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

✤✤✤✤

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

✤✤✤✤

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

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XXV ★ with Gerry Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan

Swing House

Gerry Mulligan On The West Coast 

Rare Ands Unissued Recordings • 1952

✤✤

More Mulligan at The Lighthouse

At the end of 1951, fleeing police pressure in New York, Gerry Mulligan embarked on a journey to the West Coast that would permanently reshape his career and the sound of modern jazz. Freshly arrived in Los Angeles, the saxophonist split his creative focus between commercial discipline—crafting dance arrangements for the Stan Kenton Orchestra—and the absolute freedom of the local club scene. It was in these informal settings that the passion and tape recorder of Bob Andrews captured, on an amateur yet historically invaluable basis, the very jam sessions that document Mulligan's transition toward worldwide acclaim and the birth of his legendary piano-less quartet. This crucial historical testament is beautifully captured by Ken Poston in the original liner notes:

At the end of 1951 Gerry Mulligan decided to leave New York and head west to Los Angeles. The vice squad had started putting heavy pressure on jazz musicians and Gerry didn’t want to put up with it any longer. His girlfriend, Gale Madden, had paved the way for Gerry to write arrangements for Stan Kenton once they got to Los Angeles. In the middle of the winter they left Manhattan and hitchhiked all the way to the west coast.

Once there they moved into the Harvey Hotel and Gerry fulfilled his writing assignment for Kenton. He also began sitting in around town at whatever jam sessions he could find. There were three places in particular that he frequented; the Showtime, in the San Fernando Valley, the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach and the Haig in the mid-Wilshire district.

Most of the recordings on this collection were made by Bob Andrews, jazz fan, record store owner and amateur recording engineer. In 1952 he had just started to take his tape recorder to local jazz clubs and although nothing has materialized from the Showtime he did capture Gerry Mulligan several times at the Lighthouse and the Haig. In addition to the jam session recordings we’ve included a few of the lesser heard dance arrangements he wrote for Kenton in 1952.

This is an important historical document because it captures Gerry just a few months after his arrival in Los Angeles and follows his progress up to the point he forms the piano-less quartet. Although he had many accomplishments by the time he came to Los Angeles, he was far from a household name in the jazz world. By the end of the year he had gained world wide attention and was instrumental in establishing the west coast jazz phenomenon.

*Ken Poston (from the liner notes)*

1 - Indiana

(James F. Hanley, Ballard MacDonald)

This is the earliest of the Bob Andrews recordings that captured Gerry Mulligan sitting in around Los Angeles. This was actually recorded on a Saturday night and features Mulligan joining the Lighthouse rhythm section.

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Frank Patchen (piano)

Howard Rumsey (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, May 10, 1952

2 - Robbins' Nest

(Illinois Jacquet, Sir Charles Thompson)

"Robbins' Nest" features Mulligan sitting in with the Lighthouse All Stars at one of the legendary Sunday sessions at the Lighthouse.

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Shorty Rogers (trumpet);

Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper (tenor saxes); Frank Patchen (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, June 1, 1952

3 - Tiny's Blues

(Tiny Kahn)

Two nights later Mulligan was running the off-night jam session at the Haig and on this occasion Gerry played the tenor as opposed to the baritone. Tiny's Blues has been issued a few times over the years but always with the incorrect date. This recording comes from Bob Andrews original reel which has the recording date documented on the box.

Gerry Mulligan, Dave Pell (tenor saxes), Ted Ottison (trumpet);

Paul Smith (piano); Joe Mondragon (bass); Billy Wilson (drums).

Recorded live at The Haig, Los Angeles, June 3, 1952

4 - Rose Room

(Art Hickman, Harry Williams)

Bob Andrews captured Gerry once again the following week at the Haig. Gerry ran things from the bandstand but it was an open session for anyone who wanted to play. On this particular occasion both Conrad Gozzo and Gene Roland dropped by.

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Conrad Gozzo, Gene Roland (trumpets);

Jimmy Rowles (piano); Howard Roberts (guitar); Joe Mondragon (bass); Unknown (drums).

Recorded live at The Haig, Los Angeles, June 10, 1952

5 - It's Sand Man

(Ed Lewis)

The jam sessions at the Lighthouse worked a little different than those at the Haig. Howard Rumsey invited specific guests although he did allow others to sit in throughout the day. This is the working Lighthouse All Stars with Andy Lambert subbing for Rumsey.

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Shorty Rogers (trumpet),

Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Milt Bernhart (trombone),

Frank Patchen (piano), Andy Lambert (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, June 14, 1952

6 - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

(Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler)

More from the June 14 session. Aaron Sachs and Tommy Potter were both in town with Earl Hines band and Howard recruited them to come down for the session.

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Aaron Sachs (clarinet),

Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Frank Patchen (piano),

Tommy Potter (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, June 14, 1952

7 - Get Happy / Utter Chaos

(Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler / Gerry Mulligan)

Red Norvo came in as the featured attraction and the house piano was put into storage. Instead of continuing the jam session format on Tuesday nights Gerry formed his own group and the "piano-less quartet" was born. Gerry handpicked the group from musicians he had played with around town and included Chet Baker at the suggestion of Bob Whitlock. This recording was not made by Bob Andrews, but by another fan that sent the tape to Mulligan many years later. August 1952 is the date written on the tape box although it's possible it comes from a bit later. If it is August of 1952 it would be right at the beginning of the quartet.

