Five-Star Collection... The Concert Jazz Band (III)

The Concert Jazz Band

Gerry Mulligan '63

The most exciting news and, later, reality in the jazz world in 1960 was the formation in March of that year of The Concert Jazz Band. It seemed such a right thing for perennial poll-winner Gerry Mulligan to do. And the response from critics and audiences the world over has borne out Gerry's efforts.

In scoring the band's first album a full five stars, Down Beat reviewer Don DeMicheal noted, "It is an extension and expansion of Mulligan's concept as we've come to know it through his quartet and sextet: the combination of extremes - simplicity with complexity, cool intellectualism with hot-blooded emotion, sophistication with guts.

"Because of these many facets and of the variety of emotional experience the band offers, I feel this is the most important big band in jazz today."

In person and on records the band bore out DeMicheal's belief. The Concert Jazz Band played jazz superbly. It played arrangements by Gerry, Bob Brookmeyer, Johnny Carisi, John Mandel, Bill Holman, George Russell, and, best of all, it uncovered and encouraged new writing talents. (...)

This collection of material by The Concert Jazz Band has a decidedly Ellington-ish flavor to it. This is due, perhaps, to the wealth of soloing and the interesting colors the band creates behind the solos. Such sounds have come to be identified as Dukish, regardless of their source. The similarity ends there, however, because the band is unmistakeably Mulligan. His personality and his sound permeate the entire album. (...)

The originals were written by Bob Brookmeyer ("Big City Blues" and "Big City Life"), Gary McFarland ("Bridgehampton Strut", "Bridgehampton South", and "Pretty Little Gypsy"), and Gerry ("Ballad"). Gerry, of course, is the baritone sax soloist, and is heard in one of his rare recorded appearances on clarinet in "Big City Blues" and "Pretty Little Gypsy". Bob Brookmeyer is heard on piano in "Big City Life" and "Big City Blues". Clark Terry's trumpet is spotted throughout the album. And another instrument debuts on this Concert Jazz Band album : the guitar of Jim Hall.

Although the selections were recorded in 1962, they were at a year-end session and certainly indicated what the sound of Gerry Mulligan '63 would be... and is.

*Dom Cerulli (from the liner notes)*

It's another of the unfortunate conditions in jazz that a band of this caliber cannot exist on a full-time basis. In 1963 it hasn’t even been together on a part-time basis, but in December 1962, this album was taped in four consecutive dates.

Its great appeal comes from the variety of original material, the way it is programmed and, most importantly, played. The band breathes as one in a convincing demonstration of rapport and esprit de corps. Mulligan's clarinet debut is a welcome bonus.

The bulk of the arrangements are by Brookmeyer (Life, Blues) and Gary McFarland (Gypsy, South, Strut). No arranger credits are given for Love, a lazy-like rendition that contains a warm Mulligan-Brookmeyer duet; Joe Sullivan's Getaway; or Mulligan's Ballad. It is safe to assume that the leader did the arrangement for the last named, a touching piece with a Claude Thornhillish sound in places. When originally done in Mulligan's tentet album on Capitol, it was called A Ballad.

On his own arrangements, Brookmeyer is effectively featured at the piano. (Mulligan is listed as pianist in the liner notes but does not appear in this role.) On Life he states the moody theme with the help of Caine's flute and gets into a short, bluesy section in his solo; on Blues he and Hall set a mood for Mulligan's Presstyled clarinet before the theme enters. There are some Jimmie Lunceford touches before Hall's typically earthy solo. After a lusty ensemble passage, Terry really heats things up a la Roy Eldridge.

Mulligan's other clarinet appearance is on Gypsy, on which he gets a drier, classical sound, evoking a pastoral feeling. McFarland has written a short, effective brassy climax that prefaces Mulligan's final exposition of the beautiful melody.

South is Dukish in places, with solos by a sweet-toned Terry and a solid, direct Mulligan.

There are also some Ellingtonlike brass figures before Terry's solo on Getaway, which also includes a Reider solo that sounds very much like one by Zoot Sims. This is both good and bad.

Strut is an intriguing theme, featuring rough-and-ready Dennis and brilliant, driving Quill clarinet, much like his alto in style but with a sound all its own.

