Garnett Brown (Trombone) general discussion, and ?'s re: his tune "Bachafellen"

[Rooster_Ties]

I don't have a ton of recordings with Garnett, but then again, he didn't record as much as I wished (in the 60's in particular).  He turned 30 in 1966 (born in 1936, and he's still with us, I think - or at least Wikipedia thinks he is).  Love, love, LOVE his tone on the front line of Booker Ervin's 1966 album Heavy!!! -- and 'heavy' describes his tone and approach perfectly.

That album opens with what must be Garnett's signature tune (unless I’mI unaware of anything else he wrote that got as much traction) -- "Bachafillen".

He also recorded it (live) with Thad & Mel in 1967, and a they seem to have kept it in their book for a time, revisiting it in later years (iirc). The liners to the Thad & Mel disc I have (from '67) says Garnett did the big-band arrangement for them too (not surprisingly).

But last night I noticed for the first time, that the Jazz Crusaders also recorded "Bachafillen" way back in 1964(!).  And to the best of my knowledge (more, my recent Googling), Garnett never played with the Jazz Crusaders back then(?) - or at least he never recorded with them back then(?) -- but I am seeing he did play with/record with The Crusaders later, in the mid-70's. 

He's also in the band for a number of larger-group things I have (Tolliver (2x), Turrentine, Duke Pearson (2x-3x), Lou Donaldson, and several others).

But other smaller-group settings where he really shines -- other than Booker Ervin's Heavy!!! (probably his ne plus ultra appearance on record) -- include Herbie Hancock's The Prisoner, and Frank Foster's Manhattan Fever, and Jack Wilson's Easterly Winds.  Looks like he's also on Roland Kirk's, Slightly Latin, which I must have as part of that huge 10CD Kirk box (which I really should break out more often).

Oh, and he's also on George Russell's Outer View.  And I have one of those semi-recent semi-pro Euroboots (on 'Gambit') with two different live sets of Russell (in Bremen and Paris, 1964), with some WONDERFUL Garnette Brown (tons of soloing, iirc) -- 8 tracks, 78 minutes, everyone gets to stretch out -- heck of a nice document actually (for what it is).  And I kept it especially because of the Garnett Brown factor.

QUESTIONS:

• What other albums does he really get to shine on as a soloist?
• Any other good live documents of him in a smaller-group context?
• What's the story on "Bachafillen" having been recorded (without him!) by the Jazz Crusaders in 1964?
• Why didn't he get the chance to record more, in more small-group settings (in the 60's in particular)?  He's SUCH a strong soloist.  I guess it was a combination of the times (jazz sales falling off after 1965), and -- oh yeah, he played trombone.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Rooster_Ties

[mjazzg]

he definitely shines on this

[JSngry]

His brains were on fire with Heiner Stadler.

[Rooster_Ties]

23 minutes ago, JSngry said:

His brains were on fire with Heiner Stadler.

Oh yeah, that's right!  I saw Brains on Fire on the list in Garnett's discography, but I thought (*misremembered*) he was just part of that enormous German big band that's on just a couple long tracks (is that the NDR big band? - I'll have to look when I get home).

But I'm seeing now he's part of several of the smaller-group tracks (including a couple more tracks from Stadler's Retrospection companion-compilation to Brains).

Totally forgot he's more prominent on this material -- a full 45-minutes worth between both those releases, from what I'm seeing on Discogs.

Edited September 18, 2018 by Rooster_Ties

[sidewinder]

He’s actually on this live small group recording with Dizzy -

The one time I saw him was in a Dizzy Gillespie Reunion Big Band trombone section (along with George Bohannon, if I remember correctly). This was after Dizzy had passed. I was wondering what the connection was, until I saw this.

Thinking about it, that band had Billy Root in the tenors, Art Farmer and Bobby Bryant amongst the trumpets and Al McKibbon on bass. Those were the days !

Then in the 1970s, recorded with Billy Cobham..

Edited September 18, 2018 by sidewinder

[JSngry]

47 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Oh yeah, that's right!  I saw Brains on Fire on the list in Garnett's discography, but I thought (*misremembered*) he was just part of that enormous German big band that's on just a couple long tracks (is that the NDR big band? - I'll have to look when I get home).

But I'm seeing now he's part of several of the smaller-group tracks (including a couple more tracks from Stadler's Retrospection companion-compilation to Brains).

