Dave Pell: From Dixie to Cool

Dave Pell Octet

The Old South Wails

In a considerably cooler climate than is usually found below the Mason-Dixon Line, the Dave Pell Octet swings solidly through the South with their smooth, danceable stylings of Dixieland favorites. Bringing a new, modern sound to this fine collection of Dixie chestnuts is the inventive writing of no less than six different arrangers, who have up-dated such two-beat classics as "Ballin' The Jack" and "Sugar Foot Strut" to suit the "soft-swing" style that characterizes the music of Dave Pell. Many of the tunes begin in traditional Dixieland fashion, then make a subtle switch from hot to cool, as in "Jazz Me Blues" and Bill Holman's swinging, uptempo arrangement of "Oh, Didn't He Ramble" which opens with a slow and stately intro that's reminiscent of a solemn Bourbon Street processional. Still another highlight is the famous jazz spiritual "When The Saints Go Marching In", which is treated to a brilliant modern arrangement by Marty Paich, a Dave Pell colleague of long standing. Here Dave is featured on tenor sax, along with Jack Sheldon, trumpet; Harry Betts, trombone; Med Flory, baritone. Marty Paich and Johnny Williams share piano duties, heading a rhythm section that includes Lyle Ritz, bass; Tommy Tedesco, guitar; and Frankie Capp on drums.

*(From the liner notes)*

The final recording by the Dave Pell Octet until 1984 is a bit of a departure, for the 12 numbers are mostly Dixieland standards, including "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble", "Ballin' the Jack", "Jazz Me Blues", and even "The Saints". The arrangements (by Med Flory, Marty Paich, Bill Holman, Harry Betts, Bob Florence and John Williams), however, are more modern, very much in the 1950s West Coast jazz style championed by Pell. The Octet (which includes Pell on tenor, trumpeter Jack Sheldon, trombonist Harry Betts, baritonist Flory, Paich or Williams on piano, guitarist Tommy Tedesco, bassist Lyle Ritz and drummer Frankie Capp) plays the charts well, swinging lightly, and the key musicians take plenty of short solos. Although there are hints of Dixieland in spots, this is mostly a cool jazz session and serves as the swan song for the fine group. It is a pity that so few of Dave Pell's recordings (including this one) have yet to be reissued on CD. *Scott Yanow*

This is a great example of the Dave Pell group. The jazz improv here is of the "brief" variety and the arrangements do interesting things...each one has its own eccentricities, and they all change around constantly. The style would probably qualify as "cool jazz", since the octet format has a number of different sound colors and the approach is not strictly bebop, but rather modern jazz as it was done in LA around the late fifties and early sixties.

This album takes tunes that would have been known in colleges and especially in the South, and sticks them into the jazz octet world of Dave Pell. All the tunes give plenty of soloing time, assuming you are not insistent upon extended form soloing like that of Miles and Trane.

If you are already familiar with the Jazz at the Lighthouse or the Shelly Manne and his friends style of jazz, then you will seriously dig this album.

I especially enjoyed hearing trombonist Harry Betts. Harry is also a great, great arranger and he plays great bone. Since I am a trombone player, I like to hear him.

*Christopher Tune (Amazon customer)*

Side 1

1 - Shi-Me-Sha-Wabble

(Spencer Williams)

2 - When The Saints Go Marching In

(Traditional, Arr. by Marty Paich)

3 - Sugar Foot Strut

(Pierce, Schwab, Myers)

4 - Ballin' The Jack

(Chris Smith, Jim Burris)

5 - There'll Be Some Changes Made

(Higgins, Overstreet)

6 - Paper Doll

(Johnny S. Black)

Side 2

7 - Jazz Me Blues

(Tom Delaney)

8 - Oh, Didn't He Ramble

(Handy, Arr. by Bill Holman)

9 - Blues (My Naughty Sweety Gives To Me)

(Swanstone, McCarron, Morgan)

10 - Manhattan

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

11 - Ida! Sweet As Apple Cider

(Leonard, Munson, Arr. by Mary Paich)

12 - Tishomingo Blues

(Spencer Williams)

Dave Pell (tenor sax); Jack Sheldon (trumpet); Harry Betts (trombone);

Med Flory (baritone sax); John Williams, Marty Paich (piano);