Credit Crow and Johnson with excellent support. It's not hard to hear why Count Basie hasn't sounded quite the same since Gus left. *Ira Gitler (Down Beat, June 20, 1963 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Little Rock Getaway

(Carl Sigman, Joe Sullivan)

2 - Ballad

(Gerry Mulligan)

3 - Big City Life

(Bob Brookmeyer)

4 - Big City Blues

(Bob Brookmeyer)

Side 2

5 - My Kind Of Love

(Jo Trent, Louis Alter)

6 - Pretty Little Gypsy

(Gary McFarland)

7 - Bridgehampton South

(Gary McFarland)

8 - Bridgehampton Strut

(Gary McFarland)

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax, clarinet [#4, #6];

Clark Terry, Nick Travis, Don Ferrara, Doc Severinsen (trumpets);

Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone, piano [#3,#4]); Willie Dennis (trombone);

Tony Studd (bass trombone); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet);

Eddie Caine (alto sax, flute); Jim Reider (tenor sax); Gene Allen (baritone sax);

Jim Hall (guitar); Bill Crow (bass); Gus Johnson (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, December 18, 19, 20 and 21, 1962

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And now... a brief pause to step back, catch my breath, and reset.

Outlet will be back in August...

Five-Star Collection... The Concert Jazz Band (II)

Gerry Mulligan And The Concert Jazz Band

At The Village Vanguard

This is the first "live" recording of the Gerry Mulligan big band, and was taped at the Village Vanguard in New York in December, 1960. Although several nights of music were recorded, Mulligan decided to select the album's final takes from one Sunday afternoon in order to maintain a consistency of mood. Mulligan's decision to record on location was taken with full realization of the hazards as well as the advantages of "in person" recording. "There are times", he explains, "when a few things may go wrong in such a performance but when conditions are right, the band can achieve more vivid presence and can create more spontaneous excitement than in a studio. In that extended piano blues, for example, that closes the second side, we did many things on the spur of the moment that we'll never do again in quite that way. We fell into a rocking, romping 'head' arrangement that we all enjoyed enormously, and that feeling is captured here".

"Working in front of an audience", Mulligan continues, "has a markedly different effect on a band. It can—as it has with us—result in a confidence as a unit that's a marvel to see, hear and feel".

Mulligan feels that his band is enjoying a steadily growing realization of its own identity. In this regard, Mulligan was asked his reaction to comments that this writer has made in magazine articles which questioned whether the band's arrangements were "adventurous" enough. "First of all", Mulligan answered, "I want the band to find itself, to find its own meaning within existing forms. Many of the guys looking for 'new forms' don’t understand the old ones. Secondly, my conception of a band is that of a group which can communicate an emotion that comes from the interaction between its members as a unit. A band can do that only if it enjoys what it's playing. And we do. We have fun as we work, and when things are really going well, we get a spirit going like 'let the good times roll'. That is what I want".

"Too many 'avant-garde' composers", Mulligan went on, "write for each other, not for the players. By contrast, I want material which the men take pleasure in playing. This band is developing both as a framework for soloists and as a vehicle for writers, but not 'far out' writers. So far as my own participation is concerned, my stamp is on the band and I'm the featured soloist, but up to now I've been more of a supervisor of the writing than a very active contributor. But all of what we do is based on my conviction that music is to be enjoyed, by the player as well as the listener". (...)

Drummer Mel Lewis—a musician of consistent taste who propels the Mulligan ensemble with a rare combination of lightness and strength—has summarized the reason the musicians in this band are so enthusiastic about the Mulligan orchestra. "Every time we play something", says Lewis, "it's different from the last time we've played the number. That's the way it's supposed to be. This is a real jazz band".

And so it is. Its virtues are much more apparent in this second album, partly because of the stimulation provided by the audience and also because by this point the band had been together for some time and had, in Mulligan’s phrase, been finding its own identity.

*Nat Hentoff (from the liner notes)*

The star system of rating records has both advantages and disadvantages, the former tending to outweigh the latter, and the most important advantage being, to my mind, that the decision on the number of Stars to assign tends to clarify the writer’s own thinking, minimizing the possibility of a noncommittal review.

But it can be frustrating. The Mulligan band's first LP was given five stars late last year. And it fully deserved them. Only... this is a better record than that first one!

It was recorded "live" at New York's Village Vanguard. (Of the several locations where I've heard the band, the Vanguard is the best for sound.) The disc has the vitality and fervor that one expects in a live performance, yet is free of that thin, unbalanced sound that non-studio sessions so often produce. I have never heard an on-the-spot recording with sound equal to this. It is excellent.

Musically, the disc has everything, including superb ensemble playing and solos of consistently high quality. Most solos are by Mulligan, Brookmeyer, and Terry.

I sometimes think that taste is a function of wit. An artist needs the wit to keep his work always in perspective. Brookmeyer's solos are almost invariably humorous, as if he could not take his ability quite seriously. Even in conversation, he seems incapable (except perhaps among his most intimate friends) of considering his talent with anything but levity. Yet at the writing table, safely out of the public gaze, his full sensitivity comes to the fore, and it is in his writing that he consistently demonstrates that he is one of the most lyrical musicians in jazz today.

