (e.g. "Richard’s Blues") to be heard too. Johnny Coles is a distinctive and imaginative musician and his playing, on tracks such as "The Birdland Story" and "Body and Soul", is one of the pleasures of this recording. How far the presence of vocalist Eddie Jefferson on some tracks is to be regarded as a bonus is probably a matter of subjective taste. I must say, I found him more enjoyable in small doses, as here, than I have generally done on albums issued under his own name, where he is heard more extensively. *Glyn Pursglove*

This fairly rare LP features James Moody's septet of 1956, a fine bop-based unit that also includes trumpeter Johnny Coles and pianist Jimmy Boyd. Moody, who had just begun to play flute, is heard on that instrument along with tenor and alto; an added plus are Eddie Jefferson's three vocals (including his alternate lyrics for "Parker's Mood"). The basic material (mostly standards and blues) are given spirited and swinging treatment by the underrated group. *Scott Yanow*

1 - Flute 'N The Blues

(Harold Newboldt, James Moody, Arthur Boyd)

2 - Birdland Story

(Eddie Jefferson, Moody)

3 - It Could Happen To You

(Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke)

4 - I Cover The Waterfront

(Edward Heyman, Johnny Green)

5 - Body And Soul

(Heyman, Green, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton)

6 - Breaking The Blues

(John Adriano Acea)

7 - Parker's Mood

(Charlie Parker)

8 - Easy Living

(Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger)

9 - Boo's Tune

(Florence Pleasant)

10 - Richard's Blues

(Moody, Newboldt)

James Moody (tenor sax, alto sax, flute), Johnny Coles (trumpet), William Shepherd (trombone), Pee Wee Moore (baritone sax), Jimmy Boyd (piano), John Lathan (bass), Clarence Johnston (drums), Eddie Jefferson (vocal [#2, #4, #7]).

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, February 1956 [other source gives November 1956].

Dennis Farnon - Caution! Men Swinging

Dennis Farnon was born in 1923 in Toronto, Canada as John Denis Farnon to Robert and Elsie Farnon (née Menzies). He grew up in a musical family, and learned to play the trumpet at age 12. Through his older brother Robert, he enlisted into the Canadian Army Band, also travelling to Europe to entertain the Allied troops during the last years of the war. In his mid-20s, he moved to Chicago where he played in jazz clubs and pursued studies in conducting, arranging, and orchestration, strongly influenced by the works of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Béla Bartók and Sergey Prokofiev.

Several years later, he accepted an invitation to Hollywood as musical director for singer Johnny Holiday, and he stayed, continuing to compose, conduct and arrange. In 1956, he was tapped by RCA Records to head their West Coast A&R and signed on as producer, arranger and recording artist. During that time, the Dennis Farnon Orchestra recorded numerous albums, including Magoo in Hi-Fi, over 10 episodes of Mr Magoo cartoon shorts, Chet Atkins in Hollywood, Velvet Carpet with The George Shearing's Quintet, The Enchanted Woods, Songs From The Motion Picture Gigi, While My Lady Sleeps with Phineas Newborn Jr., and Caution! Men Swinging.

This roaring, vibrant album has all the drive, sparkle and vibrancy that characterized swing big bands in their heyday, plus imaginative new ideas. Not only is the swing youthful, but Dennis Farnon's own musical imagination has also brought it up to date and added new lustre and meaning to the idiom. Caution! Men Swinging stands out for its precision and powerhouse sound of the brass and sax sections in the overall set, arranged and conducted by Canadian Dennis Farnon. In addition, there is ample room for solo blowing by Don Fagerquist, who plays all the jazz trumpet; pianists Lou Levy and Jimmy Rowles, guitarist Howard Roberts, tenor Ted Nash, plus the superb lead trumpet work of Frank Beach and George Roberts' bass trombone very present at all times. This 1957 album was the only jazz LP Farnon recorded in his entire career and, possibly thinking he could hardly have surpassed it, he devoted his work primarily to writing arrangements and conducting for pop singers. Enjoy this fantastic swinging big band session! *Jordi Pujol*

Back in the 1950s, as the Big Band Era was slowly dying, the money for musicians was to be made in the studios, with alumni from Herman, Rogers and Kenton playing for TV shows and movies in order to pay off their mortgages in  the San Fernando Valley. Here are a couple swinging albums from Hollywood in the swinging Eisenhower Years.

Canadian conductor Dennis Farron leads a 1957 studio orchestra that includes Pete Condoli/tp, Ted Nash/ts, Bob Enevoldsen/vtb, Howard Roberts/g, Jimmy Rowles-Lou Levy/p and Alvin Stoller/dr for a mix of originals and standards. They sound like a background sound track for a film noir on the swaggering "Caution! Men Swinging" while the muted horns sway on "Lover Come Back To Me". West Coast Cool moods dominate "Why Don’t You Do Right" while big brass is bold on "Just You, Just Me" with the team sounding like Kenton on the hard hitting "Three Little Words". Bright primary colors. *George W. Harris*

Side 1

1 - Caution! Men Swinging

(Dennis Farnon)

2 - Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year

(Frank Loesser)

3 - Lover Come Back To Me

(Oscar Hammerstein, Sigmund Romberg)

4 - Shoo-Shoo Baby

(Phil Moore)

5 - Just You, Just Me

(Jessie Greer, Raymond Klages)

Side 2

06 - Isle Of Capri

(Wilhelm Grosz, James Kennedy)

07 - South Of The Border

(M. Beresford, J. B. Kennedy)

08 - It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

(Duke Ellington, Irving Mills)

09 - Why Don't You Do Right

(Joe McCoy)

10 - Three Little Words

(Harry Ruby)

11 - Resume Speed

(Dennis Farnon)

Pete Candoli, Frank Beach, Don Fagerquist, Paul Geil (trumpets); Tommy Pederson, Joe Howard (trombones); Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone); George Roberts (bass trombone); Jack Dumont, Brian Farnon (alto saxes); Ted Nash, Gene Cipriano (tenor saxes); Chuck Gentry (baritone sax); Howard Roberts (guitar); Jimmy Rowles [#1, #2, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9], Lou Levy [#3, #4, #10, #11] (pianos); Cliff Hills (bass); Alvin Stoller (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, May 30, 1957.

 

Kenny Dorham - Afro-Cuban

McKinley Howard Dorham is a trumpet player who was taken for granted. 

For several years, mainly the halcyon years of the bop movement, Kenny was Mr. Available for every trumpet chair in every band and combo. If Dizzy wasn't around and Howard McGhee was out of town, there was always Kenny. And so it went from about 1945 to '51, always in the shadow of those who had been first to establish themselves in the vanguard of the new jazz. 

Slowly, in the past few years, Kenny has emerged from behind this bop bushel to show the individual qualities that were ultimately to mark him for independent honors. Numerous chores as a sideman on record dates for various small companies led to his inclusion in the important Horace Silver Quintet dates for Blue Note, and, as a result of his fine work on these occasions, to the signing of an exclusive Blue Note contract and his first date for this label as a combo leader on his own. 

