Jon Hendricks - A Good Git-Together

[mikeweil]

I need to know what the exact personnel credits on the back cover of that album were. Discogs only has the front cover. I can't seem to find the original back cover on the web.

The music was, if the disographical sources I have access to are correct, recorded at three sessions, with the Adderley Brothers on the third. Since they were under contract with Riverside they appeared as "Blockbuster on alto sax and his brother on cornet". Obviously it is taken for granted that Cannonball plays all alto sax solos on this session Pony Poindexter was credited for alto sax and vocals on the other two, but is omitted from the third session. But the alto sax style I hear on the third session is not Cannonball, but Pony Poindexter - while researching Poindexter's discography during the last three months I have listened to most of his recordings and know his style very well, and in his autobiography he also writes about the tracks that were his feature numbers. The only Cannonball solo I hear is the opening theme on "Music In The Air".

As I said everybody seems to take it for granted that Cannonball is the soloist, but think this is wrong. They even changed the front cover for the 2006 CD reissue: 

On the cover, left to right: Gildo Mahones, Wes & Monk Montgomery, Pony Poindexter, Natt Adderley, Jon Hendricks, presumably Bill Perkins (who shook a tambourine on some tracks), Cannonball Adderley. 

Anybody with good ears is asked to listen and tell me what they think about the sax soloist, and anybody with the original LP please tell me what it says about the personnel for the tracks in question (my own discographical version below): 

Date: probably October 1959
Location: Fugazi Hall, San Francisco, CA
Label: World Pacific
A Good Git-Together

Jon Hendricks (ldr), Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley, Pony Poindexter (as), Nat Adderley (c), Wes Montgomery (g), Gildo Mahones (p), Monk Montgomery (eb), Walter Bolden (d), Bill Perkins (tam), Jon Hendricks (v)

a.		Music In The Air - 3:56(Jon Hendricks)
b.		Pretty Strange [lyric version] - 2:42(Randy Weston, Jon Hendricks)
c.		The Shouter - 5:02(Gildo Mahones, Jon Hendricks)
d.		Social Call [lyric version] - 2:20(Gigi Gryce, Jon Hendricks)
e.		Out Of The Past [lyric version] - 4:54(Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks)

All titles on:

World Pacific LP 12"WP-1283 — A Good Git-Together  Vogue LP 12"LAE 12-231 — A Good Git-Together  Pacific Jazz CD0946 3 69812 2 2 — A Good Git-Together  LoneHill Jazz CDLHJ10133 — A Good Git-Together  Jasmine CDJASMCD 2612 — A Good Git-Together - 2 Original Albums  Essential Jazz Classics CDEJC55482 — Wes Montgomery - Cannonball Adderley And The Poll Winners

Bill Perkins (tam) on c.

Solos:
a - Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley (as) Theme; Jon Hendricks (v) Theme; Pony Poindexter (as); Wes Montgomery (g); Jon Hendricks (v) scat; Gildo Mahones (p); Jon Hendricks (v) Theme
b - Jon Hendricks (v) Theme; Pony Poindexter (as) obligato
c - Jon Hendricks (v) scat; Pony Poindexter (as); Wes Montgomery (g); Gildo Mahones (p); Jon Hendricks (v) scat during fadeout
d - Pony Poindexter (as); Wes Montgomery (g)
e - Pony Poindexter (as); Wes Montgomery (g)

Edited August 24, 2018 by mikeweil

[Dan Gould]

I had the original LP and am pretty sure I have xeroxes of the back but I'd have to dig into the closet so if no one else is able to jump in I'll let you know what is on the back cover by the weekend.

[mikeweil]

Thanks!

[Bluesnik]

6 hours ago, mikeweil said:

They even changed the front cover for the 2006 CD reissue: 

I have the reissue you mention, but due to a home move five months ago I can't find it. I know exactly where it was in the old house, but it's not in the corresponding place in the new flat. I'll let you know as soon as I find it. Maybe it's still not unpacked.

Edited August 24, 2018 by Bluesnik

[Dan Gould]

Mike,

the back cover I have only has Jon Hendricks liners. 

I do see this:

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Git-Together-Jon-Hendricks/dp/B000H3097O

Which has the CD back cover with the assumed players but I don't think that's what you believe.

[mikeweil]

On 24.8.2018 at 7:56 PM, Bluesnik said:

I have the reissue you mention, but due to a home move five months ago I can't find it. I know exactly where it was in the old house, but it's not in the corresponding place in the new flat. I'll let you know as soon as I find it. Maybe it's still not unpacked.

I have that CD and know what the credits say, but my ears tell me differently - no need to turn your flat upside down to find it. 