This was evident in the Django’s Castle track in the first Mulligan band album; here it is manifest in his lovely arrangement of Body and Soul, with its delicate, breathy blends and rich sonorities. Nor is there ever danger of Brookmeyer's slipping over the edge from pathos into bathos. Like Paul Desmond, Miles Davis, Lorenz Hart, and many others, he has his sense of irony to tell him when he has gone just far enough. A beautiful, beautiful writer, Brookmeyer.

Mulligan also is blessed with a great lyrical sense—and great humor. He and Brookmeyer, in their solos, contribute majorly to the sense of fun that makes this album so infectious, though Terry makes the most potent single contribution to that spirit. On the opening track, Blueport, Terry and Mulligan mix it up in fours and eights, the high, singing, pixieish quality of Terry's trumpet a perfect foil and companion to Mulligan's amused, lumbering baritone. On the last track, People, Terry does a marvelous long solo that is obviously knocking the band out. They respond with a powerful though simple riff in unison reeds—evidently extemporaneously—and Terry and the band build together until, when he sits down to let the band have it all, everything is shouting. All things considered, this is probably the best track in an excellent album.

Reider has the unenviable task of replacing Zoot Sims in the tenor solos. But, with a sound much like Sims', he does well indeed. I was moved to overt chuckling by his Middle Eastern bit in his solo on Blueport.

Bassist Crow more than adequately replaces Buddy Clark, who left the band a while back to return to California. Lewis, who also has returned to California, was perfect for this band. He is a kick all through the disc, both to the band and to the listener. He has a rivet cymbal that has just about the most sizzling sound you ever heard, and he rides it with the assurance of a master. Like everyone else on the disc, Lewis has excellent taste.

The essences of this LP are vitality, humor, and, at times, an affecting beauty. It’s very much worth not missing. *Gene Lees (Down Beat, August 17, 1961 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Blueport

(Art Farmer)

2 - Body And Soul

(Johnny Green, Frank Eyton, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour)

3 - Black Nightgown

(Johnny Mandel)

Side 2

4 - Come Rain Or Come Shine

(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

5 - Lady Chatterley's Mother

(Al Cohn)

6 - Let My People Be

(Gerry Mulligan)

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax, piano [#6]); Don Ferrara, Clark Terry, Nick Travis, (trumpets);

Willie Dennis (trombone); Alan Raph (bass trombone); Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone);

Bob Donovan (alto sax); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet); Jim Reider (tenor sax);

Gene Allen (baritone sax, bass clarinet); Bill Crow (bass); Mel Lewis (drums).

Recorded live at the Village Vanguard, New York City, December 11, 1960

Five-Star Collection... The Concert Jazz Band (I)

In late 1960, Gerry Mulligan shaped one of the most ambitious projects of his career: the Concert Jazz Band, an orchestra that, in the midst of the economic decline of big bands, openly defied the market conditions of the jazz scene at the time. Far from any retrospective gesture, the ensemble proposed a reformulation of modern orchestral language, transferring to the expanded format the principles of textural clarity, counterpoint, and interaction that Mulligan had developed in his pianeless formations since the early 1950s.

The initial support of the project was made possible thanks to an agreement with Norman Granz, producer of Verve Records, who guaranteed the financial backing necessary to keep an orchestra of these characteristics active. Within this framework, and in a remarkably brief span of time —between May 1960 and December 1961—, the Concert Jazz Band established the complete core of its discographic production.

In chronological order, this corpus can be reconstructed from five titles that are considered the main body of work of the orchestra:

The Concert Jazz Band — sessions from May and July 1960 in New York, Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band on Tour — recordings from the October–November 1960 tour in the United States and Europe, Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band at the Village Vanguard — recorded on December 11, 1960 in New York, Gerry Mulligan Presents a Concert in Jazz — sessions from July 1961 at Webster Hall, and Gerry Mulligan '63 — recorded in December 1962.

Viewed in this way, the project appears as a complete arc that coordinates studio, tour, and live documentation, allowing one to follow the evolution of the ensemble from its initial formulation to its point of maximum elaboration.

This artistic development, however, was abruptly interrupted by non-musical factors. Granz's sale of Verve to MGM put an end to the financing scheme that made the orchestra viable, forcing its dissolution shortly after the 1961 sessions, at the very moment when the group had reached its highest degree of cohesion and aesthetic definition.

Contemporary critical reception not only accompanied this process, but also consecrated it. In the pages of DownBeat magazine, three of these recordings obtained the maximum rating of five stars: the debut album The Concert Jazz Band, reviewed by Don DeMicheal in the December 8, 1960 issue; the live recording at the Village Vanguard; and Gerry Mulligan '63, whose assessment underscores the level of integration achieved by the orchestra in its final stage. Read together, these reviews trace a sort of critical arc that accompanies the trajectory of the group: from the initial affirmation of its viability, through the confirmation of its effectiveness live, to its consecration as one of the most accomplished orchestral achievements of modern jazz.