For this session with its Afro-Cuban rhythmic motif, Kenny says "I tried to write everything so that the rhythm would be useful throughout and would never get in the way". As a consequence, the Cuban touch sounds as if it is a part of the whole, rather than something that has been superimposed on a jazz scene, as is sometimes the case.

Kenny Dorham's Blue Note debut as a leader marks an important phase in his career. After hearing these sides, the fans who for so long had been only vaguely aware of his real capabilities will learn that here is a soloist and a composer whose sound and pen are destined from now on to play a lively and stimulating role on the jazz stage. *Leonard Feather*

There are good names here, and an often exciting brand of jazz over a mostly Cuban rhythm. Dorham is a fine modern trumpeter and then there are J. J. Johnson, trombone; Hank Mobley, tenor; Horace Silver, piano; Oscar Pettiford, bass; Art Blakey, drums, etc., all of whom have plenty to say. If pushed, this could sell nicely to modern. *Billboard, November 5, 1955*

Considered Kenny Dorham's finest recording of his all-too-short career, this re-reissue has been newly remastered and presumably now includes all of the takes from these nonet and sextet sessions of 1955. Considering the time period, this date remains way ahead of the Latin-tinged and hard bop music that would follow. It would be difficult to assess the sextet being a step below the larger group effort, but only because it is much less Afro-Cuban. Nonetheless the unmistakable drumming of Art Blakey powers the combo through the blisteringly swinging "La Villa" with unison horns (Hank Mobley, tenor sax; Cecil Payne, baritone sax). The other easy swinging pieces "K.D.'s Motion", "Venita's Dance", and "Echo of Spring/K.D.'s Car Ride" display great group empathy and seem effortless, though they're not. It's the Latin-based music that really differentiates this band from all others of this era, save Dizzy Gillespie's. Payne's robust bari ignites the hip call-and-response motif of "Afrodisia", while his horn in tandem with pianist Horace Silver backs the up-front horns, supplemented by trombonist J.J. Johnson, for the heated mambo-ish hard bopper "Basheer's Dream". Two takes of "Minor's Holiday" are, curiously enough, exactly the same time at 4:24, both super cooking with Dorham's clear-as-a-bell trumpet leading the other horns, which practically act as backup singers. Percussionist Carlos "Patato" Valdes is the perfect spice added to this dish. The lone ballad, "Lotus Flower", is remarkable in that its marked tender restraint feels on the brink of wanting to cut loose, but never does. A first-rate recording for the under-appreciated Dorham, this one should be in every collection of all true music lovers. *Michael G. Nastos*

Title is only half true, for one side of this collection spots straight jazz blowing with a quintet running thru fleet, if boppish. Dorham originals. Trumpeter Dorham is in fine form thruout; more colorful within Afro-Cuban rhythmic frame. These tracks spot Blakey, J. J. Johnson, Mobley, etc. Latter have been released before; quintet sides are new. Worth price for solo and rhythmic. Should be able to find buyers among both Latin and jazz clientele. *Billboard, May 20, Mayo 1957*

1 - Afrodisia

(Kenny Dorham)

2 - Lotus Flower

(Kenny Dorham)

3 - Minor's Holiday

(Kenny Dorham)

4 - Basheer's Dream

(Gigi Gryce)

5 - K.D.'s Motion

(Kenny Dorham)

6 - La Villa

(Kenny Dorham)

7 - Venita's Dance

(Kenny Dorham)

8 - Echo Of Spring (aka K.D.'s Cab Ride)

(Kenny Dorham)

9 - Minor's Holiday (alternate take)

(Kenny Dorham)

Kenny Dorham (trumpet); J.J. Johnson (trombone [#1 to #4, #9]); Hank Mobley (tenor sax); Cecil Payne (baritone sax); Horace Silver (piano); Oscar Pettiford [#1 to #4, #9], Percy Heath [#5 to #8] (basses); Art Blakey (drums); Carlos "Patato" Valdes (congas [#1 to #4, #9]); Richie Goldberg (cowbell [#1 to #4, #9]).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, January 30 (#5 to #8) and March 29, 1955 (#1 to #4, #9). 

Shorty Rogers - Afro-Cuban Influence

Afro-Cuban music is probably the only musical import to come to America and become an integral part of our own music. The pulsating rhythms of Africa and Cuba 

have been liberally sprinkled into our pop music. It has influenced our religious and spiritual songs. It has found its way into our folk tunes. But nowhere has it left such an indelible mark as in the jazz music of our country — an art form that was essentially bred in America and which we now export with great pride throughout the world.

Without going into all the causes and effects, the term "Afro-Cuban Jazz" has been in use here for many years. Many great American bands have made use of its exciting musical colors — Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton and Dizzy Gillespie, to mention a few, are American-born musicians whose bands have come under the Afro-Cuban influence. Bands like those of Tito Puente, Machito and Perez Prado are also exciting examples of basically Afro-Cuban groups influenced by our native 

American jazz. Whichever way you look at it, the simplest way to describe the result is "Afro-Cuban Jazz".

This album is the result of collaboration by Carlos Vidal, Modesto Duran and myself. The three of us have always been fascinated by the richness, the moods, the color, the variety and the often wild excitement that Afro-Cuban music generates.

Throughout this album, we have given free reign to our impulses, fully conscious that we were leaning on, and affected by, what is perhaps the most dominant single factor in American music today — the AFRO-CUBAN INFLUENCE. *Shorty Rogers (liner notes)*

Shorty Rogers acknowledges the influence of Afro-Cuban music on this RCA Victor date, with a big band that is augmented by no fewer than eight Latin percussionists, along with drummer Shelly Manne. The leader is heard on flügelhorn exclusively. The entire first side of the record is devoted to "Wuayacañjanga Suite", a collaborative work by Rogers, Carlos Vidal, and Modesto Duran. Although the vocal segments can grow tiresome quickly, the variety within this extended suite is compelling. The flip side salutes earlier Afro-Cuban compositions by a number of jazz masters. His percolating arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" is stretched out considerably, while the less well-known Duke Ellington-Juan Tizol piece "Moon Over Cuba" demonstrates the lyrical dimension of this style. Bud Powell's thrilling "Un Poco Loco" is played at a furious tempo, with a brilliant exchange between the individual horns and brass. Sadly, none of the soloists are identified on this highly recommended LP, which has been reissued overseas as Manteca Afro-Cuban Influence, but it has not reappeared in the U.S. *Ken Dryden*

A wonderful album of Latin grooves from Shorty! The record is one of his best, and features a whopping array of percussionists — including Carlos Vidal, Modesto Durán, and Mike Pacheco all coming into play with Shorty's west coast style of arrangements, tweaked greatly here to pick up an Afro Cuban sound. Players include Bud Shank, Bill Holman, Frank Rosolino, Herb Geller, and Bob Cooper — and the album is very similar to Perez Prado's Voodoo Suite álbum, which was also recorded for RCA around the same time. Includes the cuts "Un Poco Loco", "Manteca", "Viva Puente", and the extended suite "Wuayacañjanga".  *dustygroove.com*

