Five-Star Collection... The Down Beat Five-Star History (Part I)

Before this year's final post, it may be helpful to take a brief look at the history of how Down Beat has judged music over the years and how it eventually arrived at its classic five-star system, which we have used so far for the series we came up with to pay tribute to the publication's celebrated reviewers.

Throughout its long history, Down Beat not only chronicled the evolution of jazz— it also refined the very tools it used to evaluate recordings. Between 1946 and 1952, the magazine tried three different rating systems, each one formally announced to readers in its pages.

What follows is the first part (of three) of that sequence, along with the original texts that introduced each change.

✤ 1946 ✤ 

How Down Beat First Retooled Its Rating Method:

The 1946 Note-Symbol System

When Down Beat entered the postwar era, it sought a clearer, more flexible way to judge the rapidly growing stream of new releases. In early 1946, the magazine abandoned its older, loosely defined evaluation practices and introduced a system based on musical note symbols—a concise visual code meant to give readers an immediate sense of a record’s merit.

What follows is a simple presentation of that first experiment, along with the original editorial text that announced the change.

The first attempt at a consistent rating system appeared in the May 20, 1946 issue, in Michael Levin's section "Diggin' the Discs with MIX".

Down Beat introduced a simple visual code based on eighth notes, giving readers a quick sense of the reviewer's verdict. The scale ran as follows:

♪♪♪♪ — Tops

♪♪♪ — Tasty

♪♪ — Pleasing

♪ — Boring

The magazine presented the new system with this note of caution to readers:

"For the first time, Down Beat is using symbols to tell you at a glance something about each record reviewed by 'Mix', who, of course, is Michael Levin. One word of caution about their use: review symbols are as bad as B's used to be on grammar school report cards; namely, drawing the fine lines between a fair and a good record is a difficult process. A 4 note rating one week might draw only 3 notes if issued the following week, solely because the whole group of releases the next week might be better on an average. No critic can carry comparative ratings from week to week, save in an approximate fashion".

The system was short–lived, but it marked Down Beat's first effort to formalize its critical criteria.

Which was the first artist reviewed who received the highest score?

Coleman Hawkins!

Coleman Hawkins All-American Four

♪♪♪ Make Believe

♪♪♪♪ Just One of Those Things

First chorus here is a sample of liquid, lovely Coleman with no squawking or reaching for high ones. Same goes for the Wilson chorus that follows. Hawk comes on again and can’t top himself. It’s a topnotch side. Flipover has that fantastically crystalline left hand of Theodore Wilson at a fast bounce tempo, with Hawk's following chorus getting a trifle tangled in the middle; though the way Wilson plays on this side would be enough to scare anybody—everything and not an ounce extra is there (Keynote 1317).

*Michael Levine (Down Beat, May 20, 1946)*

The restored version of these tracks was included on one of the CDs in The Chronogical Classics series.

Coleman Hawkins

The Chronogical • 1944

It is one of the lucky coincidences in jazz history that Coleman Hawkins was in truly stupendous 1944/45, and that at the same time many small, new record-companies entered business, managing to entice the saxophonist into recordings so frequently — and almost always music of everlasting quality.

This volume of the recordings of Coleman Hawkins, presented in chronological order, opens with a fine set for the Keynote label. Hawk's perfect combination of virtuosity and swing is evident on the fast "Flame Thrower" and "Cattin'", his combination of elegance and finesse on the ballads. The boppish "Disorder" is followed by another one of the saxophonist's intricate compositions, plus "Rainbow Mist" a rather free improvisation of "Body And Soul". Less familiar but equally thrilling, the "Saxtet" session pairs Hawk with Georgie Auld and Ben Webster for some hot blowing. On "Pick Up Boys", a simple yet effective riff, Charlie Shavers first launches an unusually gruff Ben Webster, then Georgie Auld and Hawkins, into some sizzling solo work. The next four recordings, by the "Sax Ensemble", offer magnificent solos by Hawkins, Byas and Harry Carney. Tab Smith's efforts, on the other hand, are rather strange, his bizarre playing culminating in a curious run at the end of "Sunny Side". He later recorded a similar version of this same number under his own name. The CD ends with a set of unusually relaxed performances by Hawkins, backed by Teddy Wilson, John Kirby and Sid Catlett. Although recorded a bit off-microphone, Wilson's elegant playing has rarely been more impressive, his work on "Don't Blame me" rivaling his unforgettable 1937 solo version of this same song. *Anatol Schenker, July 1995 (from the liner notes)*

