Five-Star Collection... Lester Young

Lester Young

The Jazz Giants '56

Imitation, as a wise man once put it, is never competition. Accordingly, imitation with neither understanding nor technique can bring woeful results to the young musician. To put the theory to test, no other saxophonist has had quite so strong an influence on modern-day tenor saxophonists than Lester Young, otherwise known as the "President". For many saxophonists, however, the influence has not necessarily been a good one, simply because the limitations have been merely surface.

To play a saxophone in the Lester Young manner requires — well, it requires a Lester Young, which is to say an artist with his roots immersed deeply in the mainstream of jazz. Or that failing, a musician with at least a feeling for jazz' muscular, swinging tradition. An error committed so frequently as to become commonplace finds the imitator concerned more with sound than substance.

The Lester Young sound is a very special thing, certainly, and with it is associated a kind of languor, a sophistication that often belies its basic blues foundation. But the guts of the blues — and its purposeful vigor — is also a vital part of the Young style. And without it, without this strength that is suggested rather than expressed boldly, the would-be Lester Youngs create little more than hollow, superficial and often quite banal mimicry.

The imitators could learn considerable from this album, entitled with justification The Jazz Giants '56. For in this one, Lester illustrates more graphically than ever just where the "Lester Young school" has been errant. By no means is this, as they say in the television commercials, a "new" Lester Young, but it is a Lester Young with a stronger approach than has been his very recent custom. The tone remains, lean and cool (in the best sense), but the vigor is unmistakable and the jazz ideas are, as always, fresh and imaginative. *(from the liner notes)*

The Jazz Giants '56 comprise Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Teddy Wilson, Vic Dickenson, Jo Jones, Freddie Green, and Gene Ramey, and a better-knit assemblage would indeed be hard to conceive. As the notes point out, this is the first time Pres and Roy have recorded together, and for some 20 years, someone has been goofing.

This is one of the records of this or any other year, and it is difficult to imagine a group playing much better than this one gets on You Can Depend on Me. All the good qualities which we usually ascribe to jazz — vitality, swing, ingenuity, rhythmic variety, and impeccable improvisation — are present here. Rest of the tracks are not far below this remarkable level, and it is really unfair to pout out high spots, although the unvarying consistency of Roy and Pres should be mentioned. Especially note Young's opening statement on This Year's Kisses — it contains all the loveliness and feeling for music one could wish. Suffice it to say that this collection belong in any and every library.

The notes err, by the way in stating that Pres and Dickenson never have recorded together before — they appeared on some Philo sides under Pres' leadership a decade ago.

*Jack Tracy (Down Beat, May 30, 1956 [5 stars])*

1 - I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan

(Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz)

2 - I Didn't Know What Time It Was

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

3 - Gigantic Blues

(Lester Young)

4 - This Year's Kisses

(Irving Berlin)

5 - You Can Depend On Me

(Charles Carpenter, Louis Dunlap, Earl Hines)

Lester Young (tenor sax), Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Vic Dickenson (trombone),

Teddy Wilson (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Gene Ramey (bass), Jo Jones (drums).

Recorded at Fine Sound, New York City, January 12, 1956

Five-Star Collection... Paul Quinichette

Paul Quinichette

For Basie

When I was a young lad, first learning about jazz at the record collection of my older brother, some of the first records to make an impression on me were those of the Count Basie band. At the time, my brother, who also weaned me on Benny Goodman, Jimmy Lunceford and Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans, was a member of a social organization which did charity work for an affiliated orphan's home. One Christmas Eve, I believe it was 1938, they ran a dance at the Manhattan Center which featured Count Basie's orchestra at the roaring height of its powers. Of course, I was too young to attend but listened attentively on Christmas Day when my brother told me of the fabulous music he had heard for an entire evening. The names of Lester Young, Herschel Evans, Jo Jones, Jimmy Rushing and Basie himself were said in exuberant affirmation.