In that sense, the Concert Jazz Band asserts itself as one of the most unique orchestral formulations of its time, and one of the last great reformulations of the big band language in 20th-century jazz; although its existence was brief, the recordings it left behind still allow us today to perceive, with remarkable clarity, the creative impulse that gave it birth.

Without prejudice to focusing later on the two remaining productions that complete this corpus, let us dedicate the next three entries to examining the albums from this pentalogy that were honored by DownBeat magazine with its highest rating...

Gerry Mulligan

The Concert Jazz Band

In deciding on the instrumentation for the new band that makes its album debut here, Gerry Mulligan says: "I wanted the same clarity of sound and interplay of lines that I had in the smaller groups. 

"We have a clarinet in the reed section, not primarily for a clarinet-lead effect but for a sound contributing to the ensemble in general. As for the soloists, I wanted to use just a few men for the bulk of the solo work, so that they would be heard enough for the audience to become familiar to their styles."

What he has built, says Gerry, is essentially a concert band —a jazz band for listening— and it was on this premise that the band's first tour was arranged by Norman Granz for the fall of 1960. 

Further words are unnecessary. The album delivers its own exciting message: that this is the best new jazz orchestra of the year. *Leonard Feather (from the liner notes)*

Big bands in jazz have generally been of two sorts. The first reflects the thinking of such men as Fletcher Henderson and Don Redman, that of three sections –brass, reeds, rhythm –working as individual units within the whole, sometimes together, other times in opposition or in response to each other. While this concept is definitely tied to early jazz, it has stronger affiliations with brass bands and European music; and while there is room for individual contributions in the form of solos, the main emphasis is on group cohesion. The arranger is the controller. The major function of such bands is to provide dance music.

The other big-band concept stems from the thinking of Duke Ellington. The three sections are present as in the other, and the arranger is still important. But the individual members are not subservient to either section or pen. The part must fit the man, not vice versa. The spirit is that of a small jazz group, although the context is that of a big band. The brilliance and colors of numerous instruments can be achieved when desired, but –and this is the crucial difference between the two concepts –the creativity, freedom, and interaction of individuals found in small groups is retained. Such bands produce music the primary function of which is to stimulate the listener's ear, not his feet.

The Mulligan band is firmly in the Ellington camp. It is not an Ellington imitation, though Sweet and Low is a deep bow in Duke's direction, but reflects the feel, the spirit of Ellington –the feel, the spirit of small group jazz.

More specifically, it is an extension and expansion of Mulligan's concept as we've come to know it through his quartet and sextet: the combination of extremes –simplicity with complexity, cool intellectualism with hot-blooded emotion, sophistication with guts.

Because of these many facets and of the variety of emotional experience the band offers, I feel this is the most important big band in jazz today. (In person the impact of the band is even greater than on this album. It is unfortunate that Mulligan intends to disband, but the band is scheduled to reorganize later in 1961.)

It is not a blasting band; in many ways it is reminiscent of the Claude Thornhill Band when Gil Evans was writing for it. Attention is paid to blend, control, and dynamics. By using another baritone in the sax section, Mulligan retains fulness behind his solos. The brass is usually voiced close, giving it a subdued, almost muffled sound. Even in the shout choruses the brass keeps it head and depth.

Lewis and Clark, the rhythm section on all but one track and the one that toured with the band, are superlative. The rhythm is always firm yet never too tight. These two are the source of the band's relaxation. They push the whole band but do it unobtrusively. What Lewis plays fits so well and logically that at times the listener might miss his contribution, but on careful listening, you realize he's kicking everybody. Lewis is the Dave Tough of his time –a drummer felt more than heard.

The main soloists on the record are Mulligan, Brookmeyer, and Sims.

Mulligan builds his solos with more care than he has in some time. Each phrase relates to the next; each solo is like a story. He plays well on all tracks, but his most touching work is on Valentine and the lovely Django Reinhardt ballad Manoir de Mes Reves.

Brookmeyer's playing is the best I've heard him do. He seems to have found his true element in this band. Wit and melodiousness he always had, but here there's a fire that wasn't burning so brightly in the past. He has a gusty, burry, wonderful solo on his own arrangement of Advantage; in one place his fill over the saxes is nothing but a breathy slur –no brass sound, just breath.

Sims hasn't as much blowing room on the record as he has in person –he doesn't play in the section but is featured on a couple of tunes each set –but he has a meaty solo on Bweebida Bobbida.

This is one of the best records of 1960.

