it? It's all for this ... a lower middle class adult on the totem pole of status LETTERS USA 1959 and the best thing about him is he's completely and devotedly fixed on listening to this record. Shocking? Cheated? Speaking for myself I con• fess I was thrilled and so far (couple months) I haven't been able to exhaust it in my understanding. Such is art? John Benson Brooks - New York City

SOCIAL WORK In recent months: 1. Chris Strachwitz, 17650V2 Navajo Trail, Los Gatos, California, has an• nounced the formation of the Interna• tional Blues Society. The main pur• pose of the society is to get the for• gotten bluesmen on record, both by reissuing out of print material (Down Town, Cava Tone, Rhythm, Jaxson) and by recording men afresh (Bo Carter, Leroy Dallas, Dan Pickett, Son House, Tommy McClennan, Jaybird Coleman). Membership in the society is $10, for which the charter member gets three Lps (probable retail price, $4.50); more capital is needed to pay recording fees and royalties to the men. (Don Brown's SUCH IS LIFE? blues singer. Although I went to the Record Finder, March 1960). I want to take particular issue with theatre expecting jazz with drama make 2. Robert M. W. Dixon, Trevor Ben- one of the points raised in Mr. Hen- it, hear ye: From 8:40 you get junky- well, Derek Collier, Tony Standish, and toff's generally ineffective rebuttal of life (for an hour) waiting for their con• Derrick Stewart-Baxter have formed a Mr. Morgenstern's long needed letter nection . . . natch with blowing music Blues Recording Fund, c/o Dixon, 5 in the last issue of The Jazz Review. and personal histories. For another Wollaton Vale, Beeston, Nottingham, Although it is nice for a change to hour you get their 'score' . . . with its England. The purpose of the fund is to have any critic talk about his primary switch in mood, spirits and language. enable Jacques Demetre and Paul Oli• responsibility, I cannot agree that it The ending shapes-up out of two fac• ver to do some recording on their forth• "is to his readeVs." The critic's first tors (1) it seems The Connection after coming blues research trip to the U.S. regard must be for neither his readers straightening everybody isn't sure he (New York, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, nor the musicians, but for the art. De• hasn't been followed by the police who Memphis, Clarksdale, Jackson, New votion to the muse should be his almost nabbed him when he 'picked Orlans, etc.). Loans in multiples of cardinal principle. up' and (2) everybody has ransacked £3 and outright donations are solicited. The attack, then—as distinguished from their brains (unsuccessfully) as to (Jazz Monthly, March 1960). the objective analysis balancing vir• WHY (do I give up chicks, loot and 3. Derrick Stewart-Baxter has written tues and faults—is a method to be fame) and FOR WHAT (this mortifica• that the blues singer and pianist Cur• used sparingly, and only on those who tion of the esh which makesfl me a tis Jones (Lonesome Bedroom Blues, would destroy or subvert the music. social outlaw and subject to being Highway 51) is living under under ex• Stuff Smith's intonation or Ed Hall's put-away against my will for a period). tremely straitened circumstances at conception, whether they be fair or Following an impassioned speech by 3953 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago foul, are not the enemies of jazz, and the connection (Canada Lee's son in a 15, Illinois. Stewart-Baxter asks (or therefore do not deserve abuse. brilliant white suit) which brings the hopes) that work be found for Jones. A threat to a musician's livelihood, un• last question (FOR WHAT) to a scream (Jazz Journal, March 1960). less he be among the foes of jazz, is a —comes a knock at the door—Police? 4. Bill Colyer and Graham Russell threat to jazz itself. Thus, Mr. Hentoff No!, it's (as your reviewer described: have formed the New Orleans Jazz is carrying objectivity to the point of . . . "a queer meaningless personage Society, 121 Sandringham Flats, Lon• sophistry if he really believes that, takes stage simply as a means of don W. C. 2, started publishing the "The effect of criticism on a musi• bringing on a phonograph which he magazine Eureka, and are setting up cian's livelihood has absolutely no plugs in and then uses to play a a fund to record veteran New Orleans bearing on how a critic should func• Charlie Parker-Miles Davis record in musicians and blues singers. Dona• tion." the stony silence of the junky's room. tions are now being solicited for the Paul Nossiter That done he tucks his phonograph fund, which will covered musicians' Wellfleet, Mass. under his arm and worldlessly exists. wages (union scale), recording costs, What is his implication? Or Is that technicians' fees, etc. March newslet• what Mr. Gelber means by a 'jazz ter of the Bunk Johnson Appreciation play'? Is there some illumination in Society). this oddball behavior which reveals I suggest that a regular department— SUCH IS ART? anything about the nature of either perhaps called The Eleemosynary I don't know how Horty Geist was feel• jazz or junk? Or does he suppose that Scene—be started in Jazz Review to ing when she took in The Connection an accumulation of disjointed acts keep us up to date on these and last October. Jack Gelber deserves a and inferences will result in the similar projects. little more consideration for this effort image of a junky?" J. S. Shipman than to be told to go listen to a good Yeah, baby; .there it is. How do you like Waban, Mass.

3 HE ^^jfi i^^i ^1^'^^^^1^

V CO

THE GREATEST NEW GROUP IN JAZZ!

Here is the swinging recorded debut of the group that has set the jazz world on fire in the few short months it has been together. Art Farmer and Benny Golson lead this sextet that sounds like a big band through 10 charging tracks—five standards, five originals. ARGO LP 664 Also available in stereo EE* THE JAZZTET IS HEARD EXCLUSIVELY ON ARGO

ARGO RECORDS 2120 S. Michigan, Chicago VOLUME 3 NUMBER S JUNE 1960

Ornette Coleman and Tonality Editors: Nat Hentoff George Russell and Martin Williams Martin Williams The Midnight Special; a Who's Who. Contributing Editor: Gunther Schuller Mack McCormack Publisher: Hsio Wen Shih 16 Introducing Eric Dolphy Art Director: Bob Cato Martin Williams The Jazz Review is published monthly by The Jazz Review Inc., 124 White St., N. Y. 13. N. Y. Entire contents copy• right 1960 by The Jazz Review Inc. RECORD REVIEWS Israel Young and Leonard feldman were among the founders of the Jazz Review. Price per copy 50c. One year's subscription $5.00. Two year's subscription $9.00. 18 Lambert-Hendricks-Ross by Mimi Clar Unsolicited manuscripts and illustrations 19 Lambert-Hendricks-Ross by Max Harrison and Joe Goldberg should be accompanied by a stamped, self- addressed envelope. Reasonable care will be 20 Cannonball Adderley by LeRoi Jones taken with all manuscripts and illustrations, but the Jazz Review can take no responsi• 20 Louis Armstrong-Oscar Peterson by H. A. Woodfin bility for unsolicited material. 21 Berkelee School of Music by Don Heckman 22 Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers by Michael James Don Byas by Harvey Pekar Al Haig by Max Harrison NEW CONTRIBUTORS 24 Barry Harris by H. A. Woodfin John William Hardy is a zoologist now Lightning Hopkins by Chris Strachwitz engaged in research on the social be• havior of parrots at the University of Bunk Johnson-Lu Watters by J. S. Shipman ~?ljfornia at Los Angeles. 25 Stan Kenton by Mimi Clar I. L. Jacobs has been listening to jazz 26 Thelonious Monk by Gunther Schuller since the thirties and has long con• 27 Wes Montgomery by Louis Levy ducted a jazz radio show in San Diego. 28 Brother John Sellers by Chris Strachwitz Robert Farris Thompson is a student of Afro-Latin music and dance who has Bud Shank-Laudindo Almeida by Robert Farris Thompson written on his specialty for Dance Al Smith-Lockjaw Davis by Stanley Dance Magazine. Cecil Taylor by Larry Gushee 29 Folk Song Festival by Paul Oliver 30 Shorter Reviews by H. A. Woodfin

BOOK REVIEWS

32 Nat Hentoff and Albert McCarthey's Jazz by Sheldon Meyer Down Beat Jazz Record Reviews, Vol. IV by Hsio Wen Shih 34 Samuel B. Charters' The Country Blues by Dick Hadlock

35 Jazz on a Summer's Day by Dick Katz 36 Second Annual Collegiate Jazz Festival by John William Hardy 40 The Word Jazz, Part III by Fradley H. Garner and Alan P. Merriam 41 Duke Ellington on Transcriptions by I. L. Jacobs

