Lighthouse All-Stars Collection V

Howard Rumsey

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars

Volume 4

★ Oboe / Flute ★

The Bob Cooper-Bud Shank oboe-flute duets started at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California, the experimental center of West Coast modern sounds, in December, 1953.

This was the first time the jazz possibilities of the flute and oboe had been explored, and public response was instantaneous and enthusiastic. The popularity of the duets indicated a recording session, and since no suitable body of literature existed for the combination, the performers sat down and wrote six of the eight tunes released in the Spring of 1954 as 10" long-playing C2510. These eight selections: Aquarium, Warm Winds, Night In Tunisia, Albatross, Still Life, Bags' Groove, Hermosa Summer, Happy Town, were recorded the afternoons of February 25th and 26th, 1954 with BOB COOPER, oboe & English horn; BUD SHANK, flute & alto flute; CLAUDE WILLIAMSON, piano; HOWARD RUMSEY, bass; and MAX ROACH, drums.

The original album was an unqualified success, and in the three years since its release, the oboe-flute duets have been a fixture at The Lighthouse, and the flute a generally accepted jazz instrument.

By September 25th, 1956, when Waikikian, A Bit Of Basie, Swing House, and Blue Sands were recorded, Bud Shank had left The Lighthouse to form his own group. BUDDY COLLETTE, the versatile master of six woodwinds (see his Contemporary 12" C3522: Man Of Many Parts), took over the flute chair as guest star. SONNY CLARK and STAN LEVEY, both regular members of the All-Stars, were present on piano and drums. *(from the liner notes)*

The oboe and flute duets by Bob Cooper and Bud Shank have become quite a tradition at the Lighthouse, one of the few remaining jazz spots in the Los Angeles area these days. The eight selections by these two, Cooper doubling on English horn, were recorded in 1953 and were previously issued on Vogue LDC 146.

Personally I don't much care about the thin emasculated tone of flutes and oboes as applied to jazz, though I can appreciate the musical worth and fine technique of both players in this instance. All the same, except for "Albatross", which swings neatly with some nice piano from Claude Williamson and "Bags' Groove", it all sounds like arty-crafty film background music.

The remaining selections were recorded in 1956 by Buddy Collette, also on flute, plus rhythm section. Though the conception is similar in some cases to the previous session, I find these very much more acceptable in a jazz sense, and Buddy to be much the most talented musician of the three.

"A Bit of Basie" features Sonny Clark at the piano and both this and "Swing House" reveal Buddy’s considerable technique more than adequately. *Peter Tanner (jazzjournal.co.uk)*

This fascinating record features Bob Cooper and Bud Shank/Buddy Collette (fl, alto-fl) exclusively with piano, bass, and drums. Since the sessions are from two different years, the rhythm section is not completely the same on both. The 1954 session, which comprises most of the album, features the renowned drummer Max Roach and Shank on flute. This album came out of many off the cuff oboe and flute duet improvisations that Cooper and Shank were famous for at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, CA. The album is the epitome of "West Coast" jazz from this era, and the tracks are mostly originals, with a couple of more standard tunes ("Night in Tunisia" and "Bag's Groove") thrown in for good measure. This recording is significant because it is definitely one of the earliest, and possibly the first instance of the oboe taking a leading role in jazz. Prior to Bob Cooper, an oboist might take center stage for part of a tune, or possibly even an entire tune, but never an album devoted to specifically jazz oboe. This recording is also important because it features prominent jazz players who were well known in their own time, and continue to be recognized as influential in jazz. *Kimberly Everett Ganong [from A History and Discography of the Oboe in Jazz])*

1 - Aquarium

(Claude Williamson)

2 - Warm Winds

(Bob Cooper)

3 - A Night In Tunisia

(Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli)

4 - Albatross

(Max Roach)

5 - Blue Sands

(Buddy Collette)

6 - Swing House

(Gerry Mulligan)

7 - Still Life

(Bob Cooper)

8 - Bags' Groove

(Milt Jackson)

9 - Hermosa Summe

(Bob Cooper)

10 - A Bit Of Basie

(Buddy Collette)

11 - Waikikian

(Bob Cooper)

12 - Happy Town

(Bud Shank)

#1, #2, #3, #4, #7, #8, #9, #12:

Bud Shank (flute, alto flute), Bob Cooper (oboe, english horn),

Claude Williamson (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

Recorded at Contemporary's Studios, Los Angeles, California,

February 25 (#1, #2, #3, #4) and 26 (#7, #8, #9, #12), 1954

#5, #6, #10, #11:  

Buddy Collette (flute, alto flute), Bob Cooper (oboe, english horn),

Sonny Clark (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Recorded at Contemporary's Studios, Los Angeles, California, September 25, 1956.

Five-Star Collection... Chico Hamilton

Chico Hamilton Quintet

Featuring Buddy Collette

CHICO HAMILTON: "This is the way the group came about: After we made the trio records (Pacific Jazz PJ-17) I decided to add Buddy Collette to the group. In addition I had planned to use John Graas on French horn, but then John had to leave Los Angeles with the Liberace Show. About the same time I was working with Fred Katz who was then playing piano.

Fred had just said to me, 'Before I hang up my gloves I'd like to play a little jazz on the cello'. I told him about the group I had in mind and mentioned that John was leaving town. Right then and there the idea was born. Later, John suggested Jimmy Hall. I had told John that I needed a guitarist. He said, 'I've got a guitarist rehearsing with me. He's here fresh from Cleveland — he reads good, plays good, and also writes'. So I called Jimmy — now he's in the group. I was very fortunate to get Carson Smith. I actually had to look hard for him. I was told he had been working at the Celebrity Room in Hollywood. Three days later I found that the club had folded right after Carson opened. I finally managed to locate him — now I had a quintet. I called a rehearsal. The guys came over to my place and we just started making with the sounds. We only had two sheets of music then — it wasn’t exactly a rehearsal, but it was a beginning".

FRED KATZ: "I think that we have here, because of the calibre of the guys, something that is unique. That something is content. I think each one writes with feeling. Each

original composition has warmth, has meaning, has a reason for being; it’s not just a series of clever chords or clever ideas".

