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Elmo
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Postscript: After my article appeared in Jazz Profiles, I received an email from a recording engineer who had inherited some tapes from another recording engineer friend of his, who had passed away. The tape box stated that it was recorded in 1960 at a house party in Jamaica, Queens, New York at the home of Eldred “Skippy" Williams. The musicians included Williams, the tenor sax player who followed Ben Webster into Ellington's band in 1941 and Bill Crump. Given that my research failed to turn up any recording in a small group context that Crump might have participated in, this was an amazing find. I requested that he provide me a CD of this, which he did. The recording quality was amazing (in stereo!). I could identify Crump as soloing on tenor sax, flute and bass clarinet. His work on the latter instrument placing him among the earliest jazz artists to master the bass clarinet. In terms of Crump's ability to adapt to different styles of jazz over a six-decade career, as well as being a multi-instrumentalist who played a non-traditional jazz instrument, he reminded me of Garvin Bushell (bassoon) who was only five years older. I was also able to provide a copy of the CD to Crump's daughter who had never possessed a recording of her father. Steve Siegel
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The most iconic group photograph in the history of jazz, entitled “A Great Day in Harlem" was taken on August 12, 1958 in front of a brownstone at 17 East 126th St. The photographer was Art Kane who was on assignment from Esquire Magazine. The image was to become the centerpiece of the January 1959 “Golden Age of Jazz " issue. The “cast” for the picture included 57 jazz musicians, 56 of whom were either legends, soon-to- be legends or men and women with at least rather thick jazz resumes. The 57th musician was one decidedly non-legendary mystery man, a talented, yet journeyman musician who, decades after the image was taken, was still unknown to most jazz experts viewing the photo... https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2020/07/bill-crump-great-day-in-harlems-mystery.html?m=1
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The general public's modernist view of the Duke Ellington Orchestra was greatly formed at Newport in 1956 with Paul Gonsalves’ 27 choruses and Elaine Anderson's flying blonde hair and little black dress convincing many that if Ellington's music was cool enough for the “jet set" then it was cool enough for them. With Newport as the catalyst, a reexamination of Ellington’s work began in academia as well as within the world of jazz criticism. As Ellington’s musical stature increased, it opened new venues for his orchestra to appear—many where few Afro-American jazz contingents had ever had access to. In the coming years it meant appearing less at high school auditoriums, American Legion halls and county fairs and more often at jazz festivals, places of worship, concert halls and clubs... https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2024/07/dancing-with-duke-ellingtons-live-dance.html?m=1
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Ken - So many jazz musicians... and they improvise so many unique ways to die. Steve Siegel
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Hi Peter, That is a great story. Primarily because there are so few people still around who have any first- hand stories to share about Doug. I was very lucky to be able to interview Louis Hayes for the story. It added a great deal about who Doug was as a person. Peter, thanks for sharing that with all of us who appreciate the enormous talent that Doug possessed. Steve Siegel
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There are many reasons why jazz artists who have left large footprints in the sands of artistic achievement have been forgotten as the winds of time fill in those footprints. One such artist is bassist Doug Watkins. During his relatively short career (1954-1962) it is indisputable that he was a great talent, recognized by both his peers as well as the informed jazz public. We cannot point to any singular career decision or unusual circumstance that might have led to Watkins' current relative anonymity but looking back over the 62 years since his passing, clues do exist... https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2024/03/doug-watkins-unfinished-journey-by.html
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“The multifaceted Jimmy Rushing (1899-1972) was perhaps one of the more underrated singers of the 20th century. He performed equally well with blues, jazz or popular material. Whitney Balliett, the then jazz critic for The New Yorker, wrote of Rushing that "His supple, rich voice and his elegant accent have the curious effect of making the typical roughhouse blues lyric seem like a song by Noël Coward."... At Jazz Profiles, Steve Siegel explores Rushing's recording career after he left Count Basie. https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2023/08/jimmy-rushing-his-recording-career.html?m=1
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On Wikipedia, they have the incorrect 1901 date in the Rushing article with a footnote for the Social Security document. I have never edited Wiki so if someone is so inclined to edit the article with the correct date and delete the current footnote and add my article as the new footnote, please do so. I presume that future researchers referencing the Rushing entry would appreciate it. Perhaps the myriad of incorrect dates in articles might eventually also be corrected. Thank you! Steve Siegel