In other words, Charlie Parker is a kind of end, or the ORNETTE beginning of an end. Is that it? Yes. He probably represented the last full blossoming COLEMAN of a jazz music that was based on chords. Now, that isn't to say that after Charlie Parker there aren't people who play very well using chords, but over-all, AND this decline and fall of the chord has been happening. Back in the 'thirties, there was a pianist, Spaulding TONALITY Givens, who played with great tonal freedom. Lester Young probably led the attack long ago, because you know Lester didn't really enunciate every chord, but he sort of felt where the chords were going and GEORGE anticipated it by imposing a scale which would cover a series of chords. He played on top of the chords; he RUSSELL used a scale, and the scale implied the gravity, to sort of let the listener know where the chords are going. In AND jazz composition, I'd say of Gerry Mulligan that his main contribution was in horizontal thinking. That goes for Bill Holman too, and for Bobby Brookmeyer. The MARTIN whole school of horizontal writing is updated from Count Basie via Tiny Kahn. Mulligan seemed able to WILLIAMS impose on music, other than the blues, a scale, and to impose that scale on various tonal centers, but it was really the scale and all the contrapunctal things that were happening in the scale rather than the ver• tical tonal centers that gave the music motion. For instance in Young Blood, and in Bill Holman's wonder• ful Theme and Variations. Mulligan's whole approach to writing was horizontal. This is, in a sense, an assault on the chord. (That isn't to say that all these people were doing it consciously.) In being horizontal, or in using or feeling things horizontally, there's much more freedom of movement. When you're playing vertically, and you have to articulate each chord that comes up, it can be very inhibiting rhythmically and in line. The horizontal approach frees you to get something going in motion. George, many people have wondered why Mulligan's playing and improvising remained conservative har• monically after he dropped the piano. The freedom that everybody expected never happened. This isn't about Gerry as a composer of course. Well, I thought it happened; maybe only a beginning, but I thought it happened because Gerry was showing that you didn't need strongly implied vertical structures to make music. And so I thought that it was a very im• This dialogue began as a conversation about an Ornette portant thing even though harmonically he didn't ven• Coleman recording, and quickly spread to the theo• ture out too far, he did show that the scale itself is retical implications of Ornette's tonal practices. Though strong enough to satisfy your feeling of tonality. George Russell's exposition of the tonal problem is But getting back to the main subject, between Charlie lucid and supported by many illustrations, it is also, Parker and the present time, you have Mingus and like one of Coleman's shrieks, an intense and deeply Teddy Charles and Gil Evans and Johnny Carisi and felt appeal for the liberation of the melodic idea from any number of other people. They were people who in the chord prison. various ways were leading an assault on the chord. In Gil Evans, the motion he introduces into the orchestra George, you wanted to discuss Ornette Coleman. I have is, in a sense, a rebellion against the set chord change. another subject too, but we'll get to that later. In Mingus and Charles, it was the extended form. The Well, you know, if there weren't new things happening modal period that Miles Davis is in now is a rebellion in jazz since Charlie Parker, jazz wouldn't be ready to against the chord—he plays perhaps, a whole piece accept Ornette. I believe it now is ready to accept not that's built on just two modes. It's essentially a hori• only him, but other innovators as convincing as he is. zontal approach; it's a rebellion against the chord. I The way has been paved and the ear prepared by don't think Bill Evans plays chordally behind Miles on rather startling, though isolated, developments in jazz those things. He plays modally, in the prevailing mode. since the 'forties. Since the bop period, a war on the As I was saying before, even the need to do extended- chord has been going on, I think. You might character• form pieces, whether successful or not, is a desire to ize the whole era as the decline and fall of the chord. get away from a set chord change. And Ellington can't

7 be overlooked in a discussion of this kind, because he, and not just step-wise, he realizes the whole implica• like Charlie Parker, had a well-developed sense of both tion of the chromatic scale. He is relating to the the horizontal and the vertical approaches to jazz, and chord, but he is relating to the chord chromatically. like Charlie Parker, he let both influence his music. To me this is the logical, this is what Coltrane in his To me, vertical and horizontal thinking are the two playing is illuminating, the vertical, the chromatic basic forces underlying all jazz. relationship to the chord. X number of chords upon Let's take the vertical approach first; we'll call it the one single chord. You can call it "sheets of sound," vertical assault on the chord. The logical end of ver• but that doesn't really say what it is. And I don't think tical playing is playing by chord in vertical chromati• that John has reached the end of that. I think that cism. In other words, playing chromatically upon the he is in it, though, and I think that he will probably single chord. And that doesn't mean just using chro• go on. He really does believe in the chord. So if he matic half steps but using all the intervals. Schoen- does believe in the chord then this is the logical end berg said that the twelve tones of the chromatic scale of his playing—a kind of vertical chromaticism. were equal. But to me the most important fact under• And so with the horizontal approach, and this has lying modern music is that the chromatic scale, since really been unexplored up until Ornette; the logical it contains all twelve tones, contains all intervals, all end of the way Lester Young started out playing is a chords and all scales. In other words, you have a C horizontal chromaticism. That is, utilizing a chromatic chromatic scale, then, it's possible to rationalize that scale that might be inferred by a series of chords. D major scale is a part of that C chromatic scale, that Briefly could you make a comparison between Coltrane Db major scale is a part and that the F chromatic and Hawkins? scale is a part of that C chromatic scale. So all tonal Well, Hawkins, to me, sticks very close to the sound of elements are a part of that chromatic scale. So you the chord. While Trane knows the chord exists but he might say that all the music that has ever been written also seems to sense that there is a whole unexplored is a part of that single chromatic scale. universe that that chord implies.. Now, if you're an atonalist you will say that all the But they're both vertical players. tones of that chromatic scale are equal and that there To me, they're both essentially vertical players. Les• is no tonal center. In other words, it's not the C chro• ter is essentially a horizontal player. But the interesting matic scale, it's just a chromatic scale. And so con• thing is that since the logical ends of both of these sequently there is no tonal center or tonel gravity or ways of playing is chromaticism then the result is the close to distant relationship of tones—so there are no same. Ultimately, if you have a skillful vertical player definable chords and no definable scales. There are who is chromatic and a skillful horizontal player who only vertical and horizontal rows or arrangements of is also chromatic, it'll sound the same; their tonal the single chromatic scale. If you believe in a tonal things will be in the same area. These two things fuse center and yet you believe in a chromatic scale too, when you really get them out. So Ornette cannot be then you might say that all tones are relative to the called vertical or horizontal because he seems to be tonal center and therefore all chords and all scales fully aware of both of these two aspects of music and and all chromatic scales within this single chromatic where they lead. scale are relative to the tonal center. You understand? Well, I think it might be a good idea if we made it Since it is a twelve-tone scale is contains all intervals. clear that this is a matter of Ornette's inner demon and New melody is a horizontal sequence of intervals, and ear telling him these things. chords are simply a vertical sequence of intervals. Well, Martin, most worthwhile jazz knowledge has And if one chromatic scale contains all intervals then grown organically, right along with the growth of the it also contains all melodies; it could conceivably con• music. Ornette through his own intuitive logic came tain all melodies and all chords, because it is all inter• to these conclusions. And from talking to him, I know vals and all chromatic scales. In other words, another he knows these things. He knows about these things; chromatic scale might just be a mode of this one he's not just playing that way just because he feels it. chromatic scale because chromatic scales are also He's playing that way because he feels it and knows intervals. it too. So, there seem to be two schools of modernism: those I'm trying to make a distinction between, well, let's say people who believe in a tonal center but also believe it this way: there have been a couple of false prophets in chromaticism and those people who don't believe in the last fifteen years who have what I will call a in a tonal center. One thing we all have in common is "Juilliard guilt complex." They've gone to music school; the chromatic scale. If we believe in a tonal center they've learned theoretically what atonality is all about, then we might be called pan-tonalists. In other words, and they think they're going to impose something we believe in a tonal center but we believe that all "high-toned" and "meaningful" on jazz because of chords, all scales are relative to that tonal center. If what they learned in school. But this is an organic we don't believe in the tonal center, then we are growing. Ornette is not that kind of thing at all. atonalists, and all tones are equal. But we still believe I agree. But back to the tonal problem. So there is a in the chromatic scale. fusion of vertical and horizontal thinking when they Now in jazz I believe that there are two melodic ap• are both approached chromatically. When the soloist proaches, either vertical or horizontal, and the logical does graduate into the chromatic implications of ver• end of vertical playing is vertical chromaticism. The tical playing and horizontal playing, then the two single chord does exist, each single chord does exist things fuse. Vertical thinking leads to chromatic free• for the player. But rather than just using the intervals dom relative to a vertical tonal center; horizontal cf the chord or the intervals around it, the player uti- thinking leads to chromatic freedom relative to a hori• utilizes the chromatic scale implied by the chord— zontal tonal center. Then if a soloist chooses to be