Side 1

1 - Wuayacañjanga (Suite)

(Vidal, Durán, Rogers)

Side 2

2 - Manteca

(Fuller, Gillespie, Pozo)

3 - Moon Over Cuba

(Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol)

4 - Viva Puente

(Shorty Rogers)

5 - Un Poco Loco

(Bud Powell)

Shorty Rogers (flügelhorn); Al Porcino, Buddy Childers, Ed Leddy, Don Fagerquist, Ray Triscari (trumpets); Frank Rosolino, Harry Betts (trombones); Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone); George Roberts, Kenny Schroyer (bass trombones); Bud Shank (flute, alto sax); Herb Geller (alto sax); Bob Cooper (oboe, tenor sax); Bill Hood (tenor sax, baritone sax); Chuck Gentry (baritone sax); Joe Mondragon (bass); Shelly Manne (drums); Frank Guerrero (timbales); Carlos Vidal (conga); Modesto Durán, Luis Miranda (conga, percussion); Mike Pacheco (bongos); Juan Cheda (bongos, vocal); Manuel Ochoa Kaskara (vocal, percussion); Sirelda González (maracas, vocal).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Los Angeles, California, June 19 (#1) and June 26 (#2, #3, #4, #5), 1958.

Jack Costanzo - Afro Cuban Jazz North-Of-The-Border

Jack James Costanzo was born in Chicago (September 24, 1919), to Matteo and Virginia Sances Costanzo, both immigrants from Italy. A composer and drummer, Costanzo is best known for having been a bongo player, and was nicknamed "Mr. Bongo". He visited Havana three times in the 1940s and learned to play Afro-Cuban rhythms on the bongos and congas.

Costanzo started as a dancer, touring as a team with his wife before World War II. After his discharge from the Navy, he worked as a dance instructor at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where Latin band leader Bobby Ramos heard Costanzo playing bongos in a jam session and offered him a job. Throughout the 1940s, Costanzo worked with several Latin bands, including a revived version of the Lecuona Cuban Boys, Desi Arnaz, and Rene Touzet.

Costanzo toured with Stan Kenton from 1947 to 1948 and occasionally in the 1950s, and played with Nat King Cole from 1949 to 1953. He also played with the Billy May Orchestra, Peggy Lee, Danny Kaye, Perez Prado, Charlie Barnet, Pete Rugolo, Betty Grable, Harry James, Judy Garland, Patti Page, Jane Powell, Ray Anthony, Martin & Lewis, Frances Faye, Dinah Shore, Xavier Cugat, Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, and Eddie Fisher.

Costanzo formed his own band in the 1950s which recorded and toured internationally. Many Hollywood stars studied bongos with him, including Marlon Brando, Rita Moreno, Carolyn Jones, Hugh O'Brian, Keenan Wynn, Van Johnson, Tony Curtis, Betty Grable, Vic Damone, James Dean, and Gary Cooper.

Costanzo was in retirement until 1998 when he decided to make a comeback and in 2001 recorded Back From Havana under the Ubiquity Records umbrella. This album featured the likes of Black Note's Gilbert Castellanos, Steve Firerobing and the Panamanian singer Marilu. In 2002 he released another album with the same cast called Scorching The Skins this time he also added Quino from Big Mountain. Costanzo has continued to tour and perform in California and abroad.

Costanzo died of complications from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm at his home in Lakeside, California, on August 18, 2018, aged 98.

***

This album represents a milestone for me. Since my days with Stan Kenton and Nat King Cole my aim has been to make acceptable the Conga and Bongo Drums as percussion instruments for all types of music.

To think as a Jazz musician, after having worked exclusively with Latin type orchestras previous to the Kenton crew, and to curb the natural instinct to exploit the instruments so they fit in with all the different types of music and rhythms, and still not interfere with the already established format of a Jazz rhythm section were two of the most important adjustments.

I think on most of these records an example is made, whereby a Conga Drum is used for Jazz and still does not make the listener think in terms of Latin music. We do have a Mambo in the album, however, because I still love to play Latin style arrangements.

Having been the first Bongo man to join a Jazz group was thrilling, but the drawback was in having no idea what to play that would fit the so-called swing or Jazz Bands. Fortunately, I was given complete freedom in the Kenton organization and was able to experiment. At first I used Bongos only for effects — then gradually felt my way thru to a position where I was noticeably helping to change the sound of the rhythm section without getting in the way.

On the solo Drum number, which is titled "Mambo Costanzo", I took the liberty of playing what I felt. These are the sounds I hear when I play, influenced, of course, by what I’ve heard and know of Cuban and African music.

The record is simply a Drum-vocal expression — a one man jam session for my own pleasure.

This is my first recorded efforts with my own group and I think the spirit of how the tunes are played represents the attitude of musicians playing for the sheer love of playing.

*Jack Costanzo (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - Bottlabud

(Holman)

2 - Satin Doll

(Ellington)

3 - Mambo Costanzo

(Costanzo)

Side 2

4 - Yukon Mambo

(Costanzo)

5 - Maggie

(P.D.)

6 - G & J Blues

(Wiggins, Costanzo)

Jack Costanzo (bongos) with

#1, #2:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Herbie Steward (alto sax), Bill Holman (tenor sax), Gerald Wiggins (piano), Joe Comfort (bass), Lawrence Marable (drums).

#4. #5, #6:

John Anderson (trumpet); Herbie Steward (alto sax); Tom Brown (tenor sax); Gerald Wiggins (piano); Jack Coughlan (bass); Al Bartee [#4. #5], Jackie Mills [#6] (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, December 17, 1954.

 

Machito - Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite

Machito (born Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo, December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984) was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music.He was raised in Havana with the singer Graciela, his foster sister.

In New York City, Machito formed the Afro-Cubans in 1940, and with Mario Bauzá as musical director, brought together Cuban rhythms and big band arrangements in one group. He made numerous recordings from the 1940s to the 1980s, many with Graciela as singer. Machito changed to a smaller ensemble format in 1975, touring Europe extensively. He brought his son and daughter into the band, and received a Grammy Award in 1983, one year before he died.

Machito's music had an effect on the careers of many musicians who played in the Afro-Cubans over the years, and on those who were attracted to Latin jazz after hearing him. George Shearing, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Cab Calloway and Stan Kenton credited Machito as an influence. An intersection in East Harlem is named "Machito Square" in his honor.

The famous producer/supervisor Norman Granz was said to get prompted by Stan Kenton's "Cuban Episode" recorded in early 1950. Then Mr. Granz started to record Afro-Cuban flavoured jazz albums using Cuban musicians.

This album is Mr. Granz's first attempt to an unique blend of Modern Jazz and Cuban rhythms, with the help of Machito (bandleader) and Chico O'Farrill (arranger). Collective personnel includes gorgeous members such as Charlie Parker, Flip Phillips, Buddy Rich, Harry Edison et al. Their fruitful improvisations backed up with steady but swingy latin rhythms sounds so attractive.

