Johnny Coles

[Tom 1960]

I'm presently listening to the Tina Brooks album, 'The Waiting Game' which features the trumpet work of Johnny Coles. This is probably the only release I own he's featured on. You guys have any further thoughts on Johnny and willing to offer any specific recommendations? I see he has a few releases available on Amazon, most notably the Blue Note issue 'Little Johnny C'. Other session work would be cool as well.

[Chuck Nessa]

Coles is one of the featured artists on the new BN Gil Evans set. I also suggest searching out

I prefer it to the BN. The BN is a fine date but I always considered it Duke Pearson's session.

Johnny and Frank Wess made a wonderful date for Uptown which I hope will be reissued soon.

Saw him any number of times with the Ellington band too.

[Soul Stream]

I really love Coles on "The Waiting Game." Although I do remember some board members saying he ruined it for them. I dug it, but if you're waiting for some Freddie Hubbard blistering through the changes you'd be disappointed.

I'm not very familiar with much of Coles work, but do dig what I've heard of him with Mingus and his own BN date along with the Grant Green's "Am I Blue".

Gotta get Chuck's recommendation as I've slept on that one.

[kh1958]

Charles Mingus--Town Hall Concert (OJC, recorded in 1964)

I actually saw him live when the Mingus Dynasty played at the Caravan of Dreams in late 1983.

Edited June 19, 2006 by kh1958

[jlhoots]

There's a very early CrissCross date, that I'm too lazy to look up the name of, that's pretty nice.

[marcello]

I have this one that is interesting.

It's one of the few dates by the late Gregory Herbert:

Date: 1971

Location: New York City

Label: Mainstream

Johnny Coles (ldr), Gregory Herbert (ts), Johnny Coles (t, fh), Astley Fennell (tb), Howard Johnson (tu), Cedar Walton (p, ep), Reggie Workman (b, eb), Bruce Ditmas (d)

a. a-01 Never Can Say Goodbye (Clifton Davis)

b. a-02 September Of My Years (Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn)

c. a-03 728 (Johnny Coles)

d. b-01 Eleven [aka Petits Machins] (Gil Evans, Miles Davis)

e. b-02 Betty's Bossa (Cecil Bridgewater)

f. b-03 Funk Dumplin' (Johnny Coles)

All titles on: - Mainstream LP 12": MRL 346 - Katumbo (Dance) (1971)

Omit Astley Fennell (tb) on c, f. Omit Howard Johnson (tu) on c, f.

LP issue gives no recording date - 1971 is issue date.

d. listed as Petits Machins.

[B. Goren.]

I like this one:

[Stereojack]

I'll second the recommendations for

"The Warm Sound" (Epic/Koch)

"New Morning" (Criss Cross)

While I like the Blue Note album, I think it displays less of Johnny's unique personality than these two dates.

I saw Johnny Coles as a featured soloist with the Ray Charles band in 1970.

[mailman]

I'll second the recommendations for

"The Warm Sound" (Epic/Koch)

"New Morning" (Criss Cross)

While I like the Blue Note album, I think it displays less of Johnny's unique personality than these two dates.

I saw Johnny Coles as a featured soloist with the Ray Charles band in 1970.

'The Warm Sound is a favorite of mine. I had the pleasure of hearing him live once. He was in a band called Dameronia. This was Philly Joe Jones' group dedicated to the music of Tad Dameorn. Frank Wess was also in the group and it was absolutely terrific. A night to remember.

[sidewinder]

Some really nice playing on flugel by Johnny Coles on Herbie Hancock's 'Fat Albert Rotunda'. Albeit more in an R&B vein.

Also had the great pleasure of seeing him live once in a Mingus Dynasty lineup, around 1982/83. Danny Richmond was leading that particular group. As I recall him, Johnny was a short, very low-key guy on stage and was wearing that trademark skull cap and tweedy sports jacket that often appear in photos of him around that time. A wonderful sound he got on the flugel - totally distinctive !

