Five-Star Collection... Kenny Drew

The Kenny Drew Trio
New Faces • New Sounds

Blue Note has presented a number of inspired and inspiring modern jazz piano artists in recent years, several of whom were virtually discovered and launched in the record field by this label. Among them are Bud Powell, Wynton Kelly, Thelonious Monk, and Horace Silver. This is no less true of Kenny Drew, a native New Yorker who was playing around town for quite some time, more or less ignored by the name musicians, until Howard McGhee used him on a Blue Note session in January 1950.

(...)

After his disc debut with McGhee and consequent acceptance by the big-timers, he was heard in clubs or on records with everyone from Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz, and Lester Young to Milt Jackson, Sonny Stitt, and Buddy DeFranco. It was with Buddy’s quartet, touring the country and recording frequently in 1952 and '53, that most jazz fans became familiar with his name and style.

(...)

Kenny's solo debut in this set is notable for the colorful variety of the performances, ranging from the brilliant elaboration of Jerome Kern's Yesterdays to the swinging simplicity of his own Drew's Blues. Particularly impressive is his unusual choice of tempos, exemplified by the jump treatments of It Might As Well Be Spring and Be My Love — the latter might aptly be described as the answer to Lanza!

(...)

Kenny’s work is cast in the modernist mold, but it seems to owe allegiance to no one model; on the contrary, a careful hearing of these sides will reveal that Kenny has already developed his own personality at the keyboard. He is a proud addition to the growing ranks of the modern jazz piano family. *Leonard Feather (from the liner notes)*

Often praised on this page for his many excellent solos with DeFranco, 25-year-old Kenny wins his solo colors here with a set of six standards, a blues, and a pretty original.

On occasion he can be simple as all get out (Everything); then he can turn around and be as complex as you like, in the overlong but never dull Yesterdays. At the uptempos, as when he swingingly delanzafies Be My Love, he's in the Bud Powell class.

Art Blakey and Curly Russell, as you'd expect, are responsible for at least two-thirds of the success of the trio, with Art soloing, not too long or too flashily, in a couple of spots.

(Down Beat, Chicago, September 23, 1953 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Yesterdays

(Kern, Harbach)

2 - Stella By Starlight

(Young, Washington) 

3 - Gloria

(Kenny Drew)

4 - Be My Love

(Cahn, Brodszky)

Side 2

5 - Lover Come Back To Me

(Romberg, Hammerstein)

6 - Everything Happens To Me

(Adair)

7 - It Might As Well Be Spring

(Rodgers, Hammerstein)

8 - Drew's Blues

(Kenny Drew)

Kenny Drew (piano), Curly Russell (bass), Art Blakey (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, April 16, 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

Rare And Obscure Criteria Jazz Recordings (IV)

The Modern Jazz Orchestra

featuring Kenny Drew

This is the fourth of several VSOP releases of Criteria recordings. Criteria was a small jazz label founded by Mack Emerman that showcased Miami jazz musicians of the late 1950's. All Criteria LPs are extremely rare and highly sought after. The music on this CD is primarily written, orchestrated and directed by Don Vincent. Don who studied at Carnegie Mellon and under Nikolai Lapatnikoff later went on to lead the orchestra at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas and currently runs a recording studio in Los Angeles. The band is made up of Miami's all stars of the day. It is a fine jazz orchestra. Highly recommended. *magnebit.xeran.com*

The Modern Jazz Orchestra was a stage band that worked a little bit in Florida before breaking up. Its one recording, from 1960, comprises this reissue. Don Vincent contributed five of the eight selections and wrote all the arrangements for the 16-piece ensemble. The only well-known musician on this set is pianist Kenny Drew, although the musicianship is excellent. Despite its potentially forbidding name, the music is essentially bop to hard bop, including versions of "Blue Monk," "A Night in Tunisia," and Miles Davis' "Flamenco Sketches." It is very nice to have this obscurity (originally from the tiny Criteria label) back in print again. *Scott Yanow*

When Billy Ladley (drummer), Joe Galovan (conductor), and Don Vincent (composer and arranger) asked me to write the liner notes for this album I was very pleased to do so. 

The "hanger" came when I started delving into the story behind the album and found, among other things, that the story was actually an epic. For if it wasn't for Billy Ladley's knowledge that such a band could be in Miami or Don Vincent's creative talent giving the band material it needed, or Joe Galovan's dogged insistence upon the formation of such a band, it would have never been realized. But a band without the benefit of the wonderful facilities that Criteria Records offers would have been for naught.

It all started with Joe Galovan. It seems to me that Joe Galovan was born to be a catharsis. At Least that's his function with the MJO.

⁂

 The “Band Idea” hit him in March of 1959, while he was recovering from a year and a half on the road with his friend, Don Vincent.

