Jack Montrose and Red Norvo : Another good pair

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

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

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

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

Jack Montrose

Blues and Vanilla

And

The Horn's Full

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

Blues and Vanilla

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

The Horn's Full

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

*Scott Yanow -All Music Guide*

1 - Concertino Da Camera (Blues and Vanilla)

(Jack Montrose)

2 - Bockhanal

(Jack Montrose)

3 - Don't Get Around Much Anymore

(Ellington, Russell)

4 - A Dandy Line

(Jack Montrose)

5 - For The Fairest

(Jack Montrose)

6 - Crazy She Calls Me

(Sigman, Russell)

7 - Dark Angel

 (Jack Montrose)

8 - Bernie's Tune

(Bernie Miller)

9 - Headline

(Jack Montrose)

10 - Rosanne

(Osser-Osser)

11 - Polka Dots And Moonbeams

(Burke, Van Heusen)

12 - The Little House

(Jack Montrose)

13 - Solid Citizen

(Jack Montrose)

14 - Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

(Duke Ellington)

15 - True Blue

(Jack Montrose)

16 - The Horn's Full

(Jack Montrose)

17 - Goody Goody

(Malneck, Mercer)

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

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

#1:

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

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

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

#2 to #9:

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

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

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California,

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

#10 to #17:

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

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

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California,

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

Buddy Collette And His Trio

Buddy Collette

Calm, Cool & Collette

I left Chico Hamilton to form my own group. I have a quartet that’s been together for 3 months. The group started at the Haig in Los Angeles, the birthplace of many small bands. We had Don Freedman, piano, and Larry Bunker, drums; John Goodman, bass. Now we have Dick Shreve on piano and Bill Dolney, drums. John Goodman is still on Bass. The group is just great. We enjoy rehearsing and working out ideas together.

Dick Shreve is a wonderful writer and a great player. Although he’s not too well known, you’ll be hearing many outstanding things now and in the future from this great young pianist.

John Goodman. John Improves every time you hear him. His ideas are just great. He hasn’t been writing very long, but he seems to know what to write and he has a wonderful sense of time and rhythm pattern.

Bill Dolney. A real good drummer with good tastes, good time. He listens and blends with the group very well. He loves fast tempos.

I think of the quartet as one section. When I play Flute, I think of some Chamber Group or Woodwind Group. With tenor or alto, I still try to blend my rhythm section as though they were other horns. In this way we get a lot of variety for a quartet. We enjoyed making this album for ABC-Paramount very much because of the freedom we had. *Buddy Collette (liner notes)*

Quite possibly the rarest session ever cut by Buddy Collette — a quartet session with an unusual group that includes Dick Shreve on piano, John Goodman on bass, and Bill Dolney on drums — all players that get past the usual west coast crew that Buddy mostly recorded with! The format here builds on Colette's work with the Chico Hamilton group — and features a number of sprightly tracks with flute in the lead, and Hamilton-like support from the rest of the group. But then there's other numbers that have Buddy more out front on alto sax — blowing with a nice raspy edge and a bit more of a bop feel that's mighty nice. *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

Collette's three originals in this LP are bright, swingy things. And his prowess as a soloist overshadows even his writing.

There is a gentleness and strength, in almost ideal combination, in Collette's tenor playing in which he seems to have evolved a style that does not lean too heavily on any of his precursors.

I continue to find his tenor solos his most interesting work. Although he has consistently recorded excellent clarinet solos, they do not seem to carry through the promise of their early days in Chico Hamilton's group.

He plays clarinet like a stronger Jimmy Giuffre, but this is not enough, for me at any rate. On alto there are moments when he is really eloquent; such a one is his solo on "Johnny Walks" in which he seems to me expressive beyond the ordinary as he logically develops a beautiful line.

The group as a whole is excellent. The rhythm section functions very well as individuals and as a unit. Shreve is a fine pianist in a gentle, reflective manner, and his own composition, "If She Had Stayed", is a particularly impressive jazz ballad which Collette plays with warmth and great feeling.

As has been the case with almost every album on which he plays, Collette is the main attraction. Even on flute, an instrument which has definite jazz limitations, he manages to get through with his message of beauty, taste, love and strength.

