Jazz For The Screen ★ André Previn

André Previn

Performing Music From

The Subterraneans

The Subterraneans was originally a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) which, besides being in many ways autobiographical, attempted to portray an element of the new generation called the "beat" movement. Many of the characters in the novel had real life counterparts, much to the chagrin of the affected parties. In fact, Kerouac's publisher convinced him to change the novel's setting from New York (where the real autobiographical facts had taken place) to San Francisco, in order to avoid future legal actions. The Subterraneans is considered to be the first book about the "beat generation", but it was not the only one, and there was a kind of race between Kerouac and his friend John Clellon Holmes to see whose novel would be published first. (Holmes had written his own book about the beat movement, titled Go, in which Kerouac plays a fundamental part and is credited as the inventor of the term "beat".) It must be said, however, that the term "beat generation" was copyrighted by movie producer Albert Zugsmith even before Kerouac tried to do it, and was used in the infamous motion picture "The Beat Generation", in which, ironically, jazz also takes part, as Louis Armstrong and his All Stars play a few numbers surrounded by numerous pop musicians of the period.

Kerouac's response to such an insult was the production of a movie based on his own book, in which the writer himself assumed an acting role. Although the film was made by a top studio and counted many major names in the cast, the result was hardly comparable to the original book. This was largely due to the extreme level of censorship which dominated Hollywood at the time. Many important things in the book had to be changed in order to make it "acceptable". For instance, an interracial relationship had to be omitted and the female African American character was changed to a French white woman played by Leslie Caron. Censorship lasted during most of the beatnik movement's existence, and when it finally disappeared, the beats had been replaced by the hippies. The original beats, and particularly writer and poet Allen Ginsberg, have always denounced the movie because of its obvious concessions to Hollywood's conservative moral standards. However, it was good for Jack Kerouac, who received 15.000 dollars for the rights to his book. He used the money to buy a house in Long Island, the first one he ever owned.

The plot narrated the experiences of a depressed writer (George Peppard), who "goes down" to explore the "subterranean world" of San Francisco's North Beach district in the late fifties, with the hope of finding some kind of soulmate, and falls in love with a French girl (Leslie Caron) who is part of the beatnik movement. Other than the eventual use of beat terms derived from Kerouac's book, little is left from the original novel. Some characters are slightly disguised representations of real people (Frank Carmody is based on William Burroughs, Adam Moorad on Allen Ginsberg, Ariel Lavalerra on Gore Vidal). The dramatic change of the main female character from African American (in the book) to French white (in the movie) has always been the main source of debate. However, not even Kerouac's original literary representation of black culture satisfied African Americans, who felt that it portrayed them in a very superficial manner, without delving into their real culture and social position of that time.

Jazz is central to the novel and, thus, to the movie. The beat movement usually moved around jazz clubs, and its literary grammar owes a lot to jazz's improvisatory language, which is presented as "spontaneous prose". All this grammar is, obviously, absent from the movie, but it survives in the splendid musical soundtrack, which was prepared solely by jazz musicians. Some of them, like Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper and Carmen McRae, also play colorful characters in the movie.

In conclusion, even if we can say The Subterraneans film is today nothing more than a historical curiosity, with little artistic value, the same cannot be said about its music. What we have here is the complete original soundtrack from the film, carefully composed by pianist André Previn, and performed by some of the most important musicians of its time. In addition to the aforementioned Mulligan, Previn, Pepper and McRae, also Bill Perkins, Jack Sheldon, Art Farmer, Russ Freeman, Bob Enevoldsen, Red Mitchell, Buddy Clark, Shelly Manne and Dave Bailey are heard on this amazing score. *Jordan Stewart*

Side 1

1 - Why Are We Afraid?