Definitely one of the masterpiece in the jazz history. *microgroove.jp*

I have always been tremendously interested in Afro-Cuban rhythms and particularly those typified by Machito's Orchestra and by the arrangements done by Chico O'Farrill, who is probably the outstanding arranger in the United States today for that special musical form. I’ve always been curious, too, to see just how our jazzmen would fit into an Afro-Cuban orchestra. I tried this a couple of years ago on some single sides with Charlie Parker and Machito's orchestra and with Flip Phillips and Machito's orchestra, and the results were gratifying. This, however, is the first time that something serious has been done to fuse these two types of music together. I think, though, the best way to explain it is to let Chico O'Farrill, the conductor and composer of this Suite, tell you: "This work is the attempt to organize into a larger form various types of authentic Cuban dance music. I have purposely chosen rather contrasting material in order to emphasize the great variety of aspects offered by this particular branch of folkloric music — in my opinion one of the most interesting. I've also included a jazz episode, thus recognizing trends which started recently in both Cuban and North American music". 

The Suite is divided in two parts; the first part contains two sections subtitled "Cancion" and "Mambo" and the second part is subdivided in three sections: "6/8", "Jazz", and "Rhumba Abierta". The soloist are Flip Phillips on tenor saxophone; Charlie Parker on alto saxophone; and Buddy Rich on drums.

I trust you find this album as provocative and satisfying as we all did in making it.

*Norman Granz (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - Cancion

2 - Mambo (part I)

3 - Mambo (part II)

Side 2

4 - 6/8

5 - Jazz

6 - Rhumba Abierta

(Composed, arranged and conducted by Chico O'Farrell)

Machito and his Orchestra:

Mario Bauzá, Frank "Paquito" Davilla, Harry Edison (trumpets); Al Stewart, Bob Woodlen (trumpets); -unknown- (cl); Gene Johnson, Charlie Parker, Fred Skerritt (alto saxes); Jose Madera, Flip Phillips (tenor saxes); Sol Rabinowitz (tenor sax, baritone sax); Leslie Johnakins (baritone sax); Rene Hernandez (piano); Roberto Rodriguez (bass); Buddy Rich (drums); Rafael Miranda, Chano Chino Pozo (congas); Jose Mangual (bongo); Ubaldo Nieto (timbales); Machito (maracas).

Recorded in New York City, December 21, 1950.

Claude Williamson - Kenton Jazz Presents Claude Williamson

It was in June 1954 that Stan Kenton was made head of a new Capitol Records department titled Stan Kenton Presents. Stan was quick to explain his position to Down Beat magazine: "This doesn't mean I'm going to oversee all of Capitol's jazz, but the preentation of new, modern jazz talent will be on Kenton Presents. What we hope is that the label will build so that it stands on its own. I'm very excited about this, and it will be interesting to see a year from now if we have built some importatnt jazz figures".

The music by the Claude Williamson trio is sublime as is the recording expertise of engineer John Palladino, who was responsible for achieving a perfect balance and capturing the music of all titles on tape. As Dick Bank told me, "This album shows both sides of Claude; a great bebop player who, obviously, could draw very heavily on The Great American Songbook". His complete understanding of what went into Bud Powell performancesis displayed on the opening "Bouncing with Bud". This was first recorded by Powell's quintet in August 1949 when Fats Navarro added his special brand of excitement to the occasion. Claude understands exactly what is required for his trio interpretation, and all the tracks which follow are, with no exaggeration,, masterpieces of the idiom, be it classic bebop or beautifullly resolved ballads.

When the album was released, it contained the following statement from Kenton: "Because jazz, more than any other music, is a reflection of the personality, I think it will prove interesting for the enthusiasts of the music to know something of the traits of each artist being introduced in this department of jazz. Possibly a partial knowledge of his emotional make-up will facilitate an easier communication with his music. Claude Williamson has the kind of finely-drawn sensitivity which gives him a sure and incisive awareness of the emotions of those around him. His stability, in the face of this awareness, is a characteristic which deserves applause. Williamson's soft spoken, unassuming manner, too, is deserving of applause, for it makes friends of musicians and non-musicians alike. The young pianist's life is a serious devotion to jazz — a vigorous, hard-working devotion — which can only result in flawness achievements".

The Capitol sessions of mid-Fifties have a special place in Claude Williamson's memory. They were the first albums he made as leader, and they enabled him to show off his abilities as both an outstanding bebop player and a man who could interpret the finest of songs in a truly unique way. *Alun Morgan*

Side 1

1 - Bouncing With Bud

(Bud Powell)

2 - Salute To Bud

(Claude Williamson)

3 - Penny (solo piano)

(Jimmy Shirl, Ervin Drake)

4 - Thou Swell

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

Side 2

5 - Obsession

(Claude Williamson)

6 - Indiana

(James F. Hanley, Ballard MacDonald)

7 - Over The Rainbow (solo piano)

(Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg)

8 - Curtistan

(Claude Williamson)

Claude Williamson (piano), Curtis Counce (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Recorded at Capitol Melrose Studios, Los Angeles, California, June 26 (#5), June 29 (#3, #6, #7, #8) and July 29 (#1, #2, #4,), 1954.

Milt Bernhart Brass Ensemble - Modern Brass

Milt Bernhart grew up as a musician playing in the bands of Boyd Raeburn, Buddy Franklyn, Jimmy James and Teddy Powell. After that peculiar apprenticeship he joined Stan Kenton's band. The years with Kenton boosted Bernhardt to considerable popularity with jazz followers, and his solos won him repeated high placings in Down Beats readers poll. After that, he was a graduate of the Kenton school of higher learning. But, for the most part, musicians are born, not made, and the notes Milt blew, the phrasing and imagination he so vividly demonstrated, could not have been easily picked up in any learned institution. With this particular group, nucleus of the West Coast school of jazz, he contributed more than his share to its new sounds and seemingly fantastic thought processes. This album includes some of the most inspired trombone playing since the invention of that venerable instrument. *Jordi Pujol*

When RCA Victor decided to make an album showcasing the considerable talents of Milt Bernhart, they searched for an entirely new form of presentation employing not only his horn but a unique voicing and instrumentation in which to frame it. Milt came up with the idea of an all-brass setting, exclusive of the conventional rhythm section. After deciding upon the voicing — two trumpets, Milt's trombone, French horn, bass horn and tuba, along with guitar, string bass and drums — the arrangers were chosen. Certainly no single jazz album ever done has had such a roster of composers-arrangers: Shorty Rogers, Pete Rugolo, Andre Previn, Wes Hensel, Pete Candoli and Jimmy Guiffre — the individual approach of each further enhances their collective reputations as the vanguard of the West Coast school. That they solved any seeming problems should be very evident, for in none of the twelve selections could any lack of color or tonality be detected; in fact, the unique voicing and arranging, the inspired solos and warm feeling of the group as a whole are everywhere evident.

