Hardbopjazz Posted November 18, 2005 Report Share Posted November 18, 2005 Who was the first saxophonist to go without a piano player? I thought it was it Sonny Rollins. But I've recently heard a Gerry Mulligian recording from the early 1950's minus a piano player. Any thoughts on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted November 18, 2005 Report Share Posted November 18, 2005 Coleman Hawkins went solo as far back as 1945. Check his recording of 'Hawk's Variations'. Available on thisClassics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 18, 2005 Report Share Posted November 18, 2005 (edited) When was that Bud Freeman/Ray McKinley duet that Chuck mentioned? Also Don Byas & Slam Stewart @ Town Hall, 1944. Edited November 18, 2005 by JSngry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted November 18, 2005 Report Share Posted November 18, 2005 (edited) Also Don Byas & Slam Stewart @ Town Hall, 1944. ← That's a great one. Though my disc has it listed for June 9, 1945. Edited November 18, 2005 by Hank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted November 18, 2005 Report Share Posted November 18, 2005 (edited) Way, way, way, back - during my very first "Intro to Jazz 101" class in college (long before I'd ever "drank the Kool-Aid" ) - I vaguely remember there was a cut played in class that was just sax, bass and drums (or maybe even just two of those three instruments). A live recording where the piano-player was late to the date, and the group had to go on without him. It was presented in the class like it was a "holy-grail"-type moment in jazz history (no idea if this was true or not). No idea also, who might have been on the recording (I could mention some random names from the 40's, but they'd all be wild guesses). Maybe something on the old 5-LP Smithsonian Guide To Jazz set?? -- which was like the bible (as far as this Jazz 101 class went). Time to try and find the track-listing and personnel for the Smithsonian Guide on-line, and see what I can find that fits the description. Edited November 18, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted November 18, 2005 Report Share Posted November 18, 2005 Way, way, way, back - during my very first "Intro to Jazz 101" class in college (long before I'd ever "drank the Kool-Aid" ) - I vaguely remember there was a cut played in class that was just sax, bass and drums (or maybe even just two of those three instruments). A live recording where the piano-player was late to the date, and the group had to go on without him. It was presented in the class like it was a "holy-grail"-type moment in jazz history (no idea if this was true or not). No idea also, who might have been on the recording (I could mention some random names from the 40's, but they'd all be wild guesses). Maybe something on the old 5-LP Smithsonian Guide To Jazz set?? -- which was like the bible (as far as this Jazz 101 class went). Time to try and find the track-listing and personnel for the Smithsonian Guide on-line, and see what I can find that fits the description. ← I think that might be the two Don Byas/Slam Stewart tracks from Town Hall. I think it was Teddy Wilson who'd yet to show up, so they did "Indiana" and "I Got Rhythm" as a duet. Then Wilson came in and they did "Candy." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted November 18, 2005 Report Share Posted November 18, 2005 Pity the Byas Town Hall tracks aren't in as good sound as the recent Diz/Bird set, I have this on LP with a few zany Ventura/Krupa tracks on the otherside ( pretty dull) as well as a rather hesitant Bill Coleman track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Hawkins Posted November 18, 2005 Report Share Posted November 18, 2005 Is there a recommended place to pick up those two Byas sides? I heard Rhythm... on the radion a couple of months ago and was blown away... BTW, this is an interesting question - I was wondering about it only this morning, by coicidence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted November 18, 2005 Report Share Posted November 18, 2005 Is there a recommended place to pick up those two Byas sides? I heard Rhythm... on the radion a couple of months ago and was blown away... BTW, this is an interesting question - I was wondering about it only this morning, by coicidence! ← In the late 80s, a company called Pair Records released a series of Commodore titles on vinyl and CD. They usually paired (hence the name?) a couple performers on one disc. The sound on these was nothing remarkable, but certainly more than adequate. The disc with the Byas tracks is on a CD called: Giants of the Tenor Sax: Ben Webster/Don Byas. This has 5 tracks of Ben Webster in a 1944 quartet with Sid Catlett, the three Byas sides, and three more cuts of a Hot Lips Page small group that includes Don Byas. Another series to try would be the Classics series from France, which probably has a disc of Byas' 1944-45 recordings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownian Motion Posted November 18, 2005 Report Share Posted November 18, 2005 Sidney Bechet recorded on soprano in 1940 in a piano-less and drum-less quartet, anchored by Carmen Mastern's guitar. I'm unsure whether this was the first instance of horns recording with just a guitar to provide chords, but I wouldn't think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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