Performers: Buell Neidlinger (bs), Hugh Schick (tp), Marty Krystall (t-sx), Vinnie Colaiuta (dr)
1. Big Drum
2. Ming's Visit
3. Buejerk
4. O.P.
5. Tienanmen Bop
6. Brilliant Corners
7. El A
8. Sam's Blues
With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (Psalm 98:6-7, KJV)
Monday, 23 November 2020
Buell Neidlinger - Big Drum
Buell Neidlinger - Locomotive
Performers: Buell Neidlinger (bs), Marty Krystall (t-sx), Brenton Banks (vi), John Kurnick (mandolin), Billy Osbourne (dr)
1. Rockin' In Rhythm
2. Raise Four
3. Locomotive
4. Jumpin' Punkins
5. Skippy
6. Jackie-ing
7. I Mean You
8. Subtle Slough
9. Brake's Sake
10. Boo Boo's Birthday
11. Mainstem
Frank Morgan & McCoy Tyner - Major Changes
"Those of us who began listening to jazz after 1960 (and we are now a majority) owe our knowledge of the likes of Bix Beiderbecke, Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, and Clifford Brown to the phonograph and its linear descendants. Even now, for many listeners outside New York City, records, tapes, and compact discs are the only means of keeping up with current developments. Yet since the thrill of jazz is existential as well as aesthetic, we are justifiably suspicious of a medium that deliver the music so long after the fact. Records put us at a physical as well as a temporal distance from a music that was meant to be experienced up close. But who can honestly say that he relishes going to clubs and concerts any more, now that poorly rehearsed pick-up bands are the rules and amplification is in the hands of technicians insensitive to the natural dynamics of acoustic instruments?
"It's unfortunate that few listeners will ever have the opportunity to attend a recording session, for despite the unavoidable breakdowns and false starts that vex even those dates later remembered as having been absolutely carefree, the studio control room might now be the only setting in which it is possible to forget that the music is reaching your ears through microphones. The studio is where musicians play for prosterity, but it can also be where they delight in one another's artistry, without temptation to pander applause.
"At least that's the impression I took away from the final session for Frank Morgan's album with McCoy Tyner's trio, featuring bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Louis Hayes. (Granted, few sessions are as pure in intention or yield such memorable results.) I arrived at Clinton Studios just in time for the final number. Although the tempo was relatively up, the cadence sanctified, and the beat modified bossa nova (with Hayes deftly imitating hand-drum patterns on his snares), Morgan's melody statement was ballad-like in its rueful elegance and haunted resemblance to 'Here's That Rainy Day'. Following Tyner's leading choruses, Morgan took a solo rife with piercing declamations that ended on notes that sounded like checked sobs - a solo so nakedly personal that I assumed this must be his own composition, although it sounded vaguely familiar. It wasn't until the outro that I realised, with some chagrin, that this was 'Theme from Love Story' a maudlin, turn-that-dial hit for Andy Williams, Henry Mancini, and composer Francis Lai in 1971.
"This performance (like the earlier one on 'Double Image' [Contemporary C-14035], Morgan's album of duets with pianist George Cables) is a remarkable demonstration of the power of ardor to rehabilitate treacle - testimony to an impassioned improviser's ability to change your mind about a song, if only for the duration of one performance. Morgan doesn't share my estimate of 'Theme from Love Story' (which he first heard during a screening of the film at San Quentin in the 1970s) as a lowly vehicle. 'It's a beautiful song,' he says, 'and I always wanted to play it for my [paternal] grandmother, who raised me from the time I was six years old until I was sixteen, when she put me on a train for California to be with my father [guitarist Stanley Morgan, once a member of Harlan Leonard's Rockets, no with the Ink Spots] because she felt I was beginning to need a man's guidance. It's the song I played at her grave during a family reunion in Milwaukee last year.' But Morgan invests as much of himself in 'Emily' and 'How Deep Is the Ocean', the set's other near-ballads, and in Tyner's 'Changes' and 'Frank's Back' two brand-new pieces without possible sentimental attachment. He seems incapable of playing a note he doesn't feel deep in his being.
"Beyond noting that Morgan conveys the urgency of a man making up for lost time, it's unnecessary to bring up the three decades he squandered to heroin - that story has been told and retold in the liner notes to his previous Contemporary releases, articles in 'People', 'Newsweek', and 'The Atlantic'; and on stange in 'Prison-Made Tuxedos', a collaborative effort between Morgan and playwright George W.S. Trow. Morgan is understandably anxious to be perceived as more than a redeemed junkie, and this album should also help in winning him recognition as more than Charlie Parker's ghost. At this point, there is no better saxophonist in the bebop idiom (the proof is on 'All the Things You Are'), but the modes and scales that underpin Tyner's 'Search for Peace' edge Morgan out of his comfort zone, to startling effect. Morgan says her was 'intimidated' to find himself playing with the most influential pianist since Bud Powell, but he certainly doesn't sound intimidated. Confronted with a saxophonist he can't overwhelm for the first time since his Milestone Jazzstars tour with Sonny Rollins, Tyner reaps benefits from this association as well. His solo here, while as tempestuous as always, are admirably lean and pungent, with just a trace of Red Garland.
"'Trane introduced me to McCoy in the 1960s, when he was just a kid,' Morgan remembers, 'and recording with him was the fulfillment of a dream.' Maybe you had to be there, as I was lucky enough to be, to gauge the full impact of Morgan and Tyner's second collaboration (they also played together on a 1985 video), but unless they've joined forces in concert by the time you read this, be grateful that the tapes were rolling the last time they met. Be grateful even if they have. (Francis Davis, January 1988. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Frank Morgan (a-sx), McCoy Tyner (pi), Avery Sharpe (bs), Louis Hayes (dr)
1. Changes
2. How Deep Is The Ocean
3. Emily
4. Search For Peace
5. Frank's Back
6. All The Things You Are
7. Theme From Love Story
8. So What
Frank Morgan & George Cables - Double Image
"That two artists as gifted and as compatible as Frank Morgan and George Cables could be brought together for a basic two-on-two confrontation is remarkable in itself. Still more noteworthy is the degree to which they adapted to this demanding situation.
"Their background skills differ sharply. Cables, born in Brooklyn in 1944, has ahd a relatively stable career throughout his adult life, moving from one challenging group to another: Blakey, Roach, Rollins, Hubbard, Pepper, Dexter Gordon - he has worked with them all and recorded countless albums as sideman or leader.
"Morgan, though 11 years older, born in Minneapolis, has had far fewer opportunities: the reasons, involving his traumatized life, have been gone into often enough and will not be detailed here. Suffice it that after a single album in 1955 (for GNP Crescendo) he was absent from the studios for almost a quarter century; then, after two guest sessions with L. Subramaniam, he was finally able in 1985, with the enthusiastic support of producer Richard Bock, to launch his own career as a recording and gigging leader.
"What struck me immediately on listening to the tapes of this collaboration was the intelligence with which the pair avoided any display of one-upmanship. On the contrary, Cables keeps his very considerable chops under control, whether soloing, accompanying, or interacting with Morgan. As for Frank, the figure of speech about drawing in one's horns applies almost literally here; though his bebop roots are subliminally in evidence, some of his finest moments are those in which his romantic sense is uppermost.
"'This session was like a dream come true for me,' Morgan told me. 'George and I had worked as a duo in 1980 during a summer concert series in Santa Monica, and I always carried the memory of that experience with me and hoped we could relive it on a record.'
"'That was the first time I'd ever duetted with anybody,' Cables recalls, 'and we hit it off. What Frank plays really lends itself to this intimate setting.'
"There is not more charming example of this than 'Helen's Song', which Cables named for the lady in his life. Alto and piano virtually dance their way through the simple and beguiling three-not main phrase.
"'All the Things You Are' is not close to half a century old, yet its changes are as ideal for improvisation today as they were in 1939 - or more particularly in 1945, when Dizzy Gillespie added the two figures (D-flat minor and C minor) that have become standard as an intro and coda, and are included in the present version. Cables's solo here is notable for the subtlety with which he implies rather than states the beat.
"Wayne Shorter's 'Virgo' had a special meaning for Morgan, who points out that the Rosalinda for whom he composed the following track is herself a Virgo. Here again the two men find common ground in an innately attractive theme.
