Dan Gould Posted August 25, 2006 Report Posted August 25, 2006 (edited) Thanks to everyone who participated. As usual, there were many interesting comments/guesses. I think many of you will be quite surprised at some of the answers. Note: Some images may disappear as they were taken from ebay listings. TRACK 1 "Chain of Fools" Dick Hyman and "The Group" Sweet Sweet Soul (Command-ABC) Hyman, piano, organ, clavinette Bob Rosengarden, drums Bob Haggart, bass I said that I had grouped the "WTF?" tracks at the beginning of this disc, and to me, this was the ultimate "WTF?" I mean, everyone knows Dick Hyman can perform in the style of many jazz greats ... but who knew he could (or would) play such "hip muzak" as Stereojack put it? And judging from the liner notes, this wasn't the first album by "The Group"! The above image comes from this page which not only includes a sample of "Soul Man" the track I originally intended to use, but also a download of the entire album, if any of you are curious. And you know you are. TRACK 2 "The Double-O Soul of Sonny Stitt" Sonny Stitt Wingate 006-B Stitt, saxophone Now, Sonny was truly a studio whore, recording anywhere for anyone, pretty much. So maybe all he cared about was the check at the end of the session, but I do wonder what Sonny's first reaction was when the folks at Wingate Records told him that they wanted to take Edwin Starr's hit "Agent Double-O Soul", strip out the vocals, and have Sonny wail over the backing track. Wild, wacky, WTF stuff, I tell you. Thanks to Mike Fitzgerald, who's mention of this record led me to search it out (Wingate also recorded "Hank's Groove" and "Sonny's Groove" which features Hank Marr and Stitt soloing over the same backing track). BTW, I had to use the B Side because the A Side features some female vocals moaning "Double-O-Soul" over and over again and I really didn't want to give away the title, or at least part of it. I figured more folks would recognize Stitt's tone ... TRACK 3 "Just Because" Ralph Sharon Modern Innovations On Country And Western Themes (Gordy 903) Sharon, piano unfortunately there is no info on the C&W musicians backing him I was kinda suprised no one commented on the whip-lash inducing, gear grinding transition from "Double O Soul" to a tune written in the 30s and featuring what sounds to me like what it is: a jazz pianist with some C&W guys behind him. But the true WTF element is this: what the hell was Barry Gordy thinking, recording Tony Bennett's musical director like this? Did he think he could promote Ralph Sharon into similar chart-topping success as Brother Ray had gotten just a year earlier? TRACK 4 "I Hear You Talkin' To Me" Jay Geils Jay Geils Plays Jazz! (Stony Plain) Jay Geils, electric guitar Al Wilson, piano Gordon Grottenthaler, drums John Turner, bass Jerry Miller, electric mandolin Frankie Blandino, console steel guitar Gerry Beaudoin, accoustic rhythm guitar Yes, that Jay Geils. WTF? Seems that Jay grew up as a jazz and blues fan. The album, which I do recommend, doesn't have any other C&W tunes but Jay and cohorts turn in nice performances on a couple of Benny Goodman associated tunes, two Ellington associated songs, even an RRK cover, "Funk Underneath". I believe Jay has recorded again for Stony Plain, though I haven't yet sought them out. But I found it fascinating that a lot of folks thought this was the real thing or close to it. Geils obviously is no dilettante. TRACK 5 "What a Difference a Day Makes" Parrot Records 45 Coleman Hawkins, tenor sax unknown vocal accompaniment From Jukebox Jazz! From the Southside of Chicago Our next track was originally part of what was going to be a mini-set of Chicago-related jazz. That idea was ultimately dropped, although there are other "Chicago" tunes that survived the final cuts. I thought that the combination of Hawk's tenor and what to me are rather goofy vocals would make a good transition from the WTF tracks to the remainder of the BFT. I definitely thought that Hawk would be recognized, but only a couple of people did so. Brownie provided a link to a different source for this track, but I wanted to specifically recommend this compilation of 45s from Chicago labels Parrot and Blue Lake. There are a couple of other Hawkins 45s, plus Jimmy Rushing, Joe Williams, and other guys who stayed in Chicago, more or less, like King Fleming. Lots of copies of this available through Amazon Marketplace. TRACK 6 "Bluesology" West Coast Jazzmen Swingin' on the Vibories (ABC-Paramount) Kenny Drew, vibories Sonny Clark, piano Leroy Vinnegar, bass Lawrence Marable, drums Well, I was certainly amused seeing people hear a Bags tune with "vibes" and assuming MJQ. For some strange reason I was certain that Brownie knew this album, but when he missed it, I knew I was home free. For those unaware, the "vibories" were