Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XXVIII & XXIX)

 Eldee Young & Co. - Just For Kicks

An early solo album cut by Eldee Young, back in the days when he was Ramsey Lewis' bassist, and before he formed the Young-Holt trio. The record's a good example of the strong humor that Eldee would later display in the Young-Holt group, and it's got a great batch of groovy tracks that have a tight soulful sound, with lots of nice tricks and surprises. The group includes Leo Wright, Mal Waldron, Redd Holt, and Richard Evans, who plays bass on some tracks while Eldee picks up the cello. The album's got a great version of Oscar Brown's "Mr. Kicks", plus the tracks "Just For Kicks", "Truly", "Big Brother", and "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", done in a very groovy way! *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

Red Holt - Look Out!! Look Out!!

Red Holt led this album for Arco in December 1961. It's essentially the Ramsey Lewis Trio (Lewis on piano, Eldee Young on bass and Holt on drums) with a guitarist named Roland Faulkner backing Floyd Marvin on trombone and Wallace Burton on alto sax.

The music is straight ahead jazz with 1960s pop interwoven — a format that Ramsey Lewis perfected — with an easy swing that is more like the West Coast variant of jazz that was popular during that era than the Chicago flavored music that this really is.

Most of the tracks are typical standards, but the inclusion of "Ghost Riders" is interesting. That was a popular song with country and western connotations that had been covered by a number of groups and vocalists. It seems to have been inserted into the mix for popular appeal. Another interesting track is "Sanctified Indian" that sounds suspiciously like Wilbur de Paris' 1958 recording titled "In A Persian Market" (it's a 1920 composition by Albert William Ketelbey).

Overall this is a foot tapping album that is easy to listen to without having to concentrate on the music to enjoy. In that respect it is atypical of most jazz, but it still swings and does not cross over into gratuitous pop. Kudos to the producer for that. *Mike Tarrani*

Eldee Young & Co. - Just For Kicks

And

Red Holt - Look Out!! Look Out!!

Bassist Eldee Young and drummer Issac Red Holt were founding members of the hugely successful Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1956, and made their first sessions as leaders with the two fine albums included here.

Recorded in Chicago in December 1961, they feature two warmly delivered sets of originals and standards. As he shows in Just for Kicks, Young was a competent bassist, direct and forceful, with a pleasing flair for lighthearted drama. This dates prime musical asset is, perhaps, altoist and flutist Leo Wright, who plays well throughout, and stunningly (on alto) on "Cry Me a River". Young also plays soul cello on several numbers, providing moments of real beauty as flute and cello blend. Under the blunderbuss performances of Young and Wright, pianist Mal Waldron keeps much of his work simple and basic, always to the point.

On Holts Look Out!! Look Out!! the Ramsey Lewis trio is intact, augmented by the almost barrel-house trombonist Floyd Marvin on "Ghost Riders", and by altoist Wallace Burton and guitarist Roland Faulkner on the rest of the album, excluding both drum-and-bass Look Out tunes. Burton shows flawless intonation and instinctively good phrasing, while Faulkner is strongly blues-rooted on a session swung hard by the rhythm section, with Ramsey Lewis adding his solo strength consistently to the mix. *Jordi Pujol*

1 - When Johnny Comes Marching Home

(Patrick Gilmore)

2 - Goodbye

(Gordon Jenkins)

3 - Crazy She Calls Me

(Russell, Sigman)

4 - Big Brother

(Eldee Young)

5 - Cry Me A River

(Arthur Hamilton)

6 - Truly

(Eldee Young)

7 - Mr. Kicks

(Oscar Brown, Jr.)

8 - Motherless Child

(Trad. Arr. Eldee Young)

9 - Just For Kicks

(Eldee Young)

10 - John Henry

(Trad. Arr. Eldee Young)

11 - Look Out No. 3

(Red Holt)

12 - Little Liza Jane

(Trad. arr.: Redd Holt)

13 - My Favorite Things

(Rodgers, Hammerstein II)

14 - Red Sails In the Sunset

(Kennedy, Williams)

15 - Drum Drunk

(Red Holt)

16 - Soul Mist

(Holt, Lewis, Young)

17 - Ghost Riders

(Edward J. Kay)

18 - Stella by Starlight

(Young, Washington)

19 - Sanctified Indian

(Red Holt)

20 - I Cover the Waterfront

(Green, Heyman)

21 - Tonight

(Leonard Bernstein)

22 - Look Out No. 1

(Red Holt)

#1 to #10: from the album Just For Kicks (Argo LPS 699)

Leo Wright (alto sax, flute), Mal Waldron (piano), 

Eldee Young (bass [#1 to #5], cello [#6 to #10], vocals [#7]),

Richard Evans (bass [#6 to #10]), Issac "Red" Holt (drums).

