Zoot Sims on Prestige (VII) [as sideman]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chubby Jackson And His All Star Band

Plays

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

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

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

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

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

1 - Flying The Coop

(Tiny Kahn)

2 - I May Be Wrong

(Ruskin, Sullivan)

3 - Leavin' Town

(Jarvis, Meissner)

4 - Sax Appeal

(Tiny Kahn)

5 - New York

(Al Cohn)

6 - Why Not

(Tiny Kahn)

7 - Hot Dog

(Zoot Sims)

8 - So What

(Gerry Mulligan)

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

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

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

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

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

✳✳✳

Miles Davis Septet

Plays The Compositions Of Al Cohn

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

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

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

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

Side 1

1 - Tasty Pudding

2 - Floppy

Side 2

3 - Willie The Wailer

4 - For Adults Only

(All compositions by Al Cohn)

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

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

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

Zoot Sims on Prestige (III)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zoot Sims

Good Old Zoot

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

About Chubby Jackson & His All Stars Band Plays:

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

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

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

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

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

About Zoot Sims In Hollywood:

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

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

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

Side 1

1 - Howdy Podner

(Bill Holman)

2 - Indian Summer

(Al Dubin, Victor Herbert)

3 - Leavin' Town

(Jarvis, Meissner)

4 - Flyin' The Coop

(Kahn)

Side 2

5 - Toot No. 2

(Bill Holman)

6 - What's New

(Johnny Burke, Bob Haggart)

7 -Hot Dog

(Zoot Sims)

8 - So What

(Gerry Mulligan)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Howard McGhee And Phil Porter - Two Rare And Unique Recordings

Howard McGhee (1918 – 1987), among young jazz adepts unjustly almost forgotten today, was a reliable man if you're following his steadily flowing recorded output between 1942 & 1948, which were the heydays of the bebop era. And "Maggie", so his nickname in musicians’ circles, was in the middle of it all. He was not phrasing as "mathematically" like his great successor and friend Theodore "Fats" Navarro, or the next in the line, Clifford Brown, affectionately called "Brownie" by his friends and fans, but he could express his ideas as fast, and as eloquently as the two other trumpet geniuses.

During 1945-1949, Howard McGhee was one of the finest trumpeters in jazz, an exciting performer with a sound of his own, who among the young bop players, ranked at the top with Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro. The "missing link" between Roy Eldridge and Fats Navarro (Navarro influenced Clifford Brown who influenced most of the post-1955 trumpeters), McGhee originally played clarinet and tenor, not taking up trumpet until he was 17. He worked in territory bands, was with Lionel Hampton in 1941, and then joined Andy Kirk (1941-1942), being featured on McGhee Special. McGhee participated in the fabled bop sessions at Minton's Playhouse and Monroe's Uptown House, modernizing his style away from Roy Eldridge and towards Dizzy Gillespie. He was with Charlie Barnet (1942-1943), returned to Kirk (where he sat next to Fats Navarro in the trumpet section), and had brief stints with Georgie Auld and Count Basie before traveling to California with Coleman Hawkins in 1945; their concise recordings of swing-to-bop transitional music (including "Stuffy," "Rifftide," and "Hollywood Stampede") are classic. McGhee stayed in California into 1947, playing with Jazz at the Philharmonic, recording and gigging with Charlie Parker (including the ill-fated "Lover Man" date) and having an influence on young players out on the Coast. His Dial sessions were among the most exciting recordings of his career, and back in New York he recorded for Savoy and had a historic meeting on record with Navarro in 1948 on Blue Note.

Eventually, drugs began to affect McGhee's career. He traveled on a USO tour during the Korean War, recording in Guam. McGhee also had sessions for Bethlehem (1955-1956) but was inactive during much of the '50s. He recorded some strong dates for Felsted, Bethlehem, Contemporary, and Black Lion during 1960-1961, and on a quartet outing for United Artists (1962), but (with the exception of a Hep big band date in 1966) was largely off records again until 1976. He had a final burst of activity during 1976-1979 for Sonet, SteepleChase, Jazzcraft, Zim, and Storyville, but by then, McGhee was largely forgotten and few knew about his link to Fats Navarro and Clifford Brown.

Phil Porter (1944 – 2015) born in Boston and raised in Charlton and Somerville. He graduated Somerville High School with the Class of 1961 and attended Boston University.

