The Jazz Singer - - — 6
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FRANKLIN GELTMAN presents k IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK ANDALL'S ISLAND hi H estiva AUGUST 21-22-23 Friday at 8:30 Saturday at 8:30 DIZZY GILLESPIE DUKE ELLINGTON & ORCH. and 16 pc. ORCH. DINAH WASHINGTON SARAH VAUGHN CHICO HAMILTON QUINTET HORACE SILVER QUINTET ALCOHN • ZOOTSIMS QUINTET DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO JIMMIE SMITH TRIO CHRIS CONNOR BILL HENDERSON ART BLAKEY QUINTET MAX ROACH QUINTET THELONIOUS MONK JOHNNY RICHARDS & ORCH. and 10 pc ORCHESTRA Sunday at 7:30 MILES DAVIS SEXTET MODERN JAZZ QUARTET AHMAD JAMAL TRIO DAKOTA STATON STAN KENTON & ORCHESTRA TWILIGHT JAZZ: Friday & Saturday at 7:30 — Sunday at 6:30 p\aVeCl- " kw Vork W» ,\eeveo*a\^_Thea ^etfR . easy u s s0 *e e^^'J U ^ ^ V^s ever seen- backdrop;^ to HFREE PARKING FOR 10,000 CARS ALL SEATS RESERVED Mail order now for choice seats— $4.50; $3.60; $2.75; $2.00 Please enclose self-addressed envelope to: Randall's'isfarid'Jazz Festival—Dept7~56,""353" W. 67th St., N.Y. 19, N.Y. MANHATTAN: COLONY, 52 St. E. Broadway; RECORD SHACK, 125 St.; MODERN MUSIC, 2426 Sr. Cone. (Opp. Loews Paradise) 49 E. 170; B'KLYN: BIRDELS, 540 Nostrand; LONG ISLAND: TRIBORO, 89-29 165 St., Jamaica: MANHASSET MUSIC, 451 Plandome Rd., Manhasset; WHITE PLAINS: ANDY & DICKS, 117 Martine Ave. ' , J LETTERS In Defense of Srott But I think you were asking for some lp of Brown and of the band and of the music I was very surprised and hurt when I ideas. How about "An Experimental Sym• played was based on the sideman's view of things.) read Bill Crow's review of Tony Scott's posium of Radical Departures in .Modern 52nd Street Scene recording in the June Jazz" (none of the performers is allowed William Russo issue of The Jazz Keview. Here, in the mag• to play a single phrase which cannot be New York, New York azine I have considered the finest in the immediately identified on a Charlie Parker jazz field, T found in the guise of a musical record, and all tunes should be based on What Does the Arranger Know? review a personal, perhaps vicious, attack chord structures of the works of Porter directed at Tony Scott. and Gershwin)?; "The Bucolic Stan Getz" Bill Russo's review of the Lunceford (he's astride a John Deere 730 diesel trac• records in the January Jazz Review was I could defend Tony hy mentioning the tor in the middle of a field of oats in central honest and motivated by sympathy, but it many artists, /nyself included, who would Nebraska). We all know that covers of Ip's still missed the point of the Lunceford not he where they are today if it were not featuring West Coast musicians must de• band. It is an arranger's view, valid to a for his enthusiastic faith and help; or his pict these men within a few feet of the degree, but touching only the fringe of firm stand on racial tolerance which has pounding surf—-or even in it. So what the subject. cost him much he could ill afford; or his, would be better than using West Coasters I believe, unsurpassed hospitality to jazz I heard the Lunceford band a few times on this lp and on the cover have them lovers and musicians visiting New York. in person. I realize that we tend to look storming ashore from an LCI in full marine But we all know that one can paint the back and think things were better than raider rig, carrying their instruments in• picture of any person according to one's they were, but I also heard Ellington, stead of rifles? own leanings. Bill Crow's deep understand• Teddy Hill, and Edgar Hayes in person, Bill Fogarty ing of Pee Wee Russell's introverted style and they did not leave the same impres• Prairie Village, Kansas might have been as easily applied to sion, so I don't think my attitude is pure Tony's outgoing style, but for a personal romanticism. I am not claiming that the preference. What Does the Sideman Know? Lunceford band was better than Ellington- In the past few issues several swipes ton's, but I expected a certain degree of After reading further. I find that Bill's have been taken at Marshall Brown. The brilliance from Ellington. Lunceford was review of The Metronome Yearbook in the International Band, which he formed and a shock. There are lessons to be learned same issue contained some extremely nega• directed, and his own musical abilities from Lunceford, and it is a pity that only tive viewpoints. Perhaps this is his style. have been dragged over and over the coals. the superficial aspects of the band have The careless handling of