Don Sleet

[felser]

Through the kindness of a wonderful individual, I am listening to and digging the Don Sleet "All Members" album with Jimmy Heath and a hybrid of the Miles Davis rhythm sections of the time (1961 - Kelly/Carter/Cobb).  Marvelous album, but Sleet truly stands out.  I knew nothing else about him, but come to find that he played with Stan Kenton at like 16 years old, did recordings with Lenny McBrowne I need to track down, etc.  Any other thoughts on this marvelous but mainly forgotten musician?

[jlhoots]

Nice album. Great name.

[jazztrain]

Very nice album.  Hard to sound bad with a rhythm section like that.  I think I bought it originally for Wynton Kelly and was favorably surprised by Sleet.

Sleet didn't record much.  Apparently developed some bad habits.

 

[medjuck]

I don't remember why but  In 1965 this was the only jazz album my girlfriend owned.   Only reason I know about it. 

[clifford_thornton]

funny enough, the boyfriend of someone I knew had this as just one of a few jazz albums too -- alongside a Monk and a Coltrane as well. Kind of an obscure choice if you ask me.

[sidewinder]

Must be a cult !

[felser]

It's a really good album.

[JSngry]

51 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

Must be a cult !

or a trail....???

[Peter Friedman]

I have greatly enjoyed this album for many years.

[JSngry]

Did you obtain it from Sleet or one of his buddies himself? Just wondering if there's a pattern to any of this newly discovered evidence.

[Bill Nelson]

Don's brother, Al, was a professional weather forecaster. 

 

[paul secor]

Don Sleet's All Members was an Album of the Week about ten years ago:

Here are my comments from back then:

"Don't like being a killjoy, but I've never had as high a regard for this session as most others who have written about it on this thread.

Don Sleet's playing has its moments, but too often he falls back on Miles-isms, or his facility wins out over the feel of the music.

The other musicians on the date, with the exception of Wynton Kelly, sound somewhat disinterested. It may have been a group that came together in the studio for the first time. I find Jimmy Heath's playing particularly disappointing. Someone else has commented on the poor quality of Ron Carter's arco playing. Someone at the session should have taken his bow and broken it in two - only halfway serious about that.

Don Sleet's playing certainly had potential. Who knows what might have happened if he had stuck with the music?

To my ears, All Members isn't a bad record, but it's not really a good one either."

 

I sold my copy years ago and don't regret doing so.

 

 

[mikeweil]

He can also be heard on the two albums by Lennie McFrowne & The Four Souls.