Joe Newman

[Late]

It seems like Clark Terry gets the limelight, and Joe Newman — to my ears on par with Terry's playing, but considerably more interesting — gets the shadows. Any thoughts as to why?

Fans of Joe Newman here? What records need to be sought out? I have only four at this point, in addition to numerous sideman appearances.

[sidewinder]

I'm a fan. Love his work on those 60s Quincy Jones and Oliver Nelson big band sessions. If ever a trumpeter bridged the gap between swing and bop it was Joe Newman !

[Late]

If ever a trumpeter bridged the gap between swing and bop it was Joe Newman !

Agreed. It seems like, because of that, he would have fit perfectly into a Mingus ensemble. Mingus would have loved (or perhaps did love) the way Joe could growl and squawk on the horn, and then slide right into a nice bop line.

[sidewinder]

I'm sure you're right. Not sure I ever heard any opinion from Mingus on Joe Newman but he was a known fanatic over Thad Jones, another player who could straddle the idioms.

I've also been impressed with Newman's playing on the Buck Clayton Jame sessions Mosaic. Good reminder to dig that one out.

[brownie]

Big fan of Joe Newman here!

I admire the three albums he recorded for RCA in the fifties: 'All I Wanna Do Is Swing' (great title that tells it all!), 'I'm Still Swinging' and 'Salute to Satch', all three with the help of musicians like Al Cohn, Frank Rehak, Urbie Green and quite a number of top players.

A later favorite from Newman is the duo album 'Hangin' Out' he recorded for Concord with that other master trumpet player Joe Wilder. With notes by Chris Albertson.

[Late]

This one was also for RCA. I haven't heard it, but I bet it's not bad!

[Peter Friedman]

Late,

You didn't indicate which Joe Newman recordings you have? I agree with Brownie that the Joe Wilder/Joe Newman CD is a good one. I also like the sessions he did for RCA that Brownie mentioned. I have all the RCA material on a French RCA 2 CD set titled "The Basie Days".

Two others I strongly recommend are:

Joe Newman with Frank Foster - Good 'N' Groovy - Prestige/Swingville

The Joe Newman Quintet (with Frank Wess) - Jive At Five - Prestige/Swingville

Both these sessions have Tommy Flanagan on piano and Eddie jones on bass. Billy English is the drummer on the date with Frank Foster, while Oliver Jackson is on the session with Frank Wess.

Also enjoyable is "The Joe Newman Quintet - At Count Basie's - Mercury" with Oliver Nelson on tenor.

Edited February 26, 2007 by Peter Friedman

[Late]

Late,

You didn't indicate which Joe Newman recordings you have?

Two others I strongly recommend are:

Joe Newman with Frank Foster - Good 'N' Groovy - Prestige/Swingville

The Joe Newman Quintet (with Frank Wess) - Jive At Five - Prestige/Swingville

Also enjoyable is "The Joe Newman Quintet - At Count Basie's - Mercury" with Oliver Nelson on tenor.

I have two RCA's (All I Want to Do is Swing and I'm Still Swingin') and the two Prestige dates you mention above. I forgot about that Mercury session!

Anyone have this one? (Microscopic cover attached below.)

[brownie]

Anyone have this one?

I have the vinyl reissue from Japan of this Storyville.

My copy has autographs of Joe Newman and Count Basie -_- (Copy bought - cheap - from a seller who was getting rid of his father's collection!)

[Big Beat Steve]

Another disc worth checking out:

LOCKING HORNS feat. Joe Newman and Zoot Sims

(originally on RAMA, reissued on Fresh Sound - where else? - both as vinyl and CD)

Stylistically I'd say it's between his 50s mainstream recordings and his more advanced dates on Prestige/Swingville.

[mr jazz]

I saw him playing with the Smithsonian jazz orchestra a few years ago at the Lincoln Theater in DC. Show was a tribute to Neal Hefti and he played really well.