Thus this album features not only Milt Bernhart’s happy, brazen trombone along with other equally great soloists playing superb arrangements, but a fresh and unique — nonetheless valid and justifiable — approach to the problem of extending the horizons of jazz.

Listen then to Modern Brass played by Milt Bernhart and his brass ensemble.

*Paul Krupa (liner notes)*

This is an experimental album that clearly expands the frontiers of modern jazz. Giving a brass section, consisting of two trumpets, trombone, French horn, bass horn amd tuba the task of creating a well-balanced sound without the relieving colors of the usual band sections is practically an invitation to disaster. The success here, against heavy odds, is due chiefly to the skill of the fine arrangers employed for this remarkable set: Pete Rugolo, Shorty Rogers, Andre Previn, Jimmy Giuffre, Wes Hensel and Pete Candoli. The trombone of Bernhart is featured thruout, and in the richly varied fare offered here, his solos are consistently warm and imaginative.

*Billboard, October 15, 1955*

Side 1

1 - The Horns

(Jimmy Giuffre)

2 - Hooray For Hollywood

(Mercer, Whiting)

3 - What Is There To Say

(Harburg, Duke)

4 - Looking For A Boy

(G. and I. Gershwin)

5 - Amor Flamengo

(Laurindo Almeida)

6 - Southern Comfort

(Pete Candoli)

Side 2

7 - London In July

(Vernon Duke)

8 - Tangerine

(Mercer, Schertzinger)

9 - Lavender

(Jimmy Giuffre)

10 - Hillside

(Andre Previn)

11 - It's All Right With Me

(Cole Porter)

12 - Save Your Chops

(Pete Candoli)

Milt Bernhart (trombone) with:

#1, #3, #8, #9

Shorty Rogers [as Roger Milton], Ray Linn (tumpets); Maynard Ferguson (euphonium); John Graas (French horn); Ray Siegel (tuba); Jack Marshall (guitar); Red Mitchell [as Keith Mitchell] (bass); Irv Kluger (drums).

Recorded in Hollywood, California, March 4, 1955.

#5, #7, #12

Shorty Rogers, Pete Candoli (trumpets); Maynard Ferguson (euphonium); John Graas (French horn); Ray Siegel (tuba); Jack Marshall (guitar); Red Mitchell (bass); Irv Kluger (drums).

Recorded in Hollywood, California, March 6, 1955.

#2, #4, #6, #10, #11

Ray Linn, Pete Candoli (trumpets); Maynard Ferguson (euphonium); John Graas (French horn); Paul Sarmento (tuba); Jack Marshall (guitar); Red Mitchell (bass); Irving Cottler (drums).

Recorded in Hollywood, California, March 8, 1955.

Howard McGhee And Phil Porter - Two Rare And Unique Recordings

Howard McGhee (1918 – 1987), among young jazz adepts unjustly almost forgotten today, was a reliable man if you're following his steadily flowing recorded output between 1942 & 1948, which were the heydays of the bebop era. And "Maggie", so his nickname in musicians’ circles, was in the middle of it all. He was not phrasing as "mathematically" like his great successor and friend Theodore "Fats" Navarro, or the next in the line, Clifford Brown, affectionately called "Brownie" by his friends and fans, but he could express his ideas as fast, and as eloquently as the two other trumpet geniuses.

During 1945-1949, Howard McGhee was one of the finest trumpeters in jazz, an exciting performer with a sound of his own, who among the young bop players, ranked at the top with Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro. The "missing link" between Roy Eldridge and Fats Navarro (Navarro influenced Clifford Brown who influenced most of the post-1955 trumpeters), McGhee originally played clarinet and tenor, not taking up trumpet until he was 17. He worked in territory bands, was with Lionel Hampton in 1941, and then joined Andy Kirk (1941-1942), being featured on McGhee Special. McGhee participated in the fabled bop sessions at Minton's Playhouse and Monroe's Uptown House, modernizing his style away from Roy Eldridge and towards Dizzy Gillespie. He was with Charlie Barnet (1942-1943), returned to Kirk (where he sat next to Fats Navarro in the trumpet section), and had brief stints with Georgie Auld and Count Basie before traveling to California with Coleman Hawkins in 1945; their concise recordings of swing-to-bop transitional music (including "Stuffy," "Rifftide," and "Hollywood Stampede") are classic. McGhee stayed in California into 1947, playing with Jazz at the Philharmonic, recording and gigging with Charlie Parker (including the ill-fated "Lover Man" date) and having an influence on young players out on the Coast. His Dial sessions were among the most exciting recordings of his career, and back in New York he recorded for Savoy and had a historic meeting on record with Navarro in 1948 on Blue Note.

Eventually, drugs began to affect McGhee's career. He traveled on a USO tour during the Korean War, recording in Guam. McGhee also had sessions for Bethlehem (1955-1956) but was inactive during much of the '50s. He recorded some strong dates for Felsted, Bethlehem, Contemporary, and Black Lion during 1960-1961, and on a quartet outing for United Artists (1962), but (with the exception of a Hep big band date in 1966) was largely off records again until 1976. He had a final burst of activity during 1976-1979 for Sonet, SteepleChase, Jazzcraft, Zim, and Storyville, but by then, McGhee was largely forgotten and few knew about his link to Fats Navarro and Clifford Brown.

Phil Porter (1944 – 2015) born in Boston and raised in Charlton and Somerville. He graduated Somerville High School with the Class of 1961 and attended Boston University.

Phil began his music career in Boston at the age of 16 as a professional pianist and organist. By the age of 19 he had recorded his first two jazz album and had performed at the Newport Jazz Festival. 

In 1971, Phil started rehearsing with the jazz-rock band, Chase. Within a few months, the band signed a record deal and moved to Chicago to record Chase, their first album on the Epic label. As a member of the band Chase, he earned a gold record, received a Grammy nomination, and performed on the Johnny Carson Show and at Carnegie Hall. After many years of performing throughout the U.S. and worldwide, he returned to the Boston area and continued his music career locally, including as the organist for the Bruins and Celtics at the Boston Garden. He was a member of Local 535 of the Boston Chapter of the American Federation of Musicians. He settled in Lynn to raise his family and lived in Andover prior to moving to Haverhill where he served as a volunteer for Merrimack Valley Hospice.

When Howard McGhee reappeared in 1962, after being away from the stage for 10 years due to narcotic use, Paul Wimley offered him the opportunity to record four titles for the Argo label with Gene Ammons (House Warmin'! by Howard McGhee and The Blazers). Confidential. But in the process, George Wein produced two quartet sessions in the fall of 1962 for United Artists, the first with piano, the second with organ. 

That's when the meeting between McGhee and Porter took place. Howard McGhee appears there in full possession of his means, with a warm and coppery timbre that is very personal and atypical of a time when trumpets were more willingly "distorted". 

Howard and Phil met only twice and those recordings, already considered rare and obscure today, are the reason for this post.

Howard McGhee

Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out

&

House Warmin'!

