Tone Groove

Lucky Thompson always had marvelous tone, a quality that made him instantly recognizable as a soloist. Could his reed's patented parallel tone grooves have been the secret? This ad from a 1957 edition of Jazz Today would have us believe it was so.

Whatever the case, here's Lucky demonstrating that tone on Triumph 904, a side recorded in New York in 1950 with Pritchard Chessman and Shahib Shihab on reeds, Ray Copeland on trumpet, trombonist Ted Kelly and a rhythm section of Ed Swanston, Peck Morrison and Al Walker on piano, bass and drums. Its title is "Coolin' for Collins," a dedication by Lucky to a local DJ. As always, this music was ripped from the (srcatchy) original 78.

Two Charlies

In a 1951 edition of Metronome magazine, King took out a two-page ad featuring two stars of jazz who used their product. The "Two Charlies" at the top of the spread refers to Bird, seen here, and tenorist Charlie Ventura who was featured on the facing page. But we know Bird also played the bigger horn. Whether it was a King is anybody's guess. Photo by Gems of Jazz 

The king of the alto saxophone played a King. So proclaims this ad from an old Metronome magazine. Of course, jazz fans know that Bird's horn was often a thing of the moment – if not a King, than any alto that was available, including – once in Toronto – a white plastic marching band horn. It didn't seem to matter what Charlie Parker used to play his music – the result was always the same. Genius.

But Bird didn't always play alto. With Earl Hines in 1942 he held down the tenor chair. To disguise his sound for contractual reasons, he also played the bigger horn on a date with Miles Davis in 1953 for Prestige. And here's Bird at an unknown club date some fifteen months before his tragic passing, soloing on tenor.

Two Charlies indeed!

Charlie Parker was playing tenor on this gig, probably from late 1953 in New York City. The photo appeared in the February 1954 edition of Metronome magazine, accompanying a squibb about a recent rerelease of some of his Dial material. Wonder whose horn it was? Photo probably by Bob Parent 

Sims Swings Sambas

A journeyman tenor player who, according to those who know, never played a false note. John "Zoot" Sims in the '70s, about a decade after he recorded for Colpix. Unknown photographer 

I never thought much of Zoot Sims in my early days of collecting, mostly because I'd never really heard him. There were no records available, or very few anyway. I was into Archie Shepp, Coltrane, Booker Ervin, Dolphy and Ornette – the avant garde. Their LPs were hard to find too, but Zoot was all but invisible when it came vinyl. In the early '70s anyway.

But later on – much later on – I met and got to know some dedicated veterans of the jazz life, and to a man they all worshipped Mr. Sims. One in particular, a tenor player who had worked in Lionel Hampton's big band and maybe in Kenton's too, never went anywhere without his case of Zoot records. This guy – Milt Hissler was his name – never really lived anywhere, camping in hotels mostly, on the road constantly, everything he owned fitting into several neatly packed suitcases. But he took the trouble to have Sims with him always. A real testament.

What inspired Zoot Sims' colleagues to hold him in such high regard? I suppose it was because of his selfless dedication to his art form, and to the unmatched quality and consistency of his work. A disciple of the President, Zoot was no "repeater pencil." His interpretation of Lester's laconic, endlessly inventive Kansas City choruses was his own. And because he was no enigma, more approachable than Lester could ever be, he attracted a following of those who would be like Basie's star soloist but who lacked the requisite talent (and that would be nearly everybody).

In the early '60s, an unknown kid named Paul Winter sold a lot of Columbia records with jazz in a style from Brazil called "bossa nova." Stan Getz picked up its cool, sophisticated slink and hit big on the pop charts with "Girl from Ipanema" in 1964. In between, Zoot Sims was enlisted in an effort to sell the "new beat" to jazz fans by a non-jazz label called Colpix.

An imprint of Columbia Pictures, Colpix featured pop artists, many of whom worked for the parent company in movies or on TV. The label's jazz output, though often of high quality, was minimal, and sales may have suffered due to somewhat indifferent jacket graphics and liner notes. But in August of 1962, Colpix invested heavily in a session by Zoot Sims, and the results were excellent. Classic Zoot: melodic, flawlessly executed and swinging.

Here are Vols. 1 and 2 of "New Beat Bossa Nova," a Zoot Sims release featuring arrangements by Manny Albam and Al Cohn (Zoot's musical alter-ego). Guitarist Jim Hall isn't mentioned on the front covers, but he deserves second billing – the albums feature him as much as they do Zoot. One LP consists of Brazilian originals, the other of familiar jazz and pop numbers given the samba treatment. Note that Zoot pays tribute to Lester with an unlikely bossa treatment of Prez's "Tickle Toe."

