Five-Star Collection... John LaPorta

John LaPorta

John LaPorta Quintet

With Louis Mucci

For some years now, I have been crying the excellences of John LaPorta as clarinetist, alto saxist, arranger and composer. And for as many years, John has been quietly justifying that enthusiasm of mine in his clarinet-playing, alto work and scoring, whether of his own lines or others. Today, therefore, when friends and acquaintances and strangers call me up or stop me in the street to tell me that they have heard "the clarinetist" who also turns out to be an alto man of irreproachable taste and skill and then identify him as John, I can just barely resist saying "told you so" and citing chapter and verse, which in my case means volume and number of Metronome. A musician of John's extraordinary qualities deserves more of a critic, however, than pride of discovery — if anybody can ever really be said to discover anybody else. What he deserves more than anything else, of a critic or any other responsible person, is the opportunity to be heard. Here, at last, in this album, John LaPorta can be heard. These words of introduction are intended only to point out a few things you might keep in mind as you listen. *Barry Ulanov (liner notes)*

This is one of the rarer events of the year. Alto-clarinetist-writer LaPorta has been heard infrequently on records as a sideman with Woody Herman (in section), Lennie Tristano, and on a couple of Metronome all-star dates. This is his first LP to himself and he emerges as a major modern jazzman, an altoist worthy of comparison with Desmond, Konitz, Donaldson, Geller, and Shank, among the younger aspirants to Bird's mantle. John also blows some impressive clarinet here, but there's not enough to gauge his stature on that instrument as surely as one can on alto. LaPorta has a beat, tone, mastery of his instrument, and above all, mature conception that makes him a constantly absorbing pleasure to listen to.

What makes this folio particularly impressive is the quality of John's writing (all six tunes are his). For the most part, these are lines that are carefully thought out and are also organically alive, unlike too many of the sketchy "originals" that proliferate on many modern jazz record dates. LaPorta is that still unusual phenomenon: a long-term student (and teacher) of theory and composition who also has the jazz listening and playing experience that enables him to use form meaningfully in a thoroughly jazz context. In this case, the forms are relatively simple but they're sound beginnings toward further extension.

John's excellent rhythm section is composed of Eddie Shaughnessy, Wally Cirillo (his solo on Fringe Area is particularly indicative of his growth as a pianist), and bassist Richard Carter. Carter is a little known bassist hidden in Staten Island who plays with great warmth, full tone, and over-all soundness of musicianship that should bring him many more record dates and steadier gigs.

On trumpet is a skilled alumnus of the early Norvo, Claude Thornhill, and Goodman bands, a brilliant lead man, Louis Mucci. Mucci, now on CBS staff, has a fine clarity of tone (listen to him on the touching requiem, The Old Man’s Touch) and impressive technique. On this LP, his function is to play the cleanly wrought lines written for him by John while the others handle the improvisation, but since Mucci has long desired to be a jazzman, it's to be hoped that on future dates, he'll acquire the confidence to blow on his own for awhile.

Except for some slight surface interference on the second and third bands, the recording quality is good. LaPorta would like eventually to package the scores of his originals with the recordings of them — a good idea that I hope Debut acts on. The first paragraph of the program notes, by the way, is a dramatically absorbing spectacle of the soul-struggle within a modest critic as he tries to restrain himself from "saying 'I told you so". He loses.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, November 3, 1954 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Fluid Drive

2 - Right Around Home

3 - The Old Man's Touch

Side 2

4 - This Hectic Life

5 - Quarto

6 - Fringe Area

(All compositions by John LaPorta)

John Laporta (alto sax, clarinet), Louis Mucci (trumpet),

Wally Cirillo (piano), Dick Carter (bass), Ed Shaughnessy (drums).

Recorded in New York City, March 9, 1954

Five-Star Collection... John Graas (II)

In a previous post, we highlighted how producer Tom Mack, in the liner notes of Jazz Studio #3, underscored the pivotal role Jazz Studio #2 played in John Graas's career. This was the album that let listeners hear Graas in a completely new light — as a composer and arranger. His debut as an arranger on this project quickly drew the attention of jazz soloists and record labels, and it set the stage for larger commissions that would define the path of his career.

The story behind the album makes it even more fascinating. In 1954, as Decca expanded its catalog with new 12-inch LPs, Tom Mack turned to the West Coast's finest studio musicians. Graas, already known for his mastery of the French horn, took the lead, assembling an exceptional ensemble: Don Fagerquist, Milt Bernhart, Herb Geller, Jimmy Giuffre, Marty Paich, Howard Roberts, Curtis Counce, and Larry Bunker.

The result was a record that not only showcased impeccable musicianship but also captured the relaxed, sophisticated vibe of 1950s Los Angeles—a snapshot of an era in sound. Jazz Studio #2 became more than an album; it was a gateway for John Graas, opening doors to new opportunities and solidifying a group of musicians who would come to define the West Coast jazz scene.

Although Down Beat awarded it four stars in 1956, the 2004 CD reissue of From Hollywood received a five-star rating from AllMusic, earning it a rightful place in our Five-Star Collection — a recognition that ensures this landmark album continues to reach new listeners today.

John Graas

Jazz Studio #2 • From Hollywood

If there is one word that epitomizes the kind of jazz which has been developing on the West Coast during the past few years, probably that word is "organization". For although the swinging beat, once minimized by purists as a distraction, has happily returned to the scene, with the result that jazz on the Coast now swings with complete freedom, it has done so within the framework of individual patterns which have become organized to considerable degree.

A typical modern jazz group in Hollywood seems to follow nature's principle of tension-and-release, which in music is at least as old as the earliest symphonies, yet, being basic, seems fresh whenever applied to new forms and subjected to new interpretations. Usually the first chorus takes the formidable talents of the performers and constrains them lightly within the bounds of an arrangement which is actually a jumping-off place for what is to follow. During these initial choruses, which are characterized by an interdependence and mutual awareness of the performers, a tension builds to a point where a soloist derives a powerful send-off into his own improvisation. Often contrapuntal, harmonically interesting, these jump ensembles have come to replace almost entirely the unison riff of the early days of jazz. It is not considered bad form for one or more musicians (other than the rhythm section) to chime in with improvised backgrounds to another's solo, thus often giving unusual contrapuntal effects to the soloist's performance.

The word "modern", applied to any kind of music, sometimes makes people expect a preponderance of dissonances, atonality, and harsh sounds. Paradoxically enough, modern West Coast jazz is very melodic, possibly because the arrangers and composers in this medium are more apt to lean upon Bach than Schoenberg. The paradox extends to the basic sound, which is generally a quiet sound, seldom resorting to screaming high notes to achieve the excitement that is jazz. Excitement is generated by a swinging beat, good melodic form, and imaginative writing.

In JAZZ STUDIO 2 we are attempting to offer a representative picture of the kind of jazz which is pretty much indigenous to the West Coast, played by some of the musicians who have contributed notably to this development. It is not intended to set it apart from jazz everywhere, and of course the listener will find a great deal which is not regional. *Tom Mack (liner notes, 1954)*

An absorbing set recorded in Hollywood by Tom Mack. Personel included Herb Geller, Milt Bernhart, John Graas, Don Fagerquist, Marty Paich, Curtis Counce, Howard Roberts, Larry Bunker, and Jimmy Guiffre on tenor and baritone (and I think the tasty clarinet on Lions is his, too). How come, by the way, Jimmy just gets one credit line buried in the notes and no front cover billing?

Anyway, the playing of all involved is just fine. This record, for one thing, should firmly establish Herb Geller as one of the undeniably arrived alto stars. The man has it—ideas, beat, pungent tone, and above all, heart. Herb blows with everything he has; he doesn't try to fit himself into icily studied attitudes. John Graas' French horn comes through freer, more swinging and more inventive than on his Trend sides. Bernhart had a sweepingly relaxed ball on the date judging from his playing. Guiffre and Fagerquist are firstrate and the rhythm section is crisp, light and steady. Howard Roberts' guitar, imagination and tone are highly impressive and it's good to hear full-toned bassist Curtis Counce get some extended solo space.

