Prestige jam sessions

[montg]

Are there any other fans of the jam sessions recorded for Prestige in the 50s? In the past I tended to avoid these (largely based on the tepid reviews they received in the Penguin Guide) but now that I've heard with my own ears...live and learn. There's such a relaxed, warm feeling that pervades, the recording quality is excellent (RVG), and imo the soloists are rarely coasting. I love Kenny Burrell on these.

Edited August 11, 2005 by montg

[Free For All]

These are all jam session-type recordings. And all very good IMHO. Plus you get Trane playing alto which is kind of interesting.

[Free For All]

Also...

[Dave James]

I stumbled onto two jam session OJC's on e-music the other night called "The Birdlanders" Vol. 1 & 2. This was a group that was largely spearheaded by French pianist Henri Renaud. It included such luminaries as Al Cohn, Kai Winding, Max Roach, Milt Jackson , Tal Farlow and Duke Jordan among many others. These sessions were all cut in 1954. Not bad stuff if you like this kind of thing.

Up over and out.

[jazzbo]

Mal Waldron did some very cool and appropriate arrangements for a lot of these. I dig them.

[montg]

Mal Waldron is a definite plus. The number of greats on these sessions is amazing. Art Farmer, Burrell, Byrd, Mobley, Gene Ammons, Coltrane et. And then you have the Swingville all stars with Hawk, Pee Wee Russell.

In some ways I like these sessions better than Granz' Verve recordings, which tended sometimes to go 'over the top' in JATP fashion (don't get me wrong, though, I'm reallly fond of the Verve jam sessions too). What most appeals to me about the Prestige sessions that I've heard is the kind of relaxed, warm vibe, where the groove is in the pocket and the soloists just invent one bluesy chorus after the next, with, it seems to me, few dull spots. It could go on, as the title says, all night long.

[jlhoots]

Prestige Blues Swingers: Outskirts Of Town

[RDK]

  montg said:

In some ways I like these sessions better than Granz' Verve recordings, which tended sometimes to go 'over the top' in JATP fashion (don't get me wrong, though, I'm reallly fond of the Verve jam sessions too). What most appeals to me about the Prestige sessions that I've heard is the kind of relaxed, warm vibe, where the groove is in the pocket and the soloists just invent one bluesy chorus after the next, with, it seems to me, few dull spots.  It could go on, as the title says, all night long.

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Agree 100%.

[Stereojack]

There's nothing wrong with a good blowing session, and Prestige certainly did line up some fine talent. I've always wondered why so many of the critical establishment have dismissed these albums.

[Kalo]

  Stereojack said:

There's nothing wrong with a good blowing session, and Prestige certainly did line up some fine talent. I've always wondered why so many of the critical establishment have dismissed these albums.

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I'd agree with that. Blowing sessions are neutral in and of themselves, yet tend to have a bad rep among critics. Yet when they work they can be really great. When they don't, well... they blow.

[Bill B]

The Red Garland/Coltrane sessions of Nov 13/Dec 13 1957 represent "The Blowing Sessions" to me.

Edited August 12, 2005 by Bill B

[Big Wheel]

  jlhoots said:

Prestige Blues Swingers: Outskirts Of Town

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A very good record with an all-star lineup, but I'm not sure I'd really call it a "jam session" per se in the fashion of the others--there are fairlyinvolved arrangements on this one, and I think a few of the participants don't even solo. When I think of a recorded jam session, usually I'm envisioning old warhorses with stripped-down arrangements or throwaway heads over blues or rhythm changes (IOW, an excuse to let everybody stretch out for 15-20 minutes of improvising). The emphasis on Outskirts of Town is as much on the tunes as it is on the blowing.