 (André Previn, Dory Langdon)

2 - Guido's Blackhawk

(André Previn)

3 - Two By Two

(André Previn)

4 - Bread And Wine

(André Previn)

5 - Coffee Time

(Harry Warren, Arthur Freed)

6 - A Rose And The End

(André Previn)

Side 2

7 - Should I

(Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed)

8 - Look Ma, No Clothes

(André Previn)

9 - Things Are Looking Down

(André Previn)

10 - Analyst

(André Previn)

11 - Like Blue

(André Previn)

12 - Raising Caen

(André Previn)

#1, #3, #6, #8, #10

André Previn (piano, arranger, conductor),Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax),

Jack Sheldon (trumpet), Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone #1), Art Pepper (alto sax),

Bill Perkins (tenor sax), Red Mitchell (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

[Unidentified string section, clarinet and oboe]

#4, #9

Art Farmer (trumpet), Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone), Art Pepper (alto sax),

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Russ Freeman (piano), Buddy Clark (bass), Dave Bailey (drums). 

#2, #5, #7, #11

André Previn (piano), Red Mitchell (bass), Shelly Manne (drums), Carmen McRae (vocals #5).

#12

Jack Sheldon (trumpet), Art Pepper (alto sax),

Russ Freeman (piano), Red Mitchell (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded at MGM Studios, Culver City, California,

September 2, 1959 (#2), January 11, 1960 (#5, #7, #8, #9, #11), 

January12, 1960 (#1, #3, #4, #6,#10), and February 3, 1960 (#12)

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

Shorty Rogers And André Previn - Collaboration

It really seems that West Coast musicians will never cease to surprise us. They had a propensity for launching themselves into the wildest enterprises, taking enormous musical risks, with an air of nonchalance totally their own. The album Collaboration could well be the most impressive of all such carefree excursions; it is, at the very least, unique of its kind. 

The rules of this particular game seem innocuous at the outset, but have an unexpected sting in their tail. Take nine musicians, of whom two — among the best in California — double as instrumentalists and arrangers. Ask this same nonet to perform charts by each of the two arrangers in Strict alternation. Too easy so far, so now impose the condition that for each standard scored by the one, the other must reply with an original composition constructed around the same harmonies! A challenge to which Shorty Rogers and André Prévin respond magnificently.

Milton "Shorty" Rogers symbolises single-handed that magnificent wave of renewal that swept across the West Coast in the early 'fifties. Everything that bore his signature-whether as trumpeter, arranger or supervisor-possessed a certain distinction. His spell as artistic director at RCA produced many quite irreplaceable albums. André Prévin, for his part, is a musician who defies all categorisation. For many years he worked for MGM, composing the music of films such as Vincente Minnelli's "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", Ranald McDougall’s "Subterraneans" and Richard Brook’s "Elmer Gantry". Today he reigns triumphant as conductor of some of the world's leading symphony orchestras.

Undaunted by the daring concept of this project, Shorty Rogers and André Prévin set joyously about their task, juggling eagerly with contrasts and camparisons. They humorously nod acknowledgement to classical music: the shadow of Stravinsky glides over "You Do Something to Me", while Bud Shank and Bob Cooper execute a magnificent fugue passage on "Some Antics".

The vitality, invention and sheer mastery exhibited in this album almost obscure the fact that "Collaboration" originated as little more than a lighthearted wager! *Alain Tercinet*

Shorty Rogers And André Previn

Collaboration

For this slightly unusual LP Shorty Rogers and Andre Previn split the arranging chores in a somewhat competitive fashion. Rogers arranges a standard and then that is followed by a Previn original based on the same chord structure. This procedure is followed until the halfway point of the date when they reverse roles. As performed by a nonet featuring Rogers' trumpet, Previn's piano, altoist Bud Shank, Bob Cooper on tenor, baritonist Jimmy Giuffre, trombonist Milt Bernhart and a rhythm section, the result is a dead heat with some fine swinging solos on tunes (and variations) of such songs as "It's DeLovely", "You Stepped Out Of A Dream" and "You Do Something To Me". This will be a difficult album to locate. *Scott Yanow*

Here's a jazz set that should sell at a snappy rate over the next few months. If features, for the first time together, two top arrangers, having a go at each other in a sort of jazz arrangers battle. Shorty Rogers does a take-off on three of André Previn's arrangements, and vice versa. It ends up a stimulating, and oft-times exciting platter. The sidemen, all first-rate modernist, include Bud Shank on alto, Jimmy Giuffre on baritone, Milt Bernhart on trombone and Shelly Manne on drums. The boys turn out some mighty listenable jazz on both Rogers and Previn wear their arranging laurels proudy. Liner notes are good and the cover attractive. Crazy wax this, and a potent release. *Billboard, February 12, 1955*