⁂

Joe asked Don to write some arrangements for a band similar to the MJO. Don wrote them and together they recorded a demonstration album which Joe took to New York. New York received it with mild interest. The recording companies asked where the band was playing, and the clubs asked if the band had recorded. Joe came back to Miami in August and he and Don revamped the band through August and September. But they were met with Miami’s own special brand of apathy, and by December they were ready to throw in the towel or the baton, or just about anything. They had had it. They felt they couldn't get top notch players, and the interest Miami had exemplified was close to a minus point.

In March, Bill Ladley returned to Miami from Las Vegas, and administered a kick in the pants to the two. He showed them that since December, good musicians had been drifting into Miami, and were available for a record date. New plans were made, and in April, Don started building a straight Jazz book. In May they recorded. The men in the band were so enthused that they played their best, and subsequently, most of the cuts are first or second takes.

⁂

As for the band, it's a great first album, and with your help, it will be followed by a second that is greater. Shall we put our collective shoulders to the wheel! *Pat O'Neil (liner notes)*

1 - Black Pits Of Luna

(Don Vincent)

2 - Flamenco Sketches  (or All Blues?)

(Miles Davis)

3 - Eulogy

(Don Vincent)

4 - Waltz For Stephen

(Don Vincent)

5 - Off The Grate

(Don Vincent)

6 - Blue Monk

(Thelonious Monk)

7 - Don's Idea

(Don Vincent)

8 - Night In Tunisia

(Dizzy Gillespie)

Gene Goe, John Georgini, Duke Schuster, Bill Robbins (trumpets); Berry Polger (alto sax, flute); 

Gus Mas, Billy Miller, Jerry Brockman , Jimmy Casals, Kirby Campbell (saxophones);

Lon Norman (trombone); Loren Reichert (french horn); Jim Lawrence (tuba);

Kenny Drew (piano); Bill Christ (bass); Bill Ladley (drums).

Recorded at Criteria Recording Co., Miami, Florida, May 1960 

⁂

[Note: I couldn't find any reference or correction in any review that points out a curiosity: track #2 identified as "Flamenco Sketches" is, in fact, "All Blues". Both compositions are from Miles Davis' iconic Kind Of Blue which (another curiosity) on some vinyl reissues, the label switched the order for the two tracks on side two, "All Blues" and "Flamenco Sketches". *blbs*]

Best Coast Jazz

Jazz has been through many stylistic evolutions in winding its tortuous upward course through history. It has been noted by some observers that the names for the various local and regional deviations have outnumbered the styles themselves. There have been New Orleans jazz and Dixieland jazz (and if anyone can distinguish between these two we should appreciate his calling us collect), Chicago jazz, Kansas City Jazz, swing, bop, boogie-woogie, and, of course, in recent years, cool jazz and West Coast jazz. 

Maybe you agree that too much pigeonholing does no good for the music and that jazz is better enjoyed subjectively without regard to classifications of this nature. That’s why Best Coast Jazz is such fitting title for this set of performances. The term is intended to have absolutely no significance beyond the fact that the sides were recorded within a stone’s throw of the Pacific Ocean, and that they contain some of the best improvised solos recorded in that general area in recent years. 

The personnel on this date represented an amalgamation, for the first time, of a pair of important EmArcy attractions, both of whom have made individual reputations through various LPs on which they have appeared either as leaders or as sidemen on this label during the past year. They are Herb Geller and that two-headed combo-leading team of Clifford Brown and Max Roach.

These two king sized performances —the jumping riff blues tune "Coronado" and "You Go To My Head"— were recorded in Los Angeles on August 10, 1954. Since more than a quarter of an hour is devoted to each tune, it will come as no surprise to you that every member of this wonderful group is given ample opportunity to express his ad lib feelings with no holds barred and no restrictions of any kind. We feel that the results certainly justify the appropriate description of these sides as "Best Coast Jazz". *(Liner notes)*

On this out-of-print EmArcy LP features an all-star group with trumpeter Brown, the altos of Herb Geller and Joe Maini, Walter Benton on tenor, pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Curtis Counce and drummer Max Roach. They perform two lengthy numbers, a medium-tempo blues "Coronado" and the ballad "You Go to My Head". "Coronado" is climaxed by an exciting tradeoff by the four horns that gets down to two beats apiece! "You Go to My Head" has fine solos all around but Brownie's closing statement cuts everyone. *Scott Yanow*

Side 1

1 - Coronado

(Coles)

Side 2

2 - You Go To My Head

(Cocks, Gillespie)

Clifford Brown (trumpet); Walter Benton (tenor sax); Joe Maini, Jr., Herb Geller (alto saxes); Kenny Drew (piano); Curtis Counce (bass); Max Roach (drums).

Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California, August 10, 1954.