Yusef Lateef - Before Dawn

"“In the past few years, a caravan of impressive young jazzmen have departed from Detroit. Most were born there: all received their jazz apprenticeship in the city of giant industry, the dauntless UAW, and a police chief who tried to ban John O’Hara. It is also a city with strong jazz roots, particularly in the modern idiom. This newest generation of jazzmen took it as natural that they grew up in an inner community of sessions, music talk, and the religion that jazz can become. Their older brothers, those that had them, had also experienced the same milieu. Sonny Stitt knows Detroit as do Thad and Elvin Jones and Billy Mitchell and Art Mardigan.

“The younger corps is composed of musicians who skill, individuality and vigor are rather rare - in complete combination - for jazzmen that young. The wider jazz world has come to recognize, respect and enjoy bassists Paul Chambers and Doug Watkins, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Tommy Flanagan, baritone saxist Pepper Adams, pianist-vibist Terry Pollard (who left before most of those in the paragraph), trumpeter Donald Byrd and drummer Louis Hayes.

“Back home, other jazzmen remain. Pianist Barry Harris, for one, who encouraged and influenced a number of his contemporaries; and an older pianist, Willie Anderson whom most of the Detroit jazz musicians feel could have been one of the few titans.

“One of those who has remained, and has been working for over a year at Klein’s on the west side, one of the few jazz rooms in the city, is Yusef Lateef. Born in Tennessee in 1920, Lateef moved to Detroit with his parents, and went to school in that city. While at Miller High, he became involved with the alto saxophone. It was 1937, and he played alto for a year before switching to tenor. By 1946, he was in New York, a member of Lucky Millinder’s band. Lucky Thompson, another Detroiter, had introduced him to Millinder.

“After playing with Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge, Ernie Fields and other units, Lateef (then known as Bill Evans) made a cross-country tour with the Dizzy Gillespie band in 1949. (Discographies indicate, for example, that Evans was on the 1949 RCA Victor ‘Swedish Suite’.) In 1950, Yusef returned to Detroit and worked with various groups until he formed his own quintet in 1955.

“Lateef is intrigued by the possibilities of including what he terms an ‘East Indian-African flavor’ in some of his arrangements; and Lateef plays, as well as tenor, the flute, gourd, tambourine, finger cymbals and arghool (oriental flute). Farrow doubles on the rehab, a one-string guitar-like instrument.

“Lateef admires Sonny Stitt for his technical ability; Billie Holiday for her expression of emotion; Dizzy Gillespie for his creativity; and Charlie Parker for all these qualities. Lateef continues to study, and is currently at Wayne State University with Valter Paole, Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

“Kenny Burrell, to many ears including this one the best of the younger guitarists, describes his former Detroit colleague, Lateef, as having ‘a very full sound. There’s lots of body to it. And his approach is individual. It isn’t a thing you can detect immediately, but I’ve been listening to him a long time. You can only vary so much anyway, but as you get to really hear him, you’ll feel a definite style. His thinking, incidentally, is like that of Coleman Hawkins. There are no wasted notes, and he usually builds into logical climaxes. There’s nothing showy in his work; just sincere playing.’

“I would add that Lateef is clearly conversant with modern tenor theory and practice, he also brings Hawkins and Don Byas to mind in the virile romanticism with which he can play (as on ‘Love is Eternal’). His is a strong, driving tenor in whatever context. All of the compositions here are his, and in some places there is a touch of exoticism as on the introduction to ‘Open Strings’ and the closing of ‘Before Dawn’. The flute on the LP is also played by Lateef. A further note about Lateef is by Paul Chambers who says of his playing that it is is ‘very soulful. It’s modern and yet there’s a lot of oldness in it, seasoning. A lot of roots.’

“Trombonist Curtis Fuller, not yet 25, is now in New York where he has interested Miles Davis and other musician-arbiters. Curtis has, it would appear from his playing here, been considerably influenced by J.J. Johnson. In Detroit, he worked with his own group and also with Lateef. Bassist Ernie Farrow, approaching 30, has played with Terry Gibbs, Stan Getz and Lateef. Pianist Hugh Lawson, in his early 20s, is described by Chambers as ‘full of fire and life’ and Burrell notes that Lawson indicates he has heard Flanagan and Barry Harris, and maybe is a little more funky than they. Louis Hayes is only 20; at the age of 19, he was recommended to Horace Silver by Burrell and Chambers. Louis has been a stirring part of the Silver quintet ever since. He is a crisp, stimulating and certainly swinging young drummer who should become a major figure, poll-winning or not poll-winning, before he’s 30.

“It’s difficult to determine the complex factors that make a city like Detroit produce so valuable a contingent of young players in a few years. A primary reason, however, is probably that advanced by Paul Chambers. ‘There was very much more jamming in Detroit than there is, for example, in New York. We’d jam at houses and at clubs. They were the kind of sessions where a lot could be learned. Everybody was closely knitted together, and actually, in the course of time, almost everybody worked with everybody else around town. Certain groups did stick together, but in many cases you could be a leader one night and a sideman the next.

“Kenny Burrell agrees about the fructifying advantages of the pervasive jam session in Detroit during the years of his growth. ‘The spirit seemed to be there,’ he recalls. ‘And in addition to the playing, there has always been, so far as I can remember, a certain amount of people in Detroit that appreciated and tried to promote jazz. There was never a time when no jazz was being played. There was always something happening to keep a man’s spirit up and to give him a chance.

“The musicians themselves were sometimes focal forces in organizing jazz appreciation and study. Burrell, for example, founded the New Music Society in March, 1954, which lasted for nearly three years. Other musicians and dedicated laymen helped in the organization and administration and there were concerts, workshops and other pragmatic jazz activities.

“For those Detroit musicians who remain at home, it’s probably quite heartening to hear of the impact made in this country and abroad by the voices of their former colleagues. And for those who intend eventually to leave, there is the corollary realization that when they do arrive on the Apple or in Los Angeles or elsewhere, other Detroiters have prepared a welcome for them. In other circles it helps establish instant contact to say you’re from Princeton or Mount Holyoke. In the more open terrain of jazz, it still helps these days to say you know Burrell or Chambers or Byrd, because if you do know them and have played with them, the resultant conclusion is that you’re qualified to join in and are apt to know the changes and not be intimidated by the tempo. Detroit has turned into an exacting school for other besides Walter Reuther and his associates.” (Nat Hentoff. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Yusef Lateef (t-sx/fl), Curtis Fuller (tb), Hugh Lawson (pi), Ernie Farrow (bs), Louis Hayes (dr)

A1. Passion

A2. Love Is Eternal

A3. Pike's Peak

A4. Open Strings

B1. Before Dawn

B2. Twenty-Five Minute Blues

B3. Chang, Chang, Chang

B4. Constellation

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Ornette Coleman - Town Hall 1962

“Ornette Coleman’s decision to temporarily retire from music (this ESP disc was his only recording from a four-year period) was unfortunate. His alto playing was getting stronger, and on evidence of this CD, he had plenty of original ideas that should have been documented. For this Town Hall concert, Coleman debuts with his new trio (a unit that would return in 1965) featuring the remarkable bassist David Izenson and drummer Charles Moffett. Together they perform ‘Doughnut’, ‘Sadness’, and an extensive 23-and-a-half minute version of ‘The Ark’. In addition, a string quartet performs Colemans’ ‘Dedication to Poets and Writers’. Although Ornette's string writing (which leaves no room for improvising) is pretty well outside of jazz, his playing on the other tracks holds one's interest throughout.” (Review by Scott Yanow for AllMusic. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Ornette Coleman (a-sx), David Izenzon (bs), Charles Moffett (dr)

A1. Doughnut

A2. Sadness

A3. Dedication To Poets And Writers

B. The Ark

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Ornette Coleman - Change of the Century

“Some musicians say, if what I’m doing is right, they should never have gone to school.

“I say, there is no single -right- way to play jazz. Some of the comments made about my music make me realize though that modern jazz, once so daring and revolutionary, has become, in many respects, a rather settled and conventional thing. The members of my group and I are no attempting to break-through to a new, freer conception of jazz, one that departs from all that is ‘standard’ and cliché in ‘modern’ jazz.

“Perhaps the most important new element in our music is our conception of -free- group improvisation. The idea of group improvisation, in itself, is not at all new; it played a big role in New Orleans’ early band. The big bands of the swing period changed all that. Today, still, the individual is either swallowed up in a group situation, or else he is out front soloing, with none of the other horns doing anything but calmly awaiting their turn for -their- solos. Even in some of the trios and quartets, which permit quite a bit of group improvisation, the final effect is one that is imposed beforehand by the arranger. One knows pretty much what to expect.

“When our group plays, before we start out to play, we do not have any ideas what the end result will be. Each player is free to contribute what he feels in the music at any given moment. We do not begin with a preconceived notion as to what kind of effect we will achieve. When we record, sometimes I can hardly believe that what I hear when the tape is played back to me, is the playing of my group. I am so busy and absorbed when I play that I am not aware of what I’m doing at the time I’m doing it.