1 - It's Delovely

(Cole Porter)

2 - Porterhouse

(André Previn)

3 - Heat Wave

(Irving Berlin)

4 - 40.° Below

(André Previn)

5 - You Stepped Out Of A Dream

(Nacio Herb Brown, Gus Kahn)

6 - Claudia

(André Previn)

7 - You Do Something To Me

(Cole Porter)

8 - Call For Cole

(Shorty Rogers)

9 - Everything I've Got (Belongs To You)

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

10 - Some Antics

(Shorty Rogers)

11 - It Only Happens When I Dance With You

(Berlin)

12 - General Cluster

(Shorty Rogers)

Shorty Rogers (trumpet); Milt Bernhart (trombone); Bud Shank (alto sax, flute); Bob Cooper (tenor sax); Jimmy Giuffre (baritone sax); André Previn (piano); Al Hendrickson [#3 to #6, #9 to #12], Jack Marshall [#1, #2, #7, #8] (guitars); Curtis Counce [#4, #6, #10, #12], Joe Mondragon [#1 to #3, #5, #7 to #9, #11] (basses); Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California, March 30 (#3, #5, #9, #11), June 14 (#4, #6, #10, #12) and September 14 (#1, #2, #7, #8), 1954.

***

and now... time for Punta del Este...

~ will back on December 20 ~

The Mitchells - Get Those Elephants Out'a Here

This album represents a three-way meeting as protracted in the planning as it was successful in the studio.

The patriotic Mitchells —Red, Whitey and Blue— had often talked about getting together for a record session, but it was not until a New York date with the André Previn trio brought the California-based Red temporarily back to New York, where Whitey works and Blue often visits, that the three were able to unite their musical ideas on tape. In fact, even the brothers Red and Whitey had never before had a chance to share a recording date.

"Get Those Elephants Outa Here!" is a title inspired by an exhortation with which Red and Whitey, in the days of their 1952 home practice sessions, were requested by their mother to remove their basses from the Mitchell living room. On this vigorous twelve-bar blues André plays piano, with both Red and Whitey manning the basses. Stereo listeners will hear Red on the left, Whitey on the right, with Red taking the second of the three solo bass choruses. Pepper, Blue, André and Frank Rehak blow three choruses apiece. After a short drum interlude the elephants return with the theme — probably the first jazz work ever designed for interpretation in this particular voicing.

This session was a continuous pleasure to record. Blue, who had just flown up from Florida, got a particular kick out of this union with his unrelated namesakes, and the mood throughout the date was singularly lacking in strain. Though I promised faithfully not to reproduce the corny "Three cheers for Red, Whitey and Blue!" crack uttered by a visitor to the studio, I must confess that the temptation to use it, in the light of the felicitous results of this convention, was unusually strong.

*Leonard Feather (liner notes)*

Bassist Whitey Mitchell is the leader of this fascinating 1958 studio session, which features his better-known older brother, Red Mitchell, on piano and bass, trumpeter Blue Mitchell (no relation), pianist André Previn, baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, trombonist Frank Rehak, and drummer Frank Capp. One of just two dates recorded as a leader by Whitey Mitchell prior to his early retirement from jazz, there are plenty of inspired moments on this date. Red's three originals include the amusingly titled "Get Those Elephants Outa Here!" (their mother's favorite quip to get her sons to remove their basses from her living room), which is a lively feature for the two bassists. Red is the pianist on the boppish blues "Three Cheers", while "Fraternity" is a showcase for the two brothers, with both starting on bass and Red eventually switching over to piano. Whitey's tunes include the dark-toned minor-key "Monster Rally" (named in honor of a favorite cartoonist, Charles Addams, whose macabre drawings later led to the creation of the television series The Addams Family) and the easygoing "Blues for Brian", named for his young son. Blue Mitchell shines in Whitey's tasty arrangement of "Moten Swing". Long out of print, this Metrojazz LP will be extremely challenging to acquire. *Ken Dryden*

Side 1

1 - Get Those Elephants Outa Here!

