Trumpet Conclave (III)

 Since the time the natives of New Orleans supposedly heard Buddy Bolden's sound from miles away, the trumpet has been the most enduring of all the jazz horns. While the clarinet has decreased sharply in usage, and the trombone assumed a somewhat lesser role than it once held, the trumpet (and I include the cornet and flugelhorn here) has remained an important voice through all of the periods of jazz.

What Louis Armstrong was to the '20s, and Roy Eldridge to the '30s, Dizzy Gillespie was to the '40s. Diz ushered in the modern school of trumpet playing and, together with his most prominent disciples, Fats Navarro and Miles Davis, created a language for the trumpeters of the '50s and '60s. Navarro, had he lived, undoubtedly would have gone on to greater things but, through Clifford Brown, he did have a great impact on the '50s. Davis, of course, became the sound of the '50s and is still exerting an influential force in the '60s.By the mid-50s, the time the following recordings were made, new men had emerged, most of them showing the imprint of the Gillespie-Navarro-Davis triumvirate. Two of the most active on the New York scene were Art Farmer and Donald Byrd.

Art Farmer came to New York to stay in the fall of 1953 when he returned from a European tour with Lionel Hampton's Orchestra. Prior to joining Hamp, he had been active on the West Coast, recording with Wardell Gray.Settling in New York, he co-led a quintet with alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce, and later worked as a sideman with both Horace Silver's quintet and Gerry Mulligan's quartet. In 1959, Farmer and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson formed the Jazztet. When they disbanded, Farmer started his own quartet which featured guitarist Jim Hall until he was replaced by pianist Steve Kuhn.Of late, Farmer has given up the trumpet to concentrate on the flugelhorn with no loss of the characteristics that marked him as one of the most genuinely sensitive trumpet artists to emerge in the '50s.

Donald Byrd arrived in New York in 1955 from his native Detroit. Four and a half years younger than Farmer, Donald was not as mature as Art but his incipient talent was obvious to everyone who heard him in the George Wallington quintet at the Cafe Bohemia. That talent, and his reputation, continued to grow as he worked with Art Blakey, Max Roach, Red Garland, John Coltrane, et al. In 1958, Byrd and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams had a group at the Five Spot. Since that time, Byrd has worked in Europe, and headed his own combo in the United States. Presently, he is in Europe, playing, and studying composition with Nadia Boulanger.

Idrees Sulieman, who participates in one of the following albums, five years Farmer's senior, and was active on New York's 52nd Street in the mid-'40s with drummer Sid Catlett's group. Originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, he studied at the Boston Conservatory and worked with a wide variety of bands including Cab Calloway, Earl Hines, Louis Jordan, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Erskine Hawkins, and Dizzy Gillespie. He was also a member of the Minton's set in the mid and late '40s. It was then he recorded with Thelonious Monk. In the '50s, Sulieman played with Randy Weston and Teddy Charles among others. Then he took a group to North Africa and Europe, and decided to remain on the latter continent, making Sweden his main base. Idrees, who formed his style before either Farmer or Byrd, is out of Gillespie and Navarro. There are no overt references to Davis, but the later influence of Clifford Brown is evident. Sulieman is very much his own man, however. His is a plunging, soaring, highly-volatile style which does not play it safe and is all the more exciting for it.

In the '20s and '30s, when musicians of the same instrument got together at a jam session they were out to cut each other. In many ways it was an overtly healthy competition. While the trumpet "battles" on the recordings that follow were not conducted at that level, the underlying sense of rivalry, combined with the feeling of respect for, and enjoyment of, each of the other men's playing, helped to inspire all concerned. I think that the music produced, and the pervading spirit, proves that. *Ira Gitler (August 1964)*

Art Farmer • Donald Byrd

Two Trumpets

The presence of two musicians of the some instrument a session will usually produce some interesting results. Each is naturally going to try and outdo the other and while it may not be the cutthroat competition of the Thirties (an overtly healthy competition at that), the underlying sense of rivalry combined with the feeling of respect for and enjoyment of the other's playing very often helps to inspire each.

