Five-Star Collection... The Concert Jazz Band (III)

The Concert Jazz Band

Gerry Mulligan '63

The most exciting news and, later, reality in the jazz world in 1960 was the formation in March of that year of The Concert Jazz Band. It seemed such a right thing for perennial poll-winner Gerry Mulligan to do. And the response from critics and audiences the world over has borne out Gerry's efforts.

In scoring the band's first album a full five stars, Down Beat reviewer Don DeMicheal noted, "It is an extension and expansion of Mulligan's concept as we've come to know it through his quartet and sextet: the combination of extremes - simplicity with complexity, cool intellectualism with hot-blooded emotion, sophistication with guts.

"Because of these many facets and of the variety of emotional experience the band offers, I feel this is the most important big band in jazz today."

In person and on records the band bore out DeMicheal's belief. The Concert Jazz Band played jazz superbly. It played arrangements by Gerry, Bob Brookmeyer, Johnny Carisi, John Mandel, Bill Holman, George Russell, and, best of all, it uncovered and encouraged new writing talents. (...)

This collection of material by The Concert Jazz Band has a decidedly Ellington-ish flavor to it. This is due, perhaps, to the wealth of soloing and the interesting colors the band creates behind the solos. Such sounds have come to be identified as Dukish, regardless of their source. The similarity ends there, however, because the band is unmistakeably Mulligan. His personality and his sound permeate the entire album. (...)

The originals were written by Bob Brookmeyer ("Big City Blues" and "Big City Life"), Gary McFarland ("Bridgehampton Strut", "Bridgehampton South", and "Pretty Little Gypsy"), and Gerry ("Ballad"). Gerry, of course, is the baritone sax soloist, and is heard in one of his rare recorded appearances on clarinet in "Big City Blues" and "Pretty Little Gypsy". Bob Brookmeyer is heard on piano in "Big City Life" and "Big City Blues". Clark Terry's trumpet is spotted throughout the album. And another instrument debuts on this Concert Jazz Band album : the guitar of Jim Hall.

Although the selections were recorded in 1962, they were at a year-end session and certainly indicated what the sound of Gerry Mulligan '63 would be... and is.

*Dom Cerulli (from the liner notes)*

It's another of the unfortunate conditions in jazz that a band of this caliber cannot exist on a full-time basis. In 1963 it hasn’t even been together on a part-time basis, but in December 1962, this album was taped in four consecutive dates.

Its great appeal comes from the variety of original material, the way it is programmed and, most importantly, played. The band breathes as one in a convincing demonstration of rapport and esprit de corps. Mulligan's clarinet debut is a welcome bonus.

The bulk of the arrangements are by Brookmeyer (Life, Blues) and Gary McFarland (Gypsy, South, Strut). No arranger credits are given for Love, a lazy-like rendition that contains a warm Mulligan-Brookmeyer duet; Joe Sullivan's Getaway; or Mulligan's Ballad. It is safe to assume that the leader did the arrangement for the last named, a touching piece with a Claude Thornhillish sound in places. When originally done in Mulligan's tentet album on Capitol, it was called A Ballad.

On his own arrangements, Brookmeyer is effectively featured at the piano. (Mulligan is listed as pianist in the liner notes but does not appear in this role.) On Life he states the moody theme with the help of Caine's flute and gets into a short, bluesy section in his solo; on Blues he and Hall set a mood for Mulligan's Presstyled clarinet before the theme enters. There are some Jimmie Lunceford touches before Hall's typically earthy solo. After a lusty ensemble passage, Terry really heats things up a la Roy Eldridge.

Mulligan's other clarinet appearance is on Gypsy, on which he gets a drier, classical sound, evoking a pastoral feeling. McFarland has written a short, effective brassy climax that prefaces Mulligan's final exposition of the beautiful melody.

South is Dukish in places, with solos by a sweet-toned Terry and a solid, direct Mulligan.

There are also some Ellingtonlike brass figures before Terry's solo on Getaway, which also includes a Reider solo that sounds very much like one by Zoot Sims. This is both good and bad.

Strut is an intriguing theme, featuring rough-and-ready Dennis and brilliant, driving Quill clarinet, much like his alto in style but with a sound all its own.

Credit Crow and Johnson with excellent support. It's not hard to hear why Count Basie hasn't sounded quite the same since Gus left. *Ira Gitler (Down Beat, June 20, 1963 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Little Rock Getaway

(Carl Sigman, Joe Sullivan)

2 - Ballad

(Gerry Mulligan)

3 - Big City Life

(Bob Brookmeyer)

4 - Big City Blues

(Bob Brookmeyer)

Side 2

5 - My Kind Of Love

(Jo Trent, Louis Alter)

6 - Pretty Little Gypsy

(Gary McFarland)

7 - Bridgehampton South

(Gary McFarland)

8 - Bridgehampton Strut

(Gary McFarland)

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax, clarinet [#4, #6];

Clark Terry, Nick Travis, Don Ferrara, Doc Severinsen (trumpets);

Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone, piano [#3,#4]); Willie Dennis (trombone);

Tony Studd (bass trombone); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet);

Eddie Caine (alto sax, flute); Jim Reider (tenor sax); Gene Allen (baritone sax);

Jim Hall (guitar); Bill Crow (bass); Gus Johnson (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, December 18, 19, 20 and 21, 1962

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And now... a brief pause to step back, catch my breath, and reset.

Outlet will be back in August...

Five-Star Collection... The Concert Jazz Band (II)

Gerry Mulligan And The Concert Jazz Band

At The Village Vanguard

This is the first "live" recording of the Gerry Mulligan big band, and was taped at the Village Vanguard in New York in December, 1960. Although several nights of music were recorded, Mulligan decided to select the album's final takes from one Sunday afternoon in order to maintain a consistency of mood. Mulligan's decision to record on location was taken with full realization of the hazards as well as the advantages of "in person" recording. "There are times", he explains, "when a few things may go wrong in such a performance but when conditions are right, the band can achieve more vivid presence and can create more spontaneous excitement than in a studio. In that extended piano blues, for example, that closes the second side, we did many things on the spur of the moment that we'll never do again in quite that way. We fell into a rocking, romping 'head' arrangement that we all enjoyed enormously, and that feeling is captured here".