Gerry Mulligan Quartet:

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Chet Baker (trumpet),

Bob Whitlock (bass), Chico Hamilton (drums).

Recorded live at The Haig, Los Angeles, August, 1952

8 - Bweebida Bobbida

(Gerry Mulligan)

In October of 1952 Shorty Rogers had been a regular member of the Lighthouse All Stars for a year. Shorty had recorded under his own name, separate from the All Stars, and was really beginning to make a name for himself. Howard Rumsey used to allow him to take nights off from the Lighthouse so he could lead his own band for special engagements. During the fall Shorty formed a super group that included both Mulligan and Chet Baker as well as Art Pepper and Wardell Gray. The Mulligan group had completed their first engagement at the Haig and recorded their first sides for the new Pacific Jazz label. This Shorty Rogers group did at least two engagements. The first was a Gene Norman concert at The Rendezvous Ballroom, which was released on two LAJI members only CDs. This engagement took place at the 5-4 Ballroom in south central Los Angeles.

Shorty Rogers and His Giants:

Shorty Rogers, Chet Baker (trumpets); Art Pepper (alto sax);

Wardell Gray (tenor sax); Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax);

John Graas (french horn); Hampton Hawes (p);

Joe Mondragon (bass); Lawrence Marable (drums).

Recorded live at 5-4 Ballroom, Los Angeles, October 10, 1952

9 - Too Marvelous For Words

(Richard A. Whiting, Johnny Mercer)

"Too Marvelous for Words" was featured a few times by the Kenton Orchestra including this 1952 broadcast of the Bob Snydor Show. The original handwritten score is dated February 4, 1952.

Stan Kenton Orchestra:

Buddy Childers, Maynard Ferguson, Conte Candoli, Don Dennis, Ruben McFall (trumpets);

Bob Burgess, Frank Rosolino, Keith Moon, Bill Russo (trombones);

George Roberts (bass trombone);  Dick Meldonian, Vinnie Dean (alto saxes);

Lee Elliott, Bill Holman (tenor saxes); Bob Gioga (baritone sax);

Stan Kenton (piano); Sal Salvador (guitar) Don Bagley (bass) Stan Levey (drums).

Bob Snydor Show, Bristol, Connecticut, July 13, 1952

10 - All The Things You Are

(Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)

"All the Things You Are" was featured regularly during the New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm period and was a feature for Buddy Childers. This recording comes from a Concert in Miniature broadcast from September of 1952. The original score is dated March 9, 1952.

Stan Kenton Orchestra:

Buddy Childers, Maynard Ferguson, Conte Candoli, Don Dennis, Ruben McFall (trumpets);

Bob Burgess, Frank Rosolino, Keith Moon, Bill Russo (trombones);

George Roberts (bass trombone); Lee Konitz, Vinnie Dean (alto saxes);

Bill Holman, Richie Kamuca (tenor saxes); Bob Gioga (baritone sax);

Stan Kenton (piano); Sal Salvador (guitar); Don Bagley (bass); Stan Levey (drums).

Concert in Miniature, Fort Sheridan, Illinois, September 2, 1952

11 - Dancing In The Dark

(Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz)

"Dancing in the Dark" wasn't played often but had stayed in the book for many years. It was one of the earliest arrangements Gerry wrote not long after his arrival in Los Angeles. The original score is dated January 19, 1952.

Stan Kenton Orchestra:

Jack Sheldon, Frank Higgins, Billy Catalano, Bob Ojeda, Bud Brisbois (trumpets);

Billy Smiley, Archie LeCoque, Kurt Larsen, Jim Amlotte, Bob Olson (trombones);

Steve Perlow, Bill Perkins, Lennie Niehaus, Bill Trujillo, Bill Robinson (reeds);

Stan Kenton (piano); Red Kelly (bass); Jerry McKenzie (drums).

Holiday Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, October 10, 1958

12 - Where Or When

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

"Where or When" is another dance arrangement that stayed in the book for a long time. The original score is dated January 19, 1952.

Stan Kenton Orchestra:

Frank Huggins, Bud Brisbois, Rolf Ericson, Joe Burnett, Roger Middleton (trumpets);

Archie LeCoque, Kent Larsen, Jimmy Knepper (trombones);

Jim Amlotte, Bill Smiley (bass trombones); Lennie Niehaus (alto sax);

Bill Trujillo, John Bonnie (tenor saxes); Billy Root, Sture Swenson (baritone saxes);

Stan Kenton (piano); Scott LaFaro (bass); Jerry McKenzie (drums).

County Fair Building, Ukiah, California, February 26, 1959

13 - Begin The Beguine

(Cole Porter)

The original score to "Begin the Beguine" is dated March 1952. Gerry never said much about his dance charts for Kenton other than joking he was given "dogs work." He did however make special note of Begin the Beguine since Artie Shaw was one of his early idols.