In the days, months and years that followed, I paid special attention to the Basie band as they moved from Decca to the Columbia-Okeh-Vocalion stable. Soon I knew the difference between Lester Young and Herschel Evans, Harry Edison and Buck Clayton and I discovered Dickie Wells. I realized that it had been the rhythm section of Freddie Greene, Walter Page, Jo Jones and Basie that had captured my unsuspecting ears from the beginning. "Taxi War Dance", "Louisiana" and "Easy Does It" were added to the record cabinet alongside "Every Tub", "Jumpin’ At The Woodside" and "Swingin' The Blues".

As I, a listener, listened and learned, so did countless young musicians; some just starting to play, others in amateur combos in their own localities, still others already active in professional bands. The Basie tradition, quintessence of Kansas City jazz, had begun. 

(...)

In the Forties, the influence of the Basie band was evident everywhere. Lester Young's startling improvisations had led to a whole school of tenor playing. The harmonic and phrasing advancements that he (and Charlie Christian) made were precursors to the new jazz ushered in by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Jo Jones' drumming style was a direct antecedent of Kenny Clarke's. All the musicians of the Bop movement had learned from Lester Young and eyen when their style was almost all Parker-Gillespie, Lester was constantly implied.

Alongside, existing independently and also interwoven with Bop were the direct descendants of the Basie-Young tradition. The general spirit of this revered tradition was responsible for shaping much of the jazz of the Fifties. Its importance has been established in many tangible ways. The resurgence of the Basie brand of swing was a factor in the earliest Fifties even before Count re-organized his band and furthered the feeling.

(...)

This album is not a reflection by the young moderns but a harking back by men who either were actively helpful in the creation of the Basie tradition or were in complete sympathy with the undiluted idiom and later became associated with Count. It is because of this, that For Basie is a warm, Kansas City, tributepaying excursion. 

(...)

This one’s for Basie... Basie, the pianist, with his astute "comping", clever use of both ends of the keyboard and all-around rhythmic power; Basie, the leader, with his organizational powers of magnitude and the rich, musical legacy he has already handed down to jazz; Basie, the man!

*Ira Gitler (liner notes)*

Here's a set that isn't just a tribute to Basie... there is Basie. Every member of the group is a Basie alumnus, including Pierce, whose service covers writing for the band as well as spelling Count at the helm for a couple of weeks recently when Basie was ill.

The key factor, I think, is the rhythm section. Gunther Schuller once pointed out that the rhythm phenomenon of the Basie band stems from the fact that it is not only a section working together to propel the band, but also four men who seemed to beat with the same pulse. Here, of course, Prestige has grouped three-quarters of the original section and added Pierce, who is a bigger-than-life representation of Basie.

Quinichette gives his solo work a continuity that smacks of the old, loose Basie band. On "Rock-A-Bye", for instance, he builds a series of choruses apparently carelessly but at the same time in an ascending pattern of tension. His final statements are climatic. On this track, too, Collins contributes a tasty bit of muted work, the last phrase of which Nat grabs, repeats, and balloons into this solo.

Collins' singing open horn on "Jive at Five" is a joy to hear.

Next to having a turntable full of those old blue Deccas, this set will stand for a good, long time. *Dom Cerulli (Down Beat, June 12, 1958 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Rock-A-Bye Basie

(Shad Collins, Count Basie)

2 - Texas Shuffle

(Herschel Evans)

3 - Out The Window

(Eddie Durham, Count Basie)

Side 2

4 - Jive At Five

(Harry Edison, Count Basie)

5 - Diggin' For Dex

(Eddie Durham, Count Basie)

Paul Quinichette (tenor sax), Shad Collins (trumpet), Nat Pierce (piano),

Freddie Green (guitar), Walter Page (bass), Jo Jones (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, October 18, 1957

Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XV)