Recorded at Ter-Mar Recording Studio, Chicago, Illinois, December 28, 1961

#11 to #22: from the album Look Out!! Look Out!! (Argo LPS 696)

Floyd Marvin (trombone), Wallace Burton (alto sax), Ramsey Lewis (piano),

Roland Faulkner (guitar), Eldee Young (bass), Issac "Red" Holt (drums).

Recorded at Ter-Mar Recording Studio, Chicago, Illinois, December, 1961

Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XXIII)

Sonny Stitt

Sonny Stitt

Sonny Stitt recorded extensively throughout his career, so frequently that he often couldn't remember his sessions a year later. This informal session, cut in Chicago in 1958, is one that Stitt apparently forgot about, which is why the personnel (probably a local rhythm section that might include pianist Barry Harris) has never been definitively identified. Stitt, doubling on alto and tenor, plays some songs with unfamiliar titles, but all of the chord changes of the originals (half of them blues) are fairly basic. He is in above-average form, making this LP of interest for bebop collectors.

*Scott Yanow*

A record with a simple, elegant title — and a similar cover image too — but if you know Sonny Stitt, you know there's often plenty beneath the surface, and this classic Argo Records has plenty to offer, once you start listening! The album's right up there with Sonny's work for Roost — in terms of straight, strong, confident blowing — remarkably subtle, but also remarkably well-conceived, and proof that by the end of the 50s, Stitt had really matured greatly as a player — bringing so much to bear in very short space, and really coming up with imaginative solos in the process! The group's a quartet with Barry Harris on piano (although conflicting information also claims that it's Ramsey Lewis) — but Stitt's the main focus on this set, and for good reason — on titles that include "Jack Spratt", "Propapagoon", "This Is Always", "Everyone Does", and "Mr Sun".  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

The front and back covers of this album feature the same photo, a close-up of Sonny Stitt. Even if the size is small enough for a CD booklet, it is a striking photo. But just like the analog version, the original artwork does not mention the musicians who complete the quartet. That is why many people still wonder who they are.

Some sources say they are Barry Harris on piano, William Austin on piano and Frank Gant on drums. But that is just an assumption. Fans who have heard Harris play even once should know that Harris' style and that of the pianist on this album are not at all similar. Furthermore, in an interview with the British magazine "Jazz Monthly", Barry Harris himself denied having participated in this recording.

I'd like to assume the theory that the pianist is Ramsey Lewis, given the similarities to other recordings from the same period that he participated in such as MAX by drummer Max Roach and The Colorful Strings Of Jimmy Woode by bassist Woode.

When Lewis visited Japan in August 2011, we asked him about it and he replied: "Yes... That pianist is definitely me. But I don't remember who the bass player and the drummer were."

Perhaps one day the doubt will be resolved. *Kazunori Hadada (from Japanese CD liner notes)*

1 - Propapagoon

(Sonny Stitt)

2 - This Is Always

(Harry Warren, Mack Gordon)

3 - Jack Spratt

(Sonny Stitt)

4 - Just You, Just Me

(Jesse Greer, Raymond Klages)

5 - Cool Blues

(Charlie Parker)

6 - Mister Sun

(Sonny Stitt)

7 - Dancing On The Ceiling

(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

8 - Everyone Does

(Sonny Stitt)

Sonny Stitt (alto sax, tenor sax), possibly with:

Ramsey Lewis (piano), Eldee Young (bass), Isaac "Red" Holt (drums)

or

Barry Harris (piano), William "Bill" Austin (bass), Frank Gant (drums)

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, 1958

Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XXII)

Jimmy Woode

The Colorful Strings Of Jimmy Woode

Jimmy Woode played the bass for over 50 years, but he isn’t as well known to American audiences as he should be. The reason is, he spent about 40 of those years as an expatriate in Europe. His stateside career was short in comparison.

The Philadelphia-born Woode arrived in Boston in 1946 following his discharge from the army. He studied first at Boston University’s School of Music, then at the Boston Conservatory. By 1948 he was with Clarence Jackson and His Notes of Rhythm, and in 1949 in a short-lived quartet with Jaki Byard, Ray Perry, and Alan Dawson. (Now that must have been interesting.)