Almost all of the writing is of better than average consistency and some contains real organic development. Graas wrote Lions and Graas Point and arranged Do It Again. Paich contributed Paicheck and arranged the other two songs. Graas Point has some especially intriguing contrapuntal intersections and there's a swingingly fresh feel to the lines of Lions that isn't as easy to attain as it may sound.

Footnote: Listen to the entrance of Fagerquist and Bernhart in Dream. It must have been a thoroughly sunny California day when this LP was made. This is a distinguished Decca debut for Mr. Mack. Give the man a raise and let him do some more sessions — even if he does think there's such a thing as "west coast jazz". *Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, October 6, 1954 [4 satrs])*

The Jazz Studio series recorded for Decca during the 1950s produced a lot of enjoyable sessions, though many of them were very hard to obtain.

Jazz Studio, Vol. 2, with French horn player John Graas as the leader of this cool-oriented West Coast session, with trumpeter Don Fagerquist, trombonist Milt Bernhart, alto saxophonist Herb Geller, Jimmy Giuffre (who plays clarinet, tenor, and baritone saxes), pianist Marty Paich, guitarist Howard Roberts, bassist Curtis Counce, and drummer Larry Bunker on hand. The mood is considerably more subdued than the bop material recorded by the East Coast musicians heard on Jazz Studio, Vol. 1, but the music has held up very well, with excellent solos and strong charts by Graas and Paich. Highlights include Graas' intricate "Here Come the Lions" and Paich's equally challenging "Paicheck" (note its equally witty title). *Ken Dryden (2004, allmusic.com [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Laura

(David Raksin, Johnny Mercer)

2 - Here Come The Lions

(John Graas)

3 - Paicheck

(Marty Paich)

Side 2

4 - Graas Point

(John Graas)

5 - Darn That Dream

(Jimmy Van Heusen, Eddie De Lange)

6 - Do It Again

(George Gershwin)

Don Fagerquist (trumpet), Milt Bernhart (trombone), John Graas (french horn), 

Herb Geller (alto sax), Jimmy Giuffre (clarinet, tenor sax, baritone sax),

Marty Paich (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Curtis Counce (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

Recorded at Decca's Studio 55, Los Angeles, California, June 4, 1954

Five-Star Collection... John Graas (I)

John Graas

Jazz Studio #3

For some time, JOHN GRAAS, winner of the 1954 Metronome Poll, has been building a reputation as one of the most important modern jazz instrumentalists, and he has been doing it with an instrument usually found in the hallowed precincts of the symphony hall: the French Horn. For this he is to be congratulated, because he is welding one more link in the chain which binds all modern music, and helping to destroy the prejudices which have served no good purpose but to divide where there should be no division.

"JAZZ STUDIO 3: JOHN GRAAS" offers the listener the opportunity of witnessing the growth of the artist in other fields: those of composition and arranging. 

Since making his arranging debut in "JAZZ STUDIO 2", John's newly discovered writing talents have been much in demand. Many jazz soloists and recording companies 

have sought his product, but even more important, he has been commissioned, as a direct result of his work in "JAZZ STUDIO 2", to compose a Jazz Symphony. Portions 

of this work will appear here. "JAZZ STUDIO 3" is glad to show-case Graas' writing talent in a stage of its development which will be all the more apparent to those who 

were first impressed by his flair for contrapuntal invention as illustrated by "GRAAS POINT", considered by many the high point of "STUDIO 2". *Tom Mack (liner notes)*

Decca's third Jazz Studio set is devoted to the composition and arrangements of French horn expert John Graas. The selections are played by a septet, quartet, and ninetet. The overall personnel comprises Graas, Gerry Mulligan, Don Fagerquist, Red Mitchell, Larry Bunker, Marty Paich, Howard Roberts, Charlie Mariano, Conte Candoli, Zoot Sims, Jimmy Giuffre, Andre Previn, and Curtis Counce. The material covers a refreshingly wide range beginning with a briskly swinging tribute to Mulligan. My Buddy is resurrected from the land of bathos and turns up in a lyrically imaginative quartet arrangement marked by some excellent interlinear play by Mulligan and Graas. The 6/4 framework comes off jumping and the Charleston shakes off its age under Graas' deftly hip hand to end the first side.

Rogeresque is another bright and effective tribute. From Graas' forthcoming Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony, nine men play the sonata allegro and the atonal scherzo. I don’t know whether this will sound as free and idiomatic when scored for full symphony orchestra and jazz soloists, but as of the way it comes through here, these two sections indicate that Graas is constructing a largely fresh, vital work — one that, though somewhat eclectic, already carries much more individualized conviction than the overrated Liebermann Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra. The set closes with an incisive modernization of 12th Street Rag.

The playing by everyone on the date is excellent, and Graas gets the full rating because of the scope of his imagination and his ability to write modern jazz frameworks that, for the most part, challenge the soloists rather than constrict them. Not everything comes off wholly here, but so much of worth and individuality is going on that the set deserves a wide audience.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, June 1, 1955 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Mullinganesque

(John Graas)

2 - My Buddy

(Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson)

3 - 6/4 And Even

(John Graas)

4 - Charleston

(Cecil Mack, Jimmy Johnson)

Side 2

5 - Rogeresque

(John Graas)

Jazz Sections From Symphony No.1 in F Minor

6 - a) Sonata Allegro

7 - b) Scherzo

(John Graas)

8 - 12th Street Rag

(Andy Razaf, Euday L. Bowman)

#1, #3:

John Graas (french horn), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Don Fagerquist (trumpet),

Marty Paich (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Red Mitchell (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

#2:

John Graas (french horn), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax),

Red Mitchell (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

#4, #6, #7:

John Graas (french horn), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Charlie Mariano (alto sax),

Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Jimmy Giuffre (baritone sax), André Previn (piano),

Howard Roberts (guitar), Curtis Counce (bass), Larry Bunker (drums). 

#5, #8:

John Graas (french horn), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Charlie Mariano (alto sax),

Marty Paich (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Curtis Counce (bass), Larry Bunker (drums). 

Recorded at Decca's Studio 55, Los Angeles, California,

December 16 (#1, #2, #3), 1954; January 6 (#4, #6, #7) and January 8 (#5, #8), 1955

Five-Star Collection... The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra

The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra

The Sons Of Sauter-Finegan

To anyone who has never enjoyed the felicities of life in a large family, the purpose and particular joy of this present album may appear somewhat obscure, but on the other hand, those who have grown up in the midst of countless brothers (or sisters) and have been saddled with years of hand-me-downs will know at once just what it is that has brought us together. We may not be members of a regulation-type family in the generally accepted sense of the term, but it is one that swings like few others — and we ask you, how many other families get a chance to carry out the work of their parents as we do that of Eddie and Bill? It's sometimes difficult (if not impossible) to follow, but man, we dig it!

You are all undoubtedly aware of the size of our musical family — unfortunately, we have only one sister, but man, there are brothers coming out of every instrument imaginable, not to mention the woodwork. Not that it isn’t the greatest, but it's always nice to get away for a little vacation even if it means nothing more than traipsing down to the nearest recording studio. So, when RCA Victor's Jack Lewis got together with our parental team and suggested that the older members of the family cut some sides, we were all for it. But don't get the wrong idea — our beards are not quite that white, it’s just that we've been around longer than some of the other S-F kids. And just to make things complete, we thought we should invite one of the parents to sit in with us — it turned out to be Bill Finegan on piano, but if we had used any kazoos it would inevitably have been the estimable Mr. Sauter. He did show up, however, to lead his renowned choir. 

Of course, the making of these records did not actually constitute a vacation, for at the time they were being cut we were also fulfilling an engagement at the New York night spot known as Basin Street. But the music itself is a distinet change from what we usually play with the band. There, in the intricate, colorful, and always swinging arrangements by Eddie and Bill, we join all our other brothers in a massive panorama of sound — we only rarely receive the opportunity to show what we can do in a solo capacity. Not that we're complaining, for there’s really no musical satisfaction quite like playing the products of the Sauter-Finegan imagination, but every musician likes to blow on his own every once in a while, and on these dates we blew to our hearts’ content. Bill built some simple arrangements around each one of us, and from that 

point it was every man for himself.

(...)

