Trumpet Conclave (II)

 In the previous post, about the so-called "Cool Gabriels", we can checked out Nat Hentoff's review. While he didn't completely dismiss them, he did raise a few eyebrows — mainly pointing out that some of the solos felt a bit too restrained:

"The solos are also of a consistently controlled and assured level while the ensemble playing is sharp and alive. Yet there is little here that really clutches the emotions, little that is nakedly beneath the surface. It's like a good issue of a well-produced slick magazine", Hentoff wrote.

He then took the chance to recommend another trumpet session — one he clearly thought packed more emotional punch:

"For a more earthy, more deeply wailing trumpet meeting, try Savoy's Top Brass under Ernie Wilkins' direction", he said.

And knowing how tough Hentoff could be when it came to handing out stars, it's worth paying attention. Top Brass actually got the full five stars from him — the highest rating in Down Beat. So, let's take his word for it and give Top Brass the spotlight it deserves.

Ernie Wilkins Presents

Top Brass

Featuring Five Trumpets

Top Brass is a modern and expanded reincarnation of several of the Keynote sessions in the '40s when a pride of several lions on one particular instrument was assembled to exchange ideas and styles. In this case, five trumpeters (Ernie Royal, Idress Su-lieman, Joe Wilder, Ray Copeland, and  Donald Byrd) blow in various Ernie Wilkins’ settings backed without flaw  by Hank Jones, Kenny Clarke, and Wendell Marshall. Three of the originals are by Ernie; one he co-wrote with Earl Van Riper, and "Dot's What" is by Johnny Mandel. The lines are sprightly and Ernie, who arranged all, is his usual spare, swinging, estimable self.

On the first five, the hornmen alternate in the various chairs from lead on. The complete notes identify all positions and solos, and provide good, concise biographical backgrounds (and some spelling mistakes). Most of the second side is devoted to ballad explorations by each trumpeter, and the comparison of approaches is illuminating and enjoyable all down the line. Note particularly Joe Wilder's "Willow Weep For Me", one of the most movingly lyrical solos ever recorded. On the up-tempos, everybody swings and each has several individual statements of worth to make. The recorded sound is appropriately bright. All hail to Savoy and Ozzie Cadena for thinking this one up, and to Mr. Wilkins and his friends for making it work so excitingly.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, April 4, 1956)

Although he was a better than average saxophonist with Count Basie, by the time of these 1950s sessions for Savoy, Ernie Wilkins was working exclusively as an arranger and composer. Most of the music within this compilation comes from a 1955 session with trumpeters Donald Byrd, Ray Copeland, Ernie Royal, Idrees Sulieman, and Joe Wilder, pianist Hank Jones, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Kenny Clarke. Four of the first five tracks are swinging originals by Wilkins, and there's also an obscure Johnny Mandel blues, "Dot's What." The remaining music from the first session is a ballad medley where each trumpeter is featured in turn playing a personal favorite, all of which have become time-tested standards. If there's any complaint about this studio date at all, it is the excess reverb used at times, which is surprising due to Rudy Van Gelder's usually impeccable sound. The bonus tracks are from another Wilkins-led session from 1957; trumpeters Art Farmer, Charlie Shavers, Emmett Berry, and Harold "Shorty" Baker join Royal, with Don Abney taking over on piano and Bobby Donaldson on drums. Both of Wilkins' originals, "Blues in 6/4" and "Trumpets All Out," are enjoyable even if they never became widely known. *Ken Dryden*

Ernie Wilkins wrote the lines for this collection of five trumpeters — Joe Wilder, Ernie Royal, Ray Copeland, Indres Sulieman and Donald Byrd — and rhythm — Hank Jones, Wendell Marshall and Kenny Clark. Savoy was kind enough to carefully note each solo and section position of each trumpeter on each selection. All of it is rather moderate modern, mostly on the boppy kick (some of the solos are less than that). But over-all it's an interesting, certainly a swinging, album; five tracks have section work and then individual solos while the other side features one ballad apiece. Aside from Donald Byrd, who is overshadowed here, it would be hard to finally pick among the four, especially on the ballads, for which and for Hank's comping, the album draws its major favor. *Metronome • Music USA (June, 1956)*

1 - 58 Market Street

(Ernest Wilkins, Earl Van Riper)

2 - Trick Or Treat

(Ernest Wilkins)

3 - Speedway

(Ernest Wilkins)

4 - Dot's What

(Johnny Mandel)

5 - Top Brass

(Ernest Wilkins)

Ballad Medley:

6 - Willow Weep For Me

(Ann Ronell)

7 - Imagination

(Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen)

8 - It Might As Well Be Spring

(Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers)

9 - The Nearness Of You

(Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington)

10 - Taking A Chance On Love

(Vernon Duke, Ted Fetter, John Latouche)

11 - Blues In 6/4

(Ernest Wilkins)

12 - Trumpets All Out

(Ernest Wilkins)

#1 to #10: from the album Top Brass Featuring 5 Trumpets (Savoy Records MG 12044)

Donald Byrd, Ray Copeland, Ernie Royal, Idrees Sulieman, Joe Wilder (trumpets);

Hank Jones (piano); Wendell Marshall (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums).

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studios,Hackenshack, New Jersey, November 8, 1955

#11 and #12: from the album Trumpets All Out (Savoy Records MG 1209)

Art Farmer, Ernie Royal, Charlie Shavers, Emmett Berry, Harold Baker (trumpets);

Don Abney (piano); Wendell Marshall (bass); Bobby Donaldson (drums).