journalistic re• been used in the numerous "re-creations." The band was a good band. Whatever sponsibility, however, can do much to affect problems it had were connected with the To begin with, the Lunceford band, al• the lives of those exposed thereby. I could nature of the project and particularly with most more than any other, found the secret not let this incident pass without represent• the limitations of the players themselves, of pleasing several audiences at once with• ing my reaction. who had difficulty in ensemble playing (no out, except in a few instances, lowering Bill Evans European band player gets our jazz band musical standards. To the dancers it was a New York City background) and in their improvising. fine dance band; to the people who went Marshall took the talents of these men to see a show it was a good theatrical Sell That Thing and got remarkable results. He is a splen• spectacle; to the jazz fan it was a good I'm your man if you need lp ideas, but did musician; he has better ears than most jazz group. I don't think any other band you seem to be missing the point. It's not jazz soloists; he has training in getting succeeded so well in engaging diverse audi• just the idea for the content of the record things out of people; his experience is ences. I am concerned with it as a big band but rather how it matches the cover art . wide and covers a considerable period of from a jazz viewpoint and, leaving out El• and I'm certain we're running out of our time; he knows music. Whatever criticism lington and Henderson, I don't think it was supply of naked girls. (Which gives rise can be made of the International Band, I equaled. to a rather unpleasant thought: Has jazz don't feel that criticism of Brown is ac• The Lunceford style was really the Sy curate or fair. come its full cycle? In its New Orleans Oliver style, I suppose—a story goes that beginnings the art form was used to pe*ddle And to ask the men in the orchestra Sy Oliver used the same sort of scores with scantily clad young ladies; today scantily how they feel about their leader is the Zack Whyte, but that band never recorded clad young ladies are used to peddle jazz.) height of absurdity. (Much of the criticism (Continued on page 42) Lester Young's Last Interview A week before his death Lester Young was interviewed by Francois Postif in Paris; the interview will appear in English for the first time in the September issue of The Jazz Review with a Lester Young discography by Erik Wiedmann. Anthropologist Ernest Borneman re-examines the origins of jazz and the relation of jazz to the musical traditions of Europe and Africa. He introduces new material on the influ• ence of the Arabic musical tradition on the Spanish tinge in jazz and on the importance of the Spanish tinge in New Orleans jazz. His findings suggest radical rethinking on jazz history. Quincy Jones tells why big bands can find work again, and describes his new seventeen piece band which has recorded for Mercury and will go on the road in the fall. Soprano saxophonist Steve Lacey begins the INTRODUCTIONS series, writing about playing with Cecil Taylor's group and with the Gil Evans big band, about his musical ideas, and his future plans. Sidney Finkelstein analyses the relation of musical elements based on speech inflections to elements based on rhythmic patterns in jazz. Gunther Schuller reports on jazz in Indiana, and on the big band at the University of Indiana. Irwin Hersey surveys the long recording career of the Fletcher Henderson band. Record reviews include Dick Katz on three Tatum lps, Martin Williams on a King Oliver re-issue and the Rex Stewart - Cootie Williams - Law• rence Brown Porgy and Bess, Max Harrison on the Claude Thornhill band, H. A. Woodfin on three Feldsted "Mainstream" recordings, J. S. Shipman on Champion Jack Dupree, and Mimi Clar on gospel singers. Paul Oliver reviews Sam Charters' Jazz New Orleans 1885-1957, and Bill Crow reviews the Downbeat record review collection. And the monthly features: The Blues, Reconsiderations, Jazz in Print, and the first monthly news report. New Contributors Nesuhi Ertegun is head of the jazz division of Atlantic records, and has. CONTENTS: VOLUME 2, NUMBER 7, AUGUST, 1959. lectured on jazz at the University The Jazz Singer - - — 6 of Southern California. by Nesuhi Ertegun Gabriel Gersh, a free-lance writer, \ g|ind Lemon Jefferson 9 has appeared in Commonweal, !i -x ki I i by Paul Oliver Christian Science Monitor, New Lead• er, and Christian Century, among Conversation with James P.