As always, these tunes were ripped from the original LPs with no enhancement other than a light cleaning up of minor surface noise.

New Beat Bossa Nova, Colpix CP 435

Zoot Sims, ts; Jim Hall, g; Spencer Sinatra, pic, fl, al fl; Phil Woods, cl; Gene Quill, cl, b cl; Ronnie Odrich, fl, cl; Kenny Burrell, g; Art Davis, b; Sol Gubin, Ted Sommer, Willie Rodriguez, perc; Manny Albam, Al Cohn, arr.
New York, NY; August 20, 1962

1. Recado Bossa Nova, Pt. 1

2. Recado Bossa Nova, Pt. 2
3. Cano Canoe
4. Contando a Orquestra
5. Ciume
6. Maria Ninguen
7. Sem Saudades de Voce
8. Barquinho de Papel 

New Beat Bossa Nova, Vol. 2, Colpix CP 437
Zoot Sims, ts; Jim Hall, g; Jerry Sanfino, fl; Spencer Sinatra, pic, fl, al fl; Phil Bodner, fl; Sol Schlinger, b cl; Ronnie Odrich, fl, cl; Barry Galbraith, g; Milt Hinton, b; Sol Gubin, Ted Sommer, Willie Rodriguez, Tommy Lopez, perc; Manny Albam, Al Cohn, arr.
New York, NY; August 1962

9. Bernie's Tune

10. Poquito Cantando

11. Tickle Toe

12. Lonesome Road

13. Instant Samba

14. They Call the Wind Maria

15. Lover Come Back to Me

16. Nature Boy

17. Reaching for the Moon

18. Don't Fool with Love

Find it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?uj86i0yyb44znlv

Jukebox Jazz: Tenors

The year is 1953, it's July and it's hot in New York City. Especially in your third-floor walk-up aprtment in a Harlem brownstone at 129th and Fifth Avenue. Too hot to even hang out on the stoop. So you stroll four blocks down to 125 and slide into the Lenox Lounge around the corner. They've got air-conditioning, cold beer and, best of all, a hot jukebox. The sides aren't the latest, and they're a little worse for wear – especially the hits – but each one jumps more than the last. You drop a nickle in the slot, punch up A-12, and straddle a stool at the bar as the opening chords to "Robbin's Nest" fill the room. That feels better!

I've been collecting 78 rpm records since about 1970, and sometimes I like to think of them in context. Like the scenario above. Perhaps one or two of these sides actually was in a jukebox in a joint in Harlem, or on South Central, or Cottage Groove and Indiana. So, since the warm months are coming up, I thought it might be nice to assemble a set of lounge-type sides for your summer listening. Each tune features a tenor player – though not always as the leader. They all come from the decade 1944 to 1953, so they mostly qualify as bop-inflected jump blues, precursors to rock 'n' roll. There are some stellar moments, like Lucky Thompson's accompaniment to Lips Page's vocalizing and Georgie Auld's soprano work on "Heaven." And then there's 26-year-old Billy Taylor comping with an organ player while John Hardee takes a chorus – unusual to say the least!

Some of these recordings are available elsewhere, but most are not. You can find the McVeas and Jacquets if you look, but the Ben Webster sides (actually a Tony Scott date) are real rarities (they feature Sarah Vaughan and Dizzy Gillespie). So you may decide this jukebox set is worth your downloading efforts. When the temperature hits 90 degrees, they may be just hot enough to cool things down.

As always, these tunes have been ripped from the original discs with only a bit of sound cleaning. Be forewarned that there is some surface noise.

(Personnel, dates and labels are included with the download.)

Illinois Jacquet
1. Robbin’s Nest
2. Jacquet’s Mood
3. Blow, Illinois, Blow
4. Illinois Blows the
5. Jacquet Bounce
6. Jumpin’ at Apollo
7. Jacquet in the Box
8. Jacquet and Coat

Georgie Auld
9. Airmail Special
10. Here Comes Heaven Again

Lucky Thompson
11. The Lady in Bed
12. It Ain’t Like That
13. Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good to You?

Ben Webster
14. All Too Soon
15. Ten Lessons with Timothy

John Hardee
16. Take the A Train
17. The Bug

Eddie Lockjaw Davis
18. Chihuahua
19. I Only Have Eyes for You

Jack McVea
20. Don’t Blame Me
21. O-kay for Baby
22. Play It Over
23. My Business Is C.O.D.