*Don DeMicheal (Down Beat, December 8, 1960 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Sweet And Low

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

2 - Bweebida Bobbida

(Gerry Mulligan)

3 - Manoir De Mes Rêves (Django's Castle)

(Django Reinhardt)

4 - You Took Advantage Of Me

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

Side 2

5 - Out Of This World

(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

6 - My Funny Valentine

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

7 - Broadway

(Henry Woode, Teddy McRae, Bill Bird)

8 - I'm Gonna Go Fishin'

(Duke Ellington, Peggy Lee)

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Don Ferrara, Conte Candoli, Nick Travis (trumpets [#1 to #7]);

Don Ferrara, Danny Stiles, Phil Sunkel (trumpets [#8];

Wayne Andre (trombone); Alan Raph (bass trombone);

Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone); Dick Meldonian (alto sax); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet);

Zoot Sims[#1 to #7], Jim Reider [#8] (tenor saxes); Gene Allen (baritone sax, bass clarinet); 

Buddy Clark [#1 to #7], Bill Tackus [#8] (basses):

Mel Lewis [#1 to #7], Dave Bailey [#8] (drums).

Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, May 21 [#8],

July 25 [#1 to #4] and July 27 [#5 to #7], 1960

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For those who prefer the digital version of the Concert Jazz Band's debut album, there are several options. One of them is the one presented by the Poll Winners Records label titled The Concert Jazz Band • The First Album.

This edition brings together the complete original Gerry Mulligan LP, The Concert Jazz Band (Verve V6-8388), which marked the discographic debut of this extraordinary big band formation. Its tracks feature the presence of stellar figures such as Zoot Sims, Bob Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill, Mel Lewis, and, of course, Mulligan himself. As a bonus, the disc incorporates all surviving tunes from the band’s second studio session —recorded in between the three sessions that made up the original LP—, as well as three tracks recorded live in Milan, four months after completing the album.

Gerry Mulligan

The Concert Jazz Band

The First Album

1 - Sweet And Low

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

2 - Bweebida Bobbida

(Gerry Mulligan)

3 - Manoir De Mes Rêves (Django's Castle)

(Django Reinhardt)

4 - You Took Advantage Of Me

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

5 - Out Of This World

(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

6 - My Funny Valentine

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

7 - Broadway

(Henry Woode, Teddy McRae, Bill Bird)

8 - I'm Gonna Go Fishin'

(Duke Ellington, Peggy Lee)

9 - I Know, Don't Know How

(Gerry Mulligan)

10 - Barbara's Theme

(Johnny Mandel)

11 - Sweet And Slow (first version)

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

12 - Out Of This World (first version)

(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

13 - Go Home (live in Milan, 1960)

(Ben Webster)

14 - Apple Core (live in Milan, 1960)

(Gerry Mulligan)

15 - Barbara's Theme (live in Milan, 1960)

(Johnny Mandel)

#1 to #8:

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Don Ferrara, Conte Candoli, Nick Travis (trumpets [#1 to #7]);

Don Ferrara, Danny Stiles, Phil Sunkel (trumpets [#8]);

Wayne Andre (trombone); Alan Raph (bass trombone);

Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone); Dick Meldonian (alto sax); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet);

Zoot Sims[#1 to #7], Jim Reider [#8] (tenor saxes); Gene Allen (baritone sax, bass clarinet); 

Buddy Clark [#1 to #7], Bill Tackus [#8] (basses):

Mel Lewis [#1 to #7], Dave Bailey [#8] (drums).

Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, May 21 [#8],

July 25 [#1 to #4] and July 27 [#5 to #7], 1960

#9, #10, #11, #12:

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Don Ferrara, Danny Stiles, Phil Sunkel (trumpets);

Wayne Andre (trombone); Alan Raph (bass trombone); Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone);

Dick Meldonian (alto sax); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet); Jim Reider (tenor sax);

Gene Allen (baritone sax, bass clarinet); Bill Tackus (bass); Dave Bailey (drums).

Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, June 1, 2 and 3, 1960

#13, #14, #15:

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Don Ferrara, Conte Candoli, Nick Travis (trumpets);

Wayne Andre (trombone); Alan Raph (bass trombone); Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone);

Bob Donovan (alto sax); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet); Zoot Sims, Jim Reider (tenor saxes);

Gene Allen (baritone sax, bass clarinet); Buddy Clark (bass): Mel Lewis (drums).

Recorded live at Teatro Lirico, Milan, Italy, November 14, 1960

Zoot Sims on Prestige (VII) [as sideman]

Concluding the series dedicated to Zoot Sims and his recordings for the Prestige label, only two collaborations remain as a sideman: with bassist Chubby Jackson's band and with a Miles Davis septet that also includes Al Cohn, his "soul mate". 