Woode left Boston for a time in 1950–51, on the road with Flip Phillips and Bill Harris, but by late 1951 he was at Storyville as the house bassist. He worked with everybody coming through: Sidney Bechet, Teddy Wilson, Charlie Parker, and singers  Lee Wiley and Billie Holiday. He was also Wein’s bassist of choice for the summer Storyvilles in the early fifties. Two Storyville Records sessions highlight his versatility. One was Jazz at Storyville with the New Orleans master Bechet, the other Serge Chaloff and Boots Mussulli.

In 1954 Woode worked in a duo with Jaki Byard and a trio with Dean Earl, and he continued to accompany the biggest stars in jazz, including Parker again, Ella Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis.

In February 1955, Duke Ellington was at Storyville and he needed a substitute bassist right away. Woode got the job, and he remained with Ellington until April 1960. He had memorable moments with the Duke. Everyone remembers that Paul Gonsalves played all those choruses at Newport in 1956, but not everyone remembers it was Woode and Sam Woodyard who laid down the beat for him.

September 2, 1957 found Woode in a Chicago studio recording his only album as a leader, The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode, on the Argo label. Woode brought along fellow Ellingtonians Gonsalves, Woodyard, and Clark Terry to the session, and filled out the group with Chicagoans Porter Kilbert on alto, Mike Simpson on flute, and a young Ramsey Lewis on piano. Woode composed all the tunes on Colorful Strings except the standard, “The Way You Look Tonight.”

In 1960, Woode moved to Europe, where he never lacked for work. In 1961, he became a founding member of the big band led by drummer Kenny Clarke and pianist Francy Boland, and he later toured extensively with the Paris Reunion Band. He returned to the States in about 2000.

Jimmy Woode died on April 23, 2005, in what was a very bad week for the art of jazz bass. Niels-Henning Ørsted-Pedersen died on April 20, and Percy Heath died on April 28. Over 150 years of experience were lost in eight days. *richardvacca.com*

An incredible record from bassist Woode – quite possibly his only small group session as a leader, and a super-hip album that bridges his work with Duke Ellington and later sides with the Clarke Boland Big Band! The record's got a groove that's far different than anything Woode cut with Ellington – and in a way, it already points the way towards some of the sounds that would be created by American ex-patriots on the European scene of the 60s. The groove is very light – and features Woode's bass leading a combo with flute from Mike Simpson, tenor from Paul Gonsalves, trumpet from Clark Terry, and piano from Ramsey Lewis – all coming together in unusual timings and phrasings that are a fair bit different than their own work of the time. Simpson's flute is especially great – a really lyrical element that works perfectly with Woode's melodic bass work – and Gonsalves and Terry are working here in their best tonal color mode, really shading things in nicely! All cuts are originals by Woode, and they're done in long takes – with titles that include "Dance Of The Reluctant Drag", "Man From Potter's Crossing", "Falmouth Recollections", and "Foofy For President". *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

Side 1

1 - Falmouth Recollections

(J. Woode)

2 - The Way You Look Tonight

(J. Kern, D. Fields)

3 - Foofy For President

(J. Woode)

Side 2

4 - The Man From Potter's Crossing

(J. Woode)

5 - Dance Of The Reluctant Drag

(J. Woode)

6 - Empathy, For Ruth

(J. Woode)

Clark Terry (trumpet), Paul Gonsalves (tenor sax), Porter Kilbert (alto sax), 

Britt Woodman (trombone), Mike Simpson (flute), 

Ramsey Lewis (piano), Jimmy Woode (bass, vocals [#2]), Sam Woodyard (drums).

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, September 2, 1957

Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XXI)

Max Roach

MAX

1958's MAX shows Max Roach at the top of his game. A decade earlier, Roach had absorbed Kenny Clarke's drumming style and, with trumpet virtuoso Clifford Brown, forged his own brand of bebop. By 1958, on his way to becoming a true jazz elder, Roach began pushing the boundaries of jazz even further. The quintet heard here served as Roach's musical springboard after Brown's untimely death in 1956. >MAX< is a "comeback" album of sorts. Kenny Dorham steps in to fill Brown's shoes and does so with great panache. Hank Mobley's fine tenor playing is also spotlighted. Highlights include the fast and furious Dorham original "Speculate" and the lush ballad "That Ole Devil Love". On the former, Roach takes an absolutely blazing drum solo-which ends curiously with the sound of a tape splice. The performances on this track alone prove that Roach's band was the equal of any hard-bop group in the world. *allmusic.com*

Killer set of bop tracks recorded by Max and other NY bop heavy hitters — like Hank Mobley and Kenny Dorham — plus a guest appearance by Ramsey Lewis on piano, in one of his few non-Chicago, non-trio sides! The record's got that great kind of energy that Roach could hit when he really was kicking his group into gear — and although the overall approach is mostly hardbop, there's plenty going on under the surface. Tracks inlcude "CM", "Four X", "Crackle Hut", and "Speculate". *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

There are many drummers in jazz. But Roach is one of the few meriting the title "percussionist". Few drummers utilize their instrument in the multi-faceted manner that Roach does. He communicates vividly, because he has liberated his instrument to incorporate in its realm patterns of expression rarely associated with it before Roach.