"'Blues for Rosalinda' is an emotional high point for Frank, who takes the first three choruses - preaching, beseeching but never screeching the blues. A point of interest is the exchange of fours - very unusual at such a slow tempo.
"'After You've Gone' is a relic of Dixieland days; written in 1918, it has survived every era and, Frank reminded me, was played by Charlie Parker with Jazz at the Philharmonic. Cables's solo here reflects some of the bop values without any hint of overindulgence.
"'I Told You So' is a tune Cables wrote and played while working with Dexter Gordon. 'George taught it to me at the date,' says Frank. Like 'Helen's Song', this illustrates Cables's creative melodic mind and, in fact, could lend itself well to lyrics.
"The suggestion to do Ivan Lins's 'Love Dance' came from Dick Bock; this is a special showcase for Morgan's slightly blues-tinged approach to a ballad. His intense, yearning mood is again in evidence in 'Love Story', of which Frank comments: 'I remember hearing this in prison. It's a gorgeous thing, and I always wanted to play it when I was on the outside. I just recorded another version with McCoy Tyner.'
"Since this album was recorded, Cables and Morgan have been reunited; they played at the Concord Jazz Festival, along with John Heard and Donald Bailey. But both men agreed, in separate interviews, that their duo encounter call for a replay as soon as it can be arranged. Three or four may or may not be a crowd, but these nonpareil performances leave no doubt that two is company. (Leonard Feather, August 1987. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Frank Morgan (a-sx), George Cables (pi)
1. All The Things You Are
2. Virgo
3. Blues For Rosalinda
4. After You've Gone
5. Helen's Song
6. Love Dance
7. (Where Do I Begin) Love Story
8. I Told You So
9. Blue In Green
Hampton Hawes - All Night Session! Vol. 3
"Bassist Red Mitchell, a native New Yorker (born September 20, 1927) is, like many West Coasters, a Californian by migration. He has been steadily associated on records with Hampton Hawes from the first Hawes Trio album made in June, 1955. Mitchell has also recorded with combos led by Barney Kessel, Tal Farlow, Red Norvo, Jack Montrose, and Gerry Mulligan. He has also made two LP's with combos of his own, the most recent 'Presenting Red Mitchell' for Contemporary (C3538).
"Although Red played piano with Chubby Jackson (at the Royal Roost in 1949), alto sax in an Army band, and the vibories on a recent record album, he had a new love the moment he traded 15 cartons of cigarettes for a string bass while in Germany. Up until then he had been studying the piano on his own. He cultivated the bass in the same way, acquiring bass methods by Bob Haggarr and others and industriously plowing his way through them. Mitchell also learned by listening to every bass player who came his way, on records or alive, acquiring in the process an unusual knowledge of the entire range of bassists.
"'I guess the first bass player that really thrilled me,' Red recently stated, 'was Page.' This was on a Count Basie record even before Mitchell had settled on the bass as his instrument. Ray Brown, who played with Dizzy Gillespie, 'just turned me inside out. I heard the new music, the new phrasing.' At Minton's, Red heard Charlie Mingus, who 'frightened me... because I remember the way he went up to the top of the fiddle.' But the greatest of all bass players to Red was the late Jimmy Blanton, who is generally credited with inaugurating the revolution that took the bass out of the rhythm section in the late 30's and made a melody instrument of it.
"Despite his talking intimacy with the top bassmen of our time, Red feels that he has been more influenced by horn men and pianists than by bassists. He mentions among the jazzmen he has admired and studied: saxists Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Lester Young, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims and Jimmy Giuffre; trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis; and pianists John Lewis and Hampton Hawes.
"As an improviser, Red is to be heard to advantage particularly in 'Broadway' and 'Groovin' High', both of which reveal not only a prodigious command of technique but fast, jazz solos of the very highest order. Red has a fat tone when occasion demands and there are slow, stinging solos to be heard in 'Hampton's Pulpit' and 'The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea'. Insofar as giving the Hawes piano the rhythmic support is needs, Red's pulsating beat is masterful.
"In the fall of 1956 Jim Hall, then a member of Chico Hamilton's group, used to sit in for kicks when Hawes' Trio worked at the Tiffany in Los Angeles. The discovered kinship of feeling between the two led to the invitation that made Hall part of 'All Night Session'. Born in Buffalo, New York on December 4, 1930, Hall was raised in the Buckeye State. Although he attended the well-known Cleveland Institute of Music, receiving a Bachelor's degree in music, Jim studied guitar privately with Brenton Banks. His style was also formed by constant listening to records of the abortive American genius Charlie Christian and the French gypsy giant of the guitar, Django Rheinhardt. Other formative influences include the tenor sax playing of Bill Perkins and Zoot Sims, whose modern improvisational lines are to be heard in Hall's solos.
"At the precocious age of 13, Jim Hall began working with local Ohio bands. For short or long periods, he was associated with the Bob Hardaway Quartet, Ken Hanna's band, with whom he made a Capitol album, and later, with the Dave Pell Octet. In the early months of 1955, Hall came to Los Angeles and began studying with the classical guitarist Vincente Gomez. At about the same time, drummer Chico Hamilton hired Jim for his newly formed Quintet.
"It was the Hamilton Quintet that brought Hall's name into the national jazz arena. During the latter part of '55 and early '56, Jim toured with Chico's Quintet, recorded three albums for Pacific Jazz with a trio of his own that included the late Carl Perkins on piano and Red Mitchell on bass. Since making 'All Night Session' with Hawes, Hall has been steadily associated with the trio of Jimmy Giuffre. He also is to be heard with John Lewis in a new album just made by Lewis without the Modern Jazz Quartet.
"Of the roles of the drums in his Quartet, Hampton Hawes has said: 'I don't like a drummer that plays a heavy foot pedal because it has the dull sound of somebody trudging down the street. I like the drums to sound like a heartbeat - just like a heartbeat pumping blood into the tune, nice and smooth... I don't like a heavy-footed drummer.'
"In drummer Buzz Freeman, born in Chicago on August 11, 1921 and a West Coaster since 1954, Hawes found an ideal man for his quartet. Buzz became interested in music through his two brothers, tenorman Von and guitarist George. At 9 he was playing violin. At 13 he shifted to the piano. Then came the drums. After a stint in the Air Force, during which he flew with Percy Heath of the Modern Jazz Quartet (Percy as a fighter and Buzz as a bomber pilot), he returned to Chicago to gig with a group known as the Freeman Brothers Band. Later he played at Chicago's Beehive, sitting in with men like Sonny Stitt, Bird, J.J. Johnson. Before he settled in California, he played for singers Ella Fitzgerald and Lurlean Hunter and went on the road with Anita O'Day and Sarah Vaughan. 'On drums,' he says, 'Max is my man. On other instruments: Miles Davis, J.J. and Bird.'
"Of the 'All Night Sessions', Hawes recently said reflectively: 'It's hard to put into words how good it feels to play jazz when it's really swinging. That's the greatest feeling I've ever had in my life. I've reached a point where the music fills you up so much emotionally that you feel like shouting hallelujah - like people do in church when they're converted to God. That's the way I was feeling the night we recorded 'All Night Session'. (Arnold Shadow, March 26, 1958. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Hampton Hawes (pi), Jim Hall (gt), Red Mitchell (bs), Buzz Freeman (dr)
1. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
2. Blues #3
3. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
4. Blues #4
5. Blues Of A Sort
Hampton Hawes - All Night Session! Vol. 2
"Comparatively little has been written on the art of jazz improvisation. How the jazzman plays notes, devises figures, invents rhythm, concocts chords which were not in his mind a moment before he plays them; how he succeeds in spontaneously altering the notes, chords, figures and rhythm patterns so as to achieve the freshness and a jazz feeling - these are the enigmas of the creative process. Of his approach to improvisation, here is what Hawes has revealingly said: 'You know the tune you're going to play and after you play the melody through, it comes time for you to blow. You build your solo on the chords as they go by and you use the chord changes to tell your story... Just like, maybe a painter painting a picture, he has his brushes. Well, his brushes are the chord changes. What he paints is what he's thinking about, so what kind of solo you play is what comes out of your mind, or the soul that you have for that song you're playing. I believe that the way a person thinks usually comes out in his playing. You've got to really feel what you're doing. Even the way my hands feel on the keys, that has a lot to do with what I play. I like my hands to feel good when they're playing. Like between the black notes and the white notes on the piano, when I'm phrasing I like to have my hands fall off right so I can feel like I'm getting into it. If I know my hands are feeling good, then I know that I'm phrasing right. If something feels awkward - well, I'm doing something wrong. I don't try to play too much at first. I like to start out just playing a few things and then keep building, chorus by chorus, until you reach a big climax, when you're playing to your fullest capabilities, in other words, where you're really doing everything you can do - then after than you cool it and give yourself a little rest and you're playing just a few things while you're thinking about something else to play... Sometimes I think about the melody. But before I think about the melody, I think about the 'underneath notes' of the melody - the harmony notes that move under the top notes and show where the chord goes...'