During the mid-'40s Coleman Hawkins was hitting another peak, seasoned by many years in big bands both in the States and Europe. He wasn't out of fashion during those early bop years, either, as he often played with the music's young Turks; their sound was a mix of the big band era's refined combo swing and bop's new, angular energy. This Classics disc captures some of the tenor great's best sides from the period, including an early bop milestone featuring Dizzy Gillespie and Don Byas ("Disorder at the Border") and tracks with Ben Webster and a variety of small bands graced by the likes of Byas, Teddy Wilson, Harry Carney, and Cozy Cole. Essential listening.

*Stephen Cook (allmusic.com)*

1 - Flame Thrower

(Hawkins)

2 - Imagination

(Burke, Van Heusen)

3 - Night And Day

(Porter)

4 - Cattin' At Keynote

(Lim)

5 - Disorder At The Border

(Hawkins)

6 - Feeling Zero

(Hawkins)

7 - Rainbow Mist

(Hawkins)

8 - Pick-Up-Boys

(Feather)

9 - Porgy

(Fields, McHugh)

10 - Uptown Lullaby

(Feather)

11 - Salt Peanuts

(Gillespie, Clarke)

12 - On the Sunny Side Of The Street

(Fields, McHugh)

13 - Three Little Words

(Ruby, Kalmer)

14 - Battle Of The Saxes

(Hawkins)

15 - Louise

(Whiting, Robin)

16 - Make Believe

(Kern, Hammerstein II)

17 - Don't Blame Me

(McHugh, Fields)

18 - Just One Of Those Things

(Porter)

19 - Hallelujah

(Robin, Grey, Youmans)

Coleman Hawkins (tenor sax) with:

#1 to #4:

Teddy Wilson (piano), Israel Crosby (bass), Cozy Cole (drums).

Recorded in New York City, February 17, 1944

#5 to #7:

Leo Parker, Leonard Lowry (alto saxes); Don Byas, Ray Abrams (tenor saxes);

Budd Johnson (baritone sax); Clyde Hart (piano); Oscar Pettiford (bass); Max Roach (drums)

Recorded in New York City,  February 22, 1944

#8 to #11:

Charlie Shavers (trumpet), Georgie Auld (alto sax, tenor sax),

Ben Webster (tenor sax), Hy White (guitar),

Bill Rowland (piano), Israel Crosby (bass), Specs Powell (drums).

Recorded in New York City, May 17, 1944

#12 to #15:

Tab Smith (alto sax), Don Byas (tenor sax),Harry Carney (baritone sax),

Johnny Guarnieri (piano),  Al Lucas (bass),  Sidney Catlett (drums).

Recorded in New York City, May 24, 1944

#16 to #19:

Teddy Wilson (piano), John Kirby (bass), Sidney Catlett (drums).

Recorded in New York City, May 29, 1944

Enrique Villegas - An Argentinian in New York

Enrique "Mono" Villegas born in Buenos Aires (August 3, 1913) into an aristocratic family. He studied piano under the guidance of the composer Alberto Williams. Trained in classical music, he soon abandoned this genre to embrace jazz. He held his first concert at the Teatro Odeón at 19 years old, and performed his first composition, "Jazzeta", in 1941. After forming some ensambles (notably the Santa Anita Sextet and Los Punteros) and collaborating to several recordings, he recorded the first album under his name in 1952.

