Hal McKusick 45!

[DrJ]

Dusty Groove (the BASTARDS!) had an item too good to pass up, so it's now in the mail to me:

Hal McKusick Quartet:

"Ambrose (Just Keep On Walking)" b/w "You're Everywhere"

From the Web site of one Jerry Osborne, who calls himself "Mr. Music:"

DEAR JERRY: If I have a 'Hound Dog' expression it's because I've been up 'In the Still of the Nite' 'Wondering' about a song. 'Yesterday' me and some 'Friends' were discussing some of 'The Old Songs', when I brought up one that I remember from my teen years (late '50s).

It has a girl asking a guy, whose name I think is Sydney, questions like: “Why do we have to walk through a subway tunnel,” etc. No matter what her question, his answer is always “Shut up and keep walking.”

I've tried and tried to come up with the name of the song, but I give up. Any ideas?

—Al, via the Net.

DEAR AL: You are on the right track (subway, that is), though there is no Sydney in this musical adventure. The determined fellow marching underground is named Ambrose.

Thus, the title is “Ambrose (Part 5).” Ambrose's willing but curious hiking mate is Linda Laurie, the credited artist. This late 1958 recording made the Top 60 in early '59 (Glory 290).

Don't read anything into the “Part 5” reference. It means nothing and there are no earlier Parts.

Besides the Linda Laurie original of “Ambrose (Part 5),” Glory hedged their bet by releasing an instrumental of “Just Keep Walking (Ambrose)” on Glory 292, just two numbers later, by the Hal McKusick Quartet.

At the same time, guitarist Jimmy Valentine put out a marvelous cover of “Just Keep Walking (Ambrose),” which didn't chart” but received considerable air play, as did its flip side, “Rockin' Hula” (Cub 9024).

Though the instrumentals do not have anyone doing Linda Laurie's part, they do have the Ambrose character occasionally saying “Just Keep Walking.”

Linda's sequel to “Ambrose (Part 5),” a 1959 issue, is titled “Forever Ambrose” (Glory 294). In this adventure, Laurie and Ambrose are cuddled up — not in a subway — discussing such timely topics as her family's shame over not owning a color television.

********************

I'm a McKusick nut - big fan of his playing, WAY, way underrated as a soloist - so for that, and the fact this whole story seemed like good pop fun, had to have it (6 bucks seemed reasonable). But has anyone heard it who can comment on the musical merit? Dusty Groove claims the b-side is a ballad with some very nice McKusick alto work.

Edited February 17, 2004 by DrJ

[Chuck Nessa]

Geez!! This is all news to me. Please post a review after playing it.

[brownie]

I'm a McKusick nut - big fan of his playing, WAY, way underrated as a soloist - so for that, and the fact this whole story seemed like good pop fun, had to have it (6 bucks seemed reasonable). But has anyone heard it who can comment on the musical merit? Dusty Groove claims the b-side is a ballad with some very nice McKusick alto work.

I'm with you on McKusick. Brilliant soloist AND brilliant arranger. His 'Jazz Workshop' RCA album is one of my very favorite records.

The man made a half-dozen albums which are all excellent an innovative.

Also interested in finding out about that 45!

[DrJ]

Both sides are nice, albeit very brief (2 1/2 minutes apiece). McKusick plays pretty alto, never sounded more similar to Paul Desmond than here in my opinion in terms of his tone (I've heard some comparisons and never really felt they were that similar, but on this single I'll make an exception, though I'm sure it was parallel development and not a mutual influence thing).

The A-side opens with a gravelly, Miles Davis-ish voice saying "Just keep walking" and then for the remainder is a relaxed, vaguely R&B inspired saunter, where he stays pretty close to the admittedly catchy melody.

The B-side is my favorite, a very slow ballad with a good melody on which McKusick is more harmonically interesting in his solo. Both this one and the A are over WAY too soon.

I can't find any listing of who's in the rhythm section anywhere on the Web. The bassist is the most worth listening to - propulsive, and some eye-opening note choices here and there, although also out of tune in spots. Vaguely Milt Hintonish sound, wouldn't be surprised if it's him. The drummer literally could be a metronome - no distinguishing marks here. Pianist has an unfortunate predilection for very unsubtle and out of place block chords - Brubeck's touch on a bad day, but without the intelligence or humor, a bad combination.

Recording quality is fine, with a minimum of reverb, although I'd be surprised if this wasn't a primarily pop record (rather than jazz session) engineer. The copy of the single I bought is in good condition, with more surface noise on the A-side (sounds like it was well-loved at least for a time).