A contemporary of Dizzy Gillespie, Howard McGhee was one of the most stimulating trumpeters of the bop era. Although personal problems sidelined him for part of the 50s, his great experience compensated for much of the time lost when he made his comeback in the early 60s. In fact, on Nobody Knows You When Youre Down and Out, recorded in 1962, McGhee sounds even better than before - engaging and emotional without compromising his strength while supported by two excellent rhythm sections, one with pianist Jimmy Jones, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Art Taylor, and the other with organist Phil Porter, bassist Larry Ridley and drummer Dave Bailey.

On the second album included here, House Warmin'!, recorded a few months earlier. McGhee shares the front line with tenorman Gene Ammons. The rhythm section includes the quasi-urbane sound of guitarist Jake Fisher, bassist Barney Richmond and drummer Willie Mashburn, who have an essential role in building a program reflecting the infinite variety to be found in the rhythm-and-blues field. *Jordi Pujol*

You may not have ever heard of Howard McGhee, but at one time he was one of the top notch bebop trumpeters, up there with Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro. He’s on Charlie Parker’s notorious “Lover Man” date, and actually had a bebop hit (is that an oxymoron?) with Coleman Hawkins with "Stuffy" in the mid 40s. He lived the life of a bebopper in more ways than one, as drugs caught up with him and sidelined him for awhile. The two recording sessions on this disc find him working on his comeback, and the music is surprisingly good.

Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out is a '62 session featuring McGhee with a trio backing, either with piano or organ, and includes Art Taylor/dr, and Ron Carter/b. The B3 band has McGhee in a bluesy mood with a desultory title track and version of  "Lonely Town" that will make you want to keep away from sharp objects. He alternates between agonizing Harmon mutes and sleek open horn, actually mixing it up in the same song as in the fascinating "Canadian Sunset". He's quite lyrical on "Tenderly" and "Fly Me To The Moon" and his tone holds up well. The House Warmin’! session is a hot jam with Gene Ammonts/ts, Jake Fisher/g, Barney Richmond/b, Willie Mashburn/d and a guy named Waco on bongos. Hey, it’s the 60s! Ammons smokes like a Romeo e Juliet on "Jazz with a Beat" and McGhee revives his old charms on "Muggin' McGhee" and the title tune. If you want to hear a rhythm team that is in sync, just give an ear to "Jivin' Around". That'll keep you going for awhile. *George W. Harris*

1 - Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out

(Cox)

2 - Lonely Town

(Bernstein)

3 - Secret Love

(Fain, Webster)

4 - Why Run Away

(Spencer)

5 - Canadian Sunset

(Heywood)

6 - Blue Bell

(McGhee)

7 - Tenderly

(Gross, Laurence)

8 - Fly Me To The Moon

(Howard)

9 - Satin Doll

(Ellington, Strayhorn)

10 - Blue Duende

(McGhee)

11 - Jazz With A Beat

(Winley, Paul)

12 - Muggin' McGhee

(Winley, Paul)

13 - House Warmin'

(Winley, Paul)

14 - Jivin' Around

(Winley, Paul)

#1 to #10: from Nobody Knows You When Youre Down and Out

(United Artists Records UAJS 15028)

#4, #5, #7, #10

Howard McGhee (trumpet), Jimmy Jones (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Art Taylor (drums).

Recorded in New York City, September, 1962.

#1, #2,  #3, #6, #8, #9

Howard McGhee (trumpet), Phil Porter (organ Hammond B3), Larry Ridley (bass), Dave Bailey (drums).

Recorded in New York City, October, 1962.

#11 to #14: from Howard McGhee and The Blazers - House Warmin'! (Argo LPS 4020)

Howard McGhee (trumpet), Gene Ammons (tenor sax), Jake Fisher (guitar), Barney Richmond (bass), Willie Mashburn(drums), Waco (bongos).

Recorded at Bell Sound Studio, New York City, probably May 1962.

***

Phil Porter

Introducing Phil Porter And His Organ

It was a snowy night in February, 1963, when jazz trumpeter Howard McGhee, jazz producer George Wein, a German Shephard dog named Sage and I climbed into Wein's car in New York. Our destination was the little town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, 200 miles from New York and 30 miles west of Boston. 

Our purpose was to hear a 19 year old organ player named Phil Porter, and we were going on the strength of a one night stand McGhee had played with Porter in Boston nine months earlier.

To go back to the beginning, I had just brought McGhee and Wein together to make the trumpeter's first LP under his own name in several years. Both men, it turned out, had the same idea — find a good swinging jazz organist and utilize him to showcase McGhee's virtuosity. At this point Howard remembered the boy who had left such a strong impression. "He's only a kid but he can play the hell out of an organ, especially on blues!" 

That was enough to set me hunting and, through two Boston organ afficionados, John Sdoucos and Fred Taylor, Porter was located a couple of days later and we set off in the snow to hear him. What should have been a four hour trip turned into more than five and we finally walked into the club about midnight. 

We were almost crushed to find a rock and roll band at work, with about five bored customers sitting around looking like anything was better than going home. However, smiling at us from behind the Hammond was a good-looking young blonde boy complete with crew cut, and Howard confirmed that this was, indeed, Phil Porter. 

After about ten minutes, Wein managed to shoo the rest of the band off the floor and told him to play some. Two or three pieces later and we felt he had what Howard wanted, but there was one more test. He had already chosen some of the material for the date and one of the pieces was the old Bessie Smith blues "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out". At this point he dropped the tune on the music rack in front of Porter and asked him if he knew the tune. He didn't but we told him to sight read it and away he went. Half a dozen choruses of blues later we had ourselves an organist. 

Within two weeks the album was completed, but even before it was through, United Artists Records president Art Talmadge had attended the sessions, heard Phil Porter and he was under contract to make his own recordings as well. This is the first of his efforts, and he is ably guided throughout by his mentor, McGhee. In fact, his rock and roll days ended shortly after the first McGhee date when he joined McGhee's combo with which he is still on tour.

For this album, producer Wein worked very closely with Phil in the selection of material, but he allowed him: the real delight of selecting his own musicians for the dates. It was decided to use two slightly different groups, with Kenny Burrell added on guitar for several numbers. On trumpet, naturally, he chose McGhee, who also did all the arrangements. He chose tenor saxist Harold Ousley "because he has that big bluesy sound I like", plus what he calls the "All-American rhythm section", Paul Chambers on bass and Arthur Taylor on drums. 