Phil began his music career in Boston at the age of 16 as a professional pianist and organist. By the age of 19 he had recorded his first two jazz album and had performed at the Newport Jazz Festival. 

In 1971, Phil started rehearsing with the jazz-rock band, Chase. Within a few months, the band signed a record deal and moved to Chicago to record Chase, their first album on the Epic label. As a member of the band Chase, he earned a gold record, received a Grammy nomination, and performed on the Johnny Carson Show and at Carnegie Hall. After many years of performing throughout the U.S. and worldwide, he returned to the Boston area and continued his music career locally, including as the organist for the Bruins and Celtics at the Boston Garden. He was a member of Local 535 of the Boston Chapter of the American Federation of Musicians. He settled in Lynn to raise his family and lived in Andover prior to moving to Haverhill where he served as a volunteer for Merrimack Valley Hospice.

When Howard McGhee reappeared in 1962, after being away from the stage for 10 years due to narcotic use, Paul Wimley offered him the opportunity to record four titles for the Argo label with Gene Ammons (House Warmin'! by Howard McGhee and The Blazers). Confidential. But in the process, George Wein produced two quartet sessions in the fall of 1962 for United Artists, the first with piano, the second with organ. 

That's when the meeting between McGhee and Porter took place. Howard McGhee appears there in full possession of his means, with a warm and coppery timbre that is very personal and atypical of a time when trumpets were more willingly "distorted". 

Howard and Phil met only twice and those recordings, already considered rare and obscure today, are the reason for this post.

Howard McGhee

Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out

&

House Warmin'!

A contemporary of Dizzy Gillespie, Howard McGhee was one of the most stimulating trumpeters of the bop era. Although personal problems sidelined him for part of the 50s, his great experience compensated for much of the time lost when he made his comeback in the early 60s. In fact, on Nobody Knows You When Youre Down and Out, recorded in 1962, McGhee sounds even better than before - engaging and emotional without compromising his strength while supported by two excellent rhythm sections, one with pianist Jimmy Jones, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Art Taylor, and the other with organist Phil Porter, bassist Larry Ridley and drummer Dave Bailey.

On the second album included here, House Warmin'!, recorded a few months earlier. McGhee shares the front line with tenorman Gene Ammons. The rhythm section includes the quasi-urbane sound of guitarist Jake Fisher, bassist Barney Richmond and drummer Willie Mashburn, who have an essential role in building a program reflecting the infinite variety to be found in the rhythm-and-blues field. *Jordi Pujol*

You may not have ever heard of Howard McGhee, but at one time he was one of the top notch bebop trumpeters, up there with Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro. He’s on Charlie Parker’s notorious “Lover Man” date, and actually had a bebop hit (is that an oxymoron?) with Coleman Hawkins with "Stuffy" in the mid 40s. He lived the life of a bebopper in more ways than one, as drugs caught up with him and sidelined him for awhile. The two recording sessions on this disc find him working on his comeback, and the music is surprisingly good.

Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out is a '62 session featuring McGhee with a trio backing, either with piano or organ, and includes Art Taylor/dr, and Ron Carter/b. The B3 band has McGhee in a bluesy mood with a desultory title track and version of  "Lonely Town" that will make you want to keep away from sharp objects. He alternates between agonizing Harmon mutes and sleek open horn, actually mixing it up in the same song as in the fascinating "Canadian Sunset". He's quite lyrical on "Tenderly" and "Fly Me To The Moon" and his tone holds up well. The House Warmin’! session is a hot jam with Gene Ammonts/ts, Jake Fisher/g, Barney Richmond/b, Willie Mashburn/d and a guy named Waco on bongos. Hey, it’s the 60s! Ammons smokes like a Romeo e Juliet on "Jazz with a Beat" and McGhee revives his old charms on "Muggin' McGhee" and the title tune. If you want to hear a rhythm team that is in sync, just give an ear to "Jivin' Around". That'll keep you going for awhile. *George W. Harris*

1 - Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out

(Cox)

2 - Lonely Town

(Bernstein)

3 - Secret Love

(Fain, Webster)

4 - Why Run Away

(Spencer)

5 - Canadian Sunset

(Heywood)

6 - Blue Bell

(McGhee)

7 - Tenderly

(Gross, Laurence)

8 - Fly Me To The Moon

(Howard)

9 - Satin Doll

(Ellington, Strayhorn)

10 - Blue Duende

(McGhee)

11 - Jazz With A Beat

(Winley, Paul)

12 - Muggin' McGhee

(Winley, Paul)

13 - House Warmin'

(Winley, Paul)

14 - Jivin' Around

(Winley, Paul)

#1 to #10: from Nobody Knows You When Youre Down and Out

(United Artists Records UAJS 15028)

#4, #5, #7, #10

Howard McGhee (trumpet), Jimmy Jones (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Art Taylor (drums).