Come to think of it, this was something of a vacation — but most of all, it was just great fun. There's something about spontaneous creation that lifts all of us, in an individual way, just a little higher, and especially when it's something we don't do every day, it comes as almost a new experience. At the present writing, we're back with all our countless brothers, once again in the midst of recorders, kazoos, finger cymbals and elephant bells, but for us — and we hone for you, too — the melody lingers on. *(from the liner notes)*

There have been and continue to be many brilliant sidemen in the Sauter-Finegan entourage, but the extent of each man's expressivity has been constricted by the gimmicky, heavily pretentious book of the band. Now, thanks to Jack Lewis of Victor, several of these sidemen have been gathered into small units and have been given ample solo space in loose "head" arrangements. The sides were cut several months ago.

The musicians are: Bobby Nichols, trumpet and fluegel horn; Nick Travis, trumpet and valve trombone; Sonny Russo, trombone; Tommy Mitchell, trombone; Joe Venuto, marimba and vibes; Francis James, bass; Mousey Alexander, drums; Bill Finegan, piano.

Everyone on the date is in fine form. Sonny Russo, (now with Neal Hefti) indicates again he's one of the better young trombonists in jazz although, like his contemporary, Frank Rosolino, Sonny is ill-advised to sing. Mitchell also shows well. Nichols and Travis play with moving warmth and impressive musicianship. Venuto makes it on his one solo band. Though I respect Mousey Alexander, the rhythm section isn't as apt as it could have been for the small units that make up the date. It could flow more, particularly on the up-tempos.

Nichols has two ballads to himself that he plays beautifully, and he duets with Travis on three other numbers. Russo has two to himself, and everyone joins in the last number. Of special interest are two of the Nichols-Travis numbers, Non-Identical Twins and Two Bats in a Cave. Both have the two hornmen alone — without rhythm section. Their third duet, Nip and Tuck — with rhythm — is also absorbing. Good recorded sound throughout. One of the more imaginative albums of the year.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, September 21, 1955 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Back In Your Own Backyard

(Rose, Jolson, Dreyer)

2 - I Surrender Dear

(Barris, Clifford)

3 - Street Of Dreams

(Young, Lewis)

4 - Lip Service

(Russo, Mitchell)

5 - Two Bats In A Cave

(Nichols, Travis)

6 - Mad About The Boy

(Coward)

Side 2

7 - Over The Rainbow

(Arlen, Harburg)

8 - Non-Identical Twins

(Nichols, Travis)

9 - Easy To Remember

(Rodgers, Hart)

10 - Nip And Tuck

(Nichols, Travis)

11 - Fascinating Rhythm

(G. & I. Gershwin)

12 - Procrastination

(Finegan)

Eddie Sauter (arrangements, direction), Bill Finegan (piano, celesta [#7]), 

Bobby Nichols (trumpet, flugelhorn [#7]), Nick Travis (trumpet, valve trombone [#9]),

Sonny Russo (trombone, vocals [#1]), Tommy Mitchell (trombone),

Joe Venuto (marimba [#2], vibes), Francis James (bass), Mousey Alexander (drums).

Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, New York City,

January 15 (#1, #3, #10, #11), 16 (#2, #5, #6, #9) and 20 (#4, #7, #8, #12), 1955

Five-Star Collection... The Modern Jazz Society

The Modern Jazz Society

Presents

A Concert Of Contemporary Music

Of the five compositions that were recorded for this album, three were specifically commissioned by Mr. Norman Granz for this date. The remaining two, Django and The Queen's Fancy, were older compositions of mine that were specially orchestrated by Mr. Gunther Schuller for this session.

I am greatly indebted to all the music and musicians I have known for my inspiration for these compositions. The compositions center on and depend on the jazz soloist and they incorporate jazz and classical techniques. Midsömmer is an adagio in a general first Rondo form, the chord structure of the second theme being used for the improvisations. The title and inspiration is from the Swedish summer holiday and festival. Little David's Fugue is a fugue. The expositions are written while the episodes are improvised on a predetermined chord structure the accompanying instruments participate in the development of intervallic and rhythmic elements of the subject. The Queen's Fancy — This piece was written during the weeks of the coronation of H. M. Queen Elizabeth II of England and was inspired by pieces written for Queen Elizabeth the first of England. This piece is an arrangement and orchestration by Gunther Schuller. Django also is an arrangement and orchestration by Mr. Schuller. The piece is a memoriam for and is dedicated to the late great French guitarist Django Reinhardt. Sun Dance was inspired by dancers. Namely the Hopis of New Mexico and the great Watuse dancers in a film entitled "King Solomon’s Mines". *John Lewis (liner notes)*

This is a collection of five John Lewis compositions, three of which were commissioned by Norman Granz for this recording. On one and three, the musicians are Stan Getz, Tony Scott, J. J. Johnson, flutist James Politis, bassoonist Manuel Zegler, French horn Gunther Schuller, harpist Janet Putnam, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Connie Kay. On the others, Lucky Thompson and Aaron Sachs replace Getz and Scott while the rest of the personnel remains the same. Midsommer, an "adagio in a general first rondo form" is impressionistic. Though it's a flowingly lyrical work in general, the opening composed section is too long for the content involved and rather diffuse. The soloists are superb, particularly in the cross-conversations. Little David's Fugue is based on a sprightly set of figures, and it swings. The solos are good, but Sachs is not up to Scott.

Gunther Schuller's arrangement for The Queen's Fancy works out well, giving this unique mixture of jazz and quasi-Elizabethan textures growing space and effective added coloration. Schuller's scoring of Django is less successful. The original had a spare strength while this version is somewhat sugary and the harp in the background tends to be distracting and somewhat out of context. Sun Dance is another indication, as are all of these works, of Lewis' compositional imagination and craftsmanship. The blowing in these last three is again very good, especially Getz, J. J., Scott, and Lucky. Norman Granz deserves credit for commissioning the set.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, February 22, 1956 [5 stars])*

Side 1

01 - Midsömmer

02 - Little David's Fugue

Side 2

03 - The Queen's Fancy

04 - Django

05 - Sun Dance

(All compositions by John Lewis)

John Lewis (supervisor, arranger);

Stan Getz [#1, #3], Lucky Thompson[#2, #4, #5] (tenor saxes); J.J. Johnson (trombone);

Tony Scott [as Anthony Sciacca, #1, #3], Aaron Sachs [#2, #4, #5] (clarinets);

Gunter Schuller (french horn, arranger, conductor) ; James Politis (flute); Manuel Zegler (bassoon);

Janet Putnam (harp); Billy Bauer (guitar);Percy Heath (bass); Connie Kay (drums).

Recorded at Fine Sound, New York City, March 14, 1955

✳✳✳

For those who prefer the digital version, the CD reissue features three bonus tracks taken from the original rehearsals previously unissued until 1999. This reissue received the special token of merit award in Richard Cook and Brian Morton's The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, 6th Ed. Here’s their evaluation:

The Modern Jazz Society

Presents

A Concert Of Contemporary Music

One of the great forgotten masterpieces of the 1950s, this brilliant date is still available only as a limited-edition reissue in Verve’s Connoisseur Edition. 

Collectors are advised to snap up any copies they see, although it's disgraceful that this classic should not be more easily available. The Modern Jazz Society was an initiative by Lewis and Schuller to present new works and new arrangements, broadly in the 'Third Stream' vein which Schuller encouraged. Lewis was only the supervisor of the original LP, but new discoveries — a rehearsal of a previously unheard J.J Johnson piece "Turnpike" and a run-through of "Queen's Fancy" — find him at the piano.

The five principal pieces are all Lewis compositions, and they are among the finest treatments of Little David's Fugue, Django and Queen's Fancy ever set down. 

Django, with its final coda taken at the stately pace of a cortege, is so bewitching that it can silence a room. "Midsömmer", which has not been performed or recorded in the intervening 45 years, is a gorgeously evocative piece. The arrangements and ensembles are intoxicatingly beautiful, but there are also the most handsome solos by Stan Getz, J.J. Johnson and Lucky Thompson — the latter especially reminding us how poorly he was served by most of his recording opportunities.