At this point in his young life, everything is green lights and straight ahead for Phil Porter, but he is already developing into something of a philosopher. As we sat listening to the playback on this album in George Wein's office one day, Phil turned to us with a sly grin and said: "Do you remember the name of that club where you first heard me with the rock and roll group? It was called The Escape — and it sure turned out that way!". *Bob Messinger (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - C Jam Blues

(Duke Ellington)

2 - Hard Times

(Phil Porter)

3 - Moonlight In Vermont

(K. Suessdorf, J. Blackburn)

4 - There Will Never Be Another You

(M. Gordon, H. Warren)

5 - What Did I Do To Be So Black And Blue

(T. F. Waller, H. Brooks, A. Razaff)

6 - Blue Dilemma

(Phil Porter)

Side 2

7 - Molly Belle

(Phil Porter)

8 - That's All

(Brandt, Haymes)

9 - Conversation

(Phil Porter)

10 - Candlelight

(Phil Porter)

11 - Diane

(E. Paree, L. Pollack)

Phil Porter (organ Hammond B3), Howard McGhee (trumpet), Harold Ousley (tenor sax), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Paul Chambers (bass), Art Taylor (drums).

Recorded in New York City, probably April 1963.

Marty Paich - Paich-Ence

One of the best-known arrangers of the post-World War II era, Marty Paich had much stronger jazz credentials than many of his peers, thanks to his active presence on the West Coast scene during the '50s. Paich was born in Oakland, CA, on January 23, 1925; he started out as a pianist, and was performing professionally at age 16. Along with the up-and-coming Pete Rugolo, he wrote arrangements for local bandleader Gary Nottingham. Tapped for military service in 1943, he continued to arrange while serving as the leader of the Army Air Corps band through 1946. Following his discharge, he used the G.I. Bill to further his musical education, enrolling at UCLA to study arranging under Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (who also helped train Nelson Riddle). He earned a master's degree from the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music in 1951, and quickly found work in the industry as both an arranger and pianist, working with Jerry Gray and Dan Terry early on.

Paich soon graduated to higher-profile gigs, playing and arranging for Shelly Manne and Shorty Rogers over 1953-1954, and also serving a stint as Peggy Lee's accompanist and musical director. He led his own groups as well, and in 1955 he began recording for a succession of labels that included Mode, Tampa, Candid, Warner and RCA Victor. He also toured with Dorothy Dandridge, and arranged (and performed on) the soundtrack to the Disney film Lady and the Tramp (1955). During the mid- to late '50s, Paich wrote arrangements for a who's who of West Coast jazz, including Chet Baker, Buddy Rich, Ray Brown, Dave Pell, and Stan Kenton, among others. Perhaps his most notable work came with Mel Tormé, whom he often backed with a ten-piece group dubbed the Dek-tette; the pairing resulted in the classic album Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-tette, plus numerous other high-quality sessions through 1960. Additionally, Paich contributed the arrangements to altoist Art Pepper's 1959 masterpiece Art Pepper + Eleven: Modern Jazz Classics. Paich's work for both Tormé and Pepper reflected one of his greatest strengths as an arranger: making relatively small groups sound like full-size orchestras.

By the close of the '50s, Paich had already begun to branch out from his West Coast roots, arranging material for Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O'Day, and big-band leader Terry Gibbs. Around 1960, he elected to move away from his own recording career to focus on arranging for pop (and sometimes jazz) vocalists. Over the course of the decade, he worked with the likes of Ray Charles, Lena Horne, Helen Humes, Al Hirt, Andy Williams, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Astrud Gilberto, and Mahalia Jackson, among many others. He also composed music for films (including some animated Hanna-Barbera projects) and television shows, winning an Emmy for his work on Ironside. In the late '60s, he served as musical director on a succession of variety shows, including The Glen Campbell Good-Time Hour, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (as Nelson Riddle's successor), and The Sonny and Cher Show.

After the early '70s, Paich's activity began to tail off, though he still worked sporadically as an orchestra conductor and string arranger, both on movie soundtracks and for artists like George Benson, Carly Simon, Elton John, and Kenny Loggins. He also helmed Sarah Vaughan's Songs of the Beatles project in 1980. In the late '80s, Paich reunited with a resurgent Tormé, reorganizing the Dek-tette for a series of highly acclaimed recordings and tours. He also continued to work on soundtracks into the '90s, frequently as a conductor and musical supervisor. Colon cancer claimed Paich's life on August 12, 1995. *Steve Huey*

Marty Paich

Paich-Ence • The Unique Orchestral Sound

Complete Recordings As A Leader (1955–1956)

Marty Paich (1925-1995) became interested in jazz in 1940 when he heard the Jimmy Lunceford band play. As a student of the distinguished Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, he absorbed the fundamentals of harmony and counterpoint. In 1951, with a Masters Degree in Composition he became one of the most sought after arrangers of the music business in the Los Angeles scene.

These recordings, the first he did as a leader, are not only further evidence of the talent, versatility and imagination of Marty Paich, but also a showcase for the more academic approach to jazz scoring he promoted within the boundaries of the West Coast school of jazz during the mid Fifties.

*Jordi Pujol*

1 - Tempo De Sylva

(Marty Paich)

2 - Tomjean

(Marty Paich)

3 - Stranger In The Rain

(Marty Paich)

4 - Kentucky Blue Grass

(Marty Paich)

5 - Tenors West

(Marty Paich)

6 - Paich-Ence

(Marty Paich)

7 - Con-Spirito

(Marty Paich)

8 - The Dragon

(Marty Paich)

9 - Jacqueline

(Marty Paich)

10 - At The Marty Gras

(Marty Paich)

11 - Ballet Du Bongo, (part I)

(Marty Paich)

12 - Ballet Du Bongo, (part II)

(Marty Paich)

13 - Take The "A" Train

(Ellington, Strayhorn)

14 - Line For Lions

(Gerry Mulligan)

15 - There's No You

(Adair-Hooper)

16 - Shorty George

(Basie, Durham)

17 - Times Square

(Marty Paich)

18 - Coldwater Canyon Blues

(Marty Paich)

19 - Four Blow Fours

(Marty Paich)

20 - Lonely Time

(Marty Paich)

#1 to #4: from Jazz Music For The Birds And The Hep Cats (Bethlehem BCP-6039)

Conte Candoli (trumpet), Bob Enevoldsen (valve tronbone), Bob Hardaway (tenor sax), Marty Paich (piano), Tony Rizzi (guitar), Max Bennett (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Los Angeles, CA, January 15, 1955.

#5 to #12: from The Marty Paich Octet Vol.10 (Gene Norman Presents GNP-153)

Conte Candoli (trumpet), Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone), Harry Klee (flute, tenor sax, alto sax), Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Jack Du Long (baritone sax), Marty Paich (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass), Art Mardigan (drums), Jack Costanzo (bongoes [#11, #12]).

Recorded at Capitol Melrose Studios, Los Angeles, CA, February 1 and 2, 1955 [other source gives November 9, 1955.]

#13 to #16: from Tenors West (Gene Norman Presents GNP-21)

Conte Candoli (trumpet), Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone), Harry Klee (flute, tenor sax), Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Jack Du Long (baritone sax), Marty Paich (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass), Frank Capp (drums).

Recorded at Capitol Melrose Studios, Los Angeles, CA, November 10, 1955.