JIM HALL: "It's a necessity that we now have thorough arrangements, otherwise there’s no reason for the cello. Yet, it's the cello that pulls us together".

BUDDY COLLETTE: "We express ourselves mainly in writing now. Although we do improvise... out of which comes a tune — some idea one of us played — later, somebody brings in an arrangement on it".

CARSON SMITH: "Jazz is an American culture; it started in America. I believe jazz is the only really American cultural achievement. Improvisation is the key word. Out of

this comes composition and arrangement! I think improvisation is the most positive element in jazz. There wouldn't be jazz without it, but we can have jazz without arrangements. Because of the instrumentation of the Quintet, with the addition of the cello, we must depend on arrangements. We find freedom writing. In that direction, there is so far to go, so much to explore".

*(from the liner notes [an interview with the Chico Hamilton Quintet on October 9, 1955])*

Chico Hamilton's new quintet is responsible for one of the most stimulating, consistently inventive and unique jazz recordings of this or any recent year. There is, first of all, superb musicianship on the part of Buddy Collette, flute, clarinet, tenor and alto; Jim Hall, guitar; Fred Katz, cello; Carson Smith, bass, and Hamilton, drums. There is also the fresh writing by all five. As Katz points out in the notes, "...each one writes with feeling. Each original composition has warmth, has meaning, has a reason for being; it's not just a series of clever chords or clever ideas".

The third quality of excellence evident here is the collective emotional empathy of the quintet. This is really a unit, and while each of the men in it expresses his own individuality eloquently, they reach their total fulfillment in the cohesive, partly improvisational interplay that is so vitally basic to the best jazz.

There's a lot more — the excellent beat, the scope of the group, the discovery of Hall and Katz, and the newly impressive impact of Collette and Smith (Hamilton has always been first-rate so long as I can remember). Excellent recorded sound. Second side was cut at the Strollers Club in Long Beach, Calif. Only clinker are the notes on the individual numbers by Fran Kelley, written in her inimitable prose, a cross between science fiction and theosophy. 

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, December 14, 1955 [5 stars])*

1 - A Nice Day

(Buddy Collette)

2 - My Funny Valentine

(Rodgers, Hart)

3 - Blue Sands

(Buddy Collette)

4 - The Sage

(Fred Katz)

5 - The Morning After

(Chico Hamilton)

6 - I Want To Be Happy

(Youmans, Caesar)

7 - Spectacular

(Jim Hall)

8 - Free From

(improvisation)

9 - Walking Carson Blues

(traditional, arrangement by Carson Smith)

10 - Buddy Boo

(Buddy Collette)

Buddy Collette (flute, alto sax, tenor sax, clarinet), Fred Katz (cello),

Jim Hall (guitar), Carson Smith (bass), Chico Hamilton (drums).

#1 to #5: Recorded at Radio Recorders, Los Angeles, California, August 23, 1955 

#6 to #10: Recorded live at The Strollers Club, Long Beach, California, August 4, 1955

Red Norvo: A hidden gem

Red Norvo

Ad Lib

Featuring Buddy Collette

One of the hippest Red Norvo records ever — a rare outing for Liberty that features Buddy Collette on reeds, bringing in a new level of color to the Norvo group! Red's work on vibes is precise and nicely chromatic — often coming across in waves of sound on the mellower tracks, and with a poppingly melodic quality on the more upbeat ones. Other players include Dick Shreve on piano, Bill Douglass on drums, and either Curtis Counce or Joe Comfort on bass — and titles include "A Few Days After Xmas", "Tar Pit Blues", "Shreve-Port", "The Brushoff", and "Fifth Column". *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

How does the man do it? Year in and year out, Red continues to maintain standards of musicianship and ideational interest that have been associated with him for better than a quarter-century on records. The latest pair of LPs (Ad Lib and Music To Listen To Red Norvo By) will add further luster to Red's reputation; there is little to choose between them except for the added interest of Bill Smith's writing on the second set.

"What Is There to Say?" typifies the Liberty sides (Ad Lib). The melody is neatly rephrased in strikingly effective vibes-flute unison, with accents by brushes and rhythm. Shreve is his usual spare, incisive self; Red, Buddy, and the bassist (why don't they tell us who played on which tracks?) all capture the spirit of the easy tempo and sunny-afternoon mood.

It's the same on most of the other items, with Buddy's clarinet most effective on "Shreve-port" and "School", his alto pleasant on "Waterfront". The latter tends to become rhythmically logey; the piano gets a fine funky sound (or sounds out of tune, whichever way you prefer to look at it). The originals (three by Buddy, two by Dick) are all light and charming, especially "Xmas", Buddy’s "Frenesi"-like, up-tempo blues. *Leonard Feather (Down Beat, September 19, 1957)*

When you cross bridges, combine schools, intertwine the swinging with the cool, you could not choose two better ingredients than Red Norvo and Buddy Collette for the purpose.

Red's great vibe work has been one of jazz's standout commodities for years, whether rocking some small group of his own or backstopping a great vocalist such as the late, great Mildred Bailey. Red's soft tasty beat with the right ideas in just the right places has given his work that individual stamp which defies eras and fads. Red is certainly one of the "jazz greats" of the music world.

Watching him in a session, leading the way with his own ideas, one readily comprehends Red's mastery of his instrument. For Red to come through with continuously brilliant performances have become commonplace.

It is only natural that an artist with the conception of Norvo should reach out and attract artists of equal stature. Such is the case of "The Man of Many Parts", Buddy Collette. This master of the reed family, is a new artist only in the sense of being discovered but lately by the jazz aficionados.

Buddy has long been one of the stalwarts of the West Coast scene. Not only has he shown to advantage with various jazz groups but being a full, well-schooled musician, he has been sought after for the more mundane vocations of the studio orchestra chair and serious musical projects.