*The Penguin Guide to Jazz, 6th Ed. ("Crown" of recommended jazz recordings)*

1 - Little David's Fugue

(John Lewis)

2 - Django

(John Lewis)

3 - The Queen's Fancy

(John Lewis)

4 - Midsömmer

(John Lewis)

5 - Sun Dance

(John Lewis)

6 - Turnpike (rehearsal take)

• false start

• breakdown take

• complete rehearsal take

(J. J. Johnson)

7 - Midsömmer (rehearsal take)

(John Lewis)

8 - The Queen's Fancy (rehearsal take)

(John Lewis)

John Lewis (supervisor, arranger);

Stan Getz [#3, #4, #7], Lucky Thompson[#1, #2, #5] (tenor saxes); J.J. Johnson (trombone);

Tony Scott [as Anthony Sciacca, #3, #4, #7], Aaron Sachs [#1, #2, #5] (clarinets);

Gunter Schuller (french horn, arranger, conductor) ; James Politis (flute); Manuel Zegler (bassoon);

Janet Putnam (harp); Billy Bauer (guitar); Percy Heath (bass); Connie Kay (drums). 

On #6, #8 add John Lewis (piano).

On #8 omit J.J. Johnson (trombone) and James Politis (flute).

Recorded at Fine Sound, New York City, March 14, 1955

Five-Star Collection... Teddy Charles

Teddy Charles

The Teddy Charles Tentet

Comes a time when you begin to search anew. You've written for and played with almost every conceivable small jazz group instrumentation. You want to "stretch out" for something bigger. But it must be an ensemble consistent with your personal ideas on jazz.

You reject the standard big band formula. That was born of dancing, large ballrooms, and theatrical displays — the bigger the better (?). The ideas of Gil Evans occur to you. Gil introduced tuba and french horn to Claude Thornhill's fine band of '47, later reducing it to the jazz group proportions of the Miles Davis nine piece band of '48-'49. The innovation was a great musical success; big band and small alike haven't been the same since. 

However, you play the vibes, and you want an instrumentation that may utilize the potential of your instrument, melodically, ensemblewise, and percussively. And you want to use to advantage your own experience gained in playing with everything from a vibes-bass duo with Mingus, to the Composer Workshop nine piece group and big bands. 

Finally you approach it this way: what jazzmen would I like to hear blowing in a group, that would comprise an extremely flexible instrumentation adaptable for larger forms, and who in combination would produce a very distinctive sound consistent with my ideas of jazz? 

Fortunately almost everyone you have in mind is available, and interested. You get Peter Urban, who played in your group a year or so ago, a swinging creative trumpeter, with big band lead experience, having a sensitive sound all his own. You think of his confrere, the fresh, lyrical, well-schooled Gigi Gryce for alto. Next, from your current group the swinging J. R. (Eastcoast Jake, NOT Westcoast Jack) Monterose; an authoritative tenor voice. On baritone, a guy who can blow, and play ensemble, from later Composer Workshop groups, George Barrow, and Sol Schlinger (when George left town on a gig) fit both requirements well. Don Butterfield, from the first C.W. was the likely choice for tuba, having a distinctive, smooth sound with a good jazz feel; a virtuoso on his horn. 

Now you have two brass, a top and bottom, and three saxes having lead, bottom, and inner voice possibilities and possessed of more flexibility of articulation than trombones or french horns. For swinging strings, six of them, and one of our most creative jazz men to play them, guitarist Jimmy Raney, an earlier musical associate of mine. And under him, Bird's favorite bassist, Teddy Kotick, who plays a walking, lyrical bass line, currently with my quartet. Piano, probably a necessity for blowing in a group of this weight, would require a keyboard artist, as well as a comper and soloist. Hence, Mal Waldron, another Workshop man with a fine classical background.

Now you need a drummer-percussionist who has the ability to swing a large ensemble, yet who can play with the sensitivity required for small band blowing. Joe Harris swung the great Dizzy Gillespie big band, and we had both played in Chubby Jackson's exciting power house. 

Thus the Tentet! An ensemble of individual jazz artists, all fresh, all playing jazz of today. In fact, the idea suddenly jelled. This is what I really want to present on records. Jazz of today. Not ten, or two, or fifteen years ago. Not even futuristic, experimental stuff. But a representation of many of my favorite jazz performers, using contemporary jazz means, playing in an ensemble organically the aggregate of their individual jazz talents. Fortunately, I'd been associated musically with almost every man in the Tentet in my own group or others.

(...)

Complex technical details of each composition could be given, but anybody understanding the jargon wouldn't need it. Moreover, there's only one instrument of a kind, so solo order is obvious. I think all the performers did a great and sympathetic job. You can listen to this casually, or accept it as a challenging experience in listening to undiluted jazz. Either way, I hope you are moved, as I am, by this jazz of today. *Teddy Charles (liner notes)*

Teddy's Tentet is made up of Peter Urban (Art Farmer), trumpet; Gigi Gryce, alto; J. R. Monterose, tenor; George Barrow, baritone; Don Butterfield, tuba; Jimmy Raney, guitar; Mal Waldron, piano; Teddy Kotick, bass; Joe Harris, drums; Sol Schlinger, baritone, for Barrow on sides 1, 3, 7.

The composers-arrangers: Waldron (1); Jimmy Giuffre (2); Charles (3, 4, 5); Gil Evans (6); George Russell (7).

This is one that grows on you. There is so much to hear in the writing, so much going on in the group, so many solo moments of merit that come out at you in short bursts, and so much intensity in the entire performance, that a lot of listenings are just about mandatory. Or perhaps I should say, this collection is going to be listened to often by me.

Charles' intent? Best described in his own excellent liner notes: "This is what I really want to present on records. Jazz of today. Not 10, or 2, or 15 years ago. Not even futuristic, experimental stuff. But a representation of my favorite jazz performers, using contemporary jazz means, playing in an ensemble organically the aggregate of their many individual jazz talents".

They do an excellent job of fulfilling Teddy's aim. This was a well-rehearsed session—not 10 men walking into a studio and playing some difficult music at sight. Charles chose personnel and writers wisely, with his own Green Blues, Giuffre's Quiet Time, and Gil Evans' Go to My Head particularly well adapted to the size and capability of the tentet.

Put this one up on your shelf along with the Miles Davis Capitol sides and the Gerry Mulligan Tentet album. *Jack Tracy (Down Beat, June 27, 1956 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Vibrations

(Mal Waldron)

2 - The Quiet Time

(Jimmy Jiuffre)

3 - The Emperor

(Teddy Charles)

Side 2

4 - Nature Boy

(Eden Ahbez)

5 - Green Blues

(Teddy Charles)

6 - You Go To My Head

(Gillespie, Coots)

7 - Lydian M-1

(George Russell)

Teddy Charles (vibes); Art Farmer [as Peter Urban] (trumpet); Don Butterfield (tuba);

Gigi Gryce (alto sax); J. R. Monterose (tenor sax);

Sol Schlinger [#1, #3, #7], George Barrow [#2, #4, #5, #6] (baritone saxes);

Mal Waldron (piano); Jimmy Raney (guitar); Teddy Kotick (bass); Joe Harris (drums).

Recorded at Coastal Recording Studios, New York City, January 6 (#2, #4),

January 11 (#5, #6) and January 17 (#1, #3, #11), 1956

Five-Star Collection... Michel Legrand

Michel Legrand

With Thirty-One American's Greatest Jazzmen

Featuring Miles Davis

Legrand Jazz

Among the many members of a diverse (it is international) and loyal (they have bought more than one million of his LP's) I Like Legrand Society, are those jazz musicians and arrangers who have, by chance mostly, come within earshot of Legrand recordings.

This brilliant young Frenchman has, with remarkable skill, charm, invention and wit, refreshingly introduced a new kind of musicianship into that too often banal and staggeringly prolific area of popular art that we categorically label "mood music", and the French, closer to the mark, call musique légère.

In many of his previous collections, Legrand has not only made frequent and startlingly¹ original use of the jazz musician as a soloist, but, by virtue of his dynamic ensemble scoring and happy understanding of what a rhythm section is supposed to do, has often managed to make his large orchestra swing in the best tradition of Basie, Lunceford, Ellington and (big band) Gillespie.

