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 The sound quality varies from track to track and while not professional recordings they are extremely important historical documents of those Sundays in Hermosa Beach and we are happy to be able to share them with you.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

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection XI

Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars

Jazz Structures

This album represents a fundamental turning point and, in many ways, the conclusion of the canonical corpus of the Lighthouse All-Stars recordings. Although it fits chronologically into the Lighthouse All-Stars Collection series, its nature demands a dual interpretation: on one hand, it belongs to the band's main line; on the other, as Howard Rumsey himself did not participate as a session musician, the record functions as a natural heir to the Lighthouse Series that the All-Stars produced for the Liberty label.

Unlike the recordings captured in the effervescent atmosphere of the club in Hermosa Beach, Jazz Structures sought an almost "architectural" clarity. To achieve this, Rumsey moved the project to United Recording Corp. in Hollywood. Under the technical direction of Bill Putnam, the studio environment allowed for a technical precision impossible to reach in a live setting, capturing Bob Cooper’s complex arrangements with absolute fidelity. The use of specialized microphones and the controlled acoustics of United Recording provided this work with a unique sonic texture within the group's discography.

It is worth noting that while this album marks the end of a formal era, the legacy of the Lighthouse All-Stars — with or without Howard Rumsey in their ranks — extends through many more recordings. Much of that material, generally recorded live and featuring top-tier special guests (Miles Davis, Art Pepper, Stan Getz), is currently scattered across official releases and valuable unreleased recordings that we will be discovering in the near future.

It was over 12 years ago that bassist Howard Rumsey left the Stan Kenton Orchestra and, in his own words, "decided to find a permanent home for the music of jazz on the west coast". Today, the Howard Rumsey All-Stars, based at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California, are internationally famous. As Stan Kenton says today: "Much credit must go to Rumsey as a pioneer and an enlightened promoter for the best in jazz". For the past five years, composer-tenorist Bob Cooper (or "Coop" as he is affectionately known) has been a leading member of Rumsey's Lighthouse group.

"Les Novros, head of Graphic Films, wanted to have jazz as the background music for his A BUILDING IS MANY BUILDINGS picture", Howard Rumsey tells. "This is a color documentary film showing the construction of the new Union Oil building in downtown Los Angeles".

"Novros wanted mostly improvisation originally", Rumsey continues. "I arranged for Bob Cooper to do the score and he took off like a bird. 'Coop' was so impressed by the calibre of the film that he went a lot further, musically, than we had planned".

"The score is a mixture of classical and jazz", Rumsey concludes, "and I think that 'Coop' really outdid himself!". (from the liner notes)

One of the most exciting jazz bands of the musically fertile '50s and '60s, Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars performed a wide variety of styles ranging from standard bebop and post-bop to the cool West Coast style. The band also included several first-rate arrangers and composers, with Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Cooper receiving special mention. The band also included many of the top musicians of the West Coast jazz scene that boasted the likes of Conte Candoli, Frank Rosolino (who are featured here), Bud Shank, Bill Perkins, Victor Feldman and Stan Levey, to name but a few. This particular release showcases the versatility of this exciting group. Jazz Structures reveals both the complexity of the compositions and precision of the arrangements. All of the charts were written, arranged and conducted by Bob Cooper. The album features the music that Cooper scored for Les Novros documentary A Building Is Many Buildings, where the construction of the new "Union Oil Building" in Los Angeles is described in this film. *Jordi Pujol*

Side 1

1 - Genesis (Pt. II)

2 - Architectonics

Directional Suite 

3 - Introduction

4 - a) Impulse

5 - b) Automatons

6 - c) Impulsion (Pt. 1)

7 - c) Impulsion (Pt. 2)

Side 2

Directional Suit

(continued)

8 - d) Complexus

The Worker 

9 - a) Rain Blues

10 - b) In The Morning

11 - c) Quittin' Time

12 - Edifice

(All compositions by Bob Cooper)

#1 to #8 and #10:

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Frank Rosolino (trombone), 

Buddy Collette (bass clarinet [#2], baritone sax [#1, #3 to #8]),

Bud Shank (alto sax [#1,#8 ], B-flat clarinet [#2], flute [#3 to #8]),

Victor Feldman (piano, vibes, tambourine, conga, boo-bams and bongos [#2 to #8]),

Monty Budwig (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

#9, #11, #12:

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Frank Rosolino (trombone),

Buddy Collette (bass clarinet [#9], baritone sax [#12]),

Bud Shank (alto sax [#12], alto flute [#9, #11]),

Joe Castro (piano), Larry Bunker (vibes), Red Callender (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

Howard Rumsey (leader)

Recorded at United Recording Corp., Hollywood, California,

November 21 (#1, #2), November 22 (#3 to #7) and November 29 (#8 to #12), 1960.

Note:

When analyzing the "Directional Suite" in the liner notes, the following peculiarity is noted:

""This particular music depicts workers driving little electric carts", Bob Cooper remembers. "Victor Feldman plays boo-bams here. They're a kind of tuned bongo. After more effusive drum work by Stan Levey, there's simultaneous jazz improvisation. The separation of this collective invention is particularly remarkable in the stereo version of this album".

Consequently, both versions (monaural and stereo) are presented here to

allow for comparison and to appreciate the specific sonic detail described.