created by a man named Jack Harris, who played drums with Pete Rugolo and then became an inventor. He attached a three octave keyboard to a regular set of vibes, allowing pianists to "play" the vibes. Clark and Drew switch off on the vibories on their tunes, and the rest of the album features Gerry Wiggins and Red Mitchell (and Leonard Feather, who claimed credit for bringing the vibories out of Jack Harris' garage) switching off on the vibories, with Stan Levey and Bob Enevoldsen backing the group up. Track 7 "The Preacher" John Allred & Wycliffe Gordon Head To Head (Arbors Jazz) Allred and Gordon, trombones (Gordon solos first) John Sheridan, piano Charlie Silva, bass Eddie Metz, Jr., drums This one-off group had a pre-recording concert in Boca Raton just days before the session, and my wife and I had a truly wonderful time surrounded by the blue hairs of Palm Beach county. Highlights were this tune (I loved the N'awlins rhythm they gave it) and the encore, which just a couple of months after 9-11 they chose "America The Beautiful" which is also how they ended the CD. For my money, Gordon is one of the most talented musicians to come out of the Wyntonian circle. Track 8 "Love Lifted Me" Ron Jefferson Love Lifted Me (Pacific Jazz) Jefferson, drums "Tricky" Lofton, trombone Wilbur Brown, tenor Bobby Hutcherson, vibes Frank Strazzeri, piano Leroy Vinnegar, bass From one trombone cut to another, and another "down home" kinda performance, I thought this was a fairly obscure PJ issue, though I guess not too obscure as MG identified this, and searching for the jpg above revealed that its had at least one Toshiba-EMI reissue. Nevertheless, I am still surprised that Dick Bock gave Les McCann's drummer a shot at his own session, and its a nice one that will surely never see the light of day in the States. I believe this is Booby's second recording session, after Curtis Amy-Frank Butler, Groovin' Blue. TRACK 9 "This is the Way 'Tis" The Three Sounds It Just Got To Be (Blue Note - but only on the JRVG reissue) Gene Harris, piano Andy Simpkins, bass Bill Dowdy, drums Well, y'all knew that the former GHF was going to slip in a Gene Harris track. I tried to fool you by picking a tune that's only seen release in Japan but the trio (or Gene) is too recognizable to most of you, or else you all know me too well. (I also liked this tune as a continuation of the gospel sounds of the prior two tracks). Edited August 25, 2006 by Dan Gould Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Posted August 25, 2006 (edited) TRACK 10 "In a Mellow Tone" Ira Sullivan The Billy Taylor Trio Introduces Ira Sullivan (ABC-Paramount) Ira Sullivan, trumpet Billy Taylor, piano Ed Thigpen, drums Earl May, bass I know, I know, everyone heard a tenor on this track. Heck, I hear a tenor, too. But you know what? All the credits say trumpet. And that's a trumpet on the cover. So I'm going with what's in front of me. This was another of the "Chicago tracks" that made it through the final cuts, as I thought it would be interesting to hear Ira at such a young age (record date November 1956). Perhaps it was his young age that led Jim R. to make the comments he did. Some don't care for the composition but I have always enjoyed it. So there. BTW, between this and the Vibories LP, there are some fine albums languishing in the vaults of whoever currently owns ABC-Paramount. TRACK 11 "The Panther" Malachi Thompson Blue Jazz (Delmark) Thompson, Elmer Brown, Micah Frazier, trumpet Steve Berry, Bill McFarland (solo), Omar Jefferson, Tracy Kirk, trombone Gary Bartz, alto sax Kirk Brown, piano Harrison Bankhead, bass Leon Joyce, Jr., drums More from Chicago. I actually discovered this track on a very cheaply priced Delmark 50 Years box set (two discs of blues, two discs of jazz plus a DVD for $20) and I finally got around to listening to this not long before Malachi died. His passing, and this track has led me to add this and other Thompson albums to my want lists. Kudos to Jim for spotting Gary Bartz, I kinda figured he would. TRACK 12 "Blood Count" John Stubblefield Confessin' (Soul Note) Stubblefield, tenor sax Mulgrew Miller, piano Rufus Reid, bass Eddie Gladden, drums I decided to transition from one artist taken too soon to another artist taken too soon, playing Strayhorn's classic written while he was dying of cancer himself. Simply beautiful. Sangrey again spotted the saxophonist. Who said his identifying chops would be off? TRACK 13 "Angel Eyes" Hank Crawford More Soul (Atlantic) Crawford, alto sax David "Fathead" Newman, tenor Leroy "Hog" Cooper, baritone Phillip Guilbreau, trumpet John Hunt, trumpet or fluegelhorn Edgar Willis, bass Milt Turner, drums Continuing the downtempo mood, we come to what I think is an absolute stone cold classic, and it looks like more than a few of you