[Late]

Finally picked this one up:

Better than I expected.

[brownie]

A relaxed 1958 session from Newman's Basie days.

This was recorded in Sweden for Metronome. Interestingly when World Pacific released it for the USA they did not use the original cover which showed Newman with a young (and blonde) Swedish woman!

[sidewinder]

Interestingly when World Pacific released it for the USA they did not use the original cover which showed Newman with a young (and blonde) Swedish woman!

Probably wisely, from the point of view of Newman's 'domestics'.

[montg]

There's some good playing on the Newman 'In Paris' CD (paired with Cootie Williams). There's a thread elsewhere that suggests the Newman RCA dates will be part of a forthcoming Mosaic Select. I hope that news is accurate, I'd preorder it without a second thought.

newmanselect

[Late]

A relaxed 1958 session from Newman's Basie days.

This was recorded in Sweden for Metronome. Interestingly when World Pacific released it for the USA they did not use the original cover which showed Newman with a young (and blonde) Swedish woman!

Dirty blonde. (No pun intended.)

[brownie]

Dirty blonde. (No pun intended.)

Not the first time my memory lies to me

But that's the cover of the original Swedish release and it did not cross the Atlantic

[Late]

Both are great covers. Now I'm jones-ing to hear the music!

[mmilovan]

It seems like Clark Terry gets the limelight, and Joe Newman — to my ears on par with Terry's playing, but considerably more interesting — gets the shadows. Any thoughts as to why?

Fans of Joe Newman here? What records need to be sought out? I have only four at this point, in addition to numerous sideman appearances.

The same with me.

And you put it right: Joe Newman is far more interesting player than Terry! He and Charlie Shavers both share the same brittle, shiny technique and they never used it inappropriate.

Edited March 23, 2007 by mmilovan

[Shawn]

I prefer not to compare Terry with Newman (or anybody for that matter). They are completely different players with their own personality. I love the playing of both.

[Late]

I prefer not to compare Terry with Newman (or anybody for that matter). They are completely different players with their own personality. I love the playing of both.

Fair enough, and I'm in general agreement with that sentiment.

I do think their styles are, at times, fairly similar. I guess the point I was trying to make was "Why isn't Joe Newman better known? He's such a great trumpet player!" Not necessary to include Terry in such a point, but I suppose I was trying to create an axis.

Again, to quote Ricky Schroeder (the originator of the much-beloved phrase): "It's all good."

[Trumpet Guy]

I say Joe Newman was influenced by Shad Collins! I really have no idea , but hearing Shad Collins circa 39' reminded me of Newman's swing and feel...

Has "I Love My Baby"--been mentioned ?

Edited March 24, 2007 by Trumpet Guy

[brownie]

The Joe Newman 'with Woodwinds' album on Roulette is not bad at all. Good arrangements by Ernie Wilkins. It came on the Birdland series. Basie players (Marshall Royal, Frank Wess, Charlie Fowlkes, Freddie Green, Eddie Jones) were on hand...

[Larry Kart]

I say Joe Newman was influenced by Shad Collins! I really have no idea , but hearing Shad Collins circa 39' reminded me of Newman's swing and feel...

Has "I Love My Baby"--been mentioned ?

I agree on Shad Collins -- a good idea. On the other hand, I prefer Collins to Newman -- more individuality and rhythmic, timbral "sting," though perhaps Newman suffers a bit in my mind because there was so much of him on record in the '50s when I was young fan (all those somewhat generic RCA neo-Basie dates), while Collins didn't record that much after his Basie days, though he sounds fine w/Vic Dickinson on Vanguard from the mid-1950s. Also, Newman could be quite "eclectic," if that's the right word. He does a unnervingly good variation on/impression of Miles Davis on Oliver Nelson's setting of "St. Louis Blues" (rec. 1966). I can't imagine that Shad Collins ever could or would want to sound like Miles.

[Late]

OK, what Shad Collins-led sessions are available on compact disc?