In the mid-1950s he was put under contract by Columbia Records and moved to New York City; after two albums he decided to terminate the contract due to artistic disagreements with the label. He then toured extensively in Europe, United States and Latin America for eight years, before coming back in Buenos Aires where he formed two trio ensambles, first with Jorge López Ruiz and Eduardo Casalla, and then with Alfredo Remus and Néstor Astarita, and recorded several albums.

Enrique Villegas was the first jazz pianist to perform at famed Teatro Colón.

He died in Buenos Aires (July 11, 1986), from complications due to a hip broken in a car accident.

Enrique Villegas

Complete New York Sessions

1955-1957

The playing of Argentinian pianist Enrique Villegas (1913-1986) was unique, exciting and continuously interesting, with a special character of its own founded on his classical training and jazz inclinations. He moved to the United States in 1955, when he was already well-known in his country, with the intention of establishing himself in North America as a Jazz pianist. His nightclub debut at the Cafe Bohemia was an instant success, and his performances were acclaimed by both critics and public.

His career was already on its way, but two years after his arrival in New York, he drastically decided, due to artistic discrepancies with his record label, to return to Buenos Aires. This CD contains the two historic trio albums Villegas recorded during his stint in New York City. *Jordi Pujol*

Argentinian pianist Enrique "El mono" Villegas (1913-1986) was one of Argentina's biggest jazz exports, along with Gato Barbieri. He spent his exemplary career living and working in Buenos Aires, where he made his debut recording in 1944 and his last in 1977. To mark the 20th anniversay since his death in 1986, Fresh Sound Records has published this 2 LPs-on-1 CD compilation with the two terrific albums he recorded for the Columbia label in New York.

Villegas moved to the United States in 1955, when he was already well-known in his country, with the intention of establishing himself in North America as a professional jazz pianist. Although he didn't stay in USA that long, his nightclub debut at the Café Bohemia was an instant success, and his performances were acclaimed by both critics and public alike. This CD contains the only two historic trio albums Villegas recorded in studio during his stint in New York. *jazzmessengers.com*

1 - Ain't Misbehavin'

(Razaf, Waller, Brooks)

2 - Yesterdays

(Harbach, Kern)

3 - What Is This Thing Called Love

(Cole Porter)

4 - Chopin Prelude

(Frédéric Chopin)

5 - Lazy Bones

(Mercer, Carmichael)

6 - Where Or When

(Rodgers, Hart)

7 - Sometimes I'm Happy

(Caesar, Youmans)

8 - Embraceable You

(G. and I. Gershwin)

9 - Poor Butterfly

(Garner, Hubbell)

10 - Jelly Roll Blues

(Jelly Roll Morton)

11 - I Ain't Got Nobody

(Graham, Williams)

12 - Black Beauty

(Duke Ellington)

13 - Honeysuckle Rose

(Waller, Razaf)

14 - Rosetta

(Hines, Woods)

15 - Jumpin' At The Woodside

(Count Basie)

16 - Night In Tunisia

(Gillespie, Paparelli)

17 - Django

(John Lewis)

18 - Scruby

(Friedrich Gulda)

19 - Western Reunion

(Gerry Mulligan)

#1 to #9: from the album Introducing Villegas (Columbia CL 787)

Enrique Villegas (piano), Milt Hinton (bass), Cozy Cole (drums).

Recorded in New York City, September 8 and 9, 1955.

#10 to #19, from the album Very, Very Villegas (Columbia CL 877)

Enrique Villegas (piano), Milt Hinton (bass), Cozy Cole (drums).

Recorded in New York City, March 13, April 10 and May 2, 1957.

The Cass Harrison Trio - Rare And Obscure Jazz Albums

Cass Harrison born in New York in 1917, Cass Harrison developed his keyboard technique since he was a tender four years of age. He studied classical piano and composition at the prestigious Julliard School. Harrison got his professional wings in the Teddy Powell band, which included in its personnel such noted musicians as Ray Wetzel, Charlie Ventura, and Irving Fazola.

Harrison played in Pennsylvania in 1944, subsequently toured with big bands and appeared widely as a soloist, usually leading his own combo. In 1948, he played intermissions at Cafe James in New York. In 1954, he played with a singer at the Hotel Warwick in Philadelphia. Notable in his background was a big jazz band of his own with which he toured South America prior to recording with his trio.

