On A Misty Night

[Dave James]

I was just listening to the Chet Baker version of Dameron's "On a Misty Night" here at work. It's the one with George Coleman and Kirk Lightsey from the album of the same name. I gotta say, has there ever been a better tune written than this? Perfect in every sense. Not too fast, not too slow and interesting from every possible angle.

Any favorite versions out there?

Up over and out.

[Dan Gould]

I was just listening to the Chet Baker version of Dameron's "On a Misty Night" here at work. It's the one with George Coleman and Kirk Lightsey from the album of the same name. I gotta say, has there ever been a better tune written than this? Perfect in every sense. Not too fast, not too slow and interesting from every possible angle.

Any favorite versions out there?

Up over and out.

Too many to count, actually. An All-Time favorite, without a doubt.

[Big Al]

My favorite's gotta be Tadd's big-band version on The Magic Touch. Talk about a perfect rendition of a perfect song!

[Stereojack]

The version with Trane on "Mating Call" (Prestige).

Junior Cook has a nice on on Steeplechase.

[AllenLowe]

don't tell dumpy mama, but I am about to repeat myself here - the opening phrase of Misty Night always sounded to me like the source of the opening phrase, for Trane, of Giant Steps - same intervals -

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

The version with Trane on "Mating Call" (Prestige).

A big yes from me on that one, too.

I also like Stanley Turrentine's version on the Fantasy LP "Use the stairs". Not, generally, a good period for Stan, but this is very enjoyable.

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oh, and Pharoah Sanders' version on "Heart is a melody" is also gorgeous.

MG

[JohnS]

"Mating Call" for me. A classic album - one for the desert island.

[Dan Gould]

If I had taken a moment to think about it, I'd have come up with the two that Jack mentions. There's a strong performance on one of the Dameronia albums, too, iirc.

[BillF]

I was just listening to the Chet Baker version of Dameron's "On a Misty Night" here at work. It's the one with George Coleman and Kirk Lightsey from the album of the same name. I gotta say, has there ever been a better tune written than this? Perfect in every sense. Not too fast, not too slow and interesting from every possible angle.

Any favorite versions out there?

Up over and out.

Interesting that your Baker/Coleman/Lightsey album is called On a Misty Night. Mine is on Prestige and is called Boppin' With The Chet Baker Quintet.

[Niko]

I was just listening to the Chet Baker version of Dameron's "On a Misty Night" here at work. It's the one with George Coleman and Kirk Lightsey from the album of the same name. I gotta say, has there ever been a better tune written than this? Perfect in every sense. Not too fast, not too slow and interesting from every possible angle.

Any favorite versions out there?

Up over and out.

Interesting that your Baker/Coleman/Lightsey album is called On a Misty Night. Mine is on Prestige and is called Boppin' With The Chet Baker Quintet.

it's not the original album, the five(?) "...in' with the Chet Baker Quintet" albums were reissued by fantasy on three CDs called Stairway to the Stars, On a Misty Night and Lonely Star...

[BillF]

I was just listening to the Chet Baker version of Dameron's "On a Misty Night" here at work. It's the one with George Coleman and Kirk Lightsey from the album of the same name. I gotta say, has there ever been a better tune written than this? Perfect in every sense. Not too fast, not too slow and interesting from every possible angle.

Any favorite versions out there?

Up over and out.

Interesting that your Baker/Coleman/Lightsey album is called On a Misty Night. Mine is on Prestige and is called Boppin' With The Chet Baker Quintet.

it's not the original album, the five(?) "...in' with the Chet Baker Quintet" albums were reissued by fantasy on three CDs called Stairway to the Stars, On a Misty Night and Lonely Star...

Thanks as always, Niko, for your discographical input! I have five CDs (each of LP length) on Prestige called Boppin', Smokin', Groovin', Comin' On andCool Burnin'. Before the music is forgotten, I'll just add that they are so good, I felt I had to have all five!

[Niko]

I was just listening to the Chet Baker version of Dameron's "On a Misty Night" here at work. It's the one with George Coleman and Kirk Lightsey from the album of the same name. I gotta say, has there ever been a better tune written than this? Perfect in every sense. Not too fast, not too slow and interesting from every possible angle.

Any favorite versions out there?

Up over and out.

Interesting that your Baker/Coleman/Lightsey album is called On a Misty Night. Mine is on Prestige and is called Boppin' With The Chet Baker Quintet.

it's not the original album, the five(?) "...in' with the Chet Baker Quintet" albums were reissued by fantasy on three CDs called Stairway to the Stars, On a Misty Night and Lonely Star...

Thanks as always, Niko, for your discographical input! I have five CDs (each of LP length) on Prestige called Boppin', Smokin', Groovin', Comin' On andCool Burnin'. Before the music is forgotten, I'll just add that they are so good, I felt I had to have all five!

i am also glad that i have all three (and i was so hesitant about buying the first one i think i even started a thread about it...), George Coleman is great on them and i really like the material, not only the Dameron stuff but also many of the "Carpenter compositions" (someone posted they were by Jimmy Mundy...?)