Stan Kenton Orchestra:

Bud Brisbois, Dalton Smith, Bill Chase, Danny Nolan, Rolf Ericson (trumpets);

Bob Fitzpatrick, Kent Larsen, Bill Smiley (trombones);

Jim Amlotte, Bob Knight (bass trombones); Lennie Niehaus (alto sax);

Bill Trujillo, Ronnie Rubin (tenor saxes); Jack Nimitz, Marvin Holladay (baritone saxes);

Stan Kenton (piano); Peter Chivily (bass); Jimmy Campbell (drums); Mike Pacheco (percussion).

Enlisted Mens Club, Barstow, California, January 30, 1960

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XXIV ★ Rarities at The Lighthouse

Los Angeles Jazz Institute 

Presents

West Coast Rarities

✤✤

Gerry Mulligan, Lennie Niehaus and Bud Shank at The Lighthouse

Apart from the unitary and official recordings that have been presented within the Lighthouse All-Stars collection, there are many stray private recordings that are gradually becoming known. One of them is this compendium with unreleased recordings compiled from original sources from the Los Angeles Jazz Institute archive.

Specifically, there are only three live recordings at the Lighthouse Cafe, although the others are of equal importance as they involve equally famous settings related to the West Coast Jazz movement of the 1950s.

Through this valuable material, which spans from 1952 to 1958, we witness the birth and consolidation of a vibrant musical scene in Southern California. The audio testimonies show us the inner history of its protagonists at key moments, such as a Gerry Mulligan newly arrived in the city and about to revolutionize the genre with his pianoless quartet, or the debut of Shorty Rogers' Big Band during an early morning television charity telethon.

The album also functions as a cartographic journey through the night spots that defined the era, taking the listener beyond the Lighthouse to enter jazz temples as legendary as The Haig, the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, Zardi's, or the Peacock Lane, and even singular events like the grand opening of a record store. Likewise, the document highlights the close camaraderie and spirit of collaboration among West Coast musicians, fostering spontaneous summits where figures of the stature of Stan Getz joined established groups.

It is also worth noting the enormous logistical and historical value of some of these tracks, which document the famous off-nights at the Lighthouse, when on Mondays and Tuesdays the club opened its doors to guest ensembles such as the Lennie Niehaus Quintet. It should be noted that the recordings contained on this compact disc come from a variety of sources, some of which were recorded under non-professional conditions; however, the editors have rightly considered that the extreme rarity and unique character of these performances preclude and compensate for any flaws that the quality of the original sound may present.

1 - Elevation

(Gerry Mulligan)

At the time of this recording, Gerry Mulligan had been in Los Angeles for about five months but had yet to find regular work. He wrote some arrangements for Stan Kenton and participated in jam sessions all over town. This rare recording finds Mulligan, prior to the formation of his "pianoless" quartet, sitting in on one of the Sunday sessions at The Lighthouse.

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars:

Shorty Rogers (trumpet), Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax), Bob Cooper (tenor sax),

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Frank Patchen (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, June 1, 1952

2 - Move

(Denzil Best)

"Move" was recorded live at The Haig during one of the first appearances of the new Gerry Mulligan Quartet. The group played the four Tuesdays in August while the Red Norvo Trio was the featured attraction throughout the week. It was during these first Tuesday nights that the Quartet became a sensation prompting the formation of Pacific Jazz Records. Before long both Mulligan and Chet Baker would become major jazz stars.

The Gerry Mulligan Quartet:

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Chet Baker (trumpet),

Bob Whitlock (bass), Chico Hamilton (drums).

Recorded live at the Haig, Los Angeles, August, 1952

3 - Short Snort

(Shorty Rogers)

This live concert, recorded at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, features a dream line-up put together by Shorty Rogers specifically for this date. A true summit meeting of the giants of West Coast jazz.

Shorty Rogers and His Giants:

Shorty Rogers, Chet Baker (trumpets); Art Pepper (alto sax);

Wardell Gray (tenor sax); Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax);

Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone); Hampton Hawes (piano);

Joe Mondragon (bass); Lawrence Marable (drums).

Recorded live at the Rendezvous Ballroom, Balboa Beach, September 28, 1952

4 - Short Stop

(Shorty Rogers)

This television broadcast from 1953 marked the debut of Shorty Rogers Big Band. It comes from a 25 hour Cerebral Palsy telethon hosted by Jack Webb. The show began at 11pm on Friday night and continued until midnight Saturday. Jazz fans had to stay up late if they wanted to see Shorty's new big band. The jazz segment didn't get underway until 3 o'clock in the morning.

Shorty Rogers Big Band:

Shorty Rogers, Conrad Gozzo, Tommy Reeves, Reuben McFall (trumpets);

Jack Dulong, Bud Shank, Bill Perkins, Don Davidson (reeds);

Herbie Harper, Harry Betts, Bob Enevoldsen (trombones);

John Graas (french horn); Paul Sarmento (tuba);

Marty Paich (piano); Joe Mondragon (bass); Shelly Manne (drums)

Cerebral Palsy Telethon, KBCA Channel 7, Los Angeles, June 6, 1953

5 - The Goof and I

(Al Cohn)

"The Goof and I " was recorded live at the Grand Opening of Larsen's Record Room in El Segundo and features the swinging 1955 version of the All-Stars with that great front line of Candoli, Shank, Cooper and Rosolino.