"Three concepts stand out in Hawes' statement. While they involve technical matters, their import may be grasped by the layman without resorting to technical exposition. The three concepts pivot on the words: climax, chord changes, and 'underneath notes'. Climax in improvisation is not different from climax in a story so that it is not too difficult to discern. Hawes' procedure in adding notes, chords and figures, chorus after chorus, may be studied in 'Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me' or 'Will You Still Be Mine' where the third choruses are like the full, complex, colorful flowers that have sprouted from the small, simple buds of the original melody. The building process involves a variation of chord changes and, in turn, of the 'underneath notes', which significantly determine the sequence of chords.
"Imitation is an important device for developing a piece of music and, of course, as an improvisational technique. It involved the repetition of a line or riff in another key, a different register, or on another instrument. As an instance of imitation, listen to the way guitarist Hall picks up and echoes Hawes' melodic line in 'Will You Still Be Mine' or 'Hampton's Pulpit'. In the latter, consider also the question and answer interplay between piano and bass, another device for variation. More important than either of these improvisational procedures is the shifting of accents and the variation of rhythm figures, which are wonderfully displayed in Hawes' improvised solos on 'April in Paris', 'Woody'n You' and 'Blue 'n Boogie'. Used imaginatively and with feeling, and not just manipulated mentally, these devices produce constantly fresh variants of well-known melodies.
"How an improviser handles these devices depends on a number of factors: specifically, on whether he is interested in a) motion or placidity, b) dissonance or prettiness, c) a thick sound or a delicate texture, d) static or shifting rhythm patterns, e) short or long melodic lines. To understand Hawes' handling of these factors, it will be helpful to see him in relation to other contemporary jazz pianists.
"At the moment, there are three axes in jazz piano. I prefer the word 'axis' to school or style because within any one so-called school, there are sufficient tension to make for a direction rather than a pat definition. For example, Brubeck and Tristano have more in common as representatives of a modern-classical-intellectual-far-out approach than Brubeck and Garner. Yet there also obvious contrast and conflicts. Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell as practitioners of bop piano share more characteristics than do Powell and Oscar Peterson. Yet there is an undeniable gulf between Monk's emphasis on an economy of notes as against Powell's tendency toward flooding and constant motion. Here then are the three major current axes in contemporary jazz piano: 1) a Garner-Tatum axis, stressing rich harmonies and the fullness and pumping beat of stride piano; 2) a Brubeck-Tristano axis, combining modern classical polyrhythms and polyharmonies with jazz improvisation; and 3) a Bud Powell-Thelonious Monk axis, stressing a single note, horizontal style, using the left hand for punctuation, and playing off the beat.
"Clearly, Hampton Hawes is closest to the bop axis of Powell and Monk. He strives for constant motion rather than placidity, tart rather than pretty harmonies, a delicate rather than a thick density, shifting rhythm pattersn, and longer rather than shorter lines.
"Within the bop axis, the main influence on Hawes' improvising comes from an alto sax player rather than any pianist. In 1947 when Hawes was just turning nineteen, one of the founders of bop, the late, great Charlie Parker came out to Hampton's native Los Angeles. Hawes not only met and listened to Bird, which proved a turning point in many a contemporary musician's career, but he played with him for almost two months in Howard McGhee's band. Not too long ago, Hawes described Parker's influence as having to do 'with Bird's conception of time.' Working with Parker, Hawes began taking liberties with time, 'playing double time or letting a couple of beats go by to make the beat stand out - not just playing on top of it all the time.' Hawes emphasizes: 'I think Parker has influenced me more than anybody, even piano players.'
"The Parker bop influence is apparent in 'All Night Session' in many ways, not the least significant being Hawes' choice of material. Included among the sixteen selections are four Gillespie compositions that have become bop classics - 'Groovin' High', 'Woody'n You', 'Two Bass Hit' and 'Blue 'n Boogie'. Comparison of Hawes' version of 'Woody'n You' with the Modern Jazz Quartet's chamber music treatment of the same reveals a style in which there is greater dissonance, more pronounced changes and a feeling of intensity that reminds one of Parker. Characteristic of these selections, and particularly of an original composition 'Takin' Care', is Parker's device of altering melodic passages containing few notes with figures full of gusts of fast-moving ones. (Arnold Shaw, March 26, 1958. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Hampton Hawes (pi), Jim Hall (gt), Red Mitchell (bs), Buzz Freeman (dr)
A1. I'll Remember April
A2. I Should Care
A3. Woody'n You
A4. Two Bass Hit
B1. Will You Still Be Mine
B2. April In Paris
B3. Blue 'N' Boogie
Hampton Hawes - All Night Session! Vol. 1
"As a pianist, Hawes possesses a remarkably robust and vigorous style. The sixteen selections in 'All Night Session' teem with a pulsating energy and are marked by a seemingly inexhaustible stream of ideas. Although he can create chord patterns of great beauty as in 'I'll Remember April' and 'April in Paris', and he he can command a singing, lyrical tone, he is more attracted at this stage of his career to expressions of a dynamic character. His touch is firm and authoritative and he possesses a split second sense of timing. His technical mastery is so great that there is not a single blurred run, tangled triplet or ragged arpeggio, no matter how fast the tempo.
"Included among the sixteen selections are four original compositions by Hawes. They are of interest for two reasons. In the first instance, it is to be noted that they were composed at the record date itself and not written down beforehand. This gives them a spontaneous, ebullient quality, which is in a sense, their strongest characteristic. I was interested to learn that virtually all of Hawes' originals have been composed in this way. Instead of being written down, they are transcribed from his live performance, emphasizing the fact that his creative activity is the result of his role of an improviser. The second fact to be noted is that all four selections are blues - fast, vigorous blues, but blues nonetheless.
"Born in the center of West Coast jazz on November 13, 1928, Hampton Hawes became a member of the musicians' union when he was sixteen. The following year, while he still attended L.A.'s Polytechnic High School, from which he was graduated in 1946, he played with Big Jay McNeely's band. Before he was drafted into the army in 1953 for the usual two year stint, he gigged around L.A. with various modern combos, among them, Wardell Gray's, Red Norvo's, Dexter Gordon's, Teddy Edwards', and Howard Rumsey's All-Stars at the Hermosa Beach Lighthouse. The latter assignment came through a meeting with trumpeter Shorty Rogers, who after hearing him at a Gene Norman concert, immediately invited him to play the recording date which produced the first 'Giants' album on Capitol (1952).
"On his release from the army in 1955, Hawes took his own trio into L.A.'s Haig. He also recorded his first trio album for Contemporary Records (C3505), employing Chuck Thompson on drums and Red Mitchell on bass. This was followed in short order by two other trio albums (C3515 and C3523), both with the same personnel. Hailed as the 'Arrival of the Year' by 'Metronome' in the 1955 yearbook, Hawes was voted in 1956 'New Star' on piano by the annual 'Down Beat' poll of leading jazz critics. In the same year (1956), after completing a highly succesful engagement at The Tiffany in L.A., he left for an extended cross country tour, he met many Eastern jazzmen and was most impressed by Thelonious Monk as a musician and personality. In 1957 he made another tour back East, and enjoyed playing with Oscar Pettiford and Paul Chambers.