agree. The combination of Hank's beautiful rendition of the melody and the perfect arrangement (the absence of piano, for me, makes the alto much more "naked") make this a desert island track. The definitive rendition, imo. TRACK 14 "Fly Me To the Moon" Lefty Edwards The Right Side of Lefty Edwards (Workshop Jazz) Edwards, tenor sax Joe Messina, guitar Vance Matlock, bass Johnny Griffith, piano Ben Apling, drums Still going with the ballads, this time a tune I had never heard at ballad tempo, and a performance I absolutely love. I have to give mention to Jim Gallert, sometime contributor and co-author of Before Motown for encouraging me to dig around for old forgotten Detroit jazz artists. He told me that Lefty had a beautiful tone, and I have to agree 100%. Note the presence of two members of the Funk Brothers. Griffith led a trio session on Workshop Jazz and backed a singer on another date; Messina also appeared on a George Bohannon Workshop Jazz album. TRACK 15 "Blue & Sentimental" The New York All-Stars Count Basie Remembered, Volume 2 (Nagel Heyer) Billy Mitchell, tenor Randy Sandke, trumpet, leader Dan Barrett, trombone Brian Ogilvie, tenor, alto, clarinet Mark Shane, piano James Chirillo, guitar Bob Haggart, bass Joe Ascione, drums From one forgotten Detroit tenor to another who reached a much greater level of fame and recognition. Too bad I never listened all the way through to get rid of the announcement. Both of these volumes can be recommended to fans of big bands. TRACK 16 "One O'Clock Jump" King Fleming The Weary Traveler (Cadet) King Fleming, piano Melvin Jackson, bass William Cochran, drums The last of our "Chicago" artists, I've enjoyed each of King Fleming's Argo and Cadet LPs (there were three). In addition to blues and swing, he brought classical and African chant styles into his music. Malachi Favors played in his trio and appeared on one LP before he (to my knowledge) dedicated himself to the AEC and more "free" contexts. To my knowledge, Fleming has continued to play in Chicago and released a couple of new CDs in the late 90s. Not sure what he is up to at this date, however. My original track selection was a dark, dark blues tune which would have made the perfect "Gene Harris mis-direction track", but this disc was so packed with music that it wouldn't fit, which is when it occured to me to follow up the Basie tribute band with one of the best known Basie tunes. TRACK 17 "Almost Like Being in Love" Rusty Bryant Original Quintet Complete Recordings (Lonehill) Bryant, tenor sax Gerry Wiggins, piano Howard Roberts, guitar Red Callender, bass Shelly Manne, drums I knew this track would throw off those "not in the know". Before Lonehill put these albums together, I tracked down "play" copies of the original Dot LPs and was blown away. Who knew that Rusty Bryant, who at that point was trying to get noticed as a honking R&B guy, would blow so fine on a set of standards with a bunch of LA guys? As Jim implies, this may be the single Lonehill reissue that is good enough to make you want to forget who put it out. TRACK 18 "Mr. Lucky" Jack Wilson Jack Wilson Plays Brazilian Mancini (Vault) Wilson, piano Roy Ayers, vibraphone Chico Batera Seabastiao Neto "Tony Brazil", guitar (this is Antonio Carlos Jobim under a pseudonym) We finish the disc with a true rarity. Kudos to MG for identifying it, Mike Weil for doing a bit of research to nail it, and thanks to Jim R. for keeping the secret. Edited August 25, 2006 by Dan Gould Quote
brownie Posted August 25, 2006 Report Posted August 25, 2006 TRACK 6 "Bluesology" West Coast Jazzmen Swingin' on the Vibories (ABC-Paramount) Kenny Drew, vibories Sonny Clark, piano Leroy Vinnegar, bass Lawrence Marable, drums Well, I was certainly amused seeing people here a Bags tune with "vibes" and assuming MJQ. For some strange reason I was certain that Brownie knew this album, but when he missed it, I knew I was home free. For those unaware, the "vibories" were created by a man named Jack Harris, who played drums with Pete Rugolo and then became an inventor. He attached a three octave keyboard to a regular set of vibes, allowing pianists to "play" the vibes. Clark and Drew switch off on the vibories on their tunes, and the rest of the album features Gerry Wiggins and Red Mitchell (and Leonard Feather, who claimed credit for bringing the vibories out of Jack Harris' garage) switching off on the vibories, with Stan Levey and Bob Enevoldsen backing the group up. [ I bow my head in confusion at not having identified which album this was taken from. At least I identified the tune! Happy to see you found a copy of it. I remember you asked me - a long time ago - to make a copy of this rare disc and you were pretty curse when I replied I could not copy from vinyl (still can't). I'll dig this vinyl up to relisten to it. Haven't spinned it in a long time! Glad I joined the list... You did include quite a number of tracks from albums I was not aware of Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Posted August 25, 2006 (edited) I was sure you were going to spot it, Guy! Glad you hadn't dug it out in so long. Edited August 25, 2006 by Dan Gould Quote