Find it here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/bw5humdjklh9en5/Jazz_Jukebox_Tenors.rar

Jack McVea and his jumping band, including drummer Rabon Tarrant (next to Jack who is opening the bus door), about to embark on a tour to promote their Black & White hit, "Open the Door Richard." Photo from "Harlem of the West: Fillmore Jazz Era"

Skies of America

It was a bright, beautiful day in the late spring of 1983 when Ornette Coleman was also given the keys to Hartford, CT. Yes, that's right – Hartford. I don't know why they did it either, but Prime Time played and it was wonderful. Photo by Gems of Jazz 

Did you know that September 29 was Ornette Coleman Day? In Fort Worth it was, back in 1983 .

Fort Worth, Texas, is Ornette's home town, and on that day he was there to celebrate the opening of the Caravan of Dreams, a newly-renovated performing arts complex located downtown on Houston Street. The project of billionaire philanthropist/financier Ed Bass, the Caravan housed a theater, dance studios, a recording facility and a desert garden under a geodesic dome (the precursor of Bass' "Bioshpere" experiment). The center's focus was on "the creation of new forms of music, theater, dance, poetry and film," and Ornette fit the bill perfectly. His music was chosen to be performed at the Caravan's launch. And as a result, the city's mayor proclaimed the day be named in Coleman's honor. 

The former Caravan of Dreams, now a restaurant, B&B and shops. The rooftop garden can be seen on the left, the geodesic dome just visible on the right. Photo from fortwortharchitecture.com 

The gala included a performance of Ornette's new string quartet (dedicated to Buckminster Fuller), a set by his electric band Prime Time and a full reading of his symphony, the epic "Skies of America." The latter was performed as a sort of dialogue between Prime Time and the Fort Worth Symphony, the way Ornette had originally intended (and not the way it was reconfigured for the Columbia Records album from 1972).

A jazz journalist friend of mine was in the audience for "Skies of America," and he managed to record the entire 85-minute performance. He shared that tape with me, and now I'm sharing it with you. The sound quality isn't the best, but it's as good as you'd expect from a lap-held stereo cassette recorder. The piece is extraordinarily dense, with rich textures and startling juxtapositions – and you even get to hear the guys in Prime Time take solos. If you're familiar with the Columbia LP release of "Skies of America," this is a very different animal. It uses the familiar "Theme from a Symphony" motif (from "Dancing in Your Head") but also relies heavily on the melody of "All My Life" (from "Science Fiction") which I don't recall hearing in the recorded version. As far as I know, this was only the second time "Skies" was performed live (the first was at Newport in New York back in 1972 or '73) and it was the only time it was played in full.

A seminal work, and one I believe is destined to achieve repertoire status with symphonies around the world (though that may take a few years). Also included, by the way, is a 1985 interview with Ornette where he endeavors to explain his harmelodic theory. Fun!

Skies of America, private recording

Ornette Coleman, as, vi, tp; Bern Nix, Charles Ellerbee, el g; Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Albert MacDowell, b; Sabir Kamal , d; Denardo Coleman, d, syn; Fort Worth Symphony orchestra.

Opening of the Caravan of Dreams performing arts center

Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX; September 29, 1983

1. Skies of America, pt. 1  46:21

2. Skies of America, pt. 2  40:21

Ornette Coleman, guest; Tim Page, host

Meet the Composer radio program, WNYC, New York, NY; May 22, 1985

3. Interview  17:58

Find it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?z6a462u20wbkv86

Jazz West Coast

The Gerry Mulligan Quartet performing on stage at Stockton High School's auditorium in November 1954. Mulligan left New York in the early '50s and helped to define the sound of West Coast jazz. From left, Chico Hamilton, Red Mitchell, Mulligan and Jon Eardley. Photo by William Claxton

A friend of mine used to trash West Coast drummers. He thought the "cool" sound from California was pure white bread, regardless of the ethnicity of its players, and it was his firm belief that West Coast rhythm sections were the pantywaists of jazz. He was a former student of Lee Konitz, so I would get out of the way and let him talk.

But it's true that those mid-'50s rhythm players from San Francisco and Los Angeles had a lighter sound. Chico Hamilton especially. Of course, when you compare a drummer to Max Roach, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes and the rest of the boys back east, he can't help but sound wimpy.

So here's a sampler that offers a snapshot of West Coast playing in 1957, the year the east-west debate was at its most passionate – and silliest. It's the third in a series of LPs issued by Pacific Jazz on the very limited Jazz West Coast imprint. I'm including only Vol. III even though I have Vol. II because III is all previously unissued material (I unfortunately don't have Vol. I). I believe most of these tunes remain unissued to this day.