In recent months. Prestige has tried to stimulate the Friday afternoon recording sessions by bringing together musicians of the same horn.

In Two Trumpets (an un chi-chi title if I ever heard one), Art and Donald once again join horns with Jackie McLean as middleman and foil soundwise. Two of the numbers ("Dig" and "The Third") have conversational exchanges between the trumpets and each Bb hornman also has a number entirely to himself. *Ira Gitler (liner notes, 1956)*

This is a pairing session that was well conceived and programmed. On three tracks, both trumpets are present to challenge and be stimulated by each other with McLean as a third horn and a contrast in timber. To provide further balance, each trumpet has a solo vehicle. Byrd (Midnight) and Farmer (When Your Love Has Gone) are heard in searching moving ballad interpretations.

On the others, both blow with swift imagination and heat. There are passages of quick exchanges, particularly the long exciting bout at the end of Dig, that recall in spirit if not idiom a 1939 Ellington record, Tootin' Through the Roof, with Cootie Williams and Rex Stewart.

Both Farmer and Byrd have a long and fertile jazz life ahead. Thus far, it seems to me that Farmer is the more settled of the two, particularly on up-tempos. He is, I think, closer to having found his inner style than Byrd, although Byrd is getting there. McLean is searing and a welcome presence. Harris plays with consistent taste and ease. Art Taylor and Doug Watkins are strongly underneath. Good notes by Ira Gitler that identify all solos. *Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, February 6, 1957)

1 - The Third

(Donald Byrd)

2 - Contour

(Kenny Drew)

3 - When Your Lover Has Gone

(Elinar A. Swan)

4 - Dig

(Miles Davis)

5 - 'Round Midnight

(Monk, Williams, Hanighen)

Art Farmer, Donald Byrd (trumpets); Jackie McLean (alto sax);

Barry Harris (piano); Doug Watkins (bass); Art Taylor (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, August 3, 1956

✳✳✳

Art Farmer • Donald Byrd • Idrees Sulieman

Three Trumpets

Several times in the past few years Prestige has brought together, in the recording studio, musicians of the same instrument. Many of these friendly jousts between altomen, tenormen, or trumpeters have proved to be highly stimulating affairs, ones in which the emphatic competition has spurred the participants on to playing an inspired stripe. One of these sessions was Two Trumpets (Prestige LP 7062) which featured the horns of Art Farmer and Donald Byrd.

In Three Trumpets, Farmer and Byrd return and are joined by another of the leading modern trumpeters, Idrees Sulieman. Sulieman, active on the New York scene since the mid-Forties has, nevertheless, not been recorded as extensively as the other two and is just started to receive the true credit due him. His is a plunging, soaring, highly volatile style out of the Gillespie-Navarro wing with a more recent parallel influence of Clifford Brown added in. Out of all these sources, Idrees is very much his own man, a daring jazz man who is not afraid to reach out for the ideas which crystalize in his brain at the moment, however hard they may seem to execute. Whether he's safe or not, he does not, as they say in sports, "choke up in the clutch".

As with speaking voices, each trumpeter has his own sound and phrasing, musical sentences as it were which make each one a distinct personality. *Ira Gitler (liner notes, 1957)*

The most appropriate title for this LP would be Bopper's Paradise Regained.

The three trumpeters join forces here in a heated, multi-noted session that will leave many listeners rather limp. There is an impressively vivid rapport among the horns, despite varying approaches to the skeletal forms attacked.

Sulieman is rough and ready. As Ira Gitler says in the notes, "Idrees is very much his own man, a daring jazzman who is not afraid to reach out for the ideas which crystallize in his brain at the moment, however hard they may seem to execute". In this set he is reaching most of the time and grasping successfully quite often.

Farmer's is the delightfully lyrical horn, regardless of temp. Byrd continues to fulfil the potential so many defined months ago. His playing is impressively creative.