 

On 24.8.2018 at 11:08 PM, Dan Gould said:

Mike,

the back cover I have only has Jon Hendricks liners. 

I do see this:

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Git-Together-Jon-Hendricks/dp/B000H3097O

Which has the CD back cover with the assumed players but I don't think that's what you believe.

Exactly. As I said I have that CD and know Hendricks' liner notes, which are the same on the LP and CD, but would like to know whether there are personnel credits on the LP.

Edited August 27, 2018 by mikeweil

[Bluesnik]

17 hours ago, mikeweil said:

no need to turn your flat upside down to find it. 

 

Thank you. I know you looked for the LP, but thought the CD might give some insightful information. Yesterday looking for it I came across a CD I recently looked up on Amazon with the intention of buying it up. Timeless Billy Eckstine on Savoy, which I "discovered" listening to Fats Navarro from the same series. I have wanted to know more about Eckstine for some time and didn't remember I had it still factory sealed from a long time ago.

Edited August 25, 2018 by Bluesnik

[mikeweil]

Up - can someone with ears to hear the difference between Pony and Cannonball please listen to that album?

[mikeweil]

Up again - can some good hearted soul with good ears please listen and help giving Pony Poindexter his solos back?

 

[king ubu]

@mikeweil Interesting ... like the album a lot, but I never gave the soloists much thought, just was aware of the mighty good bands.

But yeah ... not that familiar with Pony Poindexter, but very familiar with Cannonball (I used to play an entire book of transcribed solos of his 20 years ago and still am very familiar with his pet-licks, phrasing, intonation and stuff).

So indeed, the theme presentation in "Music in the Air" sounds like him, totally. The solo afterwards does not. And the intro fanfare has two saxophones, I am quite sure.

"Pretty Strange": only one sax here, I think? Hard to tell, but I'd rather not opt for Cannonball indeed.

"The Shouter": the first sax solo is by Jon Hendricks of course  - the second again doesn't sound like Adderley - check the rocking phrasing in that 2:13 to 2:16 phrase. No way that's Cannonball. The (what's the tune again?) quote afterwards (2:23 to 2:29) and again the very fluid phrasing from 2:36 on could be Cannonball, but the entire thing: nope! Who's that riffing behind Nat, just Hendricks, guitar and one sax, or do we have two again here?

"Social Call": again I think I hear only one sax in the backings of the opening theme? The solo again is clearly not Adderley - the licks thrown around here are pet licks, but not Cannonball's (and it sounds very much like the guy we just heard in the two tracks before, so there you go.

"Out of the Past": This one I find kind of hard to tell, but as with "Pretty Strange" I'd rather go with Poindexter, too. And if you're sure about it, that pretty much seems to seal it.

[mikeweil]

Thanks for your input - very much appreciated. Cannonball is so easy to recognize that more than that one theme would have given away his identity. As far as I know it was producer Richard Bock's idea to have the Adderley's as guests on the album, but he probably didn't want to stress his relationship with Orrin Keepnews too much. It seems there were no separate personnel credits on the back cover, just Jon Hendricks' liner notes mentioning all the musicicians but not detailing the solos. Every discographer and even Michael Cuscuna seemed to take it for granted that Cannonball was the star and took all the solos, but the collaboration between Hendricks and Poindexter was very close at the time, they had worked out all the arragements togther, using Pony's vocal and scatting abilities, and Pony wouldn't have given away all his solos.

Pony played an important role in Hendricks' show "Evolution of the Blues Song" and then joined Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross on Hendricks' initiative - there were tensions between Poindexter and Lambert at first but after a few scat cutting contexts and Pony complimenting Lambert to his close relationship to Charlie Parker (which both shared) they got along. It was Poindexter splitting after Yolande Bavan not having enough swing feel as a replacement for Annie Ross - Lambert probably felt the same. 

I found more inaccuracies  in the Poindexter discography, like a Josh White session where he played soprano on one track where all discographies list George Coleman on alto (!) - both Poindexter in his memoirs and Jon Hendricks in his liner notes to "Fast Livin' Blues" tell otherwise (Hendricks was present at the White session). Hendricks also mentions Freddie Green playing rhythm guitar on "Fast Livin' Blues" - another fact not listed in any discography. 

The main thing I learned in my discographical research is that you always should listen to the music yourself, and not just trust some files or internet sources. And always cross-check with another independent source.

Next I'll contact fellow discographer Noal Cohen what he thinks (he recently did a Wes Montgomery discography) to find out what he thinks. Credit to Pony Poindexter where credit is due.

Edited September 14, 2018 by mikeweil