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studios,Hackenshack, New Jersey, January 15, 1956

Trumpet Conclave (I)

Conte Candoli • Nick Travis • Dick Sherman

Bernie Glow • Phil Sunkel • Don Stratton • Al De Risi

Cool Gabriels 

One of the rather surprising developments in the jazz field over the past few years has been the comparative neglect of that most venerated of jazz instruments, the trumpet. Since about 1950, when jazz started its upward climb toward its present pinnacle of popularity and prosperity, there have been scores of jazz albums issued featuring saxes, pianos, guitars and trombones, but comparatively few featuring cool horns. In order to somewhat rectify what appears to be an unfair situation for 

modern trumpet players, and to show how enjoyable cool trumpets can sound, this album was conceived. Since it was to be a showcase for cool horn men, it had to show off many different styles of trumpet, and it had to feature both wellknown modern trumpeters as well as rising young horn men who were just beginning to obtain recognition for their work. In addition, it had to display these "Cool Gabriels" both as soloists and in ensemble, to prove the versatility of the men and their instrument. In all these respects, this album of cool horns has succeeded admirably.

*Radio Corporation of America, 1956 (liner notes)*

This rare and longtime hard-to-find album was conceived to show how enjoyable cool trumpets can sound. Featured "Cool Gabriels" are Conte Candoli, Nick Travis, Don Stratton, Bernie Glow, Phil Sunkel, Al de Risi and Dick Sherman. The tune contained in this album were selected specifically to give each "Gabriel" a chance to show his stuff and also to demonstrate the various moods that could be brilliantly exemplified wit a trumpet ensemble. The fun that the musicians had making these recordings is apparent on every selection, including the Gerry Mulligan tunes, the clever Al Cohn items 'Cupcake' and 'Spooky', John Benson Brooks' devilish 'Nick', Paul Selden's somber 'Something Blue', and Elliot Lawrence's ligh compositions. *Jordi Pujol*

Cool Gabriels is a trumpet conclave with Conte Candoli, Nick Travis, Dick Sherman, Don Stratton, and Phil Sunkel soloing over a background of alternating lead trumpets Bernie Glow and Al De Risi, Elliot Lawrence, Burgher (Buddy) Jones, Sol Gubin, and themselves. Glow solos on "Arms". The writing is by Lawrence, Al Cohn, Paul Selden, Gerry Mulligan (arranged by Lawrence), and John Benson Brooks. The scoring is clean, always flowing, and sometimes quite ingratiating.

The solos are also of a consistently controlled and assured level while the ensemble playing is sharp and alive. Yet there is little here that really clutches the emotions, little that is nakedly beneath the surface. It's like a good issue of a well-produced slick magazine — Time, let's say. For a more earthy, more deeply wailing trumpet meeting, try Savoy's Top Brass under Ernie Wilkins' direction. But this isn't a dull set by any means. It just doesn't let go enough. There are two takes of "The Swingin' Scot". A complete solo chart is helpfully provided.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, November 28, 1956)*

Side 1

1 - Five O'Clock Shadow

(Lawrence, Reichner)

2 - Cupcake

(Al Cohn)

3 - Mostly Latin

(Elliot Lawrence)

4 - Something Blue

(Paul Selden)

5 - The Swingin' Scot (part 1 and part 2)

(Elliot Lawrence)

6 - Love Is Just Around The Corner

(Leo Robin, Lewis Gensler)

Side 2

7 - Elevation

(Elliot Lawrence, Gerry Mulligan)

8 - Spooky

(Al Cohn)

9 - Happy Hooligan

(Gerry Mulligan)

10 - Each Other's Arms

(Lawrence, Glenn, Reichner)

11 - Nick

(John Benson Brooks)

#1, #7, #8, #9:

Nick Travis, Bernie Glow, Conte Candoli, Don Stratton (trumpets);

Elliott Lawrence (piano); Burgher "Buddy" Jones (bass); Sol Gubin (drums).

#2, #3, #4, #6:

Nick Travis, Al De Risi, Conte Candoli, Don Stratton, Dick Sherman (trumpets);

Elliot Lawrence (piano); Burgher "Buddy" Jones (bass); Sol Gubin (drums).

#5, #10, #11:

Nick Travis, Bernie Glow, Conte Candoli, Don Stratton, Phil Sunkel (trumpets);

Elliott Lawrence (piano); Burgher "Buddy" Jones (bass); Sol Gubin (drums).

Recorded in New York City, June 1 (#1, #7, #8, #9),

June 12 (#2, #3, #4, #6) and June 14 (#5, #10, #11), 1956

Jazz goes to... The Dave Pell Octet

Shortly after it was formed in 1953, the Dave Pell Octet won best new combo of the year in polls conducted by Americas Daily News and Mirror newspapers. Six of its eight members were included in Down Beat magazines 1953 poll of the top musicians in the country. Pell and his group flipped fans everywhere they appeared, specializing in Proms and School Dances, and becoming the first name jazz group ever to play for dancing at one of the top Sunset Strip clubs, The Crescendo, and also the Hollywood Palladium.Its jazz was described variously as tasty, sophisticated, subtle, warm, bright, clean, friendly, inventive, happy, and a complete show and concert rolled into one. One successful Octet approach was to have the crowd gather around the bandstand to watch it play a fast jive number featuring the bands excellent soloists.An essential contributing factor in the Octets success was that Pell hired the West Coasts finest arrangers to write the beguilingly melodic and always attractive, danceable band charts; people of the calibre of Marty Paich, Bill Holman, Shorty Rogers, Jack Montrose, Med Flory, John T. Williams. And it was this canny combination of quality and accessibility that really made the Octets name and gave the music its enduring flavour. In Dave's own words: Heres hoping you enjoy our combined dance-and-jazz Campus Hop! *Jordi Pujol*

Dave Pell was a saxophonist who worked in Les Brown's band on the American West Coast from 1947 to 1955. In 1953 he formed his octet, which included some musicians who had played for Les Brown, such as Don Fagerquist and Ray Sims. Dave Pell won considerable popularity by playing in colleges and for high school proms, concentrating on jazz which was suitable for dancing. The music was of high quality, thanks especially to the talented arrangers that Pell employed, including Bill Holman, Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers and Jack Montrose.

