Columbia Small Group Swing Sessions

[Harold_Z]

All they missed is Sir Charles Thompson & the Swing Organ from Columbia

....and Jimmy Rushing's THE SMITH GIRLS COL CL 1605.

As far as I know this has never been reissued.

[Don Brown]

Here are the personnels on Marlowe Morris' "Play the Thing".

Mathew Gee, trombone; Buddy Tate, tenor sax; Morris, organ; Ray Barreto, congas; Jo Jones, drums

Buck Clayton, trumpet; Edmond Hall, clarinet; Buddy Tate, tenor sax; Morris, organ; Ray Barretto, congas; Jo Jones, drums

on some titles Gus Johnson replaces Jo Jones

Marlowe Morris was a protege of Art Tatum and is the piano player in Norman Granz and Gjon Mili's landmark Warner Brothers film "Jammin' the Blues".

Morris also was the pianist in Big Sid Catlett's quartet with Ben Webster on the Commodore label.

Edited September 17, 2004 by Don Brown

[Don Brown]

Harold Z is so right. The wonderful Jimmy Rushing album "The Smith Girls" still awaits reissue. Since Jimmy is backed by a big band it would not have been appropriate for the new Mosaic set but damn, it should be reissued. Maybe Collectables?

[P.D.]

Harold Z is so right. The wonderful Jimmy Rushing album "The Smith Girls" still awaits reissue. Since Jimmy is backed by a big band it would not have been appropriate for the new Mosaic set but damn, it should be reissued. Maybe Collectables?

I have some feelings that " Cat Meets Chick" should not be in this set.. it is available on a collectables... but thats not the reason.

I would have preferred a complete Rushing Columbia set.. granted most is available on CD in one form or another, except for the Smith girls and the tracks with Helen Humes that appeared on the 2LP set. There may be more unissued.

A full set of unissued Braff from this period will be welcome, especially if it's from the Epic " Braff" dates.

Edited September 18, 2004 by P.D.

[desertblues]

This will definitely be a preorder for me - and a nice companion to the Buck Clayton Jams Mosaic! B-)

[montg]

Here are the personnels on Marlowe Morris' "Play the Thing".

Mathew Gee, trombone; Buddy Tate, tenor sax; Morris, organ; Ray Barreto, congas; Jo Jones, drums

Buck Clayton, trumpet; Edmond Hall, clarinet; Buddy Tate, tenor sax; Morris, organ; Ray Barretto, congas; Jo Jones, drums

on some titles Gus Johnson replaces Jo Jones

Thanks--finding out Edmond Hall will be here is a great bonus!

[EKE BBB]

There´d go my money... if this one ever sees the light!

[mikeweil]

Just got a list of the albums included from Scott Wenzel at Mosaic.

Ruby Braff All Stars - Philips

Buck Clayton & Marlowe Morris Trio - Epic

Ruby Braff/Braff!! - Epic

Marlowe Morris Quintet/Play the Thing - Columbia

Buck Clayton, Ada Moore & Jimmy Rushing/Cat Meets Chick - Columbia

Buck Clayton Special - Philips

Buck Clayton/Songs For Swingers - Columbia

Coleman Hawkins & Clark Terry/Back in Bean's Bag - Columbia

Ben Webster & Sweets Edison/Ben & Sweets - Columbia

Illinois Jacquet - Epic

Herb Ellis/The Midnight Roll - Epic

Kenny Burrell/Bluesin' Around - Columbia 

All they missed is Sir Charles Thompson & the Swing Organ from Columbia

Can't say that I'm 100% overwhelmed, as several of these have seen CD reissue, or vinyl copies aren't hard to find.

Just my thoughts. Too much of a mixed bag for my taste, and the ones I really wanted to have - the Burrell and Jacquet - are out on CD in excellent sound.

[Late]

Up for new discussion.

Anyone have this set now? I wish I could buy just one disc from this box — the Buck Clayton's: Special and Songs for Swingers. Were these sessions ever released outside of the Mosaic. (I'm guessing not.) I'd probably like the Braff's, but really want to hear the Clayton's. (I think I could do without the organ and vocal sessions.)

[Late]

Also have to say that this cover makes me laugh (in a good way):

[king ubu]

Bumping this up because of my comments in the "what mosaic are you enjoying right now"-thread...

I played the Hawkins/Terry date again, and ok, it's nice enough... but Hawkins in 1962 in top form could still create those wonderful, driving, neverending, swinging and absolutely compelling/stringent* lines that make you gasp for air even before he himself has to take new breath...

He does that on "Today and Now", for instance, and if he's in top form, he gets almost too much for me - in fact I sometimes don't listen to such recordings of his for a long time, because I just don't feel like wanting to deal with this kind of specific Hawkinsian energy...

Anyway, on this particular album, Hawkins sounds out of breath and not that full of ideas, too... he plays short lines, takes long breaks, and whe enters again it's not like there's a big surprise or a genuine or attractive twist, instead it's just the next lick, it seems to me.

*) I don't know the right translation, "zwingend" in German - what I mean is that when he's at his best, everything sounds like it just goes where it has to go - even though we don't know where else he could have gone in a given improvisation/solo, I get the impression that he took exactly the one choice that was right, so perfect do his creations seem.

As for the other things contained, I think my other comments came across a bit too negatively... the Herb Ellis session (re-played those last night, too) are indeed nice, but nothing all that surprising in there (and Roy shows off a bit too much...). Buddy Tate is pretty good here though! And I think it's the best of the Buck Clayton albums that he takes part in, too. Will have to play the one with Moore/Rushing again though.

The Marlowe Morris sides struck me as pretty lacklustre if not just boring.

I said before that the Braff sides were very, very enjoyable - a stylist with his own sound and conception that was pretty much out of its time (he was young, not one of the older generation of swing players having a second bloom). Very strong playing there, and great Dave McKenna, too!

The Jacquet is lovely as well, I like his own Mosaic a lot, and while there's plenty of lyrical and bluesy playing there, on this later album he sounds even more relaxed.

The Burrell dates are nice, too, but as I said, I still wonder why they didn't include the other date(s? didn't check if it's just one) with Leo Wright.

And of course, the Webster/Edison I haven't mentioned before really - that one comes off beautifully (quite contrary the Hawkins/Terry). Webster just sounds great there! I do have very much of a soft spot for late Webster though, owning his Storyville box and the Black Lions, too.

[Ted O'Reilly]

Also have to say that this cover makes me laugh (in a good way):

Ruby told me that this photo is false. It was assembled (or whatever they called Photoshopped in the '50s), and fairly close "forensic" observation shows he's right: the light/shadows don't match properly between his image, and the rest of the photo. He claimed the picture of him was done for publicity purposes for the 1955 Rodgers & Hammerstein II broadway musical Pipe Dream, based on Steinbeck's "Cannery Row". Braff appeared on stage...

[Ted O'Reilly]

This is funny!

I went to http://www.ibdb.com/ to learn more about the production of Pipe Dream, and see that Braff played the part of Pablo, "a wetback". Further clicking leads to the discovery that Ruby Braff is female!!!: http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=94882

[Guest Bixieland]

Bumping this up because of my comments in the "what mosaic are you enjoying right now"-thread...

... the Herb Ellis session (re-played those last night, too) are indeed nice

God bless you son, for diggin' this thread. Yes. The Herb Ellis session... totally diggin this shit right now. DISC 7. Right now!

Edited April 23, 2009 by Bixieland

[king ubu]

see bixie, this is where you called me son...

I played the Ellis disc again a couple of times recently, as I discovered his "Nothin' But the Blues" and wanted to hear more... Buddy Tate is great, and so is Ellis!