Michel Legrand (a multi-prize-winning graduate of the Paris Conservatoire) loves jazz with none of the tame enthusiasm, tinged with condescension of the academically oriented "serious" composer. His arrangements pointedly avoid the meaningless trickery of those highly skilled (and successful) popular arrangers who, from time to time, invest their work with "jazz feeling". Michel, still in his twenties, loves jazz with an almost boyish enthusiasm, with, if not a firsthand knowledge of its growth and environment, the kind of passionate devotion and astonishing erudition that European fans are wont to have. His feelings for several important jazz figures border on idolatry.

In the past, however, Legrand's jazz activities have been limited by both the nature of the recording assignments he has been given and the fact that in Paris, despite the liveliness of that city's jazz scene, the optimum conditions for producing a large-scale jazz figures border on idolatry.

And so, while on a visit to the United States in May and June of 1958, Michel Legrand recorded his first jazz LP. The writing was done during the first three weeks of June. The repertoire was chosen from the works of eleven important jazz composers, and the musicians, many of them familiar to Legrand only through their recordings, were selected from among the best then in New York.

Each arrangement was created with two major factors taken into consideration: 1) the styles and techniques of the participating instrumentalists and 2) the structure and mood of the original compositions.  

(...)

In almost every sense, Legrand Jazz must be considered "experimental". Yet, with all of its daring, with all of its surprises and moments of flashing virtuosity, it stays within the bounds of jazz. The beat, the spontaneity, the indefinable spirit of jazz is there. This album is the first work of a truly important new voice in a wilderness where new voices are all too often disembodied. We're looking forward to much more from this powerful, sincere and stimulating prodigy.

*Nat Shapiro (liner notes)*

Note ¹ : In the original 1958 liner notes, the word "startingly" appears. This seems to be a typographical error for "startlingly", which has been corrected in later reissues of the album.

The Michel Legrand we knew as the leader of a huge recording band for Columbia Records' mood music series here turns his hand to jazz with excellent, often startling results. The strength is in the soloists, for whom he wrote mostly ensemble heads and tails, and some interesting inside figures. The rest, they blew.

The roster is impressive, covering most of the modern greats and near-greats.

The Miles sides are superb. The writing is imaginative, tinged with the languid air of Gil Evans at his most soulful, and yet with something more. Django is a moving piece, brilliantly scored, and played by Davis with a cry of anguish. Midnight is short and fragile. Wild Man is a truly contemporary treatment of the Jelly Roll tune, rich with modern writing and blowing.

The trombone sides, solo-wise least effective of the lot, are brightened by the prodding masculinity of Webster's horn. He saves Rosetta and is tremendous on Blue And Sentimental. The trombones have Don't Get Around Much to themselves as a choir, with strong overtones of Kenton in the voicing.

The trumpet sides have highs and lows, but in the soloing more than the writing. In A Mist is an extremely curious treatment of the wispy Beiderbecke song, but it has Rehak's best solo on it. The ending is like running into Jack The Ripper in the mist. The trumpet chases in Tunisia almost, but not quite, crackle into open fire.

While hardly experimental writing, Legrand's scoring is more than a wrap-up of the tunes in an acceptable order for X number of horns. Instead, it is extremely skillful probing (with the exception —Mist — noted) of the vitals of a song, and the careful polishing of a setting for the solo horns. There are many, many rewarding moments on the set, and it’s to be hoped that this doesn't comprise all of Legrand jazz. The scene, it appears, can use a dash of continental spice about now.

*Dom Cerulli, (Down Beat, March 19, 1959 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - The Jitterbug Waltz

(Thomas Waller)

2 - Nuages

(Django Reinhardt)

3 - Night In Tunisia

(John Gillespie, Frank Paparelli)

4 - Blue And Sentimental

(Mack David, Jerry Livingston, William Count Basie)

5 - Stompin' At The Savoy

(Andy Razaf, Benny Geodman, Chick Webb, Edgar M. Sampson)

6 - Django

(John Lewis)

Side 2

7 - Wild Man Blues

(Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton)

8 - Rosetta

(William Henri Woode, Earl Hines)

9 - 'Round Midnight

(Thelonius Monk)

10 - Don't Get Around Much Anymore

(Sidney Keith Russell, Duke Ellington)

11 - In A Mist

(Bix Beiderbecke)

#1, #6, #7, #9:

Michel Legrand (conductor, arranger),

Miles Davis (trumpet), Herbie Mann (flute), Betty Glamann (harp),

Barry Galbraith (guitar), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Phil Wood (alto sax),

Jerome Richarson (baritone sax, bass clarinet), Eddie Costa (vibes),

Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Kenny Dennis (drums). 

Recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studios, New York City, June 25, 1958

#2, #4, #8, #10:

Michel Legrand (conductor, arranger);

Herbie Mann (flute); Ben Webster (tenor sax);

Frank Rehak , Billy Byers, Jimmy Cleveland, Eddie Bert (trombones);

Mayor Holley (bass, tuba); Hank Jones (piano);

George Duvivier (bass); Don Lamond (drums).  

Recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studios, New York City, June 27, 1958

 

#3, #5, #11:

Michel Legrand (conductor, arranger);

Ernie Royal, Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, Joe Wilder (trumpets);

Frank Rehak,y Jimmy Cleveland (trombones); Gene Quill, Phil Woods (alto saxes);

Seldon Powell (tenor sax); Teo Macero (baritone sax); James Buffington (french horn);

Don Elliot (vibes); Nat Pierce (piano); Milt Hinton (bass); Osie Johnson (drums).

Recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studios, New York City, June 30, 1958 

Five-Star Collection... Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk Septet

Monk's Music

This is THELONIOUS MONK's music — an album emphasizing fresh versions of some of his most notable compositions, as played with great skill, respect and enthusiasm by top jazz musicians.

Monk, throughout a long struggle for fitting recognition, has at least been fortunate in one important respect: a substantial body of performers has always been aware of the originality, significance and validity of his music and been eager for opportunities to play alongside him. To work with Monk is a challenge, both because of the demands his music makes on players and because he is an unrelenting perfectionist; but this is the sort of challenge that talented and properly self-confident men appreciate and enjoy. 

Thus Thelonious has no difficulty in surrounding himself with the best.

(...)

But, with all due respect to these six considerable talents, a Thelonious Monk album belongs primarily to Thelonious. For many years regarded as an awesome genius, but one whose ideas were too far-out for general consumption, Monk now seems finally to be gaining long-deserved acceptance.

(...)

In any event, more and more new listeners now seem prepared to take the trouble (and it still is trouble, although it can be vastly rewarding) to pay close attention to Thelonious. Which makes it a fitting time to present an album largely devoted to new and expanded treatments of four Monk "classics" of the '40s, previously recorded by him only in briefer versions and without horns.

It should be noted that terms like "composition", "arrangement", and for that matter even "performance", can be quite misleading if taken too narrowly. To a performer-writer like Monk (and like most major figures in East Coast jazz today), a composition is automatically also an arrangement, designed to be played by himself and by specific other instruments (often specific musicians). In subsequent performance with other players and groups of different sizes, the arrangement changes; after a while, 

a change of attitude towards the original composition, or new creative ideas, can lead to further substantial alterations. (This may be one reason why jazz of this school, 

whatever its own shortcomings might be, can never be accused of "coldness", a charge sometimes to be made against music prepared once-and-for-all by arrangers who 

then do not continue to be personally associated with the composition.)

Because of this, and because Monk never likes to consider any tune as static, irrevocable or finally set, an "old" Monk piece can and often does become recast and revitalized to a point where it should properly be regarded as "new" music. * Orrin Keepnews (liner notes)*

Although there are a few moments of relative disorganization on this set, the compelling musical personality of Monk more than makes up for it.

Starting with the less-than-a-minute version of Abide, played by the horn choir, through the final notes of Crepescule, with its old blues feel underlying modern raiment, the album is to date the best cross section of what Monk is doing today with a group.