The Octet made two LPs called Jazz Goes Dancing, the first in 1956 sub-titled Prom to Prom and the second in 1957 subtitled Campus Hop. They consist of tight, disciplined arrangements which make the most of the eight musicians. Each track contains a good deal of ensemble writing, leaving limited room for jazz solos. What solos there are seldom last for more than 16 bars. Only four of the dozen tracks on the first LP last for longer than three minutes.

One danger of such short, clean arrangements is that they can seem soulless, but that tendency is kept at bay with interesting treatments of the tunes. For instance, "Let's Face the Music and Dance" is taken at an unusually slow tempo, and "Forty-second Street" is updated from its old-fashioned mood to sound like a cool modern arrangement.

Dave Pell himself had a clipped style on the tenor sax, without much vibrato - somewhat similar to the style of altoist Lee Konitz. The trumpeters on both LPs are excellent, with Jack Sheldon particularly notable on "We're in the Money" and "Would You Like to Take a Walk". Med Flory's solos on baritone sax are well worth hearing.

These albums is certainly well-suited to dancing but also to listening, as it is full of musical subtleties. *Tony Augarde (musicweb-international.com)*

Dave Pell Octet

Jazz Goes Dancing

Prom To Prom

The Dave Pell Octet, which made its first recordings in 1953, came out of the Les Brown big band and was the epitome of a swinging, cool-toned, West Coast-style jazz group. Pell's ensemble at the time consisted of the leader on tenor, trumpeter Don Fagerquist (an underrated great), trombonist Ray Sims, baritonist Marty Berman, pianist Arnold Ross, guitarist Tony Rizzi, bassist Bob Bates and drummer Irv Kluger. In order to increase his audience, Pell went out of his way to play for dancing audiences without altering his music much. This long-out-of-print LP is an excellent example of Dave Pell's music of the era, with a dozen songs (two originals and ten vintage standards) whose titles have something to do with college-age people or dancing. Examples include "Young and Healthy", "The Continental", "When I Take My Sugar to Tea" and "Walkin' My Baby Back Home". Worth exploring. *Scott Yanow*

In the space of practically no time at all, the Dave Pell Octet has come to hold an extremely high reputation in the jazz world and, most recently, in the collegiate and high school orbit of dancing. Its jazz has been described variously as tasty, sophisticated, subtle, warm, bright, clean, friendly, inventive and happy. Be that as it may, there is a feeling of rapport here that is missing in so many other groups, and Pell's Octet always keeps everything swinging, whether lightly or from the heels. The cohesion engendered by the Octet is a natural thing indeed, in that three of its members — tenor saxophonist Dave Pell, trumpeter Don Fagerquist and trombonist Ray Sims — for years were stellar members of the fine Les Brown band. The other little Pells — baritone saxophonist Marty Berman, guitarist Tony Rizzi, bassist Bob Bates, pianist Arnold Ross and drummer Irving Kluger — each has his particular claim to fame, especially Rizzi, who is now on Dinah Shore's TV show; Ross, who was at one time Lena Horne's 

accompanist; and Bates, who was a member of the original Dave Brubeck quartet.

As for Dave Pell himself, he has all the qualities necessary for success in the music business. He's both handsome and personable; he has a complete knowledge of his instrument and knows exactly the manner in which he wants his Octet to play and to perform; he's by way of being a nifty guy with a wonderful sense of humor. On top of all this, he also maintains in Hollywood a thriving photography and publicity business. Our Mr. Pell is one for the record!

*Radio Corporation of America (liner notes)*

1 - Look Who's Dancing

(Arthur Schwartz, Dorothy Fields)

2 - East Of The Sun

(Brooks Bowman)

3 - You

(Walter Donaldson, Harold Adamson)

4 - Young And Healthy

(Warren, Dubin)

5 - The Continental

(Herb Magidson, Con Conrad)

6 - Dance For Daddy

(Dave Pell)

7 - When I Take My Sugar To Tea

(Fain, Kahal, Pierre)

8 - If I Had You

(Shapiro, Campbell, Connelly)

9 - Cheek To Cheek

(Irving Berlin)

10 - Let's Face The Music And Dance

(Irving Berlin)

11 - Prom To Prom

(Dave Pell)

12 - Walkin' My Baby Back Home

(Turk, Ahlert)

Don Fagerquist (trumpet), Ray Sims (trombone), 

Dave Pell (tenor sax), Marty Berman (baritone sax),

Arnold Ross (piano), Tony Rizzi (guitar), Bob Bates (bass), Irving Kluger (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, May 28 (#1, #4, #10, #12), 

May 31(#2, #5, #7, #8) and June 4 (#3, #6, #9, #11), 1956

✳✳✳

Dave Pell Octet

Jazz Goes Dancing

Campus Hop

Subtitled "Jazz Goes Dancing" (which was the name of an earlier album), this LP (which was last reissued by the Spanish Fresh Sound label) features the Dave Pell Octet playing a dozen songs written by Harry Warren. The danceable music swings and features fine short solos from the members of the octet, which at the time were trumpeter Jack Sheldon, valve trombonist Bob Enevoldsen, Pell on tenor, baritonist Med Flory, pianist Paul Moer, guitarist Tom Tedesco, bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis. The West Coast all-stars perform arrangements by Marty Paich, Bill Holman, Shorty Rogers, Flory and John Williams to such songs as "You're My Everything", "Forty-Second Street", "Lulu's Back In Town" and "I'll String Along With You".