“I don’t tell the members of my group what to do. I want them to play what they hear in the piece for themselves. I let everyone express himself just as he wants to. The musicians have complete freedom and so, of course, our final results depend entirely on the musicianship, emotional make-up and taste of the individual member. Ours is at all times a group effort and it is only because we have the rapport we do that our music takes on the shape that it does. A strong personality with a star-complex would take away from the effectiveness of our group, no matter how brilliantly he played.

“With my music, as is the case with some of my friends who are painters, I often have people come to me and say, ‘I like it but I don’t understand it’. Many people apparently don’t trust their reactions to art or to music unless there is a verbal -explanation- for it. In music, the only thing that matters is whether you -feel- it or not. You can’t intellectualize music; to reduce it analytically often is to reduce it to nothing very important. It is only in terms of emotional response that I can judge whether what we are doing is successful or not. If you are touched in some way, then you are -in- with me. I love to play for people, and how they react affects my playing.

“A question often asked of me is why I play a plastic alto. I bought it originally because I needed a new horn badly, and I felt I could not afford a new brass instrument. The plastic horn is less expensive, and I said to myself, ‘Better a new horn than one that leaks’. After living with the plastic horn, I felt it begin to take on my emotion. The tone is breathier than the brass instrument, but I came to like the sound, and I found the flow of music to be more compact. I don’t intend ever to buy another brass horn. On this plastic horn I feel as if I am continually creating my own sound.

“Now to the music. They are all originals. Each is quite different from the other, but in a certain sense there really is not start or finish to any of my compositions. There is a continuity of expression, certain continually evolving strands of thought that link all my compositions together. Maybe it’s something like the paintings of Jackson Pollock.

“‘Ramblin’’ is basically a blues, but it has a modern, moder independent melodic line than older blues have, of course. I do not feel so confined to the blues form as do many other jazz musicians. Blues are definite emotional statements. Some emotional situations can only be told as blues.

“‘Free’ is well-explained by the title. Our -free- group improvising is well demonstrated here. Each member goes his own way and still adds tellingly to the group endeavor. There was no predetermined chordal or time pattern. I think we got a spontaneous, free-wheeling thing going here.

“‘Face of the Bass’ begins as a vehicle for our bassist. Charlie Haden is from Missouri and he has a lot of heart. It is unusual to come across someone as young as he is and find that he has such a complete grasp of the ‘modern’ bass: melodically independent and non-chordal.

“‘Forerunner’ shows the interchangeability and flexibility of the component parts of the group. I like the way the melody here often runs through the rhythm instruments, with the melody instruments - the horns - providing rhythm accents (the traditional function of drums and bass).

“‘Bird Food’ has echoes of the style of Charlie Parker. Bird would have understood us. He would have approved our aspiring to something beyond what we inherited. Oddly enough, the idolization of Bird, people wanting to play just like him, and not make their own soul-search, has finally come to be an impediment to progress in jazz.

“‘Una Muy Bonita’, in Spanish, means ‘a very pretty girl’. I had no one in particular in mind. It is perhaps a little lighter in mood than some of our other pieces. It has a relaxed feeling and a more settled rhythm - and yes, I suppose, a ‘prettier’ melody.

“‘Change of the Century’ expresses our feeling that we have to make breaks with a lot of jazz’s recent past, just as the boppers did with swing and traditional jazz. We want to incorporate more musical materials and theoretical ideas - from the classical world, as well as jazz and folk - into our work to create a broader base for the new music we are creating.

“Every member of the group made an important and distinctly personal contribution to this album, which I think is the best we have made so far.” (Ornette Coleman, transcribed by Gary Kramer. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Ornette Coleman (a-sx), Don Cherry (p-tp), Charlie Haden (bs), Billy Higgins (dr)

A1. Ramblin'

A2. Free

A3. The Face Of The Bass

B1. Forerunner

B2. Bird Food

B3. Una Muy Bonita

B4. Change Of The Century

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Jackie McLean - McLean's Scene

“You can take the word scene, man, and make it means almost anything you want. A scene can be a place, man; a scene can be a setting, man, or a scuffle. A scene can be active or static, moving or unmoving. A scene can evan be a thing. This scene is many of those things, man; this scene Jackie McLean’s Scene.

“I first became aware of Jackie McLean on night five or six years ago in one of New York’s upholstered gin-mills. The nightclub, which is named after a famous jazz alto saxophonist, was fast falling asleep. The waiters, with nothing to do, stood off in corners and griped about tips. The famous altoist, who, paradoxically, was self booked into the joint that bore his name, was on the bandstand to play his last set. Just then, a tall, rather lean kid with nervous mannerisms climbed unto the band stand. The kid played alto too. When he played he stood with his legs wide apart; his shoulders were hunched to such a degree that his neck disappeared into the cavern between them. He held his horn pointed down, and he wrestled with it, moving it from side to side and up and down with the inflections of the line he was playing. He played long ribbons of cascading eighth-notes, violent ‘blue’ notes and familiar ‘quotes’. It was embarrassingly obvious that he had listened to and watched Charlie Parker with avidity.

“Jackie was little more than a teenager then. He was the apprentice working side by side with his chosen ‘master’. And it’s quite natural for someone that young, and that impressionable to be overwhelmed by the huge ability, imagination and strength of Charlie Parker.

“The next, impressive, time I heard Jackie he was one of the front-line craftsmen in Charlie Mingus’ Workshop and Foundry. The difference in his playing was amazing; what had once been a rather aggressive reproduction of the sound and the fury of Charlie Parker had spread in all directions; even the sound of his horn had changed somewhat. This was roughly three years ago, when Mingus’ arrangements and compositions were sensitizing audiences and musicians alike with their unusual ferocity and moodiness. The overwhelming influence in every facet of Jackie’s playing was still Parker, but something else had happened. As Mingus said of him, ‘Jackie’s got some new things to play.’ I’m sure the Workshop must have been an awesome, a frightening and a frustrating thing for him, but playing with Mingus seemed to open Jackie’s ears a little more, and it gave him the assurance to take some harmonic chances.

“There’s much of the ‘hung lover’ in Jackie’s playing these days. This is a quality of feeling that has to do with loss, with hurt and with raw tenderness. In this respect, his playing has a relationship with the singing of Billie Holiday. Of course their individual approach to music is entirely different, but in their quality of feeling, in their emotional projection, both seem to be carrying a ‘torch’ for life.

“The quality of suffering that is projected in the music of both these artists is a quality that exists beneath the tough, worldly veneer that they musically affect. In Billie’s singing, this veneer is projected as a strange kind of stoicism; in Jackie’s playing, it’s an angry defiance. What’s underneath the sound and the style, in both cases, is something distinctly human, distinctly perplexed and perplexing. Their music is a crystalization of ‘hard’ living, of pleasure without joy, of disappointment and, in some respects, frustration. Underneath the hard and ‘jaded’ exterior of their music is a deep sensitivity for what’s right with the world through an expression of what’s wrong in the world.

“When Jackie plays, he expresses himself in hard clipped phrases that, superficially, act tough and rude, but that in themselves are an expresxsion of grief. He is asking, he is wondering, he is anxious. With the notable exception of ‘Old Folks’ tension is the main ingredient in his playing. The phrases push and pull; they climb and jab with a brittle vitality that has a sharp acuteness. His sound is that of a skirling piper who cries defiance, raw compassion and human frailty in one breath. This is McLean’s Scene as I hear it.

“‘Gone with the Wind’: Hardman, Chambers, Garland… Everyone solos. Bill Hardman makes some funny remarks, Jackie wails his lament with a high brittle quality.

“‘Our Love Is Here to Stay’: Waldron, Phipps and Taylor - Jackie’s sound has broadened somewhat here, he’s less aggressive, more contemplative.

“‘Mean to Me’: Hardman, Chambers and Garland are back again. Paul plays excellently on his plucked choruses, notice how he gets a ‘rhythm guitar’ sound on some of his notes, not only on this track on the others too.

“‘McLean’s Scene’: A blues by Jackie. Hardman, Garland, Chambers all solo at an easy, quick-step tempo. Jackie’s sound is looser, more pliable but he enunciates in an emphatic staccato fashion. Going out, the two horns blend splendidly.

“‘Old Folks’: This ballad has a broad nostalgic quality to it that is unusual for Jackie. There’s a plaintive wideness to his playing.

“‘Outburst’: An original by Jackie that should have been dedicated to all the Lord’s little ones. It has a hard, punching vitality at a mad tempo.