Vito Price

Swingin' The Loop

Born in New York in 1929, Vito Price, née Vito Pizzo, began playing tenor sax at the age of fourteen. After high school, he apprenticed on the road with various bands, as well as with Chubby Jackson's small group. He finally settled in Chicago in 1955, and went on to become one of the Windy City's top tenormen. In essence, Price has always been an exceptionally smooth swinger with a warm-toned horn, somewhat in the Al Cohn tradition. Swingin' The Loop was his first album, and a promising start. Price himself said at the time that he was "not trying to blaze new paths". So while no new trails were blazed and no frontiers were opened, Price emerged from the recording session with a valuable set of originals and standards that swing loose and easy. Five of the tracks feature a 10-piece band with a big, bold tone that was surely enhanced by the writing of Bill McRae. The other five are elevated by the incomparable guitar of Freddie Green, who joined in to make the quintet tracks that much more of a delight. *Jordi Pujol*

Rare work from obscure Chicago tenor player Vito Price — recorded back in the days when there actually used to be a jazz scene in the city's center – also known as The Loop! Price was a New Yorker by birth, but worked in Chicago clubs, TV, and radio in the 50s — and was most likely brought to Argo for this session by Chubby Jackson – with whom he'd worked on a previous date for the label. Price has a strong, bold tone in his horn – swing-based, but with a fluid sense of movement that's absorbed plenty of bop — and on the album, he's playing in two different settings. Side one features a largeish group with two more trumpets and two trombones, and side two features a quintet with a slightly more intimate sound. Lou Levy plays piano in both groups, and titles include "Credo", "Eye Strain", "Swingin The Loop", "Mousey's Tune", and "Duddy".  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

1 - Swinging The Loop

(Vito Price)

2 - Mousey's Tune

(Vito Pizzo)

3 - Why Was I Born

(Kern, Hammerstein II)

4 - Duddy

(Vito Price)

5 - In A Mellow Tone

(Duke Ellington)

6 - Eye Strain

(Vito Price)

7 - Time After Time

(J. Styne, S. Cahn)

8 - Beautiful Love

(Young, Van Alstyne, King, Gillespie)

9 - Credo

(Vito Pizzo)

10 - As Long As I Live

(H. Arlen, T. Koehler)

#1 to #5

Vito Price (tenor sax, alto sax [#5]); Bill Hanley, John Howell (trumpets);

Paul Crumbagh (trombone); Barrett O'Hara (bass tombone); Bill Calkins (baritone sax);

Lou Levy (piano); Max Bennett (bass); Remo Biondi (guitar); Marty Clausen (drums).

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, January 25, 1958

#6 to #10

Vito Price (tenor sax), Lou Levy (piano), Freddie Green (guitar),

Max Bennett (bass), Gus Johnson (drums).

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, January 20, 1958

Joe Newman - Swinging Octets

Joe Newman Octet

All I Wanna Do Is Swing

The band Joe has assembled here is remarkable not merely for its cohesive unity, but for the individual brilliance wich each one of its members demostrates in his solo work —solo work wich is, happily, given to them at frecuent intervals.

Arrangements for this session are the work of Manny Albam, Al Cohn and Ernie Wilkins, all of whom have turned out scores in a great variety of tempos wich serve to showcase the multitudinous talents of Joe and each one of his colleagues.

Whether on mute or open horn, Joe's work is a delight to the ears —not merely because it is sane jazz in the midst of much that today is either overwritten or vacuous, but because it is always swinging, always blown from the top-drawer of inspirations. And it is remarkable tribute to all involved that this session, which ran from midnight to 10 A.M., produced jazz of this highly infectious sort. But in reality, it is undoubtedly true that regardless of the time of day or night, these men, in the midst of such telling arrangements, could not but blow wonderfully —and in these recordings, led and sparked by Joe Newman, they have all obviously engraved some of their most sincere, and jazzdom's most sparkling, efforts. *Jack Lewis and Bill Zeitung (liner notes)*

Newman is an excellent lyrical trumpeter with Count Basie band, and this set shows him off in a comfortable, Basie-inspired setting. The arramgements, by Mannie Albam, Al Cohn and Ernie Wilkins, are all in the Basie idiom — relaxed and swinging. Basie-ites Wilkins and Greene are present, along with bassist Milt Hinton, Cohn on tenor and Nat pierce —a Basie follower— on piano. The style is modern, not "progressive", swing. Solos are extremely tastly all around, and the ensembles are very smooth, and very easy on the ears. Should do okay if demonstrated.

