Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XXV)

James Moody

James Moody

James Moody's self-titled disc from 1959 is a solidly swinging date that finds Moody splitting his time between flute, alto, and tenor sax. His sextet is made up of mostly obscure players, though trumpeter Johnny Coles had a couple of records as a leader. The session was the first for Moody following his stay at Overbrook Hospital and he certainly sounds rejuvenated on uptempo tunes like "Daahoud," "Darben the Redd Foxx", and "Cookie". His work on flute is especially nice on the ballads "Little Girl Blue" and "Yesterdays". Best of all is "R.B.Q.", a funky blues workout that closes the record in style and features Moody on tenor blowing his soul out. This record is a fine example of what makes Moody so wonderful; his exuberance, thoughtfulness, and soul make him one of the greats. If you haven't discovered him yet, this is a good place to start. If you're already hip to the man, this is a vital addition to your collection. *Tim Sendra*

Great work from Moody's "second phase" — the post-Overbrook time in which he picks up the flute, drops a bit of the bop style, and starts working in a much more complicated style that showed that he had a hell of a lot of room to grow as an artist! This album's Moody's second for Argo — recorded in 1959, with help from the brilliant arranger Tom McIntosh. Players include Johnny Coles, Musa Kaleem, Gene Kee, and McIntosh — and the album features the first reading of Moody's famous "Darben The Redd Foxx", plus "Cookie", "RBQ", "Daahoud", and McIntosh's perennial favorite, "With Malice Toward None".  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

James Moody’s last album, Last Train From Overbrook, was his first recorded step back from a darkness that had engulfed the career of a distinguished jazz musician. It was made in September of 1958, following his half-year tenure at Overbrook, a New Jersey institution at which a sick and alcoholic Moody regained physical and mental health.

This album is the second step back. It was recorded almost exactly one year later, a year during which Moody had reorganized his seven-piece group and had painfully scuffled for bookings that would support it. And it was a year in which Moody established for himself a basis on which he can once more become one of the best-known names among jazz saxophonists and flutists.

During the recording session, Moody once again had a bottle as his companion — a quart of root beer. At the date’s end, as he was packing his tenor saxophone, he eached into the case and pulled out a pint bottle of cheap wine. It was sealed tight, and on the label he had scratched, "Washington, D.C., 1958". 

"I always carry it with me", he said. "Just to remind me". *Jack Tracy (liner notes)*

1 - Darben The Redd Foxx

(James Moody)

2 - Little Girl Blue

(Rodgers, Hart)

3 - Out Of Nowhere

(Green, Heyman)

4 - Daahoud

(Clifford Brown)

5 - Yesterdays

(Kern, Harbach)

6 - Cookie

(Gene Kee)

7 - With Malice Toward None

(Frank McIntosh)

8 - R.B.Q.

(Gene Kee)

James Moody (flute, alto sax, tenor sax), Johnny Coles (trumpet), Tom McIntosh (trombone),

Musa Kaleem (baritone sax), Gene Kee (piano), John Latham (bass), Clarence Johnston (drums).

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, August, 1959

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To be continued...