*Scott Yanow*

Listening to the Dave Pell Octet is like hearing music played all over again for the first time. The joyful abandon of the arrangements and the carefree style of the musicians make this a delightful album.

I have heard my music played by the Memphis Five in the beginning of the jazz era and, continuing through the years, by all the great bands up to the present day. Truthfully, I thought that I had heard about everything and that the end had been reached, but Dave Pell proves there is no end. 

I could go on and on singing the praises of these wonderful musicians and orchestrators, but if you just lend an ear you'll see why I heartily recommend this album to the young and the young in heart. *Harry Warren (liner notes)*

1 - Java Junction

(Harry Warren)

2 - You're My Everything

(Warren, Young, Dixon)

3 - Forty-Second Street

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin) 

4 - By The River Saint Marie

(Harry Warren, Edgar Leslie) 

5 - I Know Why And So Do You

(Harry Warren, Mack Gordon)

6 - We're In The Money

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

7 - Cheerful Little Earful

(Warren, Gershwin, Rose)

8 - Would You Like To Take A Walk

(Warren, Rose, Dixon)

9 - Lulu's Back In Town

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

10 - I'll String Along With You

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

11 - Remember Me

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

12 - Summer Night

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

Jack Sheldon (trumpet), Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone), 

Dave Pell (tenor sax), Med Flory (baritone sax),

Paul Moer (piano), Tommy Tedesco (guitar), Buddy Clark (bass), Mel Lewis (drums). .

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, November 12 (#4, #5, #6, #7),

November 14 (#2, #3, #11, #12) and November 27 (#1, #8, #9, #10), 1957

Jazz goes to... Elliot Lawrence

Elliot Lawrence

Jazz Goes Broadway

Elliot Lawrence was born Elliot Lawrence Broza on February 14, 1925, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents, Stan Lee Broza and Esther Broza, were radio and television pioneers. In 1927, they created and produced the Horn and Hardart Children's Hour, which ran on WCAU radio from 1927 to 1958 and concurrently on television from 1948 to 1958.

Lawrence grew up in this show business environment and began studying piano at the age of three. His first public performance was at age four conducting the orchestra on the Children's Hour stage show. At the age of six he wrote his first composition, "Falling Down Stairs", and was stricken with polio. Lawrence suffered from the illness for six months, after which he recovered. By the age of 12, Elliot had formed his first band, a 15-piece unit called The Band Busters, and had already begun doing club dates on the weekends. Elliot finished high school at age 16 and entered the University of Pennsylvania. During his junior year his band, now named The Elliot Broza Orchestra, began playing college proms around Pennsylvania. 

Elliot took the name Elliot Lawrence to distinguish himself from his family name when he became the music director of WCAU'S House Band in 1945. The band premiered on the radio on January 18, 1945, as The Elliot Lawrence Orchestra in a weekly half-hour broadcast "Listen to Lawrence". The Elliot Lawrence Band, of which he was the piano player and leader, soon incorporated classical instruments like oboe, French horn, English horn and bassoon.

From 1946 to 1954, Lawrence's Band toured, performing at dances, concerts, college proms, and headline gigs around the United States year round, while recording albums for Decca, Columbia, RCA, Fantasy, and Vik records. In 1949, the band performed a three-week stint with the Nat King Cole Trio at the Paramount Theater in New York City, during which time it recorded Gerry Mulligan's "Elevation", later named "one of the top 50 best jazz recordings of the 20th century" by the Smithsonian Institution. The Elliot Lawrence Band performed in Philadelphia at the World Series in 1950, playing his original song "The Fightin' Phils". By this time, however, the band had become known for their "sweet" commercial sound. From 1947 to 1949 the band was the "campus choice" in Billboard's most promising new orchestra polls. Elliot was also voted one of America's "most eligible bachelors" by Look magazine in 1949.

After 1960, Lawrence gave up jazz and began composing and arranging for television, film, and stage. He won the Tony Award for his second show, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 1962. This led to a 16-year career as a Broadway Conductor and musical director and later to his almost 50-year career as the "go to" conductor for big television events and specials.

Elliot Lawrence died on July 2, 2021, at the age of 96 in Manhattan. *(from wikipedia.org)*

If New York's jazz studio scene had a high point, it's probably 1956 and '57, just as the 12-inch LP became popular and just before stereo intruded with its odd sonics. During those two years, labels set high LP production quotas and producers were dispatched to line up numerous recording dates. With the pressure on, many producers took chances on artists who might not have been heard otherwise and concepts that hadn't been tried previously. They also began using Broadway songs as a way to build inventory.

One of the earliest examples was Elliot Lawrence's Jazz Goes Broadway, which had a distinctly East Coast sound. The difference between the East Coast and West Coast studio sound rested in its main influences. On the West Coast, arrangements and playing tended to be splashier and more swayed by television, fast cars and the movies. On the East Coast, the playing was jazzier and the arrangements tended to be bluesy, instrumentally denser and less commercial sounding.

