Blindfold Test # 2 Answers

[JSngry]

I find it interesting how many people, myself included, heard Howard McGhee in Carmell Jones' work. If Roy Eldridge is, as conventional wisdom has it, the "missing link" between Pops and Diz, then Howard McGhee is the missing link between Roy and Diz. He's a player you hardly ever hear as an influence too much past the late 40s, really. I'm wondering if Carmell would cite him as an early favorite?

[mikeweil]

Yes, I too heard McGhee in this track. Generally I think his importance and influence in the 1940's to 1950's is greatly underrated - trumpet players still loved their Roy Eldridge and Buck Clayton, Harry Edison and Joe Newman, not to mention Freddie Webster, and McGhee was someone who showed how to integrate that into the more modern stylings of Diz, Navarro and whoever.

Carmell Jones, Benny Bailey, Clifford Brown, Kenny Dorham, Clark Terry all were trumpet players born into the time when swing was still kind of dominating the scene but bop was gradually taking over, so it's no wonder they had elements of both!

The trumpet is a highly unforgiving instrument, the slightest technical insecurities show even to a non-musician, and McGhee was not as perfect a player as Diz, so he was easily put into the second league - but he was much more than that. His recordings from the 1950-60's for Blue Note, Bethlehem and Contemporary are among the best trumpet albums of that time, IMHO.

[mikeweil]

Just listening to McGhee's Bethelehem LPs, highly recommended, an underrated player, very good music, good sidemen, nice arrangements. He certainly had a sound of his own.

I also dig this one a lot:

[Brad]

I second Dusty Blue which I listened to recently. Almost as good but not quite is Maggie's Back in Town. You may also want to check out the Teddy Edwards album Together Again.

And for those who haven't, you might want to check out Bird's February 26, 1947 on Dial with Maggie, which includes the following classics: Relaxin' at Caramillo, Cheers, Carvin' the Bird and Stupendous.

Edited October 2, 2003 by Brad