Lighthouse All-Stars Collection X

Howard Rumsey

The Lighthouse All-Stars Plus Ten

Jazz Rolls Royce

For many years, the date of October 28, 1957 — Royce Hall, University of California, Los Angeles — has been accepted as the moment of origin of Jazz Rolls Royce. In an essential sense, it is: that evening gave rise not only to the album’s repertoire, but also to its underlying conception. Yet, as is often the case in jazz discography, the relationship between date and final result is more complex than traditional documentation suggests.

The concert, presented as part of the 1957 UCLA Homecoming Show, formed part of a broader institutional production, conceived not strictly as a jazz performance but as a ceremonial event that included the presentation of the Homecoming Queen and other elements typical of the university celebration. Within this context, Howard Rumsey assembled his Lighthouse All-Stars in an expanded formation — "All Stars plus ten" — designed to deliver a broader sonic statement within that festive framework.

The genesis of the project dates back several months prior to the concert, when, as part of the event's organization, a specific program began to take shape, combining original writing with expanded instrumentation. With Conte Candoli featured as a principal soloist, the ensemble reinforced in its lower register, and arrangements largely by Bob Cooper, the repertoire was conceived as a unified body of work, even at this early stage oriented toward eventual recording.

From an aesthetic standpoint, the project sought a delicate balance: preserving the immediacy and character of the Lighthouse small group while incorporating the color and density of a larger orchestral setting. This tension — between improvisational freedom and more elaborate writing — defines much of the project’s musical identity.

The concert was recorded with the explicit intention of producing a live LP. In that sense, the Royce Hall date is not an arbitrary convention: it represents the true starting point of the album. However, the tapes made that evening did not meet the standards required for commercial release. Performance flaws, ensemble imprecision, and incomplete or technically deficient material rendered them unsuitable as a basis for publication.

The solution was to move the project into the studio. In subsequent sessions held at Liberty Studios in Hollywood, the repertoire was re-recorded in its entirety, with a partially revised personnel — Stu Williamson replacing Conte Candoli, and a reconfigured low-brass section including Marshall Cram — under conditions that allowed for a greater degree of precision in the execution of the arrangements.

It is this studio material, rather than the Royce Hall recordings, that forms the basis of the LP Jazz Rolls Royce, although for many years the concert date continued to appear as the recording reference in various editions and discographies. The album thus became associated with a live event from which no direct master recording was ultimately derived.

The subsequent editorial history of the material gave rise to two distinct presentations, each of which approaches the relationship between the original concert and its later discographical realization in a different way. The following presents both releases.

V.S.O.P. Records

The edition issued by V.S.O.P. Records adopted a position of continuity with respect to the original release, preserving the configuration established in its initial appearance on Lighthouse Records (Lighthouse CS-300) and in the subsequent Omega reissue (Omega OSL-5). In this way, the structure of the LP is maintained as originally conceived from the studio material. However, this presentation introduces an additional element: the inclusion of applause not corresponding to the original recording at the end of three tracks, a device that artificially reinforces the impression of a live context in material which, as noted, does not derive directly from the Royce Hall concert.

Our idea was to add ten men to the Lighthouse group, forming a sixteen-piece band. We knew the first song should be the traditional "Strike Up The Band", the song that George Gershwin wrote specially as a "fight" song for UCLA. First of all, the students that accepted the responsibility of the 1957 Homecoming and particularly the producer of the Homecoming Show, John Brown, knew they wanted all new music written just for this occasion. The material should embellish the show, the traditional purpose being of course the selection of the Homecoming Queen and it should fit with the theme "Under the Bruin Big Top".

As we wanted to feature "new" jazz music we got in touch with Bob Cooper. "Coop" is the senior member of the Lighthouse All-Stars and watching his development as a soloist and a composer-arranger certainly has been a pleasure. As a musician he has every qualification: playing Tenor Saxophone, Oboe, English Horn or Clarinet, he has traveled extensively as a member of Stan Kenton's Band and Kenton's Innovations Orchestra; since becoming one of the best known members of the West Coast movement and joining forces with the Lighthouse he has made two European tours with Bud Shank. (...)

After deciding together on the program numbers, all written by Bob Cooper specially for the Show, we began the selection of the added men, players with much recording experience, yet men with strong roots in jazz. More important, it was to be a big modern band, one that pointed ahead. Furthermore, we wanted a permanent record of it. This was a labor of love and all the players responded in a grand manner; after rehearsals, they were on their own. No one conducted the performance or the recording. *Howard Rumsey (from the liner notes)*

1 - Strike Up the Band

(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)

2 - Prelude To The Queen

(Bob Cooper)

3 - The Clown's Dance

(Bob Cooper)

4 - Coop Salutes the "Co-Op"

(Bob Cooper)

5 - Bruinville, My Bruinville

(Bob Cooper)

6 -Mambo del Quado

(Bob Cooper)

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Frank Rosolino (trombone), Stu Williamson (trumpet),

Victor Feldman (piano, vibes), Howard Rumsey (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

plus Ten Added Stars:

Pete Candoli, Al Porcino, Ed Leddy, George Werth (trumpets); 

Milt Bernhart, Harry Betts, Hoyt Bohannon (trombones);

Marshall Cram (bass trombone); Red Callender (tuba); Larry Bunker (tympany, vibes).