*Billboard, July 30, 1955*

Side 1

1 - Soon

(George and Ira Gershwin)

2 - Limehouse Blues

(Braham, Furber)

3 - Dream A Little Dream Of Me

(Andre, Kahn, Schwandt)

4 - Corner Pocket

(Freddie Green)

5 - If I Could Be With You

(James P. Johnson, Henry Creamer)

6 - It's A Thing Of The Past

(Manny Albam)

Side 2

7 - Pretty Skinny Bunny

(Ernie Wilkins)

8 - Leonice

(Joe Newman)

9 - Jack's Wax

(Al Cohn)

10 - Topsy

(Eddie Durham, Edgar William Battle)

11 - Captain Spaulding

(Al Cohn)

12 - I Could Have Told You

(Arthur Williams, Carl Sigman)

Joe Newman (trumpet), Frank Rehak (trombone), Ernie Wilkins (alto sax), Al Cohn (tenor sax), Nat Pierce (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Milt Hinton (bass), Shadow Wilson (drums). 

Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, February 8, 1955.

⁂

Joe Newman Octet

I'm Still Swinging

A compelling octet recording – with arrangements by Ernie Wilkins, Al Cohn, and Manny Albam – with a lineup that includes Cohn on tenor, Gene Quill on alto, Urbie Green on trombone, and Freddie Green on guitar! Nice Andy Warhol cover, too! Titles include "Top Hat, White Tie, And Tails", "You Can Depend On Me", "We'll Be Together Again", "It's Bad For Me", "Daughter Of Miss Thing", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Sweethearts On Parade", and "Slats". *dustygroove.com* 

A label or a catch phrase can be a convenient thing, but it rarely tells a rounded story. In the Thirties, in the Swing Era, Benny Goodman was called "King of Swing". As pat labels go, this one was pretty accurate, for it was Goodman who brought on the Swing Era and it was Goodman who, to the general public, was the pre-eminent figure of that era. But Goodman, at that time, was a mover and shaker, not a polisher. It was Count Basie's band, riding onto the scene in the wake of Goodman (and with Goodman's ardent support), which became the epitome of the swing band and turned out ro be the most influential band of the period.

The strength of Basie's influence, after two decades, is widely evident in the playing of numerous small groups today, particularly in recording-groups which have access to genuine, Grade A Basie sidemen. One reason —and a rather basic reason— for the continuing appeal of the Basie manner was aptly summed up by Joe Newman when he was considering the approach to be taken on these numbers.

"I want them to have a swing to them", he said, "to be easy, to be good listening. I want to try to reach the mass of people, and I think the way to do it is with things I'd want to listen to if I were a listener".

There can be little question of what Joe Newman would listen to if he were a listener. For many years he has been an outstanding member of Count Basie's band. He is steeped in the Basie tradition and so are most of the men in his octet.

Freddie Green, a member of the original Basie band who was of enormous importance in creating what has come to be recognized as the typical Basie attack, is generally considered the greatest rhythm guitarist working today. Shadow Wilson has served two stints as Basic's drummer, while Eddie Jones is Basic's current bassist. Al Cohn, though a man of parts of the jazz world, has never achieved Basiedom, but his approach to the tenor sax is patterned to a large degree on that of Basie's Lester Young.