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars:

Conte Candoli (trumpet), Bud Shank (alto sax),

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Frank Rosolino (trombone),

Claude Williamson (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Recorded live at Larsen's Record Room, El Segundo, March 4, 1955

6 - Topsy

(Edgar Battle, Eddie Durham)

By 1955, Shorty Rogers was a very busy man. In addition to his ever growing studio work, the Giants had recently started recording for Atlantic Records and had also begun a long engagement at Zardi's Jazz Club on Hollywood Blvd. Shorty's boyhood friend from the Bronx, Stan Getz, was in Los Angeles at the time and is found here sitting in with the Giants.

Shorty Rogers and His Giants with Stan Getz:

Shorty Rogers (trumpet), Jimmy Giuffre (clarinet), Stan Getz (tenor sax),

Pete Jolly (piano), Ralph Pena (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded live at Zardi's, Hollywood, August 4, 1955

7 - Everybody Moan

(Ernie Wilkins)

Maynard Ferguson had spent the latter part of 1956 in New York with his Birdland Dream Band. After the Birdland engagement and subsequent recordings for Vik records he returned to Los Angeles and re-formed the West Coast Dream Band. That band was booked for the holidays at the Peacock Lane Club which was located at Hollywood Blvd. and Western Ave.

Maynard Ferguson and His Orchestra:

Maynard Ferguson, Ed Leddy, Joe Burnett, Tom Slaney (trumpets);

Herb Geller, Richie Kamuca, Nino Tempo, Willie Maiden (reeds);

Bob Fitzpatrick, Bob Burgess (trombones);

Paul Moer (piano); Red Kelly (bass); Mel Lewis (drums).

Recorded live at Peacock Lane, Hollywood, January 4, 1957

8 - Just Friends

(John Klenner, Sam M. Lewis)

By the late 1950s, The Lighthouse All-Stars worked Wednesday - Saturday plus the Sunday Concerts. Mondays and Tuesdays featured groups booked specifically for the off-nights. During the summer of 1957, the off night group was The Lennie Niehaus Quintet. This rare recording was made from the audience on one of those Monday or Tuesday nights.

The Lennie Niehaus Quintet:

Lennie Niehaus (alto sax), Bill Perkins (tenor sax),

Paul Moer (piano), Buddy Clark (bass), Mel Lewis (drums).

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, July, 1957

9 - Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me / Theme

(Duke Ellington / Bud Shank)

During the holiday season of 1957-58 Bud Shank returned to the familiar surroundings of the Lighthouse this time leading his own successful Quartet. The quartet was captured here for the KMLA "Nightlife" program.

Bud Shank Quartet:

Bud Shank (alto sax), Claude Williamson (piano),

Don Prell (bass), Chuck Flores (drums).

KMLA "Nightlife" Broadcast

Recorded live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, January 1, 1958

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XIV

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars

Live In The Solo Spotlight

By the end of 1952 Howard Rumsey had transformed a small local bar in Hermosa Beach, California into a name known around the world. The Lighthouse became the centerpiece of the West Coast Jazz scene and the Lighthouse All-Stars became international jazz celebrities. Situated just a few yards from the beach with the cool ocean breeze and the smell of salt water in the air, it was the picture perfect setting for what would become known as "West Coast Jazz".

But that wasn't always the case.

In 1949 when Howard first came upon the Lighthouse there wasn't anything about it that would foresee it's future success. It was small and dingy, primarily catering to a rough merchant seaman crowd and it was close to going out of business.

Howard suggested to owner John Levine that he try putting on a jazz jam session on Sunday afternoons. The Lighthouse had been having live music with a variety of local musicians but it hadn't made much of an impact, plus in 1949 it was universally accepted that Sunday was the worst day of the week for the liquor business. Luckily, Levine was a gambler and figured he didn't have anything to lose at that point, so on May 29, 1949 Howard presented his first Sunday session at the Lighthouse and recalled "We propped open the doors and started blasting and within an hour we had more people in the place than Levine had seen all week".

The success of that first Sunday established the weekly Sunday Jam Session policy and became a tradition that helped catapult the Lighthouse into it's role as the center of West Coast Jazz.

Over the next couple of years Howard was able to replace the merchant seaman crowd with college age kids coming in off the beach to hear the live jazz and Sundays continued to be the featured attraction. The sessions started in the afternoon and ran until 2 in the morning. The Lighthouse All-Stars served as the core group with different guest musicians sitting in each week. The guest artists ran the gamut from local up and coming artists to established stars including big name out of town visitors.

This disc features guest artists captured live with the All-Stars by Bob Andrews and Donald Dean, two local jazz fans who frequented the Lighthouse with their tape recorders. The sound quality varies from track to track and while not professional recordings they are extremely important historical documents of those Sundays in Hermosa Beach and we are happy to be able to share them with you. All of the recordings are previously unissued. *Ken Poston (from the liner notes, 2014)*

About The Lighthouse Cafe:

A couple of years ago, Howard Rumsey, one of the original Kentonites (bass), would have been rated by most as washed up with the music business. He had taken a job as tile setter and was glad to be heading a little combo on Sunday afternoons at the Lighthouse café in Hermosa Beach, a small beach town about 45 minutes from Hollywood.