JSngry Posted August 25, 2006 Report Posted August 25, 2006 TRACK 1 "Chain of Fools" Dick Hyman and "The Group" Sweet Sweet Soul (Command-ABC) Hyman, piano, organ, clavinette Bob Rosengarden, drums Bob Haggart, bass Wow. Hyman doesn't surprise me, but those other two do. WTF in-DEED!! Track 8 "Love Lifted Me" Ron Jefferson Love Lifted Me (Pacific Jazz) Jefferson, drums "Tricky" Lofton, trombone Wilbur Brown, tenor Bobby Hutcherson, vibes Frank Strazzeri, piano Leroy Vinnegar, bass Well, ok, Leroy Vinergar certainly qualifies as a bitch, but what do we know about Wilbur Brown? Quote
JSngry Posted August 25, 2006 Report Posted August 25, 2006 TRACK 10 "In a Mellow Tone" Ira Sullivan The Billy Taylor Trio Introduces Ira Sullivan (ABC-Paramount) Ira Sullivan, trumpet Billy Taylor, piano Ed Thigpen, drums Earl May, bass Well, no wonder! Ira's always been a no-bullshit kinda player. TRACK 12 "Blood Count" John Stubblefield Confessin' (Soul Note) Stubblefield, tenor sax Mulgrew Miller, piano Rufus Reid, bass Eddie Gladden, drums I decided to transition from one artist taken too soon to another artist taken too soon, playing Strayhorn's classic written while he was dying of cancer himself. Wow. That I did not know. Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Posted August 25, 2006 TRACK 1 "Chain of Fools" Dick Hyman and "The Group" Sweet Sweet Soul (Command-ABC) Hyman, piano, organ, clavinette Bob Rosengarden, drums Bob Haggart, bass Wow. Hyman doesn't surprise me, but those other two do. WTF in-DEED!! Track 8 "Love Lifted Me" Ron Jefferson Love Lifted Me (Pacific Jazz) Jefferson, drums "Tricky" Lofton, trombone Wilbur Brown, tenor Bobby Hutcherson, vibes Frank Strazzeri, piano Leroy Vinnegar, bass Well, ok, Leroy Vinergar certainly qualifies as a bitch, but what do we know about Wilbur Brown? Liners only say that he's a "long time west coast player." Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Posted August 25, 2006 TRACK 12 "Blood Count" John Stubblefield Confessin' (Soul Note) Stubblefield, tenor sax Mulgrew Miller, piano Rufus Reid, bass Eddie Gladden, drums I decided to transition from one artist taken too soon to another artist taken too soon, playing Strayhorn's classic written while he was dying of cancer himself. Wow. That I did not know. You didn't know that Stubblefield and Malachi died too young from cancer and that Strayhorn wrote "Blood Count" while he was in the hospital himself? Quote
JSngry Posted August 25, 2006 Report Posted August 25, 2006 No, I didn't know that Stubblefield recorded this while he was terminal.. Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Posted August 25, 2006 Oh, I see. I misread. My bad! I probably could have written that sentence a little clearer, but Confessin' is a mid-80s recording, so yeah, work on your reading skills, OK? Otherwise I'm left to wonder about your basic knowledge of jazz history. Quote
Chas Posted August 26, 2006 Report Posted August 26, 2006 (edited) TRACK 6 "Bluesology" West Coast Jazzmen Swingin' on the Vibories (ABC-Paramount) Kenny Drew, vibories Sonny Clark, piano Leroy Vinnegar, bass Lawrence Marable, drums Well, I was certainly amused seeing people here a Bags tune with "vibes" and assuming MJQ. For some strange reason I was certain that Brownie knew this album, but when he missed it, I knew I was home free. For those unaware, the "vibories" were created by a man named Jack Harris, who played drums with Pete Rugolo and then became an inventor. He attached a three octave keyboard to a regular set of vibes, allowing pianists to "play" the vibes. Clark and Drew switch off on the vibories on their tunes, and the rest of the album features Gerry Wiggins and Red Mitchell (and Leonard Feather, who claimed credit for bringing the vibories out of Jack Harris' garage) switching off on the vibories, with Stan Levey and Bob Enevoldsen backing the group up. Here's what Leonard Feather wrote in the June 13th 1956 edition of Downbeat : Vibories Invention Permits Pianist To Double in Wood " Hot Mallets " may be a forgotten phrase , and the vibraphone mallet may go the way of the gearshift car and the pre-electric guitar if Jack Harris has his way . Harris is an amazing character . Once an actor in silent movies , then a drummer leading his own band in San Francisco for many years , he now works as an engineer at the Trikon Corporation , in Los Angeles . A year or so ago when Harriis and his vibraphonist parted company , he decided that in the vibes