The octet's recruits from the non-Basie world are Urbie Green, a trombonist of such versatility that he has played successfully with Frankie Carle, Jan Savitt and, most notably, Woody Herman; Gene Quill, a rising young alto star who has worked with Claude Thornhill and Charlie Barnet; and Dick Katz, a pianist closely associated with Tony Scott, who effects a remarkable adaptation of his normal, sharply modern style to fit the mood of these performances.

There are other influences besides that of Basie at work here. Joe Newman has a pungent personality of his own which constantly makes itself felt. There are lines reaching out to Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Mildred Bailey. There is even, as we shall see, a badly shredded skein attached to S. J. Perelman. *John S. Wilson (liner notes)*

Side 1

01 - Top Hat, White Tie, And Tails

(Irving Berlin)

02 - You Can Depend On Me

(Hines, Carpenter, Dunlap)

03 - We'll Be Together Again

(Laine, Fisher)

04 - It's Bad For Me

(Cole Porter)

05 - Exactly Like You

(McHugh, Fields)

06 - Shameful Roger

(Manny Albam)

Side 2

07 - The Daughter Of Miss Thing

(Wilkins)

08 - Sometimes I'm Happy

(Youmans, Caesar, Grey)

09 - Sweethearts On Parade

(Newman, Lombardo)

10 - Slats

(Joe Newman, Ernie Wilkins)

11 - Lament For A Lost Love

(Ellington, Bigard, Mills)

12 - Perfidia

(Dominguez, Leeds)

Joe Newman (trumpet), Urbie Green (trombone), Gene Quill (alto sax), Al Cohn (tenor sax), Dick Katz (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Eddie Jones (bass), Shadow Wilson (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, October 3 (#1, #2, #6, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12), and 4 (#3, #4, #5, #7), 1955.

The RCA Victor Jazz Workshop #1

One of the most smartest and innovative recordings in the mid-1950's was produced by Jack Lewis, RCA’s A&R man in California at the time.

In August 1955, the specialized publication Down Beat was in charge of anticipating the "project":

A major new project entitled "The RCA Victor Jazz Workshop" is now under way under the direction of that company’s jazz A&R man, Jack Lewis.

Details of the plan are shrouded in secrecy, but it is known that the "Workshop" will afford an opportunity for a number of young artists, some already RCA Victor contractees and others newly signed, to indulge in experimental work. There will be groups involving unusual instrumentation. One date already known to have been cut features Al Cohn with four trumpets and rhythm. Bob Brookmeyer is also contributing a number of arrangements and will be heard with at least two different style combos. Lewis says that the “Workshop” efforts will all be on 12″ LPs and will be released at the rate of one or two a month, in addition to the regular jazz releases.

*Down Beat, August 10, 1955 (page 4)*

A month later, it was reported again with a little more detail:

RCA-Victor is undertaking the most ambitious jazz recording schedule in its history. Jack Lewis, in charge of jazz for the label, recently released further details concerning his plans for the next few months. A key Victor undertaking is a Jazz Workshop series in which a number of leading jazz writer-players will be given complete freedom in choice of instrumentation, personnel, and the range of their writing ideas.

Among the musicians set to head individual Jazz Workshop LPs are Al Cohn, Bob Brookmeyer, Billy Byers, Manny Albam, Hal Schaefer, and several others. Lewis also is cutting an album by The New York saxophone quartet, consisting of Danny Bank, Hal McKusick, Cohn, and Ray Beckenstein. No rhythm section is used with this unique unit. Lewis is commissioning original compositions for the quartet from prominent jazz writers.

*Down Beat, September 21, 1955 (page 7)* 

Finally, six months later and in an advert revealing the album covers, Down Beat announced the release of the first two albums in the series, by Al Cohn and Hal Schaefer:

Like any art form, Jazz requires space and the opportunity to grow and search for new avenues of expression. It either finds these avenues and goes forward — or it stands still and dies. There is need today in Jazz for just such space and opportunity. 

And to meet this need, RCA Victor has undertaken a program bold and unique in modern music. 