Let's remember why it was important for bandleaders to hire Zoot Sims to accompany them:

Sims' signature sound formed in the early 1940s, when he surfaced in Los Angeles' fertile Central Avenue scene. Clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman discovered him and immediately recruited him for his band. In 1947 Sims landed an even higher profile gig when he joined Woody Herman's famed Second Herd, along with fellow saxophonists Stan Getz, Herbie Steward and Serge Chaloff. Together, the quartet of sax players was known as the Four Brothers, after a Jimmy Giuffre composition written for them, and became famous for their deft unison lines and the novelty of their dark, sweet sound.

After leaving the Herd and turning up in New York, Sims went through a period of freelancing and unsteady work. In 1953 he joined the Stan Kenton band, which provided a regular paycheck. But the band's music — emphasizing tightly-knit group passages that allowed for only short solos — and Kenton's stern, top-down leadership didn't mesh well with the easygoing, yet musically hard-driving Sims. He didn't stay long with the band, quitting on the spot after their bus wrecked along a Pennsylvania highway.

Zoot retreated to California, but he found few performing opportunities and wound up working as a house painter. Baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan rescued Sims from his day job when he invited Zoot to help expand his well-known, pianoless quartet. As trombonist and band member Bob Brookmeyer remembers, Sims and Mulligan were "connected by the bone" as both players and improvisers.

In the mid and late '50s, buoyed by his success with Mulligan, Zoot would release many recordings as a leader — 10 in 1956 alone. Nevertheless, he remained a great collaborator and team player, and he inevitably returned to winning partnerships. In 1957, Zoot hooked up with an old friend, tenorman Al Cohn. Together, they formed perhaps the most successful partnership of Zoot's career, co-leading an ensemble for many years.

Later in his career, Sims continued to evolve as a player. According to saxophonist and composer Bill Holman, Zoot's tone aged and became gruffer, and he expanded his repertoire thanks to the influence of pianist Jimmy Rowles. But he never gave up on what many consider his greatest asset: his incredible sense of swing. "No matter what he played, it was perfectly in time", said saxophonist Harry Allen. "If you were making your own perfect saxophone player up in your head, that's where you'd put the notes. And (Sims) managed to do that without fail".

Chubby Jackson And His All Star Band

Plays

The style of Chubby's big band would be echoed throughout the 50's and 60's in the bands of Woody Herman, Elliot Lawrence, Gene Krupa, Count Basie and Gerry Mulligan. The actual recording, the first big band date recorded by Prestige was done in the old Cinemart studios in New York City. The studio was so small that the trumpet section had to face the wall to make for a better balance. At the time of the session, Georgie Auld owned a bar and jazz club called "Tin Pan Alley" in the basement of a hotel on 49th Street. The club was a favorite oasis for Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan and J.J. Johnson among others and everybody would come by to jam. 

At the date Mulligan remarked how loose he felt when working with Zoot. Certainly the loose feeling permeated the entire session as Auld, Jackson and Don Lamond fooled around with one of those fake nose and glasses disguises and Chubby kicked off the time in his stocking feet! 

The date was the second recording of J. J. Johnson and Kay Winding in tandem, the first being a Metronome All-Star session in January 1949. The Tiny Kahn charts were a constant topic of conversation and the band which Jackson had led in early 1949 had played most of them, some under different titles, at "Bop City" and "The Royal Roost".

It is interesting to note that on this LP, Chubby Jackson does not do much solo playing. This is unusual but again it emphasizes Jackson's role as an organizer. He had musical talent as well as the ability to get good men into good places. Valuable contributions to the American Art Form and contributions that both listeners and historians alike can be grateful for.

*Ernie Edwards, Jr. (liner notes, February 1969)* 

1 - Flying The Coop

(Tiny Kahn)

2 - I May Be Wrong

(Ruskin, Sullivan)

3 - Leavin' Town

(Jarvis, Meissner)

4 - Sax Appeal

(Tiny Kahn)

5 - New York

(Al Cohn)

6 - Why Not

(Tiny Kahn)

7 - Hot Dog

(Zoot Sims)

8 - So What

(Gerry Mulligan)

Chubby Jackson (bass, leader); Howard McGhee, Al Porcino, Don Ferrara (trumpets);

J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (trombones); Charlie Kennedy (alto sax);

Zoot Sims, George Auld (tenor saxes), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax);

Tony Aless (piano); Don Lamond (drums).