8 completely free, it really makes no difference to which fact that Ornette has liberated himself from tonal cen• of these centers he attaches his thinking. A result in ters has a metric implication because since all tonali• any given number of measures will be the same kind ties are relative to each other, it doesn't really matter of what I call pan-modal chromatic expression. He will where he is in this tune. What he is doing is still rela• never be wrong, whatever he does; he'll only be in dif• tive to what the bass player is doing. So he might feel ferent stages of tonal gravity relative to existing ver• like saying the bridge in two bars while the bass player tical or horizontal tonal centers. Because once you say plays the full eight bar bridge. However, in listening to that the chromatic scale contains all intervals and them, I don't think they do it this mechanically be• therefore all of music, then all music must be relative. cause Charlie Haden seems to sense where Ornette is And if all music is relative then it can't be right or going and is able to follow him. But if everything is wrong. If you belong to the group that believes in the relative, it's theoretically possible to do anything. tonal center, then you have to believe in relativity, and Pan-tonal jazz is here. It seems logical to me that jazz if you believe in relativity, you have to believe in a would by-pass atonality because jazz is a music that is gravity. Because the tonal center is the center of tonal rooted in folk scales, which again are rooted strongly gravity. So if a chromatic scale, let's say the C chro• in tonality. Atonality, as I understand it, is the com• matic scale, contains all chords, then it contains Gb plete negation of tonal centers, either vertically or min7 as well as C major 7th and Abmin7. And these horizontally. It would not support, therefore, the utter• chords don't have a right-wrong relationship .to each ance of a blues scale because this implies a tonic. But other, they have a relationship to the tonal center in pan-tonality is a philosophy which the new jazz may terms of their closeness to each other; in terms of easily align itself with. their closeness to the tonal center or in terms of their At the most elementary level, does a blues scale neces• distance from the tonal center or each other. If you sarily imply a tonic ... to the performer at hand, I think this way and you're going to make a substitution mean? for a chord in a song, it's impossible to choose the Well, yes. If I play a phrase of blues it implies the tonic. wrong chord. You may choose a chord that in relation But does it in practice? I mean to a guy like Sonny to the key of the music is not as close as you would Terry. He just runs blue notes to accompany his vocal like it to be the key of the music or to the preced• lines usually, without worrying about keys or chords. ing chord, but it is not "wrong." It's just a matter of Well, I think guys have been thinking horizontally since gravity. jazz began, but they didn't rationalize it. I think there's The standard would be ultimately . . . been pan-tonal music before now, but I don't think peo• Just a matter of the closest gravity. In other words, ple really thought about it in those terms. So, pan- everything in music is related in terms of close to tonality emerges to me as a kind of philosophy of the distant relationships and there is no "right" and new jazz. Now, of course, to the listener and to the "wrong." You follow? person who enjoys art, pan-tonality doesn't have to mean a thing. But I think it should mean something to Yes. It frightens me, but I follow it. I know that a musicians. Ornette is a pan-tonal musical thinker. world without absolute rules is not necessarily a dis• orderly world. I think it's wrong to think that you can just jump out there to pan-tonality without having evolved. Col- It must have been frightening too when Schoenberg trane is showing us how to evolve there through ver• announced his theory, that all the tones of the chrom• tical and super-vertical thinking. One great trumpet atic scale are equal. Yet somehow music survived, player, said that it's awfully easy to shuck if you ig• and new values of good and bad evolved right along nore chords, and it is, if you don't have anything strong with music, to lead to the recognition of Alban Berg or convincing to put in their place. Of course, if you and Webern and a few others as true masters of music. don't, then it will be pretty obvious that you're only To go on, now, let's say a horn player and the bass shucking—if you don't have anything like Ornette has player improvise simultaneously and they both realize . . . the intensity, the belief. that there is no "right" and "wrong" in music, there's On the other hand, chords have always helped the only relativity. They improvise simultaneously in this jazz player to shape melody, maybe to an extent that chromatic pan-modal way. (By pan-modal I mean, that he now is over-dependent on the chord. Ornette seems since all things are relative then you can use all things; to depend mostly on the over-all tonality of the song you are free to use anything with anything else.) If the as a point of departure for melody. By this I don't mean horn player and the bass player improvise simultane• the key the music might be in. His pieces don't readily ously in this chromatic pan-modal way, entirely new infer key. They could almost be in any key or no key. vertical centers are created just naturally; they just I mean that the melody and the chords of his composi• happen. And all of the horizontal centers, except maybe tions have an over-all sound which Ornette seems to the one big over-all tonal center of the whole piece, are use as a point of departure. This approach liberates abolished, really. It even becomes academic whether the improviser to sing his own song really, without hav• the one big over-all tonal center of this improvisation ing to meet the deadline of any particular chord. Not exists or not. The over-all tonal center can exist for the that he can't be vertical and say a chord if he chooses. performer or listener, or not, but it doesn't have to. I've heard Ornette stick pretty close to the changes Well, this is what Ornette meant when he asked at when he wants to. And as I say, Coltrane, it seems to Lenox last summer, "What is the tonic ... or where me, is just bursting at the seams to demolish the chord is it?" The only answer that I know of is that vertical barrier, and because of this, he is enlightening every• and horizontal tonics can exist for you if you choose one to what can happen on a single chord. However to acknowledge them. You don't have to if you don't a person evolves, whether it's through their own intui• choose to. Actually in music everything is relative. The tive logic or from outside influences, it has to be con-

9 vincing. If the artist really believes in what he is doing And someone answered, very casually, meaning not and is capable, the result will be satisfying. Maybe it much, "Well, you're a man, why don't you play your won't satisfy us on the basis of our old criteria of mind?" After that, the set was flowing and really cre• good and bad. But our sense of good and bad is recon• ative. Also, I've heard it said that so far on his record• structed every time there is valid artistic revolution ings, that the up tempo things don't come off as units, anyway. And that's where we in jazz are today, in an that on them especially, things seem to fall into bits artistic evolution or revolution. and pieces. Do you think this is true? As for Ornette's sense of form in improvising, I don't Well, with Ornette, I listen, so far, to the over-all impact see how you can be a skillful improviser and not at first, because he comes through most of the time with least construct a solo that has over-all meaning in such an intense statement. Ornette is the most dra• terms of feeling, even if its formal structure is not matic example of a new music, I think. And he is that obvious. I believe Ornette's solos communicate power• because he is as intense as he is. fully. This is the most important thing. I think there A lot of people are saying (though this is bound to be are times in one single solo when he is more inter• said about anybody who does anything new) that when ested in intensity of statement than in thematic elab• Bird came, Bird had it all ready, and they feel that oration, but this is his own aesthetic decision. In fact, Ornette has so much of it still to discover himself. it may be in good taste to sacrifice thematic elabora• Well, I hope so. tion for the sake of over-all impact. There can be a Another thing I feel is that all the great innovators have great debate on whether innovations in form in im• reshuffled in all three area; you know, rhythm, line and provised jazz outrank innovations in content in im• harmony or . . . provised jazz. Yeah, tonality. What do you mean by shifting? Though one may say that Bird's solos were not master• Well, of course, if you distinguish between rhythm and pieces of structure (I prefer to think that they are line you're obviously distinguishing between two things simply not rigidly designed nor needed to be), the that aren't really distinguishable. But if the great in• rhythmic, melodic phrases and the message had an novators are Armstrong and Bird, then they really did historical impact. Form can be anything that interrupts bring about harmonic, rhythmic and linear revisions in space. The only criterion of form is whether the content the jazz language by what they played. There have been as a whole is believable. There are millions of forms. others who have attempted innovations—extreme har• Coltrane's intense melodic and rhythmic phrases take monic ones like Tristano—that didn't take root because on their own multi-forms and the result is one indi• they were one-sided. See what I mean? genous form. It seems to me perfectly logical that an Oh yes, and I think Ornette is so satisfying because he improviser might have to play thematically. (He would is so complete in all these things. have little choice in the matter if he is dogged by lim• How do Ornette and Don start playing together? John ited technique and still wants to be tasty.) On the Lewis said he still didn't know by the end of the ses• other hand, the improviser who is the master of his sion at the school of jazz. instrument may or may not consider thematic develop• Ornette told me they just give a down beat, and some• ment an important part of his vocabulary. how on that one beat, they know what the tempo's As for Orneee's composed jazz, well, the large-form going to be. It seems rather fantastic. work is the real test of the jazz composer's formal abili• Sometimes they don't even give the down beat; it's an ties, because it lends itself least to jazz. John Lewis implied down beat. And after it's passed, you know it and Jimmy Giuffre deserve praise as composers of was there, but you never saw it. larger forms; they have worked in large forms success• Which seems to say that any group in the future that's fully. On the other hand, Monk, Miles, Bird, Mulligan really going to be successful esthetically will have to have excelled in small forms. I'm sure it must be glar• be awfully close-knit. Well, Billy and Charlie, they're ingly obvious that the examples of great large jazz just amazing. Charlie Haden's sound is so beautiful on works after Ellington have been few indeed. It therefore the Atlantic record. The whole thing is laying down a seems appropriate to me that when making a state• rhythmic palette for Ornette, you know, that is colored ment on the subject of a jazz composer's formal ability, with the tonality of the bass. The whole thing forms one should specify in just what area of forms the com• a sort of tonal-rhythmic palette. And the way Billy feels poser excells. We've only seen Ornette working in drums. I don't think drums are an instrument to be smaller forms, so far. pounded and wailed at you know. He doesn't play loud, But perhaps complete freedom all the time is not de• but he plays with such intensity, and he really puts sirable. Perhaps it's only one of the many facets in down a palette for Ornette. idioms in the jazz vocabulary. Perhaps the ideal jazz And how he listens. player will be able to acknowledge tonal centers, or, to All of them listen. any degree, reject them. There is a lot of gorgeous Charlie listens to Billy as well as Ornette or Don . . . music still left to be said between the two poles of or Billy will pick up Charlie's pattern . . . tonal music and centerless music. I think they're awfully good for jazz right now. I'm glad George, I want to ask some more questions, but before they happened. I do, there are a couple of incidents about Ornette I'd Did you hear about the time when somebody asked him like to tell you about. One happened the night he to play like Buster Smith, then play like Bird, then play opened at the Five Spot. He was very nervous, of like Ornette, and he did—each one? course, and in the first two sets, I thought his rhythms Well, I suppose he can do it. and melodies were very fragmented. They kept coming, And he's got the hippies all shook up. But on the other but they were agitated the whole time. He said, "I'm hand, can you go on playing the alto like it was a kazoo so nervous I don't know whether to play my fingers." all your life?

