Vinnie Burke

[Joe]

OK, I have to admit, prior to today, just a name to me. But I'm listening to the Costa/Burke trio record (Josie, 1956) for the first time in a long time today and I'm totally getting why Burke received co-leader billing. His opening solo on "Fascinating Rhythm" alone merits as much.

I can totally hear a guitarist's sensibility in his work, but I feel the need to listen more closely now. Will probably pull out those "with strings" sessions he did with Mulligan next. What else is out there/does the board recommend?

 

[Larry Kart]

1 hour ago, Joe said:

OK, I have to admit, prior to today, just a name to me. But I'm listening to the Costa/Burke trio record (Josie, 1956) for the first time in a long time today and I'm totally getting why Burke received co-leader billing. His opening solo on "Fascinating Rhythm" alone merits as much.

I can totally hear a guitarist's sensibility in his work, but I feel the need to listen more closely now. Will probably pull out those "with strings" sessions he did with Mulligan next. What else is out there/does the board recommend?

 

I've always thought that Burke was to some degree inspired by Oscar Pettiford.

[sgcim]

Look for "The Fuerst Set" and it's sequel, "The Second Set" by The Tal Farlow Trio with Costa and Burke. Burke started off as a guitarist, but hurt his hand when working as an airplane mechanic and had to switch to bass. The highlight is Costa's solo on "Yesterdays".

Burke also put out two albums under his own name on ABC, "The Vinnie Burke All-Stars" (again featuring Costa plus Jimmy Raney and Joe Puma), and "Strings Jazz".

Burke is also featured on the duo piano LP with the terrible John Mehegan, and the great Eddie Costa. It's under Mehegan's name.

Like Dick Garcia, Burke became a Zen Buddhist.

[Joe]

Thanks all!

Yes, I can hear the Pettiford as well. But Burke's sound, at least here, is "guttier" (not, like, more gutsy, but with more string audible.)

Remembering now that he's also on Gil Melle's GIL'S GUESTS.

[mjzee]

He's also on this, which I picked up not too long ago from an Organissimo member:

 

And he's on this, which may not be your cup of tea if you don't like vocalists:

[jazzcorner]

More of Vinnier Burke here:

Edited March 18, 2020 by jazzcorner
scan added

[Big Beat Steve]

I'd second the recommendations by sgcim and jazzcorner (I have all the albums mentioned except "Strings Jazz").

Burke (with Costa again) also is on another album by Mike Cuozzo: "Mighty Mike Cuozzo" - Savoy MG-12051

And he also was a key member of the Marian McPartland trio (see reissues on Savoy).

[jazzcorner]

More on the Verve albums (not yet mentioned)

 

[jazzcorner]

Re Vinnie Burke.

There is more to discover after I made a little reserch. If you have a "Lord's" you can look the additional editions up.

If more Interest is here here  I can make a little list.

Edited March 18, 2020 by jazzcorner
tect correction

[JSngry]

Yes, forgive me for taking a few minutes to shake the cobwebs loose and realize that this is not Vinnie Bell we're talking about.

[Joe]

Nice. Forgot about those Cuozzo records!

I'm also hearing echoes (pre-echoes) of Charlie Haden on that Costa date... I'm guessing it's just the guitarist's sensibility coming through. But it was not something I was expecting to hear!

[Justin V]

I heartily recommend Bass by Pettiford/Burke.  It was a smart decision by someone to pair those two sessions together for reissue.  Otherwise, that Burke session might have been unjustly forgotten.  The Burke session sounds ahead of its time.  

I also enjoy The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow.

[Big Beat Steve]

1 hour ago, Justin V said:

I heartily recommend Bass by Pettiford/Burke.  It was a smart decision by someone to pair those two sessions together for reissue.  Otherwise, that Burke session might have been unjustly forgotten.  The Burke session sounds ahead of its time. 

I am not sure if this can be called a "reissue" in the proper sense of the term. BCP-6 was released by Bethlehem (as a sort of second pressing, I'd say) back during the period in the 50s when everthing shifted from 10" LPs to 12" LPs. So they used these two sessions to fill one 12" LP.
I don't think the Burke session ("East Coast Jazz No. 2" - originally on BCP 1010) would have been forgotten all the way. It was reissued as a facsimile LP (though in 12" format) by Fresh Sound in the 80s. Measly playing time but nice and well-presented reissue - and full sound. And at the same time the Pettiford session from BCP-6 (originally on BCP 1019) was coupled by Affinity in the UK with the Pettiford 10" session from BCP 1003 on the "Quintet and Nonet - Oscar Rides Again" LP (AFF 160).

Edited March 18, 2020 by Big Beat Steve

[Stonewall15]

17 hours ago, sgcim said:

Look for "The Fuerst Set" and it's sequel, "The Second Set" by The Tal Farlow Trio with Costa and Burke. Burke started off as a guitarist, but hurt his hand when working as an airplane mechanic and had to switch to bass. The highlight is Costa's solo on "Yesterdays".

Burke also put out two albums under his own name on ABC, "The Vinnie Burke All-Stars" (again featuring Costa plus Jimmy Raney and Joe Puma), and "Strings Jazz".

