Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones

[king ubu]

I've heard some Ra from their tour through Europe - interesting stuff of course, with some terrific moments. But in the end to get a full picture, you'd have to hear full shows (or did those shows only last an hour or a bit more really?). There's a DVD around (off TV, not commercially released I think, but I didn't check) that runs for an hour or so, from the jazz days in Berlin, there's some great stuff on it, but there's too much of the theatrical and whimsical stuff in it as well (or rather: in the end there's not that much meat on the bone, so to say... but the concert ran on when the tele-cast ended I think, so that's why I say one would have to hear complete shows...)

That release, is that one of those advertised by Jazz Loft? Are those legit anyway?

But it's off topic anyway, as there's no Chambers there... but allow me to put in a good word for another off-topic date without PJJ: that quartet date by Chambers/Coltrane, the one on the brown Blue Note 2LP set, I like that one very much!

[Gheorghe]

But it's off topic anyway, as there's no Chambers there... but allow me to put in a good word for another off-topic date without PJJ: that quartet date by Chambers/Coltrane, the one on the brown Blue Note 2LP set, I like that one very much!

Thanks for returning to the topic. Nothing against Sun Ra, but if I feel like posting about him, there´s enough place for it on other topics.

The brown Blue Note 2 LP set. Yeah, that was the LA-Series from the 70s. But are you sure when you say "without PJJ"?

As much as I know, the quartet date has Trane, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. The whole double LP was made of parts of "Whims of Chambers" and the whole stuff from "Chamber´s Music". I got a japanese CD of "Chamber´s Music" that has the quartet tracks recorded in LA and an earlier date from march 1956 (3 tracks) , also with Trane, Chambers, Philly J.J., Curtis Fuller, Pepper Adams (it was originally recorded for the Transition label if my memorie´s rite, while the quartet date was on Jazz West). The remainder of the double LP (from "Whims of Chambers") has only the tunes with Trane on it. The rest of the album (tunes played only by the rhythm section "Dear Anne", and "Tales of the Fingers" ) are not on the double LP. When I decided to re-buy the whole stuff I picked up the two CD´s ("Whims of Chambers" and "Chamber´s Music").

All the material has Paul and Philly J.J. together!

[king ubu]

hm, I thought it was Larance Marable, but of course you're right, it's Chambers and Philly Joe indeed - so it was right on topic! Yes, those were Jazz West and Transition dates. They're all on the Mosaic Select, but as I have all of the music on it on CDs and on that double LP, I haven't bought it yet... I know I will some day, though!

[Roundsound]

Philly Joe was the top hard bop drummer in my book. When I was just getting into jazz, I always looked to see if he was the drummer. I love the Sonny Clark Trio session (Two Bass Hit). What about Gone, Gone, Gone from the Porgy and Bess sessions. Elmo Hope's great trio sessions for Blue Note had Philly Joe. Lee Morgan's, The Cooker, was outstanding. Of course, Workout and Another Workout are outstanding. Everybody Digs Bill Evans with Philly Joe. Didn't Bill Evans consider Philly Joe his favorite drummer?

[clifford_thornton]

It's a toss-up between Philly Joe and A.T. for me, though there are/were many great drummers from the period.

I agree about that PC/Trane set on Blue Note. It's really something else.

[king ubu]

Taylor a few years later really sounded good to me - like on those sessions from Europe (A Day in Copenhagen with Dexter/Slide Hampton from 1969 is a great example, just reissued), really hotter and more outgoing than in the 50s. I prefer PJJ on recordings from those years.

[John L]

This is a great topic for a thread. Philly Joe and Paul Chambers! What incredible music they made together. It just don't get no better.

[Elmo]

"Prolific" is a rather overused term. But Chambers appeared on 151 albums in his short life.

When you consider the time that he spent on the road, the fact that he spent his entire adult life dealing with a heroin addiction as well as alcoholism and that he was dead at 33 of TB, it is remarkable that he managed to leave such a recording legacy.

[Chuck Nessa]

Can't believe anyone equates PJJ with AT. No dis to AT, BUT.......

[alppila]

This LP is damned good.

[Cliff Englewood]

This LP is damned good.

It most certainly is.

[clifford_thornton]

Can't believe anyone equates PJJ with AT. No dis to AT, BUT.......

I wasn't equating their sound, more the fact that I "like" them an equal amount. YMMV.

[Bluesnik]

Taylor a few years later really sounded good to me

i like Art Taylor.

This is a great topic for a thread. Philly Joe and Paul Chambers! What incredible music they made together.

i think it's basically the (first) quintet with Miles and perhaps also the trio with Red Garland plus the quartet with Trane.

[John L]

This is a great topic for a thread. Philly Joe and Paul Chambers! What incredible music they made together.

i think it's basically the (first) quintet with Miles and perhaps also the trio with Red Garland plus the quartet with Trane.

Take a look at some of the other albums listed here. Some of my very favorite Philly Joe + Chambers is on the Sonny Clark Trio (Blue Note) and Kenny Dorham's Whistle Stop.

[Shrdlu]

Philly Joe was the top hard bop drummer in my book. When I was just getting into jazz, I always looked to see if he was the drummer. I love the Sonny Clark Trio session (Two Bass Hit). What about Gone, Gone, Gone from the Porgy and Bess sessions. Elmo Hope's great trio sessions for Blue Note had Philly Joe. Lee Morgan's, The Cooker, was outstanding. Of course, Workout and Another Workout are outstanding. Everybody Digs Bill Evans with Philly Joe. Didn't Bill Evans consider Philly Joe his favorite drummer?

You'd have to include Art Blakey at the top too.

Bill Evans did say that Philly Joe was his favorite drummer. That surprised me, because I didn't hear that until recently, and I had assumed that Paul Motian, with his delicate touch, would have been more to Bill's taste. Getting the Verve box set put things more into perspective, because it includes a late 50s session with Philly Joe (and Paul), and, particularly, a large number of tracks from about 1968 where Bill had Philly Joe in his trio. I also saw Bill on TV, from the 70s, and once again Philly Joe was on drums - and I wasn't expecting that.

[AndrewHill]

Funny enough, I was just looking at Gil Evans' 'New Bottle Old Wine' on World Pacific and saw that there is a single cut that includes PJJ and PC recorded on May 2nd, 1958: does anyone know why that's the case? There's eight cuts total and the entire album appears to have been recorded in NYC from April 9th to May 26th 1958. Was Philly Joe late or something? Paul and Art Blakey play on the other tracks.

[Shrdlu]

That's because Paul and Philly Joe were such a lousy rhythm section that when Gil heard them on the one piece, he made sure that it didn't happen again.