I continue to be impressed with the high degree of soul, or emotion, displayed in his solos. At a time when there is a definite danger of jazz degenerating into jungle music, Collette is a valuable antidote. * Ralph J. Gleason (Down Beat, May 30, 1957)*

Side 1

1 - Winston Walks

(John Goodman)

2 - If She Had Stayed

(Dick Shreve)

3 - They Can't Take That Away From You

(George and Ira Gershwin)

4 - Undecided

(Charlie Shavers, Sid Robin)

5. Flute In "D"

(Buddy Collette)

6 - The Continental

(Con Conrad, Herb Magidson)

Side 2

7 - Three And One

(Buddy Collette)

8 - Night In Tunisia

(Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli)

9 - Johnny Walks

(Buddy Collette)

10 - Perfidia

(Alberto Domínguez)

11 - Morning Jazz

(Dick Shreve)

Buddy Collette (tenor sax, alto sax, flute, clarinet), Dick Shreve (piano),

John Goodman (bass), Bill Dolney (drums).

Recorded at ABC Studios, Los Angeles, California, January 24, 1957

Buddy Collette - Calm, Cool & Collette

I became very serious with music in my last year of High School, and knew it was for me. I took up clarinet about this time and started studying sax, clarinet and piano with a great teacher named Floyd Reese. I owe a lot to him. He taught me chords, progressions, scales, harmony, etc. Before I went to Floyd, I was just playing what I heard. I would listen for the chard, and then play it. I soon found out this wouldn’t work all the time, because there were many piano players who did't know the tunes either. After studying with Floyd Rees for two years I began to really understand what to do. In 1942 I enlisted in the U.S.N.R. and made first class musician in, the Navy band. Later, I was put in charge of a military aid dance band. We needed music for our dance band, so i began to write short arrangements and counter melodies to some of the tunes that I knew. This was the beginning of my composing and arranging. 

After getting out of the Service in 1946, I helped organize an all-star group with such artists as Charles Mingus — Bass; Lucky Thompson — Tenor; Britt Woodman — Trombone; Spauldin Givens — Piano, and Oscar Bradley — Drums. The group was terrific. We had six writers out of seven guys and this really made each guy work hard to bring in something good. After the group broke up, I started studying at Los Angeles Conservatory, then later I studied at California Academy of Music, and the American Operatic Laboratory. I started playing Flute while at Los Angeles Conservatory and later studied with Martin Ruderman and Henry Woempner. I studied Sax with Merle Johnston, Clarinet with Soccorso Pirolo, and the Shillinger System of Musical Composition with Franklyn Marks.

I think of the quartet as one section. When I play Flute, I think of some Chamber Group or Woodwind Group. With tenor or alto, I still try to blend with my rhythm section as though they were other horns. In this way, we get a lot of variety for a quartet. We enjoyed making this album for ABC-Paramount very much because of the freedom we had. *Buddy Collette (liner notes)*

Quite possibly the rarest session ever cut by Buddy Collette — a quartet session with an unusual group that includes Dick Shreve on piano, John Goodman on bass, and Bill Dolney on drums — all players that get past the usual west coast crew that Buddy mostly recorded with! The format here builds on Colette's work with the Chico Hamilton group — and features a number of sprightly tracks with flute in the lead, and Hamilton-like support from the rest of the group. But then there's other numbers that have Buddy more out front on alto sax — blowing with a nice raspy edge and a bit more of a bop feel that's mighty nice. *dustygroove.com*

In the summer of 1956, Buddy Collette left Chico Hamilton’s successful quintet to begin his own career as a leader. His first quartet stayed together for three months. Then, along with John Goodman, still on bass, Buddy found in pianist Dick Shreve, and drummer Bill Dolney, his ideal rhythm section. With such an outstanding group, Collette, on alto, tenor, clarinet and flute, developed a concept full of beauty, taste and strength, played with warmth and great feeling.

Dick Shreve, too, proves in this session that he was not only a talented and underrated pianist in a gentle and reflective manner, but also a fine composer. *Jordi Pujol*

Side 1

1 - Winston Walks

(Goodman)

2 - If She Had Stayed

(Shreve)

3 - They Can't Take That Away From You

(G. and I. Gershwin)

4 - Undecided

(Shavers, Robin)

5 - Flute In "D"

(Collette)

6 - The Continental

(Conrad, Magidson)

Side 2

7 - Three And One

(Collette)

8 - Night In Tunisia

(Paperelli, Gillespie)

9 - Johnny Walks

(Collette)

10 - Perfidia

(Dominguez)

11 - Morning Jazz

(Shreve)

Buddy Collette (alto sax [#4, #9)], tenor sax [#2, #7], flute [#1, #3, #5, #8, #10], clarinet [#6, #11]), Dick Shreve (piano), John Goodman (bass), Bill Dolney (drums). 

Recorded at ABC Studios, Hollywood, California, January 24, 1957.