1ll ndcrson is a good technici an wiU1 a ful.l Sun also has a positive quality, and Woes Pee f{e play s with blasting aggresiveness. is a take-off on Bye, Bye Blues changes :, Which ~!~ ;nelodic ideas here, un fortunately, are that romps. on wax Another surprise is Klemmer's warmth conversations 11orist j~ rntlier stale. j\br eu, a post-bopper , solos 10 a fiery, and melodic grace on Love . He plays this 1g satire rd-swinging manner on both tenor and fine old standard with imagination but re­ a Won. 113 praoo. He doesn't demonstrate much spect, sustaining an appropriate mood continued: ~~iginality, 'but his solos have momentum. throughout. Ballad playing of this caliber 1orn, he A good meat-and-potatoes album. is not what you'd expect, either, but there lCh hiin. -P ekar it is. trumpet• 'ith en~• Ocean is double-timed after the first eight. The rhythm section is very good frighte~ Willis Jackson here; it is also in fine fettle on Woes. e WOOd. TBLL IT . .-Prcsdgc 74'12: / Cm,' 1 S10/1 ,/nf Y ou: 0111:. Mini J11le/1; Ut, A 1..a:q Ri ver· Made up of veteran Chicago stalwarts, it ys corn. lA',,i,111' ,~J,/J Sy111J1/)(my Sia; 1·,111ge rine; Ebb gives Klemmer the kind of support he de­ Js. The lfft1•· D/11• Galer; Su rtl Lovt . serves . .1t quite p:r sonncl: F rank Rob insoo , trumpet; Jackson . tenor snxophon c; Carl · W/jl_son, org no; Pa<rick Christian stretches out a bit on Woes, ~ master .A~ata, gu 11ar; Jos eph B adrr cl drums. Ratin g: * * and has interesting things to say; his other solos are short and pithy, and he comps 0) Kush This music isn't nmcl I different from expertly. Guitarist Thomas is heard to >melhing some of the rock-and-r oll Instrumentals Cadill«e of tile 50s. Ja ckson's band I emiads me of good advantage on Sun and on his own ng qua]. the oroups Red Prysock and Rusty Bryant Will, a nice line. Jackson has a stunning ng quite Jind., tben. The arrangem ents are simple; arco solo on Wo es, and his fine tone and ,n Smile lb<i album's fealure ,is Jackso.n's tenor support contribute much. Campbell is a has be'. work. His p!aying is raw and .strong. He strong, driving percussionist. s ballad is not very invenlive - bUl then lie doesn't But this is John Klemmer's album, as . Maybe seem to be concerned mainly with playing it should be. He is his own man, and he fresh idens. Rather, he seems content to can truly play. He has listened well to vith the swing hard and get into a foot-tapping such as Sonny Rollins, but he is no copy­ :cells on groove, and this be accomplishes . ist. Listen well to him. It will be worth additionaldialogue bY l texture Though he is a mu ch rougher musician, your while, if you like good music . out on it's interesting to note that Jackson has -Morgenstern ng, roll­ clearly been influenced by Lester Young, lute and as his playing on Symphony Sid indicates. Pee Wee Russell-Red Allen Kush, a Azzara's spots are the album's best. He THE COLLEGE CONCERT OF PEE WEE RUSSELL AND HENRY RED ALLEN-Impulse BillEVANS is a fluent technician, and his improvisa­ A-913 7: JJ/ut /l'lo11k; I 11711111. cr l.iul , Girl; Dod y It was a private -corlversation. And ! steady, tions, though relatively complex , have a n11d Suul; P ee Wee' s lJ!ues; T ,ao Degroes Bast, highly personal. Bill Evans alone in smooth, flowing quality. I'd like to hear ['/,r oe Drs'r•t1 T!Vast; Grllfl11111io11 B/11, s . a room with 3 pianos: Conversations its. The Personn el: All en, 1rumpe1, vocnJ; ltuss e.ll, cl nr• electric him in a less frenzied setting. foer; St l! YC K uhn, J>iano; Charl ie H aden, b11ss; With Myself. Six years have passed. rich in An unprofound but entertaining LP. Marty Morell, drums. The dangling conversation is re­ t, but it -Pekar Rating : **** sumed. And the pianist speaks with Recorded at a concert-lecture at Mas­ even more authority now. The dia ­ nch is a logue has been perfected as the ar­ loosened sachusetts Institute of Technology less John Klemmer tist within has grown. With fewer . Longo than six months before Allen's death in questions , more swinging state­ INVOLVEMENT-Cadet LP/ LPS 797 : Stand April 1967, this record becomes the 1e comps {!t 1/Je S1111; At,, Blu •s; You Doth K11orv W/J111 ments . Other voices, other tunes. Lou• ls; u,1., With Th•m W'oes; Pnn io11 Food; trumpeter's last testament. 