Lyle Ritz (bass); Tommy Tedesco (guitar); Frank Capp (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, 1961

Rare And Obscure Criteria Jazz Recordings (III)

The Lon Norman Sextet

Gold Coast Jazz

(Volume 2)

This is the third of several VSOP releases of Criteria recordings. This 1957 recording exemplifies the high caliber of jazz that made it onto this label. In addition to Miami's finest, this recording features Johnny Williams and Vinnie Tanno.   Lon Norman had started with the U.S Army Field Band in Washington, D.C., and joined the Willis Conover-Joe Timer aggregation, "The Orchestra", for which he wrote charts and filled in on trombone.  He left D.C. in 1957 with Herbie Fields Sextet and settled in with their stady gig at the Fountainbleau Hotel. Later he worked on the Jackie Gleason show and on H.B. Barnum's T.V. show in the 1970s.

This recording is the second of two that Lon Norman led, the first one being "The Octet" Criteria 1.  At various times, Vinnie Tanno takes over this session with his extroverted style. Lon Norman, not to be outdone, provides some very fine trombone and outstanding charts, demonstrating that he is definitely deserving of significant recognition. A fine CD. *magnebit.xeran.com*

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts". This "truism" applies not only to the world of physics but to the world of music as well. How so? Well, music has its own fascinating physical laws. For example, when more than one musical tone is sounded simultaneously, the blending of overtones of the fundamental sounds creates an extra-dimensional voice. This acoustical phenomenon may be called the blend of sound, and its nature is directly related to the volumen, pitch, and general proportion of the basic tones. Once this "new voice" is created, it takes an active part in shaping and blending the basic tones, working its complex acoustical properties on the original tones. It will enhance one tone and darken another, becoming the master painter in the musical picture. This is scientific fact.

Less scientific, perhaps, but widely-held, is the belief that just as there is a blending of musica tones, so is there a blending of personality overtones among the musicians who créate these sounds -- nad taht this blending of personalities also adds an extra-dimensional ingredient to the music.

Does this happy blend of musical personalities always accur? By no means. A recording sesión, for example, can be a tedious and exasperating experience. Jazz music, after all, is largely a matter of individual interpretation, for even the written note serves only as a general guide to the way the music is to be played. Thus, two men could hold widely divergent opinions on the way a passage should be phrased, and neither one could be accused of being wrong. What happens, then, when musicians of equal skill and reputation disagree violently on the interpretation of an arrangement? Such a dilemma frequently calls for hours of pleanding, cajoling, arbitration and compromiso before a solution is reached that satisfies all "egos" involved. It is probably unnecessary to point out thet a recording waxed under such strained circumstances usually emerges cold, stilted and sterile.

No such catastrophe marred the creation of this album. As a matter of fact, the psychological compass was pointed in exactly the opposite direction. The minds of the individual musicians were in such a state of complete harmony that the harmónica blend of the music itself reflects the presence of this happy extradimension, for the Sextet swings along through Lon Norman's intrincate arrangements as though all the sidemen had been fused into a single vibrant personality. The resulting musical porridge that is served up, hot, contains a savory blend of elements that will please the particular palate of the jazz gourmet. *Val Machen (liner notes)*

1 - Fu-Dunk

(Lon Norman)

2 - Evelina

(Harold Arlen)

3 - I Remember You

(Schertzinger, Marcus)

4 - Lons-On-Ya

(Lon Norman)

5 - How Deep Is The Ocean

(Irving Berlin)

6 - Star Eyes

(De Paul, Raye)

7 - Everything Happens To Me

(Adair, Dennis)

8 - Pu-Dah

(Lon Norman)

Lon Norman (trombone), Vinnie Tanno (trumpet), Gus Moss (tenor sax),

John Williams (piano),  Al Simi (bass), Bill Ladley (drums).