10 THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

Mack McCormack

The overnight train to San Antonio used to roll out of is the act by which history will remember Pat Neff.) the Houston depot a few minutes past eleven every Jack Smith sat in jail, brooding about the notorious night. The Southern Pacific called it "The Alamo Spe• transfer man, Uncle Bud Russell, who was to arrive cial." Twenty-five miles beyond the city, where it crossed shortly. the Brazos River bottoms, the black men staring out Apparently contemplating a variety of escape methods, of the grilled dormitory windows of Central Unit #2 Jack Smith got a friend to smuggle caustic acid, saw called it "The Midnight Special." To them the train blades, and a pistol into his cell. Only the gun proved was a howl and a stabbing cone of light, a rush of yel• necessary. It was then common practice for lawyers to low squares framing glimpses of freedom. In a moment see their clients in the courthouse lobby; during such it was gone, the thundering vibration fading, the song a visit, Smith pulled his gun, clubbed a' deputy, and and the convicts to sing it left behind. dashed outside to jump on the running board of a passing auto. "Oh, let the Midnight Special shine its light on me; At the time, the sheriff's residence was in its Old-West Let the Midnight Special shine its ever-lovin' light location, adjoining the jail. Sheriff T. A. Binford was at on me." home for his little girl's birthday party, when a groggy Roaring across the dark prairie, the train seemed the deputy ran over to tell him of the escape. Binford com• embodiment of "freedom's chariot". It was escape from mandeered a second auto and a running gun battle en• the prison described in one blues: "That Fort Bend sued through the business district. Hundreds of pedes• County bottom is a burning hell". Escape in the sense trians flattened themselves on the sidewalks as the of travel; escape by suicide beneath the grinding Sheriff got his man. wheels. Many trains invade the prison, the tracks cut Now retired to a farm on Houston's outskirts, Binford through the long-stretching, exact rows of corn, cotton, recalled the incident recently: "I stayed with Jack all and cane worked by the prisoners. But this was a pas• that next night. Just the two of us in a dark cell. I senger train, a slice of an utterly different world. And didn't beat him like they say. Just talked until finally it came just on the edge of midnight, when a prisoner he told me who it was had slipped him that gun and gets "to studying 'bout my great long time." stuff. I got that fellow and he went to the 'walls' too. James Baker, Moses Piatt, and Huddie Ledbetter have Jack told me he prayed to get out, said he figured if lain in chains at Central Unit #2, watching this train. he prayed hard enough it could be done even though no These three—better known by their prison names as one had ever broken my jail. 'But, Sheriff,' he told me, Ironhead, Clear Rock, and Leadbelly—were among the 'I just didn't pray not to get caught.'" thousands who have eased themselves by singing the A few days later, with Jack Smith again sitting in his stark reflections. cell, the corridors began to echo with a song about the "If you ever go to Houston, escape. Binford vaguely recalled the lines; You better walk right, "If you ever go to Houston, You better not stagger, Better not break that County Jail, And you better not fight."

A notable failure to heed this advice occurred in 1923, Sheriff Binford went a-running, when Jack Smith held up a bank messenger in broad Chased ol' Jack Smith down. daylight. Quickly captured and sentenced to twenty-five You can bet your bottom dollar, 1 years at hard labor, Smith sat in the county jail at He's Sugarland bound." Houston, waiting to "pull chain." It was a bad time to until Ed Badeaux, vacationing in his hometown, made a be going to the penitentiary. Previously, he could have point of visiting the Sheriff to sing him the song as bought a pardon, an easy matter during Big Jim Fer• it is familiarly known (and included in Ed's Folkways guson's administration as Texas governor. But Fergu• album "American Guitar"). The ex-sheriff snorted with son had been impeached for ,this and other shady ac• surprise at hearing this odd memorial to himself. "They tivities. Pat Neff, the new governor, had campaigned was always singing something you know—but I never with a promise to end the traditional practice of selling thought anybody'd be interested." pardons. To hold the voters' confidence he was refus• Commenting on the Sandburg variant where the name ing to grant any pardons. (During his four years as gov• is given as "T. Bentley", he said: "That's closer in a ernor, he released only five men. One of these pardons way. Most people just called me T." A crusty individual

11 who characterizes himself as a "hound dog man", Bin- Uncle Bud's the damnest you ever seen, ford acquired his gun lore as a youth in the frontier Uncle Bud's got plenty of gasoline." west. He began police work as a mounted officer and The last line has reference to the out-size gasoline came to public notice in the tragic riot of Negro sol• tanks with which the transfer wagon, used in recent diers in 1917. Northern recruits, unused to the southern years, was supplied. These tanks enabled Russell to caste system, staged a revolt against their officers and drive his charges to prison non-stop from any point in charged toward Houston's business district screaming Texas. their protests. Binford, among, the first to meet the Having died a few years after his retirement to his mob, was promptly wounded and woke next morning home in Hill County, Uncle Bud Russell is vividly re• to find himself hero of the incident. Thirty-seven of the membered in folk songs. Negroes were hanged; Binford was made sheriff in the next election. "T. K. Edwin went to Austin, With a paper in his hands, "Well, yonder comes Bud Russell, To get the intermediate sentence How in the world do you know? Passed on de convict man. Tell him by his big hat, And his forty-fo'." He hand the paper to the gov'nor, And there it stood. Uncle Bud Russell is an oft-mentioned figure in songs I know she gonna sign it, originating in Texas. Like another prison transfer man Cause she said she would." who gave rise to Joe Turner Blues, the folk-image of T. K. "Kirk" Irwin served as chief of city detectives at Bud Russell is one of an evil spirit wandering the land, Houston for a number of years. Again a name is some• kidnapping the men into slavery. what blurred in singing. Now 84 years old, blind with Often the sole guard to handle the transfer of large cataracts, Kirk Irwin is a lonely man who says: "I walk groups of prisoners from the far-flung Texas counties all downtown where I used to know everyone and now to the Huntsville "walls", and thence to the prison I don't see anyone and no one sees me." His lasting farms which spread along the Brazos and Trinity river fragment of fame may be this verse of The Midnight bottoms, Bud Russell has been held in awe by all who Special. have dealt with him. Both convicts and prison officials seem to have feared him. Two generations of Texans The stanza relates to the legal procedure under the have been brought up on the warning: "Don't do it un• Texas habitual criminal law which provides an inde• less you want to see Uncle Bud come for you." terminate ("intermediate") sentence from five years to life imprisonment after a third felony conviction. The "He walked into the jailhouse, use of the feminine gender in referring to the governor With a gang a' chains in his hand. identifies the stanza with Mariam C. "Ma" Ferguson I heard him tell the trustee, who held office 1925-27 and again 1933-35. The stanza 'I'm the transfer man'." was published in "American Ballads and Folk Songs", and according to Alan Lomax came from either Lead- Binford described the 6-foot, 200 pound Bud Russell as belly or Ironhead. Chances are it was the latter since "most successful" among the transfer men. The pres• Leadbelly was free of the Texas prison during her ent Harris County jailer, C. K. McAlpine, remembers administration. him as a "very strong man with a very big knife." On Kirk Irwin nodded vaguely when asked if he recalled one occasion McAlpine turned over a total of 64 pris• anyone known as Leadbelly—who worked for the Hous• oners to the transfer man. As was the custom in those ton Buick agency and gained a minor police record days, Russell chained the prisoners in one long line, in the city following his pardon. "I remember a great then marched them across downtown Houston, board• big fellow," Irwin said. "Always played guitar and sang ing the train to Huntsville with only himself to guard when you'd take him in. That the one? Some of the the entire group. boys would see him on the street and pick him up just In his song for Governor Pat Neff, Leadbelly chants be• to hear him make up songs. Great big, black man." tween the verses, giving an account of his own experi• Four of these officers are recorded in one of Leadbelly's ence: "Bud Russell, which traveled all over the state stanzas: and carried de men down de state penitentiary, had me "Bason an' Brock will arrest you, goin on down. Had chains all around my neck, and I Payton an' Boone will take you down; couldn't do nothin but wave my hands." The judge will sentence you, Lightnin' Hopkins recently recorded a blues—adapting An' you Sugar Land bound." lines from Ain't No More Cane On The Brazos—which commemorates Russell's days as a prison guard: "They Fragments of other lines remembered were "Jack Smith say you ought to been on the Brazos nineteen and ten, sittin' on appeal", and "Sheriff got him 'bout forty Bud Russell drove pretty women just like he done ugly years more." men." The old song "Uncle Bud" which describes a With the Sheriff's name slurred in the singing, the song bullish, hell-with-women kind of man, has in Texas be• has spread throughout the Texas prison system: come associated with the specific menace of Bud Russell. "Or Sheriff Benson will arrest you, He will carry you down. "Uncle Bud's got this, Uncle Bud's got that, If the jury finds you guilty, Uncle Bud's got an arm like a baseball bat. Then you're Sugarland bound."

