circuit in recent years. On his debut flowing lines of two of the most cogently WILBUR WARE QUINTET: The Chi. disc his associates include Cannonball rhytlunie guitarists now at large, over cogo Sound Adderley, playing his buoyant alto sax- unostentatiously able rhythm section RweRSIDE 12 -252. $4.98. ophone with brilliant balance of inten- support. A fine collection of fresh -voiced, sity and form. and two unusually sound no- school jazz. On two counts this is a particularly im- pianists. Duke Jordan and Tommy Flan- pressive disc. It shows, for almost the agan. But it is essentially Smith's show BILLY VER PLANCK'S ORCHESTRA: first time, that the hard bop school, as be weaves a melodic. and fresh de- Jazz for Play Girls which usually depends on overwhelm- an velopment of Star Dust, works out SAVOY 12121, $4.98. ing the listener with inescapable thoughtfully accented lines at fast tem- barrage of sound, is capable of imagina- pos and digs warmly into that basic A superbly recorded set of strongly tive development and shaded projec- item, the blues. swinging pieces. Bill Harris is present, tion. Both tenor saxophonist Johnny blowing his trombone with a zest and Griffin and alto saxophonist John Jen- TUE STREET SWINGERS force that date back to his Hemmnnis kins, the only horns in the group, play Wott.0 PAciulc PJ 1239. $4.98. Herd days in the Forties. Phil Woods with unaccustomed grace and warmth. strengthens his claim to considcnttioe Point two is that although the leader The Swingers (Bob Brookmeyer, valve as a personal, strong -voiced alto saxo- of the group, Ware, is a bassist, ile refuses trombone and piano; Jim Hall, Jimmy phonist in several solos which, while to he a tiresome solo virtuoso; and when Raney, guitars; Bill Crow, bass; Osie Parker- derived, have a fiery validity that lie does step out alone his cleanly ex- Johnson, drums) succeed in living up to comes entirely front Woods. Joe Wilder, pressed solo lines are closely integrated their name with no pushing or hard - Eddie Costa, and Seldon Powell also with the rest of the group. This well - breathing, relying instead on the de- have solo spots in the driving, loose - programed disc, produced by musi- pendable pulsation of Brookmeyer's but- intense performances. This is hot cians usually heard on. routine blowing stomping, lilting approach to both the jazz, up -to -date and straight down the sessions, shows. how much more reward- trombone and the piano, and the easily middle. ing thoughtful planning can be.

Bessie Redivivus in Three Thoughtful Tries

ONE OF T111 common complaints about astic traditional revival three years ago walking out on a stage and projecting. the so -called traditional revivalist (she can ix' heard on London 1242); She may have had folk roots and she jazz bands- thus present -day bands that and, last year, a West Coast folk singer, may have been an unspoiled, natural art- attempt to play in the manner of Louis 13arhara Dane, .'hose researches led her ist, but she had n sophisticated knowledge Armstrong's Hot Five, Jelly Roll Murtons to the Rainey -Smith school of blues of how to reach an audience. across those Red Hot Peppers, or King Oliver's Cre- (heard on San Francisco 33014). footlights. And so does Miss Hall. ole Jazz Band -is that even when they Of the three current Smithites, it is It is this element, even more than her get beyond a state of stolid, humorless the one with the least likely background strong, billowing voice, which sets Miss plodding they can only be, at hest, - who con,cs closest to catching the Smith Hall's evocation apart from Ronnie Gil - tatiuns. Their success or failure is almost flavor. Juanita Hall's history as a singer bert:s and Dinah Washington's. It should hound to be judged not on their cre- with choral groups and as Bloody Mary be added that it is this clement that gets ativity or originality but on how closely in South Pacific suggests a singer who Miss Hall in trouble when she overdoes they have succeeded in aping what saine- might be ill at ease in the blues-but slic it, as she is inclined to, but this is a one else lias already done. .isn't. Miss Halls ability to project some- minor flaw in a set of major .perfomr- Possibly the saine basic objections thing of Nils:: Smith's emotional depth, ances. \4iss Gilbert, who is a member should hold in the current rediscovery and her perceptiveness in re-creating the of the folk- singing group, the Weavers, on records of Bessie Smith's singing style nuances of her style may be attributed has obviously listened to Bessie Smith's and songs. But one might hold out hope partly to her basic 'meal equipment, records thoughtfully. She strides confi- for the retliscoverers un two grounds. To partly to her asserted early fascination dently into her chores but she has attempt to sing in the Bessie Smith style with Bessie, and partly to her highly neither the vocal range nor the old shore is not necessarily an empty thing. if Ma developed sense of shcwtnaeship. It is biz pitch to compete with Miss Hall. miss Rainey, who discovered and encouraged this last ingredient that most of the Washington takes what might be a valid Bessie Smith, had not set a blues-singing would -be Bessies seem to miss even more route- bolding to her own natural style pattern for Miss Smith to follow, the than the requisite voice. For Bessie Smith -but her style is so glossed up with world might not have heard of Bessie was in show business. Her trade was flip sophistication that it is rarely a suit- Smith. So there is no reason why some- able vehicle for Bessie Smith's down - one else should not follow Bessie in a to- earth material. similar way. And. the Rainey -Smith blues In addition, \liss Hall has accompani- singing style has been absent from our ment that is exactly right -Doe Cheat- musical scene for so long -Bessie made ham playing beautiful Joe -Smith -like her last records in 1933 but the style trumpet, Coleman Hawkins brooding actually has been in limbo for thirty sensitively on tenor saxophone, Buster years -that any encouragement Of its re- Bailey kicking up his heels on clarinet turn, imitation or no, is welcome. as though he had just reached town There arc currently at hand three re- from slcnupltis. plus a superb rhythm visitations of Bessie Smith (a fourth, by section of Claude Hopkins, piano, George. La Vern Baker on Atlantic, is reported Desivier, bass, wad Jimmy Crawford, en note). These have appeared after drums. Joust S. WILSON an almost total silence, so far as Smith - Rainevism is concerned, since. those final JUANITA HALL: Sings the Blues recordings by Miss Smith in 1933. The COIPNTEAPOIN r 556. $3.98. only cracks of light which have flickered in the darkness have been provided by RONNIE GILBERT: The Legend of Claire Austin, a California housewife who Bessie Smith recorded with Turk Murphy and Kid RCA \rreroa LPM 1591. $3.98. Ors, for Good Time Jazz five or six DINAH WASHINGTON: Dinah Singe years ago; an Irish girl, Ottilie Patterson, Bessie Smith who found a niche in England's enthusi- Juanita HnII: the winner. EMAnCY 301:30. $3.98.

68 HIGH FIDELI-I -V MAGAZINE

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