There is some excellent playing on this vintage disc – Gerry Mulligan's sinewy sextet for starters, and Art Pepper's pre-downward spiral altoing. Check out Jim Hall's "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" with Carl Perkins, too. I think Jim's playing a Les Paul on it, if you can believe that.

My West Coast-disdaining pal would have ripped Bud Shank's "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" – the one real lightweight on the record. And "Sweet Georgia Brown" comes close with Bob Cooper's annoying oboe. Those ex-Kenton boys picked up some bad habits working with Stanley.

The cover of this album is more classic kitsch. Frothy surf surging under a bright blue sky, an emerging diver in a wet suit with speargun and – a trumpet? Jamming with the fishes perhaps. Richard Bock, Pacific Jazz's bossman, was responsible for the concept. It's another Claxton pic, by the way.

As always, the music is ripped from the original vinyl with only a gentle cleaning of pops and clicks. 














Jazz West Coast III, Jazz West Coast JWC-507
(Full personnel listed on cover included with download)

Gerry Mulligan Sextet, featuring Zoot Sims, Bob Brookmeyer
Stockton, CA; November 12, 1954 
1. There Will Never Be Another You  5:34

Chico Hamilton Quintet, featuring Carson Smith
Los Angeles, CA; October 26, 1956
2. Mr. Smith Goes to Town  2:57

Bud Shank Quartet
Los Angeles, CA; November 7, 1956
3. Polka Dots and Moonbeams  3:35

Art Pepper Quartet, featuring Pete Jolly
Los Angeles, CA; July 28, 1956
4. Old Croix  4:24

Chet Baker Sextet, featuring Art Pepper
Los Angeles, CA; July 28, 1956
5. Little Girl  4:15

Russ Freeman-Chet Baker Quartet
Los Angeles, CA; 1956
6. Love Nest  4:53

Bud Shank-Bob Cooper Quintet, featuring Howard Roberts
Los Angeles, CA; November 29, 1956
7. Sweet Georgia Brown  4:40

Jim Hall Trio, featuring Carl Perkins
Los Angeles, CA; January 24, 1957
8. Things Ain't What They Used to Be (alt. take)  5:44

Phil Urso-Bob Burgess Quintet, featuring Bobby Timmons
Los Angeles, CA; October 18, 1956
9. Too Marvelous for Words  3:44

Russ Freeman-Bill Perkins Quintet, featuring Bud Shank
Los Angeles, CA; February 15, 1956
10. Brother Can You Spare a Dime  4:43

Find it here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/4ej57c9cg0v2oer/Jazz_West_Coast_III.rar

Inimitable Delineator of Blues

In one of the boxes were five 12-inch acetate discs carefully stored in custom-made brown paper sleeves. A ten-sided mystery: What was on these vintage transcription recordings? Photo by Gems of Jazz

Six or seven years ago, I got a call at the radio station where I work. The caller wanted to know if I'd be interested in a bunch of old records that a relative had left her. She said they were jazz records. "What kind of jazz records?" I asked. "The kind that break," she said. "The real old kind. I don't think you can play them anymore." I said I'd come take a look.

This sort of thing happens with some regularity. People know me as the jazz record guy at the station, and when they want to clean out those old records in the basement or attic, they call me. Occasionally I pick up some interesting sides, but usually it's a 35 pounds of mildewy Lester Lanin, Al Hirt, Martin Denny and Ping-Pong Percussion albums. Not that there's anything wrong with those, but I'm a jazz guy. So I usually make nice, offer many thanks and quietly donate their stuff to the local library book sale.

But not this time.

In this lady's basement were three big, dusty cardboard boxes. In the boxes were probably 300 78 rpm discs. That's usually a bad sign – think Vic Damone, Patti Page, Kay Kyser, Mario Lanza. But the first shellac platter I pulled out was a Sonny Stitt on Roost. The next one was by Gil Melle, a 12-inch Blue Note, and the one after that was by Cyril Haines on red-label Comet. Who the hell was Cyril Haines? My palms were starting to sweat.

It turned out that this lady's relative had been a disc jockey and entertainer in the '40s from somewhere out west. She wouldn't tell me much about him, but she said he was a jazz guy. I got the sense she didn't like him much and that's why she was getting rid of his stuff. A purge. And I was the beneficiary.