"Although his first three album for Contemporary were with his own trio, Hawes enjoys working with a quartet. 'You can do more rhythmic things and you can have more beats going. The full rhythm of drums, bass and guitar gives you two instruments to play rhythm (drums and bass) and keep the beat going. Then you can switch around. I like to hear other people play solos because it's inspiring, and gives you ideas other than your own to conjure with." (Arnold Shaw, March 26, 1958. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Hampton Hawes (pi), Jim Hall (gt), Red Mitchell (bs), Buzz Freeman (dr)
A1. Jordu
A2. Groovin' High
A3. Takin' Care
B1. Broadway
B2. Hampton's Pulpit
Frank Morgan - Lament
Performers: Frank Morgan (a-sx), Cedar Walton (pi), Buster Williams (bs), Billy Higgins (dr)
1. Ceora
2. Until It's Time For You To Go
3. Perdido
4. Ana Maria
5. Lament
6. Half Nelson
7. Thank You Blues
Frank Morgan - Easy Living
Performers: Frank Morgan (a-sx), Cedar Walton (pi), Tony Dumas (bs), Billy Higgins (dr)
A1. Manha De Carnaval
A2. Yes And No
A3. Easy Living
A4. The Rubber Man
B1. Third Street Blues
B2. Three Flowers
B3. Embraceable You
B4. Now's The Time
Gene Norman Presents Frank Morgan
Performers: Frank Morgan (a-sx), Conte Candoli (tp), Wardell Gray (t-sx), Howard Roberts (gt), Wild Bill Davis (og), Carl Perkins (pi), Bobby Rodriguez/Leroy Vinnegar (bs), Lawrence Marable (dr), Ubaldo Nieto (timbales)
A1. Bernie's Tune
A2. My Old Flame
A3. I'll Remember April
A4. Neil's Blues
A5. The Champ
B1. Chooch
B2. The Nearness Of You
B3. Whippet
B4. Milt's Tune
B5. Get Happy
Jackie McLean & Dexter Gordon - The Source, Vol. 2
"Jackie McLean and Dexter Gordon were closely identified with those sensational sounds that ushered in a whole new musical lifestyle. As a very young man Jackie was casually but significantly tutored by the late Bud Powell. A few years on and he was running around with Charlie Parker, digging the master, listening, learning, getting it together. Bird saw the promise in him, so did Miles Davis. He was on his way.
"Dexter Gordon, meanwhile, had to be regarded as Mr. Saxophone by all the hip tenor cats (not to mention contemporaries on alto, even baritone). Dexter's huge influence on musicians of that era has been well and truly put in perspective by Ira Gitler in 'Jazz Masters of the Forties'. Gordon was the man who was able to synthesize the truth preached by Lester Young, Charlie Parker and the Texas tenors into a cohesive and personal whole.
"Small wonder that Jackie writes on the jacket of 'The Meeting' (SteepleChase SCS-1005): 'He [Dexter] made me want to be a musician - I heard Bird after Dex.' Well, during two evenings at the Montmartre Jazzhus, Copenhagen, in July 1973, Jackie and Dexter, making their first records together, took a retrospective look at bebop and some of the compositions from those days that still inspired them. And in doing so they reaffirmed the validity and durability of that particular jazz style.
"Warning: This is not tired nostalgia, a friendly stroll down memory lane for the benefit of middle-aged dudes who are striving to recapture their youth. Jackie and Dexter have moved forward and onward. In the 1970s they are playing differently, with greater fire and invention than 20 years ago. That is as it should be. But the old lines from their youth continue to merit re-investigation.
"If you think about it, there is no earthly reason why 'Half Nelson' should be any less exciting as a blowing vehicle in 1973 than it was in 1942 when composer Miles Davis first recorded it (with Bird on tenor). 'Half Nelson' was based on Tadd Dameron's 'Ladybird'. McLean and Gordon follow what has become accepted tradition by going into the original theme after starting 'Half Nelson'. Dex og Jackie alternating on the breaks. Dexter obviously enjoys these good changes, from bottom to top, even finding time to give us a glimpse of the 'Mona Lisa'. They are to Jackie's liking, too, and Kenny Drew delineates a typically supple solo. Dig Niels-Henning - superb.
"Though 'I Can't Get Started' is a show tune from the 1930s, it became jazz property after Billy and Bunny had individually immortalised the song, and this melody continues to be a favourite with the boppers. Bird did it up a couple of time as only he could. Jackie and Dexter infuse the tune with that bittersweet flavour that spells e-m-o-t-i-o-n. Who said 'I Can't Get Started' was a trumpeters' property? He was wrong. Dexter's 'If You Could See Me Now' coda is a nice touch.
"We go back to 1947 again for a second Charlie Parker/Miles Davis collaboration, 'Another Hair-do' which the Bird supposedly recorded in Detroit on Christmas Day of that year. It's a blues, of course, and in this territory McLean and Gordon have few peers. Jackie makes several references to the little tag that Bird used to preface his set-closing 'Theme'. It's a long and highly-charged solo. When it comes to the quotation game Dexter is tops and in the course of his solo you will find snatches of 'Oop-bap-Sh'bam', his favourite 'And the Angels Sing', 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town', 'Frankie and Johnny', etc.
"When Dexter first recorded 'Dexter Digs In', Niels-Henning was four months old. That was in 1946 and more than a quarter of a century later Mr. Gordon still sounds as fresh as a spring dawn. This extended 're-write' of the tenor saxophonist's original (which, incidentally, had Bud Powell and Max Roach in the supporting cast!) finds Jackie and Kenny, besides Dexter, digging in. There is some kinetic conversation between the saxes before the rideout. This riffy opus, by the way, inspired singer Eddie Jefferson to write a memorable set of lyrics which he recorded in 1969.
"Jackie's closing tribute says it all. Dexter was his source and their collective source was bebop. What Jackie doesn't mention is his own part in these proceedings. There can be no doubt tha on those nights at the Montmartre, Mr. McLean acted as a catalyst to the man who was his own original inspiration. It could only happen in jazz and to have the occasion preserved on two great albums makes it a treat we can savour over and over again." (Mark Gardner. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Jackie McLean (a-sx), Dexter Gordon (t-sx), Kenny Drew (pi), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bs), Alex Riel (dr)
1. Half Nelson
2. I Can't Get Started
3. On The Trail
4. Closing
5. Another Hair-Do
6. Dexter Digs In
7. Closing
Sunday, 22 November 2020
Jackie McLean & Dexter Gordon - The Meeting, Vol. 1
"As Jackie indicates in his note on this jacket, Dexter was an early and potent influence on the younger man's conception. When McLean was just a kid of 14 or 15 he used to hang around places where Dex played. At that time 52nd Street was still going full blast and Gordon was the big man on tenor. Sometimes Jackie would even get to sit in with 'Long Tall Dexter', and they jammed side by side at different places through the years.
"McLean's soaring, incisive alto and Gordon's lithe, powerful tenor here combine to give it you straight from the hip. These are players who have never compromised as artists. They play what they feel, what they believe in. They project deep emotions, scorn the superficial. Their stories are about love, hardships, good times, dues, fun, frustration, hope and hurt. There's often a raw edge to their messages but then music be something more than a sugar-coated pill to put you to sleep. 'Sunset' will move you; it isn't meant to be an anaesthetic which is all that so many people (pity them) want from music.
"The fire is lit between Jackie and Dexter from the first ensemble of Gordon's blues All Clean through Sahib Shihab's bright 'Rue de la Harpe', Kenny Drew's pastel shaded 'Sunset' to Ferdie Grufe's 'On the Trail'. The furnace in the rhythmic sense is kept masterfully stoked by Kenny Drew, Niels Henning og Alex Riel (who have worked as a trio, off and on, for eight or nine years).
"For those who may be unfamiliar with these five musicians (is that possible?) here are some brief words of biographical background:
"John Lenwood (Jackie) McLean was born in New York City on May 17, 1932. He started on saxophone at an early age and was greatly helped by pianist Bud Powell. He was first heard on record with Miles Davis in 1951. During the 1950s Jackie worked and recorded with George Wallington, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey and Donald Byrd among others. From 1959-61 he acted and played in Jack Galler's 'The Connection'. Since that time he has led his own groups, frequently toured Europe, played in Japan and taught at the Universy of Hartford. His development as a soloist, composer and leader can be traced on his albums for Prestige and Blue Note among others. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Jackie made no records. His very welcome return was signalled by his first SteepleChase LP, 'Live at Montmartre' (SCS-1001), taped in August 1972. He now makes an annual trip to Denmark to play the Montmartre and record for SteepleChase.
