Paul Gonsalves

[ghost of miles]

Today I listened to the legendary Ellington-at-Newport-'56 performance of "Crescendo and Diminuendo in Blue," for the first time in a couple of years. I played it for my wife, who had never heard the famous 27 chorus Paul Gonsalves solo, and hearing it again whetted my desire to seek out more Gonsalves. The only CD I have with him as a leader is ELLINGTONIA MOODS AND BLUES--any other recommendations that fall outside of his work with the Ellington orchestra?

[pryan]

The only Gonsalves as a leader (well, co-leader anyway) that I have is his Impulse! date with Sonny Stitt entitled, SALT AND PEPPER. Nothing too earth-shattering but a nice date nonetheless with Hank Jones in the piano chair. 'Perdido' and 'Stardust' are the only tunes that I can recall at the moment. If you buy the 1997 re-issue (I think that's the year), you also get an added Stitt quartet session, NOW!, also with the aforementioned Jones. It's a nice bonus date.

[mikeweil]

The Impulse twofer CD "Tell It The Way It Is" that also includes "Cleopatra - Feelin' Jazzy" is very nice, in spite of the movie soundtrack reference. Fine sidemen and good sound.

I also recommend his OJC/Jazzland album "Gettin' Together" with Nat Adderley, Wynton Kelly, Sam Jones and Jimmy Cobb: Great to hear him in such an advanced hard bop setting, and he is in top form!

He can be heard to good advantage on quite a number of Ellingtonia albums, but I consider the Impulse and Jazzland albums to be his top work. Now if he only hadn't been drinking that excessively ....

[Chuck Nessa]

Paul's best stuff is with Duke, he knew how to present him. Favorites are the Fantasy date called "DE and his Orchestra featuring PG". This must be an OJC. Another great performance is on an old Columbia lp called "All American in Jazz". This was on cd from France some time ago and includes a PG feature titled "I've Just Seen Her" which is any price you have to pay.

[king ubu]

One more for "Tell It The Way It Is", the Stitt collaboration and especially "Gettin' Together" (I think this is one of very few albums of an Ellington musician with a non-Elligton (hard-bop) line up. And Gonsalves could do this better than probably expected - a great record!

And the Chess Clark Terry CD also had attached as a bonus, "Cookin' " (by Gonsalves with Terry). Another recommenden one.

ubu

[Brad]

Here's another vote for Tell It the Way It Is. There's also another album that's not uniquely is but that he has a major part in and that's the album Diminuendo, Crescendo and Blues from the C-Jam Allstars. It's a pretty fantastic album.

Edited May 1, 2003 by Brad

[John L]

In my opinion, Some of the very best Gonzalves is on the Duke Ellington private sessions box. That 8-CD box used to sell for an outrageously low price of some something like $25. I don't know if it is still around. But any Gonzalves fan should make a serious effort to seek it out. Mex is even featured on tracks that are usually Hodges vehicles, for example on my favorite Ellington composition: In a Sentimental Mood.

[catesta]

Here's another vote for Tell It the Way It Is. There's also another album that's not uniquely is but that he has a major part in and that's the album Diminuendo, Crescendo and Blues from the C-Jam Allstars. It's a pretty fantastic album.

I second this recommendation.

I never played it much when I first bought it, but I now really enjoy it.

[paul secor]

Paul Gonsalves plays on Clark Terry's Duke with a Difference (Riverside/OJC) recording, which features Ellington (and Strayhorn) material performed by Ellingtonians in a relaxed small group setting. My favorite Gonsalves on this is his solo on "Cottontail".

[JSngry]

The "Dimenuendo..." interval in the original ELLA AND DUKE AT COTE AZUR" is mind boggling, as is "Happy Reunion" from the TOGA BRAVA SUITE album. There are many, MANY reasons for pursuing the Ellington live documents, and catching Gonsalves at moments like these (and others) is one of the better ones.

Another vote for TELL IT LIKE IT IS - "Body & Soul" from that album is so out that it's in, or vice versa. The rest of the album is pretty badass too.

Absolute MOST favorite Gonsalves moment though has to be "Naidni Remmus" from the Musicmasters NEVER-BEFORE-RELEASED RECORDINGS (1965-1972) disc. Whoa....................

[jazzbo]

All these are solid recordings, worth getting for Gonsalves or not! I agree with Chuck et al that his best work IS with Duke. By the way, there's ten of the Private Recordings and all are worth getting even though Paul isn't all over all of them).

I love the music on the Cote D'Azur box set, and one highlight is Ella scatting up against Paul's playing. . . wow.