However, it is in jazz, obviously Buddy's first love, that he has risen to giant proportions. In Ad Lib, Buddy's and Red's talents blend so beautifully that we are forced to re-evaluate some earlier conceptions of the cool scene. Here, at least, it is not all technique and a nose tilted haughtily at the solid beat. Here, at least — Red, Buddy, and their cohorts manage to interject a feeling of warmth and swinging, listenable, understandable and over-all projection of a wonderful mood in jazz.

Ad Lib showcases Buddy Collette's new discovery. His name's Dick Shreve and his fresh and scintillating pianistic slyle stamps him as a sure-fire bet to join his illustrious compatriot in the Jazz Hall of Fame. *Simon Jackson (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - What Is There To Say

(Vernon Duke, E. Y. Harburg)

2 - Shreve-Port

(Dick Shreve)

3 - 96th Street School

(Buddy Collette)

4 - Fifth Column

(Dick Shreve)

5 - The Brushoff

(Buddy Collette)

Side 2

6 - I Cover The Waterfront

(Johnny Green, Edward Heyman)

7 - A Few Days After Xmas

(Buddy Collette)

8 - Mad About The Boy

(Noel Coward)

9 - Tar Pit Blues

(Dick Shreve)

Buddy Collette (flute, clarinet [#3, #4, #5, #9], alto sax [#6]);

Red Norvo (vibes); Dick Shreve (piano); Bill Douglass (drums);

Curtis Counce [#1, #5, #6, #7], Joe Comfort  [#2, #3, #4, #8, #9] (basses).

Recorded in Hollywood, California, December 18 [#1, #5, #6, #7], 1956;

December 27 [#2, #3, #4], 1956 and January 4 [#8, #9], 1957

Liberty Records • Jazz in Hollywood Series (VII)

Jack Millman Sextet

Shades Of Things To Come

✤Liberty LJH 6007✤

A great lost treasure from the LA scene of the 50s — one of the few albums recorded by trumpeter Jack Millman as a leader, working here with a well-named set of "all stars" that includes Jimmy Giuffre on baritone and clarinet, Buddy Colette on flue and alto, Bob Harrington on piano, Harry Babasin on bass, and Larry Bunker on drums! The set's got a similar feel to other west coast work of the time, but the tracks are tighter, more composed, and a bit more swinging — sort of halfway between swing and the chamber jazz of some of the headier groups. Titles include "The Great Lie", "Along About F", "Butterfingers", "Thinking Of Russ", and "Da Bloosiest Blues". 

*Dusty Groove, Inc.*

Shades of Things To Come, as this is titled, is a consistently attractive, immediately assimilable album by flugelhornist Millman. It's considerably more relaxed and generally imaginative than his recent Decca Jazz Studio 4 set. Everyone blows warmly and with a fine collective, cohesive swing. The musicians include Buddy Collette, flute, alto, and tenor; Jimmy Giuffre, baritone sax and clarinet; Bob Harrington, piano; Harry Babasin, bass and producer of the date; Larry Bunker and Fred Capp, alternating on drums.

The writing throughout is unpretentious, tinged with wit, and quite fresh in places. The notes provide composition and arranging details. The writers involved are Millmann, Carson Smith and Jimmy Hall, Don Peterson, Bunker, Harrington, Charles Deremo, and Collette.

It’s too bad that 12 tracks ar jammed swiftly into this one LP.

When will a&r men realize that the chief virtue of the 12'' LP (aside from added sales) is the breathing space it's capable of providing writers and blowers? Anyway, the set is certainly recommended as an unusually friendly one, a word that really fits this particular context.

Millman on flugelhorn is, by the way, one of the hotter, unabashedly emotional hornmen on the coast. As a writer, Harrington has a commendably easeful touch. This is another good engineering job by John Neal. *Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, May 16, 1956)*

When this session was originally planned, Jack intended to use the late Bob Gordon on bass clarinet and the arrangements were written with Bob specifically in mind.

Bob's untimely passing created a problema — mainly, where to find another swinging bass clarinetist. The answer proved to be a simple one, for Jimmy Giuffre was available and readily stepped in. Although he could play the bass clarinet, he didn't own one! So all arrangements were finally rewritten for regular clarinet. Jimmy’s playing in the low register produced a particularly fine sound.

⁂

This is not Jack Millman's first album, but it is most definitely his "swingin'est". In listening to the crop of upcoming West Coast jazz men, it is increasingly apparent to what degree these young musicians are constantly progressing. With each successive record, it is possible to hear the advancement in ideas, technique and tonal quality. Jack's work on both trumpet and flugelhorn, as with so many of our young jazz men on the West Coast, shows this continuous advancement. 

"SHADES OF THINGS TO COME" offers an intriguing speculation on future jazz.

*Sleepy Stein (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - Thinking Of Russ

(Millman)

2 - Along About F

(Harrington)

3 - Butterfingers

(Millman)

4 - Polka Dots And Moonbeams

(Van Heusen, Burke)

5 - There Will Never Be Another You

(Warren, Gordon)

6 - The Great Lie

(Hefti)

Side 2

7 - Da Bloosiest Blues

(Millman)

8 - Mother's Whistler

(Harrington)

9 - Gone With The Wind

(Wrubel, Magidson)

10 - Skylark

(Carmichael, Mercer)

11 - It Could Happen To You

(Van Heusen, Burke)

12 - That Old Feeling

(Fain, Brown)

Jack Millman (flugelhorn); Buddy Collette (flute, alto sax, tenor sax);

Jimmy Giuffre (baritone sax, clarinet); Bob Harrington (piano); Harry Babasin (bass);

Frank Capp [#1 to #4, #8, #10, #12], Larry Bunker [#5 to #7, #9, #11] (drums).

Recorded in Hollywood, California, September 1955

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 And Teddy Edwards - The Crown Sessions

Buddy Collette (1921-2010) and Teddy Edwards (1924-2003) were two prominent, individual jazz musicians whose beginnings were firmly rooted in the Los Angeles Central Avenue jazz and rhythm and blues scene of the 1940s.