“Jackie McLean is a 27 year old New Yorker. He has played with Bud Powell, Mingus, Art Blakey and any other number of ‘name’ groups and musicians. He has appeared on Prestige with Miles, Gene Ammons, Hank Mobley and has four other albums of his own: ‘Lights Out’, ‘Jackie’s Pal’ (with Bill Hardman), ‘Jackie McLean & Co.’ and ‘Alto Madness’ with John Jenkins.

“Bill Hardman has played notably with Mingus and Blakey (both with Jackie). He too is 27, is from Cleveland and this is his third recorded excursion for the Prestige-New Jazz combine. The other two are on the ‘Pal’ and ‘McLean & Co.’ albums.

“Mal Waldron is something of a house pianist for Prestige. He has recorded with any number of different groups from Gene Ammons to Teddy Charles and has three albums of his own on Prestige and one on New Jazz. He’s from New York and will soon be 32.

“Red Garland is originally from Dallas, Texas; he was born there May 13, 1923. His most fruitful days were spent in Philadelphia, where he backed practically every kind of jazz style. He has played and recorded with Miles Davis on Prestige, has four albums of his own on Prestige, and has been an integral part of many dates on both Prestige and New Jazz.

“Art Taylor has had many dates with all sorts of Prestige and New Jazz outfits and one album of his own: ‘Taylor’s Wailers’. He is 30 and a New Yorker.

“Paul Chambers is from Pittsburgh, but moved early to Detroit. He plays with Miles most and records with many outfits from Prestige.

“Arturo Phipps (as he prefers to be known) has been in and around jazz since he first came to New York with the Three Bips and a Bop. This same group brough Babs Gonzales to national prominence. During those days he gigged all over 52nd Street, with as he puts it, ‘Just about everybody.’ Some of those people were Sonny Rollins, Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz; of a later date have been Don Elliott and Gigi Gryce. Arturo has a photography business of his own and still gigs all over New York. This is his first appearance on the current New Jazz series.” (Jack Maher. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Jackie McLean (a-sx), Bill Hardman (tp), Mal Waldron/Red Garland (pi), Paul Chambers/Arthur Phipps (bs), Art Taylor (dr)

A1. Gone With The Wind

A2. Our Love Is Here To Stay

A3. Mean To Me

B1. McLean's Scene

B2. Old Folks

B3. Outburst

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Jackie McLean & Co.

“The members of Jackie McLean & Co., a young but active concern, may, at times, dress in a quasi-Madison Avenue style but their product may never be termed ‘gray flannel’.

“At the least board meeting (‘Jackie’s Pal’, LP 7068), Bill Hardman was appointed to the presiding body and in this present session, Ray Draper is taken in as a junior partner.

“Ray is a young New Yorker who will reach the age of 17 on August 3, 1957. During the winter of 1956-57 he led his own group of youngsters at the Sunday afternoon bashes which a Brooklyn organisation, ‘Jazz Unlimited’, was sponsoring at The Pad and Birdland. It was in this setting that he came to the attention of the older musicians around town, some of whom brought him to the attention of Bob Weinstock. Nat Hentoff, New York editor of ‘Down Beat’ heard Draper and commented in his ‘Counterpoint’ column, ‘he blows the hottest modern jazz tuba I’ve yet heard.’

“Currently attending the High School of Performing Arts, Ray expects to continue his studies at the Manhattan School of Music after graduation in June of 1958.

“Here, Ray is heard on ‘Minor Dream’, ‘Help’ and ‘Flickers’. In his first album as leader, scheduled for release in the near future, you will hear more of Ray and also learn more about him. Among other things, you will learn that Jackie McLean is one of Ray’s favourite musicians.

“It seems that Jackie is a favorite of a lot of the young, up and coming musicians. From this statement, people who are not familiar with him might surmise that he is a jazz veteran and perhaps in his thirties. They would be right in the first part of their assumption but Jackie started very young and when he cut his first records with Miles Davis in 1951 (‘Dig’, Prestige LP 7012) he was only 19. In the last year he has started to really mature in many ways. The compelling statements emanating from his swooping, biting, hotly flowing horn have earned the admiration of his elder as well as younger cohorts.

“Bill Hardman has been Jackie’s front line associate in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messenger during the latter part of 1956 and 1957. Although the same age as Jack, he is only come lately to big league jazz and is still a rookie, albeit a highly promising one. He comes to play and the very exuberance in his playing illustrates how much he enjoys his work. Bill’s is a punching, staccato style, brassy as the instrument on which it is played.

“Head ‘idea man’ of the firm, Mal Waldron, in addition to his piano solos, had contributed two originals to this meeting. ‘Flickers’, background music for a modern silent screen melodrama, was first heard in ‘All Night Long’ (LP 7073). Here it is done at a slower tempo. ‘Mirage’ is a melancholy ballad somewhat in the vein of ‘Abstraction’, a Waldron composition which appeared in Jackie’s ‘4, 5 and 6’ (LP 7048).

“Doug Watkins and Art Taylor weld their talents together to form a solid rhythmic base as they have many times in the past. Doug has also added to the raw material for the date with his minor blues, ‘Help’, in which Ray’s lugubrious tuba portrays the creeping evil and Jackie and Bill cry for assistance.

“The tunes that round out the session are Draper’s ‘Minor Dream’ with an introduction similar to Waldrons’s ‘Dee’s Dilemma’ but with different thereafter and McLean’s ‘Beau Jack’, a blues of funky dimensions with -beaucoup- Jackie.

“After consulting the stock reports and calling my broker, I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s on thing for you to do - buy a share of Jackie McLean & Co.” (Ira Gitler. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Jackie McLean (a-sx), Bill Hardman (tp), Ray Draper (tu), Mal Waldron (pi), Doug Watkins (bs), Art Taylor (dr)

A1. Flickers

A2. Help

A3. Minor Dream

B1. Beau Jack

B2. Mirage

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Jackie McLean - A Long Drink of the Blues

“For some reason, it has become traditional to apologise for the release of a blowing session. This is mostly due, I feel, to the growing influence on jazz of critics who judge the music by standards that have nothing whatever to do with it. Jazz has been judged, more and more increasingly, by standards that are most pertinent when the subject under discussion is European classical music, and it is only natural that it does not meet those standards. In the same way, if the great classical saxophonist Marcel Mule were to be judged by standards meant to apply to Jackie McLean, he would not measure up.

“All of which is to say that the little tune of the record, ‘A Long Drink of the Blues’, -is- a blowing date. As such, it is representative of the talents of the six musicians involved, how they felt at the time, and how well they played on the particular afternoon the session was recorded. The interest it holds is determined only by how well those six men play the blues. Curtis Fuller is one of the two or three of the young trombonists who have made any contribution to the instrument. Webster Young seems to have a greater understanding of Miles Davis than those countless young trumpeters who play like Miles simply because it is fashionable. Gil Coggins is a rarely recorded pianist, and this situation is somewhat inexplicable when you consider how much he has contributed to the few dates he has been on. Paul Chambers is, of course, one of the founders and the only remaining member of the great Miles Davis rhythm section. Louis Hayes is the drummer who has added so much to the groups of Horace Silver and Cannonball Adderly. And, in the area of special interest, Jackie McLean, of whom more in a moment, takes his first solo here on that instrument.

“You will also hear, under the guise of ‘A Long Drink of the Blues (take 1)’, something of what went on in the studio that afternoon. Obviously, formal organization of the type preferred by certain critics was not held in a very high esteem. Since Jackie McLean has made a very successful debut in ‘The Connection’, in which he revealed himself as an incisive naturalistic actor, it is with a certain amount of justifiable pride that we present here his first recorded performance in a speaking role.

“The other side of the LP requires, I think, slightly more extended commentary. It consists of three ballads performed by McLean on alto, Mal Waldron, Arthur Phipps and Art Taylor. Much has been made of musical empathy, and deservedly so, but apparently this quality is only considered worthy of discussion when it is possessed by recognized stars. Regardless of whether or not you happen to like their kind of music, it goes without saying that Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond play extraordinarily well together, one serving as perfect contrast for the other. And reams of copy have been written about the musical affinity that exists between Miles Davis and Gil Evans. It is my opinion that this quality, which is certainly to be desired, can be found nowhere more perfectly expressed than in the music of Jackie McLean and Mal Waldron.

“Both of them have a great understanding of dance music. Now I know that term is tossed around by writers when they wish to deprecate something (most often, they speak of a big band jazz date that didn’t quite come off as a good dance record), but the sense of dance is present in the music of some of our most important modern musicians: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins. The three ballads played here are, I think, much more danceable than many records specifically released for that purpose, and it is to the credit of McLean and Waldron that this should be the case.