"Dexter Gordon (born Los Angeles, February 27, 1923) worked in the big bands of Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Lionel Hampton and Billy Eckstine before branching out as a star small group soloist. Dexter cast a giant shadow over the tenor sax in the 1940s and such diverse musicians as John Coltrane, Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins all owed a stylistic debt to Gordon. His many recordings for Savoy, Dial, Bethlehem, Jazzland, Blue Note and Catfish are essential listening. Since moving to Europe in September 1962 Dexter has played all over the Continent, but he returns regularly to New York for festival dates and recording sessions. Gordon has been resident of Copenhagen, a city he loves, since the mid-1960s.
"Kenny Drew (born New York, August 28, 1928) has lived in Copenhagen since January 1964, having settled in Europe three years earlier. Kenny, on of the best pianists in the Bud Powell tradition, worked with Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Brew Moore and Buddy DeFranco in the early 1950s. Later he was with Art Blakey, Kenny Dorham and a host of other groups. Drew has played extensively with Dexter in Europe, but they have an association that goes back to their days in California around 1955-56 (Drew played on Dexter's Bethlehem LP 'Daddy Plays the Horn' and his Blue Notes 'Dexter Calling...' and 'One Flight Up'). Kenny has known Jackie since they were youngsters, too, and he was the pianist on McLean's Blue Note sides 'Blueswalk' and 'Jackie's Bag'. Drew can be heard as leader on 'Duo' (SteepleChase SCS-1002), 'Everything I Love' (SCS-1007) and the forthcoming 'Duo, Volume 2' (SCS-1010).
"Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (born Osted, Denmark, May 27, 1946) is just about everyone's favourite bassists; he seems to get better and better. Having made his first records at the age of 15 (with Bud Powell), Niels-Henning has since been heard with a staggering array of American start from Albert Ayler to Dizzy Gillespie. In the last year or so he has gained great exposure with Oscar Peterson who features him prominently. With his wonderful sound and incredible technique, Niels-Henning emphasies that the electric bass is a redundant invention.
"Alex Riel (born September 13, 1940) is a considerable exciting drummer who was inspired to become a percussionist at the age of 15 by hearing Zutty Singleton's work on the Fats Waller recording of 'Moppin' and Boppin'. Like Niels-Henning, he has backed numerous Americans - Sahib Shihab, Brew Moore, Archie Shepp, Ben Webster, Paul Gonsalves, Kenny Dorham, Stuff Smith, Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, etc. He has recorded under his own name (with Drew and Niels-Henning) for Fona. He was on Jackie's 'Live at Montemartre' and will be heard on Ken McIntyre's forthcoming SteepleChase collection.
"I do not propose to describe in detail the music on these sides. Its high quality is readily apparent. The brisk 'All Clean' is 17 minutes of pure unalloyed joy. Dexter is the first soloist and is followed by Jackie, Kenny, Niels-Henning (he gets into a remarkable groove). Then come the chorus exchanges between Jackie (always in the left channel) and Dex.
"Sahib Shihab's 'Rue de la Harpe' is a typical, robust hard bop line, the sort Jackie does so well. According to the composer: 'This is a very small street in the Latin Quarter in Paris.' Jackie really stretches here, Dexter holds sway as only he can, and Kenny creates the sort of nimble solo for which he is renowned.
"In 'Sunset' there are lengthy, feeling-filled, declarative statements by Jackie and Dexter, a mellifluous Drew passage and then back to the haunting theme. For a more intimate version of this melody hear Kenny playing it solo on his 'Everything I Love' record.
"Ferdie Grofe's 'On the Trail' has been a firm favourite with musicians since Jimmy Heath re-discovered the tune which has a definitive 'out West', loping feel to it. Jackie handles the theme, Dexter bursts forth, riding the range at a relentless canter. McLean's solo in this well known movement from Grofe's 'Grand Canyon Suite' bristles with fiery ferocity. Kenny digs into a swinging veing and his lines are positively mercurial.
"That's 'The Meeting' - a summit meeting of two jazz superstars. Are you ready for 'The Source'? Can you bear the suspense of waiting that long? Get set for 'Half Nelson', 'I Can't Get Started', 'Another Hair-do' and 'Dexter Digs In'! (Mark Gardner. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Jackie McLean (a-sx), Dexter Gordon (t-sx), Kenny Drew (pi), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bs), Alex Riel (dr)
1. Introduction By Jackie Mclean
2. All Clean
3. Rue De La Harpe
4. Callin'
5. Sunset
6. On The Trail
The Return of Art Pepper
"Herb Kimmel of Jazz:West recognized these facts, and decided that Jazz:West would be the first record company to present Art Pepper with a group under his leadership. This mean more than just the face that Art would get leader credits. It meant that Art had the oppourtnity to select the musicians used on the date, and also a chance to present some of his recent original compositions.
"Art Pepper has achieved recognition by the jazz world in general as being one of the all-time greats, and has placed in the top ten on Down Beat polls for almost a decade. A native Californian, Art was born in Gardena on September 1st, 1925. Music stirred Art's soul at the early age of nine, whne he took up the clarinet. He stuck by it until he was 12, then switched to this horn of destiny: alto sax. Mostly self taught and possessing a rare amount of natural talent, Art was first influenced by the great Joe Thomas, later by Lester Young, Johnny Hodges and the ballad master Ben Webster. Today Art digs Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Lee Konitz, and naturally Bird. Pepper's proficiency propelled him into the spotlight at the age of 18 when he joined the Gus Arnheim band. A quick succession of better jobs followed in 1943 with such great bands as Lee Young's, the fine Benny Carter aggregation, and finally the enviable jazz alto chair with Stan Kenton. Being only 18 prohibited Art from travelling with Stan's band, so with much dismay, he stayed behind when the band went on the road. In February 1944, Art entered the service where he remained until 1946, during which time very little opportunity presented itself to play. After the war, Art returned to Los Angeles where he again joined the Kenton band in 1947, staying until 1951. During this great period in Art's career, close association with Shorty Rogers and Bill Russo proved quite beneficial. As Art says: 'Shorty and Bill were a great help to me in developing my playing and writing, and this was about the only 'schooling' I ever had.' In 1951 Art returned to Los Angeles where he fronted several exciting groups with such fine up and coming jazz artists as Hamp Hawes, Russ Freeman, Larry Bunker and Jack Montrose (with whom Art is now working with in a Hollywood jazz club). It was also during this period that Art recorded his famous version of 'Over the Rainbow' with Short Rogers' Giants, now considered a jazz classic. Even though Art Pepper has spent most of his jazz life on the West Coast, he has achieved honored distinction as one of the all time great jazzmen. Especially among musicians who eagerly seek his musical association, and hold his tremendous ability in the greatest respect. The likeable Pepper is quiet and soft spoken, yet when his alto speaks, the jazz world recognizes the unmistakable voice of a giant. Such is the regard for Art Pepper. Even though Art and his horn were not heard from too much from 1953 to 1956, as soon as you hear the first few bars in this album, it becomes apparent this is one of the great moments in modern jazz... the return of Art Pepper.