Recorded at Liberty Studios, Hollywood, California, circa 1957

✤✤✤✤

Fresh Sound Records

The edition released by Fresh Sound Records, by contrast, incorporated material from the original Royce Hall concert, adding the only two performances preserved in sufficiently complete and usable condition, introduced by Howard Rumsey himself. As indicated in the accompanying documentation, the surviving master tapes of the live event were largely compromised — affected by excessive audience noise, incomplete musical content, and various technical deficiencies — which reduces these two numbers to the only viable examples of the concert as it actually took place. Even these, however, present defects.

The jazz record buyer is listening more and more to the soloist, as opposed to ensemble writing. This is evident in the decline of the big band and increasing popularity of soloists and small groups. This may be the result of over-arranging and lack of honest emotion except during an improvised solo. It is here that the real communication between the listener and performer takes place. I have felt that the best points of the big band should be retained, especially since a big band can be a great source of inspiration to the soloist. With these things in mind we decided on the instrumentation used here. The idea being to preserve the sound of the small group (Lighthouse All-Stars) and inject the excitement and color of a big band with freedom and ample space for improvised solos.

We learned a great deal in recording and playing this music. I hope that the idea will be carried out and developed by others. I know we are all excited by its challenge.

*Bob Cooper (from the liner notes)*

1 - Strike Up the Band

(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)

2 - Prelude To The Queen

(Bob Cooper)

3 - The Clown's Dance

(Bob Cooper)

4 - Coop Salutes the "Co-Op"

(Bob Cooper)

5 - Bruinville, My Bruinville

(Bob Cooper)

6 -Mambo Del Quado

(Bob Cooper)

7 - Bruinville, My Bruinville

(Bob Cooper)

8 - Mambo Del Quado

(Bob Cooper)

#1 to #6:

Bob Cooper (tenor sax), Frank Rosolino (trombone), Stu Williamson (trumpet),

Victor Feldman (piano, vibes), Howard Rumsey (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

plus Ten Added Stars:

Pete Candoli, Al Porcino, Ed Leddy, George Werth (trumpets); 

Milt Bernhart, Harry Betts, Hoyt Bohannon (trombones);

Marshall Cram (bass trombone); Red Callender (tuba); Larry Bunker (tympany, vibes).

Recorded at Liberty Studios, Hollywood, California, circa 1957

#7 and #8:

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

Victor Feldman (piano, vibes), Howard Rumsey (bass), Stan Levey (drums).

plus Ten Added Stars:

Pete Candoli, Al Porcino, Ed Leddy, George Werth (trumpets); 

Milt Bernhart, Harry Betts, Hoyt Bohannon (trombones);

John Halliburton (bass trombone); Red Callender (tuba); Larry Bunker (tympany, vibes).

Recorded live at Royce Hall, University of California (UCLA), Los Angeles, October 28, 1957

Five-Star Collection... Chet Baker

Chet Baker

Chet Baker Quartet

This LP presents Chet Baker in a quartet format with the remarkable Russ Freeman on piano. This was the first group Chet fronted as a leader after Gerry Mulligan's imprisonment broke up the celebrated piano-less quartet, which had launched the trumpeter to fame. One of the greatest trumpeters and most popular cult-figures in jazz history, Baker was as famous for his rugged good looks and stormy personal life as he was for his gentle vocals and lyrical introspective trumpet playing. Gaining fame as a member of Gerry Mulligan's heralded piano-less quartet, Baker quickly became the undisputed trumpet king of the 1950s West Coast cool jazz sound. His beautiful tone, delicate and haunting melodic lines and masterful sense of space imbued his music with a warm, nostalgic quality, and earned him a fan base that extended well beyond the boundaries of the traditional jazz enthusiast. He once stated: "As I rely 100% on the ear, I react strongly to everything that goes on around me. The conditions that I've had while learning to play do not exist anymore. I feel like I belong to a species, threatened by destruction. Sad, in a way, but that's what they call progress, isn't it?" A brilliant improviser, Baker's silky lines seemed to glide through the air with effortless grace, spinning webs of dreamy sentimental moods and textures.

Chet Baker made his record debut in September of 1952 with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet for Pacific Jazz. His playing immediately received the critic's praise; cries of "another Bix", another "Bunny" were sounded. His recording of "My Funny Valentine" with the Mulligan Quartet is well on the way toward becoming a jazz classic.

Chet was born in Yale, Oklahoma, 23 years ago. His family moved to California when he was ten years old. At Glendale Junior High School he began his musical training. In school he played trumpet in the marching band and the dance orchestra. Drafted in 1946, he was shipped to Berlin, Germany, with the 298th Army Band. Discharged two years later, he began to study music theory and harmony at El Camino College in Los Angeles. A chance to join the Presidio Army Band in San Francisco caused Chet to re-enlist in 1950. Ten months in San Francisco gave Chet the opportunity of playing in various sessions which started him in jazz music. From his past concert band experience he brought a legitimate tone and conception, uninfluenced by the jazz stylists of the past.

When Charlie Parker was on the West Coast during the summer of 1952, he heard Chet and hired him for his dates on the Coast. Shortly afterwards he joined Gerry Mulligan at the Haig Club.

Pianist Russ Freeman's collaboration with Chet on this date has brought about a more aggressive, less subdued side of his playing style. Russ, 26 year old product of the West Coast, shows a strong original approach to jazz in his inventive compositions and precise, swinging piano solos. He has been heard with Art Pepper's group on records, and has played with Wardell Gray, and many West Coast jazz groups. He is currently with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars.