"Working in front of an audience", Mulligan continues, "has a markedly different effect on a band. It can—as it has with us—result in a confidence as a unit that's a marvel to see, hear and feel".

Mulligan feels that his band is enjoying a steadily growing realization of its own identity. In this regard, Mulligan was asked his reaction to comments that this writer has made in magazine articles which questioned whether the band's arrangements were "adventurous" enough. "First of all", Mulligan answered, "I want the band to find itself, to find its own meaning within existing forms. Many of the guys looking for 'new forms' don’t understand the old ones. Secondly, my conception of a band is that of a group which can communicate an emotion that comes from the interaction between its members as a unit. A band can do that only if it enjoys what it's playing. And we do. We have fun as we work, and when things are really going well, we get a spirit going like 'let the good times roll'. That is what I want".

"Too many 'avant-garde' composers", Mulligan went on, "write for each other, not for the players. By contrast, I want material which the men take pleasure in playing. This band is developing both as a framework for soloists and as a vehicle for writers, but not 'far out' writers. So far as my own participation is concerned, my stamp is on the band and I'm the featured soloist, but up to now I've been more of a supervisor of the writing than a very active contributor. But all of what we do is based on my conviction that music is to be enjoyed, by the player as well as the listener". (...)

Drummer Mel Lewis—a musician of consistent taste who propels the Mulligan ensemble with a rare combination of lightness and strength—has summarized the reason the musicians in this band are so enthusiastic about the Mulligan orchestra. "Every time we play something", says Lewis, "it's different from the last time we've played the number. That's the way it's supposed to be. This is a real jazz band".

And so it is. Its virtues are much more apparent in this second album, partly because of the stimulation provided by the audience and also because by this point the band had been together for some time and had, in Mulligan’s phrase, been finding its own identity.

*Nat Hentoff (from the liner notes)*

The star system of rating records has both advantages and disadvantages, the former tending to outweigh the latter, and the most important advantage being, to my mind, that the decision on the number of Stars to assign tends to clarify the writer’s own thinking, minimizing the possibility of a noncommittal review.

But it can be frustrating. The Mulligan band's first LP was given five stars late last year. And it fully deserved them. Only... this is a better record than that first one!

It was recorded "live" at New York's Village Vanguard. (Of the several locations where I've heard the band, the Vanguard is the best for sound.) The disc has the vitality and fervor that one expects in a live performance, yet is free of that thin, unbalanced sound that non-studio sessions so often produce. I have never heard an on-the-spot recording with sound equal to this. It is excellent.

Musically, the disc has everything, including superb ensemble playing and solos of consistently high quality. Most solos are by Mulligan, Brookmeyer, and Terry.

I sometimes think that taste is a function of wit. An artist needs the wit to keep his work always in perspective. Brookmeyer's solos are almost invariably humorous, as if he could not take his ability quite seriously. Even in conversation, he seems incapable (except perhaps among his most intimate friends) of considering his talent with anything but levity. Yet at the writing table, safely out of the public gaze, his full sensitivity comes to the fore, and it is in his writing that he consistently demonstrates that he is one of the most lyrical musicians in jazz today.

This was evident in the Django’s Castle track in the first Mulligan band album; here it is manifest in his lovely arrangement of Body and Soul, with its delicate, breathy blends and rich sonorities. Nor is there ever danger of Brookmeyer's slipping over the edge from pathos into bathos. Like Paul Desmond, Miles Davis, Lorenz Hart, and many others, he has his sense of irony to tell him when he has gone just far enough. A beautiful, beautiful writer, Brookmeyer.

Mulligan also is blessed with a great lyrical sense—and great humor. He and Brookmeyer, in their solos, contribute majorly to the sense of fun that makes this album so infectious, though Terry makes the most potent single contribution to that spirit. On the opening track, Blueport, Terry and Mulligan mix it up in fours and eights, the high, singing, pixieish quality of Terry's trumpet a perfect foil and companion to Mulligan's amused, lumbering baritone. On the last track, People, Terry does a marvelous long solo that is obviously knocking the band out. They respond with a powerful though simple riff in unison reeds—evidently extemporaneously—and Terry and the band build together until, when he sits down to let the band have it all, everything is shouting. All things considered, this is probably the best track in an excellent album.

Reider has the unenviable task of replacing Zoot Sims in the tenor solos. But, with a sound much like Sims', he does well indeed. I was moved to overt chuckling by his Middle Eastern bit in his solo on Blueport.

Bassist Crow more than adequately replaces Buddy Clark, who left the band a while back to return to California. Lewis, who also has returned to California, was perfect for this band. He is a kick all through the disc, both to the band and to the listener. He has a rivet cymbal that has just about the most sizzling sound you ever heard, and he rides it with the assurance of a master. Like everyone else on the disc, Lewis has excellent taste.

The essences of this LP are vitality, humor, and, at times, an affecting beauty. It’s very much worth not missing. *Gene Lees (Down Beat, August 17, 1961 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Blueport

(Art Farmer)

2 - Body And Soul

(Johnny Green, Frank Eyton, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour)

3 - Black Nightgown

(Johnny Mandel)

Side 2

4 - Come Rain Or Come Shine

(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

5 - Lady Chatterley's Mother

(Al Cohn)

6 - Let My People Be

(Gerry Mulligan)

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax, piano [#6]); Don Ferrara, Clark Terry, Nick Travis, (trumpets);

Willie Dennis (trombone); Alan Raph (bass trombone); Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone);

Bob Donovan (alto sax); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet); Jim Reider (tenor sax);

Gene Allen (baritone sax, bass clarinet); Bill Crow (bass); Mel Lewis (drums).

Recorded live at the Village Vanguard, New York City, December 11, 1960

Five-Star Collection... The Concert Jazz Band (I)

In late 1960, Gerry Mulligan shaped one of the most ambitious projects of his career: the Concert Jazz Band, an orchestra that, in the midst of the economic decline of big bands, openly defied the market conditions of the jazz scene at the time. Far from any retrospective gesture, the ensemble proposed a reformulation of modern orchestral language, transferring to the expanded format the principles of textural clarity, counterpoint, and interaction that Mulligan had developed in his pianeless formations since the early 1950s.