Today, thanks mainly to Howard's constructive, intelligent job of developing and presenting, with the cooperation of the management, a sound, CONSISTENT, policy, the Lighthouse has become virtually a full-time operation with a notable group of musicians holding the stand Wednesday through Sunday.

The Sunday sessions start at 2 p.m. and run to midnight, with special guest stars (paid—not just “sitting in” and blasting without purpose) appearing from 2 to 6 p.m.

The payoff is that it is paying off—and big. Business has been consistently good, even during the past winter (off-season at beach towns) and the place is so packed all day Sundays you have to get there early to get a seat near the bandstand. The fact that the drinks are good, prices are reasonable, and nobody gets hustled is an important factor. Says Howard, in summing up:

"The things that make us happy is that the crowds we are drawing, aren't full of these so-called 'hipsters' and queer characters so often associated with our kind of music. I think we’re getting what you might call a good cross section of that 'general public' that's supposed to shy away from good music, just as, I think, musicians are inclined to shy away from the 'general public'. There’s a mental hazard there on both sides. We've managed to cross it on a kind of imaginary bridge".

*Hal Holly, "The Hollywood Beat", Down Beat, August 24, 1951*

Fortunately for fans of Jazz on the West Coast and for posterity, Bob Andrews and Donald Dean, two local Jazz devotees, frequented the Lighthouse with their tape recorders and some of what they recorded has been issued on CD under the auspices of the Los Angeles Jazz Institute headed up by Ken Poston.

The sound quality varies from track to track and while not professional recordings they are extremely important historical documents of those Sundays in Hermosa Beach. All of the recordings are previously unissued. *Steven A. Cerra*

1 - Love Me Or Leave Me

 (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn)

Art Pepper (alto sax); Doug Mettome, Shorty Rogers (trumpets);

Hampton Hawes (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, June 3 (or 10), 1951

2 - Blue Moon

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) 

Maynard Ferguson (trumpet), Frank Patchen (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, 1952

3 - Stuffy

(Coleman Hawkins)

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Shorty Rogers (trumpet), Bob Cooper (tenor sax),

Frank Patchen (piano), Howard Rumsey (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, June 14, 1952

4 - Scrapple From The Apple

(Charlie Parker)

Stan Getz, Arno Marsh (tenor saxes); Shorty Rogers (trumpet); Milt Bernhart (trombone);

Hampton Hawes (piano); Charlie Drayton (bass); Larry Bunker (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, September 14, 1952

5 - Indiana

(Warne Marsh)

Warne Marsh (tenor sax), Frank Patchen (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, December 14, 1952

6 - Perdido

(Juan Tizol)

Harry "Sweets" Edison, Shorty Rogers (trumpets); Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax);

Milt Bernhart (trombone); Hampton Hawes (piano);

Howard Rumsey (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, February 8, 1953

7 - Maid In Mexico

(Russ Freeman)

Chet Baker, Rolf Ericson (trumpets); Bud Shank (alto sax); Jimmy Giuffre (tenor sax);

Russ Freeman (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass); Max Roach (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, September 13, 1953

8 - Everything Happens To Me

(Matt Dennis, Tom Adair)

Jack Sheldon (trumpet), Claude Williamson (piano),

Howard Rumsey (bass), Max Roach (drums).

Lighthouse Cafe, March 7, 1954

9 - Toots Sweete (Suite)

(Bill Holman)

Bob Cooper, Zoot Sims (tenor saxes); Bud Shank (alto sax);

Stu Williams (trumpet); Frank Rosolino (trombone);

Claude Williamson (piano); Howard Rumsey (bass); Stan Levey (drums);

Lighthouse Cafe, March 7, 1954

Five-Star Collection... Gerry Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan And His Ten-Tette

Gerry Mulligan is one of the inventors of the contemporary jazz form, and his early promise experimenting with small forward-looking groups achieves fruition with this extensive exhibit of his art. Gerry is that rare phenomenon — a truly originative talent. Everything he does is unique and he has the unalterable courage to do as he "hears" fit. With it all, there is no restraining self-consciousness. Quite the contrary, Gerry is irresistibly "full of malarkey!" There’s an impishness about both him and his music that lends great charm.

He's a young composer who somehow combines the restless intensity of a serious and sensitive composer with the levity of a leprechaun. And it's all here in the music.

Gerry's early background in the music field is surprisingly orthodox. He even arranged for Tommy Tucker and Elliot Lawrence, but he quickly espoused the modern sounds and "gigged" around New York with the small coterie of musicians that spearheaded the search for new and interesting things to say in jazz. He helped to organize, write for, and play on one of the milestones of modern jazz, the Miles Davis "Move" record date for Capitol.

But here, perhaps for the first time, he has been given carte blanche — freedom to express himself without limitation. (...)

The moods and feelings captured here range all the way from something resembling a German Salvation Army Band playing on a Heidelberg street corner — with a beat — to the reckless abandon of a Deep South Revivalist meeting. But all the way, it's ingenious, challenging, and warm. This is what jazz is coming to. In fact, it's here! *Gene Norman (from the liner notes)*

Gerry's dectet (two trumpets, bone, French horn, alto, two baritones, tuba, bass, drums) eschews atonality, polytonality, polyphony, and pretension, goes in for strictly jazz sounds that begin where Miles Davis' famous Capitol sessions (also partly organized by Mulligan) left off.