Burke is also featured on the duo piano LP with the terrible John Mehegan, and the great Eddie Costa. It's under Mehegan's name.

Like Dick Garcia, Burke became a Zen Buddhist.

Why do you consider John Mehegan "terrible"?

[Joe]

Hip!

 

[sgcim]

3 hours ago, Stonewall15 said:

Why do you consider John Mehegan "terrible"?

It's the same problem whenever two players of the same instrument record or play together. You tend to compare them, because they immediately follow each other's solos.

Compared to Costa, Mehegan swings like a rusty gate. It wouldn't be as noticeable if he were just playing in a trio without another pianist, but on this album, he sounds pretty sad compared to Costa, a very swinging, percussive, exciting pianist.

[Bluesnik]

The Farlow trio with Vinnie Burke and Eddie Costa is one of my favourite guitar trios. They recorded often and I think some of the albums in the Farlow Mosaic feature that trio. Plus the Fuerst and Second set mentioned before. Those were private recordings, coupled and put out by Fresh Sound or some of that Spanish labels.

And I also got that Jubilee album mentioned before. It was reissued as a CD sometime in the late 80s or early 90s by Fresh Sound

Edited March 20, 2020 by Bluesnik

[Joe]

4 hours ago, Bluesnik said:

The Farlow trio with Vinnie Burke and Eddie Costa is one of my favourite guitar trios. They recorded often and I think some of the albums in the Farlow Mosaic feature that trio. Plus the Fuerst and Second set mentioned before. Those were private recordings, coupled and put out by Fresh Sound or some of that Spanish labels.

And I also got that Jubilee album mentioned before. It was reissued as a CD sometime in the late 80s or early 90s by Fresh Sound

Thanks! I confess that this is a Farlow group I know little about. Fixing that!

 

[Bluesnik]

5 hours ago, Bluesnik said:

The Farlow trio with Vinnie Burke and Eddie Costa is one of my favourite guitar trios.

It's, I think, the best trio Farlow ever had. It was put together for a job in a club and it was a working band.

Edited March 21, 2020 by Bluesnik
detail about club job added

[sgcim]

58 minutes ago, Bluesnik said:

It's, I think, the best trio Farlow ever had. It was put together for a job in a club and it was a working band.

Yeah, that was put together for a club in NYC called The Composer. I mentioned it to a piano player I used to work with, and he said that he met his wife for the first time when he was seeing the Farlow trio live at that club. Somewhere online, there's a recording of that great trio live at the Composer, playing a show for some War Bonds fund raiser, or something like that. I think Marian McPartland was also playing there with her trio.

[Larry Kart]

On 3/18/2020 at 3:01 PM, sgcim said:

It's the same problem whenever two players of the same instrument record or play together. You tend to compare them, because they immediately follow each other's solos.

Compared to Costa, Mehegan swings like a rusty gate. It wouldn't be as noticeable if he were just playing in a trio without another pianist, but on this album, he sounds pretty sad compared to Costa, a very swinging, percussive, exciting pianist.

Found this on the internet:

"My favorite Vinnie Burke story - he had a duo gig (Hickory House?) with theory maven/ pianist John Mehegan. Apparently Mehegan was an inveterate rusher, EVERYTHING would pick up and Vinnie was getting tired of holding the fort. So one night he decided to "go with the flow"; every time Mehegan would push the tempo, Vinnie would push it even more. By the time they got to the head out, it's getting too fast for Mehegan to play so he turns over his shoulder and hisses sternly "You're rushing!" To which Vinnie, with a huge grin plasetered on his face, replies, "Yeah. How do you like it?"

 

[sgcim]

3 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

Found this on the internet:

"My favorite Vinnie Burke story - he had a duo gig (Hickory House?) with theory maven/ pianist John Mehegan. Apparently Mehegan was an inveterate rusher, EVERYTHING would pick up and Vinnie was getting tired of holding the fort. So one night he decided to "go with the flow"; every time Mehegan would push the tempo, Vinnie would push it even more. By the time they got to the head out, it's getting too fast for Mehegan to play so he turns over his shoulder and hisses sternly "You're rushing!" To which Vinnie, with a huge grin plasetered on his face, replies, "Yeah. How do you like it?"

 

Yeah, he should've stuck to writing his theory books.

[Bluesnik]

On 21/03/2020 at 1:20 AM, Bluesnik said:

It's, I think, the best trio Farlow ever had.

Well, I forgot the Red Norvo trio with Mingus, from an early phase in Farlow's career. That was terrific. Farlow, Norvo and Mingus!

On 21/03/2020 at 2:24 AM, sgcim said:

Somewhere online, there's a recording of that great trio live at the Composer

Ah yes? I didn't know that and I'd like very much to hear it.

[sgcim]

24 minutes ago, Bluesnik said:

Well, I forgot the Red Norvo trio with Mingus, from an early phase in Farlow's career. That was terrific. Farlow, Norvo and Mingus!

Ah yes? I didn't know that and I'd like very much to hear it.

https://crooksandliars.com/gordonskene/newstalgia-downbeat-tal-farlow-and-mar

[Bluesnik]

Thanks a lot.