[Chuck Nessa]

Black Lion issued a dandy lp called It Don't Mean a Thing (etc) with Gonzalves, Earl Hines, Al Hall and Jo Jones. You should hear them negotiate Over the Rainbow.

[P.D.]

Gonsalves on the Uptown / Betty Roche take on the "A " Train

and for laughs, his Body and Soul on the Ellington Cosmic Scene wher he beats Dexter at the quotation game..

If you want to hear him do Body and Soul.. the afore mentioned Wonderful World of Jazz by John Lewis is the place to go.

[JSngry]

The last few years I've been hearing some underlying tonal, harmonic, and rhythmic similarities between Gonsalves and Lockjaw Davis, similarities that are every bit as strong as their obvious differences. What gets me is how these two are such obvious admirers of Ben Webster, and do the Ben thing without really sounding like Ben at all. That's the way it should be done!

And what is it about aome tenorists who delve into the Websterian tonal pallate that makes them prone to such harmonic outness? Here again, Jaws and Gonsalves are prime examples - what they do to changes sometimes defies any logical explanation. It's as if Ben's malleable tone opened up something in them that allowed them to take it one step further, from just bending and worrying a note to actually coming up with some new pitches outside the chord.

Go figure. And check out LOVE CALLS.

Edited May 6, 2003 by JSngry

[Chuck Nessa]

I think it comes from Byas.

[P.D.]

Go figure. And check out LOVE CALLS.

Now thats an ALBUM... wqhere the hell is the CD reissue??

Part was on the Bluebird.. I} know... But part is not enough.

[Bright Moments]

just picked up this puppy and boy is it smokin'! B-)

[Big Wheel]

Doon't have as much Ellington or Gonsalves as I should but the sickest Paul for me is the solo he takes on A Train--the 1952 version with Betty Roche, on Ellington Uptown. That ballad interlude (to say nothing of the subsequent burning section or the overall arrangement) is gorgeous!

Edited August 9, 2004 by Big Wheel

[brownie]

Listened to the Soryville reissue of 'Clark Terry And His Orchestra Featuring Paul Gonsalves' this weekend. The second track of this CD highlights Paul Gonsalves doing interesting variations on 'Pannonica', the Monk composition. Rather unusual feature for Gonsalves. He was doing all right!

The CD has an alternate - and slightly longer - take of this!

The one and only Chris Albertson wrote the liner notes to the Storyville CD reissue.

Edited August 9, 2004 by brownie

[wolff]

Paul's best stuff is with Duke, he knew how to present him. Favorites are the Fantasy date called "DE and his Orchestra featuring PG". This must be an OJC.

Take the A Train and Happy-Go-Lucky-Local are my favs from this OJC

Another vote for his Impulse date, Tell It The Way It Is . I like 2 or 3 numbers and it's a nice small group session.

Any comments on one titled(I think), The Pittsburg Pirate Meets The Mexican Bandit. I never played it much, so I sold it. Seems like there was another take on Body and Soul that was very good.

Edited August 9, 2004 by wolff

[JSngry]

The second track of this CD highlights Paul Gonsalves doing interesting variations on 'Pannonica', the Monk composition. Rather unusual feature for Gonsalves. He was doing all right!

Yeah, you hip to his take on "Windows"? Somebody (I suspect Stanley Dance) renamed it "Ugh"

But it sure is nice!

[brownie]

The second track of this CD highlights Paul Gonsalves doing interesting variations on 'Pannonica', the Monk composition. Rather unusual feature for Gonsalves. He was doing all right!

Yeah, you hip to his take on "Windows"? Somebody (I suspect Stanley Dance) renamed it "Ugh"

But it sure is nice!

Not hip to that 'Windows'. What's this?

[JSngry]

It was on a Doctor Jazz LP called NEW MOOD INDIGO. The group was a Mercer Ellington Setet. 1-5-66, w/Chick on piano. It's a brief (2:56) take by just the quartet of Paul, Chick, Aaron Bell, & Louis Bellson.

The date and the nature of the recording make me wanna think that this is the very first recording of Chick's classic, and that it might have come very shortly after he wrote the song. almost as if he asked for a moment to get a reference tape of this new song he'd written.

No matter, it's short but sweet.

[montg]

up.... I was just listening to David Murray (Octet plays Trane), which reminded me how great Gonsalves was (not a knock on Murray, btw).

[mikeweil]

There's also another album that's not uniquely his but that he has a major part in and that's the album Diminuendo, Crescendo and Blues from the C-Jam Allstars. It's a pretty fantastic album.

Yes!

But to me the biggest surprise on that one was German pianist Carlos Diernhammer, whom I had never heard of. He does a great job in Duke's place!