12 Following the jailbreak incident, Jack Smith was sent all anthologies. to the penitentiary and labeled #50344 to serve his The Library of Congress archives include seven record• twenty-five year term for armed robbery. He served ings, the earliest from the Texas penitentiary "walls" slightly over one year. During this first year, while Pat at Huntsville, sung by Jesse Bradley in 1934. Later re• Neff was governor, pardons were exceptionally scarce. cordings were made by Leadbelly while in the Louisiana Leadbelly managed to obtain one after having charmed prison at Angola, by the Gant family of Austin, by sev• the Governor with an evening of songs, concluded by eral convict groups at Mississippi's Parchman Farm, an especially composed plea for his release. Even then, and finally by Woody Guthrie in 1940. All of these were Neff waited until the last few days of his term before collected by John and Alan Lomax. granting Leadbelly's pardon. A few months later, Jack It was the title song of the historic RCA Victor album Smith obtained a pardon by using different resources. of prison songs made by Leadbelly in 1940. Pete See- The Ferguson regime succeeded Pat Neff. Unable to ger's transcription of this record appears in B. A. Bot- run himself after being impeached, Big Jim Ferguson kin's A Treasury of American Folklore. Here Leadbelly blandly had the voters elect his wife and things were sings, unlike his other recordings, the line referring to as before. Three months after "Ma" Ferguson came to "Sheriff Benson". Leadbelly, who certainly knew the office, Jack Smith, son of a well-to-do Austin family, Houston sheriff's proper name, may have been influ• was granted a pardon. enced by the printed versions then circulating. Pete The distinctive text now associated with The Midnight Seeger also admits he may have erred in transcribing Special seems to have begun as a progression from a the exact name Leadbelly sang. cycle of jail songs common in Texas. Interchange of Since then, the song has been recorded twice again by texts is particularly common between songs such as Leadbelly and by artists such as Odetta, Big Bill Down In The Valley (Birmingham Jail, etc.) Hard Times, Broonzy, Pete Seeger, The Weavers, and Josh White. Poor Boy (Durant Jail, Cryderville Jail, etc.). The lines Blues shouter Joe Turner has contributed a rock 'n' roll and fairly fixed rimes lend themselves to topical events. version, dance bands have recorded instrumental ar• "Negro Folk Songs as sung by Leadbelly" provides a rangements, and movie star Andy Griffith's recording transcription of his The Shreveport Jail which has has had a fling on the hit parade. verses and sentiments in common with, and seems to lie exactly midway between all three songs: The Mid• "Well, you wake up in the morning, night Special, Down In The Valley, and Hard Times, Hear the ding-dong ring, Poor Boy. Go marchin' to the table, See the same damn thing. Growing out of a loosely knit group of jail songs, the narrative of a 1923 Houston jailbreak seems to have Knife and fork on the table, then passed on to the prison farms, evolving finally as Nothing in my pan, a person-by-person account of those foremost in a con• If you say anything about it, vict's mind. You're in trouble with the man."

"Yonder comes Miss Rosie, Despite the song's widespread fame, Sheriff Binford How in the world do you know? had never heard it except from his own prison charges I can tell by her apron, Three of these men have been identified as former And the dress she wore. members of the Houston police force. A. W. Brock was chief of police for a time. George Payton and Johnnie Umbrella on her shoulder, Boone were a team of city detectives who specialized Piece a paper in her hand, in prowling the Negro wards. There was at one time a Goes a-marching to the Captain, song devoted to these two although no text has yet Says, 'I want my man'." been found. Boone is now deceased according to his Doubtless there were other songs which contributed to former buddy, George Payton, who in recent years has The Midnight Special's formation—an old spiritual con• served as house officer at the Texas State Hotel. tributed the lines of the chorus and perhaps the tune— but the best known version mentioning a specific Hous• ton sheriff must have taken shape during his term. Bin- ford's eighteen years as Harris County sheriff began in 1919. Others mentioned in the song held office during this same period; The deceptive titles of much folk music make it diffi• cult to determine the earliest recordings of the song. Around 1925 there was a Midnight Special by Sodarisa Miller on the Paramount label. Sam Collins recorded a Midnight Special Blues for Gennett in 1927. The song's first publication was in Carl Sandburg's "The American Songbag", in 1927. It is Alan Lomax's belief that this version was obtained from Ws father's early collections of Texas lore. Sandburg failed to credit his source. The later Lomax books "American Ballads and Folk Songs" and the Leadbelly volume published distinctive variants. Now, of course, it is standard in Sheriff T. A. Binford

13 "Well, yonder comes Dr. Melton. by Alan Lomax and released by Tradition records, these How in the world do you know? are the only example of actual convict singing avail• Well, he gave me a tablet, able outside the Library of Congress discs. Just the day befo'. Looked at from afar, prison songs are easily misunder• stood. The understatement, the wry, almost comic tone Well, there never was a doctor, is misleading. In singing for themselves the men need Travel through the land, only hint at their meanings. An article such this adds That could cure the fever only literal understanding of the refereces. The songs Of a convict man." themselves tell their story best. Listening to the entire No physician by this name was ever employed in the group of songs from the Texas prison farms, one Texas prison system. Of the three Dr. Meltons listed glimpses the reality of life on these slavery-oriented by the Texas State Board of Examiners, none were in institutions. Ultimately, the glimpse is terrifying. The practice near any of the prison farms. Unlike the songs are often a prisoner's last hold on his sanity. The many other persons named and accurately described escape of Long John is a glorious, treasured event in by the ballad, Dr. Melton eludes the grasp of research. history. The blam-ba-lams of Black Betty are the scars The consensus of ex-convicts and ex-guards who were on a man's body. "You ought to been on the river nine• asked about a "Dr. Melton" was that he may have been teen and four, you could find a dead man on every a hospital steward at one of the farms, titled by his turnrow . . ." means exactly that. These songs are a fellow prisoners. Two men remembered in the vaguest proud evidence of suffering and the prisoners' ability way someone called by this name. to rise above it. Only the convicts themselves can en• None of the physicians employed by the prison were joy the cynicism of such jokes: "Get up dead man, help found to have a first name such as Milton or Melton. me hoe my row . . ." The text can be taken to suggest a convict steward— From time to time a Houston newspaper will run an who'd be handing out salt tablets, aspirin, and bro• item indicating present conditions in the prison. Re• mides constantly—rather than a physician who'd only cently a one paragraph note stated that several dozen appear in the event of more serious illness. Houston convicts had cut their heel tendons and used other physician Robert K. Blair who was at one time medical forms of self-mutilation to escape work in the fields. officer for Clemens, Ramsey, Harlem, Retrieve, Darring- Working twelve or more hours a day in the naked, sun- ton, Blue Ridge, and Central farms, recalled the use of scorched land of the river bottoms, the men are subject convict stewards as typical practice." You take an in• to torture at the slightest mistake or a guard's whim. telligent murderer who's going to be in at least five or Routinely, they are kicked by mud-crusted boots and ten years and a doctor can train him and be able to held under the perpetual threat of death from a shot• depend on him just as you would on an Army corps- gun blast. One famed guard employed a moron's man." method of counting. Collecting his gang at the begin• ning of a work day, he'd pick up a stone for each pris• "One day, one day, oner. In the evening he'd discard one for each man I was walking along, returning to barracks. If, for any reason, the men and I heard the Midnight Special stones failed to even out, the guard's solution was to Blowing a lonesome song." beat the men with a chain. The Midnight Special is but one of the songs which A former inmate* of the Ramsey farm has described have flown from the rich springs of the Texas prison the night hours. "You are placed on a narrow bench system. This ballad remembers the jail officials just as with your feet straight out and your hands behind you. Black Betty remembers the whip and Shorty George Handcuffs are then snapped on. Sometimes a convict's recalls the Sunday visitors' train from Houston. 01' wrists swell so much they lose the use of their hands. Riley Walked the Water and Here Rattler Here and Long You have to get up and get just the same—they have a John tell the escape legends. Go Down 01' Hannah graveyard there all their own." pleads with hot, hanging sun. Ain't No More Cane On "I'm going away to leave you, The Brazos and Hammer Ring and Pick A Bale Of Cot• An' my time ain't long, ton and Choppin In The New Ground describe the re• The man is gonna call me, lentless "rolling" of a man on these vast convict plan• An' I'm going home. tations. Then I'll be done all my grievin, On the most recent recording trip to the prisons, these Whoopin, hollerin, an' a-cryin; songs were again found in tradition. Pete Seeger who Then I'll be done all my studyin, initiated the 1951 visit, together with Houston Folk• 'Bout my great long time." lore Group members John Lomax Jr. and Chester Bower, recorded a new verse (above) which the prison• This article appeared in CARAVAN, the Magazine of ers had added to The Midnight Special as well as Folk Music, and is reprinted by permission of such new songs as the eloquent and mystic Grizzly Billy Fehr, editor. Research for this article was Bear. The original tapes from this trip are now in the sponsored by the Houston Folklore Group. Thanks Library of Congress, and an interesting but poorly are due Rae Korson, Library of Congress; T. A. organized selection of them has been released on a Binford, Hempstead, Texas; J. C. Roberts, Texas Folkways Ip. Four other selections have been included Department of Corrections; John Lomax, Jr., Houston; in "A Treasury of Field Recordings" which has been Alan Lomax, New York; Pete Seeger, Beacon, N.Y.; released on the English 77 label. With the magnificent Dr. R. K. Blair, Houston; and others who wish to recordings from Mississippi's Parchman Farm made remain anonymous