“But their affinity goes much beyond that. Both men are as deeply committed to jazz as it is possible for musicians to be. As such, they have rejected certain stylistic elements that might have made their music more universally acceptable, but they have remained better jazzmen for it. Both of them, in sound and approach, project what can only be called a feeling of intense loneliness. It is that quality, I think, which is so grippingly attractive to some listeners and frightening to others. They do not play happy music, but certainly they do play an accurate reflection of the world in which they find themselves. In achieving this, they have abandoned some of what the critics are pleased to call ‘technique’, but they are both consummate musicians in that the style they have worked out is perfectly suited to the statement they have to make. This is something else they have in common with the previously mentioned Davis, Rollins and Coltrane (at an early point in his career, Jackie’s solos sounded like transcriptions for alto of Miles Davis trumpet phrases) as well as the musicians who have most directly shaped their styles: in Jackie’s case, that would be Charlie Parker; in Mal’s, without neglecting the influence of Bud Powell, it would be Thelonious Monk.

“Perhaps I have given the mistaken impression that these two men have been completely neglected in their careers. That is definitely not the case. At least part of Jackie’s situation has been a matter of personal difficulty, and for a time he was denied a New York cabaret card. But one does not need a card to perform in a theatre, and so he was able to join the cast of ‘The Connection’. Although the group which played that show was billed as the Freddie Redd Quartet, it was alto and rhythm, and it was Jackie who made the greatest impression, both as soloist and actor. Whatever merits the play itself may have had, it did prove that jazz could be an integral part of a theatrical evening, and, for once, the music used to prove such a point was uncompromising in its honesty. Surprisingly enough - or not, depending on your point of view - the critics (drama critics, this time) went for the jazz as much as for the play, and gave a much more accurate appraisal of both than the majority of jazz writers who commented on it. And one thing that was certainly accomplished was a turning point in Jackie McLean’s career.

“Mal Waldron’s is a different situation. For the last few years before her death, he was Billie Holiday’s accompanist. Although he learned much from that experience for which he is grateful, musically and otherwise, and although Billie always left a set open in the evening for Mal’s trio, the job did mean that he was absent for a while from New York’s battleground of young musicians. He is back now, and playing again, and has even more to contribute than before.

“When the smoke of the jazz battles have cleared away, when flash-in-pans have been forgotten and proper assessments have been made, I think it will be found that Jackie McLean and Mal Waldron have made some of the most valuable and durable music of their time. These three ballads will be an important part of that contribution.” (Joe Golberg. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Jackie McLean (t-sx), Webster Young (tp), Curtis Fuller (tb), Gil Coggins/Mal Waldron (pi), Paul Chambers/Arthur Phipps (bs), Louis Hayes/Art Taylor (dr)

A1. A Long Drink Of The Blues (Take 1)

A2. A Long Drink Of The Blues (Take 2)

B1. Embraceable You

B2. I Cover The Waterfront

B3. These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)

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Jackie McLean - Lights Out!

"To some people 'Lights Out' might bring to mind the series of radio chillers penned by Arch Oboler some years back. Perhaps these are the same people who went to sleep with the lights on when they were children. As the title of this LP and the name of a specific selection, 'Lights Out' signifies relaxation rather than terror.

"The recording bugaboo has been written about before and although the jazz musician's second home seem to be in the recording studio these days, tensions still exists for the self critical jazz artists when he is confronted with microphone, tape machine and clock.

"I don't doubt that the lights out method has been used before. I can recall two other specific instances where it was employed to good advantage. Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh recorded 'Fishin' Around' without the fluorescents (Prestige LP 7004) and Miles Davis' 'Blue Haze' (Prestige LP 161) flowed through only the light coming from the control room. Both times the absence of light helped relax the musicians and fit in with the mood of the piece. The dark can be very relaxing. You know how more perceptive your hearing becomes when your eyes are not forced to work. I'm sure that is why many musicians close their eyes when soloing.

"In this session, Bob Weinstock remembered the example of 'Blue Haze' and felt that the slow blues would be well served by a dim studio. It's more for the mood of the piece than to relax these effervescent musicians. That is how the title came about. The photograph taken at the time it was being taped proved to be an expressive reason for duplicating the title for the entire LP, although the remaining five numbers were done 'lights on'. While there is illumination let me shed some light on the featured performers.

"John Lenwood McLean (often erroneously spelled McClean) is known better as simply Jackie. A native New York (born May 17, 1932), Jackie was left a musical heritage by his father, John Sr., who played guitar with Tiny Bradshaw. He died in 1939. The incentive to further the heritage was given him by his mother when she bought him his first saxophone.

"Jackie grew up in Harlem with bop already flowering around him. He played in a neighborhood band that included Sonny Rollins and Andy Kirk Jr. on saxophones and Kenny Drew on piano. After school hours he would jam and study with Bud Powell and although he names Charlie Parker, Rollins and Kirk as his favorite saxophonists, Jackie states that 'Bud Powell is my inspiration'. In those afternoon sessions Bud taught him chord changes and imparted the important lesson of 'time'. It was in 1951 that Jackie made his first recordings. These can be heard on Miles Davis' 'Dig' (Prestige LP 7012).

"Actually it wasn't until 1955 that Jackie start playing jobs that brought his name before the public. With Paul Bley's quartet and George Wallington's quintet he started to fulfill the promise he had shown when Bud Powell unveiled him one night at Birdland some five years before. 1956 finds him with Charlie Mingus' quintet as another phase of his career opens.

"Donald Byrd is one of the young stalwarts from Detroit who have made their mark in the past year. He was studying at the Manhattan School of Music and jamming around New York when George Wallington hired him for his quintet in the summer of 1955. This is where he and Jackie played together at length for the first time. Later Donald was with anothr edition of the Wallington quintet (Prestige LP 7032) and in early 1956 replaced Kenny Dorham in the Jazz Messengers. His style is in the Dorham vein but his sonority is more akin to Fats Navarro's.

"Jocularity was in order in keeping with Jackie's and Donald's youthful personalities which blended musically and socially. Added to this combination was the exuberance of Donald's Detroit running mate from the Messengers. Doug Watkins, the whimsical self of Elmo Hope and the sarcastic, but not malicious, jibes of Arthur Taylor. This was the varied humorous climate in which the session took place.

"It is definitely what can be classified as a 'blowing session'. There are no written lines except for the ending of 'Inding'.

"'Lights Out', the show blues, starts with bass which is joined by drums four bars later and piano in the last four of the first chorus. From the beginning of the second chorus it's all solo with a short one by Elmo, then Jackie followed by muted Donald. After a longer Hope stint, Jackie and Donald take over for two choruses of two bar exchanges before Jackie takes it out.

"The medium blues, 'Kerplunk', a more modern treatment than 'Lights Out', begins with Elmo, followed by Donald and Jackie. Then Donald and Jackie take one chorus apiece for five rounds before going into 'The Peck' and out.

"'Inding' and 'Up' are based on the 'I Got Rhythm' type chord changes but in different keys. The former starts with the rhythm sections romping and Donald, Elmo and Jackie solo in that order. 'Up' begins and ends with a sort of call sounded by the horns. It's tempo is described by its title. Donald, Jackie, Elmo and Art Taylor appear in that order solowise.

"'A Foggy Day' has an intro by the horns and then Jackie comes out of his corner 'wailing'. Donald's solo is muted and he's followed by Elmo before Jackie comes in again. Everyone makes use of suspended rhythmic and harmonic interludes during their solos and the horns end it in this manner as they fade out over London town.

"'Lorraine' is the ballad and while she may not be sweet, she certainly is embraceable. Donald's solos sandwich Jackies'." (Ira Gitler. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Jackie McLean (a-sx), Donald Byrd (tp), Elmo Hope (pi), Doug Watkins (bs), Art Taylor (dr)

A1. Lights Out

A2. Up

A3. Lorraine

B1. A Foggy Day

B2. Kerplunk

B3. Inding

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Horace Silver - 6 Pieces of Silver

"The release of this LP by the Horace Silver quintet has more significance than might appear on the surface; for although Horace's career on records in general and on Blue Note in particular has covered a broad area of styles, performances and groups, this is the first time he has ever been able to present, and present with pride, a permanently-formed combo of his own.

"There are many of us who felt that this step was long overdue, not only in terms of his talent, but also on the strength of his personality. His mild manner, pleasant speaking voice and clean living habits seemed to equip Horace for the role of leader, and if the reaction of night club owners in recent months is any yardstick, he didn't start a moment too soon.

"Since this is, then, a milestone in the Silver career, it might be advisable to pause and recapitulate briefly the biographical backgrounds of each member of the quintet as it is heard on these sides, since the writers of liner notes tend too often to take for granted a knowledge of all these facts on the part of the fan.

"The leader was born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver in 1928 in Norwalk, Conn. After saxophone studies in high school and private piano lessons, he played gigs around Connecticut on both tenor and piano. It was after Stan Getz heard him in Hartford that he was hired to tour with the Getz quartet, staying with the group for a year in 1950-51. Settling in New York City, he worked frequently during the next year with Art Blakey, as well as with combos led by Terry Gibbs, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Bill Harris and others. From then until he formed his own group, he was most frequently a part of the Jazz Messengers.