As an accompanist, Roach knows his function and performs it with taste and skill.

Roach, to understate it, is "a good drummer".

In every sense, Roach is a musician. He listens carefully and astutely to what occurs around him. He reflects the feelings and expressions of his compatriots. He seizes ideas, expands them, and returns them in the form of provocative messages. He utilizes the drums as more than sound-creating devices. He fulfills the musical needs of other musicians during a performance. This fulfilment often leads to specific and longrun progress on their parts.

Roach is more than a time-keeper, often the sole function of many jazz drummers. Rather than impersonate a metronome, Roach plays several key roles. Zealously guarding the beat, Roach is inventive enough to accomplish much more than this single function. He utilizes rhythmic patterns creatively; it is difficult to predict his musical behavior, yet it is a constant listening challenge. He plays melodically, speaking freely to the other instruments.

Roach has come a long way since he emerged from high school in '42. From the Minton's era to the School of Jazz at Lenox, Roach has grown with jazz, in the best sense of the term "evolution". Although many jazz listeners might question Roach's capacity for further growth, after such ambitious development, it is quite likely that he will go on to master more of the complexities of modern music, without sacrificing his improvisatory brilliance.

In so doing, he may well dwarf his past achievements.

In Roach's case, this is possible. *Don Gold (liner notes)*

1 - Crackle Hut

(Owen Marshall)

2 - Speculate

(Kenny Dorham)

3 - That Ole Devil Love

(Allan Roberts, Doris Fisher)

4 - Audio Blues

(Max Roach)

5 - "C.M."

(Hank Mobley)

6 - Four-X

(Max Roach)

Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Hank Mobley (tenor sax),

Ramsey Lewis (piano), George Morrow (bass), Max Roach (drums).

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, January 4, 1958

Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XII)

Lem Winchester

And

The Ramsey Lewis Trio

Perform A Tribute To Clifford Brown

This out of print LP, Lem Winchester's first as a leader, matches his vibes with the early Ramsey Lewis Trio on a tribute to the late trumpeter Clifford Brown. They perform two of Brownie's best compositions ("Joy Spring" and "Sandu"), four standards (including "Jordu"), the obscure "A Message from Boysie", and Winchester's "Where It Is". A good example of Ramsey Lewis' original piano style, the little-known set is actually excellent and would be easily recommended to straight-ahead jazz fans if it could be found. *Scott Yanow*

This edition contains the complete long out of print LP Perform A Tribute To Clifford Brown (Argo LP 642), originally issued under the name of vibraphonist Lem Winchester. A former policeman in Wilmington (where he met Clifford Brown), Winchester died in 1961, at the age of 32, due to a tragic gun accident. This set, consisting of tunes either composed, favored by or dedicated to Clifford Brown, was to be Winchester's only recorded collaboration with pianist Ramsey Lewis and his regular trio, which included Eldee Young on bass and Isaac "Red" Holt on drums.*jazzmessengers.com*

One of the few albums ever cut by vibist Lem Winchester — a hip talent from the soul jazz generation, but one who left our planet all too soon! Here, Lem plays vibes with backing from the Ramsey Lewis trio — excellent rhythm work from Eldee Young on bass and Red Holt on drums — plus lyrical piano that blends nicely with the vibes, almost in a Jack Wilson/Roy Ayers sort of mode! Tracks include "Joy Spring", "Jordu", "Sandu", "Message From Boysie", and "Where It Is", an original by Winchester.  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

1 - Joy Spring

(Clifford Brown)

2 - Where It Is

(Lem Winchester)

3 - Sandu

(Clifford Brown)

4 - Once In A While

(Michael Edwards, Bud Green)

5 - Jordu

(Duke Jordan)

6 - It Could Happen To You

(Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke)

7 - Easy To Love

(Cole Porter)

08 - A Message From Boysie

(Robert Lowery)

Lem Winchester (vibes), Ramsey Lewis (piano),

Eldee Young (bass), Red Holt (drums).

Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, October 8, 1958.