(Red Mitchell)

2 - My One And Only Love

(Wood, Mellin)

3 - In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning

(Mann, Hillian)

4 - Moten Swing

(Buster and Bennie Moten)

Side 2

5 - Monster Rally

(Whitey Mitchell)

6 - Three Cheers

(Red Mitchell)

7 - Blues For Brian

(Whitey Mitchell)

8 - Fraternity

(Red Mitchell)

Blue Mitchell (trumpet [#1, #2, #4 to #8]), Frank Rehak (trombone [#1, #2, #4, #5, #7]), Pepper Adams (baritone sax [#1, #2, #4 to #8]), André Previn (piano [#1, #2, #7]), Red Mitchell (piano [#3, #4, #6, #8], bass [#1, #2, #5, #7]), Whitey Mitchell (double bass), Frank Capp (drums).

Recorded in New York City, October 6, 1958.

Buddy Bregman - Swinging Kicks

Buddy Bregman is one of the most ubiquitously industrious arrangers in the music industry. He has scored several major TV series and spectaculars, and is in musical charge of the new Eddie Fisher program on NBC-TV. He has written film scores, including Jerry Lewis’ Delicate Delinquent, and he also has charted the music for Jerry Lewis’ stands at the Palace and in Las Vegas. For Verve, he has written for Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and a sizable number of other artists of demandingly varying styles and idioms. 

This set is a special project for Buddy, because "it’s the first album I’ve had under my own name that I think is good jazz. It’s as good jazz as I can write".

Buddy conducted the date in addition to doing the writing. Some of the tracks are short and episodic because this is, after all, a score for a quickly moving film, but connecting all the episodes emotionally is a guttiness and an almost graphic skein of the neon-shapes and fears and hard hopes that begin to circulate in any big city after about nine o’clock at night. *Nat Hentoff (Liner notes)*

Best known as an arranger for singers and for commercial sessions, Buddy Bregman led one full-fledged jazz instrumental date, Swinging Kicks. Because many of the selections are brief (seven are under two minutes) and due to the intriguing titles, this seems a bit like a soundtrack to a film that was never made. However, few of the tracks seem truncated and there are some excellent solos along the way, particularly from Ben Webster, Conte Candoli, Herb Geller, Bud Shank, and Paul Smith. The personnel changes from cut to cut, ranging from a 19-piece big band with screaming trumpet playing from Maynard Ferguson and Conrad Gozzo to various combos, a Ben Webster/André Previn duet on "Kicks Is in Love", and a rapid workout for Paul Smith on "Go Kicks". Bregman uses some of the top West Coast jazz players and various musicians who were on Verve at the time, with Stan Getz making a guest appearance on "Honey Chile". Recommended. *Scott Yanow*

Side 1

1 - Wild Party

2 - Melody Room

3 - Bada Blues

4 - Kicks Swings

5 - Melody Lane

6 - Lost Keys

7 - Go Kicks

8 - Gage Flips

Side 2

9 - Derek's Blues

10 - Mulliganville

11 - Terror Ride

12 - The Flight

13 - Tom's Idea

14 - Melodyville

15 - Honey Chile

16 - End Of Party

17 - Kicks Is In Love

(All compositions by Buddy Bregman)

Buddy Bregman (arrangements and conductor).

#1, #3, #6, #8, #9, #11, #12, #13, #16:

Maynard Ferguson, Conrad Gozzo, Ray Linn, Pete Candoli (trumpets); Lloyd Ulyate, Frank Rosolino, Milt Bernhart, George Roberts (trombones); Ben Webster, Bob Cooper, Georgie Auld (tenor saxes); Bud Shank, Herb Geller (alto saxes); Jimmy Giuffre (baritone sax); Al Hendrickson (guitar); Joe Mondragon (bass); Paul Smith (piano); Alvin Stoller (drums).

Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, December 20, 1956

#2, #4, #5, #7, #10, #14, #15:

Conte Candoli (trumpet); Frank Rosolino (trombone), Bud Shank (alto sax), Stan Getz [#15] (tenor sax), Jimmy Giuffre (baritone sax), Al Hendrickson (guitar), Joe Mondragon (bass), Paul Smith (piano); Stan Levey (drums).

Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, December 18, 1956.

#17:

André Previn (piano), Ben Webster (tenor sax).

Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, December 20, 1956.