The initial support of the project was made possible thanks to an agreement with Norman Granz, producer of Verve Records, who guaranteed the financial backing necessary to keep an orchestra of these characteristics active. Within this framework, and in a remarkably brief span of time —between May 1960 and December 1961—, the Concert Jazz Band established the complete core of its discographic production.

In chronological order, this corpus can be reconstructed from five titles that are considered the main body of work of the orchestra:

The Concert Jazz Band — sessions from May and July 1960 in New York, Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band on Tour — recordings from the October–November 1960 tour in the United States and Europe, Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band at the Village Vanguard — recorded on December 11, 1960 in New York, Gerry Mulligan Presents a Concert in Jazz — sessions from July 1961 at Webster Hall, and Gerry Mulligan '63 — recorded in December 1962.

Viewed in this way, the project appears as a complete arc that coordinates studio, tour, and live documentation, allowing one to follow the evolution of the ensemble from its initial formulation to its point of maximum elaboration.

This artistic development, however, was abruptly interrupted by non-musical factors. Granz's sale of Verve to MGM put an end to the financing scheme that made the orchestra viable, forcing its dissolution shortly after the 1961 sessions, at the very moment when the group had reached its highest degree of cohesion and aesthetic definition.

Contemporary critical reception not only accompanied this process, but also consecrated it. In the pages of DownBeat magazine, three of these recordings obtained the maximum rating of five stars: the debut album The Concert Jazz Band, reviewed by Don DeMicheal in the December 8, 1960 issue; the live recording at the Village Vanguard; and Gerry Mulligan '63, whose assessment underscores the level of integration achieved by the orchestra in its final stage. Read together, these reviews trace a sort of critical arc that accompanies the trajectory of the group: from the initial affirmation of its viability, through the confirmation of its effectiveness live, to its consecration as one of the most accomplished orchestral achievements of modern jazz.

In that sense, the Concert Jazz Band asserts itself as one of the most unique orchestral formulations of its time, and one of the last great reformulations of the big band language in 20th-century jazz; although its existence was brief, the recordings it left behind still allow us today to perceive, with remarkable clarity, the creative impulse that gave it birth.

Without prejudice to focusing later on the two remaining productions that complete this corpus, let us dedicate the next three entries to examining the albums from this pentalogy that were honored by DownBeat magazine with its highest rating...

Gerry Mulligan

The Concert Jazz Band

In deciding on the instrumentation for the new band that makes its album debut here, Gerry Mulligan says: "I wanted the same clarity of sound and interplay of lines that I had in the smaller groups. 

"We have a clarinet in the reed section, not primarily for a clarinet-lead effect but for a sound contributing to the ensemble in general. As for the soloists, I wanted to use just a few men for the bulk of the solo work, so that they would be heard enough for the audience to become familiar to their styles."

What he has built, says Gerry, is essentially a concert band —a jazz band for listening— and it was on this premise that the band's first tour was arranged by Norman Granz for the fall of 1960. 

Further words are unnecessary. The album delivers its own exciting message: that this is the best new jazz orchestra of the year. *Leonard Feather (from the liner notes)*

Big bands in jazz have generally been of two sorts. The first reflects the thinking of such men as Fletcher Henderson and Don Redman, that of three sections –brass, reeds, rhythm –working as individual units within the whole, sometimes together, other times in opposition or in response to each other. While this concept is definitely tied to early jazz, it has stronger affiliations with brass bands and European music; and while there is room for individual contributions in the form of solos, the main emphasis is on group cohesion. The arranger is the controller. The major function of such bands is to provide dance music.

The other big-band concept stems from the thinking of Duke Ellington. The three sections are present as in the other, and the arranger is still important. But the individual members are not subservient to either section or pen. The part must fit the man, not vice versa. The spirit is that of a small jazz group, although the context is that of a big band. The brilliance and colors of numerous instruments can be achieved when desired, but –and this is the crucial difference between the two concepts –the creativity, freedom, and interaction of individuals found in small groups is retained. Such bands produce music the primary function of which is to stimulate the listener's ear, not his feet.

The Mulligan band is firmly in the Ellington camp. It is not an Ellington imitation, though Sweet and Low is a deep bow in Duke's direction, but reflects the feel, the spirit of Ellington –the feel, the spirit of small group jazz.

More specifically, it is an extension and expansion of Mulligan's concept as we've come to know it through his quartet and sextet: the combination of extremes –simplicity with complexity, cool intellectualism with hot-blooded emotion, sophistication with guts.

Because of these many facets and of the variety of emotional experience the band offers, I feel this is the most important big band in jazz today. (In person the impact of the band is even greater than on this album. It is unfortunate that Mulligan intends to disband, but the band is scheduled to reorganize later in 1961.)

It is not a blasting band; in many ways it is reminiscent of the Claude Thornhill Band when Gil Evans was writing for it. Attention is paid to blend, control, and dynamics. By using another baritone in the sax section, Mulligan retains fulness behind his solos. The brass is usually voiced close, giving it a subdued, almost muffled sound. Even in the shout choruses the brass keeps it head and depth.

Lewis and Clark, the rhythm section on all but one track and the one that toured with the band, are superlative. The rhythm is always firm yet never too tight. These two are the source of the band's relaxation. They push the whole band but do it unobtrusively. What Lewis plays fits so well and logically that at times the listener might miss his contribution, but on careful listening, you realize he's kicking everybody. Lewis is the Dave Tough of his time –a drummer felt more than heard.

The main soloists on the record are Mulligan, Brookmeyer, and Sims.

Mulligan builds his solos with more care than he has in some time. Each phrase relates to the next; each solo is like a story. He plays well on all tracks, but his most touching work is on Valentine and the lovely Django Reinhardt ballad Manoir de Mes Reves.

Brookmeyer's playing is the best I've heard him do. He seems to have found his true element in this band. Wit and melodiousness he always had, but here there's a fire that wasn't burning so brightly in the past. He has a gusty, burry, wonderful solo on his own arrangement of Advantage; in one place his fill over the saxes is nothing but a breathy slur –no brass sound, just breath.

Sims hasn't as much blowing room on the record as he has in person –he doesn't play in the section but is featured on a couple of tunes each set –but he has a meaty solo on Bweebida Bobbida.

This is one of the best records of 1960.