Hawkins, who can appear in virtually any context and feel musically right at home, appeared lost structurally on two of the tracks. Blakey and Ware propelled him into his solo on Well, You Needn’t. When it seemed that Hawk was looking for a foothold, Blakey fed him a climactic roll, and Ware gave him an ascending line on which to build. Ware earlier performed the same function for Coltrane, who popped in a bit late after Monk's shouted: "Coltrane, Coltrane". Ware punched the same note for some eight bars before biting into an ascending line, giving Coltrane's solo a tremendous rhythmic boost.

On the brittle Epistrophy, Hawk had a false start on his solo during Blakey's session at the drums, but Art later fed him a clean break on which to start blowing.

Rather than detracting from the performance here, these minor occurrances only heighten the feeling of spontaniety.

Hawk is noble and warm on Ruby, and Monk is moody and firm on Crepescule. Off Minor, a blatant and thoroughly Monk piece, features excellent soloing by Hawk, Copeland, and Monk, with a brief burst of fireworks from Blakey.

Throughout, Monk is the dominant force. The music, whether blown by the horns or rapped out by his hands, is as much a part of him as his thoughts. It is a highly personal music, now brittle and seemingly spastic; now firm and outspoken. But always it is unified in conception and in overall sound.

It is a tribute to Monk that within this intensely personal music, a soloist like Coltrane can develop a singularly personal style of his own, while fitting into the frame of Monk's reference. Trane's work on Epistrophy, for example, is about as fine as I've heard from him on record. In person, his playing is constantly tense and searching, always a thrilling experience.

This is one to play again and again with no diminution of pleasure, or of discovery.

*Dom Cerulli (Down Beat, December 26, 1957 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Abide With Me

(Henry Francis Lyte, William Henry Monk)

2 - Well, You Needn't

(Thelonious Monk)

3 - Ruby, My Dear

(Thelonious Monk)

Side 2

4 - Off Minor

(Thelonious Monk)

5 - Epistrophy

(Thelonious Monk)

6 - Crepuscule With Nellie

(Thelonious Monk)

Ray Copeland (trumpet); Gigi Gryce (alto sax), Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane (tenor saxes);

Thelonious Monk (piano); Wilbur Ware (bass); Art Blakey (drums).

Recorded at Reeves Sound Studio, New York City, June 26, 1957

Five-Star Collection... Paul Quinichette

Paul Quinichette

For Basie

When I was a young lad, first learning about jazz at the record collection of my older brother, some of the first records to make an impression on me were those of the Count Basie band. At the time, my brother, who also weaned me on Benny Goodman, Jimmy Lunceford and Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans, was a member of a social organization which did charity work for an affiliated orphan's home. One Christmas Eve, I believe it was 1938, they ran a dance at the Manhattan Center which featured Count Basie's orchestra at the roaring height of its powers. Of course, I was too young to attend but listened attentively on Christmas Day when my brother told me of the fabulous music he had heard for an entire evening. The names of Lester Young, Herschel Evans, Jo Jones, Jimmy Rushing and Basie himself were said in exuberant affirmation.

In the days, months and years that followed, I paid special attention to the Basie band as they moved from Decca to the Columbia-Okeh-Vocalion stable. Soon I knew the difference between Lester Young and Herschel Evans, Harry Edison and Buck Clayton and I discovered Dickie Wells. I realized that it had been the rhythm section of Freddie Greene, Walter Page, Jo Jones and Basie that had captured my unsuspecting ears from the beginning. "Taxi War Dance", "Louisiana" and "Easy Does It" were added to the record cabinet alongside "Every Tub", "Jumpin’ At The Woodside" and "Swingin' The Blues".

As I, a listener, listened and learned, so did countless young musicians; some just starting to play, others in amateur combos in their own localities, still others already active in professional bands. The Basie tradition, quintessence of Kansas City jazz, had begun. 

(...)

In the Forties, the influence of the Basie band was evident everywhere. Lester Young's startling improvisations had led to a whole school of tenor playing. The harmonic and phrasing advancements that he (and Charlie Christian) made were precursors to the new jazz ushered in by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Jo Jones' drumming style was a direct antecedent of Kenny Clarke's. All the musicians of the Bop movement had learned from Lester Young and eyen when their style was almost all Parker-Gillespie, Lester was constantly implied.

Alongside, existing independently and also interwoven with Bop were the direct descendants of the Basie-Young tradition. The general spirit of this revered tradition was responsible for shaping much of the jazz of the Fifties. Its importance has been established in many tangible ways. The resurgence of the Basie brand of swing was a factor in the earliest Fifties even before Count re-organized his band and furthered the feeling.

(...)

This album is not a reflection by the young moderns but a harking back by men who either were actively helpful in the creation of the Basie tradition or were in complete sympathy with the undiluted idiom and later became associated with Count. It is because of this, that For Basie is a warm, Kansas City, tributepaying excursion. 

(...)

This one’s for Basie... Basie, the pianist, with his astute "comping", clever use of both ends of the keyboard and all-around rhythmic power; Basie, the leader, with his organizational powers of magnitude and the rich, musical legacy he has already handed down to jazz; Basie, the man!

*Ira Gitler (liner notes)*

Here's a set that isn't just a tribute to Basie... there is Basie. Every member of the group is a Basie alumnus, including Pierce, whose service covers writing for the band as well as spelling Count at the helm for a couple of weeks recently when Basie was ill.

The key factor, I think, is the rhythm section. Gunther Schuller once pointed out that the rhythm phenomenon of the Basie band stems from the fact that it is not only a section working together to propel the band, but also four men who seemed to beat with the same pulse. Here, of course, Prestige has grouped three-quarters of the original section and added Pierce, who is a bigger-than-life representation of Basie.

Quinichette gives his solo work a continuity that smacks of the old, loose Basie band. On "Rock-A-Bye", for instance, he builds a series of choruses apparently carelessly but at the same time in an ascending pattern of tension. His final statements are climatic. On this track, too, Collins contributes a tasty bit of muted work, the last phrase of which Nat grabs, repeats, and balloons into this solo.

Collins' singing open horn on "Jive at Five" is a joy to hear.

Next to having a turntable full of those old blue Deccas, this set will stand for a good, long time. *Dom Cerulli (Down Beat, June 12, 1958 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Rock-A-Bye Basie

(Shad Collins, Count Basie)

2 - Texas Shuffle

(Herschel Evans)

3 - Out The Window

(Eddie Durham, Count Basie)

Side 2

4 - Jive At Five

(Harry Edison, Count Basie)

5 - Diggin' For Dex

(Eddie Durham, Count Basie)

Paul Quinichette (tenor sax), Shad Collins (trumpet), Nat Pierce (piano),

Freddie Green (guitar), Walter Page (bass), Jo Jones (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, October 18, 1957

Five-Star Collection... Dave Brubeck

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

Gone With The Wind

A good deal has been said in print about the merits of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, what it stands for in relation to jazz, what it has contributed to the facade of jazz, etc., and as you listen to the easy flow of melodic lines and the development of each standard composition in this recording, you will know that this is the Quartet at its best. We feel that the music speaks for itself, and that no words need be said here by way of explanation.

From the very first take, we all knew that this was going to be a swinging session, and it was. I believe it is significant that three-fourths of the compositions contained herein are "first-takers", if I may coin a word. On listening to the first play-back by Dave and the group, the comment would almost invariably be: "That's it! Let's make the next one". This happened throughout the entire session in the studio, until it was time to leave for Dave's evening concert at Orange Grove College in Costa Mesa, California, where we also recorded.

Some of the compositions that were used as a basis for improvisation here were played by the group for the first time at the recording studio, and in several cases the arrangements you hear were not previously planned, but worked out spontaneously while recording.

*Teo Macero (from the liner notes)*

The Dave Brubeck Quartet is swinging these days. This is common knowledge. Here is an album that has captured this particular aspect of the group very well. There are interesting solos passages, in particular a delightful percussion excursion by Joe Morello on "Short'nin' Bread" and a fine long bass solo by Gene Wright on "Ol' Man River". Paul Desmond plays throughout with his usual melodic intensity, shimmering tone and long, swooping lines. There's more solid jazz content in this LP than is usually granted Brubeck, yet it is still the middle-of-the-road modern jazz that has the strongest appeal to the layman. As an introduction to Brubeck's work and as a fair sampling of him in his swinging, or recent period, this LP ranks high.