14 THE BLUES

SPORT MODEL MAMA RISING' HIGH WATER BLUES I'm a sports model mama, out on the rack for sale. Back water risin', I'm a sports model mama, out on the rack for sale. Southern people can't make no sign. It's a mighty poor dog, won't wag its own tail. I say back water risin', I'm just a plain little sport, have punctures every day. Southern people can't make no sign. And I can't get no hearin' I'm just a plain little sport, have punctures every day. You may want a limousine, but they puncture the same way. From that Memphis girl of mine. You can come down and buy me, take you where you want to go. Water in Arkansas You can come down and buy me, take you where you want to go. People screamin' in Tennessee. Old saying is: "Hello but come back for mo!" Oooo, People screamin' in Tennessee. I know you women don't like me because I speak my mind. About the only Memphis, I know you women don't like me because I speak my mind; Back water been all over poor me. I don't like to make speed, I'd rather take my time. People says it's rainin' When the man comes to buy me, you'll always hear them say. It has been for nineteen days. When the man comes to buy me, You'll always hear them say: People says it's rainin' "Give me a sports model mama because they know the way." Has been for nineteen days. (Sung by Bertha "Chippie" Hill with Richard M. Jones on Thousands people stands on the hill Okeh 8473. Transcribed by Fred E. Cox.) Lookin' down where they used to stay. Children started screamin' Mama we ain't got no home. SAW MILL MAN BLUES Oooo, I didn't build this world, but I sure can tear it down, Mama we ain't got no home. I didn't build this world, but I sure can tear it down, Papa says to children, And when I'm on my job, mama, I don't want no man around. "Back water left us all alone." My breakfast ain't never ready, baby, and my supper is never on time. Back water risin', My breakfast ain't never ready, baby, and my supper is never on time. Come in my windows and door. If you want me, hot mama, you'd better try and make up your mind. Back water risin', Gimme hot biscuits with my pork chops, hot liquor with turnip greens! Come in my windows and door, Gimme hot biscuits with my pork chops, hot liquor with turnip greens! I leave with a prayer in my heart, Don't try fo jive me, baby, 'cause I'm the cruelest man you've ever seen! Back water won't rise no more. Yes, I'm working in a saw mill, sleepin' in a shack about six feet wide. Workin' in a saw mill, baby, sleepin' in a shack about six feet wide. (This is a correction to a transcription I sees my new gal every pay day and I'm perfectly satisfied. published in The Jazz Review, Decem• (Sung by Pleasant Joe with the Mezzrow-Bechet Septet on ber, 1959. Sung by Blind Lemon Jeffer• King Jazz 144. By Sox Wilson and Sammy Price. Transcribed son on Riverside RLP 12-125. Tran• by Eric Townley.) scribed by John Randolph Beverly II.)

15 One of the most important men in Los Angeles to many a young jazz musician is trumpeter-leader Gerald Wilson. "He's very encouraging and help• ful to all young musicians," Dolphy says, "no matter how well he may be doing himself. He keeps everybody aroused and interested in music. It's so important because otherwise so many peo• INTRODUCING ple would have nothing to look forward to and EEC DOLPIT no hope of being able to earn their way in music. I have recorded an arrangement he wrote eighteen years ago—it hasn't been released yet—and it Martin Williams sounded so fresh. He was 'modern' when I was very, very young. There are other people I should thank too, but if I name Chico, Harold Land, Buddy, Walter Benton, Lester Robinson, Ernest Crawford—that's just a beginning." On Gerald Wilson, Addison Farmer adds, "Just about every• Hearing Eric Dolphy play with the Charlie Mingus one out there has learned from Gerald. It is quartet at the Showplaoe, it was hard for some of such a pleasure to play his music. And he al• us to realize we had heard him before. But it was ways keeps learning too." he who took over Buddy Colette's book with When he joined Hamilton, Dolphy learned all the Chjco Hamilton in 1957. And Dolphy was for many reeds, and he traveled, "hearing everyone in the years a part of that Los Angeles jazz underground country." He says, "I listen and try to play every• about which a great deal more should be known; where I go. In Kansas City I heard John Jackson that city is full of talented musicians only a few and lots of good saxophonists. I played with a of whom make the recording studios or are able pianist called Sleepy that they say Bird used to to earn their livings by playing their horns. play with all the time. So many wonderful When I asked Eric Dolphy whom he listened to, players." the first two names that came to him were Art Dolphy stayed a year with Hamilton, contributed Tatum and John Coltrane. It is not surprising to some pieces to the book (Miss Movement is his) one who has heard Dolphy that he should name but left in 1958 in New York. His chief jobs since them, for both of them have very special har• then have been with George Tucker at Minton's monic senses. But Tatum's imagination was al• and with Mingus. most exclusively harnomic; and Coltrane is, like "In my own playing, I am trying to incorporate Coleman Hawkins, frequently an arpeggio player. what I hear; I hear other resolutions on the basic Dolphy's talent seems to be melodic, and as he harmonic patterns, and I try to use them. And I develops we should hear him more and more try to get the instrument to more or less speak— using his very flexible harmonic ear to select everybody does. I learned harmony from Lloyd the notes for the creation of original melodic Reece; he really opened my ears to it, and I also lines. He is already a nearly virtuoso alto saxo• studied it in school." phonist as well as an exciting soloist. Comparisons between Dolphy's work and Ornette Eric Dolphy was born in Los Angeles thirty-one Coleman's are probably inevitable and will just years ago. He started playing clarinet at eight as probably plague both of them from now on. and saxophone at fifteen. The first jazz musician "Ornette was playing that way in 1954. I heard he remembers having heard was Fats Waller, and about him, and when I heard him play, he asked when he began to hear Duke Ellington and Cole• me if I liked his pieces and I said I thought they man Hawkins, his ears were opening. "I used to sounded good. When he said that if someone ask myself, what is that? at the things they played a chord, he heard another chord on that played. I wanted to know how they did all of one, I knew what he was talking about* because them." He heard everyone he could hear he says.- I had been thinking of the same things." Mingus Ellington, Hawkins, Benny Carter, Benny Good• adds: "He doesn't sound a thing like Ornette man, the Basie band. Then Charlie Parker. Coleman. He phrases more like Bird. And he has "Then Bird was it," he says. "I went to school absorbed Bird rhythmically." with Hampton Hawes, and he was the first to tell "Yes, I think of my playing as tonal," Dolphy said me about Bird. I didn't believe him at first. I in answer to a question. "I play notes that would couldn't believe anybody'Could be faster than not ordinarily be said to be in a given key, but Hawkins, for one thing." I hear them as proper. I don't think I 'leave the The first professional job Dolphy had was at a changes', as the expression goes; every note I dance and Charlie Mingus was on basts. "He play has some reference to the chords of the played the style he does now in high school," piece." interrupts Mingus. "A lot of guys out there did, "I feel very happy to be a part of music," he including Buddy Colette—-I don't know what hap- added modestly. "It is really wonderful to feel I paned to him. We used to play that way with can make my living as a musician now because Lloyd Reece." I never wanted to do anything else."