I have the Uptown LP and will giove it a spin later today (after I've sorted out an overdue input for the BFT for Mike Weill ).

How about also that 'Childs Play' session he recorded with Donald Byrd and Duke Pearson?

[king ubu]

...

How about also that 'Childs Play' session he recorded with Donald Byrd and Duke Pearson?

Not sure how much I like that one... but Coles quite easily outshines Byrd. Very much a Pearson date, moreso than the "Little Johnny C", which is fine with me, but not Coles' best.

The quartet album Chuck mentions above is a great one!

[robviti]

here's the "child's play" date. maybe not a great date, but a pretty good one.

Edited June 19, 2006 by jazzshrink

[HolyStitt]

I love "The Warm Sound." If anyone has any interest in it, I would buy it now because it should be nearing deletion pretty soon.

[robviti]

...I would buy it now because it should be nearing deletion pretty soon.

please explain

[Tom 1960]

Thanks all for the great recommendations. This is why I really enjoy this place. I was just over at Amazon and see they have a couple copies of 'The Warm Sound' cd along with many available as new and used. I should be able to purchase this one, no problem. I'll still give some consideration to the Blue Note issue at some point in the future. You can spend only so much money and it's pretty tight on this end these days.

[bluesForBartok]

Don't forget this one:

[Tom 1960]

Nice lineup there, Blues For Bartok. Even better, 5 stars in All Music Guide/Jazz.

[B. Clugston]

Charles Mingus--Town Hall Concert (OJC, recorded in 1964)

I actually saw him live when the Mingus Dynasty played at the Caravan of Dreams in late 1983.

I also recommend the 1964 Mingus European dates he was featured on. His solo on "Ow (Dedicated to a Genius)" was always a treat. The Amsterdam version is great, if it is still to be found.

[Shawn]

Coles is easily one of my favorites, not a "flash" player...but what a tone and there's always "feel" to his playing. Hard to describe, but easy to like.

I agree with Chuck that I've always considered "Little Johnny C" to be a Duke Pearson date, but Duke created a wonderful vehicle to display Coles' talents. The song "So Sweet My Little Girl" is beautifully haunting and would go on my "desert island" compilation.

Another of my favorites:

[Jason Parker]

I'm a huge Johnny Coles fan, and second the recommendations for the ones mentioned already. One that hasn't come up is Frank Morgan's Bebop Lives, which is a live date featuring Coles. Great stuff from two underappreciated masters.

[king ubu]

Coles also is on this fine disc:

[garthsj]

I had to check this list twice to make sure of what I was (not) reading .... How could anyone discuss Johnny Coles without mentioning his enormous contributions to several major Gil Evans dates ...? He was he "other" Miles on such recordings as the recent reissue on BN - "Gil Evans: The Complete Pacific Jazz Sessions" ... and also on "Into The Hot" on Impulse ... and several others. These are important and evocative solos that he contributes to these historic recordings...

Garth.

[Chuck Nessa]

I had to check this list twice to make sure of what I was (not) reading .... How could anyone discuss Johnny Coles without mentioning his enormous contributions to several major Gil Evans dates ...? He was he "other" Miles on such recordings as the recent reissue on BN - "Gil Evans: The Complete Pacific Jazz Sessions" ... and also on "Into The Hot" on Impulse ... and several others. These are important and evocative solos that he contributes to these historic recordings...

Garth.

Go back and read my first post.

[garthsj]

I had to check this list twice to make sure of what I was (not) reading .... How could anyone discuss Johnny Coles without mentioning his enormous contributions to several major Gil Evans dates ...? He was he "other" Miles on such recordings as the recent reissue on BN - "Gil Evans: The Complete Pacific Jazz Sessions" ... and also on "Into The Hot" on Impulse ... and several others. These are important and evocative solos that he contributes to these historic recordings...

Garth.

Go back and read my first post.

OOOPS! Must be my eyesight ...

Edited June 21, 2006 by garthsj