*Ralph J. Gleason (HiFi Stereo Review, November, 1959)*

It has often been noted that since the addition of Morello and Wright, the Brubeck group has swung more; this LP is the best example so far of this freedom and swing. In this collection of southern songs, the quartet achieves a looseness and rapport of greater degree than their previous albums. And how these men listen to each other!

A few words about Brubeck's playing might be in order at this point. Dave has been severely criticized in the past for his heavy handedness, but little has been said about the man's harmonic concept, his remarkable sense of time, and his ability to construct solos with a beginning, middle, and end. Some of these heaviness remains, but it is overshadowed now by these positive qualities. All of these facets of the Brubeck talent are very much in evidence in this album, especially on "The Lonesome Road" and "Georgia On My Mind".

Desmond is his usual eloquent self, displaying a virility in some of his work that has been lacking sometimes in the past. Wright provides solid support throughout and does a good job on River, his featured spot. Morello cooks all the way, using brushes most of the time. His wit and humor shine throughout the LP, but they shine the brightest on Bread in which he plays "melody".

This is a happy, swingin' LP lacking in pretentiousness and played by a group of men who obviously enjoy their work and each other. *Don DeMichael (Down Beat, October 1, 1959 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Swanee River

(Stephen Foster)

2 - The Lonesome Road

(Gene Austin, Nat Shilkret)

3 - Georgia On My Mind

(Stuart Gorrell, Hoagy Carmichael)

4 - Camptown Races

(Stephen Foster)

Side 2

5 - Camptown Races

(Stephen Foster)

6 - Short'nin' Bread

(Traditional)

7 - Basin Street Blues

(Spencer Williams)

8 - Ol' Man River

(Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)

9 - Gone With The Wind

(Hebert Magidson, Allie Wrubel)

Dave Brubeck (piano), Paul Desmond (ato sax), Gene Wright (bass), Joe Morello (drums). 

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, April 22 (#1, #2, #3, #7, #9) and 23 (#4, #5, #6, #8), 1959

Gigi Gryce: Jazz with Purpose

Gigi Gryce

Orchestra And Quartet

There are few musicians as well qualified from both the standpoints of academic training and "gigging" in jazz who also are as intensely dedicated as Gigi Gryce. He is a warm, human person whose writing and playing have the love, happiness, sadness and pain which any jazzman with a heart and soul will impart to his listeners. Gigi has paid dues to the union called life. 

Although Gigi has participated in a number of LP recordings both writing and playing, this is the first one under his own name where he is carrying out his own ideas in a manner which he most desired. 

Today, with the 12 inch LP the dominant vehicle for the recorded presentation of jazz, much more space is available to the musician. Unfortunately there are too many 10 inch LPs being stretched beyond the satiation point to appease a merchandising trend. In this LP Gigi has used his talent together with the knowledge of how to utilize it. There is a definite purpose achieved in the contrast and pacing; the two different groups, different in size and spirit with the flexibility and blowing freedom of the quartet on one side, and the synthesis of writing, blowing and singing on the band side. 

The orchestra's personnel will remind those of you who are perceptive of the short lived Miles Davis group of 1949 which made such a deep impression on the jazz of the Fifties but which was never physically used again. Gigi felt that this instrumentation should not be neglected because of its tremendous possibilities of different tonal colors, dynamics, ranges and voicings. He wanted to get away from the brassy sound of the usual jazz band of this size. Gigi was consciously striving for something that every type of listener could enjoy, something that would not all fall into any one category. 

Gigi describes (the quartet sessions) as one of the most relaxed recording sessions in which he has ever played. After setting up the themes, everything was spontaneous even to the length of the solos. There is much to be gleaned, as always, from Monk's originals and the one which Gigi contributed is up to his usual high standard. 

The interplay between Gigi and Monk creates much excitement. In many instances, they take turns at carrying the harmony.Monk's presence alone was inspiring to Gigi. They first met in Boston in 1949 when they played together at the Hi Hat. Since then they have stayed in touch musically and socially. *Ira  Gitler (from the liner notes)*

On the first six, Gigi heads a unit consisting of Art Farmer, trumpet; Eddie Bert, Jimmy Cleveland, trombones; Danny Bank, Cecil Payne, baritones; Gunther Schuller, Julius Watkins, French horns; Bill Barber, tuba; Horace Silver, piano; Oscar Pettiford, bass; Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, drums; and on two, Ernestine Anderson, vocalist. The only weak band is Gigi's ballad, "The One I Love". It's rather routine melodic profile and surprisingly cliche-filled lyrics don't belong in this set although the attractively sounding Miss Anderson does the best she can. She is better served by Gigi's "Social Call", to which Jon Hendricks had added apt lyrics.

The remainder of the side is marked by the freshness of Gigi’s writing (and of the one Horace Silver original), the quality of the solos, and the swinging ensemble empathy of all concerned. (Listen to the band especially on "Smoke Signal").

The differently exciting second side consists of a quartet date with Gigi, Thelonious Monk, Percy Heath, and Art Blakey. The first three characteristic originals are by Monk while the last is Gigi's. On both sides, Gigi blows some of his best alto on record. He has learned to discipline his improvising imagination while retaining his swinging passion. Monk is in fine, relaxed, incisive form. Heath is excellent and Blakey constantly cooks (and solos well in "Nica's Tempo").

As is Signal’s custom, the album is very well recorded, lucidly annotated (by Ira Gitler), and faced with a distinguished cover (by Harold Feinstein). Strongly recommended.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, March 7, 1956)*

Side 1

The Gigi Gryce Orchestra

1 - Speculation

(Horace Silver)

2 - In A Meditating Mood

(Gigi Gryce)

3 - Social Call

(G. Gryce, J. Hendricks)

4 - Smoke Signal

(Gigi Gryce)

5 - (You'll Always Be) The One I Love

(Gigi Gryce)

6 - Kerry Dance

(J. Molloy)

Side 2

The Gigi Gryce Quartet

7 - Shuffle Boil

(Thelonious Monk)

8 - Brake's Sake

(Thelonious Monk)

9 - Gallop's Gallop

(Thelonious Monk)

10 - Nica's Tempo

(Gigi Gryce)

#1, #2, #4, #6:

Gigi Gryce (alto sax), Art Farmer (trumpet), Jimmy Cleveland [as "James Van Dyke"] (trombone),

Gunther Schuller (french horn), Bill Barber (tuba), Danny Bank (baritone sax),

Horace Silver (piano), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums).

#3, #5: 

Gigi Gryce (alto sax), Art Farmer (trumpet), Eddie Bert (trombone),

Julius Watkins (french horn), Bill Barber (tuba), Cecil Payne (baritone sax),

Horace Silver (piano), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Art Blakey (drums), Ernestine Anderson (vocals).

#7 to #10: 

Gigi Gryce (alto sax), Thelonious Monk (piano), Percy Heath (bass), Art Blakey (batería).

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey,

October 15 (#7 to #10) and October 22 (#1 to #6), 1955.

Trumpet Conclave (III)

 Since the time the natives of New Orleans supposedly heard Buddy Bolden's sound from miles away, the trumpet has been the most enduring of all the jazz horns. While the clarinet has decreased sharply in usage, and the trombone assumed a somewhat lesser role than it once held, the trumpet (and I include the cornet and flugelhorn here) has remained an important voice through all of the periods of jazz.

What Louis Armstrong was to the '20s, and Roy Eldridge to the '30s, Dizzy Gillespie was to the '40s. Diz ushered in the modern school of trumpet playing and, together with his most prominent disciples, Fats Navarro and Miles Davis, created a language for the trumpeters of the '50s and '60s. Navarro, had he lived, undoubtedly would have gone on to greater things but, through Clifford Brown, he did have a great impact on the '50s. Davis, of course, became the sound of the '50s and is still exerting an influential force in the '60s.By the mid-50s, the time the following recordings were made, new men had emerged, most of them showing the imprint of the Gillespie-Navarro-Davis triumvirate. Two of the most active on the New York scene were Art Farmer and Donald Byrd.