Recorded in New York City, September, 1962.

#1, #2,  #3, #6, #8, #9

Howard McGhee (trumpet), Phil Porter (organ Hammond B3), Larry Ridley (bass), Dave Bailey (drums).

Recorded in New York City, October, 1962.

#11 to #14: from Howard McGhee and The Blazers - House Warmin'! (Argo LPS 4020)

Howard McGhee (trumpet), Gene Ammons (tenor sax), Jake Fisher (guitar), Barney Richmond (bass), Willie Mashburn(drums), Waco (bongos).

Recorded at Bell Sound Studio, New York City, probably May 1962.

***

Phil Porter

Introducing Phil Porter And His Organ

It was a snowy night in February, 1963, when jazz trumpeter Howard McGhee, jazz producer George Wein, a German Shephard dog named Sage and I climbed into Wein's car in New York. Our destination was the little town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, 200 miles from New York and 30 miles west of Boston. 

Our purpose was to hear a 19 year old organ player named Phil Porter, and we were going on the strength of a one night stand McGhee had played with Porter in Boston nine months earlier.

To go back to the beginning, I had just brought McGhee and Wein together to make the trumpeter's first LP under his own name in several years. Both men, it turned out, had the same idea — find a good swinging jazz organist and utilize him to showcase McGhee's virtuosity. At this point Howard remembered the boy who had left such a strong impression. "He's only a kid but he can play the hell out of an organ, especially on blues!" 

That was enough to set me hunting and, through two Boston organ afficionados, John Sdoucos and Fred Taylor, Porter was located a couple of days later and we set off in the snow to hear him. What should have been a four hour trip turned into more than five and we finally walked into the club about midnight. 

We were almost crushed to find a rock and roll band at work, with about five bored customers sitting around looking like anything was better than going home. However, smiling at us from behind the Hammond was a good-looking young blonde boy complete with crew cut, and Howard confirmed that this was, indeed, Phil Porter. 

After about ten minutes, Wein managed to shoo the rest of the band off the floor and told him to play some. Two or three pieces later and we felt he had what Howard wanted, but there was one more test. He had already chosen some of the material for the date and one of the pieces was the old Bessie Smith blues "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out". At this point he dropped the tune on the music rack in front of Porter and asked him if he knew the tune. He didn't but we told him to sight read it and away he went. Half a dozen choruses of blues later we had ourselves an organist. 

Within two weeks the album was completed, but even before it was through, United Artists Records president Art Talmadge had attended the sessions, heard Phil Porter and he was under contract to make his own recordings as well. This is the first of his efforts, and he is ably guided throughout by his mentor, McGhee. In fact, his rock and roll days ended shortly after the first McGhee date when he joined McGhee's combo with which he is still on tour.

For this album, producer Wein worked very closely with Phil in the selection of material, but he allowed him: the real delight of selecting his own musicians for the dates. It was decided to use two slightly different groups, with Kenny Burrell added on guitar for several numbers. On trumpet, naturally, he chose McGhee, who also did all the arrangements. He chose tenor saxist Harold Ousley "because he has that big bluesy sound I like", plus what he calls the "All-American rhythm section", Paul Chambers on bass and Arthur Taylor on drums. 

At this point in his young life, everything is green lights and straight ahead for Phil Porter, but he is already developing into something of a philosopher. As we sat listening to the playback on this album in George Wein's office one day, Phil turned to us with a sly grin and said: "Do you remember the name of that club where you first heard me with the rock and roll group? It was called The Escape — and it sure turned out that way!". *Bob Messinger (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - C Jam Blues

(Duke Ellington)

2 - Hard Times

(Phil Porter)

3 - Moonlight In Vermont

(K. Suessdorf, J. Blackburn)

4 - There Will Never Be Another You

(M. Gordon, H. Warren)

5 - What Did I Do To Be So Black And Blue

(T. F. Waller, H. Brooks, A. Razaff)

6 - Blue Dilemma

(Phil Porter)

Side 2

7 - Molly Belle

(Phil Porter)

8 - That's All

(Brandt, Haymes)

9 - Conversation

(Phil Porter)

10 - Candlelight

(Phil Porter)

11 - Diane

(E. Paree, L. Pollack)

Phil Porter (organ Hammond B3), Howard McGhee (trumpet), Harold Ousley (tenor sax), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Paul Chambers (bass), Art Taylor (drums).