*Richard Bock (from the liner notes)*

Now it's for sure. Our suspicions that the 23-year-old trumpet man from Yale, Okla., was a major new star are confirmed by this LP, which is a gasser from start to finish. The lad has the style, the sound, the command of the horn; almost as important, he has the perfect setting. Russ piano, fleet and modern in both accompanying and solo roles throughout, is of immeasurable value to the overall results. Larry Bunker and Bobby White split the drum chores, Carson Smith and Bob Whitlock the bass job.

Three of the tunes are Freeman originals. One of them, Maid in Mexico, was five-starred here as a single 78 disc; another, Batter Up, provides some delightful voiced and unison two-part moments for trumpet and piano.

Outstanding performance of the set, though, is Imagination, played very close to the melody, but, amazingly, all around and below middle C. Beautifully simple and simply beautiful.

Until now the great modern horn stars could be counted on the digits of one hand. To the names of Dizzy, Miles, Joe Newman, Shorty Rogers, and Clark Terry must now be added an extra finger on the hand: Chet Baker has arrived. *Down Beat, Chicago, July 29, 1953 (5 stars)*

Side 1

1 - Isn't It Romantic

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

2 - Maid In Mexico

(Russ Freeman)

3 - Imagination

(Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen)

4 - This Time The Dream's On Me

(Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)

Side 2

5 - The Lamp Is Low

(Maurice Ravel, Bert Shefter, Peter de Rose, Mitchell Parish)

6 - Russ Job

(Russ Freeman)

7 - Easy To Love

(Cole Porter)

8 - Batter Up

(Russ Freeman)

✳ Personnel and recording dates: theories and controversies ✳

To this day, the sources upon which even the most rigorous discographies have relied to establish with certainty the recording dates of these earliest Chet Baker sessions for Pacific Jazz remain unknown.

According to Jørgen Grunnet Jepsen, in his reference work Jazz Records 1942–1965, and the publication CHET – The Discography of Chesney Henry Baker by Hans Henrik Lerfeldt and Thorbjørn Sjögren, the following information is given:

#1

Chet Baker (trumpet), Russ Freeman (piano),

Red Mitchell (bass), Bobby White (drums)

Recorded at Gold Star Studios, July 24, 1953

#2, #4, #5

Chet Baker (trumpet), Russ Freeman (piano),

Bob Whitlock (bass), Bobby White (drums)

Recorded at Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles, July 27, 1953

#3, #6, #7, #8

Chet Baker (trumpet), Russ Freeman (piano),

Carson Smith (bass), Larry Bunker (drums)

Recorded at Radio Recorders, July 30, 1953

Even so, the original liner notes clearly identify Bob Whitlock as the bassist on tracks #1, #2, #4, and #5.

Further research carried out in Europe for releases on the Disques Vogue, Swing, and Karusell labels appears to have confirmed that Bob Whitlock was present at the first recording session of the Chet Baker Quartet at Gold Star Studios on December 15, 1952, leading to the logical conclusion that Red Mitchell did not participate in that session.

Moreover, reviews published in Down Beat — both those referring to the 78 rpm releases (May 6, 1953) and to the 10-inch LP (July 29, 1953) — would seem to demonstrate that the recording dates given by Jepsen are impossible, even though they continued to be accepted within the jazz community.

In 2000, producer Michael Cuscuna reported that a contact with access to the archives of American Federation of Musicians Local 47 had confirmed that there were no records of Chet Baker recording sessions on July 24 and 27, 1953. The same source established that the first session took place on December 15, 1952, at Gold Star Studios, and that additional sessions were documented on April 17, 1953, and July 30, 1953. Accordingly, the dates should be revised as follows:

#1

Chet Baker (trumpet), Russ Freeman (piano),

Bob Whitlock (bass), Bobby White (drums)

Recorded at Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles, California, December 15, 1952

#2, #4, #5

Chet Baker (trumpet), Russ Freeman (piano),

Bob Whitlock (bass), Bobby White (drums)

Recorded at Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles, California, April 17, 1953

#3, #6, #7, #8

Chet Baker (trumpet), Russ Freeman (piano),

Carson Smith (bass), Larry Bunker (drums)

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Los Angeles, California, July 30, 1953

To complete the controversy, Dick Bock — the album's producer — never acknowledged the December 15, 1952 recording session at Gold Star Studios. The closest he came to admitting that he had recorded Chet Baker as a leader while the trumpeter was still a member of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet was in a letter published in the May 1953 issue of Metronome.

Beyond the — often debatable — precision of recording dates, what ultimately matters is the remarkable artistry of these earliest Chet Baker sessions, whose lyricism, clarity, and sense of space would already define one of the most distinctive voices in modern jazz.

✳✳✳✳

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... John Graas (II)

In a previous post, we highlighted how producer Tom Mack, in the liner notes of Jazz Studio #3, underscored the pivotal role Jazz Studio #2 played in John Graas's career. This was the album that let listeners hear Graas in a completely new light — as a composer and arranger. His debut as an arranger on this project quickly drew the attention of jazz soloists and record labels, and it set the stage for larger commissions that would define the path of his career.

The story behind the album makes it even more fascinating. In 1954, as Decca expanded its catalog with new 12-inch LPs, Tom Mack turned to the West Coast's finest studio musicians. Graas, already known for his mastery of the French horn, took the lead, assembling an exceptional ensemble: Don Fagerquist, Milt Bernhart, Herb Geller, Jimmy Giuffre, Marty Paich, Howard Roberts, Curtis Counce, and Larry Bunker.