"Hank Mobley, Horace's tenor man, was born in Eastman, Georgia in 1930, but was raised in New Jersey. After working with rhythm and blues groups until 1950, he jobbed mostly with Max Roach from 1951-53, spent several months with the Gillespie group in '54 and since then has been with Horace, first in the Jazz Messengers and now in the Silver quintet.

"Donald Byrd, Horace's trumpeter on this date, was born in Detroit in 1932, the son of a Methodist minister who was also a musician. He studied at Cass Tech High, Wayne University and Manhattan School of Music. After serving in the Air Force from 1951-53 and then working with local groups, he came to New York and played with George Wallington's group and Blakey's Messenger in 1955.

"Twenty-two-year-old Doug Watkins, also a Cass Tech man from Detroit, was schoolmate of Byrd and of bassist Paul Chmabers, who is his cousin by marriage. Leaving home with James Moody in '53, he settled in New York in August, 1954 and gigged mostly with the men in and around the Messengers.

"Louis Hayes, Horace's talented young drummer, is only 18 years old and is also a Detroiter; he replaced Art Taylor on very short notice in this group, and according to those of us who have heard him at Birdland and on other gigs, he shows signs of becoming a big name before too long.

"With the exception of one standard tune, the music heard on this first session by Horace's new group consisted entirely of Silver originals. 'Cool Eyes' is a swinging opener; notice the interesting use of the double augmented effect at the 23rd bar of the theme. The performances lend an extra sense of construction in that the solos are tied together by eight-bar unison interludes. Mobley, Byrd and Horace have extended solo space and Watkins walks a while. After the closing ensemble, in which the piano plays unison along with the horns, the last phrase is repeated effectively in descending keys.

"'Shirl', named for a young female friend, is a piano solo with rhythm, pensive and delicate, striking a sort of 'Stella by Starlight' mood.

"'Camouflage' has an unusual device in the rhyhthm pauses during the solo, as a result of which it seems to swing as much as anything in the album, yet in a slightly different way. Hank, Horace and Donald are featured in that order.

"'Enchantment' is an exotic theme that demonstrates how much can be extracted from the use of two-part harmony. Notice the use of an unorthodox Latin beat in which the third eighth not is left open; Louis Hayes's use of mallets; Horace's employment of octaves and other devices not typical of him.

"'Señor Blues' is, for this listener at least, the most exciting of the seven performances on these sides. Set in a minor key with the horns voiced, it is in a triple time, which Horace describes as 6/8, though I would be inclined to call it 12/8. The performance is full of tricky rhythmic and counter-rhythmic effects. When piano solo time arrives, the rhythm changes again and of this time signature Horace confesses, 'I don't know what you call that!' (We call it fine and funky.) Both in its solos and in the ensemble approach, this is a striking demonstration of the degree of originality to which the twelve-bar motif can be stretched.

"'Virgo', named for the sign under which Horace was born, is a fast unison theme in which the solos again are spelled by eight-measure interludes. Horace, on his solo here, is a fluent as a pianistic Charlie Parker. Louis Hayes, after trading fours with the horns, has a long solo, and there is a suddent bop-style ending.

"'For Heaven's Sake', a popular song of a few years ago, is given the same brand of treatment as 'Shirl', a piano solo in a pleasantly relaxed ballad mood.

"It need hardly be pointed out in conclusion that this record debut by the new Silver quintet augers a successful future for Horace as a leader. Assuming the main ingredients of success are talent, ambition and luck, it can safely be said that Horace is already two-thirds of the way there." (Leonard Feather. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Horace Silver (pi), Donald Byrd (tp), Hank Mobley (t-sx), Doug Watkins (bs), Louis Hayes (dr)

A1. Cool Eyes

A2. Shirl

A3. Camouflage

A4. Enchantment

B1. Señor Blues

B2. Virgo

B3. For Heaven's Sake

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Jackie McLean - 4, 5 and 6

"Jackie McLean is musically coming of age. His playing, out of Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins, has become a personalized, more individual voice in 1956 and he has not lost any of the basic-emotion, swinging qualities which help his style live up to the second syllable of his last name so well.

"Here the vitality of the McLean alto is heard in three different size groups.

"The rhythm section remains the same for all the combinations and is made up of Mal Waldron, one of the promising pianist-composers in the East, who has been Jackie's teammate in the Charlie Mingus group at various times during 1956. Doug Watkins, the Detroit bass product who made his mark with the Jazz Messengers and more recently Horace Silver's new group. Arthur Taylor, the mustachioed swinger heard previously with Art Farmer-Gigi Gryce, Bud Powell, etc. and who has been splitting the duties as Prestige's house drummer with Philly Joe Jones.

"The quartet finds Jackie in the standards department interpreting 'Sentimental Journey', 'Why Was I Born?' and 'When I Fall in Love'. Mal Waldron contributes solos on all three and Doug Watkins travels a solo road on the 'Journey'.

"The scene shifts to the originals section as another Detroit gift to the Eastern jazz locale, Donald Byrd, makes the group a quintet. Donald, after a short stint with the Messengers, has recently been featured with the Max Roach group. He and Jackie teamed up before in 'Lights Out' (Prestige LP 7035). Both originals in this segment of the session are by pianists. The sombre beauty of 'Abstraction' was created by Mal Waldron and pulsating 'Contour' was molded by Kenny Drew.

"Originals only continue as Hank Mobley, another ex-Messenger who has been promoted to vice-president in the new Horace Silver group, swells the group to sextet size. The oirignal is Charlie Parker's classic, 'Confirmation'.

"Thus - 4, 5 and 6... hencecforth - get your kicks." (Ira Gitler. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Jackie McLean (a-sx), Donald Byrd (tp), Hank Mobley (t-sx), Mal Waldron (pi), Doug Watkins (bs), Art Taylor (dr)

A1. Sentimental Journey

A2. Why Was I Born

A3. Contour

B1. Confirmation

B2. When I Fall In Love

B3. Abstraction

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Elmo Hope - Informal Jazz

"Friday is Prestige Day at Van Gelder's. Either recording, tape editing or master cutting is carried on. The Friday that this particular session was cut, the gathering was an informal one. Many of the musicians had played together before and the ones who hadn't were familiar with each other's work.

"Donald Byrd and Hank Mobley had played together in the Jazz Messenger and John Coltrane, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones represent, numerically, a majority vote in the Miles Davis quintet. Elmo Hope and Joe are old buddies, having played together in Joe Morris' band and in countless sessions, then and since.

"No introductions were necessary between the players but to you, the audience, it would be an oversight if they were omitted.

"Elmo Hope, the nominal leader on the date, is a native New Yorker who grew up with Bud Powell. With the Joe Morris' band in the Forties, Elmo has done mostly free-lance playing in the Fifties appearing occasionally with Dud Bascomb. [...]

"Donald Byrd is another of the recent Detroit immigrants to New York. Still in his early twenties. Donald studied at famed Cass Tech High in Detroit and continued at the Manhattan School in New York. He first appeared with George Wallington at Cafe Bohemia in 1955 and later replaced Kenny Dorham in the Jazz Messengers. [...]

"Henry 'Hank' Mobley was born in Georgia but raised in New Jersey. Played with Paul Gayten's R&B band but first attracted attention with Max Roach's combo in the early Fifties. After playing with Dizzy Gillespie for most of 1954, he joined Horace Silver's quartet late in that year. This group evolved into the Jazz Messengers of which Hank was a regular member until he left midway in 1956.

"John Coltrane is from Philadelphia. Born in North Carolina, he moved to the Quaker City at an early age. In that city he studied at both the Granoff and Ornstein music schools. 'Trane', as he is known, played with Eddie Vinson in 1947-48, Dizzy Gillespie 49-51, Early Bastic 52-53, Johnny Hodges 53-54 nad has been with Miles Davis since 1955. [...]

"Paul Chambers. Born in Pittsburgh but spent most of his life in Detroit before coming to New Yorkin 1954. Worked with Bennie Green, Jay and Kai and George Wallington. With Miles Davis group since 1955. Considered to be -the- new star on his instrument, Paul is equally adept at plucked or bowed solos. Two of the latter are his contributions in this set. [...]

"Philly Joe Jones is, as you've surmised, from the City of Brotherly Love. As mentioned before, he was with Elmo in Joe Morris' band. Joe came to prominence in the Fifties with Tony Scott's combo and Tadd Dameron's band. Since late 1955 he has been swinging the Miles Davis quintet along with Chambers. [...]