Recorded over two sessions in May 1957, Jazz Goes Broadway featured two different sets of first-call studio musicians. The arrangements were by AlCohn, Elliot Lawrence and Manny Albam. What's more, each song showcases a different artist.

On Jazz Goes Broadway, we hear the artful use of show tunes without sacrificing jazz or swing. *Marc Myers*

Although he mostly worked in radio, television, and the studios in the 1950s, pianist/arranger Elliot Lawrence also led a series of fine swing-oriented jazz dates. Most of his sessions were at the head of big bands, but, for this CD Lawrence leads a pair of overlapping octets. Such soloists as Art Farmer or Nick Travis on trumpet, Jimmy Cleveland or Urbie Green on trombone, altoist Gene Quill, clarinetist Hal McKusick, tenorman Zoot Sims and Al Cohn (switching to baritone), the groups perform ten songs taken from Broadway shows. Four ("Just in Time", "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face", "On the Street Where You Live", and "Mack the Knife") became standards while the other six sank into obscurity. The jazz all-stars (which also include bassist Chubby Jackson and drummer Don Lamond) uplift all of the tunes, with arrangements provided by Lawrence, Cohn, and Manny Albam. *Scott Yanow (All Music Guide)*

1 - Jubilation T. Cornepone

(Johnny Mercer, Gene De Paul)

2 - Just In Time

(B. Comden, A. Green, J. Styne)

3 - Big D

(Frank Loesser)

4 - I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face

(Alan J. Lerner, Frederick Loewe)

5 - On The Street Where You Live

(Alan J. Lerner, Frederick Loewe)

6 - Mack The Knife

(Kurt Weill)

7 - Joey, Joey, Joey

(Frank Loesser)

8 - If'n

(Matt Dubey, Harold Karr)

9 - Look At 'Er

(Bob Merrill)

10 - Standing On The Corner

(Frank Loesser)

#1, #3, #6, #8:

Art Farmer (trumpet), Jimmy Cleveland (trombone), Gene Quill (alto sax),

 Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Al Cohn (baritone sax), Elliot Lawrence (piano),

Chubby Jackson (bass), Don Lamond (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall, RCA Victor Studios, New York City, May 7, 1957

#2, #4, #5, #7, #9, #10:

Nick Travis (trumpet), Urbie Green (trombone), Hal McKusick (clarinet),

Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Al Cohn (baritone sax), Elliot Lawrence (piano),

Chubby Jackson (bass), Don Lamond (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall, RCA Victor Studios, New York City, May 8, 1957

Jazz goes to... Morey Feld

Morey Feld's Straight-Ahead Six

Jazz Goes To B'Way

Swing jazz audiences enjoyed the work of Morey Feld (August 15, 1915 – March 28, 1971) during several different periods of clarinet great Benny Goodman's career. As an elder statesman, Morey Feld was associated with several different George Wein festivals and touring projects. Eventually Feld pitched his tent in the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado and became an important spokesman for jazz among the cowboy hats. He came out of the midwest and its fertile breeding ground of bands in the '30s, playing with Ben Pollack, Joe Haymes and others. He first began playing with Goodman near the end of 1944.

The initial period with Goodman lasted a bit more than a year, followed by the beginning of another of the drummer's important relationships, this one with Eddie Condon. Condon would soon crank open his own venue in New York City, dedicated to styles of jazz that were being left behind. As might be expected, the move provided employment for drummers who played these styles with authority. As the '40s progressed, Feld revealed his mastery of various feels in the band of Buddy Morrow, behind many a guest at the Condon club and on a string of often uncredited free-lance recording sessions.

Goodman brought him back in the '50s, a decade when the drummer also held forth with Billy Butterfield, Joe Bushkin, Bobby Hackett and Peanuts Hucko. From 1955 the drummer was on staff as an ABC session player, emerging a bit more into the spotlight in the '60s when he began leading his own group. Feld's trio was well received at the 1964 New York World's Fair but his leadership activities did not prevent him from continuing the relationships with both Condon and Goodman. While working with the latter artist in 1966, Feld opened his own school of drumming. He toured all over the world with George Wein's Newport All Stars, then began trying out new environs. In 1968 he moved to California but skipped over the mountains shortly thereafter and settled in Denver. By 1969 he was well established with a band Hucko was leading out of Denver, and was also playing in a group that casually referred to itself as The World's Greatest Jazz Band. 

Feld died at age 55 while attempting to fight a fire at his Denver home. *Eugene Chadbourne*

The wedding of musical comedy songs with jazz bands, though seemingly incongruous, has survived for several decades, and, in fact, seems to be showing greater compatability than ever. It makes good common sense too, because show melodies, especially when written by such men as George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Jerome Kern and Cole Porter, are melodies with much musical merit, with interesting melodic structures and unusual chord changes. Jazz musicians, who play extemporaneously around the melody and the chords, find more meat in such showtunes than in the usual, stereotyped Tin Pan Alley numbers, and so, quite naturally, they prefer to play them.

All of the ten selections in Jazz Goes To B'Way were written by the composers just mentioned. They represent some of the best material from the legitimate and motion picture musical shows, and if the performances sound more than slightly inspired, you can credit the material just as much as the performers. 

Morey Feld, leader of the Straight-Ahead Six, is so fond of all the songs that he cautioned the musicians before the date not to stray too far away from the melody. Said the former Benny Goodman drummer, a product of Cleveland, Ohio, and now a fixture in the ABC network's New York studios, in explaining the purpose of the recordings: "All we were interested in was making some happy, swinging, sounds. We hope it swings and that it makes some people happy!"