Art Farmer came to New York to stay in the fall of 1953 when he returned from a European tour with Lionel Hampton's Orchestra. Prior to joining Hamp, he had been active on the West Coast, recording with Wardell Gray.Settling in New York, he co-led a quintet with alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce, and later worked as a sideman with both Horace Silver's quintet and Gerry Mulligan's quartet. In 1959, Farmer and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson formed the Jazztet. When they disbanded, Farmer started his own quartet which featured guitarist Jim Hall until he was replaced by pianist Steve Kuhn.Of late, Farmer has given up the trumpet to concentrate on the flugelhorn with no loss of the characteristics that marked him as one of the most genuinely sensitive trumpet artists to emerge in the '50s.

Donald Byrd arrived in New York in 1955 from his native Detroit. Four and a half years younger than Farmer, Donald was not as mature as Art but his incipient talent was obvious to everyone who heard him in the George Wallington quintet at the Cafe Bohemia. That talent, and his reputation, continued to grow as he worked with Art Blakey, Max Roach, Red Garland, John Coltrane, et al. In 1958, Byrd and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams had a group at the Five Spot. Since that time, Byrd has worked in Europe, and headed his own combo in the United States. Presently, he is in Europe, playing, and studying composition with Nadia Boulanger.

Idrees Sulieman, who participates in one of the following albums, five years Farmer's senior, and was active on New York's 52nd Street in the mid-'40s with drummer Sid Catlett's group. Originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, he studied at the Boston Conservatory and worked with a wide variety of bands including Cab Calloway, Earl Hines, Louis Jordan, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Erskine Hawkins, and Dizzy Gillespie. He was also a member of the Minton's set in the mid and late '40s. It was then he recorded with Thelonious Monk. In the '50s, Sulieman played with Randy Weston and Teddy Charles among others. Then he took a group to North Africa and Europe, and decided to remain on the latter continent, making Sweden his main base. Idrees, who formed his style before either Farmer or Byrd, is out of Gillespie and Navarro. There are no overt references to Davis, but the later influence of Clifford Brown is evident. Sulieman is very much his own man, however. His is a plunging, soaring, highly-volatile style which does not play it safe and is all the more exciting for it.

In the '20s and '30s, when musicians of the same instrument got together at a jam session they were out to cut each other. In many ways it was an overtly healthy competition. While the trumpet "battles" on the recordings that follow were not conducted at that level, the underlying sense of rivalry, combined with the feeling of respect for, and enjoyment of, each of the other men's playing, helped to inspire all concerned. I think that the music produced, and the pervading spirit, proves that. *Ira Gitler (August 1964)*

Art Farmer • Donald Byrd

Two Trumpets

The presence of two musicians of the some instrument a session will usually produce some interesting results. Each is naturally going to try and outdo the other and while it may not be the cutthroat competition of the Thirties (an overtly healthy competition at that), the underlying sense of rivalry combined with the feeling of respect for and enjoyment of the other's playing very often helps to inspire each.

In recent months. Prestige has tried to stimulate the Friday afternoon recording sessions by bringing together musicians of the same horn.

In Two Trumpets (an un chi-chi title if I ever heard one), Art and Donald once again join horns with Jackie McLean as middleman and foil soundwise. Two of the numbers ("Dig" and "The Third") have conversational exchanges between the trumpets and each Bb hornman also has a number entirely to himself. *Ira Gitler (liner notes, 1956)*

This is a pairing session that was well conceived and programmed. On three tracks, both trumpets are present to challenge and be stimulated by each other with McLean as a third horn and a contrast in timber. To provide further balance, each trumpet has a solo vehicle. Byrd (Midnight) and Farmer (When Your Love Has Gone) are heard in searching moving ballad interpretations.

On the others, both blow with swift imagination and heat. There are passages of quick exchanges, particularly the long exciting bout at the end of Dig, that recall in spirit if not idiom a 1939 Ellington record, Tootin' Through the Roof, with Cootie Williams and Rex Stewart.

Both Farmer and Byrd have a long and fertile jazz life ahead. Thus far, it seems to me that Farmer is the more settled of the two, particularly on up-tempos. He is, I think, closer to having found his inner style than Byrd, although Byrd is getting there. McLean is searing and a welcome presence. Harris plays with consistent taste and ease. Art Taylor and Doug Watkins are strongly underneath. Good notes by Ira Gitler that identify all solos. *Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, February 6, 1957)

1 - The Third

(Donald Byrd)

2 - Contour

(Kenny Drew)

3 - When Your Lover Has Gone

(Elinar A. Swan)

4 - Dig

(Miles Davis)

5 - 'Round Midnight

(Monk, Williams, Hanighen)

Art Farmer, Donald Byrd (trumpets); Jackie McLean (alto sax);

Barry Harris (piano); Doug Watkins (bass); Art Taylor (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, August 3, 1956

✳✳✳

Art Farmer • Donald Byrd • Idrees Sulieman

Three Trumpets

Several times in the past few years Prestige has brought together, in the recording studio, musicians of the same instrument. Many of these friendly jousts between altomen, tenormen, or trumpeters have proved to be highly stimulating affairs, ones in which the emphatic competition has spurred the participants on to playing an inspired stripe. One of these sessions was Two Trumpets (Prestige LP 7062) which featured the horns of Art Farmer and Donald Byrd.

In Three Trumpets, Farmer and Byrd return and are joined by another of the leading modern trumpeters, Idrees Sulieman. Sulieman, active on the New York scene since the mid-Forties has, nevertheless, not been recorded as extensively as the other two and is just started to receive the true credit due him. His is a plunging, soaring, highly volatile style out of the Gillespie-Navarro wing with a more recent parallel influence of Clifford Brown added in. Out of all these sources, Idrees is very much his own man, a daring jazz man who is not afraid to reach out for the ideas which crystalize in his brain at the moment, however hard they may seem to execute. Whether he's safe or not, he does not, as they say in sports, "choke up in the clutch".

As with speaking voices, each trumpeter has his own sound and phrasing, musical sentences as it were which make each one a distinct personality. *Ira Gitler (liner notes, 1957)*

The most appropriate title for this LP would be Bopper's Paradise Regained.

The three trumpeters join forces here in a heated, multi-noted session that will leave many listeners rather limp. There is an impressively vivid rapport among the horns, despite varying approaches to the skeletal forms attacked.

Sulieman is rough and ready. As Ira Gitler says in the notes, "Idrees is very much his own man, a daring jazzman who is not afraid to reach out for the ideas which crystallize in his brain at the moment, however hard they may seem to execute". In this set he is reaching most of the time and grasping successfully quite often.

Farmer's is the delightfully lyrical horn, regardless of temp. Byrd continues to fulfil the potential so many defined months ago. His playing is impressively creative.

In general, the horns seem to converge within the Gillespie-Navarro-Davis tradition, with a Clifford Brown influence apparent, too. Nevertheless, the listener does not feel that he has heard it all before, as each of the trumpeters has something genuinely individualistic to say.

The backing is effective. O'Brien, a 21-year-old pianist from Connecticut making his recording debut, plays confidently, reminiscent of early Bud Powell. He will testify to the heated nature of the session, because he played it with a 102 degree fever. Addison Farmer, Art's twin, handles bass chores capably and Ed Thigpen digs in, too.

The originals, with Sulieman's the most distinctive, are more for jumping off purposes than for melodic significance. Basically, the are lustrous races at medium or up tempos, while O'Brien's Beauty the closest thing to a ballad.

Devotees of modern trumpet playing will relish this, despite some of the technical flaws and moments of hesitancy that accompany a session of such a hectic nature. The playing of the three soloists makes this worth hearing, for the sparks they plant and the fire that develops.

*Don Gold (Down Beat, January 23, 1958)*

1 - Palm Court Alley

(Idrees Sulieman)

2 - Who's Who

(Art Farmer)

3 - Diffusion Of Beauty

(Hod O'Brian)

4 - Forty Quarters

(Idrees Sulieman)

5 - You Gotta Dig It To Dig It

(Donald Byrd)

Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, Idrees Sulieman (trumpets);

Hod O'Brien (piano); Addison Farmer (bass); Ed Thigpen (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, January 26, 1957