Buddy, born in Los Angeles, gained recognition in 1946 as an alto saxophone and clarinet player, performing alongside musicians like Lucky Thompson and Charlie Mingus. In 1950, he became the first Black musician to work in Los Angeles film and TV studios, further establishing his reputation in jazz through his versatility as a woodwind player. His collaborations with the Chico Hamilton Quintet and his own albums as a leader showcased his talents as a composer and thoughtful jazz musician.

Teddy, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, was credited with recording the first bop solo on tenor saxophone in 1946 on "Up in Dodo's Room" with Howard McGhee's sextet. He was an early associate of jazz greats like Dexter Gordon, Sonny Criss, Art Pepper, Max Roach, and Clifford Brown. Known for his charging, up-tempo, bluesy style, Edwards was equally adept at producing a sweet, burnished tone from the tenor sax, making him a significant influence on other tenor saxophonists like Harold Land and Sonny Rollins.

Throughout their extensive careers, both musicians remained deeply connected to Los Angeles as their home base and source of inspiration.

In the tracks included on this CD, recorded between 1959 and 1960, we hear Buddy Collette and Teddy Edwards in two rare quartet sessions, navigating through a set of blues and originals. The uniqueness of these recordings lies in the fact that they were originally scattered across several Crown label albums, without any personnel or composer information, often indiscriminately attributed to different jazz artists, with the musicians not always properly credited. Here, for the first time, they are grouped together in a single collection. *Jordi Pujol*

1 - What's Up?

2 - Hideaway

3 - Reunion

4 - Joggin'

5 - Evergreen

6 - Bye Bye

7 - The Groove

8 - Lucky Me

9 - Miss Beat

10 - I'll Get Away

11 - The Grind, Part 1

12 - The Grind, Part 2

13 - Across Town

#1 to #8:

Buddy Collette (tenor sax), Gerald Wiggins (piano),

Joe Comfort (bass), Bill Douglass (drums).

#1, #2, #3: from Way Out Wardell (Crown CLP-5278)

#4 : from Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker/Chico Hamilton/Buddy Collette/Gerald Wiggins (Crown CLP-5289)

#5, #6, #7, #8: from Groovin’ High (Crown CLP-5284)

#9 to 13:

Teddy Edwards (tenor sax), Joe Castro (piano), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Billy Higgins (drums).

#9, #10 from: Sonny Criss/Gerald Wiggins/Erroll Garner/Stan Getz (Crown CLP-5292) 

#11, #12, #13: from Erroll Garner/Wardell Gray/ Barney Kessel/Gerald Wiggins Crown (CLP-5293)

Recorded at Modern Records Studio, Hollywood, between 1959 and 1960.

Buddy Collette And His West Coast Friends

The primary focus of the two albums compiled in this CD set rests on Buddy Collettes talents as a writer and as a multi-reed instrumentalist. Although the sleevenotes didnt say so, Tanganyika was Buddy Collettes album; he is the composer of most of the tunes and is featured throughout. On the second album, Mood For Max, a Max Albrights drummer date, Collette, as a player, is clearly the star of the session, along with trumpeter John Anderson. Both also made considerable contributions as composers and arrangers for the session.

Despite the presence of other great soloists on both dates, among them Jim Hall, Gerald Wiggins, Curtis Counce, Chico Hamilton and William Green, Buddys taste and sensitivity as a player and writer dominates. The writing ranges from the African exoticism that Collette had a penchant for delivering, as well as some Basie-type tunes, standards, and moody and groovy originals. Overall, it is an excellent example of the tight, considered writing that characterizes the best of the West Coast style. *Jordi Pujol*

about Tanganyika:

This set, presented by disc jockey Sleepy Stein but actually led by multireedist Buddy Collette, slightly predates the Chico Hamilton Quintet and hints strongly at that chamber jazz group. Comprised of Collette, drummer Chico Hamilton, trumpeter John Anderson, pianist Gerald Wiggins, guitarist Jimmy Hall and bassist Curtis Counce if one substitutes cellist Fred Katz for Anderson and Wiggins and changes the bassist, the result is the Chico Hamilton Quintet of 1955. The music is mostly group originals (five by Collette) and is an excellent example of cool jazz. *Scott Yanow*

about Mood For Max:

Studio drummer Max Albright's only session as a leader was one of the few releases for the short-lived Motif label. A variety of top L.A.-based musicians (including trumpeter John Anderson, Buddy Collette and William Green on reeds and pianist Gerald Wiggins) are heard from on the octet date. Collette and Anderson split the writing for the six standards evenly and each contributes three originals. This obscure session is melodic, swinging and worth searching for by fans of West Coast jazz. *Scott Yanow*

1 - Jungle Pogo Stick

(Buddy Collette)

2 - Green Dream

(Buddy Collette)

3 - Its You

(Buddy Collette)

4 - A Walk In The Veldt

(Buddy Collette)

5 - How Long Has This Been Going On?

(George Gershwin)

6 - The Blinfold Test

(John Anderson)

7 - Tanganyka

(Buddy Collette)

8 - Wagnervous

(Hamilton, Wiggins)

9 - And So Is Love

(John Anderson)

10 - Coming Back For Me

(Johnny Otis)

11 - Crows Nest

(John Anderson)

12 - Remember

(Irving Berlin)

13 - Sunset Drive

(Buddy Collette)

14 - Some Folks Like The Blues

(John Anderson)

15 - I Hear Bells

(Buddy Collette)

16 - Buzzin Cool

(John Anderson)

17 - One Morning In May

(Carmichael, Parish)

18 - Heat Wave

(Irving Berlin)

19 - Thats All

(Haymes, Brandt)

20 - Youre Devasting Me

(Kern, Harbach)

21 - Top Hat, White Tie And Tails

(Irving Berlin)

22 - Mood For Max

(Buddy Collette)

#1 to #10:

from the album Tanganyika (DIG J-101)

John Anderson (trumpet), Buddy Collette (flute, clarinet, alto and tenor sax), Gerry Wiggings (piano), Jim Hall (guitar), Curtis Counce (bass), Chico Hamilton (drums). 

Recorded at Capitol Studio, Hollywood, California, September 16 and 27 [other source gives October 11], 1956. 