*Don DeMicheal (Down Beat, December 8, 1960 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Sweet And Low

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

2 - Bweebida Bobbida

(Gerry Mulligan)

3 - Manoir De Mes Rêves (Django's Castle)

(Django Reinhardt)

4 - You Took Advantage Of Me

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

Side 2

5 - Out Of This World

(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

6 - My Funny Valentine

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

7 - Broadway

(Henry Woode, Teddy McRae, Bill Bird)

8 - I'm Gonna Go Fishin'

(Duke Ellington, Peggy Lee)

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Don Ferrara, Conte Candoli, Nick Travis (trumpets [#1 to #7]);

Don Ferrara, Danny Stiles, Phil Sunkel (trumpets [#8];

Wayne Andre (trombone); Alan Raph (bass trombone);

Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone); Dick Meldonian (alto sax); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet);

Zoot Sims[#1 to #7], Jim Reider [#8] (tenor saxes); Gene Allen (baritone sax, bass clarinet); 

Buddy Clark [#1 to #7], Bill Tackus [#8] (basses):

Mel Lewis [#1 to #7], Dave Bailey [#8] (drums).

Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, May 21 [#8],

July 25 [#1 to #4] and July 27 [#5 to #7], 1960

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For those who prefer the digital version of the Concert Jazz Band's debut album, there are several options. One of them is the one presented by the Poll Winners Records label titled The Concert Jazz Band • The First Album.

This edition brings together the complete original Gerry Mulligan LP, The Concert Jazz Band (Verve V6-8388), which marked the discographic debut of this extraordinary big band formation. Its tracks feature the presence of stellar figures such as Zoot Sims, Bob Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill, Mel Lewis, and, of course, Mulligan himself. As a bonus, the disc incorporates all surviving tunes from the band’s second studio session —recorded in between the three sessions that made up the original LP—, as well as three tracks recorded live in Milan, four months after completing the album.

Gerry Mulligan

The Concert Jazz Band

The First Album

1 - Sweet And Low

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

2 - Bweebida Bobbida

(Gerry Mulligan)

3 - Manoir De Mes Rêves (Django's Castle)

(Django Reinhardt)

4 - You Took Advantage Of Me

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

5 - Out Of This World

(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

6 - My Funny Valentine

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

7 - Broadway

(Henry Woode, Teddy McRae, Bill Bird)

8 - I'm Gonna Go Fishin'

(Duke Ellington, Peggy Lee)

9 - I Know, Don't Know How

(Gerry Mulligan)

10 - Barbara's Theme

(Johnny Mandel)

11 - Sweet And Slow (first version)

(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)

12 - Out Of This World (first version)

(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)

13 - Go Home (live in Milan, 1960)

(Ben Webster)

14 - Apple Core (live in Milan, 1960)

(Gerry Mulligan)

15 - Barbara's Theme (live in Milan, 1960)

(Johnny Mandel)

#1 to #8:

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Don Ferrara, Conte Candoli, Nick Travis (trumpets [#1 to #7]);

Don Ferrara, Danny Stiles, Phil Sunkel (trumpets [#8]);

Wayne Andre (trombone); Alan Raph (bass trombone);

Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone); Dick Meldonian (alto sax); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet);

Zoot Sims[#1 to #7], Jim Reider [#8] (tenor saxes); Gene Allen (baritone sax, bass clarinet); 

Buddy Clark [#1 to #7], Bill Tackus [#8] (basses):

Mel Lewis [#1 to #7], Dave Bailey [#8] (drums).

Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, May 21 [#8],

July 25 [#1 to #4] and July 27 [#5 to #7], 1960

#9, #10, #11, #12:

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Don Ferrara, Danny Stiles, Phil Sunkel (trumpets);

Wayne Andre (trombone); Alan Raph (bass trombone); Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone);

Dick Meldonian (alto sax); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet); Jim Reider (tenor sax);

Gene Allen (baritone sax, bass clarinet); Bill Tackus (bass); Dave Bailey (drums).

Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, June 1, 2 and 3, 1960

#13, #14, #15:

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax); Don Ferrara, Conte Candoli, Nick Travis (trumpets);

Wayne Andre (trombone); Alan Raph (bass trombone); Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone);

Bob Donovan (alto sax); Gene Quill (alto sax, clarinet); Zoot Sims, Jim Reider (tenor saxes);

Gene Allen (baritone sax, bass clarinet); Buddy Clark (bass): Mel Lewis (drums).

Recorded live at Teatro Lirico, Milan, Italy, November 14, 1960

Five-Star Collection... Many Albam

Manny Albam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Side 1

1 - Blues From Neither Coast

(Manny Albam)

2 - Latined Fracture

(Manny Albam)

3 - Poor Dr. Millmoss

(Manny Albam)

Side 2

4 - Minor Matters

(Manny Albam)

5 - My Sweetie Went Away

(Roy Turk, Lou Handman)

6 - All Too Soon

(Duke Ellington, Carl Sigman)

7 - See Here, Miss Bromley

(Manny Albam)

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

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

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

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

✳✳✳

Manny Albam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Burt Korall (from the liner notes)*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Side 1

1 - Intervowen

(Manny Albam)

2 - Afterthoughts

(Manny Albam)

3 - Sweet's-Bread

(Manny Albam)

Side 2

4 - Jive At Five

(Harry Edison, Count Basie)

5 - Thurnder Burt

(Manny Albam)

6 - How Long Has This Been Going On?

(George and Ira Gershwin)

7 - It's De-Lovely

(Cole Porter)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five-Star Collection... Thomas Talbert

Thomas Talbert

Bix • Duke • Fats

Leon Beiderbecke, Edward Ellington and Thomas Waller were three card-holding musicians, getting their money every Friday, playing a cornet and a couple of pianos, and writing their compositions. They are known in the jazz world's casual I-want-to-be-one-of-the-gang style, as Bix, Duke and Fats. Where the aficionados gather, no further identification is necessary. Bix did most of his writing in the latter twenties. Fats swung right up to his death in 1943. Some of his last work, written for the show, Early To Bed, was his best. Duke Ellington is still very much on the scene and working constantly. The thirties and early forties were a highly creative period for him.

(...)