A Jazz Workshop has been established where artists can enjoy the widest latitude in composition, arrangement and performance... where new sounds can be tried ... where different directions can be explored — and all without the necessity of conforming to established modes or patterns. 

Below are the first recordings made under these exciting, stimulating conditions —forerunners of a new, unhampered kind of music from the RCA Victor Jazz Workshop. Your record dealer invites you to hear them today! 

*Down Beat, March 21, 1956 (page 17)*

In summary, there were seven Jazz Workshop albums recorded in all:

★ Al Cohn (May 1955)

★ Hal Schaefer (October 1955)

★ Manny Albam (December 1955)

★ Billy Byers (December 1955)

★ Hal McKusick (March 1956)

★ George Russell (March 1956)

★ John Carisi (April 1956)

The release led by John Carisi consisted of in three recording sessions in April, May, and June of 1956 were assigned a release number, LPM-1371, but it remained in the vault until 1988 when Executive Producer Steve Backer tapped veteran jazz producer Ed Michel to put together a CD release of sessions from the Jazz Workshop series.

Unfortunately The New York saxophone quartet session never materialized, at least there is no record in the jazz discography literature with the artists mentioned in the Down Beat column. 

That's what the next seven posts will be about and here goes the first:

Al Cohn

Four Brass, One Tenor

The appropriate sounding of brass (to be specific, four brass and one tenor) heralds the advent, with these sides, of an ambitious new venture that will be welcomed by jazz cognoscenti everywhere: the RCA Victor JAZZ WORKSHOP. 

This will be the generic phrase applied to a series of enterprises, as varied in intent and content as they will be in ideation and instrumentation. Some of the workshop ventures will be, as the saying goes, "far out"; others will be less experimental musically but will essay new ideas instrumentally. Into the latter category falls Al Cohn’s Four Brass, One Tenor. 

As far as Al or I can recall, this is the first time the idea has ever been tried out. It was RCA Victor’s Jack Lewis who suggested that four trumpets might make a unique and effective cushion for a tenor saxophone. The plan was translated into action via the swinging pens of Messrs. Cohn and Albam and brought to reality in three sessions with an almost identical personnel.

Alone or together, these are among the great horn men of jazz today; but over and above it all, the assertively swinging tenor of Al Cohn soars superbly to lend vibrant power to this novel instrumental experiment. To paraphrase a song on one of these sides, this is one of those occasions when after the song is ended the melody, the harmony and the rhythm will all linger on.

*Leonard Feather (liner notes)*

This is the better though the less ambitious of the first two LPs released in Victor’s Jazz Workshop series, a project instituted by Jack Lewis. Against a background of four brass and rhythm, Al Cohn is heard in some of his best blowing on record, and his full tone and big beat are virilely complemented by Joe Newman, Bart Valve (Thad Jones), Nick Travis, and the alternating horns of Bernie Glow, Joe Wilder, and Phil Sunkel. On several numbers, Travis doubled on valve trombone.

The equally tall rhythm section is composed of Freddie Greene, Osie Johnson, Buddy Jones, and Dick Katz. Newman takes most of the trumpet solos, but there are choruses by the others, too, (including four-trumpet chases on two tracks). There are full solo identifications in Leonard Feather’s exact notes, which should serve as a model to Victor liner writers.

Manny Albam and Cohn arranged six apiece and contributed three agreeable originals each. The writing is just right for this context, clean, uncluttered, swinging. The brass team, as a result, shouts bitingly alongside Al when the mood is up and is appropriately gentler on other tracks. The excellent engineering, as on almost all Victor jazz LPs, is by Ray Hall, who should be given liner credit. Recommended. *Nat Hentoff*