#11 to #22:

from the album Mood For Max (Motif ML-502)

#11 to #18:

John Anderson (trumpet), Dave Wells (bass trumpet, trombone), Buddy Collette (flute, clarinet, alto and tenor sax), Bill Green (flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto and tenor sax), Chuck Gentry (baritone sax), Gerry Wiggings (piano), Curtis Counce (bass), Max Albright (drums, vibes, bells [#15]). 

Recorded at Capitol Studio, Hollywood, California, November 8 and 16, 1956. 

#19 to #22:

John Anderson (trumpet), Dave Wells (bass trumpet, trombone), Buddy Collette (flute, clarinet, alto and tenor sax), Bill Green (flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto and tenor sax), Gene Cipriano (oboe, English horn, bass clarinet), Gerry Wiggings (piano), Joe Comfort (bass), Max Albright (drums, vibes). 

Recorded at Capitol Studio, Hollywood, California, November 23, 1956.

Howard Lucraft - Showcase For Modern Jazz

Until 1950, Mr. Lucraft was a 'name' band leader in England, and was featured regularly by the British Broadcasting Corporation, both with his band and as an arranger and commentator, etc. for many of the national jazz broadcasts. 

Since 1950, he has resided in Hollywood, functioning on both sides of the fence — as an arranger-composer for leading bands and groups, and as a critic and editorial representative for "Metronome" (U.S.A.), "Encyclopedia of Jazz", and "Melody Maker" (Great Britain). 

In 1954, jointly with Stan Kenton, he started JAZZ INTERNATIONAL. This is the famous world-wide organization of jazz enthusiasts and musicians whose chief purpose is the universal propagation of the art.

Mr. Lucraft is the producer of the "Jazz International Show" on radio, broadcast by over 100 radio stations throughout the United States and Canada, and director of a "Jazz International Show" for the Armed Forces Radio. The latter is said to have 100 million listeners in all parts of the world. In addition, Lucraft produced and hosted the "Jazz International" weekly TV show in Los Angeles.

*(Liner Notes)*

At the weekly meetings of the Hollywood chapter of the JAZZ INTERNATIONAL organization, it has been my privilege to present some of the greatest jazz artists in the world. This album features a large number of the star West Coast instrumentalists regularly involved. 

In writing all the music I tried to present these exciting musicians in some varying styles of modern jazz. The arrangements are simple with full freedom for the guys to express themselves. We tried to create good swinging, melodic and inventive jazz. *Howard Lucraft* 

Side 1

1 - Blue Moon

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

2 - I'll Never Say "Never Again" Again

(Harry Woods)

3 - California Zephyr

(Howard Lucraft)

4 - I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful)

(Henry Sullivan, Harry Ruskin)

5 - Larrissa

(Howard Lucraft)

Side 2

6 - Midnight Sun

(Sonny Burke, Lionel Hampton)

7 - Smog A La Mode

(Howard Lucraft)

8 - Jazz For Gene

(Howard Lucraft)

9 - Two Part Contention

(Dave Brubeck)

Howard Lucraft [a.k.a. John Doe] (leader, arranger and guitar [#1, #4, #5, #7]) with:

#1, #4, #7:

Bud Shank (alto sax, flute); Buddy Collette (clarinet, baritone sax); Red Mitchell (bass); Mel Lewis (drums).

Recorded in Hollywood, California, June 24, 1957.

#3, #6, #9: 

Art Pepper (alto sax), Bob Cooper (tenor sax, oboe), Claude Williamson (piano), Monty Budwig (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Recorded in Hollywood, California, July 8, 1957.

#2, #5, #8:

Charlie Mariano (alto sax, baritone sax); Conte Candoli, Stu Williamson (trumpets); Frank Rosolino (trombone); Pete Jolly (piano, accordion); Leroy Vinnegar (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded in Hollywood, California, July 15, 1957.

Leonard Feather And Best From The West

Some of the finest West Coast jazz combo playing of late 1954 appears on Best From the West: Modern Sounds from California (Vols. 1 and 2). These albums were issued by Blue Note as a pair of 10-inch LPs. Frankly, there isn't a drop of filler here, and the playing and compositions, many of which are by Shorty Rogers, swing with a special richness and aggression. As Leonard Feather writes in the original album's liner notes, "this is a wailing set of performances". 

Volume 1 was released in early 1955 and marketed without the musicians' names. The plan was brilliant, actually. Several of the musicians on the date already had contractual commitments. Which presented Feather, the album's producer, with a problem. But rather than trying to thread a needle, Feather simply removed the needle. All of the artists' names were removed, and the record was positioned as a "blindfold test".

The goal was to put listeners through the same audio exam that Metronome magazine had been administering to jazz musicians since 1946 (and a nifty gimmick that continues in jazz publications today). Album-buyers were asked to guess who was playing. At the end of Volume 1's liner notes, Feather writes:

"We're curious to see which of Blue Note's customers, long noted for their astute jazz tastes and discernment, can come up with a complete or at least partially correct answer".

Listeners were urged to send their picks along to Blue Note's offices. Feather offered only six clues in his Volume 1 liner notes:

1. All the music on both LPs was recorded during the winter of 1954-55 in Hollywood, CA.

2. The music was recorded at three different sessions, using a total of 12 instruments, played by sixteen men and a girl (sic).

3. None of the musicians made his record debut on these sessions. In fact, most of them had recorded frequently before, and many are closely associated with the disarmingly amorphous entity known as "West Coast Jazz".

4. The musicians who composed the original material for these sessions did not necessarily take part as instrumentalists.

5. All 17 musicians can be heard if you listen to the three numbers entitled The Blindfold Test (actually three different themes based all based on the 12-bar blues format).