[BillF]

James Gavin's excellent biography of Baker, Deep in a Dream says that Carpenter was a corrupt entrepreneur who had many musicians, including the drug-dependent Baker, in his thrall. On these sessions we get : "Jimmy Mundy sat in the control room,anonymously churning out songs for which Carpenter took credit. 'He was writing the next tune while we were recording the tune before,' says Lightsey .... Carpenter sold the tapes to Prestige who spread them out over five albums."

[Niko]

James Gavin's excellent biography of Baker, Deep in a Dream says that Carpenter was a corrupt entrepreneur who had many musicians, including the drug-dependent Baker, in his thrall. On these sessions we get : "Jimmy Mundy sat in the control room,anonymously churning out songs for which Carpenter took credit. 'He was writing the next tune while we were recording the tune before,' says Lightsey .... Carpenter sold the tapes to Prestige who spread them out over five albums."

ah, that's where the info was from (despite this missing detail i still recommend the other Baker bio by Jeroen de Valk); what i find remarkable is that Dameron remained the composer on so many of these (partly new?) compositions; was it because he (and his tunes) were more famous than Mundy, did this happen when the tapes were sold to prestige, was it because he had a stronger standing against Carpenter? or because he arranged Baker's recording with Carpenter; (or are others of his compositions issued as Carpenter's)...

[BillF]

James Gavin's excellent biography of Baker, Deep in a Dream says that Carpenter was a corrupt entrepreneur who had many musicians, including the drug-dependent Baker, in his thrall. On these sessions we get : "Jimmy Mundy sat in the control room,anonymously churning out songs for which Carpenter took credit. 'He was writing the next tune while we were recording the tune before,' says Lightsey .... Carpenter sold the tapes to Prestige who spread them out over five albums."

ah, that's where the info was from (despite this missing detail i still recommend the other Baker bio by Jeroen de Valk); what i find remarkable is that Dameron remained the composer on so many of these (partly new?) compositions; was it because he (and his tunes) were more famous than Mundy, did this happen when the tapes were sold to prestige, was it because he had a stronger standing against Carpenter? or because he arranged Baker's recording with Carpenter; (or are others of his compositions issued as Carpenter's)...

Gavin says that Carpenter had become manager to Dameron who, of course, had serious drug problems and was prepared to sell his record royalties to Carpenter for fifty dollars, as well as relinquishing to him the rights to all of his tunes. Also included in the Baker/Coleman/Lightsey sessions were Sonny Stitt tunes on which Carpenter claimed coauthorship. Looking through my records, I estimate that of the 32 pieces recorded, only 5 were standards on which royalties were payable. The sad irony is that, out of such despicable business practices, came superlative music!

[Larry Kart]

As we all know, Carpenter is the "composer" of "Walkin" -- and I am the Queen of Romania. Actually, the Jimmy Mundy connection is interesting here. IIRC the line we know as "Walkin" first cropped up on record as "Gravy" on a Gene Ammons date from the late '40s or early '50s, and it was Mundy's handiwork. That Ammons might have been in Carpenter's clutches for drug-related reasons is likely, but one tends not to think of guys from Mundy's era (b. 1907) and with his long record of steady production as being mixed up with drugs themselves. On the other hand, though he is younger than Mundy, Ernie Wilkins (b. 1922), with a similar rep for pouring out chart after chart, did develop a bad drug habit, from which he fortunately recovered.

[Larry Kart]

Gene Ammons - Sonny Stitt Septet

Bill Massey (tp) Bennie Green (tb) Gene Ammons (ts) Sonny Stitt (bars) Duke Jordan (p) Tommy Potter (b) Art Blakey (d)

NYC, April 26, 1950

85 Chabootie Prestige 741, PRLP 107, PR 7823, P 24058

86 Who Put The Sleeping Pills (In Rip Van Winkle's Coffee?) Prestige 721, PR 7823

87 Gravy (Walkin') Prestige 717, PRLP 112, PR 7823, P 24058; Fantasy OJCCD 6013-2

88 Easy Glide Prestige PRLP 112, PR 7823, P 24058

[Stereojack]

Gravy/Walkin' actually bears a very close resemblance to "El Sino", recorded by Leo Parker (with Gene Ammons) in 1947. This has always suggested to me that Ammons is the actual composer. To further complicate matters, the composition is credited to Charles Greenlee on the Savoy LP, although I don't have access to the original 78 to check the credit. BMI database also credits Greenlee.

[Swinging Swede]

What's lamentable is that many of the 1965 Prestige tracks only are in mono on the CD reissues, despite being in stereo on the original LPs.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Gravy/Walkin' actually bears a very close resemblance to "El Sino", recorded by Leo Parker (with Gene Ammons) in 1947. This has always suggested to me that Ammons is the actual composer. To further complicate matters, the composition is credited to Charles Greenlee on the Savoy LP, although I don't have access to the original 78 to check the credit. BMI database also credits Greenlee.

I do agree - but it seems to me that tunes like "Walkin'" weren't "real" compositions like "On a misty night" - they were bits of riffs that were floating around the ghetto - public domain material, if you like - made into recordings by whomever, in much the same way as W C Handy is said to have put together many of his songs. So, saying X is like Y doesn't truly imply (to me) that the writer of X stole from the writer of Y; rather that both picked up the same stuff that was going around.

MG