Ellington's Sweet Thunder Spoofs the Bard

pletely written, including the solos; arrange- A reunion of a foursome of saxophonists and spirited but Garner -on- the -rocks is ments that attempt "a new use of such who at various times made up Woody Her- a more stimulating experience than this compositional procedures as the canon, ex- man's "Four Brothers" reed section - Zoot enormous, frothy Pink Lady. pansion, elimination "; and arrangements Sims, Al Cohn, Herb Steward, and Serge in which the movement of sound patterns Chaloff - playing originals mostly by EARL "FATHA" HINES: Solo and their evolution arc given prime con- Cohn and Manny Albam. The ensembles, FANTASY 3238. 53.98. sideration. in the characteristically warm Four Brothers Hines, the most absorbingly influential The greatest vitality is developed in the voicings, are full -bodied and propulsive pianist that jazz has yet produced, has been last group, the least in the fully written but there is a general lack of distinction pieces. However, all three are provocative. in the solos. recorded all toil infrequently as a soloist. and drummer Kenny Clarke's essentially In late years, he has been recorded all too French sextet plays them with sharp, clear infrequently in any fashion. The magnetic. ERROLL Other Voices. (Or- precision. Pianist Martial Solal, who does GARNER: strutting Hines, who shifted the piano into chestra conducted by Mitch Miller.) most of the solo work, is constantly en- the jazz mainstream, is heard only dimly COLUMBIA CL 1014. 53.98. livening as he plays fluently in a variety in these solos. The difference between of veins. Unlike most jazz soloists currently being the old Hines piano approach and this is on lily Monday heard with large orchestral hacking, Gar - present one most evident Date, originally a dancing, driving bit ART FARMER: Lars Night When We ner's venture is with an orchestra that in- of ebullience, which now emerges as a Were Young. (Orchestra conducted by cludes brass and reeds as well as strings. mood piece. It's a nice mood piece and Quincy Jones.) He also has created the arrangements (writ- Hines's playing is direct and attractive ABC -PARAMOUNT 200. $3.98. ten out by Nat Pierce since Garner remains stubbornly illiterate in music). The all through the mixture of old and new Trumpeter Art Farmer reveals a bigger, emphasis is on the lush, romantic side of pieces on this disc. But it rarely has the darker sound than usual as he deserts his Garner and he plays with his customary electric, gripping quality associated with customary modern jazz surroundings for forthright, exuberant sensuality. He has that earlier pianist of influence. this excursion into ballads with massive given the orchestra full-bodied arrange- string accompaniment. The effect is some- ments but his piano is always dominant. JAZZ AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL what like Bobby Hackett's ventures with The effect, at best, is that of the usual VERVE MG V- 8231 -2 (two discs). 59.96. Jackie Gleason's strings although Farmer solo Garner surrounded by a wall of If Norman Granz had limited this re- does not yet have Hackett's assurance and luminous sound which melts the sharp, cording to a single disc, he would have had polish. clean edge of his playing. At less felici- a reasonably pure gem. As it is, the pack- tous moments he loses the discipline that is age includes two sides devoted to the FOUR BROTHERS: his strength as a solo performer THE Together part of tiresome, empty jam sessions and dry, Again as busies himself with superfluous dec- he mechanical performances by the Oscar VIK LX -1096. 53.98. orative trifles. His playing remains warm Peterson trio that Granz has already recorded too often. The remaining two sides, however, are made up of four superior Art Tatum solos, six selections by Ella Fitz- gerald which finally catch that warmth. Ellington's Sweet Thunder Spoofs the Bard fluency, and consummate skill usually tem- pered by studio surroundings, and two day Ellington band has never come as duets between Miss Fitzgerald and Louis close to matching the ensemble magnifi- Armstrong. One of the duets, You Won't cence and solo brilliance of the Duke's Be Satisfied, falls apart through lack of great band of fifteen years ago as it does preparation, but on the other, Undecided, performance. in this Miss Fitzgerald whirls out a magnificent Ellington's best attributes pour through mixture of scat and word singing. Her these sketches - his inventive and dramatic solo version of Too Close for Comfort his well of melody, his wit tonal coloring, is a superbly projected example of singing splashy cartoon of Cleopatra's barge (his which is completely jazz oriented. slurping down the Nile is one of the rare uses of nonslapstick humor in jazz), his THE unmatched ability to weave the personal JAZZ MESSENGERS: Play Lerner and Loewe styles of several musicians into a con- VIK LX t 103. sonant whole that is nonetheless stamped $3.98. unmistakably with his own personality THE JAZZ MESSENGERS: Ritual More than that, his interpretations td PACIFIC JAZZ M -402. $4.98. Shakespeare are both apt and highly FI- lingtonian. Juliet emerges from Johnny The hard -driving, hard -toned Messengers Hodges' soft and beguiling alto saxophone. are, with the exception of Moondog, just about the last source one would think Lady Macbeth ( "we suspect there was .+ little ragtime in her soul ") is portrayed of for show tune performances. Yet the Duke Ellington through a jazz waltz, the three witches Vik collection of Lerner and Loewe tunes become brassy trombones. (from My Fair Lady, Paint Your Wagon, SUCH SWEET THUNDER, indeed! For Like most Ellington projects, this one and Brigadoon) comes off surprisingly well, after the dismal disappointment of was done on the run. He didn't have the thanks to some imaginative planning in last a Ellington's attempt at long work, final part ready for the première per the ensemble passages and hair -raising A Drum Lt a he has produced Wonsan, formance at Town Hall, New York, last solos by the newest Messenger, tenor sax- this vital, multifaceted bit of true F.Iling- April. It is included on the disc -a brief, ophonist John Griffin. Seemingly impatient tonia. is It made up of twelve relatively inconclusive flurry built around Paul Gon- to draw every possible idea from his horn, short sketches in which Ellington attempts he one salves' furry tenor saxophone -and it is joins to another with rapidly un- "to parallel the vignettes of some of the one of the few weak spots in the work. folding logic, never losing, even in his Shakespearian in characters miniature - But up to this last fleeting moment, Suck fleetest moments, his warm, clean tone sometimes to the point of caricature." Sweet Thunder is a huge and welcome or assurance of ultimate destination. Drum- Viewed work, as a single, extended it is feast of well- seasoned Ellington. mer Art Blakey, leader of the group, is easily Ellington's most successful effort in somewhat subdued set on the JOHN S. WILSON in this but that direction. Or taken simply as a group Pacific Jazz disc he drives the Messengers of short pieces, they are the products of with the fierce zest that one expects of DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS OR- the most fertile and creative period that El- him. This is the pre -Griffin group with CHESTRA: Such Sweet lington has had in more than ten years. Thunder alto saxophonist Jackie McLean in Griffin's And, possibly not surprisingly, the latter- COLUMBIA CL 1033. 12-in. $3.98. spot. McLean, normally very fluent, is in-

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