The 1955 sessions that make up this Al Cohn LP were part of RCA Victor's Jazz Workshop series. In each of the three studio dates, the tenor saxophonist is matched up with a quartet of trumpeters, with the fourth chair differing on each date. Either Manny Albam or the leader contributed the arrangements of the almost even split between standards and originals. Cohn is in terrific form, boosted by the swinging rhythm section consisting of pianist Dick Katz, bassist Buddy Jones, guitarist Freddie Green, and drummer Osie Johnson. The trumpeters include Thad Jones (who appeared under the pseudonym Bart Valve on the original issue), Nick Travis (who doubles on trombone), Joe Newman, and either Joe Wilder, Bernie Glow, or Phil Sunkel rounding out the section. Newman takes most of the trumpet solos, except for Cohn's "Haroosh" (Jones) and "Every Time" (Wilder), while "Rosetta" and "Linger Awhile" both feature a chase among all four trumpeters. This very entertaining cool jazz album. *Ken Dryden*

Side 1

1 - Rosetta

(Hines, Woode)

2 - The Song Is Ended

(Irving Berlin)

3 - Linger Awhile

(Vincent Rose, Harry Owens)

4 - Every Time

(Farrar, Kent)

5 - Haroosh

(Al Cohn)

6 - Just Plain Sam

(Manny Albam)

Side 2

7 - I'm Coming Virginia

(Heywood, Cook)

8 - Cohn Not Cohen

(Al Cohn)

9 - A Little Song

(Al Cohn)

10 - Foggy Water

(Manny Albam)

11 - Sugar Cohn

(Manny Albam)

12 - Alone Together

(Schwartz, Dietz)

Al Cohn (tenor sax); Bernie Glow [#2, #8, #9, #10,#11], Joe Newman, Joe Wilder [#1, #4, #6, #12], Phil Sunkel [#3, #5, #7], Thad Jones [a.k.a. Bart Valve] (trumpets); Nick Travis (trumpet, trombone); Dick Katz (piano); Freddie Green (guitar); Buddy Jones (bass); Osie Johnson (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, May 9 (#1, #4, #6, #12), May 14 (#2, #8, #9, #10,#11) and May 16 (#3, #5, #7), 1955.

Seldon Powell - Sextet • Featuring Jimmy Cleveland

Seldon Powell (1928-1997) was not an adventurer in either conception or sound. He was a solid, consolidated modern tenorist with a big, full tone, a superb beat, and largely interesting logically structured ideas. Powell plays with invigorating straight forwardness. He has the ability to take you with him all the way, in all tempos, and on all registers of his horn. On ballads, he combines lyricism with guts, and on the up tempos, he really digs in. Barry Ulanov mentioned in his excellent notes, that Powell had a ceaseless flow of melodic inspiration, a very precise description of what is so attractive, both in his playing and in these recordings. *Jordi Pujol*

When I first heard Seldon Powell, I enthused, because the boy from Brooklyn was such a happy throwback to the great days of the tenor saxophone. Tone and taste and a consummate ease on his horn, these were his virtues — and they stili are. The ability to make everything swing, that too. And no particular school ties, but just a fine blowing tenorman with a simple, smooth, and compelling modern style of his own. 

The Powell Style? A new school, maybe? A new sound that everybody will have to pick up on to stay au courant in jazz? No, schools are not made this way, only individuals. For the components of the Seldon Powell style are gifts, not gimmicks. They cannot be bought or sold, picked up or put down, and though perhaps they can be imitated, it will only be by a similarly well endowed musician. 

Most notable of the Powell talents, it seems to me, is the ceaseless flow of melodic inspiration. Simple enough stuff, I suppose, but so felicitously put together that one’s attention stays riveted to his lines, bar after bar. Sometimes it’s a countermelody. Sometimes it’s the tune itself, superlatively re-accented or de-accented to give it a sinuous new shape. Sometimes it’s a fill-in, a cadenza. Sometimes it’s a brief introduction to a solo, sometimes the wispiest of codas. But in every case, there is no doubt about the defining element: it’s the melodic line. Seldon thinks and plays that way, consecutively, note after note, in forward melodic motion, and that’s the way one hears him. *Larry Ulanov (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - Woodyn' You