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What are we to make about a public figure, recognized as one of the seminal jazz and blues singers of the 20th century who, in his lifetime, provided 4 different birth years to various sources with presumably the knowledge that all 4 were inaccurate and why did he fail to ever reveal the correct year, which he presumably knew? So goes the story of Jimmy Rushing and his very elusive birth year. https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2020/10/searching-for-jimmy-rushing-his-correct.html?m=1
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Firstly, thank you to all who have viewed my article on Burrell. I hope you enjoyed it! I would like to offer a bit of clarification re the supposed "thesis" of the article being that Burrell was not well known... The comment at the prelude (above) to the article that claims that "Burrell had never secured the popularity..." was made by Richard Cook in the Blue Note Encyclopedia and was not my writing. This was added by the editorial staff at Jazz Profiles as their introduction to the article and was actually a very true statement during the period right before the Guitar Forms album was made. In the August 2, 1962 issue of Downbeat, in the International Critics Poll, Burrell secured only 12 of approximately 250 votes for best guitarist. Wes Montgomery won with 79 votes. The poll results were obviously to improve for Burrell in subsequent years but it took time. My actual thesis for the article only addressed the why, how and with whom he made the album and its impact on his career. Steve Siegel
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Burrell is on hundreds of records, many of which are among the more famous jazz sessions of the LP era, yet he has never secured the popularity which a guitarist might have expected in a period when its practitioners became as important as saxophonists and pianists. He grew up in Detroit and worked there until a tour with Oscar Peterson minded him to look further afield, and he moved to New York in 1956. His Christian-derived style helped get him a job with Benny Goodman, but thereafter he played in settings which were in the heartland of hard bop, for Prestige, Blue Note and New Jazz. Less a sideman and more a partner with several small-group leaders - especially Jimmy Smith, who was a favourite collaborator - Burrell's easy going manner fits so snugly and accommodatingly into any jazz groove that he can almost disappear in a band situation, but his solos and rhythm parts are bluesily effective whatever the prevailing conditions. Gil Evans arranged Guitar Forms for him at Verve, which is perhaps the closest Burrell has ever been to a big-time date. Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia Steve Siegel - on Jazz Profiles: https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2023/11/kenny-burrell-making-of-guitar-forms.html?m=1
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HOW DOES AN ARTIST CREATE in such a way that his art is at once timeless, in that it is relevant to any generation, and individual, in that it evokes an era and helps to define a distinct personality? The music of Herbie Nichols is all of these things and the discovery of this fact has added greatly to our musical lives. Herbie Nichols was an extraordinary pianist/composer who was tragically under-recognized in his lifetime, He recorded only six sessions as a leader, all in the trio format, and all with the support of creative sidemen. These sessions resulted in four releases, three on the Blue Note label, and one for Bethlehem. Unfortunately, great recordings don't always sell well and Herbie remained an obscure figure on the fringes of the jazz scene until well after his untimely death of leukemia on April 12,1963 at the age of 44.” (booklet from The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Herbie Nichols) Link to article on Jazz Profiles: https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2023/02/herbie-nichols-it-never-happened-by.html?m=1
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Jazz Profiles: Sonny Clark - The Blue Note Years by Steve Siegel https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2022/06/sonny-clark-blue-note-years-by-steve.html?m=0
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Jazz Profiles article on Helen Merrill
Elmo replied to Elmo's topic in Jazz In Print - Periodicals, Books, Newspapers, etc...
Mike, My research for the article clearly shows that that the recording was originally done by Mainstream not for Fontana as you claim. In 1964 Mainstream signed an agreement with Fontana to lease Mainstream masters to Fontana. On the label of the Fontana release it states "A Mainstream Recording." The label also displays "Recording First Published in 1965" because it was already published in the USA by Mills Music. Also Fontana would have had to recorded it England but all the musicians on the record were based in the USA. -
Jazz Profiles article on Helen Merrill
Elmo replied to Elmo's topic in Jazz In Print - Periodicals, Books, Newspapers, etc...
Thank you. I very much enjoy writing them. Steve