*George T. Simon (liner notes)*

When jazz goes to Broadway it taps a rich and rewarding ore of fine tunes. Sticking to the more familiar show music the boys resound with some capable jazz artistry. Morey Feld's group is particularly effective with Cole Porter's great new standard, "It's All Right With Me". For cooler sounds and a much slower arrangement Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays" is a standout. Excellent material and a varied display of jazz tempo could provide successful sales. *Cashbox, January 14, 1956*

Jazz Goes To B'Way, a leader's album by Maury Feld, a drummer who was part of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. An exceptional record. This album features the vibraphone playing of Eddie Costa, the pianist and vibraphonist who died at the age of 31, with a unique improvisational style and a great sense of humor. It would not be an exaggeration to call it Eddie Costa's leader's album. Two years after its release, Eddie was voted Best New Artist in two categories, vibraphone and piano, in Down Beat magazine's international critics' poll. This hidden masterpiece, which predates his first leader's album, Eddie Costa Quintet, recorded with Phil Woods, Art Farmer, Teddy Kotick, and Paul Motian, moves with elegance and a sophisticated sense of white music. The content is a special Broadway collection of masterpieces created by great composers such as George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter. *recordsurplus.stores.jp*

Side 1

1 - Strike Up The Band

(Gershwin)

2 - Yesterdays

(Kern)

3 - I Didn't Know What Time It Was

(Rodgers, Hart)

4 - Lovely To Look At

(Kern)

5 - All Of You

(Porter)

Side 2

6 - It's All Right With Me

(Porter)

7 - Somebody Loves Me

(Gershwin)

8 - Dancing On The Ceiling

(Rodgers, Hart)

9 - Who Cares

(Gershwin)

10 - There's A Small Hotel

(Rodgers, Hart)

Peanuts Hucko (clarinet, tenor sax); Billy Byers (trombone [#3, #5, #8]); 

Billy Bauer [#1, #4, #6], Al Casamenti [#2, #7, #9, #10], Barry Galbraith [#3, #5, #8] (guitars); 

Don Elliot (mellophone [#1, #2, #4, #6, #7, #9, #10]); Eddie Costa (piano, vibes);

Jack Lesberg [#1, #4, #6], Arnold Fishkind [#2, #3, #5, #7 to #10] (basses), Morey Feld (drums).

Recorded in New York City, December 1955

Jazz goes to... Johnnie Pate

Johnnie Pate Trio

Plus Three

Jazz Goes Ivy League

John William Pate (born December 5, 1923) is an American former musician, a jazz bassist who became a producer, arranger, and leading figure in Chicago soul, pop, and rhythm and blues.

He learned piano and tuba as a child and later picked up the bass guitar. He learned arranging while serving in the United States Army.

Following stints with Coleridge Davis and Stuff Smith in the 1940s, in 1951, Pate was recording on Chess Records with Eddie South and his Orchestra, credited on bass and arrangements. This was also the first of a series of Chess recordings on which Pate collaborated with saxophonist Eddie Johnson. In the 1950s, he was also a resident arranger for Red Saunders' house band at the Club DeLisa. Pate's arranging skills were greatly influenced by Quincy Jones, whom he was an "avowed disciple" of.

Johnny Pate's trio recorded for a number of Chicago labels, including Gig and Talisman. For the Cincinnati-based Federal Records, the Johnny Pate Quintet had a hit with "Swinging Shepherd Blues", which reached No. 17 on the Billboard R&B chart in spring 1958.

One of the last albums on which Pate played bass was James Moody's 1958 album Last Train from Overbrook, on the Chess subsidiary, Argo Records.

In the late 1960s, Pate served as a national trustee on the National Academy of Arts and Sciences and he was very instrumental in bringing the Grammy Awards to television.

Pate turned 100 on December 5, 2023. *wikipedia.org*

Colloquialisms, neoterisms, and jargons, have been the innate privilege of Youth Americana. Thus the term lvy League. It would seem that the Ivy Leaguer would be solely confined to a particular type of college student. It is true that the embryo came from our colleges, but more significant is the fact that whether or not the Ivy Leaguer dares normal convention in his attire, general appearance and way of life is not important, but rather his willingness to accept new concepts and ideas. The Ivy Leaguer no longer can be confined to our colleges, but rather to all those who are young in heart and spirit. Thus we have dedicated this LP to the Ivy Leaguer or to all who are young in heart... for these people are sincere Ivy Leaguers. The sounds you hear and the interpretation are truly Ivy League.

Johnnie Pate not only is a bassist but a great young composer and arranger, having studied at Midwestern Conservatory in Chicago. He has worked with Red Allen, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and a host of others. Since then Johnnie has formed the Johnnie Pate Trio which was voted the outstanding jazz combo in Chicago for two consecutive years 1956-57. Some of his original works have been recorded by George Shearing and Eddie South. *(liner notes)*

An excellent bit of jazz from the Chicago scene — featuring the early roots of a set of players that would go onto influence the city's soul scene in a huge way. Johnnie Pate's probably best known as the arranger behind many great soul singles — including most of the Impressions 60s work — but he's playing bass here with a group that includes other great soul studio talents, like Charles Stepney on vibes, Lennie Druss on flute, Floyd Morris on piano, and Wilbur Wynne on guitar. The tracks are longish — with kind of a soul jazz take on the chamber jazz groove of the west coast, showing the first signs of the evolution of the jazz sophistication that would influence Stepney's later productions for Cadet, or Druss' work in the Soulful Strings. Titles include "Nita", "Que Jay", "Currant Jelly", and "Soulful Delight".  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

Side 1

1 - Nita

2 - Blues For The Ivy Leaguer

3 - Que Jay

Side 2

4 - Current Jelly

5 - Karen

6 - Soulful Delight

(All compositions by Johnnie Pate)

Lennie "Lenny" Druss (flute), Charles Stepney (vibes), Floyd Morris (piano),

Wilbur Wynne (guitar), Johnny Pate (bass), Vernell Fournier (drums).

