Five-Star Collection... John Lewis

John Lewis

Grand Encounter:

2° East – 3° West

Grand Encounter is perfect as the title of this album, featuring as it does three grand and eloquent soloists playing together for the first time.

The combination of John Lewis, Bill Perkins, and Jim Hall is absolutely inspired, as they are three of the most lyrical soloists in jazz. In addition to eloquence and lyricism, they share other attributes and similarities. All three have a sound on their instruments that is personal and immediately recognizable, Lewis with his dry, kittenish attack, Perkins with a tone richer than the richest velvet, and Hall with a sound that is clear and bell-like. They all approach improvisation with a seeming trepidation, perhaps an extension of the genuine modesty they manifest as human beings. The three express themselves instrumentally in a spare, pared-down manner; thus, they seem such reflective and unpretentious soloists, as if they had weighed all the possibilities for this specific solo long before and this is precisely what they want to say about this composition at this particular time, and that to say anything more would be excessive. And, lastly, all three are possessors of a romantic bent that makes their lyricism all the more poignant.

Another attribute they share is sensitivity, for this is principally what makes this recording so pleasurable — because everyone listens so well. There is a group feel and interplay that is absent from many other all-star groups assembled for recording purposes only.

This "grand encounter" took place on February 10, 1956. For a pick-up recording, it is unusual in that it contains several firsts and a near-first. It marks John Lewis' first recording as a leader and his first trio recording (on I Can't Get Started), and Hall's first trio recording (on Skylark); Bill Perkins' first record date as a leader took place the day before.

Don't look for 2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West on the map. It denotes the geographic composition of the quintet — two Easterners and three Westerners. (Hall is from New York and Heath from Pennsylvania; Lewis is from New Mexico and Perkins and Hamilton are from California. However, considering that Lewis and Heath were based in New York with the MJQ at the time, it is likely that Lewis regarded himself and Heath as the two Easterners when he titled his original blues.) Today, all are based in New York City except Perkins, who may be seen on television with the Tonight Show orchestra and in jazz clubs with Shorty Rogers’ quintet.

*Todd  Seibert (from the liner notes of the 2016 reissue)*

Simplicity is deceptive. On the one hand it can mean the artist is limited, and at its best this can be folk art of a high order. On the other, it can mean that the artist, having at his disposal the full range of materials, chose simplicity to best serve his needs. And this is conscious art at its creative best, as in this LP.

Simplicity is the keynote to this album. It is simple, direct, and overwhelmingly effective without ever once shouting at you or waving a flag. Not only are all the soloists at their best here, but perhaps they are at their best because of the high degree of empathy which surrounds the date. Few sessions in recent years — some Vanguards and the first Columbia Buck Clayton come to mind — have had the mark of the era of good feeling to the degree this album has. That is one of its charms.

Another is the rhythm section, in which Percy Heath and Chico Hamilton merge together to produce a compelling beat that is felt on every track. Still another is the way the solo horns — Perkins, Jim Hall and Lewis — pick up the phrases, the nuances, the shadings of the compositions, turn them over carefully and examine them, and then replace them in a different setting.

There is really no high spot to this album, because the performances on all tracks are on a plateau of excellence such as to make further comparison superfluous. It might be worthwhile to credit Perkins with some moving Lesterian moments in which he adds his own touch of individuality to a wailing solo on Love Me, or his Easy Living solo all the way which sets the tune running in your mind for days.

Perhaps John Lewis' majestic I Can’t Get Started or his blue-tinted solo on Three Degrees should be stressed, or Jim Hall's romantic mood on Skylark.

It seems enough to say, however, that this is the sort of album you hope for and seldom get. In common with the Mulligan quartet and the MJQ, this album contains the kind of performances you are forced to think of for hours. You can't help yourself. Is there any stronger praise?

The liner notes by Whitney Balliett are five-star, too.

*Ralph J. Gleason (Down Beat, November 14, 1956 [5 stars])*

1 - Love Me Or Leave Me

(Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson)

2 - I Can't Get Started

(Ira Gershwin, Vernon Duke)

3 - Easy Living

(Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger)

4 - 2 Degrees East – 3 Degrees West

(John Lewis)

5 - Skylark

(Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael)

6 - Almost Like Being In Love

(Alan Jay Lerner, Federick Loewe)

John Lewis (piano), Bill Perkins (tenor sax),

Jim Hall (guitar), Percy Heath (bass), Chico Hamilton (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, February 10, 1956