The result was a record that not only showcased impeccable musicianship but also captured the relaxed, sophisticated vibe of 1950s Los Angeles—a snapshot of an era in sound. Jazz Studio #2 became more than an album; it was a gateway for John Graas, opening doors to new opportunities and solidifying a group of musicians who would come to define the West Coast jazz scene.

Although Down Beat awarded it four stars in 1956, the 2004 CD reissue of From Hollywood received a five-star rating from AllMusic, earning it a rightful place in our Five-Star Collection — a recognition that ensures this landmark album continues to reach new listeners today.

John Graas

Jazz Studio #2 • From Hollywood

If there is one word that epitomizes the kind of jazz which has been developing on the West Coast during the past few years, probably that word is "organization". For although the swinging beat, once minimized by purists as a distraction, has happily returned to the scene, with the result that jazz on the Coast now swings with complete freedom, it has done so within the framework of individual patterns which have become organized to considerable degree.

A typical modern jazz group in Hollywood seems to follow nature's principle of tension-and-release, which in music is at least as old as the earliest symphonies, yet, being basic, seems fresh whenever applied to new forms and subjected to new interpretations. Usually the first chorus takes the formidable talents of the performers and constrains them lightly within the bounds of an arrangement which is actually a jumping-off place for what is to follow. During these initial choruses, which are characterized by an interdependence and mutual awareness of the performers, a tension builds to a point where a soloist derives a powerful send-off into his own improvisation. Often contrapuntal, harmonically interesting, these jump ensembles have come to replace almost entirely the unison riff of the early days of jazz. It is not considered bad form for one or more musicians (other than the rhythm section) to chime in with improvised backgrounds to another's solo, thus often giving unusual contrapuntal effects to the soloist's performance.

The word "modern", applied to any kind of music, sometimes makes people expect a preponderance of dissonances, atonality, and harsh sounds. Paradoxically enough, modern West Coast jazz is very melodic, possibly because the arrangers and composers in this medium are more apt to lean upon Bach than Schoenberg. The paradox extends to the basic sound, which is generally a quiet sound, seldom resorting to screaming high notes to achieve the excitement that is jazz. Excitement is generated by a swinging beat, good melodic form, and imaginative writing.

In JAZZ STUDIO 2 we are attempting to offer a representative picture of the kind of jazz which is pretty much indigenous to the West Coast, played by some of the musicians who have contributed notably to this development. It is not intended to set it apart from jazz everywhere, and of course the listener will find a great deal which is not regional. *Tom Mack (liner notes, 1954)*

An absorbing set recorded in Hollywood by Tom Mack. Personel included Herb Geller, Milt Bernhart, John Graas, Don Fagerquist, Marty Paich, Curtis Counce, Howard Roberts, Larry Bunker, and Jimmy Guiffre on tenor and baritone (and I think the tasty clarinet on Lions is his, too). How come, by the way, Jimmy just gets one credit line buried in the notes and no front cover billing?

Anyway, the playing of all involved is just fine. This record, for one thing, should firmly establish Herb Geller as one of the undeniably arrived alto stars. The man has it—ideas, beat, pungent tone, and above all, heart. Herb blows with everything he has; he doesn't try to fit himself into icily studied attitudes. John Graas' French horn comes through freer, more swinging and more inventive than on his Trend sides. Bernhart had a sweepingly relaxed ball on the date judging from his playing. Guiffre and Fagerquist are firstrate and the rhythm section is crisp, light and steady. Howard Roberts' guitar, imagination and tone are highly impressive and it's good to hear full-toned bassist Curtis Counce get some extended solo space.

Almost all of the writing is of better than average consistency and some contains real organic development. Graas wrote Lions and Graas Point and arranged Do It Again. Paich contributed Paicheck and arranged the other two songs. Graas Point has some especially intriguing contrapuntal intersections and there's a swingingly fresh feel to the lines of Lions that isn't as easy to attain as it may sound.

Footnote: Listen to the entrance of Fagerquist and Bernhart in Dream. It must have been a thoroughly sunny California day when this LP was made. This is a distinguished Decca debut for Mr. Mack. Give the man a raise and let him do some more sessions — even if he does think there's such a thing as "west coast jazz". *Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, October 6, 1954 [4 satrs])*

The Jazz Studio series recorded for Decca during the 1950s produced a lot of enjoyable sessions, though many of them were very hard to obtain.

Jazz Studio, Vol. 2, with French horn player John Graas as the leader of this cool-oriented West Coast session, with trumpeter Don Fagerquist, trombonist Milt Bernhart, alto saxophonist Herb Geller, Jimmy Giuffre (who plays clarinet, tenor, and baritone saxes), pianist Marty Paich, guitarist Howard Roberts, bassist Curtis Counce, and drummer Larry Bunker on hand. The mood is considerably more subdued than the bop material recorded by the East Coast musicians heard on Jazz Studio, Vol. 1, but the music has held up very well, with excellent solos and strong charts by Graas and Paich. Highlights include Graas' intricate "Here Come the Lions" and Paich's equally challenging "Paicheck" (note its equally witty title). *Ken Dryden (2004, allmusic.com [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Laura

(David Raksin, Johnny Mercer)

2 - Here Come The Lions

(John Graas)

3 - Paicheck

(Marty Paich)

Side 2

4 - Graas Point

(John Graas)