In general, the horns seem to converge within the Gillespie-Navarro-Davis tradition, with a Clifford Brown influence apparent, too. Nevertheless, the listener does not feel that he has heard it all before, as each of the trumpeters has something genuinely individualistic to say.

The backing is effective. O'Brien, a 21-year-old pianist from Connecticut making his recording debut, plays confidently, reminiscent of early Bud Powell. He will testify to the heated nature of the session, because he played it with a 102 degree fever. Addison Farmer, Art's twin, handles bass chores capably and Ed Thigpen digs in, too.

The originals, with Sulieman's the most distinctive, are more for jumping off purposes than for melodic significance. Basically, the are lustrous races at medium or up tempos, while O'Brien's Beauty the closest thing to a ballad.

Devotees of modern trumpet playing will relish this, despite some of the technical flaws and moments of hesitancy that accompany a session of such a hectic nature. The playing of the three soloists makes this worth hearing, for the sparks they plant and the fire that develops.

*Don Gold (Down Beat, January 23, 1958)*

1 - Palm Court Alley

(Idrees Sulieman)

2 - Who's Who

(Art Farmer)

3 - Diffusion Of Beauty

(Hod O'Brian)

4 - Forty Quarters

(Idrees Sulieman)

5 - You Gotta Dig It To Dig It

(Donald Byrd)

Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, Idrees Sulieman (trumpets);

Hod O'Brien (piano); Addison Farmer (bass); Ed Thigpen (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, January 26, 1957

Art Pepper and Sonny Redd: Two talents reunited

Art Pepper • Sonny Redd

Two Altos

Art Pepper • Sonny Redd is an album by American alto saxophonists Art Pepper and Sonny Redd. The four standards which appear on the album were recorded in Los Angeles with West Coast-jazz musicians between 1952 and 1954, whilst the two originals were recorded at Van Gelder Studio, in 1957. Regent Records, a subsidiary of Savoy Records, released these recordings in 1959. 

Following in the tradition of great alto saxophonists, a great star of today and a new star of today match their talents in a combination album of what's new and good in modern jazz. Following a tradition on the horn that featured such luminaries as Johnny Hodges, Don Redman, and Benny Carter... the alto saxophone was completely revamped, revitalized, and revved up under the influence of the late Charlie Parker. "Bird's" genius transformed this smaller member of the virile saxophone family into a thing of perfect beauty. He hastened its pace, transformed its tone, and gave a sky-high new horizon for its possibilities that has been untouched yet!

Perhaps the finest star on this horn today is Art Pepper. A bird-inspired disciple who has developed his own powerful voice, Art's allegiances have been with the so-called "West Coast" school of jazz, but he's a mighty swinger! 

Two tracks are extended vehicles for the combo led by young alto star Sonny Redd. A Detroiter, recently in New York, he has stirred great interest with his emotional, fiery alto style.

*Alan Stein (from the liner notes)*

Two of our favorite 50s alto talents together on one LP — both players who handle their instrument better than most of their contemporaries, and always with a unique and personal sound! The album offers four tracks by Art Pepper — recorded with groups that include Hampton Hawes on piano, Larry Bunker on drums, Jack Montrose on tenor, and either Russ Freeman or Claude Williamson on piano — and two tracks by Sonny Redd, recorded with a quintet that includes Pepper Adams on baritone, Doug Watkins on bass, Wynton Kelly on piano, and Elvin Jones on drums — more of a Prestige lineup than a Regent one, and really remarkable for the set. The Redd tracks — "Watkins Products" and "Redds Head" — are the longer and more enticing numbers on the set — but we should also say that we love Pepper's work for Regent, and think it's some of his best – and find his tracks pretty darn nice, too. Titles by Pepper include "Deep Purple", "Everything Happens To Me", "These Foolish Things", and "What's New". *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

1. Deep Purple

(Robbins, Parish)

2. Watkins Production

(Doug Watkins)

3. Everything Happens To Me

(Dennis, Adair)