1'/o,i, D ,op l.s 1/Jo Ocen11; Will ,,,, Jug. The original Conversations has re­ greatest, Personne l: Kl em.mer, tenor s11xopbonc: Jodie The lecturer was Whitney Balliett; pre­ mained Bill Evans' best-selling al­ me slice Ghtistiao, piano ( tracks 2, ~'!, 6): Sa.ni 'f homns, sumably, he selected the musicians. Allen bum. And perhaps also his best. ,iuhar (tr acks 1, 3, s, 7); .Melvin Jackson, boss; s. 'Wilbur Campb ell, drums. and Russell make a superb team (they Now overhe ar this: had not recorded together since 1932), ·genstern Rating: * * * * * What a pleasant surprise to pick up and the idea of backing them up with a this unheralded debut album by a young contemporary rhythm section was essen­ Chicago musician and discover a first-rate tially a good one. iD 1492: However, idea and realization are two •; Things player with his own story to tell! -; Brother Just 21, Klemmer already has the ma­ different things, as mankind has long since e Cooker, discovered. This is a weak rhythm section , ll Abreu, ture musician's disdain for the empty , Benson, gesture. There is no nonsense about his and the best that can be said for it is that .and Jr., Iumphrcy, music; it is direct, intense, and together. it doesn't do much harm. Except for .elis, Max No gimmicks; just good, honest music . Haden, its members contribute little imag- , Klemmer can play his horn . He 's got ination and little drive, but the two veter- ans aren't bothered. ·e repre- fine tone, control all over the instrument, and excellent articulation. He can play Both Allen and Russell have styles that 1 of the are so thoroughly individual that they oc­ I music. fast when he wants to (Woes), but he never falls into those all-in-the-fingers­ casionally border on the eccentric. Mirac­ -Fa was ulously, they complement each other, and Ready is n~thing-upstairs runs that young players V/VG-8727 their ensemble passages are mysterious and ings Go With good technique commonly display. The first jazz piano album recorded delightful, the unpredict able lines merging in a brilliant new sound process (us­ 1la com· He can holler, too, but he doesn 't make a !bing of it. There is, in fact, very little and separating, yet always converging in ing 30 inches-per-second tape) that !hat seem aquircd or merely fashionable musically meaningful patterns. captures every emotional nuance, nderson, every musical whisper,with incredi ­ rformed, Ill bis playing; it has that natural presence Allen, it mu st be said, was not physi­ ble depth and clarity. I heavy, and tlow that we associate With Jong es­ cally in top form. His range, usually , this-is· tablished mu sicians .' spanning the horn from top to bottom, is , section He is a gifted composer, too. Sun, restricted here. But it is an indication of nembers Blues, Woes, and Passion are his, and all his experience that he doesn't fight it; he and dis· ~re good. Passion, especi ally. lt is a fetch­ accepts the limitation, and concentrates on ~g , melodically substanti al bossa nova. what he has to work with. Thus, his sound lues is a h appy line, gciod to play on; is full and warm, albeit less brilliant than !nderson V(• rVl' l~t•• •H<1"> 1$ ,l (llVl'-,1011 ot Mt:!tro Golclwyn-Mctyf'r In ( ,rovisers, .