All in all, very much worth 6 bucks, fun stuff.

Edited February 23, 2004 by DrJ

[Larry Kart]

McKusick fans might want to check out altoist Allan Chase's two interesting albums on Accurate -- "Dark Clouds with Silver Linings" and "Phoenix." Now dean of faculty at the New England Conservatory (and husband of talented singer Dominique Eade), Chase sounds a good bit like McKusick at times, though he told me that he didn't hear McKusick's music until he'd worked out his own thing and that the player he tried very hard to emulate when growing up was Gary Bartz! Also, don't miss that McKusick on OJC with Paul Chambers, Charlie Persip, and Eddie Costa. It's a little later than and a little different from the RCA material.

[DrJ]

Thanks for the tip Larry, never heard of Chase...for others intrigued by this prospect, both of the Chase albums Larry mentions are carried by Cadence, for around $12 (they list the label for PHOENIX as "Jazzproject," in case you're doing a search on their Web site).

[Late]

I've been on a McKusick kick recently (which only means listening repeatedly to the two discs that I have McKusick on), and was thinking about future purchases (ugh — but in a good way). I have the RCA Jazz Workshop at the top of my list, and was wondering what you all thought about this one:

McKusick and Russell together ... what a combination. It bothers me that this music is often referred to as "cool chamber jazz," but, what the hell, I can forget about that and enjoy the music. I don't hear any chambers.

[brownie]

The McKusick 'Jazz at the Academy' is one of my favorite album, along with the RCA Jazz Workshop LP. It's as cool as fire under ice. And there's a lot of joyous music in that Coral album. Plus the perfect rhythm trio of Barry Galbraith, Milt Hinton and Osie Johnson. Just note that this sounds like a studio date with audience sound added. One tune says it, out of this world...

McKusick did not record enough albums under his name but there is not a bad one in the lot and several are plain masterpieces. Beside the Academy and the Workshop, there is the East Coast album on Bethlehem with the same group as the Academy date, the RCA 'Twentieth Century Drawing Room' with a string quartet, the Coral Hal McKusick Quintet (with Art Farmer and Eddie Costa), the Prestige/New Jazz 'Triple Exposure' (with Billy Byers and Eddie Costa) and last but not least the Decca 'Cross Section Saxes', all original and perfectly conceived and executed dates. McKusick was one of the most original voices to emerge in an era where innovation was something of a common trademark, what with people like George Russell, Jimmy Giuffre, Gil Evans, Johnny Carisi all at their creative peak.

[Bill Nelson]

Agreed on all except '20th Century Drawing Room'.

Too precious and effete -- make that lightweight and lame.

Listen first before pulling trigger.

[mikeweil]

I hold McKusick in high esteem, he was the ideal player for the sophisticated arrangements on those George Russell and Teddy Charles dates.

I have the Decca/GRP compilation, and the Fresh Sound LP reissues of the Bethelehem and RCA LPs, and love 'em all - even the stuff with the string quartet.

What was the label and number of that single, BTW? Bruyninckx does not list it, only a Coral single with different titles by the "Key Men", and I'd like to pass on the information.

[DrJ]

mikeweil

Posted on Mar 28 2004, 06:25 PM

What was the label and number of that single, BTW? Bruyninckx does not list it, only a Coral single with different titles by the "Key Men", and I'd like to pass on the information.

Label: Glory, number: 292

Edited March 28, 2004 by DrJ

[Late]

Cross-Section Saxes is being reissued (in Japan)!

[DrJ]

Late Posted on Oct 8 2004, 01:01 PM

  Cross-Section Saxes is being reissued (in Japan)! 

Yes, Late, I saw that during a recent visit to Dusty Groove's Web site! I'm very excited about this!

Did you also see they listed a QUARTET title for McKusick as an upcoming release? I'm not sure but I'm assuming this must be his Bethlehem date, which I already have. I keep hoping I'm wrong and they made a typo and mean to say his QUINTET on Coral is going to be issued too - but probably it's the Bethlehem.

One last McKusick issue/question - has anyone heard the material on Savoy he's a part of? It's listed as part of a compilation but I can't find anything about whether he's just in the sections or if he is leader/solos/etc.

OK, I lied - one more thing, as of the other day at least Dusty Groove was listing another copy of the "Ambrose" 45 for sale...

Edited October 29, 2004 by DrJ

[DrJ]

Thanks for posting that info!