5 - Darn That Dream

(Jimmy Van Heusen, Eddie De Lange)

6 - Do It Again

(George Gershwin)

Don Fagerquist (trumpet), Milt Bernhart (trombone), John Graas (french horn), 

Herb Geller (alto sax), Jimmy Giuffre (clarinet, tenor sax, baritone sax),

Marty Paich (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Curtis Counce (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

Recorded at Decca's Studio 55, Los Angeles, California, June 4, 1954

Five-Star Collection... John Graas (I)

John Graas

Jazz Studio #3

For some time, JOHN GRAAS, winner of the 1954 Metronome Poll, has been building a reputation as one of the most important modern jazz instrumentalists, and he has been doing it with an instrument usually found in the hallowed precincts of the symphony hall: the French Horn. For this he is to be congratulated, because he is welding one more link in the chain which binds all modern music, and helping to destroy the prejudices which have served no good purpose but to divide where there should be no division.

"JAZZ STUDIO 3: JOHN GRAAS" offers the listener the opportunity of witnessing the growth of the artist in other fields: those of composition and arranging. 

Since making his arranging debut in "JAZZ STUDIO 2", John's newly discovered writing talents have been much in demand. Many jazz soloists and recording companies 

have sought his product, but even more important, he has been commissioned, as a direct result of his work in "JAZZ STUDIO 2", to compose a Jazz Symphony. Portions 

of this work will appear here. "JAZZ STUDIO 3" is glad to show-case Graas' writing talent in a stage of its development which will be all the more apparent to those who 

were first impressed by his flair for contrapuntal invention as illustrated by "GRAAS POINT", considered by many the high point of "STUDIO 2". *Tom Mack (liner notes)*

Decca's third Jazz Studio set is devoted to the composition and arrangements of French horn expert John Graas. The selections are played by a septet, quartet, and ninetet. The overall personnel comprises Graas, Gerry Mulligan, Don Fagerquist, Red Mitchell, Larry Bunker, Marty Paich, Howard Roberts, Charlie Mariano, Conte Candoli, Zoot Sims, Jimmy Giuffre, Andre Previn, and Curtis Counce. The material covers a refreshingly wide range beginning with a briskly swinging tribute to Mulligan. My Buddy is resurrected from the land of bathos and turns up in a lyrically imaginative quartet arrangement marked by some excellent interlinear play by Mulligan and Graas. The 6/4 framework comes off jumping and the Charleston shakes off its age under Graas' deftly hip hand to end the first side.

Rogeresque is another bright and effective tribute. From Graas' forthcoming Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony, nine men play the sonata allegro and the atonal scherzo. I don’t know whether this will sound as free and idiomatic when scored for full symphony orchestra and jazz soloists, but as of the way it comes through here, these two sections indicate that Graas is constructing a largely fresh, vital work — one that, though somewhat eclectic, already carries much more individualized conviction than the overrated Liebermann Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra. The set closes with an incisive modernization of 12th Street Rag.

The playing by everyone on the date is excellent, and Graas gets the full rating because of the scope of his imagination and his ability to write modern jazz frameworks that, for the most part, challenge the soloists rather than constrict them. Not everything comes off wholly here, but so much of worth and individuality is going on that the set deserves a wide audience.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, June 1, 1955 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Mullinganesque

(John Graas)

2 - My Buddy

(Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson)

3 - 6/4 And Even

(John Graas)

4 - Charleston

(Cecil Mack, Jimmy Johnson)

Side 2

5 - Rogeresque

(John Graas)

Jazz Sections From Symphony No.1 in F Minor

6 - a) Sonata Allegro

7 - b) Scherzo

(John Graas)

8 - 12th Street Rag

(Andy Razaf, Euday L. Bowman)

#1, #3:

John Graas (french horn), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax), Don Fagerquist (trumpet),

Marty Paich (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Red Mitchell (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

#2:

John Graas (french horn), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax),

Red Mitchell (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

#4, #6, #7:

John Graas (french horn), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Charlie Mariano (alto sax),

Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Jimmy Giuffre (baritone sax), André Previn (piano),

Howard Roberts (guitar), Curtis Counce (bass), Larry Bunker (drums). 

#5, #8:

John Graas (french horn), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Charlie Mariano (alto sax),

Marty Paich (piano), Howard Roberts (guitar), Curtis Counce (bass), Larry Bunker (drums). 

Recorded at Decca's Studio 55, Los Angeles, California,

December 16 (#1, #2, #3), 1954; January 6 (#4, #6, #7) and January 8 (#5, #8), 1955

Art Pepper and Sonny Redd: Two talents reunited

Art Pepper • Sonny Redd

Two Altos

Art Pepper • Sonny Redd is an album by American alto saxophonists Art Pepper and Sonny Redd. The four standards which appear on the album were recorded in Los Angeles with West Coast-jazz musicians between 1952 and 1954, whilst the two originals were recorded at Van Gelder Studio, in 1957. Regent Records, a subsidiary of Savoy Records, released these recordings in 1959. 

Following in the tradition of great alto saxophonists, a great star of today and a new star of today match their talents in a combination album of what's new and good in modern jazz. Following a tradition on the horn that featured such luminaries as Johnny Hodges, Don Redman, and Benny Carter... the alto saxophone was completely revamped, revitalized, and revved up under the influence of the late Charlie Parker. "Bird's" genius transformed this smaller member of the virile saxophone family into a thing of perfect beauty. He hastened its pace, transformed its tone, and gave a sky-high new horizon for its possibilities that has been untouched yet!