Cass Harrison will be remembered by record fans for his M-G-M albums The Duke and I (MGM E3388), and Wrappin' It Up (MGM E3495) both superlative collections of urihackneyed standards by six outstanding pianist-composers: Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Earl Hines, George Wallington, Horace and Fletcher Henderson.

The first trio album, The Duke and I, consisting of versions of little-known Duke Ellington compositions, was released in 1956. The reviewer for Billboard wrote: "Harrison is an extremely gifted pianist who ought to be better known. He is technically facile, imaginative, fresh in his harmonic conception and possessed of one of the most rock ribbed beats imaginable". Followed in 1957 by Wrappin' It Up. Critic John S. Wilson described the performances as "a lightly swinging, unencumbered workout".

Around 1960, Harrison led a trio performing at the Park Central Hotel in New York. Harrison later moved to Puerto Rico.

The Duke And I : In 1956, on his first M-G-M album, Harrison delved into Duke Ellington’s  extensive songbook. In addition to two familiar selections, “Azure” and “Prelude”, he brought out  some minor treasures, old Ellington tunes like "Move Over", "Yearning for Love", "Stevedore’s Serenade" or "Ridding on the Moon", which are an interesting testament to his genius. Harrison shows that he was a very talented pianist who should have been better known. He was technically facile, imaginative, fresh in his harmonic conception and possessed one of the most rock-ribbed beats imaginable.

Wrappin' It Up: Three decades of jazz piano are reflected in this second album by Cass Harrison, recorded in 1957 also for M-G-M, in which the pianist interprets the work of six outstanding pianist-composers: Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Horace Henderson, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson and George Wallington. While Cass Harrison's playing was thoroughly modern, he tried to be faithful to each composition, interpreting it in the rhythm and style of his creator while infusing each piece with something new through his own harmonic and rhythmic ideas. Three seasoned musicians of the New York jazz scene, Milton Hinton on bass, along with either Cozy Cole or Jo Jones on drums, provided backing for Cass Harrison on this recording. *Jordi Pujol*

1 - Move Over

(Duke Ellington)

2 - Yearning For Love

(Ellington, Parish, Mills)

3 - I’m Riding On The Moon And Dancing On The Stars

(Duke Ellington)

4 - The Gal From Joe's

(Ellington, Mills)

5 - Stevedore's Serenade

(Ellington, Edelstein, Gordon)

6 - Lost In Meditation

(Ellington, Tizol, Singer, Mills)

7 - Blues Of The Vagabond

(Duke Ellington)

8 - Azure

(Ellington, Mills)

9 - Sump'n 'Bout Rhythm

(Ellington, Kurtz, Mills)

10 - Prelude To A Kiss

(Ellington, Gordon, Mills)

11 - Ain't Misbehavin

(Waller, Razaf, Brooks)

12 - Big John's Special

(Horace Henderson)

13 - Cavernism

(Hines, Mundy)

14 - Rug Cutter's Swing

(Horace Henderson)

15 - Mood Indigo

(Ellington, Bigard, Mills)

16 - Just To Be In Caroline

(Hines, Carpenter, Dunlap)

17 - Strange At It Seems

(Waller, Razaf)

18 - Lemon Drop

(George Wallington)

19 - I Let A Song Out My Heart

(Ellington, Nemo, Redmond, Mills)

20 - Down South Camp Meetin'

(Henderson, Mills)

21 - Morning Dew

(Wallington, David)

22 - Wrappin' It Up

(Fletcher Henderson)

#1 to #10:

Cass Harrison (piano), Mort Herbert (bass), Cozy Cole (drums).

Recorded in New York City, September 1956.

#11 to #22:

Cass Harrison (piano); Milt Hinton (bass); Cozy Cole [#11 to #16], Jo Jones [#17 to #22] (drums).

Recorded in New York City, September 1956 (#11 to #16) and February 1957 (#17 to #22).