"In keeping with the informal format, the tunes are mainly vehicles for blowing. The two originals 'Weeja' and 'On It' are by Elmo. Both are riffers which expedite the blowing. 'Weeja' has everyone 'confirming' Bird's word and 'On It' is a blues. 'Polka Dots and Moonbeams' has that after a love affair feeling - a kind of reminiscing over what no longer is but how wonder were those moments, nevertheless. 'Avalon' lends itself to swinging admirably. 'Weeja' and 'On It' revive the tenor battle which died when Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons broke up. It's still a stimulating tournament and Hank and Trane make it interesting because although they are both in a general idiom they are as different as two men in a similar area can be." (Ira Gitler. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Elmo Hope (pi), Donald Byrd (tp), John Coltrane/Hank Mobley (t-sx), Paul Chambers (bs), Philly Joe Jones (dr)

A1. Weeja

A2. Polka Dots And Moonbeams

B1. On It

B2. Avalon

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Doug Watkins - Watkins at Large

"[...] The second album, Watkins at Large, was bassist Doug Watkins first date as a leader and a great example of his confident soloing. Byrd is again in vividly dramatic form, with authoritative playing by Mobley and Burrell, sustained by a vigorous rhythm section nourished by the blues rooted drive of Watkins bass, the warmth and fluidity of Jordans piano and Taylors sturdy support. Intensity and skill are married to cohesive emotional purpose." (From a review of a multi-disc reissue from Fresh Sounds Records. See here.)

Performers: Doug Watkins (bs), Donald Byrd (tp), Hank Mobley (t-sx), Kenny Burrell (gt), Duke Jordan (pi), Art Taylor (dr)

A1. Return To Paradise

A2. Phinupi

B1. Phil T. McNasty's Blues

B2. More Of The Same

B3. Panonica

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Doug Watkins - Soulnik

"Too many fine musicians have been killed in automobile accidents. Clifford Brown, Richie Powell, Stan Haaselgard, Willie Dennis, Eddie Costa ar just some. There are many more. Charlie Parker was lucky to escape with his life in a car crash at the age of 16. Doug Watkins, a superb bassist, had no such luck. In the early hours of February 5, 1962, Doug fell asleep at the wheel of his own car near Holbrook, Arizona. The automobile crossed the highway and rammed head on into an upcoming pick-up truck. Trumpeter Bill Hardman and saxophonist Roland Alexander stepped from the wreck unhurt but Doug Watkins was dead. So ended a brief and brilliant career; the jazz world mourned the loss of one of its most promising young men to what has become an occupational hazard.

"Watkins was born in Detroit on March 2, 1934. He studied at the famous Cass Tech High School where his schoolmates included Paul Chambers (a cousin by marriage) and Donald Byrd. By the age of 16 Doug was studying hard with Gaston Brohan and already doing gigs with pianist Barry Harris. In the summer of 1953 he got his first out-of-town job with the James Moody Band but never actually recorded with the group. He returned to Detroit later and rejoined Barry Harris' Trio which for the next year backed a whole host of visiting stars including Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Coleman Hawkins.

"In August of 1954 Doug was ready to try New York so he packed his bag and split for the Apple. His first gigs there were with trumpeter Kenny Dorham, a great talent spotter, and through Kenny he was introduced to Art Blakey, Horace Silver and Hank Mobley. These five men soon formed a musical alliance which grew into the Jazz Messengers. The group made its debut at the Blue Notes, Philadelphia, in February, 1955. The following month the unit, minus Dorham, recorded for Blue Note (they had already done a sessions in November, 1954, which produced classics like 'Doodlin'' and 'Creepin' In'). Later in the year, the band was frequently to be heard at the Café Bohemia where two albums by the Messengers were taped 'live' in November.

"The exposure with Blakey, and subsequently in the Horace Silver Quintet, formed in June, 1956, earned Watkins an enviable reputation. He was soon getting his fair share of calls for record dates and all manner of gigs. In the following five years he worked with Jackie McLean, Donald Byrd, Gene Ammons, Sonny Rollins, Pepper Adams, John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette, Chet Baker and many others. He was often to be found with his old friend Byrd and was a member of the quintet the trumpeter took to Paris in late summer, 1958. This outfit, completed by Bobby Jaspar (tenor & flute), Walter Davis Jr. (piano) and Art Taylor (drums) made records on the Continent and played several big festivals. The association with Byrd continued on and off until Doug's death but in the last three years of his life he freelanced widely. A particular favorite of McLean, Watkins worked with Jackie many times also and appeared on several of the saxophonist's albums for Prestige and Blue Note. Doug had an impeccable beat, a real bass sound that would cut through an ensemble without the aid of microphones. Like the English bassist Peter Ind, he got that tone by holding the note down with the left hand and not wasting energy by plucking too hard. Says Ind, 'Most bass players think that if they pull harder with their right hand they're going to get a bigger sound whereas the secret of a sound is in the left hand - that's where you really stop the notes. You can pluck it lightly and it will sing out a mile if you've got the not held down.' You rarely, if ever, hear Watkins' strings vibrating or rattling because he was not one of the 'meaty hands' brigade'.

"Another gift Watkins had was his ability to play exactly the right note in a chord to complement the soloist; he would never clash with what the man up front was doing. He combined well with many different drummers and when his chance to solo came he really took care of business. Doug was not influenced by the style of playing which Scott LaFaro developed in the late 1950s - soloing behind soloists and using extensively the top notes on his strings. When Watkins played it, the bass sounded like a bass. His favorite players were Percy Heath, Ray Brown and Slam Stewart and he came out of that tradition of playing.

"On this album, one of the two made under Watkins' leadership, he does not play bass at all, being featured on cello. He never used it again on record which is a pity because he could have developed into a damn good jazz cellist too. It had always been one of Doug's ambitions to play the cello. Three days before this date, a cello player lent him his instrument. And this was actually the first time he had played it. Watkins told Ira Gitler, 'I usually do these tuned on bass but I wanted a different sound. To me, the cello gets a tone between guitar and piano.' It must be admitted that Watkins on cello was not really comparable, at this stage, with Watkins the bassist. But there is no doubt that Doug took to the instrument right away, just as Oscar Pettiford had done before him. While with Woody Herman, Pettiford fooled around with a cello one day in a music store and that night used it on stage when his moment came to solo! Herman, who knew nothing about this in advance, was flabbergasted. The fingering is not the same on the two instruments, and the positions are smaller. To musicians of the stature of Watkins and Pettiford the technicalities were unimportant; they were just natural players.

"For this date Watkins used several friends from his Detroit days. Pianist Hugh Lawson and bassist Herman Wright are two more products of Cass Tech and both men went to Wayne University, of which multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef is another alumnus.

"Lateef plays all his chosen instruments fluently. He did not take his tenor sax to this particular session but alternated with flute and oboe. His flute playing ranks with James Moody's as the most consistent and enjoyable in jazz. He also wails on oboe with power and distinction.

"Always ready to experiment with different instruments, Lateef brings to all his horns great imagination and personality. He is a boss swinger. Lawson has worked with Yusef a great deal through the years. He was in Lateef's group on a regular basis from 1956-60 and has recorded with him several times since. Laweson is one of three outstanding pianists who emerged from Detroit during the fifties. The others were Barry Harris and Tommy Flanagan. Lawson occasionally reminds one of Barry and Tommy, especially the former, but he is really his own man.

"Wright is a steady and reliable bassist, equally facile as an accompanist and soloist. He too has often worked with Lateef and in addition his experience includes stints with James Moody, Sonny Stitt, Terry Gibbs, Billy Mitchel, Terry Pollard and George Shearing. Drummer Lex Humphries has no Detroit associations except that he played the same kind of music as the Detroiters. Lex was born in Rockaway, New York, and, though self-taught, was good enough to play in the groups of Chet Baker and Dizzy Gillespie in the 1950s. In the next decade he was heard with the Farmer/Golson Jazztet, Jackie McLean, Donald Byrd, Duke Pearson and McCoy Tyner. On this recording he plays with brushes throughout and blends in perfectly.

"Half of the material for the session was contributed by Lateef. It is his blues, 'One Guy', which starts the proceedings. The theme is stated in unison by flute and cello. Watkins gets around his unfamiliar axe with apparent east. Lateef takes six choruses, displaying his groovy flute stylings. After a Lawson solo that certainly does bring Barry Harris to mind, Wright plucks three. When Lateef comes back, Doug weaves in and out of the bass and flute lines.

"'Confessin'' is an oldie and a goodie. Doug was definitely not confessin' that he couldn't play cello because he states the melody all by himself. Yusef offers a lovely flute floater and Doug digs it so much he puts in some apt little background comments from time to time. Being a bassist himself, he is careful not to foul up Herman's flow. Doug's own solo is not perfect; there are one or two blemishes, a couple of sour notes, but the essential jazz feeling is there in his adventurous improvisation. Lawson takes an excellent solo and exhibits his pianistic touch.

"'Soulnik', a wry Lateef title that combined the 1960 preoccupations with sputniks and soul, is another blues that walks in on a foot-patting medium tempo. This time Yusef has the oboe in his hands and after Watkins has spun his blue web, Lateef comes swooping down from overhead like a night owl. His sound is eerie and lonely and his solo, as Ira Gitler commented, is 'pregnant with feeling'. Lawson and Wright keep up the good work and Humphries, who drums splendidly on this track, makes the optimum use of his opportunities in the fours section.