department a good man was hard to find . So - why not find a way to enable every pianist to become a vibraphonist ? The result was the " Vibories " , so named because they combine the ivories of the piano keyboard with the regular sound of the vibes . The Vibories are an attachment to be hooked up with a regular set of vibes . They comprise a small three-octave piano keyboard , placed in front of the vibes , and a wooden box , fitted on top of the vibes , containing a series of small solenoids , one for each note . Press down 10 notes on the piano keyboard , and you also depress 10 of the solenoids , each connected with a little cork-tipped mallet in a bakelite base . Simultaneously , you hear 10 notes on the vibraphone . It's a wild , wonderful sound . " With mallets , on fast , ad-lib solo work " , Harris points out , " all you can play is one or two notes at a time . With the Vibories you can play block-chord style in eigth notes - you can do anything you can play on a piano - and sound like 3 or 4 vibes men in one ! " . All manner of effects not normally obtainable on vibes , such as spread chords and various grace note devices , suddenly become as easy as breathing . Comes the revolution - every musician who's spent a lifetime developing a mallet technique will find himself utterly outmaneuvered by any pianist with ideas and an average , or sub-average , technique . Seems to me the development of four-mallet technique would narrow the gap some , between vibes and vibories . Still the harmonic possibilities are intriguing , particularly I would think , for programmatic music . I don't suppose anyone on this board has seen one of these instruments ? I imagine some musical instrument museum somewhere has one . Edited August 26, 2006 by Chas Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 26, 2006 Author Report Posted August 26, 2006 Nobody has any comment on the fact that the leader of the J. Geils Band was on that C&W tune? Quote
JSngry Posted August 26, 2006 Report Posted August 26, 2006 Actually, I'm not surprised, although I'd never have guessed it. The Geils band was a major cult fave for years before dreaking throuh into the Top 40. I remember reading a Down Beat profile of them from sometime in the early/mid 70s where Geils mentioned his (and most of his band's) interest in (and, iirc, in playing) all types of blues and jazz. What I am surprised at is how well they captured that groove. Like I said in my comments, Western Swing is a very unique style. It's not just "jazz played with a country accent", it's a lot more rooted in bluegrass than any jazz would be. These guys got there! Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted August 26, 2006 Report Posted August 26, 2006 TRACK 2 "The Double-O Soul of Sonny Stitt" Sonny Stitt Wingate 006-B Stitt, saxophone Now, Sonny was truly a studio whore, recording anywhere for anyone, pretty much. So maybe all he cared about was the check at the end of the session, but I do wonder what Sonny's first reaction was when the folks at Wingate Records told him that they wanted to take Edwin Starr's hit "Agent Double-O Soul", strip out the vocals, and have Sonny wail over the backing track. Wild, wacky, WTF stuff, I tell you. Thanks to Mike Fitzgerald, who's mention of this record led me to search it out (Wingate also recorded "Hank's Groove" and "Sonny's Groove" which features Hank Marr and Stitt soloing over the same backing track). BTW, I had to use the B Side because the A Side features some female vocals moaning "Double-O-Soul" over and over again and I really didn't want to give away the title, or at least part of it. I figured more folks would recognize Stitt's tone ... I knew about this single, and the Hank/Sonny. Had no idea it was as nice as that. I suppose they aren't available on any album format? Track 8 "Love Lifted Me" Ron Jefferson Love Lifted Me (Pacific Jazz) Jefferson, drums "Tricky" Lofton, trombone Wilbur Brown, tenor Bobby Hutcherson, vibes Frank Strazzeri, piano Leroy Vinnegar, bass From one trombone cut to another, and another "down home" kinda performance, I thought this was a fairly obscure PJ issue, though I guess not too obscure as MG identified this, and searching for the jpg above revealed that its had at least one Toshiba-EMI reissue. Nevertheless, I am still surprised that Dick Bock gave Les McCann's drummer a shot at his own session, and its a nice one that will surely never see the light of day in the States. I believe this is Booby's second recording session, after Curtis Amy-Frank Butler, Groovin' Blue. It IS obscure Dan. Time and again I've regretted flogging this and I've never seen another copy. TRACK 9 "This is the Way 'Tis" The Three Sounds It Just Got To Be (Blue Note - but only on the JRVG reissue) Gene Harris, piano Andy Simpkins, bass Bill Dowdy, drums