Recorded at Criteria-Reela Studios, Miami, Florida, August 1957

Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XXIV)

Zoot Sims Quartet

Zoot 

Owner of a badge of distinction only worn in the lapels of three other men (Stan Getz, Herbie Seward, and Serge Charloff), until late '50s "Zoot" Sims was mostly known as one of the original member of the "Four Brothers" (the saxophone section for the Woody Herman orchestra back in 1947) and for his later prolific collaboration with Al Cohn. Recorded in Chicago in 1956, and originally issued on the Argo label, Zoot is the first of his works to give him sufficient blowing room to show his qualities and merits the full rating as one of the more sustained examples of hot jazz improvisation. *forcedexposure.com*

An obscure session for Zoot Sims — but a nice one! The group's a quartet — with Johnny Williams on piano, Gus Johnson on drums, and Knobby Totah on bass — and Zoot's blowing in an unfettered setting that reminds us a bit of Sonny Stitt in similar settings at the same time! Tracks are shortish, but there's still plenty of room for Zoot to work in a style that's up there with his best bop recordings of the 50s — and at some level, the record's got the same sharp edge as Sims' best early sides for Prestige — but perhaps goes them one better with an added sense of tightness and maturity. The titles are pretty fresh too — and include "55th And State", "9:20 Special", "Gus's Blues", and "Bohemia After Dark".  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

Zoot Sims is the country boy move to the city, one who has let enough sophistication stick to him so that he can get along with the urbanites.

Though he has firm control of his horn, he shrugs off any unnecessary technical bric-a-brac to dig deeply into the blues-based roots of jazz. His  playing is piercingly honest and revealing, and though he, too, is of the many who have been influenced by Lester Young, his  sound is thicker and fuller, and the beat he evokes is more akin to a heart-beat than a pulse. 

Zoot is a swinger planted ankle-deep in loam.

(This is) quite a remarkable album, one which turns a bright bulb on Zoot Sims, tenor saxophonist.

He does not blink. *Jack Tracy (liner notes)*

1 - 9:20 Special

(E. Warren)

2 - The Man I Love

(G. and I. Gershwin)

3 - 55th And State

(Z. Sims)

4 - Blue Room

(Rogers, Hart)

5 - Gus's Blues

(G.  Johnson)

6 - That Old Feeling

(L. Brown, S. Fain)

7 - Bohemia After Dark

(O. Pettiford)

8 - Woody'n You

(D. Gillespie)

Zoot Sims (tenor sax, alto sax), John Williams (piano),

Knobby Totah (bass), Gus Johnson (drums).

Recorded at Capitol Studios, New York City, October 12, 1956

• The Jazz School •

A nice bop compilation featuring three different sessions as below:

Art Mardigan Sextet featuring John Williams on piano: a refreshing bop session with unique sound colour; Paul Gonsalves Sextet featuring Clark Terry: a bit corny, but also a nice mainstream session; and two tracks by Joe Gordon Quintet: Gordon's brilliant trumpet blows so great, and Art Blakey's propulsive rhythm gives the entire mood of this great hard-bop session.

Strictly personal rating (to what extent I could enjoy this album); 8 out of 10.

*Matsubayashi "Shaolin" Kohji [microgroove.jp]*

There are sixteen students in this class of the Jazz School; sixteen young men whose grades are impeccable, whose studies have clearly qualified them for a successful and distinguished career. 

At the head of the class for the first four exercises is a member of the drums Corps, a familiar figure by the name of Arthur Mardigan.

Art is a native Detroiter, born in December, 1923 and a name band musician since the age of nineteen, when he joined Tommy Reynolds. After Army service in 1943-44 he spent a year with Georgie Auld's group, then went home to Detroit for a while before entering the New York scene, where he was a part of many noteworthy 52nd Street combos under the leadership of Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Allen Eager and Kai Winding. In addition, Art worked off and on with Woody Herman and Elliot Lawrence. In 1954, when Pete Rugolo came east to form a band for a tour, Art was a cornerstone of that all-star ensemble.

Featured with Art on his four performances here are Don Joseph, a cornetist who's been a familiar figure around New York jazz circles for several years; Milt Gold, a trombonist who has seen service with such name bands as Stan Kenton's and Claude Thornhill's; and Al Cohn, the tenor saxophonist and arranger who has been rising rapidly to jazz eminence in the past year. Heard with Mardigan in the rhythm section are John Williams, the 25-year-old pianist from Windsor, Vermont, best known for his work with Stan Getz; and Teddy Kotick, a 27-year-old bass man who has been prominent on the New York scene with Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, Buddy De Franco and a flock of other combos. 

Class dismissed.