"In choosing musicians for this date, Art has come up with a dream group which unites itself into a wailing combo. For the other horn, the versatile trumpet of Jack Sheldon was selected. Jack, a familiar and exciting figure in jazz, is also heard on his own Jazz:West LP (JWLP-6). Sheldon's inspired blowing on this sessions guarantees him a higher rung on the jazz ladder of success. For rhythm, a close knit section was needed to infuse life into the group. Therefore, on drums Art selected the great Shelly Manne. On bass, the fabulous Blanton of modern jazz, Leroy Vinnegar, who proved so tremendous an asset on Kenny Drew's Jazz:West LP (JWLP-4). Added to this was the brilliant piano of the keeper of 88 sounds, Russ Freeman. Shelly, Russ and Leroy are no newcomers to each other, as they ae three swinging members of Shelly's great quintet. With remarkable ease, all five welded together breathing fire and spirit into the up tunes, sensitivity and taste into the ballads. No wonder Sheldon and Pepper blow with such superior facility as Russ, Shelly and Leroy boost them along. The awesome jazz ability of Art Pepper is even further demonstrated as he presents eight wonderful original compositions that run the gamut from blues to minor riffs, a ballad and an exciting Latin jazz tune. The happy mood felt by all is quite obvious in the hilarious execution of 'Funny Blues'. All the tunes offer lavish opportunity for the group's abundant ability, and showcase Pepper's horn in one of its finest hours, blowing chorus after chorus of classic flowing lines with the effortless ease of falling rain. I am sure as you listen to this album, a warm inner glow will develop, and a smile will cross your face as you realize this is not just jazz... this is great jazz." (Don Clark. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Art Pepper: a-sx, Jack Sheldon: tp, Russ Freeman: pi, Leroy Vinnegar: bs, Shelly Manne: dr
A1. Pepper Returns
A2. Broadway
A3. You Go To My Head
A4. Angel Wings
A5. Funny Blues
B1. Five More
B2. Minority
B3. Patricia
B4. Mambo De La Pinta
B5. Walkin' Out Blues
Art Pepper - Living Legend
"'Ophelia' was written in 1963 in San Quentin, and it's about women. It's supposed to be pretty like a woman, really sad like women make you at times, and unpredictable and changeable.
"I got out of San Quentin not long after I wrote 'Ophelia', but it was only a few months before I went back again. And that's when I wrote 'Lost Life'. I called it that because I'd spent over ten years in prison and felt like I was never going to get out for any length of time. I figured I'd blown any chance I might have had to make anything of my life. When I wrote it, I never dreamed I'd ever record 'Lost Life', or anything else for that matter.
"When I got out of San Quentin for the last time at the end of '66, it was hard to get any kind of jazz gig. I'd go out with my tenor to rock clubs and sit in with the bands. The only professional job I had was at Shelly's Manne-Hole. At that time I was playing very outside, and when I started blowing at Shelly's, I could feel the mixed reaction of the audience.
"I knew it was because I was playing tenor. I was an alto player and when they heard my records jazz fans could say, 'That's Art Pepper,' because I had a style and tone all my own on the alto. I had switched to tenor for two reasons. Rock was in vogue, and only tenor players seemed to be working. But the major reason was that after all my years of playing, I had been influenced to the point of imitation by another musician, John Coltrane. I felt what I wanted to say I could only say with the tenor.
"At the breaks people came over to talk to me. Most of them were very upset. Someone said, 'Man, what happened to Art Pepper? Where's the beauty? Have you gone crazy?'
"I was very discouraged when, in 1968, I got a call from Buddy Rich, asking me to play lead alto in his band. I borrowed a horn and, when I started playing alto again in that setting, everything fell into place for me musically. I discovered I was able to say everything I wanted to say and I didn't have to sacrifice my individuality to be accepted or modern.
"When I was with Buddy's band, my spleen ruptured, and I almost died. After two operations, in terrible condition with nowhere to go, I moved into Synanon.
"In Synanon all I had was a tenor saxophone, but I only played occasionally in the evenings when the residents did a dance they called the 'Hoop-La'. The music was a kind of jazz-rock. I like playing for dancing, and I like all kinds of music, including rock, if it's done well. 'What Laurie Likes' might be called 'jazz-rock', but really it's just a down-home thing and a vehicle for me.
"After I left Synanon in 1972, I worked as a bookkeeper because I wasn't sure I wanted to return to music. Then I got a call from the University of Denver to do a clarinet clinic, a seminar-concert for student musicians. I didn't own any instruments, so I borrowed an old clarinet and went to Denver where I met Ken Yohe, who was showcasing instruments for Buffet. He was a fan of mine, and when he saw what I was playing, he lent me a clarinet. Ken encouraged me to get back into music. He said he'd arrange with Buffet for me to get some horns. Within a month I had them, and I've been doing clinics ever since. A year or so ago Ken came to L.A. and dropped into Donte's to hear me play. That night I wrote a little blues line and called it 'Mr. Yohe' in his honor.
"That night no doubt I also played 'Here's That Rainy Day' because it's a ballad I really love. I think I enjoy playing ballads more than anything else. You can pour your soul into them. You can say everything.
"'Samba Mom-Mom' was written right before we recorded. I wanted a Latinish happy ending for the album. It's not really a samba. I asked Shelly to play something that fit the melody, and he did.
"On September first I'll be fifty. The saying goes, 'Life begins at forty.' It looks for me like life begins at fifty, and I never thought I'd live to see fifty, let alone start a new life at this age. I think I'm playing better now than I ever have. Mentally and physically I feel better than I have since I was a kid. I've gone back to alto because that's my horn, the one I dig most of all, and when I play, I just play the way I feel - like I did on this album. If I get outside, it's because I feel outside, and if I feel funky, that the way I'm going to play. The main thing is to swing and be honest." (Art Pepper, August 30, 1975. From the liner notes.)
"I haven't played with Art since 1957... on this album he played what he plays best. It felt wonderful. It felt beautiful. He's a master musician. I've always felt a closeness with Hamp, the way he plays, his time, harmony concept. And Shelly, I've always loved to play with him. It really was a good experience to play with them. I mean that's the whole purpose of playing music - to feel a closeness with the musicians and to achieve that ultimate feeling of closeness with creativity, with music. It's a very rare and precious feeling, and that's the reason we've all dedicated our lives to the language of jazz - to achieve that feeling." (Charlie Haden. From the liner notes.)
"I first played with Art in 1951. We had a quartet at a club in L.A. When we made this album I hadn't played with him for fifteen years but none of the fire has gone out. In fact he even sounded better to me. We both came up at the same time and both of us have been through the trials and tribulations and the rewards of trying to play music for people. And to me Art Pepper is one of the giants. And Charlie and Shelly - they're steady as a rock. They're pros. When you're playing with them, you know, it's no effort at all, just have a good time and play." (Hampton Hawes. From the liner notes.)
"I was excited about doing this album because I hadn't played with Art since some Contemporary sessions in the '50s. I'd heard him several times in clubs, but you have to play with a guy to really feel the difference or the change in him over the years, and the moment we started in the studio I was amazed - I felt a greater strength in him than I ever had felt before. Of course he was always a great melodic and lyrical player, and very sensitive, but on the date his playing was a revelation to me. Maybe it's from all the dues he's had to pay, or however a person grows. I've always enjoyed playing with Hamp. He makes me want to swing - his enthusiasm rubs off on you. Charlie plays -with- you; he listens to what you're doing. His lines are so inventive, and his feeling is so loose and flexible, the door is always open to do your own thing." (Shelly Manne. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Art Pepper (a-sx), Hampton Hawes (pi), Charlie Haden (bs), Shelly Manne (dr)
A1. Ophelia
A2. Here's That Rainy Day
A3. What Laurie Likes
B1. Mr. Yohe
B2. Lost Life
B3. Samba Mom-Mom
Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Alexander Scriabin; Leoš Janáček - Sonatas & Poems
"Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 5 is intimately linked wit his twenty-minute orchestra score 'Le poème de l'extase'. The two pieces share adjoining opus number (Opp. 53 and 54 respectively), and Scriabin attached to the sonata part of the rather embarrassing literary poem he wrote to accompany the orchestral work. Despite the opus numbers, the sonata was written down after 'La poème de l'extase' had been composed and revised. However, parts of it had been sketched two years earlier, and Scriabin's wife, Tatyana, wrote in a letter that the composer could play the sonata through before he came to put it on paper in December 1907. In the same letter she wrote: 'I cannot believe my ears. It is extraordinary! That sonata pour out of him like a fountain. Everything you have heard so far is as nothing. You cannot even tell it is a sonata.'
"The most obvious way in which No. 5 differs from Scriabin's previous sonatas is in its one-movement form - a pattern that the composer maintained for his subsequent five sonatas. Whether or not one can tell 'tell it is a sonata' might depends on whether one attempts to analyse it aurally or through study of the score. There is a slow introduction, an exposition, a development section and recapitulation. Opposing key centres (principally F-sharp and B-flat) are utilized. Bookending this structure is an upward-rushing figure heard first and last in the work. But so fragmentary are the melodies, and so frequent the changes of time and key signature (along with specified rubato), that the architecture remains a background presence. What registers instead is the omnipresent tingle of dissonance, the twelve minute approach to a cadence that never happens, the sensually ecstatic delay of a full climax. The return of the opening gesture brings the work to a close that is quite unexpected but immediately convincing; instead of crashing out a few major chords, Scriabin snatches the music away from our hearing and into another realm.