When I got the boxes home – carefully! – I spent half a day going through them, marveling at what they contained. Here was a stack of Charlie Barnets on obscure labels like Derby and Abbey. An ultra-rare Floyd Smith, one of the first electric guitarists out of Kansas City. A Coleman Hawkins with Hawaiian guitar accompaniment. Johnny Hodges on Norgran. Even a Duke Ellington/Bing Crosby match-up! Crazy!

But there was one set of discs that intrigued me. I saved them for last. They were five big, 12-inch acetate records, the kind that were used back in the '40s for making one-off recordings. These discs were cut on both sides and had no information on them other than a number label – 1 through 5. They had been carefully kept in brown-paper envelopes that had been handmade by the previous owner. The platters were unnaturally cool to the touch.

I put one on the turntable and dropped the needle. What came out of the speakers was the echo of a place and time gone sixty years. It was a radio broadcast – an aircheck.

It turns out that these five discs captured in real time a 40-minute remote from a nightclub in downtown Chattanooga. The host/emcee was a fellow named Eddie Taliaferro – the very same gent the lady mentioned as I loaded her boxes into my car. They had been his records and now that was his voice. Shivers!

Viola Wells (also known as Viola Underhill) worked as "Miss Rhapsody" for a decade from the mid-'30s to the mid-'40s. Photo from "Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925-50" 

But why had he carefully preserved this broadcast? Perhaps because it had been an early brush with fame. The featured performer for evening's floor show was blues singer Viola Wells – known professionally as "Miss Rhapsody." The date for the broadcast was probably spring or summer 1945, and Miss Rhapsody was a rising Savoy recording star. Her big number was "Hey, Lawdy Mama," and she was on a tour of the Southwest. Big-time New York talent had come to little old Chattanooga. Eddie dug her and wanted to save the moment.

So what you hear in this offering is a previously unknown live performance by Miss Rhapsody, doing all her hits. While she is obscure today, in her time she was a huge attraction at Harlem's Apollo Theater and one of the great female interpreters of jump blues working the TOBA circuit.

But there's more. What you will also hear is what it was like to play a one-nighter in a tank town with a pick-up band and an all-night drive to the next gig waiting once the show was over. The Brown Derby, the club hosting the broadcast, was a joint in a funky part of Chattanooga habituated by gamblers, prostitutes and hustlers. The house band – the "Brown Derby Orchestra," Eddie calls them – flubs its way through the book, dishing up clams, dropped notes and bleats while suffering severe intonation problems. But Rhapsody rises to the occasion, carrying the boys along, unfazed. She's seen it all before – a real pro. You can't help but admire her.

Also on the recording is a number by a member of the floor show – a "Miss Dodo." Not bad, and she could dance. And then there are the ads – including one for ladies' "lawn-jer-ee." Priceless artifacts of a bygone era.

So here is the complete 10-sided transcription, heard for the first time since it was originally broadcast some 65 years ago. The sound is scratchy in places, but I think you'll be able to overlook the imperfections ...

In 1944 Viola Wells – "Miss Rhapsody" – was a rising star in the world of black entertainment. Not long after this ad appeared in Billboard magazine, she was on the road performing across the Southwest, and appearing at the Brown Derby in Chattanooga. From Billboard magazine 

Miss Rhapsody at the Brown Derby Radio aircheck

Viola Wells ("Miss Rhapsody"), v; Brown Derby Orchestra (unknown tp, as, ts, p, b, d);
"Miss Dodo," v*; Eddie Taliaferro, emcee.
Brown Derby Lounge, Chattanooga, TN; Spring or summer 1945

1. Intro/Swamp Fire (inst.) 00:00
Leap Frog (inst.) 00:44
If It Ain’t Love* (part 1) 03:04
2. If It Ain’t Love* (part 2) 00:00
Chop Chop (inst.) 01:18
Commercial (partial) 03:25
3. Bye, Bye, Baby 00:18
Christopher Columbus (inst., part 1) 03:14

4. Christopher Columbus (inst., part 2) 00:00
Wham 01:51
Commercial (partial) 

5. My Lucky Day (partial) 00:25 

6. Swingin’ at the Brown Derby (inst., part 1) 00:00 

7. Swingin’ at the Brown Derby (inst., part 2) 00:00
Hey, Lawdy Mama 02:15
Commercial (part 1) 04:05 

8. Commercial (part 2) 00:00
C-Jam Blues (inst.) 00:28
Wham (partial) 03:23 

9. C-Jam Blues (inst., partial) 00:00
St. Louis Blues 00:55
Sentimental Journey (inst., partial) 02:50 

10. Evening (partial) 00:16 Evening (partial) 00:16

Find it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?1ooj0k1wd244t24