#17 to #20: from Modern Jazz Gallery (Kapp KXL-5001)

Conte Candoli, Don Fagerquist, Ed Leddy (trumpets); Francis Fitzpatrick, Bobby Burgess (trombones); Herb Geller (alto sax); Richie Kamuca, Bill Perkins (tenor saxes); Marty Berman (baritone sax); Marty Paich (piano); Joe Mondragon (bass); Mel Lewis (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Los Angeles, California, October 23, 1956.

Jimmy Jones - The Splendid Mr. Jones

Jimmy Jones is probably best known as a singer's arranger, even though his first credited orchestration on a jazz vocal session didn't come until a live Sarah Vaughan performance in 1955 (though he had been accompanying her since the late 1940s). His first jazz vocal album as a credited arranger was Beverly Kenney Sings With Jimmy Jones and the Basie-Ites for Roost Records a year later. Going forward, his name often popped up on album covers of albums he had arranged.

But Jones was also a prolific and superlative pianist dating back to recordings with bassist Stuff Smith in 1943. A product of the swing era, Jones recorded mostly with swing instrumentalists and jazz-pop vocalists rather than beboppers. Perhaps his first standout session with a modern feel was with the Frank Wess Quintet on an album for Commodore in 1954.

As a pianist, Jones became known for his elegant playing style, an approach that was increasingly in demand as pop singers ascended to stardom with the rise of the LP in the late 1940s. Vocalists looked good on covers and were favored by listeners who didn't have to get up as often to turn over a record.

These vocalists were increasingly in need of tasteful accompaniment and ensemble arrangements as LP fidelity and phonographs improved in the mid-1950s. Pianists who joined Jones in the vocalist accompaniment lane included Stan Freeman, Buddy Cole, Jimmy Rowles, Joe Harnell and Ronnell Bright.

Now, Fresh Sound has released The Splendid Mr. Jones, a collection of early Jones recordings in the solo and trio formats. The nine solo tracks were recorded in 1947 and show off Jones's chord voicings, ear for drama and self-arranging sensibility. These tracks originally turned up on the French Chronological Classics series some years back, but they sound a lot better now with Fresh Sound's 24-bit remastering.

There are two trio sessions on the new compilation. The first featured Jones's four tracks for Escape!, a 1952 álbum for the Gene Norman Presents label that showcased Jones and several other artists. This trio session feature Jones (p), Billy Hadnott (b) and J.C. Heard (d) playing "Moonlight in Vermont", "London in July", "Autumn in New York" and "Cool in Cuba".

The second trio session is the 10-inch Jimmy Jones Trio album for the French Swing label. Recorded in Paris in 1954, the Jimmy Jones Trio was comprised of Jones (p), Joe Benjamin (b) and Roy Haynes (d). The tracks are "Easy to Love", "Little Girl Blue", "Lush Life", "Just Squeeze Me", "My Funny Valentine" and "Good Morning Heartach".

It's a shame Jones didn't record more often as a leader. Instead, he opted to sit in as a sideman or accompanist with just about every marquee jazz player and singer of the post-war period. I suspect his arranging responsibilities were too time-consuming for much more.

There were few pianists as delicate, lush and as assertive as Jones. He'd coddle songs patiently with a full understanding of their lyrics and musical personalities, using those factors to direct how he'd frame their melodies and then take them apart during his gentle, swinging improvisation.

*Marc Myers*

Jimmy Jones

The Splendid Mr. Jones

Trio & Solo

James Henry Jones (1928-1982) was born in Memphis but spent his formative years in Chicago. "I always liked music", he said. "Guess that was only natural as my father was a choir director and my mother played a little piano".

His first attempt at creating music was at the age of 13 when he started playing the guitar. Later, Jimmy became interested in harmony and began experimenting at the family piano at the age of sixteen. During his formative years, Jimmy Jones developed a deep appreciation for two influential figures in jazz: Art Tatumand Duke Ellington. He had a natural ability to play the right chords and provide accompaniment for singers in the ensembles he worked with. Gradually, he developed the necessary technique and became a proficient pianist.

Jimmy Jones first gained attention in 1943 at Chicago's Garrick, playing with Stuff Smith. His intense expression accompanied a technical skill at the piano that was bound to capture the listener's attention, whether alone or in combination with others. This talent proved to be a great asset when, later that year, he moved to New York and became exposed to the vibrant jazz scene on 52nd Street.

Primarily occupied by his celebrated and continuous work as an accompanist and arranger for Sarah Vaughan, as well as many other great voices, Jimmy Jones had limited opportunities throughout his career to showcase his remarkable abilities as a soloist. Thus, the recordings featured here serve as a testament to his uncanny ability to strike a delicate balance of restraint and richness, showcasing his nuanced playing and artistic mastery as a highly sensitive musician.

The genesis of his chordal style is the story of his musical beginnings, and it is through this journey that The Splendid Mr. Jones leaves an indeliblemark on the history of jazz and piano performance. *Jordi Pujol*

1 - Easy To Love

(Cole Porter)

2 - Little Girl Blue

(Rodgers, Hart)

3 - Lush Life

(Billy Strayhorn)

4 - Just Squeeze Me

(Ellington, Gaines)

5 - My Funny Valentine

(Rodgers, Hart)

6 - Good Morning Heartache

(Higginbotham, Drake, Fisher)

7 - Moonlight In Vermont

(Blackburn, Suessdorf)

8 - London In July

(Duke, Kahn)

9 - Autumn In New York

(Vernon Duke)

10 - Cool In Cuba

(Jimmy Jones)

11 - New World A-Comin'

(Duke Ellington)

12 - Lazy River

(Carmichael, Arodin)

13 - When I Walk With You

(Ellington, Latouche)

14 - Empty Space

(Renfrow)

15 - Zigeuner

(Noel Coward)

16 - What's New?

(Burke, Haggart)

17 - I’ll See You Again

(Noel Coward)

18 - Mad About The Boy

(Noel Coward)

19 - Someday I’ll Find You

(Noel Coward)

20 - Clair De Lune

(Claude Debussy)

21 - Lover Man

(Davis, Sherman, Ramirez)

22 - New York City Blues

(Duke Ellington)

23 - On A Turquoise Cloud

(Ellington, Brown)

24 - Bakiff

(Juan Tizol)

#1 to #6: from the 10-inch album Jimmy Jones Trio (Swing M.33.3336)

Jimmy Jones (piano), Joe Benjamin (bass), Roy Haynes (drums).

Recorded in Paris, October 28, 1954.

#7 to #10: from the 12-inch album Escape! (GNP-27)

Jimmy Jones (piano), Billy Hadnott (bass), J.C.Heard (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, 1952.

#11 to #24: from 78 rpm records released on Wax Records

#11:

Jimmy Jones (piano), John Levy (bass), Denzil Best (drums).

Recorded in New York City, 1947.

#12 to #15:

Jimmy Jones (piano); Al Hall (bass); Denzil Best [#12], Bill Clark [#13, #14] (drums); Al Casey (guitar [#12]); Lynn Warren (vocals [#14]).

Recorded in New York City, 1947.

#16 to #24:

Jimmy Jones (solo piano).

Recorded in New York City, 1947.