Recorded in New York City, probably April 1963.

Coleman Hawkins - Hollywood Stampede

Although Coleman Hawkins always denied it, he was undoubtedly one of the first and greatest of all jazz saxophonists. Hawkins, born in St. Joseph, Missouri on 21st November, 1904, was quick to point out that he was not the earliest saxophone stylist in jazz but he was nevertheless the first to establish a style on the instrument. His career, from Mamie Smith’s Jazz Hounds via the Fletcher Henderson band, the years in Europe and the countless club and concert appearances, is too well-known to warrant reiteration. Suffice it to say that when he died in New York City on 19th May, 1969, the jazz world mourned the loss of a true giant. 

The enclosed record presents the dozen titles he made for Capitol at the beginning of 1945 when he was leading a very successful small band. Hawk had not been to Hollywood since the early nineteen-twenties when he visited the west coast with Mamie Smith. Some doubt surrounded his 1945 visit and although he was tentatively booked to appear in the Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles on January 17th it was subsequently discovered that he was still in New York on that date. Eventually he turned up in California and proceeded to thrill west coast jazz audiences with the power of his playing. In every respect the music heard on the enclosed LP is classic Hawkins and classic jazz. *Alun Morgan (liner notes)*

When tenor saxophonist John Coltrane recorded his composition "Giant Steps" in 1959, he created something that changed the way musicians thought about improvisation and harmony. Decades earlier, the man who took the first leaps and bounds with the tenor sax in jazz was Coleman Hawkins.

Before Hawkins arrived on the jazz scene with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in the 1920s, the tenor sax was basically an ensemble instrument — as opposed to a improvisational instrument — mainly providing a link between the clarinets and brass instruments in military bands and big bands. Hawkins had different ideas, and through his virtuosic playing, he put the instrument front and center in the development of jazz. Hawkins' approach to music would later serve as a bridge from the era of big band swing to later developments like bebop. Put simply, Hawkins was a musical pioneer, one of the most versatile and accomplished soloists in jazz history. Hollywood Stampede shows twelve samples of his genius.

When bebop arrived on the scene, many of the musicians of the swing era dismissed it in much the same way that bebop musicians would later dismiss rock 'n' roll. Hawkins, however, was very interested in this new development and often used a mix of bop pioneers in his ensembles. For example, on this 1945 recording of Hawkins' "Rifftide," we hear Sir Charles Thompson (piano) and Allan Reuss (guitar), who both had roots in earlier eras, while the other members of the band — Howard McGhee (trumpet), Oscar Pettiford (bass) and Denzil Best (drums) — were early practitioners of bebop. Hawkins could swing with the best of the boppers. *npr.org*

Side 1

1 - April In Paris

(V. Duke, E. Y. Harburg)

2 - Rifftide

(Coleman Hawkins)

3 - Stardust

(H. Carmichael, M. Parish)

4 - Stuffy

(Coleman Hawkins)

5 - Hollywood Stampede

(Coleman Hawkins)

6 - I'm Through With Love

(M. Malneck, F. Livingston, G. Kahn)

Side 2

7 - What Is There To Say?

(V. Duke, E. Y. Harburg)

8 - Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams

(H. Barris, B. Moll, T. Koehler)

9 - Too Much Of A Good Thing

(C. Hawkins, C. Thompson)

10 - Bean Soup

(Coleman Hawkins)

11 - Someone To Watch Over Me

(G. and I. Gershwin)

12 - It's The Talk Of The Town

(J. Livingston, M. Symes, A. J. Neiburg)

Coleman Hawkins (tenor sax); Howard McGhee (trumpet); Vic Dickenson (trombone [#5, #8]); Sir Charles Thompson (piano); Allan Reuss (guitar); Oscar Pettiford [#1 to #8], John Simmons [#9 to #12] (basses); Denzil Best (drums).

Recorded in Hollywood, Ferbruary 23 (#1 to #4), March 2 (#5 to #8), March 9 (#9 to #12), 1945.