6. All the musicians can be heard on either side of either record.

Best From The West • Volume 1

Modern Sounds From California

1 - Santa Anita

(Shorty Rogers)

2 - Santa Monica

(Buddy Collette)

3 - The Blindfold Test No. 1

(Shorty Rogers)

4 - Culver City

(Shorty Rogers)

5 - The Blindfold Test No. 2

(Shorty Rogers)

6 - Hooray For Hollywood

(Whiting, Mercer)

#1 and #6:

Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpet), Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone, tenor sax), Herb Geller (alto sax), Lorraine Geller (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

#2 and #5:

Conte Candoli (trumpet), Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax, clarinet, baritone sax), Buddy Collette (alto sax, flute), Gerald Wiggins (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Curtis Counce (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

#3 and #4:

Conte Candoli (trumpet), John Graas (French horn), Charlie Mariano (alto sax), Marty Paich (piano), Monty Budwig (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders Studio, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, December 31, 1954.

***

Volume 1 did not include the names of musicians on the date. But Volume 2, released soon afterward, did, thus revealing the mystery players. I have no idea why it was OK to announce the musicians' names in Volume 2 but not in Volume 1. My guess is that whatever releases Feather and Blue Note were seeking for the first album came through in time for the second album. If so, it's interesting how the Blue Note marketers positioned the inclusion of the names on a "blindfold test" album.

To keep the game interesting, the soloists on Blindfold Tests 1, 2 and 3 were not revealed. But since all of the musicians' names were listed on Volume 2, determining who was playing wasn't too much of a stretch-unless you were unfamiliar with the West Coast scene, which likely was the case for Blue Note's East Coast customer base.

While the two albums featured a wide range of musicians, the Conte Candoli sessions are particularly interesting. Recorded on December 31, 1954, the first group featured Conte Candoli (trumpet), John Graas (French horn), Charlie Mariano (alto sax), Marty Paich (piano), Monty Budwig (bass) and Stan Levey (drums).

The next group with Candoli featured Buddy Collette (flute and alto sax), Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax, clarinet and baritone sax), Gerald Wiggins (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Curtis Counce (bass) and Stan Levey (drums).

The 10-inch albums featured yet another set of musicians recorded on the same day: Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpet), Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone and tenor sax), Herb Geller (alto sax), Lorraine Geller (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass) and Larry Bunker (drums).

Among the many delightful surprises on these recordings are the early flute of Buddy Collette, superb clarinet work by Jimmy Giuffre, the piano of Lorraine Geller and beautiful, full jazz guitar work by Howard Roberts.

Compositions were mostly by Shorty Rogers, with one by Pete Rugolo and originals by musicians on the dates as well as a few standards.

As you listen to the recordings without looking at the personnel, what's instantly clear is the influence that Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie had on Candoli's playing during this period, before Miles Davis and Kenny Dorham made a much deeper impression.

These albums are a must-own for anyone who appreciates West Coast jazz under the influence of East Coast sensibilities and the intensity of Candoli's horn. *Marc Myers*

Best From The West • Volume 2

Modern Sounds From California

1 - Van Nuys Indeed

(John Grass)

2 - Here's Pete

(Pete Rugolo)

3 - The Blindfold Test No. 3

(Feather, Rogers)

4 - Burbank Bounce

(Marty Paich)

5 - Arcadia

(Leonard Feather)

6 - No Love, No Nothing

(Warren, Robin)

#1 and #4:

Conte Candoli (trumpet), John Graas (French horn), Charlie Mariano (alto sax), Marty Paich (piano), Monty Budwig (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

#2 and #6:

Conte Candoli (trumpet), Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax, clarinet, baritone sax), Buddy Collette (alto sax, flute), Gerald Wiggins (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Curtis Counce (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

#3 and #5:

Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpet), Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone, tenor sax), Herb Geller (alto sax), Lorraine Geller (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders Studio, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, December 31, 1954.

Quincy Jones - Go West, Man!

In Southern California the evenings are cool, as many an Easterner has found out to his discomfort. But periodically the sequence of chilly dusks is broken by a hot, dry, sometimes rather nervous wind, that sweeps from the interior and changes the entire atmosphere of the area. Then you see the retired Idaho farmers sitting on their verandahs rocking back and forth and watching the traffic. 

They call this wind a Santa Ana. This album is NOT called a Santa Ana, but it does bring a warm, almost hot breeze to Southern California, or West Coast, jazz which shows that it need not always be cool. 

And it’s time some real effort was made to demonstrate to the world that everything recorded in the Hollywood studios is not more Brooks Brothers tan Madison Avenue and not more emotionally restrained than a London native in a room full of Americans. As Betty Roche wroje to Jimmy Lyons, whose nightly KNBC, San Francisco eee has been a breath of warmth in what has sometimes seemed a wilderness of cool sounds, "it's good to hear the swingers". 

Quincy Jones, who produced this album, selected the personnel, picked the instrumentation and arrangers, is a West Coast product himself — he’s from Chicago originally but settled in Seattle when he was 10 and was raised there. For that matter, most of the so-called West Coast musicians are originally from the East, or at least not the West, and they don't always play in that tight little style that has become known as West Coast. They can get pretty funky, especially, as Shelly Manne says, "if they’ve eaten enough in those all-night hamburger joints". 

In ten years of writing on jazz for Down Beat and in the San Francisco Chronicle, I have never known what "West Coast" was, really, except in terms of individuals and only then for a specific time and a specific performance. This album will do considerable good if it makes people realize, as I hope it does, that all winds do not blow cool on the Pacific Coast. Sometimes they blow hot, too. *Ralph J. Gleason (liner notes)*

There is a bit of mis-information surrounding this album, and I’ve seen more than one inaccurate review, so to clear up a few things first, Go West Man! is not a big band album and the arrangements on here are not by Quincy Jones. Although there is some good music on here, in some ways, this second album in Quincy Jones’ young career is somewhat of a disappointment. Jones’ first album was a great success and revealed a young big band arranger with some fresh new sounds, so I would imagine his new fans were disappointed to find out that Jones only served as a conductor and producer, not arranger, on his follow-up LP. There are three different mid-sized groups that Jones works with on here, including two groups led by saxophone summits and one group led by a trumpet quartet. All three groups have a piano, bass and drums rhythm section. Each of the three groups is given three songs which leads to nine songs total on the album if you are keeping score at home.