The rich diversity of orchestrated tonal hues is what gives this set its fifth star. The solos, though secondary, are almost completely, and justifiably, monopolized by Mulligan and Chet Baker. Gerry switches to piano on three tunes, including the attractive Ontet. Latter is based on the last chorus of Godchild, which he scored for the Davis date.

Of the other originals Walking Shoes has the warmest flavor, a legit blues quality with a semisatirical end; Westwood has Gerry’s most eloquent baritone solo and Flash the most variety, with some great Bud Shank alto, and delightful ensemble accents in the last chorus. Simbah is a simple riff thing with a strangely Gershwin-esque quality in the first release.

If you're already bored by the Mulligan foursome, this set is the perfect restorative.

*Down Beat (Chicago, October 7, 1953 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Rocker

(Gerry Mulligan)

2 - Walking Shoes

(Gerry Mulligan)

3 - Simbah

(Gerry Mulligan)

4 - Ontet

(Gerry Mulligan)

Side 2

5 - Westwood Walk

(Gerry Mulligan)

6 - A Ballad

(Gerry Mulligan)

7 - Taking A Chance On Love

(Vernon Duke, John La Touche, Ted Fetter)

8 - Flash

(Gerry Mulligan)

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax, piano [#4, #7, #8]); Chet Baker, Pete Candoli (trumpets);

Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone); John Graas (french horn);

Ray Siegel (tuba); Bud Shank (alto sax); Don Davidson (baritone sax); 

Joe Mondragon (bass); Chico Hamilton [#1, #2, #5, #6], Larry Bunker [#3, #4, #7, #8] (drums).

Recorded at Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, California,

January 29 (#1, #2, #5, #6) and January 31 (#3, #4, #7, #8), 1953

Five-Star Collection... Konitz and Mulligan

 Lee Konitz

And

The Gerry Mulligan Quartet

"With creative extemporization one cannot be consistent" avers Lee. "We are striving and improving".

"The most inventive improvisation comes only when conditions are compelling" Gerry will tell you.

Great jazz necessitates the right atmosphere. The right time, the right place, the right players, the right mental attunement — these things are essential for effusive emotional expression and stimulating swing.

For Konitz, too, there must be the intimacy of a small group.

"Soloing with a big band — the same things happening in the same places — they disturb the fluency and flow of expression" Lee asserts.

For these recordings we had just the right atmosphere. The majority of the performances were recorded on the spot at the Haig, Hollywood's jazz mecca. The conditions were just right. Bassist Carson Smith and drummer Larry Bunker gave sympathetic support. The articulate Chet Baker sparked with some of his most engaging and intriguing trumpet patterns. And we think we captured some of the most inspiring conceptions to date of Konitz and Mulligan.

"Konitz — a cool, calculating, controlled cat" say some critics.

Nonsense.

Listen yourself. It's not cool Konitz. It's cool critics. Critics without soul. Critics without feeling. Critics without understanding.

For this is emotional music above all. It's the assured, facile, masterful expressions of highly sensitive yet forceful people. Lee, Gerry and Chet blow long logical lyrical lines that are sincere and direct expressions.

And this music assuredly swings — not in a banal way, but with the subtle insinuation of a real and natural drive. *Howard Lucraft (fom the liner notes)*

These Foolish Things

Broadway

Too Marvelous For Words

Almost Like Being In Love

★★★★★

More sides made by Lee with the Mulligan quartet in January, 1953. Like the first set, they are among the best sides yet released by either Lee or the former Mulligan unit.

Lee handles most of the solo space with sustained linear invention, and the frequent interweaving of the three horns provides an absorbingly invigorating texture.

Lee has rarely had his ideas and tone so relaxedly under control. (Things and Too Marvelous are perhaps the most eloquent examples). Gerry and Chet are also at imaginative ease. On the last band, either the tape wavered or Chet's flat in the ensemble. That point aside, this is an impressive collaboration. (Pacific Jazz EP 4-11) *Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, March 10, 1954)

Too Marvelous For Words

I Can't Get Started

Almost Like Being In Love

These Foolish Things

Broadway

My Old Flame

Five Brothers

★★★★★

The titling of the set is slightly misleading. The four numbers on which Konitz joined with the Mulligan quartet have already appeared as an EP and were so reviewed (Down Beat, March 10). To fill out an LP, three numbers of the quartet alone were added. The five-star rating on the Konitz-Mulligan interplay still stands for reasons already noted. The quartet as such with Baker, Smith and Bunker performs with its usual calm proficiency.