Fats led a small group of good men. They were mainly a foil for his contagious, exuberant and slyly humorous personality. Bix worked through the Midwest with many small combinations. He played in Gene Goldkette’s bands. Except for recording with small pickup groups, he played his last years with Paul Whiteman. It is said that Henry Busse received the larger share of the hot chair parts. Duke Ellington has been a leader from the beginning, composing and arranging for his own band in prolific quantity.

But they all worked the country's saloons where jazz grew up. This is a world apart from the Broadway, West End or Hollywood composer who has only the current show on his mind. And with the lyricist to carry the day if the tune goes false. They were right in the midst of the instruments that were making the pulse that jazz is all about. And there's the tie-in for an album such as this. Three styles, yes... but all stemming from the same background. *Thomas Talbert (liner notes, 1956)*

The world has changed so much since this music was recorded but the beauty of the compositions has remained constant. I spent a lot of time selecting the material for the album and then the arrangements were written in four late summer weeks. Bond Street, the first, was  finished August 19 and the last, Orange Bright on  September 13. The final recording, the  Ellington tune with ten men, was September 14. There was an individual session for each composer as I used a different instrumentation to enhance how I heard each of their voices.

I remember the warm fall evening, after the Beiderbecke session, as my friend and copyist George Green and I walked west on Forty-second Street. It was not as bizarre a  locale then and we were going to meet Joe Wilder at Dixon's on Eighth Avenue for an early dinner. I was filled with satisfied accomplishment as we quietly spoke of the chamber-music recording challenge and of Joe's marvelous playing. It was a good day and the Wilder solos still soar.

They all did. What a joy it is for an arranger to have his writing, his  dream, played with such verve and empathy. New York had a shine on it in the '50s and it was exhilarating to be part of it.

*Thomas Talbert (liner notes, 1993)*

This is a stunning piece of work by all concerned. Talbert's writing is fresh and moody, and the performances, particularly the solo work, are firstrate.

There is a smooth blend of the horns, spiced by some bright brass figures, in the arranged passages. As for the solos, it's difficult to describe them without using hand motions or including a copy of the record in the magazine.

Wilder emerges as a trumpet man of stature and delicacy. His taste and flexibility are particularly evident on the Beiderbecke pieces, Mist, Candlelight, and Dark. Galbraith also is heard soulfully on the Bix tracks. Cleveland and Bert split the trombone solo spots, with Jimmy percussively exciting and Bert blowing warmly and with restraint.

The Talbert original, Green Night, is a moody, impressionistic work with actually none of the flavor of the three men to whom homage is paid by this album, but rather a logical extension of the mood created by the compositions.

This album is no tribute in style to Bix, Fats, and Duke. Rather, it is a collection of creations based on their works, The closest to a literal reading is Duke's Koko, which smacks of period Ellington in the rich opening ensemble prodded by Pettiford's throbbing bass.

One final word should be said about Wallington, whose presence is a vital thing, and whose solos and fills are a delight to hear.

Packaging is handsome, with the cover perhaps the most attractive jazz cover presented in many months. Talbert's notes are literate and illuminating, a fine argument for having musicians or leaders write the words about their music.

This is a great record, conceived and executed with taste and artistry.

*Dom Cerulli (Down Beat, June 27, 1957 [5 stars])*

1 - Clothes Line Ballet

(Fats Waller)

2 - In A Mist

(Bix Beiderbecke)

3 - Bond Street

(Fats Waller)

4 - Prelude To A Kiss

(Duke Ellington, Irving Gordon, Irving Mills)

5 - Green Night & Orange Bright

(Thomas Talbert)

6 - Black And Blue

(Fats Waller, Andy Razaf, Harry Brooks)

7 - Candlelights

(Bix Beiderbecke)

8 - Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now

(Fats Waller, Andy Razaf)

9 - In The Dark

(Bix Beiderbecke)

10 - Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me & Ko-Ko

(Duke Ellington, Bob Russell) & (Duke Ellington)

Thomas "Tom" Talbert (arrangements, conductor)

#1, #3, #6, #8:

Joe Wilder, Nick Travis (trumpets); Eddie Bert, Jimmy Cleveland (trombones);

Aaron Sachs (tenor sax, clarinet); George Wallington (piano);

Oscar Pettiford (bass); Osie Johnson (drums).

Recorded in New York City, August 24, 1956

#2, #7, #9:

Joe Wilder (trumpet), Jim Buffington (french horn), Joe Soldo (flute),

Danny Bank (clarinet, bass clarinet), Harold Goltzer (bassoon), Barry

Galbraith (guitar), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Osie Johnson (drums).

Recorded in New York City, September 7, 1956

#4, #5, #10:

Joe Wilder (trumpet), Eddie Bert (trombone), Jim Buffington (french horn),

Herb Geller (alto sax), Joe Soldo (alto sax, fute), Aaron Sachs (tenor sax, clarinet),

Danny Bank (baritone sax, bass clarinet), Claude Williamson (piano [#5]),

Barry Galbraith (guitar), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Osie Johnson (drums).

Recorded in New York City, September 14, 1956

Five-Star Collection... The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra

The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra

The Sons Of Sauter-Finegan

To anyone who has never enjoyed the felicities of life in a large family, the purpose and particular joy of this present album may appear somewhat obscure, but on the other hand, those who have grown up in the midst of countless brothers (or sisters) and have been saddled with years of hand-me-downs will know at once just what it is that has brought us together. We may not be members of a regulation-type family in the generally accepted sense of the term, but it is one that swings like few others — and we ask you, how many other families get a chance to carry out the work of their parents as we do that of Eddie and Bill? It's sometimes difficult (if not impossible) to follow, but man, we dig it!

You are all undoubtedly aware of the size of our musical family — unfortunately, we have only one sister, but man, there are brothers coming out of every instrument imaginable, not to mention the woodwork. Not that it isn’t the greatest, but it's always nice to get away for a little vacation even if it means nothing more than traipsing down to the nearest recording studio. So, when RCA Victor's Jack Lewis got together with our parental team and suggested that the older members of the family cut some sides, we were all for it. But don't get the wrong idea — our beards are not quite that white, it’s just that we've been around longer than some of the other S-F kids. And just to make things complete, we thought we should invite one of the parents to sit in with us — it turned out to be Bill Finegan on piano, but if we had used any kazoos it would inevitably have been the estimable Mr. Sauter. He did show up, however, to lead his renowned choir. 