All three of these groups are very talented, but possible top honors goes to an all-star sax five-some that includes Art Pepper and Charlie Mariano. The west coast sax players are known for their silky smooth ensemble work, and this group is a good example. The liner notes claim the other sax group is made up of three tenors, but there is quite clearly a fourth man on baritone, and one of the supposed tenors sounds suspiciously high. The arrangements for the nine tracks were provided by Jimmy Giuffre, Lennie Niehaus and Charlie Mariano. “London Derriere”, with its striking sounds made up of trumpets with Harmon mutes, is the arrangement that sounds the most like Quincy. This album is recommended for fans of west coast jazz, there so much great saxophone playing on here, both in ensemble and in solos, but Quincy Jones fans may be disappointed by the somewhat misleading presentation and slap together nature of this album. *jazzmusicarchives.com*

Quincy turns his soul jazz arranging style to a band filled with West Coast players, and he gets them to groove a lot more than you'd expect! Players include Herb Geller, Art Pepper, Charlie Mariano, Bill Perkins, and Walter Benton. The tracks are short, with tight solo space, and most of them were written and arranged by West Coasters like Jimmy Giuffre, Lennie Niehaus, and Johnny Mandel. Titles include "Be My Guest", "London Derriere", "Kings Road Blues", "The Oom Is Blues", and "Bright Moon".  *dustygroove.com*

1 - Dancin' Pants

(Jimmy Giuffre)

2 - Blues Day

(Jimmy Giuffre)

3. Bright Moon

(Jimmy Giuffre)

4 - No Bones At All

(Johnny Mandell)

5 - The Oom Is Blues

(Charlie Mariano)

6. Be My Guest

(Lennie Niehaus)

7 - Medley: 

•What's New?

(Haggart, Burke)

•We'll Be Together Again 

(Fischer, Laine)

•Time On My Hands

(Adamson, Youmans, Gordon)

•You Go To My Head

(Coots, Gillespie)

•Laura

(Mercer, Raksin)

8 - London Derriere

(Johnny Mandel)

9 - Kings Road Blues

(Lennie Niehaus)

Conte Candoli, Pete Candoli, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Jack Sheldon (trumpets [#2, #4, #8]); Benny Carter, Herb Geller, Charlie Mariano, Art Pepper (alto saxes [#1, #6, #9]); Pepper Adams (baritone sax [#3, #5, #7]); Walter Benton, Buddy Collette, Bill Perkins (tenor saxes [#3, #5, #7]); Lou Levy [#1, #6, #9], Carl Perkins [#2 to #5, #7, #8] (pianos); Red Mitchell [#1, #6, #9], Leroy Vinnegar [#2 to #5, #7, #8] (basses); Shelly Manne [#1, #3, #5, #6, #7, #9], Mel Lewis [#2, #4, #8] (drums).

Jimmy Giuffre, Johnny Mandel, Charlie Mariano, Lennie Niehaus (arrangements); Quincy Jones (conductor).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, February 25, 1957.

•• Blow Hot | Blow Cool ••

Herbie Fields Sextet & The Melrose Avenue Conservatory Chamber Music Society

Blow Hot | Blow Cool

As the title of this album would indicate, you are in for both some hot and some cool moments. The fact that Herbie Fields and his Sextet have been appointed the group representing the hot side and The Melrose Avenue Conservatory Chamber Music Society has been appointed the cool propounders doesn't necessarily end there because for some happy reason Herbie Fields and his Sextet have some very cool moments, indeed, and the boys from Melrose, as you will notice, leap in a very warm manner.

Be Assured that there is not a battle of the bands planned or to be assumed here. This is no hot versus cool sound dual. Rather, it is more like a formula for getting things to just the right taste. This is one of those dates where you know (even if you don't know) that a lot of hard work has gone before...arranging work, scoring, or to make it sound easier, scratching out a chart, writing a few originals, thinking up new ways of saying old familiar things, selecting musicians with compatible ideas and compassion for one another and then hoping fervently that instruments, studios, musicians and their respective chops will all be in the best possible condition for the date.

Whatever came out of this date came through work and persistance and there were some experiments tried that paid off, as you will hear. The serious student of contemporary music, however, will find no revolutionary upset in the musical concept. But, at the same time, he shouldn't expect to get 'knocked out' or to hear a 'new sound' every time he puts the needle to the groove. It's impossible. But the groups here have assimilated some interesting sounds and provided quite a few pleasurable moments.

That can sometimes be more important than the other. *Al "Jazzbo" Collins (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - No Word Blues

(Herbie Fields, Manny Albam)

2 - The Lady Is A Tramp

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

3 - Baltimore

(Herbie Fields, Manny Albam)

4 - Nutcraker Swing

(Herbie Fields, Manny Albam)

5 - St Louis Blues

(W. C. Handy)

6 - Makin' Whoopie

(Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson)

Side 2

7 - I'm Forever Counting Geigers

(Marty Paich)

8 - Id

(John Graas)

9 - Skip to My Loot

(Jack Montrose)

10 - Speak Easy

(Jack Montrose)

#1 to #4: 

Herbie Fields (clarinet); Billy Byers, Kai Winding, Eddie Bert, Bart Varsalona (trombones); Joe Black (piano); Rudy Cafaro (guitar); Peter Compo (bass); Harvey Lang [a.k.a. Guy Vivdros] (drums); Mercy Lutes [a.k.a.Marcella Galbraith] (vocal).

Recorded in New York City, September 14, 1954.

#5, #6: 

Herbie Fields (tenor sax); Nick Drago (trumpet); Joe Black (piano); Rudy Cafaro (guitar); Harvey Lang, Jr. (bass); Harvey Lang [a.k.a. Guy Vivdros] (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 1955.

#7, #10:

Stu Williamson (trumpet); Herb Geller [a.k.a. Bert Herbert] (alto sax); Jack Montrose, Buddy Collette (tenor saxes); Bob Gordon (baritone sax); Marty Paich (piano); Curtis Counce (bass); Chico Hamilton [a.k.a. Forest Hamilton] (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, March 17 (#7, #8) and March 18 (#9, #10), 1955.