Perhaps the finest star on this horn today is Art Pepper. A bird-inspired disciple who has developed his own powerful voice, Art's allegiances have been with the so-called "West Coast" school of jazz, but he's a mighty swinger! 

Two tracks are extended vehicles for the combo led by young alto star Sonny Redd. A Detroiter, recently in New York, he has stirred great interest with his emotional, fiery alto style.

*Alan Stein (from the liner notes)*

Two of our favorite 50s alto talents together on one LP — both players who handle their instrument better than most of their contemporaries, and always with a unique and personal sound! The album offers four tracks by Art Pepper — recorded with groups that include Hampton Hawes on piano, Larry Bunker on drums, Jack Montrose on tenor, and either Russ Freeman or Claude Williamson on piano — and two tracks by Sonny Redd, recorded with a quintet that includes Pepper Adams on baritone, Doug Watkins on bass, Wynton Kelly on piano, and Elvin Jones on drums — more of a Prestige lineup than a Regent one, and really remarkable for the set. The Redd tracks — "Watkins Products" and "Redds Head" — are the longer and more enticing numbers on the set — but we should also say that we love Pepper's work for Regent, and think it's some of his best – and find his tracks pretty darn nice, too. Titles by Pepper include "Deep Purple", "Everything Happens To Me", "These Foolish Things", and "What's New". *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

1. Deep Purple

(Robbins, Parish)

2. Watkins Production

(Doug Watkins)

3. Everything Happens To Me

(Dennis, Adair)

4. Redd's Head

(Sonny Red)

5. These Foolish Things

(Maschwitz, Link, Strachey)

6. What's New

(Haggart, Burke)

#1, #6: Art Pepper Quintet

Art Pepper (alto sax), Jack Montrose (tenor sax),

Claude Williamson (piano), Monty Budwig (bass), Paul Ballerina (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, August 25, 1954

#2, #4: Sonny Redd Quintet

Sonny Redd (alto sax), Pepper Adams (baritone sax),

Wynton Kelly (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), Elvin Jones (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, November 12, 1957

#3: Art Pepper Quartet

Art Pepper (alto sax), Russ Freeman (piano), Bob Whitlock (bass), Bobby White (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, March 29, 1953

#5: Art Pepper Quartet

Art Pepper (alto sax), Hampton Hawes (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, March 4, 1952

Lou Levy: Rescued from oblivion

The Lou Levy Trio

Jazz In Hollywood Series

32 years after the fact, listening to this album is a double experience. To explain, follow my thoughts. I'm listening to an album that I forgot was ever made, yet I remember everything as it's played back to me. Now put yourself in my place. As I listen I'm now 58 years old. If this album were to be done again, it would be very similar and yet very different. The reason for the difference would be basically playing and living another 33 years. But that's what it's all about.

As I listen to the final track, the youthful enthusiasm makes me smile. And knowing that enthusiasm is still there makes me happy. Very happy.

After all, jazz musicians never grow old. They're just a big wonderful bunch of grown-up children. *Lou Levy (November 29, 1986)* 

During the period in 1948 that I was playing with Woody Herman's "Four Brothers" band, perhaps my most fervent wish after Fred Otis, the pianist, left was to get this extremely talented "kid" from Chicago on the band. It did happen but not until I had left to return to some money-making jobs in Hollywood. On a 1949 trip to Hollywood, when Oscar Pettiford was playing with the band, I got a chance to substitute a couple of nights when Lou was there, and it was clear I was right.

My next experience with Lou was in the mid-fifties — he was actually out of music, working as some sort of executive in the publishing business. On trips to L.A. he saw most of his old friends doing pretty well playing — responded to my invitations to come and play with us — made the Virgil Gonsalves record for me and followed with the Trio. Very shortly thereafter, publishing lost a promising young executive and the World was blessed by the return of one of its finest pianists. *Harry Babasin (October 28, 1987)*

This Nocturne album represent the return of Lou Levy to the jazz scene after three years absence. Since his profesional debut with George Auld in 1947, he accompanied Sarah vaughan, and toured Scandinavia with Chubby Jackson at the end of 1947. Later he worked with several bands and groups -- Boyd Raeburn, Woody Herman, '49-'50; Louie Ballson-Terry Gibbs Sextet, '50; Tommy Dorsey, George Auld again and Flip Philips all in 1951, after which he settled in Minneapolis working as an advertising salesman for a dental survey publication.

In spring 1954 Lou traveled to Los Angeles and met his old friend Harry Babasin who invited him to record in his own Nocturne label. Lou made two records dates, one with Virgil Gonsalves and the other this trio session, which unfortunately remained unisseud until now.

At the time the record was announced as an imminent reléase on Nocturne, but the company ceased its activities just before the record could come out. At last this album has been rescued from oblivion and appears now its original number, NLP-10.

Backing Lou Levy, are two regular members of the Nocturne label, Larry Bunker drums, and the company's founder, the venerable Harry Babasin on bass.