Totally forgot he's more prominent on this material -- a full 45-minutes worth between both those releases, from what I'm seeing on Discogs.

If I'm remembering right, he was on the same cuts as Tyrone Washington?

or was he on the cuts with Joe Farrell?

[Rooster_Ties]

From Brains on Fire (the expanded 2CD version), Garnette is on disc 1, track 1 -- and disc 2, track 4 (the very last track):

"No Exercise" - 12:15

Bass – Reggie Workman

Drums – Brian Brake 

Piano – Heiner Stadler

Tenor Saxophone – Tyrone Washington

Trombone – Garnett Brown

Trumpet – Jimmy Owens

 

"The Fugue No. 2" (Take 1 / Original Master) - 13:49

Bass – Barre Phillips

Drums – Joe Chambers

Piano – Don Friedman

Tenor Saxophone – Joe Farrell

Trombone – Garnett Brown

Trumpet – Jimmy Owens

 

And then from Retprospection, he's on tracks 1 & 3:

 

"The Fugue #2" (Take 2) - 12:37

(same line-up as 'Take 1', right above -- with Joe Farrell)

 

Pointed - 6:15

(same line-up as "No Excuse", up above, with Tyrone Washington)

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by Rooster_Ties

[JSngry]

That's an interesting collection of players.

About what earlier connection to the Crusader camp he might have had, Whiskypedia says the he studied Film Scoring and Electronic Music at UCLA. Doesn't say when, but hey, that's as good a guess as any?

[optatio]

Garnett Brown on tracks 3-4, 6-11:

BOOKER ERVIN: BOOKER ' N' BRASS. PACIFIC JAZZ 7243 4 94509 2 9 [1998]

[relyles]

Does he solo on the Duke Pearson recordings?

[optatio]

VILLAGE VANGUARD LIVE SESSIONS # 2. LRC CDC 9012 [1990]

[optatio]

Solos on "Bachafillen" and "Bei mir bist du schoen":

The Booker Ervin Sextet – Heavy!!! Prestige PR 7499 Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo US 1967 00:00 A1 Bachafillen 08:11 A2 You Don't Know What Love Is 16:51 A3 Aluminum Baby 21:48 B1 Not Quite That 29:39 B2 Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen Bass – Richard Davis Drums – Alan Dawson Piano – Jaki Byard Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin Trombone – Garnett Brown Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Jimmy Owens Recorded in NYC, September 9, 1966.

Edited September 18, 2018 by optatio

[Rooster_Ties]

I've never heard any of those Village Vanguard jam sessions (from 1967), but I think there's some CD reissue of part of them that includes "Bachafillen"(!) -- but I can't seem to find an on-line (streaming) upload of it to sample.

Anyway, are those V.V. jam-session things from '67 worth tracking down?  (I seem to think I remember reading mixed reviews of them -- none especially negative, but most saying they are pretty loose.)

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Anyway, are those V.V. jam-session things from '67 worth tracking down?

Tracking down, yes. Paying a whole big lot for, no. But at a good price, yes, definitely.I like the one with Chick/Richard Davis/Elvin, not as much for the horn players, but just to hear those three hook up.

But yeah, they gots the Garnett (who frankly seems a bit of a one-trick pony sometimes to me with his one thing. But only sometimes). And they does have good Joe Farrell, which is not a thing I seem to find as much as many do.

Yo dawg - carpe cheapum: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000001W43/ref=tmm_acd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=

[Bill Nelson]

What Jim said.  The most happening tracks are the two Garnett's with Joe Farrell (not Pepper Adams), Elvin (not Mel Lewis), and Marvin Stamm in place of Dizzy.*  This group plays with a vigor and energy lacking on the tracks with Dizzy (which All Music's Scott Yanow notes "some loose and rambling moments".

Label honcho Sonny Lester rivals Richard Bock for tricky editing and re-packaging onto other Solid State LPs and subsequent CDs on Blue Note and Lester's own LRC label.

I've got three of the four such LPs which include Garnett Brown: Vols. 1, 2, and 4 (Solid State 18027, 18028, and 18052).  I didn't need to buy SS-18034 from the same date, titled 'Dizzy Gillespie Live at the Village Vanguard' because two of the three selections are from SS 1027 and 1028.  A fine mess, yes? 