Of course, the making of these records did not actually constitute a vacation, for at the time they were being cut we were also fulfilling an engagement at the New York night spot known as Basin Street. But the music itself is a distinet change from what we usually play with the band. There, in the intricate, colorful, and always swinging arrangements by Eddie and Bill, we join all our other brothers in a massive panorama of sound — we only rarely receive the opportunity to show what we can do in a solo capacity. Not that we're complaining, for there’s really no musical satisfaction quite like playing the products of the Sauter-Finegan imagination, but every musician likes to blow on his own every once in a while, and on these dates we blew to our hearts’ content. Bill built some simple arrangements around each one of us, and from that 

point it was every man for himself.

(...)

Come to think of it, this was something of a vacation — but most of all, it was just great fun. There's something about spontaneous creation that lifts all of us, in an individual way, just a little higher, and especially when it's something we don't do every day, it comes as almost a new experience. At the present writing, we're back with all our countless brothers, once again in the midst of recorders, kazoos, finger cymbals and elephant bells, but for us — and we hone for you, too — the melody lingers on. *(from the liner notes)*

There have been and continue to be many brilliant sidemen in the Sauter-Finegan entourage, but the extent of each man's expressivity has been constricted by the gimmicky, heavily pretentious book of the band. Now, thanks to Jack Lewis of Victor, several of these sidemen have been gathered into small units and have been given ample solo space in loose "head" arrangements. The sides were cut several months ago.

The musicians are: Bobby Nichols, trumpet and fluegel horn; Nick Travis, trumpet and valve trombone; Sonny Russo, trombone; Tommy Mitchell, trombone; Joe Venuto, marimba and vibes; Francis James, bass; Mousey Alexander, drums; Bill Finegan, piano.

Everyone on the date is in fine form. Sonny Russo, (now with Neal Hefti) indicates again he's one of the better young trombonists in jazz although, like his contemporary, Frank Rosolino, Sonny is ill-advised to sing. Mitchell also shows well. Nichols and Travis play with moving warmth and impressive musicianship. Venuto makes it on his one solo band. Though I respect Mousey Alexander, the rhythm section isn't as apt as it could have been for the small units that make up the date. It could flow more, particularly on the up-tempos.

Nichols has two ballads to himself that he plays beautifully, and he duets with Travis on three other numbers. Russo has two to himself, and everyone joins in the last number. Of special interest are two of the Nichols-Travis numbers, Non-Identical Twins and Two Bats in a Cave. Both have the two hornmen alone — without rhythm section. Their third duet, Nip and Tuck — with rhythm — is also absorbing. Good recorded sound throughout. One of the more imaginative albums of the year.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, September 21, 1955 [5 stars])*

Side 1

1 - Back In Your Own Backyard

(Rose, Jolson, Dreyer)

2 - I Surrender Dear

(Barris, Clifford)

3 - Street Of Dreams

(Young, Lewis)

4 - Lip Service

(Russo, Mitchell)

5 - Two Bats In A Cave

(Nichols, Travis)

6 - Mad About The Boy

(Coward)

Side 2

7 - Over The Rainbow

(Arlen, Harburg)

8 - Non-Identical Twins

(Nichols, Travis)

9 - Easy To Remember

(Rodgers, Hart)

10 - Nip And Tuck

(Nichols, Travis)

11 - Fascinating Rhythm

(G. & I. Gershwin)

12 - Procrastination

(Finegan)

Eddie Sauter (arrangements, direction), Bill Finegan (piano, celesta [#7]), 

Bobby Nichols (trumpet, flugelhorn [#7]), Nick Travis (trumpet, valve trombone [#9]),

Sonny Russo (trombone, vocals [#1]), Tommy Mitchell (trombone),

Joe Venuto (marimba [#2], vibes), Francis James (bass), Mousey Alexander (drums).

Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, New York City,

January 15 (#1, #3, #10, #11), 16 (#2, #5, #6, #9) and 20 (#4, #7, #8, #12), 1955

Trumpet Conclave (I)

Conte Candoli • Nick Travis • Dick Sherman

Bernie Glow • Phil Sunkel • Don Stratton • Al De Risi

Cool Gabriels 

One of the rather surprising developments in the jazz field over the past few years has been the comparative neglect of that most venerated of jazz instruments, the trumpet. Since about 1950, when jazz started its upward climb toward its present pinnacle of popularity and prosperity, there have been scores of jazz albums issued featuring saxes, pianos, guitars and trombones, but comparatively few featuring cool horns. In order to somewhat rectify what appears to be an unfair situation for 

modern trumpet players, and to show how enjoyable cool trumpets can sound, this album was conceived. Since it was to be a showcase for cool horn men, it had to show off many different styles of trumpet, and it had to feature both wellknown modern trumpeters as well as rising young horn men who were just beginning to obtain recognition for their work. In addition, it had to display these "Cool Gabriels" both as soloists and in ensemble, to prove the versatility of the men and their instrument. In all these respects, this album of cool horns has succeeded admirably.

*Radio Corporation of America, 1956 (liner notes)*

This rare and longtime hard-to-find album was conceived to show how enjoyable cool trumpets can sound. Featured "Cool Gabriels" are Conte Candoli, Nick Travis, Don Stratton, Bernie Glow, Phil Sunkel, Al de Risi and Dick Sherman. The tune contained in this album were selected specifically to give each "Gabriel" a chance to show his stuff and also to demonstrate the various moods that could be brilliantly exemplified wit a trumpet ensemble. The fun that the musicians had making these recordings is apparent on every selection, including the Gerry Mulligan tunes, the clever Al Cohn items 'Cupcake' and 'Spooky', John Benson Brooks' devilish 'Nick', Paul Selden's somber 'Something Blue', and Elliot Lawrence's ligh compositions. *Jordi Pujol*

Cool Gabriels is a trumpet conclave with Conte Candoli, Nick Travis, Dick Sherman, Don Stratton, and Phil Sunkel soloing over a background of alternating lead trumpets Bernie Glow and Al De Risi, Elliot Lawrence, Burgher (Buddy) Jones, Sol Gubin, and themselves. Glow solos on "Arms". The writing is by Lawrence, Al Cohn, Paul Selden, Gerry Mulligan (arranged by Lawrence), and John Benson Brooks. The scoring is clean, always flowing, and sometimes quite ingratiating.