Now we can savour the first album of Lou Levy as leader. It was almost twenty five years ago. *Jordi Pujol (liner notes, 1988)*

1 - The Gentleman Is A Dope

(Rodgers, Hart)

2 -Serenade In Blue

(Harry Warren, Marck Gordon)

3 - Woody'n You

(Gillespie)

4 - Without You

(Dave Stamper, Gene Buck)

5 - All The Things You Are

(Kern, Hammerstein II)

6 - Tiny's Other Blues

(Lou Levy, Tiny Kahn)

7 - Like Someone In Love

(Burke, Van Heusen)

8 - Bloo Denim

(Lou Levy)

Lou Levy (piano), Harry Babasin (bass), Larry Bunker (drums).

Recorded at United Western Recorders, Los Angeles, California, September 23, 1954

Mulligan/Baker Quartet: Modern Jazz Emblem

Gerry Mulligan Quartet

Featuring Chet Baker

Mulligan's birthplace has been given as in many places. He was, however, born in a Catholic in Queens, New York, the fourth and youngest son of an industrial engineer. Before he was a year old his family had moved to Marion, Ohio, and when his schooling was over at the age of seventeen in Philadelphia, he had lived, in  addition, to New Jersey, Chicago, Kalamazoo, Detroit and Reading. His first instrument was a ukulele. He also took piano lessons which were terminated rather suddenly after an overly hesitant recital. Following this, he learned the ocarina family, then the clarinet, although he had asked his father for a trumpet. When, in 1944, Mulligan left school, where he had led several bands, he went to work as an arranger for Tommy Tucker, turning out in the three months that he stayed a trunkful of material, some of which is still in use. He spent the next six months or so as an arranger and sometime tenor saxophonist with Elliot Lawrence, joined George Paxton, and eventually, for a year, Gene Krupa. During the next few years, he worked as a freelance writer and sideman around New York, made his first recordings, with Brew Moore and George Wallington (he had just taken up the baritone saxophone seriously), had various rehearsal bands, which occasionally practiced in Central Park because no one had money for a studio, and, shortly after the Miles Davis date, hitchhiked, over a period of months, with waystops at Reading and Albuquerque, to Lost Angeles, where he stayed more or less permanently until recent move east. On the West Coast he wrote for Kenton, and worked marathon twelve-hour gigs on Saturdays and Sundays at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach. In 1951 he landed a Tuesday night job at the Haig in Los Angeles, where he did some experimenting with a trio composed of guitar, his instrument and drums. Then, almost inadvertently, after he had met Chet Baker, he hit upon the instrumentation of the quartet and was recorded by Richard Bock of Pacific Jazz, the cream of which can be heard in this twelve reissues, recorded between 1952-53, that make up this record.

*Whitney Balliett (from the liner notes)*

A prize collection of recordings from the Quartet's 1952-53 phase, when Chet Baker was still blowing with Mulligan. The combo made history with their fresh sound and engaging style, blazing a trail that many since have attempted to follow. The delicately balanced sonorities of baritone sax and trumpet in seemingly effortless contrapuntal play was a new aural kick for which modern jazz audiences still have sharp appetites. Mulligan's own compositions and arrangements provide the group with the most congenial framework in which to display their talents and personalities. A must for all modern collectors, unless they have previously gotten some of them released on EP. *Billboard, September 3, 1955*

A full LP that collects together earlier recordings by Mulligan — done in the years 1952 and 1953, with a quartet that features Chet Baker, and bass by either Carson Smith or Bob Whitlock, and drums by either Larry Bunker or Chico Hamilton. Both Mulligan and Baker recorded together a number of times after this, in a "reunion" style that hearkened back to the fame of these sides — but the originals are still the best, and feature a magical pairing of two gentle jazz talents in a laidback piano-less setting. Titles include "Frenesi", "Swinghouse", "I May Be Wrong", "Tea For Two", and "Jeru". *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

Side 1

1 - Frenesi

(Dominguez, Whitcup)

2 - Nights At The Turntable

(Mulligan)

3 - Lullaby Of The Leaves

(Young, Patkere)

4 - Jeru

(Mulligan)

5 - Cherry

(Gillespie, Daniels)

6 - Swinghouse

(Mulligan)

Side 2

7 - I May Be Wrong

(De Lange, Van Heusen)

8 - Aren't You Glad You're You

(Burke, Van Heusen)

9 - I'm Beginning To See The Light

(Ellington , James, Hodges, George)

10 - The Nearness Of You

(Carmichael, Washington)

11 - Makin' Whoopee

(Kahn, Donaldson)

12 - Tea For Two / Gerry Mulligan Signing Off

(Youmans, Caesar / Mulligan)

#1, #2, #8:

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

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

Recorded at Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles, California, October 15 and 16, 1952

#3:

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

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

Recorded at Phil Turetsky's House, Los Angeles, California, August 16, 1952

#4, #6:

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

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

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

#5, #11:

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

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

Recorded at Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles, California, February 24, 1953

#7, #9, #10, #12:

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

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

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Los Angeles, California, April 29 and 30, 1953

Note: about "Gerry Mulligan Signing Off"

The short songs that jazz groups in the 1950s often played to close their live performances are called "theme songs", "vamp tunes" or more specifically "out-choruses" or "set closers". These were short, recognizable melodies or riffs to close a concert, often upbeat and punchy, leaving the audience on a high note. These themes became identifiers for the band.

The final theme used by Gerry Mulligan's 1952~1953 quartet to close their live performances was a brief, signature piece titled "Gerry Mulligan Signing Off". This short tune, lasting approximately 20 seconds, served as a distinctive outro, signaling the end of their sets. ["Outro" is short for "outroduction", the opposite of "intro" (introduction)]