* released on vinyl in 1969 as 'Jazz For A Sunday Afternoon' SS-18052

[Rooster_Ties]

So on those 1967 VV tracks, what's the lineup on the version of "Bachafillen"?  I could had sworn I saw it was the group with Chick (on Discogs), but the 3-disc set Jim linked to on Amazon seems to imply it's Thad & Mel. -- ???

(Cuz a version of the group with Chick covering that tune would be more interesting to me, than another Thad & Mel Orchestra version.)

[Bill Nelson]

I've got the Jones-Lewis' 'Live at the VV' recording of 'Bachafillen' on the original Solid State LP (SS-18016, 1967) and CD (Blue Note-EMI, 2005).  It runs 7:07 mins.

[Rooster_Ties]

21 minutes ago, Bill Nelson said:

I've got the Jones-Lewis' 'Live at the VV' recording of 'Bachafillen' on the original Solid State LP (SS-18016, 1967) and CD (Blue Note-EMI, 2005).  It runs 7:07 mins.

Thanks.  Can you check who the players are listed specifically on that track?  (Thanks in advance!)

[Rooster_Ties]

Some nice Garnett here (Track 6 of Frank Foster's Manhattan Fever), and he gets the first solo too.

Maybe it's the style of the context he's in here specifically (somewhat driving, with static harmony and an incessant ostinato - a combo that's nearly always a winner with me), but this track has always been a standout from this CD.

 

Edited September 19, 2018 by Rooster_Ties

[Bill Nelson]

The rhythm section is Roland Hanna, piano, Sam Herman, gtr., Richard Davis, and Mel.  To paraphrase the liners:Thad solos on flugel, then Garnett rips it up for 96 bars, Roland finishes it and then ensemble kicks for 8 bars to set up Joe Farrell's tenor solo continuing until Thad's return of the theme and then... it's all horns on deck blowing until...whoosh... into a quiet held chord.  

 

[Rooster_Ties]

1 minute ago, Bill Nelson said:

The rhythm section is Roland Hanna, piano, Sam Herman, gtr., Richard Davis, and Mel.  To paraphrase the liners:Thad solos on flugel, then Garnett rips it up for 96 bars, Roland finishes it and then ensemble kicks for 8 bars to set up Joe Farrell's tenor solo continuing until Thad's return of the theme and then... it's all horns on deck blowing until...whoosh... into a quiet held chord.

Ah, so *not* the version of the band with Chick.  But neither exactly a traditional Thad & Mel big band sort of thing either (yes, them - but not a larger group then).

And guitar, interesting.

[Daniel A]

There might be a misunderstanding. Bill seems to be referring to the Thad/Mel big band recording. The "Sunday Afternoon" version of Bachafillen (which I haven't heard) is 15 minutes long and has, according to Discogs - Corea/Elvin/Davis:

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Jazz-For-A-Sunday-Afternoon/release/2922467

And as noted, it only seems to be included on the Blue Note CD reissue. 

[Rooster_Ties]

2 hours ago, Daniel A said:

There might be a misunderstanding. Bill seems to be referring to the Thad/Mel big band recording. The "Sunday Afternoon" version of Bachafillen (which I haven't heard) is 15 minutes long and has, according to Discogs - Corea/Elvin/Davis:

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Jazz-For-A-Sunday-Afternoon/release/2922467

And as noted, it only seems to be included on the Blue Note CD reissue. 

Ah yes. I've got that BN issue of the Thad-Mell *Big Band* - with the tune.

But good to know the 'Sunday Afternoon' version is w/ Corea/Elvin/Davis. Very much of interest to me, not enough to pay $30 or more for. But I'll set up an auto-search on eBay, and see if it doesn't turn up for more like $15 in the next few months. Thanks!!

[Daniel A]

The version (as Baca Feelin') on LRC (vol 3, presumably included in the 3CD set Jim linked to above) indeed seems to be a version with the Thad/Mel big band, but different from the one on Solid State SS-18016. 

 https://www.discogs.com/Thad-Jones-Mel-Lewis-Big-Band-Village-Vanguard-Live-Sessions-3/release/6496174

According to Discogs (admittedly no solid source, but probably collected from the CD) it was recorded in 1970.

[Rooster_Ties]

This source, among other things, mentions that Garnett and Booker Little had some connection at some point (would have had to have been prior to Little's passing in Oct '61).  Some other potentially interesting threads to pursue.  I wonder if this event was recorded??

https://www.livemusicmovement.com/young-adult-perspective-on-trombonist-garnett-brown/