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.

Jack Millman And His All-Stars

Trumpet and flugelhorn player Jack Millman was just 17 when he "sat in" with Lionel Hampton and was then invited by Hamp to join the band for a 6-week stint at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles. Just before he was drafted in the Army he joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra for a West Coast Road Tour. When he completed his service he came out to form and manage his own jazz groups throughout the 50's that played the West Coast scene extensively. Presented here is Millman's classic 1955 recordings featuring some of the greatest West Coast jazz players of all time.

A rare session as a leader by trumpeter Jack Millman – one that's based around his own compositions, and which a large group of west coast players alongside some lesser-known 50s talents! Players include Fred Aguirre, Lin Halliday, Artie Anto, Mike Pacheco, Curtis Counce, Herb Geller, Jimmy Giuffre, Howard Roberts, and Don Friedman – playing arrangements of Millman tunes by Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, Jack Montrose, and Pete Rugolo. Tracks are short, but have wonderfully constructed horn passages – as well as some very nice use of Latin percussion – and titles include "Tom & Jerry", "Bolero De Mendez", "Groove Juice", "Pink Lady", "The Turk", and "Bambi".  *dustygroove.com*

A stimulating presentation of the modern jazz compositions of an outstanding writer, Jack Millman. The wide range of his written work is amply outlined here, and given tremendous interest since each of the 12 compositions included in this album is arranged by different man. Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, Jack Montrose and Pete Rugolo are some of the prominent names. The instrumentalists also vary from item to item, but are taken from the ranks of the West Coast's finest musicians. Most of the music is light and listenable, written with a delicate balance of construction and careful selection of instrumentation. The stature of the arrangers and participating musicians will automatically garner good initial sales. *Billboard, November 19, 1955*

Jack Millman

And His All-Stars

1 - Groove Juice

2 - Pink Lady

3 - Too Much

4 - Ballade For Jeannie

5 - The Turk

6 - When You're Near

7 - Tom And Jerry

8 - So Goes My Love

9 - Bolero De Mendez

10 - Just a Pretty Tune

11 - Cathy Goes South

12 - Bambi

(All compositions by Jack Millman)

#1:

Jack Millman (flugelhorn), Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone), Herb Geller (alto sax), Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Bob Gordon (baritone sax), Claude Williamson (piano), Red Mitchell (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Arrangements by Jimmy Giuffre

Recorded in Los Angeles, June 1, 1955

#2:

Jack Millman (flugelhorn), Buddy Collette (flute), Bob Gordon (bass clarinet), Claude Williamson (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Red Mitchell (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Arrangements by Shorty Rogers

Recorded in Los Angeles, June 1, 1955

#3:

Jack Millman (flugelhorn), Lin Halliday (tenor sax), Ray Vázquez (baritone sax), Don Friedman (piano), Ralph Peña (bass), Gary Frommer (drums).

Arrangements by Jack Montrose

Recorded in Los Angeles, May 25, 1955

#4:

Jack Millman (trumpet), Maynard Ferguson (valve trombone), Buddy Collette (alto sax), Jack Montrose (tenor sax), Bob Gordon (baritone sax), Gerald Wiggins (piano), Curtis Counce (bass), Chico Hamilton (drums).

Arrangements by Lyle Murphy

Recorded in Los Angeles, May 18, 1955

 #5:

Jack Millman, Conte Candoli (trumpets); Gerald Wiggins (piano); Frank Flynn (vibes); Curtis Counce (bass); Chico Hamilton (drums); Mike Pacheco, Artie Anton, Fred Aguirre (percussion).

Arrangements by Jack Millman

Recorded in Los Angeles, May 18, 1955

#6:

Jack Millman (flugelhorn), Lin Halliday (tenor sax), Don Anderson (vibes), Don Overberg (guitar), Ralph Peña (bass), Gary Frommer (drums).

Arrangements by Chico Álvarez

Recorded in Los Angeles, May 25, 1955

#7:

Jack Millman (flugelhorn), Lin Halliday (tenor sax), Don Friedman (piano), Don Anderson (vibes), Don Overberg (guitar), Ralph Peña (bass), Gary Frommer (drums).

Arrangements by Gerald Wiggins

Recorded in Los Angeles, May 25, 1955

#8:

Jack Millman (flugelhorn), Ray Vázquez (baritone sax), Don Friedman (piano), Don Anderson (vibes), Ralph Peña (bass), Gary Frommer (drums).

Arrangements by Bill Holman

Recorded in Los Angeles, May 25, 1955

#9:

Jack Millman (flugelhorn); Buddy Collette (flute); Herb Geller (alto sax); Jimmy Giuffre (clarinet); Bob Gordon (baritone sax); Howard Roberts (guitar); Red Mitchell (bass); Shelly Manne (drums); Mike Pacheco, Jack Costanzo, Bob Enevoldsen (percussion).

Arrangements by Pete Rugolo

Recorded in Los Angeles, June 1, 1955

#10:

Jack Millman (trumpet), Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone), Buddy Collette (flute), Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Bob Gordon (baritone sax), Claude Williamson (piano), Red Norvo (vibes), Red Mitchell (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Arrangements by Frank Erickson

Recorded in Los Angeles, June 1, 1955

#11:

Jack Millman (trumpet); Buddy Collette (flute, alto sax); Jack Montrose (tenor sax, clarinet); Bob Gordon (baritone sax); Frank Flynn (vibes); Curtis Counce (bass); Chico Hamilton (drums); Mike Pacheco, Artie Anton, Fred Aguirre, Maynard Ferguson (percussion).

Arrangements by Johnny Mandel

Recorded in Los Angeles, May 18, 1955

#12:

Jack Millman (trumpet), Maynard Ferguson (valve trombone), Buddy Collette (alto sax), Jack Montrose (tenor saxs), Barney Kessel (guitar), Frank Flynn (vibes), Chico Hamilton (drums).

Arrangements by Gene Roland

Recorded in Los Angeles, May 18, 1955

All sessions recorded at Decca Studios and United Western Recorders