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, October 16 (#4, #5, #6) and October 22 (#1, #2, #3), 1957

Tony Aless: A musical homage

An infrequently recorded pianist, Tony Aless mixed bop, mainstream and cool elements into his compositions and solos. Aless played with trumpeter Bunny Berign in the late '30s, then recorded with Teddy Powell in the early '40s. After serving in the army, Aless played briefly with Charlie Spivak, then worked and recorded with Woody Herrman in the mid-'40s. Later stints included stretches with George Auld, Flip Phillips, Chubby Jackson, Neal Hefti, Stan Getz and Charlie Parker, plus radio appearances. Aless's best-known album is the 1955 release Long Island Suite, notable for the inclusion of twin trombone dynamos J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding, and contributions from another solid, undervalued musician, alto saxophonist Dave Schildkraut. *Ron Wynn*

In 1955, Long Island was a checkerboard of farming and fishing communities. The longest island in the continental U.S., Long Island remained relatively sleepy and quaint until 1958, when the Long Island Expressway was completed and spanned 71 miles of the 118-mile length of the land mass. Before '58, Long Island towns just over the Queens border became bedroom communities, as young married war veterans who qualified for the G.I. Bill bought homes with low-interest, zero-down loans and commuted to jobs in the city on the Long Island Railroad.

During this pre-boom period in 1955, Tony Aless recorded his Long Island Suite for Roost, dedicated to towns that were little more than sleepy villages back then. The only distant exceptions on the album were Riverhead and Greenport way out on the east end.

Aless's eight town tunes were Levittown, Corona, Aqueduct, Riverhead, Valley Stream, Greenport, Fire Island and Massapequa. Most were near Long Island's Route 27 along the southern shore. Other than that connection, it's hard to know why Aless chose these specific towns.

It's also unclear why Aless composed a musical valentine to Long Island, but his ability to write and arrange swinging work is evident here. What's even stranger — given his ability to compose, arrange, contract top musicians and conduct — is that Long Island Suite was his only leadership album. *Marc Myers*

Tony Aless

Long Island Suite

Introducing Seldon Powell

This album is a happy musical trip to eight Long Island communities written by Tony Aless (1921-1985). A pianist of broad big band experienceBunny Berigan, Teddy Powell, Georgie Auld, Charlie Spivak, Woody Herman, Charlie Ventura, Neal Hefti, Chubby Jackson, George Siravohe also worked on networks and independent stations around New York and recorded with the groups of Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, George Handy, Seldon Powell and John Plonsky. These years of iron-clad, elite experience not only inform his authoritative playing, but are also distilled in this impressive project into a personal musical credo. More than anything else, he said, my concern was swinging. I think we got that across.

Besides his persuasive contributions as player, composer and arranger on what was the only album released under his own name, there is much to admire; in a first-rate rhythm section of Billy Bauer, Arnold Fishkin and Don Lamond, Bauer is also one of the better soloists on the date; of the others, Nick Travis is crisply vibrant, and Dave Schildkraut swings hard and Bird-like. Tenorman Seldon Powell, imaginative, visceral, with a fine, full sound, is best of all. Also effective in their brief appearances are the alternating trombones Kai & J.J.

But even the most casual hearing of the Long Island Suite will confirm Alesss judgment: it swings all the way. And it is, as he hoped it would be, simple, like Basie. Because, as far as I am concerned, thats the only thing, to swing all night-long. *Jordi Pujol*

One of the few albums ever cut as a leader by pianist Tony Aless — an unsung hero of the big band years, especially in the Woody Herman group — and a great arranger too! This set's an all-original outing — a suite of tracks dedicated to Long Island, and played by a very hip group that has tenorist Seldon Powell in the lead — serving up work that's every bit as great here as on his own albums for Roost from the time! The record's got a slightly largish group — a tentet that's stuffed with great players — including Billy Bauer on guitar, J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding on trombones, and Nick Travis on trumpet — all modernists who really bring in the sound you'd expect. Titles include "Fire Island", "Valley Stream", "Levittown", and "Massapequa".  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

1 - Levittown

2 - Corona

3 - Aqueduct

4 - Riverhead

5 - Valley Stream

6 - Greenport

7 - Fire Island

8 - Massapequa

(All compositions by Tony Aless)

Nick Travis (trumpet); J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding [as "Moe and Joe"] (trombones);

Dave Schildkraut (alto sax), Seldon Powell, Pete Mondello (tenor saxes),

Tony Aless (piano), Billy Bauer (guitar), Arnold Fishkin (bass), Don Lamond (drums).