16

they revive. Listen to the punch and complete, and despite the sometimes snap of Basie's original One O'Clock difficult intervals the words are sung RECORD Jump, then put on L-H-R. expressively. Most notable are Annie Although they aren't bad rhythmically Ross's versions of Edison's solos in and they do get the jazz "feel," their Jumpin' at The Woodside and Shorty individual intonation is atrocious, George and her 'brass' shakes in REVIEWS their voices strident and without Going to Chicago. Hendricks is depth, and their blend is muddy and astonishing in Jacquet's three lacks cohesion. choruses at the end of The King, On this record, Jon has some and his version of Clayton's opening. particularly painful pitch problems on Going to Chicago solo is probably the Blues Backstage and Little Pony, best piece of lyric writing in the set. Dave on One O'Clock Jump, Annie Lambert has fewer solos but takes on One O'Clock and in her section some of the most difficult, especially LAMBERT-HENDRICKS-ROSS: "Sing a work on Everyday. Dickenson's Let Me See chorus and Song of Basie." ABC Paramount, Why are jazz musicians criticized for Lester's in Swinging' the Blues. ABC-223. borrowing from Bird or Monk, and Some of the lyrics are rather trivial— Everyday; It's Sando Man!; Two For the Blues; L-H-R lauded for copying solos note for Every Tub and The King, for example, One O'clock Jump; Little Pony; Down For note? The jazz musician who but the best, Jumpin' at the Woodside, Double; Fiesta in Blue; Down For the Count; incorporates Bird or Monk is at Shorty George and Swingin' the Blues, Blues Backstage; Avenue C. least adding a part of himself to his are entertaining light-weight jazz creation; he is improvising and looking novelties that surely have a place What is it about singers—especially for a way to express himself in spite in the scheme of things. mediocre ones—that makes otherwise of relying on Bird or Monk for Max Harrison perceptive critics and listeners lose source material. their standards? Dave Lambert, Jon Jon Hendricks might use his talents Hendricks, and Annie Ross are only better by writing lyrics for original LAMBERT, HENDRICKS, AND ROSS: the latest in a succession of minor music. "The Hottest New Group in Jazz". vocalists to be embraced by the jazz Mimi Clar Columbia CL 1403. world. They take an instrumental Charleston Alley; Moanin'; Twisted; Bijou; record and substitute human voices for Cloudburst; Centerpiece; Gimme That Wine; instruments, setting words to the LAMBERT-HENDRICKS-ROSS: "Sing Sermonette; Summertime; Everybody's Boppin'. notes. Isn't this like deciding to Along with Basie". Roulette R-52018. re-paint The Blue Boy in red? Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross The overwhelming, open-armed No human voice has the range of an vocals; with Count Basie's Band and acceptance of Lambert, Hendricks, and instrument; if a human voice tries Joe Williams. Ross even by serious jazz listeners to reproduce what an instrument has Jumpin' at the Woodside; Going to Chicago; and writers has reached the point played, it will have to resort to Tickle-Toe; Let Me See; Every Tub; Shorty where the title of this album is falsetto, growl, slur skipped notes to George; Rusty Dusty Blues; The King; probably an accurate estimate of the fulfill the technical demands on the Swingin' the Blues; Li'l Darlin'. situation. This is puzzling until one voice. Unless one is an exceptional stops to think that they have jazz singer these effects come out The initial appeal of jazz vocalese is penetrated areas jazz has not unpleasantly forced. obviously its novelty. It is undeniably previously reached, and the missionary Replacing reeds, brass, and piano parts intriguing to hear words added to a zeal attendant to new-won territory with human voices loses the variety familiar instrumental, words that tends to obscure the fact that they of instrumental timbres and colors fit every note, lines that rhyme and do not do very well what they are and the particular character and even tell a story. If the performance doing—and that they shouldn't do it quality of each instrument. Though is to have more than novelty appeal, at all. each human voice is individual, each however, the words need to do more Vocally, the group is of varying is still the same instrument—a human than fit. They should, theoretically quality: Annie Ross is a fine jazz voice. How can a human voice do at least, add to the expressiveness of singer; Jon Hendricks could probably justice to a solo conceived for the the music. One suspects this to be sing good blues; and Dave Lambert piano and utilizing the special an impossible task because it involves hardly sings. And what they do is not resources of the piano, any more than producing exact literary equivalents too difficult; if you have ever hummed a piano can adequately reproduce of music—a thing that cannot be done a favorite solo while walking down a Billie Holiday solo? because of the quite different, almost the street, you know that scat singing And the lyrics—what good are they mutually exclusive, things that is much easier than playing a musical if the tempo is so fast you can't language and music express. For this instrument. Lambert, Hendricks and understand them and have to follow reason, no matter how great his Ross are essentially an act like the microscopic texts on the back musical sympathy, the vocalese lyric the Chipmunks or the Nutty Squirrels of the jacket with a magnifying glass? writer is defeated before he has (there is high praise for them, too) And if the words distort the musical begun. Jon Hendricks has met the and, like such an act, they have very sound so that most of the melodic challenge bravely with enormous early begun to run out of material. value of the lines is swallowed, what's ingenuity—particularly in setting Columbia Records catches them at the gain? Though many of the words words to Lester Young's solos—but this point, which is simultaneously are clever and though Hendricks has it is not surprising that these the peak of their career. But that a real flair for fitting words in performances sound like, and are, company, which specializes in giving rhythm and phrasing to previously diminutions of the originals. an official cachet to jazz musicians improvised lines, I find after several So much work and skill has gone built up by smaller labels, should be tracks that there is a sameness about into this record that one regrets not used to that by now. the lyrics. And I don't think the being able to commend it more. Quite The essential point is this: Jon words Jon chooses always fit what incontestable, though, is the singers' Hendricks (and when will he assume the musician has said with his horn musical fidelity to the originals. The the title of Musical Director?) is not on the original record. notes of the solos and ensembles are Lester Young or Miles Davis, but he is It seems to me that L-H-R are adding reproduced with an accuracy that not James Joyce either, even if Time nothing to the instrumental records is surprising, even if not quite thinks he is. He has chosen to work