Being fairly sated with this kind of low-keyed coolness, I would have given the three quartet sides a star less. But on the majority rule principle, we'll call it five. Howard Lucraft's notes are as intense a set as has appeared in some time. Easy, Howard, easy. There's still the H-bomb to worry about, too. The interestingly linear abstract cover is by William Claxton. (Pacific Jazz PJ LP-10)

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, June 2, 1954)*

Side 1

1 - Too Marvelous For Words

(Richard A. Whiting, Johnny Mercer) 

2 - I Can't Get Started

(Vernon Duke)

3 - Almost Like Being In Love

(Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner)

Side 2

4 - These Foolish Things

(Harry Link, Jack Strachey, Albert Eric Maschwitz)

5 - Broadway

(Wilbur H. Bird, Teddy McRae, Henri Woode)

6 - My Old Flame

(Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow)

7 - Five Brothers

(Gerry Mulligan)

#1, #4:

Chet Baker (trumpet), Lee Konitz (alto sax), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax),

Carson Smith (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

Recorded at The Haig, Hollywood, California, January 23, 1953

#3, #5:

Chet Baker (trumpet), Lee Konitz (alto sax), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax),

Carson Smith (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, January 30, 1953

#6:

Chet Baker (trumpet), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax),

Carson Smith (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Los Angeles, California, April 27, 1953

#2, #7:

Chet Baker (trumpet), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax),

Carson Smith (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

Recorded at The Haig, Hollywood, California, May 20, 1953

Five-Star Collection... Many Albam

Manny Albam

Manny Albam And The Jazz Greats Of Our Time • Vol.1

Considering the fact that much of the essential character of jazz is derived from the spontaneity and excitement of improvisation, it would certainly seem that the most definitive jazz writing should be in compatible relation with, and emphasize the role of, the soloist. In essence, a marriage between the improvisation and the writing: the writer providing a pithy framework that is thought-provoking and impetus to the soloist, and in turn, the soloist, given the necessary latitude, investing life, individuality and substance to the story intimated in the writing.

There are some critics and musicians who subscribe to the polar aspects of this subject: some stand for improvisation in the complete sense —spontaneous, intuitive—without framework or guideposts; others line up for composition to the point of shutting off the soloist by writing everything, or giving him only a limited role. And then, there are variations on both. However, the middle ground, in its equivalent relation between writing and blowing, gives evidence of being the best approach.

We must enlarge for clarity... In their own way, some of these polar ventures have been successful, but whether they are jazz or not, is a matter for discussion. On the other hand, going toward the middle ground, definitions become clear, and the performance becomes jazz in the more accepted sense, retaining the idiom’s identifiable markings.

In truth, tradition is most accessible from the vantage point of the middle ground, and if anything were to define the writing of Manny Albam, it would be its great respect and reflection of tradition:

"I cannot divorce myself from tradition, for it's where we all come from, and it should be a base from which we operate in jazz. If writing is to be JAZZ WRITING, it should fuse the elements particular to its own tradition — the beat, improvisation within a disciplinary frame, and its own unique feeling.

"On this CORAL set, the first of a series, I had the blowers, the guys who dig deeply, and endow writing with the necessary richness of improvisational content. This is just what I wanted, for I feel that an inter-relation, inter-dependence between writing and blowing in jazz composition is imperative."*Burt Korall (from the liner notes)* 

This makes it. Manny Albam, an arranger sensitive to the blowing as well as the writing scene, assembled a good cross-section of eastern mainstream hornmen, supplied them with three-quarters of the New York Rhythm Section, and gave them some material on which to embroider, ranging from sparkling to merely fine.

Oddly enough, or perhaps justly enough, I found the Albam originals to be more fertile in terms of the results shown here. The two non-Albam tracks, Sweetie and Duke's All Too Soon, don't compare with the consistency and wealth of solos with which Blues for Neither Coast is endowed.

In fact, the only other track I found as richly rewarding as Neither Coast was Dr. Millmoss, and in this, Albam scores by using a simple device: Mulligan and Cohn playing the bass line on baritones as a binding factor in the composition.

Brookmeyer emerges as the most constantly challenging soloist. His appearances on the first three tracks, particularly on Blues, are glistening. His solo on Minor Matters is excellent, and his second solo on All Too Soon is moving and powerful.

Art Farmer's opening solo on Neither Coast is among his best recorded work. Zoot is unusually subdued throughout, except on Sweetie, where he boots along like the freewheeling tenor man we have come to know. Woods is stabbing and often terse. His playing of late has been brimming with tension. Travis is fine, particularly tasty in his muted work. Mulligan is good, but he has been more declarative as a soloist in his own group. As a supporting voice, he is excellent. Cohn is smooth and flowing, as expected. And Hank Jones remains one of the most tasteful of pianists.

Although I raise an eyebrow at the album title, I realize that other contractual commitments would of necessity exclude such vital voices as Miles, Monk, Diz, Hawk, J. J., Max Roach, and Pettiford, among other greats.

Burt Korall's liner notes are a valuable guidepost to the team lines followed by the participants. Manny has a West Coast collection due for release to complement this East Coast cross section. *Dom Cerulli (Down Beat, November 28, 1957 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Blues From Neither Coast

(Manny Albam)

2 - Latined Fracture

(Manny Albam)

3 - Poor Dr. Millmoss

(Manny Albam)

Side 2

4 - Minor Matters

(Manny Albam)

5 - My Sweetie Went Away

(Roy Turk, Lou Handman)

6 - All Too Soon

(Duke Ellington, Carl Sigman)

7 - See Here, Miss Bromley

(Manny Albam)

Art Farmer, Nick Travis (trumpets); Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone); Phil Woods (alto sax);

Zoot Sims (tenor sax); AI Cohn (tenor sax, baritone sax); Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax);

Hank Jones (piano); Milt Hinton (bass); Osie Johnson (drums); Manny Albam (arranger, conductor).