The solos are also of a consistently controlled and assured level while the ensemble playing is sharp and alive. Yet there is little here that really clutches the emotions, little that is nakedly beneath the surface. It's like a good issue of a well-produced slick magazine — Time, let's say. For a more earthy, more deeply wailing trumpet meeting, try Savoy's Top Brass under Ernie Wilkins' direction. But this isn't a dull set by any means. It just doesn't let go enough. There are two takes of "The Swingin' Scot". A complete solo chart is helpfully provided.

*Nat Hentoff (Down Beat, November 28, 1956)*

Side 1

1 - Five O'Clock Shadow

(Lawrence, Reichner)

2 - Cupcake

(Al Cohn)

3 - Mostly Latin

(Elliot Lawrence)

4 - Something Blue

(Paul Selden)

5 - The Swingin' Scot (part 1 and part 2)

(Elliot Lawrence)

6 - Love Is Just Around The Corner

(Leo Robin, Lewis Gensler)

Side 2

7 - Elevation

(Elliot Lawrence, Gerry Mulligan)

8 - Spooky

(Al Cohn)

9 - Happy Hooligan

(Gerry Mulligan)

10 - Each Other's Arms

(Lawrence, Glenn, Reichner)

11 - Nick

(John Benson Brooks)

#1, #7, #8, #9:

Nick Travis, Bernie Glow, Conte Candoli, Don Stratton (trumpets);

Elliott Lawrence (piano); Burgher "Buddy" Jones (bass); Sol Gubin (drums).

#2, #3, #4, #6:

Nick Travis, Al De Risi, Conte Candoli, Don Stratton, Dick Sherman (trumpets);

Elliot Lawrence (piano); Burgher "Buddy" Jones (bass); Sol Gubin (drums).

#5, #10, #11:

Nick Travis, Bernie Glow, Conte Candoli, Don Stratton, Phil Sunkel (trumpets);

Elliott Lawrence (piano); Burgher "Buddy" Jones (bass); Sol Gubin (drums).

Recorded in New York City, June 1 (#1, #7, #8, #9),

June 12 (#2, #3, #4, #6) and June 14 (#5, #10, #11), 1956

Jazz goes to... Elliot Lawrence

Elliot Lawrence

Jazz Goes Broadway

Elliot Lawrence was born Elliot Lawrence Broza on February 14, 1925, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents, Stan Lee Broza and Esther Broza, were radio and television pioneers. In 1927, they created and produced the Horn and Hardart Children's Hour, which ran on WCAU radio from 1927 to 1958 and concurrently on television from 1948 to 1958.

Lawrence grew up in this show business environment and began studying piano at the age of three. His first public performance was at age four conducting the orchestra on the Children's Hour stage show. At the age of six he wrote his first composition, "Falling Down Stairs", and was stricken with polio. Lawrence suffered from the illness for six months, after which he recovered. By the age of 12, Elliot had formed his first band, a 15-piece unit called The Band Busters, and had already begun doing club dates on the weekends. Elliot finished high school at age 16 and entered the University of Pennsylvania. During his junior year his band, now named The Elliot Broza Orchestra, began playing college proms around Pennsylvania. 

Elliot took the name Elliot Lawrence to distinguish himself from his family name when he became the music director of WCAU'S House Band in 1945. The band premiered on the radio on January 18, 1945, as The Elliot Lawrence Orchestra in a weekly half-hour broadcast "Listen to Lawrence". The Elliot Lawrence Band, of which he was the piano player and leader, soon incorporated classical instruments like oboe, French horn, English horn and bassoon.

From 1946 to 1954, Lawrence's Band toured, performing at dances, concerts, college proms, and headline gigs around the United States year round, while recording albums for Decca, Columbia, RCA, Fantasy, and Vik records. In 1949, the band performed a three-week stint with the Nat King Cole Trio at the Paramount Theater in New York City, during which time it recorded Gerry Mulligan's "Elevation", later named "one of the top 50 best jazz recordings of the 20th century" by the Smithsonian Institution. The Elliot Lawrence Band performed in Philadelphia at the World Series in 1950, playing his original song "The Fightin' Phils". By this time, however, the band had become known for their "sweet" commercial sound. From 1947 to 1949 the band was the "campus choice" in Billboard's most promising new orchestra polls. Elliot was also voted one of America's "most eligible bachelors" by Look magazine in 1949.

After 1960, Lawrence gave up jazz and began composing and arranging for television, film, and stage. He won the Tony Award for his second show, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 1962. This led to a 16-year career as a Broadway Conductor and musical director and later to his almost 50-year career as the "go to" conductor for big television events and specials.

Elliot Lawrence died on July 2, 2021, at the age of 96 in Manhattan. *(from wikipedia.org)*

If New York's jazz studio scene had a high point, it's probably 1956 and '57, just as the 12-inch LP became popular and just before stereo intruded with its odd sonics. During those two years, labels set high LP production quotas and producers were dispatched to line up numerous recording dates. With the pressure on, many producers took chances on artists who might not have been heard otherwise and concepts that hadn't been tried previously. They also began using Broadway songs as a way to build inventory.

One of the earliest examples was Elliot Lawrence's Jazz Goes Broadway, which had a distinctly East Coast sound. The difference between the East Coast and West Coast studio sound rested in its main influences. On the West Coast, arrangements and playing tended to be splashier and more swayed by television, fast cars and the movies. On the East Coast, the playing was jazzier and the arrangements tended to be bluesy, instrumentally denser and less commercial sounding.

Recorded over two sessions in May 1957, Jazz Goes Broadway featured two different sets of first-call studio musicians. The arrangements were by AlCohn, Elliot Lawrence and Manny Albam. What's more, each song showcases a different artist.