"'Andre's Bag' has both the melancholy and fire of mid-European folk music. But after Watkins' haunting melody statement which is aided by discreet prompts from Lawson, the jazz atmosphere is established. Yusef gives a little cry on flute and then the motor (Herman and Lex) starts to turn smoothly under Doug. A purring flute contribution by Yusef follows. Humphries slightly stiffens the beat to add a spice of tension to Lawson's effort. Lex is the last soloist and the theme, with a bridge not unlike that in 'A Night in Tunisia', does not re-appear. The cut fades with Doug and Yusef singing their own song.

"'I Remember You' is a good tune that Bird used to like playing. He recorded it too and so have a number of other jazzmen, including trumpeter Red Rodney. In this brisk version, cello and flute spit the theme. The order is Doug, Yusef (pure and pulsating), Lawson (fresh and flowing). Doug returns for half a chorus and Yusef resumes the melodic thread over the bridge with Watkins carrying the performance out on a neo-bop closing figure.

"By way of a change, this particular set concludes with a slow tempo treatment of 'Imagination', a title that describes a quality all the participants shared. Yusef tenderly unwraps the melody with Doug complementing the process. Watkins takes a solo of considerable warmth and grace. Lateef steals in gently as Doug and Herman pluck and bow the piece to an emotional ending. Watkins has the last word with one of Bird's favourite licks.

"Doug Watkins came before the era of electric bass and solo-mad bass players. He was still a young man and would probably have experimented with electric models but I kind of think regular bass would have stayed his first love. However he might have done more with the cello. He told Gitler he wanted to 'go into it more deeply'. Unfortunately, in the 21 months he had left Doug never did do anymore cello playing, on record at least. Time ran out on that highway which should have taken Doug to San Francisco and a reunion with Elmo Hope and Philly Joe Jones, whose group he was to have joined at the Jazz Workshop. 'Down Beat' but it succinctly in its March 15, 1962 headline. 'THE ROAD CLAIMS ANOTHER VICTIM.' And jazz lost a true craftsman who, whether on bass or cello, played with -imagination-.

"Pianist Norman Simmons, discussing the advances made on bass in the last few years, said recently, 'The jazz player today has advanced that instrument to unbelievable degrees. However he is somewhat like the drummer in the attention he gives to the newness of his development. The problem being with both that they tend to relinquish any responsiblity for the pulse of the music.'

"Though a young man, Doug Watkins was musically very mature and could have coped with the problem of being responsible and progressive at the same time. Simmons added, 'This is the upright bassist's day; he deserves it.' Too bad that Doug Watkins, one of the best bassists of his generation, did not live to see that day." (Mark Gardner, October 1970. From the liner notes to the 1970 Prestige reissue.)

Performers: Doug Watkins (cello), Yusef Lateef (fl/ob), Hugh Lawson (pi), Hermann Wright (bs), Lex Humphries (dr)

A1. One Guy

A2. Confessin'

A3. Soulnik

B1. Andre's Bag

B2. I Remember You

B3. Imagination

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Gene Ammons - Soulful Saxophone

"Of all the solo instruments in music, none has ever approached the popularity of the tenor saxophone when it comes to the rendition of a ballad.

"The sound of that horn, skillfully played, seems to be the ideal purveyor of warmth and thoughtfulness and mood.

"And the list of men whose fame was gained chiefly because of their ability to croon a song on the tenor sax is long and impressive, including such names as Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Don Byas, Stan Getz, Lester Young, Georgie Auld and many more.

"But none ever reached the peak of recorded popularity that Gene Ammons did at the turn of the '50s. Radios and jukeboxes continually poured out his music and his records sold in huge amounts.

"The device he used, if it could be called that, was simple. The already huge and thick sound of his horn was surrounded by echo, a technique now common in recording, but at that time little-used. Ammons, a young and respected jazzman, capable of imaginative and stirring improvisation, was content to state the melody simply and movingly, embelishing it only enough to give it his personality but allowing the remarkable -sound- he achieved be the chief factor to attract listeners.

"Those recordings have long since become collectors items, available only as 78rpm shellac pressings, when they could be found. But evidently there has been a continuing demand for them, for seldom did a week go by at Chess Records offices that dealers or distributors or letter writers did not ask for the Ammons ballads to be issued in album form.

"Here are such well-remembered performances as 'My Foolish Heart', 'Goodbye', 'Once in a While' and the haunting 'Prelude to a Kiss', plus a large bonus in the form of two sides never before released in 'It's You or No One' and 'You Go to My Head'.

"To those who recall with fondness the excitement created by these recordings when they first were issued, this album will be a welcome treat. To those who might be listening to Gene Ammons' skill and soulfulness for the first time we can only say, 'Look what you've been missing.'" (From the liner notes.)

Performers: Gene Ammons (t-sx), Bill Massey/Jesse Miller (tp), Matthew Gee (tb), Sonny Stitt (br-sx), Leo Blevins (gt), Charles Bateman/Junior Mance (pi), Christine Chatman (pi/vo), Eugene Wright/Leroy Jackson/Lowell Pointer (bs), Ike Day/Teddy Stewart/Wes Landers (dr), Mary Graham (vo)

A1. My Foolish Heart

A2. Prelude To A Kiss

A3. It's You Or No One

A4. Can You Explain

A5. Goodbye

B1. Pennies From Heaven

B2. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe

B3. You Go To My Head

B4. Once In A While

B5. It's The Talk Of The Town

mp3/192kbps

Gene Ammons - Young Jug

"A young Gene Ammons asserted his formidable ability to play the tenor saxophone in Chicago from 1948 to 1952. These sessions from the Chess label (reissued when the GRP label bought the masters) represent this coming of age in jazz contexts ranging from bop and blues to many ballads and hints of the big-band sound. While his sound is typically robust and gutsy, there's also quite a bit of evidence that Ammons was capable of playing tender and sweet, but at the base of all this music is the blues. A variety of bands are heard, but certain groups with certain sidemen are most notable, as they showcase the tenor man in distinctly different ways and means. Guitarist Leo Blevins and pianist Junior Mance are the finest contributors on the first two-thirds of this collection. Blevins uses a restrained tone mostly on chords during the classic swinger written by Coleman Hawkins, 'Stuffy', and is marvelous in his restraint during the ballads 'Once in a While' and 'Pennies from Heaven', the latter with a featured second line from muted trumpeter Bill Massey. Mance is the best in a jazz-blues vein, whether on the slower, fully flowered tunes 'Goodbye', 'You Go to My Head', and 'My Foolish Heart', the best small group swingers 'Baby, Won't You Please Say Yes' and 'You're Not The Kind', or in a larger combo aside the wailin' and boppin' of Ammons, Massey, and trombonist Matthew Gee during the quintessential Shorty Rogers number 'More Moon' based on 'How High the Moon' or titled 'Full Moon'. Energized and animated, Ammons goes to town on the hucklebuck style of 'Jug Head Ramble', honking and sprawling in a call-and-response with Mance and Blevins, baritone saxophonist Sonny Stitt, and unsung drummer Wes Landers. The last four tracks again have Stitt on baritone, not tenor as he and Ammons would adopt in later life as a most famous tandem, with Massey and trombonist J.J. Johnson forming a mighty horn line. Massey's 'Beezy' is the hottest and heaviest tune, 'I'll Walk Alone' uses the most teamwork, and the other two, 'Old Folks' and 'Somewhere Along the Way' are more the sultry vehicles for Ammons with the others taking a back seat. This CD is an interesting window into the early germination period of a true jazz giant, and despite a somewhat thin production sound indicative of the era, is well worth finding and owning." (Review by Michael G. Nastos for AllMusic. See here.)

Performers: Gene Ammons (t-sx), J.J. Johnson/Matthew Gee (tb), Sonny Stitt (br-sx), Leo Blevins (gt), Christine Chatman/Junior Mance/Willie Jones (pi), Leroy Jackson (bs), Teddy Stewart/Wes Landers (dr)

1. Swingin' For Xmas

2. It's The Talk Of The Town

3. Stuffy

4. Once In A While

5. Pennies From Heaven

6. More Moon

7. Tenor Eleven

8. Goodbye

9. You Go To My Head

10. My Foolish Heart

11. Jug Head Ramble

12. Don't Do Me Wrong

13. Prelude To A Kiss

14. Baby, Won't You Please Say Yes

15. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe

16. You're Not The Kind

17. I'll Walk Alone

18. Old Folks

19. Beezy

20. Somewhere Along The Way

flac/16-bit

Johnny Griffin - Grab This!

"Johnny Griffin is surely one of the more adventurous, as well as one of the most stimulating, musicians on the current jazz scene. So, although there have been tenor-and-organ albums aplenty before this, it's a likely bet (and, as it turns out, it's a winning one) that Johnny's first such effort would be something much more than a routine example of this sort of thing.