Well, y'all knew that the former GHF was going to slip in a Gene Harris track. I tried to fool you by picking a tune that's only seen release in Japan but the trio (or Gene) is too recognizable to most of you, or else you all know me too well. (I also liked this tune as a continuation of the gospel sounds of the prior two tracks). Well, I think I did well on this - I've only got 6 albums with Harris on and they're all with other people. I see I can get a load of his BN stuff from Early Records at reasonable pries. Any recommendations? MG Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted August 26, 2006 Report Posted August 26, 2006 TRACK 12 "Blood Count" John Stubblefield Confessin' (Soul Note) Stubblefield, tenor sax Mulgrew Miller, piano Rufus Reid, bass Eddie Gladden, drums I decided to transition from one artist taken too soon to another artist taken too soon, playing Strayhorn's classic written while he was dying of cancer himself. Simply beautiful. Sangrey again spotted the saxophonist. Who said his identifying chops would be off? I must say, he doesn't sound ANYTHING like he does with Sonny Phillips, or on his own disco LP! TRACK 13 "Angel Eyes" Hank Crawford More Soul (Atlantic) Crawford, alto sax David "Fathead" Newman, tenor Leroy "Hog" Cooper, baritone Phillip Guilbreau, trumpet John Hunt, trumpet or fluegelhorn Edgar Willis, bass Milt Turner, drums Continuing the downtempo mood, we come to what I think is an absolute stone cold classic, and it looks like more than a few of you agree. The combination of Hank's beautiful rendition of the melody and the perfect arrangement (the absence of piano, for me, makes the alto much more "naked") make this a desert island track. The definitive rendition, imo. Thanks once again for including this. TRACK 16 "One O'Clock Jump" King Fleming The Weary Traveler (Cadet) King Fleming, piano Melvin Jackson, bass William Cochran, drums The last of our "Chicago" artists, I've enjoyed each of King Fleming's Argo and Cadet LPs (there were three). In addition to blues and swing, he brought classical and African chant styles into his music. Malachi Favors played in his trio and appeared on one LP before he (to my knowledge) dedicated himself to the AEC and more "free" contexts. To my knowledge, Fleming has continued to play in Chicago and released a couple of new CDs in the late 90s. Not sure what he is up to at this date, however. My original track selection was a dark, dark blues tune which would have made the perfect "Gene Harris mis-direction track", but this disc was so packed with music that it wouldn't fit, which is when it occured to me to follow up the Basie tribute band with one of the best known Basie tunes. Never heard King Fleming before. Someone to put on my list to seek out. I very much like this type of recording. Thanks very much, Dan. TRACK 17 "Almost Like Being in Love" Rusty Bryant Original Quintet Complete Recordings (Lonehill) Bryant, tenor sax Gerry Wiggins, piano Howard Roberts, guitar Red Callender, bass Shelly Manne, drums I knew this track would throw off those "not in the know". Before Lonehill put these albums together, I tracked down "play" copies of the original Dot LPs and was blown away. Who knew that Rusty Bryant, who at that point was trying to get noticed as a honking R&B guy, would blow so fine on a set of standards with a bunch of LA guys? As Jim implies, this may be the single Lonehill reissue that is good enough to make you want to forget who put it out. Rusty, like most of the honkers, was out of fashion after Ray Charles changed the world in 1954. Very few artists, and no honkers, got singles on the R&B charts before and after 1955. In 1957, when the two Dot LPs were recorded, I feel that he was actually trying to make a name for himself as a straight jazz player. Since Dot had moved from Gallatin Tennessee to Hollywood in August 1956, the west coast backing band was obviously handy for them. He'd have done better heading for Prestige, (as he did later, of course) and joined people like Cobb, Jackson, Hawk and Jaws. Dot is a much maligned label (yes, I know you were talking about Lonehill). Randy Wood, who founded the label in 1950, was probably THE most important mail order retailer of Blues, R&B and Gospel in the US, mainly as a result of buying time, and sponsoring one of the great DJs of the R&B era, Gene Nobles, on WLAC Nashville. Randy focused Dot on R&B, Blues, Gospel and C&W material and produced many great artists, until he discovered Pat Boone (Red Foley's son-in-law) in 1955. The label was bought by Paramount Pictures in 1956 and from then on was focused on easy listening. Rusty's records were very much of a piece with that direction - West Coast jazz was popular because it really could be used as easy listening music (as was the case with Ahmad