Recorded at Cinemart Studios, New York City, March 15, 1950

✳✳✳

Miles Davis Septet

Plays The Compositions Of Al Cohn

Since the "records heard 'round the world", "Godchild", "Jeru", "Move", et al, Miles Davis has made many other fine records to enhance his position as top modern trumpeter, but in the main they have been three horn groups (including himself) with an emphasis on solo work. After the original melody, usually stated in tight unison, each hornman played again only when his solo turn came. The soloists had to be good to sustain interest, and they were, but it was felt that Miles needed a change of pace for his next recording date; compositions and arrangements which would suit him and result in a happy combination of arranged music and solo work.

The man who achieved this was Al Cohn, the unheralded great of the tenor saxophone, as well as the composer's and arranger's desk. Three of the pieces, "Willie The Wailer", "Floppy" and "For Adults Only" were written for this session. "Tasty Pudding" had been written before but Al arranged it specially for Miles and this date. The Pudding whipped up by Al receives flavoring and icing from Miles and best exemplifies the whole idea behind this type of integrated arrangement.

Thanks to Miles, Al, and Zoot Sims, with help from John Lewis and Sonny Truitt, the "solo" is not neglected and the feeling that they show in their reading of the arrangements (underlined, and punctuated by Kenny Clarke; propelled by Leonard Gaskin and Kenny) makes the "happy combination" possible. *Ira Gitler (liner notes)*

Miles Davis Plays The Compositions Of Al Cohn, from early 1953, was another album unified by idea and intent. The music is intelligent and spry, with sly references to other tunes, one that would lodge itself in Miles' memory; "Willie The Wailer", for example, opens as "Soft Winds", a number popularized by Benny Goodman in 1941, and which in 1959 Miles would morph into "Freddie The Freeloader" for >Kind Of Blue<. The performances are strong, the harmony lines benefitting from a three-horn frontline with Zoot Sims and Cohn the relaxed foils to Miles' brashness. *milesdavis.com*

Side 1

1 - Tasty Pudding

2 - Floppy

Side 2

3 - Willie The Wailer

4 - For Adults Only

(All compositions by Al Cohn)

Miles Davis (trumpet); Sonny Truitt (trombone); Zoot Sims, Al Cohn (tenor saxes);

John Lewis (piano); Leonard Gaskin (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums).

Recorded at Beltone Studios, New York City, February 19, 1953.

Zoot Sims on Prestige (III)

Let's do a little history to understand why "Zoot Sims on Prestige" shows a "Zoot Sims on Status":

The Prestige story began with Bob Weinstock, a young entrepreneur who was running the Jazz Record Corner — a record shop catering to devotees of jazz. It was there in 1948 that Bob conceived of the idea of traveling overseas during or before the recording ban that year to obtain new jazz recordings to bring to the United States. Bob contracted for at least four singles. These were released on his own Jazz Corner label —– the first of his record labels.

As 1949 began, Weinstock sought to expand his record pressing outlet beyond the local level. As he supervised the recording of new music, he was in the process of securing distribution arrangements. In July he rolled out the New Jazz label. Within a little over a year, New Jazz had become Prestige Records.

Prestige received its legendary status as a record label in part because of Weinstock’s demand for an “authentic” and fresh jazz sound and in part because of engineer Rudy Van Gelder.

By the end of 1963, with many of his artist signings having moved on and up to majors, Weinstock turned his attention to the re-issue of older New Jazz and Prestige titles of those now big names, through the short-lived Status label. Status picked up the New Jazz catalogue numbering system at 8300, but with the prefix ST. The same numbers but with the prefix NJLP was used for completely different recordings. Surplus stocks of New Jazz covers would be given a Status sticker, and the recording issued with a Status label.

Zoot Sims' recordings appeared under three labels: Prestige, New Jazz and Status, as is the case with the following album:

Zoot Sims

Good Old Zoot

A 60s compilation of some of Zoot's great work during the 10" days at Prestige (Chubby Jackson & His All Stars Band Plays and Zoot Sims In Hollywood — back when he was playing with a bit more fire than in some of his later work. Half the tracks are cut with a small group that includes Kenny Drew and Stu Williamson — and the other half are cut with a larger group led by Chubby Jackson, and featuring Howard McGhee, JJ Johnson, Georgie Auld, and Gerry Mulligan. Tracks include "So What", "Toot No 2", "Howdy Podner", "Flyin The Coop", and "Hot Dog".  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

About Chubby Jackson & His All Stars Band Plays:

The style of Chubby's big band would be echoed throughout the 50's and 60's in the bands of Woody Herman, Elliot Lawrence, Gene Krupa, Count Basie and Gerry Mulligan. The actual recording, the first big band date recorded by Prestige was done in the old Cinemart studios in New York City. The studio was so small that the trumpet section had to face the wall to make for a better balance. At the time of the session, Georgie Auld owned a bar and jazz club called Tin Pan Alley in the basement of a hotel on 49th Street. The club was a favorite oasis for Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan and J.J. Johnson among others and everybody would come by to jam. 