4. Redd's Head

(Sonny Red)

5. These Foolish Things

(Maschwitz, Link, Strachey)

6. What's New

(Haggart, Burke)

#1, #6: Art Pepper Quintet

Art Pepper (alto sax), Jack Montrose (tenor sax),

Claude Williamson (piano), Monty Budwig (bass), Paul Ballerina (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, August 25, 1954

#2, #4: Sonny Redd Quintet

Sonny Redd (alto sax), Pepper Adams (baritone sax),

Wynton Kelly (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), Elvin Jones (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, November 12, 1957

#3: Art Pepper Quartet

Art Pepper (alto sax), Russ Freeman (piano), Bob Whitlock (bass), Bobby White (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, March 29, 1953

#5: Art Pepper Quartet

Art Pepper (alto sax), Hampton Hawes (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, March 4, 1952

Horace Silver - Silver's Blue

Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver is the most important new keyboard comet to flash across the jazz firmament in recent years. This statement, though it may sound like a publicity blurb, happens to reflect the opinion of an authoritative body of prominent musicians.

Here is an album that presents one of the brightest, hardest-swinging groups in contemporary jazz. There may be many items in your collection that you would gladly be willing to trade for these seven pieces of Silver. *Leonard Feather (liner notes [1956])*

Silver’s Blue was basically a Jazz Messengers record, but since Art Blakey wasn’t on it and since he was so vital a component of the original Messengers, it was decided that this was to be a Horace Silver Quintet album. But the elements of the record are the same — some original tunes, some treatments of standards and good, solid playing from everyone. My influences have always been the same — the best in American music. Gospel, blues, bebop, show tunes, Latin rhythms, even American classical music show up in my writing.

*Horace Silver (liner notes [2005])*

In my late twenties and early thirties, most of the jazz record companies wanted their artists to record standard compositions that people were familiar with. They would allow you to record some original compositions, but their main thrust was the standards. I recorded an album called Silver's Blue for Epic Records in 1956. George Avakian was the producer. I approached him with six originals that I wanted to record. He wanted me to do three standards and three originals. I reviewed some of my favorite standard compositions and chose three to arrange for the session. The session came off well, and I am proud of it.

*Horace Silver (from Let’s Get to the Nitty Gritty: The Autobiography of Horace Silver)*

Two sessions (sic) in the mid-'50s produced the material for this album, which despite or perhaps because of being one of the historical early recordings of the Horace Silver Quintet, was later treated to a confusing mess of reissues, some of which never really mentioned what was so historic about the material in the first place. Maybe there was no reason to, since by the new millennium the type of groovy, funky jazz Silver was famous for had become so in demand that any recording of the authentic item was considered coated with golden fairy dust. In the late '80s, when this particular imprint was released on the public, just the fact that it was a reissue of something old seemed to be enough. The liner notes begin with a pretentious description of the lengths to which the geniuses who remastered this went, in order to not only preserve the integrity of the original tapes but to bring them up to the standards of the era. Which everyone knows were no standards and, anyway, these tapes sounded fantastic in the first place.

First off, the liner notes should have said, "Listen to Hank Mobley". The tenor saxophonist is the first to solo on the title track, and what a beautiful improvisation it is, always centered around the blues but twisting through some melodic turns of phrases that reference folk songs and who knows what else. Besides the pianist, who is in his usual tasty form, it is Mobley who makes this álbum really breathe, as neither trumpeter Will really knock one's socks off. Joe Gordon is a bit undersung, true, but he also has a pinched sound in the upper register and a habit of noodling his way from change to change as if he felt inspiration was just around the corner. For the second sesión he is replaced by Donald Byrd, who has his moments despite relying on stock phrases at times when the intensity of his solo is just building up. The arrangement of "How Long Has This Been Going On?" is refreshingly quiet and gentle, showing that Silver had more than one direction and bringing forth another type of tone from Mobley, all velvet and feathers. Songwriter Frank Loesser's "I'll Know" is also given a bright, catchy arrangement. The theme is stated in a series of slowly unfolding pronouncements building up to a great moment right before the solos start, when a strong medium-tempo groove comes in. On his solo, the pianist lays out his notes like a casino dealer providing cards all around to all the players, following blues licks with rapid chromatic bop devilments. The original "Shoutin' Out" is the kind of stuff Silver is really known for, and it is fantastic. The fine drummer Kenny Clarke, who always played well with Silver, is on hand throughout.