Jamal). But Rusty was kind of too hard a swinger to be really what the doctor ordered for stress management. Randy, though he continued to manage Dot until 1967, eventually returned to Gallatin and started another Gospel label - Randy's Spiritual Record Co. I think that's where his heart was, though I dare say he appreciated the money. MG Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 26, 2006 Author Report Posted August 26, 2006 TRACK 16 "One O'Clock Jump" King Fleming The Weary Traveler (Cadet) King Fleming, piano Melvin Jackson, bass William Cochran, drums The last of our "Chicago" artists, I've enjoyed each of King Fleming's Argo and Cadet LPs (there were three). In addition to blues and swing, he brought classical and African chant styles into his music. Malachi Favors played in his trio and appeared on one LP before he (to my knowledge) dedicated himself to the AEC and more "free" contexts. To my knowledge, Fleming has continued to play in Chicago and released a couple of new CDs in the late 90s. Not sure what he is up to at this date, however. My original track selection was a dark, dark blues tune which would have made the perfect "Gene Harris mis-direction track", but this disc was so packed with music that it wouldn't fit, which is when it occured to me to follow up the Basie tribute band with one of the best known Basie tunes. Never heard King Fleming before. Someone to put on my list to seek out. I very much like this type of recording. Thanks very much, Dan. His three Argo/Cadet LPs show up on ebay quite regularly, and usually one or two are in the "buy it now" section, too. I do think that the Argos, Stand By and Misty Night have seen Japanese reissue on CD, but I most recommend this Cadet LP, personally. Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 26, 2006 Author Report Posted August 26, 2006 TRACK 9 "This is the Way 'Tis" The Three Sounds It Just Got To Be (Blue Note - but only on the JRVG reissue) Gene Harris, piano Andy Simpkins, bass Bill Dowdy, drums Well, y'all knew that the former GHF was going to slip in a Gene Harris track. I tried to fool you by picking a tune that's only seen release in Japan but the trio (or Gene) is too recognizable to most of you, or else you all know me too well. (I also liked this tune as a continuation of the gospel sounds of the prior two tracks). Well, I think I did well on this - I've only got 6 albums with Harris on and they're all with other people. I see I can get a load of his BN stuff from Early Records at reasonable pries. Any recommendations? MG My first Sounds recommendation is always Moods, followed by, in no particular order, Here We Come Hey There Feelin' Good. Everything from their first tour with BN can be recommended; and since you dig the funky side of things, Live at the Lighthouse is real good, too. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted August 26, 2006 Report Posted August 26, 2006 TRACK 9 "This is the Way 'Tis" The Three Sounds It Just Got To Be (Blue Note - but only on the JRVG reissue) Gene Harris, piano Andy Simpkins, bass Bill Dowdy, drums Well, y'all knew that the former GHF was going to slip in a Gene Harris track. I tried to fool you by picking a tune that's only seen release in Japan but the trio (or Gene) is too recognizable to most of you, or else you all know me too well. (I also liked this tune as a continuation of the gospel sounds of the prior two tracks). Well, I think I did well on this - I've only got 6 albums with Harris on and they're all with other people. I see I can get a load of his BN stuff from Early Records at reasonable pries. Any recommendations? MG My first Sounds recommendation is always Moods, followed by, in no particular order, Here We Come Hey There Feelin' Good. Everything from their first tour with BN can be recommended; and since you dig the funky side of things, Live at the Lighthouse is real good, too. I see I can get "Moods", "Hey there" and "Feelin' good" from Early at the moment. So that looks like a large chunk of my first order with them. Thanks Dan. MG Quote
JSngry Posted August 27, 2006 Report Posted August 27, 2006 Randy, though he continued to manage Dot until 1967, eventually returned to Gallatin and started another Gospel label - Randy's Spiritual Record Co. Didn't he also start the Ranwood label, where the entire Lawrence Welk contingent migrated to from Dot? Or maybe that was a Dot deal? Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted August 27, 2006 Report Posted August 27, 2006 Randy, though he continued to manage Dot until 1967, eventually returned to Gallatin and started another Gospel label - Randy's Spiritual Record Co. Didn't he also start the Ranwood label, where the entire Lawrence Welk contingent migrated to from Dot? Or maybe that was a Dot deal? Yes - he and Welk were partners in Ranwood. The new label purchased all Welk's masters from Dot and Coral - probably there were masters of a few Welk-associated artists, too. And they continued marketing this material. Whether new material was recorded, I don't know. MG Quote
