Tell Us How Much You Love Ernie Henry

[Larry Kart]

If, as the evidence suggests, Monk liked Henry, that's all I need to know. Not sure what you mean by Jackie's facade, though. He came at us more or less naked on many occasions viz: on "Help" from "Jackie McLean and Co."

[JSngry]

Jackie was never too high to play, which at times must have been a facade. EVERYBODY is too high to play sometimes, if they get high, that is.

In Jackie's case, I don't mean facade in at all a negative way. I mean it as a tribute to his strength of character to be able to play on all of those record dates. I can't think of any where he's not all there. 

[Rooster_Ties]

On 7/28/2022 at 4:22 PM, JSngry said:

I like this one. no make that love it.

 

That can’t be Monk soloing at 4:50 — is it really?

Not seeing this album listed as a sideman-date in this Monk discography either (though I realize Wikipedia ain’t shit sometimes)…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelonious_Monk_discography

On mobile and at work, so clearly I need to do some more digging on this one.

[Mark Stryker]

39 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

That can’t be Monk soloing at 4:50 — is it really?

Not seeing this album listed as a sideman-date in this Monk discography either (though I realize Wikipedia ain’t shit sometimes)…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelonious_Monk_discography

On mobile and at work, so clearly I need to do some more digging on this one.

That's Wynton Kelly on "All The Things You Are"

[Larry Kart]

I've long been fond of "Two Horns, Two Rhythm" with Henry and Kenny Dorham -- they made a fine team. Drummer Was G.T. Hogan, bassist I don't recall but he was a good one.

P.S. Alternating bassists were Eddie Mathias and Wilbur Ware. Whole album is on YouTube.

[sgcim]

On 7/30/2022 at 3:06 PM, danasgoodstuff said:

You're being too kind to the truly clueless reviewing here.  Wasn't it Tynan who referred to 'Trane and Dolphy at the Village Vanguard as 'anti-jazz'?  And Williams thought that the tape splices he heard on In a Silent Way were simply editing mistakes, not intentional choices.  They should've both been fired.  Ernie plays the way Ernie plays, deal with it.

George Barrow told me Eric Dolphy told him he played OOT on the flute on purpose to imitate the sounds of the the African flutists he had heard. George knew Eric very well, and played baritone sax on "Blues and the Abstract Truth". Eric was a consummate musician, and proved he could do whatever the musical situation called for.

[sgcim]

On 7/28/2022 at 4:22 PM, JSngry said:

I like this one. no make that love it.

 

Ernie sounds fine on this album and the other one, but pretty weak on the "Presenting" "Checkmate" cut (a WITTCL contrafact).

Everyone has off days, or it could be they didn't tune the piano. Whatever. I have a much higher opinion of him from listening to the other two LPs.

[JSngry]

To be honest, I hear no meaningful difference, if any at all. The heads are a little fuzzy, but big deal, so many were. Besides, KD wasn't always married to 440 himself, if you know what I mean. 

[AllenLowe]

I liked and respected Martin Williams, but he could be a complete a-hole. Bad fingering? WTF did Martin know about playing the horn? Nothing. Dick Katz, who did a lot with Williams, told me his biggest flaw was his inability to admit he knew nothing technically about music. I began wondering about this myself when I read Williams describing the tune Woody 'n You as being "in a minor key." Wrong; it was in D flat major (and I hate when critics pull this crap; Gary Giddins described I'll Keep Loving You as being based on You Are Too Beautiful changes; complete nonsense).

Edited August 1, 2022 by AllenLowe

[Joe]

I like Ernie Henry very much. Wish there was more of his work to be heard.

Also, am I crazy/wrong, or is Henry one of the few boppers to play with vibrato? Listening to "Gone With the Wind" from the PRESENTING LP now and I'm definitely hearing something like at the end of some phrases.

[Gheorghe]

On 1.8.2022 at 5:01 AM, AllenLowe said:

I liked and respected Martin Williams, but he could be a complete a-hole. Bad fingering? WTF did Martin know about playing the horn? Nothing. Dick Katz, who did a lot with Williams, told me his biggest flaw was his inability to admit he knew nothing technically about music. I began wondering about this myself when I read Williams describing the tune Woody 'n You as being "in a minor key." Wrong; it was in D flat major (and I hate when critics pull this crap; Gary Giddins described I'll Keep Loving You as being based on You Are Too Beautiful changes; complete nonsense).

It´s too bad there are so few people over here, who know the changes of "Woody´n You". I love the tune and in general love bop tunes other than the rhythm changes or 12 bar stuff, okay, if rhythm changes, than in other keys, Ab, Eb, Db, but there is not a lot of jammers who got that.....I mean bop is not only "Anthropology" and "Billie´s Bounce", it´s those tunes based on other standards, like on "Lover Come Back to me" or what it is.....

[mrjazzman]

I love Ernie Henry for two reasons.  1. I have all of his recorded music.   2. He played in Dizzy Gillespie's Be Bop Big Band with my Dad (Elmon Wright) from 1948-50

[Larry Kart]

On 7/30/2022 at 7:49 AM, JSngry said:

Too often, intonation policing is the last refuge of a martinet.

Pitch is a tool, not an absolute

Even A440 itself wasn't always a universal constant. You can look it up. 

 

Ernie Henry addendum: "Jazz By Gee" (Riverside) -- the first five tracks find Henry with semi-forgotten but very good trombonist Matthew Gee (inspired in part by Bennie Green, with earthy echoes of  his own early influence Trummy Young), pianist Joe Knight, Wilbur Ware, and Art Taylor. There's a stunning Ware solo on "Lover Man" that all Ware admirers should hear. A satisfying date. Last three tracks pair Gee with Kenny Dorham, Frank Foster, Cecil Payne, Knight, John Simmons, and Taylor.

[Larry Kart]

Lover Man" from Matthew Gee's "Jazz by Gee," with a great Wilbur Ware solo.