*Eugene Chadbourne*

The Horace Silver Quintet

Silver's Blue

1 - Silver's Blue

(Horace Silver)

2 - To Beat Or Not To Beat

(Horace Silver)

3 - How Long Has This Been Going On?

(Ira and George Gershwin)

4 - I'll Know

(Frank Loesser)

5 - Shoutin' Out

(Horace Silver)

6 - Hank's Tune

(Hank Mobley)

7 - The Night Has A Thousand Eyes

(Buddy Bernier, Jerry Brainin)

Horace Silver (piano); Joe Gordon [#2, #5], Donald Byrd [#1, #3, #4, #6,#7] (trumpets); Hank Mobley (tenor sax); Doug Watkins (bass); Kenny Clarke [#2, #5], Art Taylor [#1, #3, #4, #6,#7] (drums).

Recorded at Columbia Studio "D", New York City, July 2 (#2, #5), July 18 (#3, #6, #7) and July 19 (#1, #4), 1956.

Gene Ammons - Blue Gene

While adept in the aspects of bebop, in particular its love of harmonic substitutions, Gene Ammons more than Lester Young, Ben Webster or Charlie Parker, stayed in touch with the commercial blues and R&B of his day.

Also known as "The Boss", Gene was a jazz tenor saxophonist and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons. Gene Ammons began to gain recognition when he went on the road with trumpeter King Kolax's band in 1943 at the age of 18. He originally came to fame as a key soloist with Billy Eckstine's orchestra during 1944-1947, trading off with Dexter Gordon on the famous Eckstine record Blowing the Blues Away. Other than a notable stint with Woody Herman's Third Herd in 1949 and an attempt at co-leading a two tenor group in the early '50s with Sonny Stitt, Ammons worked as a single throughout his career, recording frequently (most notably for Prestige) in settings ranging from quartets and organ combos to all-star jam sessions.

The final of his series of jam sessions for Prestige features an excellent septet (the leader on tenor, trumpeter Idrees Sulieman, baritonist Pepper Adams, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Doug Watkins, drummer Art Taylor and Ray Barretto on congas) stretching out on three original blues and the ballad "Hip Tip"; all four pieces were written by Waldron. Few surprises occur but everyone plays up to their usual high level. *Scott Yanow*

Way more than just an album with Gene Ammons as a leader —and instead, a set that truly earns the "all stars" listed on the cover — thanks to a great array of supporting players, and a very loose, open-ended jam session style that lets everyone get in plenty of solo space! Ammons' tenor is tremendous, but he's also a great collaborator here, too —working with Idrees Suliman on trumpet, Pepper Adams on baritone, Mal Waldron on piano, Art Taylor on drums, Doug Watkins on bass, and Ray Barretto on conga— in a mode that's maybe slightly tighter than some of the blowing sessions Prestige was doing at the time, but which still has that key longform creative energy that made the hardbop generation so great. Titles include "Blue Gene", "Scamperin", "Blue Greens 'N Beans", and "Hip Tip" — band all tracks are long, with plenty of focus on solos! *dustygroove.com*

Side 1

1 - Blue GeneMal Waldron

2 - Scamperin'

Side 2

3 - Blue Greens 'N Beans

4 - Hip Tip

(All compositions by Mal Waldron)

Gene Ammons (tenor sax), Idrees Suliman (trumpet), Pepper Adams (baritone sax), Mal Waldron (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), Arthur Taylor (drums), Ray Barretto (conga).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, May 2, 1958.