Recorded in New York City, July 1955

Jack Montrose and Red Norvo : Another good pair

Tenor saxophonist and composer Jack Montrose was a premier exponent of the West Coast jazz movement. His terse phrasing and smooth tone remain the quintessence of California cool. Born December 30, 1928, in Detroit, Montrose spent the first several years of the Depression in Chicago until poverty forced his family to relocate to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Upon teaching himself saxophone he joined a local dance band at the age of 14, and after several tours of the South he relocated to Southern California, where in 1947 he joined the John Kirby Sextet, beginning a long and fertile collaboration with Kirby's baritone saxophonist, Bob Gordon. Montrose continued working with Kirby while studying at Los Angeles State College, and after the bandleader's 1952 death he supported Shorty Rogers and Art Pepper. Upon graduating in 1953, Montrose earned notoriety as a session musician and arranger, contributing to dates headlined by Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, and Dave Pell. After returning from a six-month tour with Stan Kenton in mid-1954, Montrose reunited with Gordon for the Pacific Jazz LP Meet Mr. Gordon.

In 1955, the saxophonists convened for an acclaimed Atlantic date, Arranged/Played/Composed by Jack Montrose, followed by a Pacific Jazz session headlined by the former. But by the time of both albums' commercial release, Gordon was dead, killed in a fatal auto accident on August 28, 1955, at the age of only 27.

Montrose resurfaced in 1957 with a pair of RCA releases, Blues and Vanilla and The Horn's Full.

Reviewing Jack Montrose's albums posted here, it can be seen that only these last two albums are missing to complete his main recordings as a leader between the mid-1950s. Let's make the completists happy...

Jack Montrose

Blues and Vanilla

And

The Horn's Full

The two LPs compiled here are among the best works by the late Jack Montrose (1926-2006), a fine tenor sax player, remarkable jazz composer and arranger, and a key figure in the 1950s West Coast jazz movement. The first includes Montrose's extended work Concertino da Camera (subtitled Blues and Vanilla), his most ambitious project, devised within an essentially contrapuntal structure. The quintet sides prove the cleverly conceived aspects of his compositional concepts, with their sense of symmetry in the use thematic material. Montrose is accompanied here by some strong voices with a high level of individual performance such as Joe Maini, Shelly Manne, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel, and Red Norvo. The interplay, sympathy and good feeling between them are something to hear and one that doesn’t pall with repeated hearings.

Blues and Vanilla

Jack Montrose's first LP for RCA is a long-out-of-print collectable that is fairly obscure due to the paucity of jazz recordings that he made in the decades that followed this 1957 release. The cool-toned nature of the tenor saxophonist's compositions and arrangements fits in with the so-called West Coast jazz genre, though like many of the musicians labeled as such, Montrose is not a native of the region. The first section of his extended piece "Concertino da Camera (Blues and Vanilla)" is built upon a swinging blues theme that utilizes a call-and-response between the rhythm section (anchored by vibraphonist Red Norvo) and the saxophonists (Montrose is joined by alto saxophonist Joe Maini); the second part gradually integrates three separate themes with some wild counterpoint. The second side of the disc includes a quintet with guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Max Bennett, and drummer Bill Dolney joining Montrose and Norvo for several more originals by the leader and an inventive arrangement of Duke Ellington's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" that incorporates a counter-melody against the main theme. Montrose's approach to "Bernie's Tune" also adds new depth to this favorite of '50s-era jam sessions. *Ken Dryden -All Music Guide*

The Horn's Full

Although a somewhat obscure set which has not yet been reissued on CD, this outing by tenor saxophonist Jack Montrose was put out by Fresh Sound Records in the 1980s. Montrose, an excellent improviser who was also a talented arranger, teams up with vibraphonist Red Norvo, either Barney Kessel or Jim Hall on guitar, Lawrence Wooten or Max Bennett on bass and Mel Lewis or Bill Dolney on drums to perform six of his originals and five swing-era standards. The music is greatly uplifted by Montrose's inventive arrangements and has many concise solos. Despite the quality, Montrose would not have his next opportunity to lead a record date for 28 years.

*Scott Yanow -All Music Guide*

1 - Concertino Da Camera (Blues and Vanilla)

(Jack Montrose)

2 - Bockhanal

(Jack Montrose)

3 - Don't Get Around Much Anymore

(Ellington, Russell)

4 - A Dandy Line

(Jack Montrose)

5 - For The Fairest

(Jack Montrose)

6 - Crazy She Calls Me

(Sigman, Russell)

7 - Dark Angel

 (Jack Montrose)

8 - Bernie's Tune

(Bernie Miller)

9 - Headline

(Jack Montrose)

10 - Rosanne

(Osser-Osser)

11 - Polka Dots And Moonbeams

(Burke, Van Heusen)

12 - The Little House

(Jack Montrose)

13 - Solid Citizen

(Jack Montrose)

14 - Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

(Duke Ellington)

15 - True Blue

(Jack Montrose)

16 - The Horn's Full

(Jack Montrose)

17 - Goody Goody

(Malneck, Mercer)

#1 to #5 and #8 from the album Blues and Vanilla (RCA LPM-1451)

#6, #7 and #9 to #17 from the album The Horn's Full (RCA LPM-1572)

#1:

Jack Montrose (tenor sax), Joe Maini (alto sax),

Red Norvo (vibes), Buddy Clark (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, November 13, 1956

#2 to #9:

Jack Montrose (tenor sax), Red Norvo (vibes),

Jim Hall (guitar), Max Bennett (bass), Bill Dolney (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California,

December 24 (#2 to #5), and 26 (#6 to #9), 1956

#10 to #17:

Jack Montrose (tenor sax), Red Norvo (vibes),

Barney Kessel (guiotar), Lawrence "Red" Wooten (bass), Mel Lewis (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California,

September 10 (#10 to #13), and 11 (#14 to #17), 1957