Graas is Greener

The notoriously difficult French horn was an unlikely vehicle for jazz performance. But Julius Watkins and the lesser-known John Graas, above, used the modified brass hunting instrument very effectively in the swinging genre. Photographer unknown

This offering comes from an eBay two-fer sale that had a pair obscure John Graas recordings for one low price. A sucker for a bargain, I bid on and won the two discs, one of which is featured here. What did I know about Mr. Graas before I won the auction? Aside from his name, very little.

Turns out Graas studied with Lennie Tristano, that most pedagogic of pedagogues, did concert tours with Stan Kenton and got his start with the pioneering big band of Claude Thornhill. He also gigged with the Indianapolis Symphony and played under Serge Koussevitsky at Tanglewood in the Berkshire Mountains. As you might suspect, he was classically trained and incorporated classical influences into many of his jazz compositions. A Third Streamer he wasn't, but he occasionally crossed that line. He was also Metronome magazine's poll-winner in 1955 in their Miscellaneous Instruments category. The French horn was indeed a miscellaneous ax in those days. Maybe today, too.

So here's John Graas' first Decca release, the initial album in their "Jazz Lab" series, a project they hoped would "act as an incentive for young writers and jazz men to create more individually and freely than ever" (can you imagine a mainstream label embarking on such an endeavor today?). The company claimed that music students could write to Decca for the sheet music to many of the tunes heard here. For the price of a couple of stamps, fans could get copies of John Graas' lead sheets, which seems like a very thoughtful service. Wonder if they actually ever did it?

Included in the ensembles here are the cream of the West Coast's jazz crop – Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Enevoldsen, Dave Pell, Curtis Counce, Don Fagerquist, Howard Roberts, and many others. The music, I confess, is a bit academic in places, a bit too classically conceived for my taste. But some of the other compositions are delightful swingers, and the soloing is top-notch throughout. Mr. Graas himself is especially effective. 

These files, as always, were created right from the original 61-year-old vinyl. A word of warning – there's a bit surface noise throughout Nothing too distracting, but it's there occasionally. I think the music will overwhelm whatever minor aural deficiencies are there. Enjoy!

Jazz-Lab-1
John Graas

John Graas, fr hn, arr; various groups including Herb Geller ("Bert Herbert"), as; Bob Enevolden, tbn; Dave Pell, ts; Jimmy Giuffre, Ronny Lang, bar; Marty Paitch, Claude Williamson, p; Red Norvo, vbs; Howard Roberts, g; Curtis Counce, b; Larry Bunker, d.
November 28, December 12, 1955; January 9, 1956; Los Angeles, CA; Decca DL 8343

1. Minor Call (Graas)
2. Mozartesque (Graas)
3. Le Chasse
4. Friar Tuck (Graas)
5. Canon Ball (Graas)
6. Pick Yourself Up
7. Andate (Graas)
8. Allegretto (Graas)
9. Softly the Horn Blows
10. Lighthouse 6/4 (Graas)

Find it here: https://www.mediafire.com/?029qp6r634y27ms

Pick of the Pickers

That's Mr. Babasin in the back row with the specs. It's the Tiffany Club in Los Angeles, May of 1952. The other participants you recognize, with perhaps the exception of pianist Donn Trenner who is obscured by vocalist Helen Carr. Photo by William Claxton

Here's a side I just acquired a few weeks ago. There's a story that goes with it, and I know you're not surprised to hear that.

I live in the foothills of New York's fabled Catskill Mountains and, while it's still quite rural, it's not quite as remote as when I moved here 30 years ago. One thing we have a lot of is vacant or abandoned houses, and there was one right down the road from me. It was a nice clapboarded bungalow, empty for a number of years – until this summer. A young couple from New York City bought it and have been working to put it back into shape (and succeeding very nicely). 

They dropped by one afternoon for a meet-and-greet and, while touring through my humble abode, they noticed all the vinyl around the place. "Are you into records?" asked the young lady. "Yes, you could say that," was my reply. "Well, the previous owner of our house left lots of old records in the garage. What kind of music do you like?" "Me? Oh, jazz mostly," says I casually. "I think they are jazz records – isn't that right, Albert?" The husband assayed that it was so. "Would you like them? You can have whatever you want," says she.

A few hours later, there was a knock at my front door (nobody ever comes to the front door) and there stood my new neighbor. "Here are a few of the records that I could grab. I'll get the rest once we clean out the rest of the stuff in the garage," she said. "Are these any good?" I took a look.

Among the pile were an RCA X label 10" rural blues record, ultra rare, a Riverside 10" "Origins of Jazz" EP with Furry Lewis' first recordings, and the record that is the subject of this posting. Needless to say, I was very pleased.

Harry Babasin was an institution on the West Coast in the 1950s, a bass player who worked steadily both in and out of the studios. He did many sessions as a sideman for Lester Koenig's Contemporary label, but also recorded with the great Oscar Pettiford, both of them plucking cellos. He plays cello here, this time with swing jazz legend Red Norvo joining him on vibes.

For this LP, the second of three albums produced by the Babasin/vibes collaboration – the "Jazz Pickers," he called them – the group features Norvo, who would later be replaced by Terry Gibbs. Red Wooten is the bass player (Babasin sticks with the smaller instrument) and Bill Douglass plays drums. Harry's discovery, Dempsey Wright, plays guitar. Wright would record his own album later in 1958, displaying great talent as a jazz guitarist, and then promptly disappeared from the scene. He supposedly moved to Little Rock and lived there happily ever after.

So here is some long-garaged vinyl, courtesy of my new neighbor. I hope to acquire other treasures from the former owner's stash before long, and I will certainly share any gems that turn up with all of you. As always, these files were ripped from the original LP, with only a little cleaning up of the sound. 

Command Performance
The Jazz Pickers
Mercury SR 60126

Harry Babasin, cello; Red Norvo, vbs; Dempsey Wright, g; Red Wooten, b; Bill Douglass, d.
Hollywood, CA; 1957

1. Stinger
2. Someone to Watch Over Me
3. Eyein' the goof
4. Lester Leaps In
5. Blues for Bill
6. Evening in Azerbaijan
7. Bagatelle
8. My Ideal
9. Petite Rondeau

Find it here: https://www.mediafire.com/?kd2e9fk4wjh2dhs

Greetings of the Season

Happy holidays to one and all of Gems' visitors. Here's a souvenir from the heyday of swing, given to me by a jazz friend a few decades back. I don't know where he got it, but he knew lots of musicians so I suspect it may have come from one of them. I know most of the 28 signatories (I think there's 28), but I don't know all of them. Who's Sonny Kendis? Or Basil F-something? If you know, fill me in. In the meantime, best wishes for the season, and prosperous New Year to all of you from all of us here at Gems!