"To be 'adventurous', of course, one doesn't have to be a dabble in strange, guaranteed-far-out sounds and chord patterns. Griffin, on the contrary, stands pretty firmly in the blues-rooted middle ground of today's music. But he is far past the stage of merely turning out a series of indistinguishable, interchangable 'blowing' dates. He has, rather, turned his attention during the past couple of years to a wide variety of unconventional but also ungimmicky musical offerings - a with-strings album of songs associated with Billie Holiday ('White Gardenia'); the first merging of soul-music with a big band sound ('The Big Soul Band'); an unusual group of originals scored for a background that featured two basses and French horn ('Change of Pace'); and updating of folk songs ('The Kerry Dancers').

"Much the same spirit of soundly-constructed originality is evidence on this LP. There is plenty of the deep-eyed earthiness, the excitement and the blues-drenched atmosphere that the instrumentation here would lead you to expect. What is missing is the honking and wheezing and endless riffing so often found on recordings of this type, the seeming inability to play anything except a 12-bar blues with a back-beat - all the things that make so many such dates sound several degrees raunchier and even more unbuttoned that honest rhythm and blues. In short, Griffin has avoided the nonsense, the corn, and the apparent illiteracy, leaving us with the clean-limbed structure of a swinging, bluesy, emotional and musically valid album.

"It may be of important that, in selecting his accompanying personnel, Johnny moved far afield from the usual Eastern stamping grounds. As it happened, he was to be finishing a job in San Francisco at a time when Riverside A&R chief Orrin Keepnews was also in California. Having set their plans in advance, the two made a swift trip to Los Angeles. Their object: to team Griff with some of the very funky talent that has come along in recent years to destroy the former image of 'West Coast jazz' as meaning only the ultra-cool and rather bloodless music of the late 1950s. Aided by a probably unprecedented amount of cooperation from another record company (Dick Bock of Pacific Jazz made available not only two of his exclusive artists and his recording studio, but also his own services as an engineer!), they spent one afternoon in letting Johnny get the feel of exactly what the other musicians were into, and a second in recording a remarkably happy and, right from the start, relaxed date. A couple of standards ('These Foolish Things' for ballad tempo, and one of Ellington's best to stretch out on); a new tune by organist Paul Bryant with a full quota of 'church' in it; one previously-recorded Griffin number ('63rd Street Theme', which refers to his Chicago origins) and two brand-new ones - and there it was.

"Despite never before having been recorded in exactly this context, Griffin comes quite naturally to this or any other kind of blues feeling. Beginning his career with Lionel Hampton just after graduating from Chicago high school, he then spent some time with trumpeter Joe Morris in what was basically a rhythm-and-blues band, although it had to be an unusual one, since the lineup also included Elmo Hope on piano and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Later training grounds included groups headed by such deep-rooted giants as Thelonious Monk and Art Blakey. From 1960 to '62, Johnny co-led a quintet in which his horn was effectively blended and contrasted with the heavier tenor sound of Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis. (Several albums by this widely successful and excitingly booting group can be heard on the affiliated Jazzland label.)

"Both Paul Bryant and guitarist Joe Pass are young men with bright-looking futures. Bryant was teamed for a while with saxophonist Curtis Amy and has since worked on the West Coast with groups of his own (Doug Sides is his regular drummer); he demonstrates here a more versatiles touch than that of the more frequently encountered nothing-but-the-blues organist, but with a full measure of the right kind of soul. His opening solo on 'Grab This!' proves from the start that Paul's groove is strictly topsoil (which, according to my dictionary, is the richest and darkest kind of earth). Pass hasn't recorded much as yet, but is being carefully brought along by his several strong West Coast enthusiasts. After working with him here, Griffin was insistent in announcing that Pass is ready! Bassist Jimmy Bond, originally from Philadelphia, has for some years been indispensable to a great many Los Angeles dates.

"'Grab This!', as an album title, might sound a bit like hard-sell advertising copy. But once you listen, chances are you'll agree that it's nothing more than good advice!" (Peter Drew. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Johnny Griffin (t-sx), Joe Pass (gt), Paul Bryant (og), Jimmy Bond (bs), Doug Sides (dr)

A1. Grab This!

A2. 63rd Street Theme

A3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore

B1. Offering Time

B2. These Foolish Things

B3. Cherry Float

mp3/320kbps

Johnny Griffin - Do Nothing 'til You Hear from Me

"Recently, releases from tenor saxophone Johnny Griffin have begun to be increasingly more impressive. The reasons, easier to hear than to define, are apparent on this latest Griffin album, which is the most successful and consistently interesting of his that I have heard.

"Not that he has changed his style; he hasn't. As a fascinating interview with him in June 1963 issue of 'Jazz' indicated, Griffin is one of the few players not stylistically overhauled during a stay with Thelonious Monk, and is somewhat proud of the fact. But the interview was held by a Frenchman, and since the French tend to take our musicians as seriously as we take their critics, Griffin was given more of a chance to expound on his theories than usual. 'People should try to feel jazz more', he said, speaking of those who 'tried to listen to jazz in a too analytical state of mind instead of with the heart'. He also deplored 'the new thing', saying, 'Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I have heard too much good music - with beautiful tone, good intonation [...] too much. I guess jazz is very personal.' And most significant, in terms of this album, Griffin said, 'Nothing is happening in the States. I can't go out and listen to jazz anymore. Well, except Dizzy on a good night.'

I would not necessarily agree with Griffin's assessment of the scene, but his singling out of Gillespie for praise has more than casual reverence. In recent years, Gillespie has become a gifted editor. If he chooses to play only three or four notes on a given measure, we know that those few notes have been selected as most telling from among the torrent he -might- have played, for we have heard him do it. Those few notes leave a powerful impression of strength in reserve, as of a great miler laying back, an effect which, to use an example among vocalists, Peggy Lee has made into a coy cliché.

"Similarly, it is not longer necessary for Griffin to prove how many notes he can play, or how fast. It is possible that he did not feel it proper to exercise this sort of blue-pencil privilege on himself during his partnership with Eddie Davis, for the power of that group lay in the competition between the two tenors, but on his own he, too, has developed into an excellent self-editor.

"The most striking instance of the quality I am attempting to pinpoint occurs in Griffin's light and lyrical solo on Quincy Jones's 'The Midnight Sun will Never Set'. It is the kind of solo that one would ordinarily associate more with Stan Getz than with Griffin - that delicate, nostalgic filigree - but there is also an easeful suggestion of the kind of fullness and power that Getz seldom achieves. And it is achieved with admirable economy. Perhaps Griffin did learn from Monk, after all - what -not- to play.

"To say that an album does not attempt to prove anything is actually a rather sneaky cliché, by use of which the annotator or reviewer attempts to condemn other kinds of music by implication. Despite Griffin's unusually outspoken remarks in France, it would be unfair to him to emphasize such statements here, for on the whole Johnny tries to live in sort of playful, mocking peace with his fellows, and has survived in a ruthless business with a notable lack of enemies. Nevertheless, his pretensions on this album have been limited to the selections of good tunes from diverse sources, the writing of a few original lines, the choosing of good, compatible musicians and a congenial place to record, and playing as well as he can.

"The compatible place to record was Tsubo, a California coffeehouse which had served just the night before as the site for a West Montgomery album, 'Full House' (Riverside 343), on which Griffin was featured. The audience and Wes are missing from the present effort, but in their place are the rest of the Montgomery borthers: vibraphonist and pianist Buddy, and bassist Monk. Completing the contingent is one of the most ubiquitous of the post-bop recording drummers, Arthur Taylor.

"Two of the numbers are written by Griffin: 'Heads Up' (with its simultaneous suggestion of 'Autumn Leaves' and 'Dear Old Stockholm') and a blues line, 'Slow Burn', which is one of Buddy's two vibes tracks (the other being 'Midnight Sun'). The four standards, each of which contains strong potential for improvisation, come from a wide variety of sources. The title track, 'Do Nothing 'til You Hear from Me', is, of course, from Ellington. Quincy Jones's 'Midnight Sun' was written for a Scandinavian recording band. 'That's All' is by Bob Haymes, brother of vocalist Dick. 'Wonder Why' is from a Jane Powell musical, a souvenir of the days when she and José Iturbi were elevating the masses for MGM.

"All of these varied elements have gone into making a successful album. But the catalyst is Johnny Griffin. It is gratifying that by seeming to play less, the world's fastest tenor player has finally shown how much consummate taste and musicianship he really has. (Joe Goldberg. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Johnny Griffin (t-sx), Buddy Montgomery (vb/pi), Monk Montgomery (bs), Art Taylor (dr)

A1. Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me

A2. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set

A3. That's All

B1. Slow Burn

B2. Wonder Why

B3. Heads Up

mp3/320kbps