Recorded in New York City, April 2 [#5], April 3 [#3, #6, #7] and April 4 [#1, #2, #4], 1957

✳✳✳

Manny Albam

Manny Albam And The Jazz Greats Of Our Time • Vol. 2

By design, the writing for this set is spare. Though engaging in its own right, jazz composer-arranger MANNY ALBAM aimed for functionality, writing catalytic frameworks for his soloists. Like the writer of plays, he provided provocative material, but left it to his players to breathe life and immediacy into his story.

Says Manny Albam — "Regardless of what is said to the contrary, jazz is, and always has been a player’s art. When the jazz composer-arranger realizes this, adjusts his working perspective accordingly, giving due consideration and space to the soloist, only then can jazz composition become the community of expression it is at its best... I feel that an inter-relation, inter-dependence between writing and blowing in jazz composition is imperative."

If anything were to truly define the writing of Manny Albam, it would be its great respect and reflection of tradition.

Following traditional procedure: incorporation of elements particular to the jazz tradition — the beat, improvisation within a disciplinary frame, and jazz's own unique feeling — has become increasingly important to him.

Awareness of the past, or shall we say, the whole of jazz, is likely to make one's work all the more meaningful. Having functioned as a writer in a wide range of jazz situations (scoring big bands — Auld, Barnet, Kenton, Herman, etc., jazz backgrounds for vocalists, small bands) helped him to this realization.

For this set, recorded in Hollywood, Manny employed 'blowers'; men equipped to fill his frameworks with the necessary improvisational nutrition. Once again, proof is accessible that players of substance are players of substance regardless of geographical boundaries.

*Burt Korall (from the liner notes)*

This set is a perfect companion piece to Albam’s Jazz Greats, Vol. 1, and some of the comments on that LP apply to this one. For instance, I still find Albam's originals far more interesting throughout than the standards. Possible exception here is De-Lovely, and again I find it's more Manny’s arrangement than the tune itself which makes it.

At any rate, I'll wager there hasn't been a moodier, lovelier ballad original than Afterthoughts (Benny Golson and his remarkable ballad compositions are not included in this bet). Kamuca and Candoli combine on Afterthoughts to create a stunningly somber mood, with the rest of the ensemble pitched low behind them. You can almost feel the rain.

Interwoven is interesting structurally, with sharp Mariano and Geller, and some pungent interchanges between Candoli and Sweets, the latter identified as Trumpeter X because of contractual ties.

Sweets has most of Sweet's-Bread to himself, and blows some compelling trumpet with the ensemble cast in a Basie vein. Harry stays in that groove, blowing relaxed muted trumpet on his and Basie's Jive at Five, and manages a witty phrase variation in the closing statement of the theme.

Thunder-Burt, similar in conception and main theme to Blues for Neither Coast in Vol. 1, is a good comparison track for buffs wishing to carry the East Coast–West Coast discussion into late spring. Solos here, perhaps because of the overall feel of the piece, are funkier, particularly Mariano’s baritone, Williamson's trombone, and Candoli (dig his trace of Eldridge at the end of his second chorus), and to a lesser extent, Flory and Kamuca.

De-Lovely is freshly arranged and smartly played all around. How Long, a muted, shadowy ballad, has some rough spots in Sheldon's solo and at the close of Levy's fine piano spot (with some interesting things going on behind him by Shelly).

If, after listening to both coasts on the two volumes, you can draw any conclusion, it will have to include that each swings, although the westerners seem to find their kicks in a Countish vein. You might also note that this is the third Coral LP in recent months by Albam, which has been in every way a superior effort. He seems to have crystallized that knack of writing brightly without lapsing into pretentiousness, and can score for plenty of solo blowing without just arranging a head and a tail and letting the soloists construct the rest of the skeleton as well as fleshing it out.

*Dom Cerulli (Down Beat, February 20, 1958 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Intervowen

(Manny Albam)

2 - Afterthoughts

(Manny Albam)

3 - Sweet's-Bread

(Manny Albam)

Side 2

4 - Jive At Five

(Harry Edison, Count Basie)

5 - Thurnder Burt

(Manny Albam)

6 - How Long Has This Been Going On?

(George and Ira Gershwin)

7 - It's De-Lovely

(Cole Porter)

Conte Candoli, Jack Sheldon [#2, #5, #6],

Harry Edison as "Trumpeter X" [#1, #3, #4, #7] (trumpets); Stu Williamson (valve trombone);

Herb Geller (alto sax); Richie Kamuca, Med Flory [#2, #5, #6] (tenor saxes);

Bill Holman [#1, #3, #4, #7] (tenor sax, baritone sax);

Charlie Mariano (alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax); 

Lou Levy (piano); Red Mitchell (bass); Shelly Manne (drums); Manny Albam (arranger, conductor). 

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, August 4 [#2, #5, #6],

August 15 [#3, #4, #7] and August 16 [#1], 1957