At the date Mulligan remarked how loose he felt when working with Zoot. Certainly the loose feeling permeated the entire session as Auld, Jackson and Don Lamond fooled around with one of those fake nose and glasses disguises and Chubby kicked off the time in his stocking feet! 

The date was the second recording of J. J. Johnson and Kay Winding in tandem, the first being a Metronome All-Star session in January 1949. The Tiny Kahn charts were a constant topic of conversation and the band which Jackson had led in early 1949 had played most of them, some under different titles, at Bop City and The Royal Roost.

It is interesting to note that on this LP, Chubby Jackson does not do much solo playing. This is unusual but again it emphasizes Jackson's role as an organizer. He had musical talent as well as the ability to get good men into good places. Valuable contributions to the American Art Form and contributions that both listeners and historians alike can be grateful for. *Ernie Edwards, Jr. (February 1969)*

[Note: The album Chubby Jackson & His All Stars Band Plays contains more songs than those presented in this compilation. We will include them in future posts in this series, dedicated to Zoot Sims' presence on Prestige as a sideman.]

About Zoot Sims In Hollywood:

Like most young tenormen of the post-war period, Zoot Sims was largely affected by the Lester Young influence. Everybody who was anybody sounded like Lester or tried to. With Zoot it was even more so; he sounded exactly like Pres. Almost ten years have passed since then and a great number of Young imitators have come and gone with Little or no fanfare; most came to the inevitable end of the musically unoriginal. But with Zoot it was different; he had a lot more than a superficial grasp of Lester approach. Zoot was able to absorb the Great Influence without subverting his own individuality. Today Zoot is a highly original artist well steeped in the heritage that Lester Young contributed to the modern jazz musician. Zoot's conception stands firm and mature; the importance of the basic time feeling… above all else… it must swing! And with Zoot it always does. Emotion and the jazz beat are never sacrificed. The musical voice of Zoot Sims is so vibrant and brilliant that he must eventually be acknowledged as the great tenor influence of the fifties for he is the successful extention of the most forceful influence modern jazz has been: The Lester Young Conception.

Featured here with Zoot, is ex-Kenton and Herman sideman, Stu Williamson. For the first time on record Stu is heard playing both trumpet and valve trombone. The facility with which he handles these instruments well compliments Zoot work. At the keyboard is one of them all — Kenny Drew. No les effective as a soloist, his main function here is that of sparking the group. Kenny gained national prominence several years ago as a member of the great Buddy De Franco Quartet. Ever since he's been a highly sought after pianist for any group desiring a savagely swingin' beat. Rounding out the rhythm section is drummer Jimmy Pratt and bassit Ralph Pinia. Jimmy was a member of the Zoot Sims–Johny Mandel Group that delighted Coast jazz fans last winter during their successful stay at the Haig. Ralph's excellent choice of notes and pulsating time hold the group firmly in the groove.

Here is a group composed of five compatible jazz musicians and recorded under very favorable conditions at one of the finest rocording studios available, Hollywood's Radio Recorders. The engineer was Val Valentine, who records a great percentage of the better jazz eminating from Southern California. The entire precedings, from rehersal to final take, was supervised and directed by Dick Bock: His reputation is well known. It seems impossible to conceive of a better combinations of elements. The only thing left is how it turned out; take a listen and draw your own conclusions. You won't be disappointed. *Woody Woodward (original liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - Howdy Podner

(Bill Holman)

2 - Indian Summer

(Al Dubin, Victor Herbert)

3 - Leavin' Town

(Jarvis, Meissner)

4 - Flyin' The Coop

(Kahn)

Side 2

5 - Toot No. 2

(Bill Holman)

6 - What's New

(Johnny Burke, Bob Haggart)

7 -Hot Dog

(Zoot Sims)

8 - So What

(Gerry Mulligan)

#1, #2, #5, #8:

from Zoot Sims In Hollywood [New Jazz (NJLP-1102)]

Stu Williamson (trumpet, valve trombone), Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Kenny Drew (piano), 

Ralph Pena [as Ralph Penna or Ralph Pinia in liner notes] (bass), Jimmy Pratt (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, July 16, 1954

#3,#4, #7, #8:

from Chubby Jackson & His All Stars Band Plays [New Jazz / Prestige (NJLP 105)]

Don Ferrara, Howard McGhee, Al Porcino (trumpets); J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (trombones);

Charlie Kennedy (alto sax); Georgie Auld, Zoot Sims (tenor saxes); Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax);

Tony Aless (piano); Chubby Jackson (bass); Don Lamond (drums).

Recorded at Cinemart Studios, New York City, March 15, 1950