On Jazz Goes Broadway, we hear the artful use of show tunes without sacrificing jazz or swing. *Marc Myers*

Although he mostly worked in radio, television, and the studios in the 1950s, pianist/arranger Elliot Lawrence also led a series of fine swing-oriented jazz dates. Most of his sessions were at the head of big bands, but, for this CD Lawrence leads a pair of overlapping octets. Such soloists as Art Farmer or Nick Travis on trumpet, Jimmy Cleveland or Urbie Green on trombone, altoist Gene Quill, clarinetist Hal McKusick, tenorman Zoot Sims and Al Cohn (switching to baritone), the groups perform ten songs taken from Broadway shows. Four ("Just in Time", "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face", "On the Street Where You Live", and "Mack the Knife") became standards while the other six sank into obscurity. The jazz all-stars (which also include bassist Chubby Jackson and drummer Don Lamond) uplift all of the tunes, with arrangements provided by Lawrence, Cohn, and Manny Albam. *Scott Yanow (All Music Guide)*

1 - Jubilation T. Cornepone

(Johnny Mercer, Gene De Paul)

2 - Just In Time

(B. Comden, A. Green, J. Styne)

3 - Big D

(Frank Loesser)

4 - I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face

(Alan J. Lerner, Frederick Loewe)

5 - On The Street Where You Live

(Alan J. Lerner, Frederick Loewe)

6 - Mack The Knife

(Kurt Weill)

7 - Joey, Joey, Joey

(Frank Loesser)

8 - If'n

(Matt Dubey, Harold Karr)

9 - Look At 'Er

(Bob Merrill)

10 - Standing On The Corner

(Frank Loesser)

#1, #3, #6, #8:

Art Farmer (trumpet), Jimmy Cleveland (trombone), Gene Quill (alto sax),

 Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Al Cohn (baritone sax), Elliot Lawrence (piano),

Chubby Jackson (bass), Don Lamond (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall, RCA Victor Studios, New York City, May 7, 1957

#2, #4, #5, #7, #9, #10:

Nick Travis (trumpet), Urbie Green (trombone), Hal McKusick (clarinet),

Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Al Cohn (baritone sax), Elliot Lawrence (piano),

Chubby Jackson (bass), Don Lamond (drums).

Recorded at Webster Hall, RCA Victor Studios, New York City, May 8, 1957

Tony Aless: A musical homage

An infrequently recorded pianist, Tony Aless mixed bop, mainstream and cool elements into his compositions and solos. Aless played with trumpeter Bunny Berign in the late '30s, then recorded with Teddy Powell in the early '40s. After serving in the army, Aless played briefly with Charlie Spivak, then worked and recorded with Woody Herrman in the mid-'40s. Later stints included stretches with George Auld, Flip Phillips, Chubby Jackson, Neal Hefti, Stan Getz and Charlie Parker, plus radio appearances. Aless's best-known album is the 1955 release Long Island Suite, notable for the inclusion of twin trombone dynamos J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding, and contributions from another solid, undervalued musician, alto saxophonist Dave Schildkraut. *Ron Wynn*

In 1955, Long Island was a checkerboard of farming and fishing communities. The longest island in the continental U.S., Long Island remained relatively sleepy and quaint until 1958, when the Long Island Expressway was completed and spanned 71 miles of the 118-mile length of the land mass. Before '58, Long Island towns just over the Queens border became bedroom communities, as young married war veterans who qualified for the G.I. Bill bought homes with low-interest, zero-down loans and commuted to jobs in the city on the Long Island Railroad.

During this pre-boom period in 1955, Tony Aless recorded his Long Island Suite for Roost, dedicated to towns that were little more than sleepy villages back then. The only distant exceptions on the album were Riverhead and Greenport way out on the east end.

Aless's eight town tunes were Levittown, Corona, Aqueduct, Riverhead, Valley Stream, Greenport, Fire Island and Massapequa. Most were near Long Island's Route 27 along the southern shore. Other than that connection, it's hard to know why Aless chose these specific towns.

It's also unclear why Aless composed a musical valentine to Long Island, but his ability to write and arrange swinging work is evident here. What's even stranger — given his ability to compose, arrange, contract top musicians and conduct — is that Long Island Suite was his only leadership album. *Marc Myers*

Tony Aless

Long Island Suite

Introducing Seldon Powell

This album is a happy musical trip to eight Long Island communities written by Tony Aless (1921-1985). A pianist of broad big band experienceBunny Berigan, Teddy Powell, Georgie Auld, Charlie Spivak, Woody Herman, Charlie Ventura, Neal Hefti, Chubby Jackson, George Siravohe also worked on networks and independent stations around New York and recorded with the groups of Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, George Handy, Seldon Powell and John Plonsky. These years of iron-clad, elite experience not only inform his authoritative playing, but are also distilled in this impressive project into a personal musical credo. More than anything else, he said, my concern was swinging. I think we got that across.

Besides his persuasive contributions as player, composer and arranger on what was the only album released under his own name, there is much to admire; in a first-rate rhythm section of Billy Bauer, Arnold Fishkin and Don Lamond, Bauer is also one of the better soloists on the date; of the others, Nick Travis is crisply vibrant, and Dave Schildkraut swings hard and Bird-like. Tenorman Seldon Powell, imaginative, visceral, with a fine, full sound, is best of all. Also effective in their brief appearances are the alternating trombones Kai & J.J.

But even the most casual hearing of the Long Island Suite will confirm Alesss judgment: it swings all the way. And it is, as he hoped it would be, simple, like Basie. Because, as far as I am concerned, thats the only thing, to swing all night-long. *Jordi Pujol*

One of the few albums ever cut as a leader by pianist Tony Aless — an unsung hero of the big band years, especially in the Woody Herman group — and a great arranger too! This set's an all-original outing — a suite of tracks dedicated to Long Island, and played by a very hip group that has tenorist Seldon Powell in the lead — serving up work that's every bit as great here as on his own albums for Roost from the time! The record's got a slightly largish group — a tentet that's stuffed with great players — including Billy Bauer on guitar, J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding on trombones, and Nick Travis on trumpet — all modernists who really bring in the sound you'd expect. Titles include "Fire Island", "Valley Stream", "Levittown", and "Massapequa".  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

1 - Levittown

2 - Corona

3 - Aqueduct

4 - Riverhead

5 - Valley Stream

6 - Greenport

7 - Fire Island

8 - Massapequa

(All compositions by Tony Aless)

Nick Travis (trumpet); J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding [as "Moe and Joe"] (trombones);

Dave Schildkraut (alto sax), Seldon Powell, Pete Mondello (tenor saxes),

Tony Aless (piano), Billy Bauer (guitar), Arnold Fishkin (bass), Don Lamond (drums).

Recorded in New York City, July 1955