(D. Gillespie)

2 - She's Funny That Way

(Moret, Whiting)

3 - Lolly Gag

(S. Powell)

4 - Missy's Melody

(M. Gold)

5 - I'll Close My Eyes

(Reid, Kaye)

6 - 11th Hour Blues

(S. Powell)

Side 2

7 - Undecided

(Robins, Shavers)

8 - A Flower Is A Lonesome Thing

(B. Strayhorn)

9 - It's A Cryin' Shame

(Hoffman, Blake)

10 - Sleepy Time Down South

(L. & O. Rene, Muse)

11 - Button Nose

(S. Powell)

12 - Biscuit For Duncan

(S. Powell)

Seldon Powell (tenor sax); Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Freddie Green (guitar); Roland "Hac" Hanna (piano); Aaron Bell (bass); Osie Johnson [#1, #2, #4, #5, #6, #8, #9, #11], Gus Johnson [#3, #7, #10, #12] (drums).

Recorded in New York City, 1956.

Tenors Anyone?

Jazz has become more than just a spontaneous emotional outlet. It has progressed to a major music form, and much of the material from which contemporary composers draw has its origin in jazz. Certainly, jazz is the international musical bond of the 20th century. One of the dominant (if not the most important) instruments in jazz today is the tenor sax.

Perhaps it’s because the tenor so closely approximates the human tone, or possibly its importance can be traced to the instrument’s wide range of tone and expression. At any rate, it enjoys a foremost position in most modern jazz ensembles. 

Tenors Anyone? offers four great jazzmen matching skills, styles and talent. The principles are Stan Getz, the late Wardell Grey, Paul Quinichette and Zoot Sims. Their efforts produce a cross-section of modern tenor techniques, as illuminating as any we have had.

Enough words have been written and enough laudits bestowed on these four giants of the tenor to acquaint one with their respective abilities. And, since this is an invitation, let’s get on to what occurs when the blowing starts. *Howard Cook (liner notes)*

Set can have appeal. The contrasting and distinct styles included in this set by four great tenor stars cover a wide range in jazz tastes. Five groups (with personnel duplicated for the saxes. Try Zoot Sims' run on "Blues For The Month Of May" and the late Wardel Grey's "In A Pinch" as samples. Good sales potential. *Billboard, April 7, 1958*

Side 1

1 - These Foolish Things

(Link, Strachey, Marvell)

2 - Blues For The Month Of May

(Jerome Lloyd)

3 - I Should Care

(Cahn, Weston, Stordahl)

4 - Along About This Time Last Year

(Darwin, Sykes, Lewis)

Side 2

5 - Skull Buster

(Al Haig)

6 - (It's The) Talk Of The Town

(Levinson, Symes, Neiburg)

7 - Ante Room

(Jimmy Raney)

8 - Pennies From Heaven

(Burke, Johnston)

9 - In A Pinch

(Al Haig)

10 - Poop Deck

(Al Haig)

#1, #4:

Paul Quinichette (tenor sax), Gene Roland (trumpet [#4]), Nat Pierce (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Wendell Marshall (bass), Sonny Payne (drums).

Recorded in New York City, August 12, 1956

#2, #3:

Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Jerry Lloyd (trumpet), John Williams (piano), Nabil Totah (bass [#2]), Bill Anthony (bass [#3]), Gus Johnson (drums).

Recorded in New York City, August 10 [#3], September 4 [#2] 1956. 

#5, #7,#8, #10:

Stan Getz (tenor sax), Al Haig (piano), Jimmy Raney (guitar), Gene Ramey (bass), Charlie Perry (drums), Carlos Vidal (conga)

Recorded in New York City, May 12, 1949.

#6, #9:

Wardell Grey (tenor sax), Al Haig (piano), Jimmy Raney (guitar), Tommy Potter (bass), Charlie Perry (drums).

Recorded in New York City, November 1948 (probably).