A new group moves in: at the head of this class is Paul Gonsalves, tenor saxophonist from Brockton, Massachusetts. Raised in Pawtucket, R.I., Paul started his musical life as a guitarist at the age of sixteen, in 1936; later, switching to tenor saxophone, he became popular as a featured member of the Sabby Lewis orchestra, a well known Boston group, with which he made his record debut.

A three-year hitch in the Army, from 1942 to '45, was followed by a stint in the Count Basie orchestra, and a brief fling in Dizzy Gillespie's final big band. Then, early in 1951, Paul joined the great Duke Ellington orchestra, of which, except for a few weeks in Tommy Dorsey's band in 1953, he has been a member ever since. 

Paul's colleagues on this, his first record session under his own leadership, include Clark Terry, another great Ellingtonian of several years standing and sitting; Porter Kilbert, baritone saxophonist, who worked briefly on alto with Ellington in 1951; Junior Mance, a gifted 27-year-old pianist from Chicago, best known for the fine work he has done as Dinah Washington's accompanist; Eugene Miller on drums; and the inimitable, poll-winning bassist of erstwhile Woody Herman fame, Greig Stewart "Chubby" Jackson. 

... dismissed...

Time now for graduation exercises. The class is headed by Joseph Henry Gordon, another brilliant New Englander on the modern jazz scene. Born in 1928 in Boston, Joe worked as a sandwich boy on the Boston-Albany railroad as recently as 1947, but later in that same year made his professional bow with his own combo at Boston's Savoy Ballroom, where the above-named Sabby Lewis was a frequent favorite. Joe also worked as a sideman with Sabby, as well as with a variety of other groups, from Georgie Auld to Charlie Mariano, from Charlie Parker to Lionel Hampton.

Heard with Joe on these sides are Charlie Rouse, a tenor man from Washington, D.C., who was with Duke Ellington in 1949-'50; Junior Mance, reappearing on piano; Jimmy Schenck on bass; and the pride of Pittsburgh, winner of the 1953 New Star award in the critics’ poll, Art Blakey on drums.

So these are the men you will meet in the Jazz School. It seems superfluous to point out that every last man of these sixteen students has graduated, as he deserves to, summa cum laude. 

*(from the liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - I've Found A New Baby

(Plamer, Williams)

2 - Moroccan Blues

(Al Cohn)

3 - Old Gold

(Milt Green)

4 - Golden Touch

(Quincy Jones)

5 - Evening Lights

(Joe Gordon)

Side 2

6 - It Don't Mean A Thing

(Mills, Ellington)

7 - Take Nine

(Paul Gonsalves)

8 - Everything Happens To Me

(Adair, Dennis)

9 - Don't Blame Me

(Fields, McHugh)

10 - Body And Soul

(Heyman, Sour, Green, Eyton)

#1 to #4: Art Mardigan Sextet

Don Joseph (cornet), Milt Gold (trombone), Al Cohn (tenor sax), John Williams (piano), Teddy Kotick (bass), Art Mardigan (drums).

Recorded in New York City, May 20, 1954.

#6 to #9: Paul Gonsalves Sextet

Clark Terry (trumpet), Porter Kilbert (alto sax), Paul Gonsalves (tenor sax), Junior Mance (piano), Chubby Jackson (bass), Eugene Miller (drums).

Recorded (probably) in Chicago, Illinois, February 6, 1954.

#5 and #10: Joe Gordon Quintet

Joe Gordon (trumpet), Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), Junior Mance (piano), Jimmy Schenck (bass), Art Blakey (drums).

Recorded at Fine Sound Studio, New York City, September 3 (#10) and 8 (#5), 1954.

 

Tenors Anyone?

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

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

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

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

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

Side 1

1 - These Foolish Things

(Link, Strachey, Marvell)

2 - Blues For The Month Of May

(Jerome Lloyd)

3 - I Should Care

(Cahn, Weston, Stordahl)

4 - Along About This Time Last Year

(Darwin, Sykes, Lewis)

Side 2

5 - Skull Buster

(Al Haig)

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

(Levinson, Symes, Neiburg)

7 - Ante Room

(Jimmy Raney)

8 - Pennies From Heaven

(Burke, Johnston)

9 - In A Pinch

(Al Haig)

10 - Poop Deck

(Al Haig)

#1, #4:

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

Recorded in New York City, August 12, 1956

#2, #3:

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

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

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

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

Recorded in New York City, May 12, 1949.

#6, #9:

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

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