"To attempt an alternative description of that ending, the music takes flight and disappears into the skies. The idea of flying preoccupied Scriabin - he and Tatyana reportedly undertook experiments in self-levitation, though the closest he seems to have come to achieving it is curiously light-footed way of walking. The second and final movement of his Piano Sonata No. 4 (1903) is marked 'Prestissimo volando' ('Flying as fast as possible'), so in a sense the upward rush with which the fifth sonata begins and ends is a logical progression from this. However, hearing No. 4 after No. 5 emphasizes how right Tatyana was to coo over the originality of the later work. The fourt sonata fits comfortably into one's picture of a Russian composer-pianist who favoured repertoire comprised Schumann, Chopin and Liszt. Well, perhaps not so comfortably. Once again an accompanying poems makes clear that this is intended to be music of eroticism, transfiguration and ecstasy.
"This time, though, the structure is a foreground presence. Although the fourth sonata is in two movement it is of shorter duration than the fifth, and is in fact the briefest of all Scriabin's sonatas. Concision is achieved partly through the dominance of a single theme. This is heard awaking from a dream at the beginning of the opening movement and is ruminated on until the second movement takes flight without a break. The composer really meant his 'Prestissimo' instruction: 'It must fly at the speed of light right at the sun, straight into the sun!', he exhorted one performer. The movement achieves its solar impact with a clangourous reprise of the first theme.
"The 'Deux poèmes', Op. 32, were written in 1903, the same year as the Sonata No. 4. The first shares the key of F-sharp major with the fourth and fifth sonatas - a favourite key signature for Scriabin, if for a few other composers. It is a work of grace and liquid lyricism; the composer frequently included it in his recitals. 'Vers la flamme' ('Towards the flame') is a late work, written in 1914. It was apparently intended to be an eleventh piano sonata, but was published as a 'poème'. It has been suggested that Scriabin was short of income and did not have time to work it into finished form, but it is hard to think of it in these terms. Rather, it is Scriabin's - and piano music's - 'Rite of spring'. One again we are taken on a journey to conflagration, but the process is altogether more shattering than in the fourth sonata. Melody is reduced to its primitive minimum. There is no key signature because there is no key. In a crescendo from glowing quietude to vibrating violence, all we take for granted about pianism reaches meltdown.
"Compare any photographs of Scriabin and Janáček and you immediately know these are contrasting characters. Scriabin, with his haughty manner and waxed moustache, looks like a stage magician - or, more accurately, he was exactly the kind of eccentric aristocrat on which a conjuror might base his stage persona. Janáček, solid and buff, with unruly hair and a scrubbing brush moustache, looks more like the proprietor of a successful brewery, with a seat on the local council. Yet his music, too, could have visionary qualities. His piano music in particular is haunted by tragic recollections and anxious foreboding.
"Whereas the piano was a central focus for Scriabin throughout his career, Janáček's solo piano compositions were largely confined to the period 1900-1912. These years were a turning point for the composer personally and professionally. His 1904 opera 'Jenůfa' was successfully premiered in Brno, but for the time being rejected by Prague. The bitterness Janáček felt about this was intensified by the identification in his mind between the opera and the death of his beloved daughter Olga, aged twenty-one, in 1903. He had already lost a song thirteen years earlier. This second blow contributed to the breakdown of his previously happy marriage. Though he and his wife Zdenka stayed together, the bond between them was gone.
"The cycle 'On the overgrown path' cannot be separated from these circumstances. The picturesque titles were added late in the day at the request of a friendly critic; despite their gnomic quality there are keys to the heartache within the music. The origin of the work lies in contributions to anthologies of harmonium music: three of the pieces appeared in this form in 1901, already with the 'Overgrown path' title, which is a Moravian equivalent of 'down memory lane'. By 1911 the cycle has become a ten-movement piano work and was published as such. Without cataloguing the precise sequence in which the individual pieces were composed, it is worth noting that the first and last pieces - 'Our evenings' and 'The barn owl has not flown away!' - were written before Olga contracted typhoid fever. Therefore the anguish that disturbs the recollection of summer evening walks, and the ill omens associated with the appearance of the owl in folklore, were premonitions before they became memories.
"Only one title needs further explanation. Frýdek was the home town of the composer's grandfather, where the Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary was a place of pilgrimage, hence the hymn tune in 'The Frýdek Madonna'. Other than that, one detail might be taken as emblematic of the chilling presence that dominates the cycle. In 'The barn owl has not flown away!' the harbinger of death, with its flapping wings and two-note cry, first appears separately from a calmer, consoling chordal theme. Within this tranquil second subject is a curious single-crotchet bar of silence. In subsequent reprises even this silent beat is invaded by the owl's music.
"We owe it to the pianist Ludmila Tučková that we can hear Janáček's Piano Sonata '1.X.1905, From the street' today. She gave its first performance, in Brno on 27 January 1906. When rehearsals began the sonata had three movements. But, racked with self-doubt, the composer ripped out the third movement, a funeral march, and burnt those pages. The premiere did nothing to assuage his depression, and after it he flung the remaining movements, torn to pieces, into the Vltava river. Regret at his own actions afflicted him even while his eyes retained the impression of the pages 'floating like swans'.
"However, Tučková had secretly copied the first two movements, fearing the worst after the destruction of the third. It was not until 1924, the year of Janáček's seventieth birthday, that she had the courage to tell the composer. Fortunately he sanctioned publication and performance as a two-movement work. Its violent history befits an inspiration: on the date the work commemorates, a Moravian carpenter, František Pavlík, was bayoneted to death by the forces of the ruling Austrians for supporting the foundation of a Czech-speaking university.
"The first movement ('Presentiment') opens with a plaintive treble melody that tries to rise free as rumblings in the bass threaten to engulf it. Bass and treble are briefly locked together in a panic-stricken trill that resolves into the chordal second subject, which becomes more emotionally disturbed than first impressions suggest. After an exposition repeat the development proceeds in eruptive fashion, its energies troubling the recapitulation's opening. The final chord is a solemn bell toll.
"The second movement ('Death') broods over a single melodic phrase. Though context and expression change, the sad truth it contains will not go way. In the central section, which grows to a tragic climax, this phrase develops into a coherent melody, jangling with the rhythms of Czech speech; musical characteristics of both these section combine in the closing stanza. Finally, another eerie bell-chord brings the darkness." (Brain David. From the liner notes.)
Performer: Stephen Hough
1. Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 53: Allegro. Impetuoso. Con Stravaganza – Languido – Presto Con Allegrezza
2. Leoš Janáček - On The Overgrown Path, Book 1: Our Evenings
3. Leoš Janáček - On The Overgrown Path, Book 1: A Blown-away Leaf
4. Leoš Janáček - On The Overgrown Path, Book 1: Come With Us!
5. Leoš Janáček - On The Overgrown Path, Book 1: The Frýdek Madonna
6. Leoš Janáček - On The Overgrown Path, Book 1: They Chattered Like Swallows
7. Leoš Janáček - On The Overgrown Path, Book 1: Words Fail!
8. Leoš Janáček - On The Overgrown Path, Book 1: Good Night!
9. Leoš Janáček - On The Overgrown Path, Book 1: Unutterable Anguish
10. Leoš Janáček - On The Overgrown Path, Book 1: In Tears
11. Leoš Janáček - On The Overgrown Path, Book 1: The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away!
12. Alexander Scriabin - Poème In F-Sharp Major, Op. 32 No. 1: Andante Cantabile
13. Alexander Scriabin - Poème 'Vers La Flamme', Op. 72
14. Leoš Janáček - Piano Sonata '1.X.1905, From The Street': I. Presentiment. Con Moto
15. Leoš Janáček - Piano Sonata '1.X.1905, From The Street': II. Death. Adagio
16. Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 4 In F-Sharp Major, Op. 30: I. Andante
17. Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 4 In F-Sharp Major, Op. 30: II. Prestissimo Volando
Alexander Scriabin - Preludes; Etudes; Piano Sonatas Nos. 4 & 5
"His Sonatas nos. 4 and 5 are representative of the evolution of the form, which tends to abandon the traditional cycle in several movements in favour of the sonata-poem and at the same time they reflect the philosophico-spiritual thinking of the composer, known as an emblematic representative of Russian symbolism, with his inclination towards cosmic mysticism. The Sonata no. 4 in F-sharp major, op. 30 (1903) is in two movements. Its programme was defined by the composer as: 'Man's exhilerating race towards the star, symbol of happiness.' An 'Andante' serving as an introduction allows a glimpse of the star through its delicate shimmering, hardly rising above the nuance of pianissimo; the harmony feels a lot like Wagner - 'Tristan!' The principal movement 'Prestissimo volando' follows on, taking up the theme and bringing it to a climax in an intoxicating ecstatic surge.
