Any Buck Clayton recomendations?

[Jazztropic]

Picked up some of the early jam sessions great stuff.Any one have any favorites?

[Harold_Z]

I guess you mean the stuff that was originally on Columbia.

I just enjoy all of it, but since you dig those don't miss the stuff that came out on Vanguard and was reissued about 4 or 5 years ago on cd.

Edited March 13, 2006 by Harold_Z

[paul secor]

Some of my favorite later Buck Clayton is on a Pee Wee Russell session, Swingin' with Pee Wee, reissued by OJC, and paired with Portrait of Pee Wee (a very good but non Buck date).

OJC has also reissued two good Buck Clayton dates with Buddy Tate, Buck & Buddy and Buck & Buddy Blow the Blues.

Vanguard has (somewhat haphazardly) reissued four sides which include Buck Clayton on Mel Powell: It's Been So Long and Mel Powell: The Best Things in Life.

All of these are well worth listening to.

[Kalo]

Buck & Buddy Blow the Blues is a nice date.

My copy of the Vanguard Mel Powell, The Best Things in Life are Free only lists Buck as playing on one tune. The rest of the Powell sides he recorded must be on the other title. I agree that this Vanguard reissue series is "haphazard," Paul. With bits of the same session spread across different discs. Annoying.

One thing I know: I don't have enough Buck Clayton.

[John L]

Of course, there are the Columbia tracks with Teddy Wilson, Billie Holiday, and Lester Young. Buck Clayton really rose to the occasion in that context.

[king ubu]

Isn't it a pity that Clayton never got the Norman Granz treatment in the fifties? Like Eldridge and Edison and Webster and Hodges and Carter got it... of course I have plenty to listen with the Columbia Jam Sessions, but still...

[Clunky]

I seem to have loads of Clayton LPs in addition to the Mosaic Columbias,

great material on Vanguard as already mentioned,some really nice sides on Phillips ( now on the Mosaic Columbia Swing sessions?), Kansas Nights an excellent 2LP offer form Fantasy combining 2 good Prestige dates from the early 1960s, and a few others I forget the names of

[paul secor]

The Complete H.R.S. Sessions on Mosaic contains a couple of very fine Buck Clayton dates, plus one where he appears as a sideman. I believe that the Clayton led dates also appear on Classics 968 - Buck Clayton: 1945-1947. OJC 1709 contains all of the H.R.S. sessions, except for five alternate takes. However, besides having the alternate takes, the Mosaic set contains far superior sound compared to the OJC. It also contains a lot of great music, which, if you like Buck Clayton, you'll probably also enjoy. Plus, the Mosaic won't be around forever.

So, some choices to be made if you're interested in this chapter of Buck Clayton's recording career.

[BruceH]

Like Kalo, I don't have enough Buck Clayton.

[wolff]

As soon as the public domain labels(Definitive, Proper, etc.) start selling CDR's of the Mosaic material, I'll be more than happy to send you a copy of my set.

[Brownian Motion]

For my money the best Buck Clayton is found on the Keynote sides he recorded with Lester Young. These were reissued as "The Complete Lester Young on Keynote" about 10 years ago, and, though OOP, can still be found a a reasonable price.

[Kalo]

For my money the best Buck Clayton is found on the Keynote sides he recorded with Lester Young. These were reissued as "The Complete Lester Young on Keynote" about 10 years ago, and, though OOP, can still be found a a reasonable price.

Classic stuff! Some of my favorite Prez. How could I have forgotten that Clayton was on these? Time to pull this one out again.

[P.D.]

Also any of the Jimmy Rushing Columbias where the Clayton "band" supports him.

[EKE BBB]

Also highly recommended:

on Steeplechase, with

Jimmy Rushing (vocal)

Emmet Berry (trumpet)

Dickie Wells (trombone)

Buddy Tate (tenor sax)

Earle Warren (alto sax)

Al Williams (piano)

Gene Ramey (bass)

Herbie Lovelle (drums)

[Peter Friedman]

Many excellent Buck Clayton recordings have already been mentioned. Here are some others on CD I also like.

Buck Clayton - Baden, Switzerland 1966 - Sackville

Buck Clayton - Olympia Concert 22 April 1961 - Vogue

Buck Clayton - 1945-1947 - Classics

Buck Clayton/Tommy Gwaltney's Kansas City Nine - Goin' To Kansas City - Riverside OJC

Ben Webster & Buck Clayton - Ben and Buck - Sackville

Ben Webster & Buck Clayton - Ben and Buck - Storyville (this is totally different from the Sackville CD)

Harry Edison Swings Buck Clayton and Vice Versa - This session is on the 2 CD set called Swing Trumpet Kings on Verve.

[paul secor]

Interesting that the Neil Young thread has more than twice as many posts as the Buck Clayton thread.

[Larry Kart]

Not to mention the Grateful Dead thread.

[Kalo]

Well then, we'll just have to keep posting in this thread.

This is my contribution.

[BruceH]

Buck Clayton is nifty!

[BruceH]

And super-cool!!!!

(My contribution.)

[Brad]

The Clayton Mosaic was one of my greatest purchases. I got it after it went oop and it took me months for the seller to part it with it but she finally did. It was worth it.

[Spontooneous]

He wrote a tune for a friend of mine. The framed sheet music is his prized possession.

[montg]

Another vote for the Vanguard sessions. The adjective that always comes to my mind when I think of Buck's playing is balance. The phrases seem to tumble out in a right-sounding order, his intonation and control are right on. And of course he's swinging. Vic Dickenson--who's a little more gritty--makes a perfect foil and the Vanguard sides that feature the two are priceless.

I would rate 'Way down yonder' with Lester is one of my top 10 favorite cuts in all of jazz.

For some reason I've never warmed to the Columbia jam sessions--I mean they're great and all, but I don't listen to them all that much. maybe it's the sound/recording--for me it has always sounded cavernous and distant.

Edited March 25, 2006 by montg