mikeweil Posted August 27, 2006 Report Posted August 27, 2006 Great selections, Dan, and many surprises - thanks again! No wonder those vibories didn't sound like any vibes player I had in my mind - interesting that the phrasing takes on a somwhat conservative, swing-style turn - a vibist with mallets probably can achieve more flow. I heard about this album, but never saw a copy. That Dick Hyman was a very versatile chameleon, but Rosengarden and Haggart!!! Bob Haggart doing Jerry Jemmott - great! Will have to listen again with the answers printed out ..... Quote
Jim R Posted August 29, 2006 Report Posted August 29, 2006 TRACK 13 "Angel Eyes" Hank Crawford More Soul (Atlantic) Crawford, alto sax David "Fathead" Newman, tenor Leroy "Hog" Cooper, baritone Phillip Guilbreau, trumpet John Hunt, trumpet or fluegelhorn Edgar Willis, bass Milt Turner, drums Continuing the downtempo mood, we come to what I think is an absolute stone cold classic, and it looks like more than a few of you agree. The combination of Hank's beautiful rendition of the melody and the perfect arrangement (the absence of piano, for me, makes the alto much more "naked") make this a desert island track. The definitive rendition, imo. Note to self: maybe it's (high) time to get some Hank Crawford? TRACK 15 "Blue & Sentimental" The New York All-Stars Count Basie Remembered, Volume 2 (Nagel Heyer) Billy Mitchell, tenor Randy Sandke, trumpet, leader Dan Barrett, trombone Brian Ogilvie, tenor, alto, clarinet Mark Shane, piano James Chirillo, guitar Bob Haggart, bass Joe Ascione, drums From one forgotten Detroit tenor to another who reached a much greater level of fame and recognition. Too bad I never listened all the way through to get rid of the announcement. Both of these volumes can be recommended to fans of big bands. I told you the tenor player had gray hair! TRACK 16 "One O'Clock Jump" King Fleming The Weary Traveler (Cadet) King Fleming, piano Melvin Jackson, bass William Cochran, drums The last of our "Chicago" artists, I've enjoyed each of King Fleming's Argo and Cadet LPs (there were three). In addition to blues and swing, he brought classical and African chant styles into his music. Malachi Favors played in his trio and appeared on one LP before he (to my knowledge) dedicated himself to the AEC and more "free" contexts. To my knowledge, Fleming has continued to play in Chicago and released a couple of new CDs in the late 90s. Not sure what he is up to at this date, however. My original track selection was a dark, dark blues tune which would have made the perfect "Gene Harris mis-direction track", but this disc was so packed with music that it wouldn't fit, which is when it occured to me to follow up the Basie tribute band with one of the best known Basie tunes. Note to self (again)... TRACK 17 "Almost Like Being in Love" Rusty Bryant Original Quintet Complete Recordings (Lonehill) Bryant, tenor sax Gerry Wiggins, piano Howard Roberts, guitar Red Callender, bass Shelly Manne, drums I knew this track would throw off those "not in the know". Before Lonehill put these albums together, I tracked down "play" copies of the original Dot LPs and was blown away. Who knew that Rusty Bryant, who at that point was trying to get noticed as a honking R&B guy, would blow so fine on a set of standards with a bunch of LA guys? As Jim implies, this may be the single Lonehill reissue that is good enough to make you want to forget who put it out. Note to... ...wait a minute, this is going to get expensive. So much great jazz, so little time, so little money, so little space on my shelves... TRACK 18 "Mr. Lucky" Jack Wilson Jack Wilson Plays Brazilian Mancini (Vault) Wilson, piano Roy Ayers, vibraphone Chico Batera Seabastiao Neto "Tony Brazil", guitar (this is Antonio Carlos Jobim under a pseudonym) We finish the disc with a true rarity. Kudos to MG for identifying it, Mike Weil for doing a bit of research to nail it, and thanks to Jim R. for keeping the secret. Kudos and thanks to you for sending me the stereo version three years ago. Final note to self: investigate this whole vibories thing!... better late than never... (seriously, I had been aware of this record for many years, but somehow never got hip to what it was all about. Very nice idea to add this to a BFT). Great job, Dan. Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 29, 2006 Author Report Posted August 29, 2006 No one wants to comment on Stitt wailing over "Agent Double O Soul"? I thought it was the ultimate WTF track of the bunch. Quote
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