"The Sonata no. 5, written as a single movement, does however juxtapose several episodes with different tempi; it is the last to possess a key signature, initially the same F-sharp major, associated by Scriabin with spirituality, but afterwards a series of several different tonalities, followng the progressive principal. Contemporaneous with 'The Poem of Ecstasy' for orchestra, it uses four lines from the latter's program: 'I summon you to life, O mysterious forces! Swallowed up in the dark depths of the creative spirit, preliminary signs of life, to you I bring audacity'. Occasionally the Sonata no. 5 reminds us of no. 5, of which the beginning can be deciphered in the long episodes (marked 'Languido'). For the most part, it is animated by a powerful vitality, with leaps and repeated energetic jolts, stamping chords and eloquen indications of interpretation: 'Allegro impetuoso con stravaganza', 'Allegro fantastico', 'Leggerissimo volando', 'Presto giocoso, estatico'... The syncopated rhythms abound and the superposition of different rhythmic formulas is a sign of the wider application of this manner in the later works of the composer.
"We go a decade back in time with the two sets of Preludes op. 13 and op. 16, composed in 1895 as a continuation of the great collection of the 24 preludes of op. 11, an homage to Chopin, which Scriabin then wanted to duplicated, dividing up his inspiration over several sets (op. 12, 15, 16, 17). The Preludes of op. 13 follow on the the first six keys, alternating between major and minor (C, a, G, e, D, b). The first is a 'Maestoso', very diatonic in texture, with chords in dotted rhythms moving in march tempo. The 'Allegro' which follows is very different, it is a virtuoso piece, in a finely crafted design with semiquavers in the right hand. After a discreet and rocking 'Andante', the three final pieces - two 'Allegros' and a final 'Presto' - resemble piano 'Studies', focusing respectively on the superposition of quintuplets onto triplets, sixths, and octaves with huge leaps in the left hand.
"The Five Preludes of op. 16, lacking any virtuosity, essentially cultivate a lyrical vein. The 'Andante' (B major) is calm and majestic with a dialogue between the intermediary voice and the melody of the highest voice. In the enigmatic 'Allegro' (g-sharp minor) short bursts begin pianissimo before a double-'forte' affirmation. The tonal purity of the 'Andante Cantabile' (G-flat major) creates a contemplative atmosphere which carries through to the total austerity of the 'Lento' (E-flat minor) which follows. The cycle concludes on a lighter not, in the F-sharp major on an 'Allegretto', bathed in freshness.
"At the heart the Scriabin Etudes are eight pieces from op. 42 (1903) which are a reflection of the evolution of his language during the course of this central period of his creative life. The Etude no. 1, 'Presto', exploits the superpositions of rhythms, which is already beginning to become a constant feature of his writing. The very brief Etude no. 2, lacking any verbal indication of tempo, presents quintuplets in the left hand over which is added a motif initiated by a dotted rhythm. The Etude no. 3, 'Prestissimo', is also short because of its rapidity and is sometimes nicknamed 'The Mosquito', it has a delicate texture of shimmering triplets in the upper register of the keyboard. With the Etude no. 4, 'Andante', we come back to some of Scriabin's lyrical writing which likens this study to a romance or a nocturne. The apex of this cycle is the Etude no. 5, 'Affanato', which its author frequently played himself; a striking, obsessional theme appears over rumbling arpeggios, before being answered by a beautiful vibrant melody. The Etude no. 6, 'Esaltato', seems to contain within the contour of its theme a few reminisces of the previous study, as well as the second of the set. Extremely short, the Etude no. 7, 'Agitato', in triplets over semiquavers, requires the hands to stretch wide. The last, 'Allegro' in ABA form, begins in the manner of an 'impromptu', then in its central section provides a contrast with a solemn song.
"As well as the pieces assembled into cycles, we can also find in Scriabin a certain number of isolated works. It is to the year 1903, visibly a very productive year, that the 'Tragic Poem' and the 'Satanic Poem' can be dated. The first begins abruptly, without an introduction, diving immediately into the heart of tumultuous events. The almost incessant hammering chords, then the large and rapid arpeggios in the left hand hardly give any respite to the pianist. In this central section appears a declamatory melody in the medium register of the keyboard (indicated in the score as 'Irato, fiero'), which lends the piece a certain theatrical dimension. As for the 'Satanic Poem', it serves as a response to the diverse variants of Liszt's 'Mephisto-Waltz'. Playing on the homogeneity of contrasts and the subtle logic of unpredictable juxtapositions, it gives us a glimpse of all aspects of the evil spirit, in turns enigmatic, insidious, cunning and lethargic, sneering and sardonic (with the indication 'riso ironico'), which loses control in a frightening frenzy.
"'Toward the Flame' is one of Scriabin's last compositions, written in February 1914. We can follow the journey of a sonic entity from its conception to its spectacular blossoming. The first part, static with long chords punctuated by impulsions, give the impression of making an effort to break free and acquire an autonomous existence. Once this stage has been overcome, the movement takes shape and we can follow the metamorphosis of the theme through the flaring up of colours which turn into a blazing apocalyptic inferno characterised by trills, tremolos and rapid beating chords. 'Towards the flame' is a post-echo of the Symphonic Poem 'Prometheus' written four years earlier, in which the element of Fire was in the same way the vector of the messianic exaltations of the composer. (André Lischke, tr. Christopher Bayton. From the liner notes.)
Peformer: Vadym Kholodenko
1. Six Preludes, Op. 13: I. Maestoso In C Major
2. Six Preludes, Op. 13: II. Allegro In A Minor
3. Six Preludes, Op. 13: III. Andante In G Major
4. Six Preludes, Op. 13: IV. Allegro In E Minor
5. Six Preludes, Op. 13: V. Allegro In D Major
6. Six Preludes, Op. 13: VI. Presto In B Minor
7. Five Preludes, Op. 16: I. Andante In B Major
8. Five Preludes, Op. 16: II. Allegro In G-Sharp Minor
9. Five Preludes, Op. 16: III. Andante Cantabile In G-Flat Major
10. Five Preludes, Op. 16: IV. Lento In E-Flat Minor
11. Five Preludes, Op. 16: V. Allegretto In F-Sharp Major
12. Piano Sonata No. 4 In F Sharp Major, Op. 30: I. Andante
13. Piano Sonata No. 4 In F Sharp Major, Op. 30: II. Prestissimo Volando
14. Poème Tragique In B-Flat Major, Op. 34
15. Poème Satanique In C Major, Op. 36
16. Eight Etudes, Op. 42: I. Presto In D-Flat Major
17. Eight Etudes, Op. 42: II. In F-Sharp Minor
18. Eight Etudes, Op. 42: III. Prestissimo In F-Sharp Major
19. Eight Etudes, Op. 42: IV. Andante In F-Sharp Major
20. Eight Etudes, Op. 42: V. Affanato In C-Sharp Minor
21. Eight Etudes, Op. 42: VI. Esaltato In D-Flat Major
22. Eight Etudes, Op. 42: VII. Agitato In F Minor
23. Eight Etudes, Op. 42: VIII. Allegro In E-Flat Major
24. Piano Sonata No. 5 In F-Sharp Major, Op. 53
25. Vers La Flamme, Op. 72
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