19 under crippling constraints—following Adderley's group maintains stoutly: all and the discovery still seems a slavishly rhythm and melodic patterns the Silver/Blakey influences extant surprise. The words and emotions of originally set down by improvising and fashionable now, the "gospel" these early recordings seem to bubble horns (have you ever noticed how sound, also a Silver/Blakey—and Ray forth virtually independently of any many of the rave reviews this group Charles—thread. In fact, Cannonball's choice on the singer's part, and the has gotten are based on how well pianist, Bobby Timmons is about the trumpet work of this period has a this group imitates horns? Even Sammy best gospel pianist I've heard since a similar quality. These performances Davis, Jr. has learned that an act guy named Robert Banks at the are characterized by a vitality which based on mimicry, no matter how Abyssinia Baptist Church in Newark, seems to override all human suffering excellent, has to have some originality, New Jersey. The group also manages with a carelessness tempered by or it will fail), and adhering to titles to maintain good unison feel. knowledge and confidence. that were often carelessly tacked on to Trumpeter Nat Adderley takes care of However, by 1928 when he recorded originals with little or no thought. the Miles semi-cool side of things. such things as Our Monday Date, No Of course, certain people work best Also, the group has a fine rhythm One Else But You, and Save It Pretty under constraint, but Hendricks is section in Timmons, Sam Jones and Mama, this rough effervescence changed apparently not one of them, at least Louis Hayes; they often cook and to that jocular, kidding approach not in the situation he has chosen they're always funky. (As what jazz which Armstrong was to develop fully for himself. All that happens is that he musician ain't these days?) A perfect in his treatment of pop songs from is left with nothing of his own to 'fifties group, reflecting just how far the 'thirties on. It is this approach of say—Goin' to Chicago, for instance the new mainstream has gotten since Armstrong's which has characterized contradicts New York, New York. And bop. the bulk of his recorded vocal work. as for originality (or hipness in case The only major drawback with this Essentially Armstrong kids a song by there are those who are willing to group is that they are unoriginal and refusing to take it seriously; he wryly settle for what is hip instead of what dull, a group of musicians who've twists the words and the stock is musical), a few quotes, all from learned all they can about what they're emotions they are meant to convey this album, should take care of that. doing. But everything is learned. No until the original is all but lost. Each sentiment has been covered invention anywhere! A jayvee Miles Yet he is not a satirist; he uses the more than adequately along Tin Pan Davis rhythm section, a fair song to convey the emotion he wants Alley over and over again, with contemporary trumpet player to convey. So on such numbers as somewhat less banality. (contemporary because he can sound I Hate to Leave You Now, Star Dust, From Centerpiece: like almost anybody), and one very and Pennies from Heaven he projects "I'll buy a house and garden good alto player, now beyond being a feeling of jovial tenderness and somewhere, a Charlie Parker initiate. The feeling affection but transcends it. It is not Along a country road apiece." is that we are being confronted by easy, or perhaps even possible, to From Sermonette: the style alone, and that content is say in detail how this is done; one "It tells you to love one another. inexorably lost under the mass of the can only stammeringly mention To feel that each man's your brother." fashionable. At best, it is pleasant resources of personality and feeling From Bijou: dilution ... at worst it is ugly and which enable him to carry it out. Of "In Istanbul when we met she was boring. A willingness to use us, to fool course, these resources are inextricably dancing in a small cafe . . . us into thinking that what is happening bound to a musical sense which, My very soul was made of flaming is serious, meaningful, or emotionally while often narrow, can constantly desire valid. It makes me think that if any surprise and gratify the attentive I felt the fire I could never love another of us are going to listen to jazz listener with its wonderful skill. Love is blind, no peace I'd find seriously it is better that we resist At the same time, Armstrong developed 'Til I made Bijou mine." this kind of dross. the fast rhythm style with which he But, since we are told that Hendricks LeRoi Jones worked in numbers such as Shine and is a poet and philosopher, perhaps I'm A Ding Dong Daddy. Here the song it is best to let him have his own last "LOUIS ARMSTRONG MEETS scarcely mattered save as a vehicle word. Here he is, in a "Blindfold OSCAR PETERSON." Verve MG V-9322. for virtuoso effects which often Test", reacting to a record of Twisted, Louis Armstrong, vocal and trumpet; Oscar disregarded it (which could not be one of the things that gave Hendricks' Peterson, piano; Herb Ellis, guitar; Ray Brown, done with the unfortunate Shine) in kind of poetry its start: "What they bass; Louis Bellson, drums. an attempt to dazzle. Armstrong is also an excellent blues want to mess with Warden's tune That Old Feeling; Let's Fall in Love; I'll Never singer, and the stylistic differences like that for? I liked it better the Be the Same; Blues in the Night; How Long between his work on popular songs old way, so that spoiled this one for Has This Been Going On; I Was Doing and on songs like Yellow Dog Blues me. Don't mess with something good." All Right; What's New; Moon Song; Just One and Black and Blue are immediately Joe Goldberg of Those Things; There's No You; You Go apparent. There is a sobriety and to My Head; Sweet Lorraine. nearly tragic feeling which marks his "CANNONBALL ADDERLEY Quintet in To say that Louis Armstrong is a great work on these and which suggests a San Francisco". Riverside RLP 12-311. jazz singer and that his singing is a side of Armstrong which has never been adequately recorded. Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, alto; Nat replica of his trumpet style is to say Adderley, trumpet; Bobby Timmons, piano; everything and nothing. Everything The Ip which started these reflections Sam Jones, bass; Louis Hayes, drums. because Armstrong's vocal style is an is devoted to Armstrong the singer This Here; Spontaneous Combustion; Hi Fly; extension of the Armstrong musical of popular songs and it is an excellent You Got It; Bohemia After Dark. personality which can only find presentation. In How Long Has This expression in terms of the instrumental Been Going On, for instance, we have, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley is one style he perfected; nothing because it I think, one of Armstrong's vocal of those gifted people who are perfect does not describe the way Armstrong masterpieces. After singing an for their times. He reflects perfectly has adapted his talent to the various unfortunate verse (it is difficult to what seems to be the predominant types of songs which his metier has deal with the image of Armstrong in musical thinking in jazz of the presented him. "little velvet panties") he works the 'fifties. Adderley and this new group The earliest recorded Armstrong vocals song over in his usual manner and represent almost a complete with the Hot 5 and 7 give us a presents an emotional surprise and cross-section of what is fashionable rough-hewn singer who seems only to delight which, if not deep or complex, today: the hard-boppish feeling that have just found that he is a singer, is valid and moving.

20 Only slightly less effective are That original band, and records would seem with massive bodies of sound than Old Feeling and Blues in the Night to indicate that the group expired of with the integers which go to make which he dominates without difficulty general arteriosclerosis rather than the the finished product. Yet, even within and remodels and remolds until they post-war loss of interest in bands. the context of loud, screaming brass are recognizably human. On What's (But someone, somewhere, probably and blues-oriented riff tunes, no one New, however, he falls into bathos has air shots of this group which prove seems to be trying for an original when he tries to treat the piece with me wrong.) approach. Most of the effort goes to a deep seriousness more natural Of the selections reissued here, five duplicate the source model as closely to Billie Holiday. There's No You is are Jimmy Rushing vehicles, and while as possible. also handled in the same manner and he is competent, the material is East Wind is the first Basie mutation. with the same results, while Just One third-rate. Aside from Rushing and the It's pleasant in a harmless way, of Those Things is supper club chic Basie piano, Paul Gonsalves, of all although the thunder and wind effects throughout. possible choices, is the only regularly are ridiculous. I can't imagine what On the numbers with trumpet, featured soloist despite the personnel. educational function they are intended Armstrong is a delight, but a delight The gems of this collection, rhinestones to serve except to demonstrate that which may be too easily passed over. all, are, in descending order, 7th Ave. the composer, Charles Bechler, Jr., True, there is little here that is Express, Mr. Roberts' Roost, South, can use programmatic stunts stylistically new; the style is the and the title selection, all of which competently—and that ability has Armstrong style which we know. were available in the recently deleted never been a prerequisite for a But style is the way things are done "Count Basie," Victor LPM 1112. successful jazz composer. Katherine, and does not necessarily involve Gunther Schuller has a brief the quintet track, is competent except repetition. His solos on Blues in the appreciation on the album liner, which for the solos. A problem with time Night and Sweet Lorraine merit also lists full personnel and recording exists throughout, and the tenor and anyone's attention. data. trumpet men tend to follow the Peterson provides the accompaniment Louis Levy changes rigidly with little, if any, with his usual simulacrum of swing, variation in harmonic content. But this is a failing of most young improvisers, and otherwise stays out of the way. BERKLEE SCHOOL OF MUSIC: "Jazz H. A. Woodfin and does not necessarily imply that In The Classroom". Berklee BLP 1A. talent isn't there. Toshiko Akiyoshi, Composer-Arranger; Charles COUNT BASIE: "Basie's Basement". Bechler, Jr., Composer-Arranger-Piano; Amber's Folly is like those roccoco Camden CAL 497. Anthony Bisazza, alto; William Briggs, drums; Kenton monstrosities that used to Collective personnel: Trumpets: E. Lewis, E. Gordon Brisker, tenor; Joseph Cardinale, feature Maynard Ferguson or Conte Berry, G. Young, H. Edison, C. Terry, J. bass; William Chase, trumpet; Joseph Candoli. The rhythm is again very Nottingham, G. Wilson; Trombones: B. Johnson, Ciavardone, trombone; Roger Delillo, shaky, and the trumpet section makes T. Donnelly, G. Matthews, G. Washington, trombone, bass trumpet; Joseph Egidio, a particularly bad fluff on the octave D. Wells, G. Simon; Saxes: C. Q. Price, R. guitar; Paul Fontaine, trumpet; Harold Galper, unisons. It's difficult to determine if rough spots like this were caused by Washington, P. Gonsalves, B. Tate, P. Love, piano; Les Harris, drums; John Hening, an insufficient number of takes or E. Warren, W. Parker, E. Rutherford; Piano: trumpet; Gene Langdoc, composer-arranger; simply poor tape editing. In either Basie; Guitar: F. Greene; Bass: W. Page, William Legan, trombone; Kenton Morrow, case, the composers and performers S. Palmer; Drums: J. Jones, R. Ballard. composer-arranger-alto; James Mosher, should have been given a better deal. Hey Pretty Baby; 7th Ave. Express; Walking composer-arranger-alto, baritone; Daniel While Neo-Gene is not really derivative, Slow Behind You; Mr. Roberts' Roost; Don't Nolan, Jr., trumpet; Lester Powell, trumpet; it does have elements which bring You Want a Man Like Me; South; Jungle King; William St. Laurent, composer-arranger; Dodge Basie flagwavers to mind. Someone Sophisticated Swing; House Rent Boogie; Terlemezian, tenor. (the notes don't say who) plays a Basie's Basement; Brand New Wagon. East Wind; Katherine; Amber's Folly; Neo-Gene; fairly interesting Zoot-like tenor solo. Silhouette; Quiet, Please; Chaotic Suite; "Basie's Basement" is the title, and The main problem is the screamingly Wandering, Wondering; A Certain Degree of poor intonation of the sax section; a Basie'e basement it almost it. Even Uncertainty; Return; An Interlude; Prelude the dark at the top of the Basie cellar difficulty which also plagues the other and the Game. performances. stairs, however, reflects a little of that Kansas City light—orchestral With this recording, the reviewer must Toshiko's Silhouette is the track that playing is crisp, the original rhythm resist the temptation to relax critical I expected the most from, but the section swings, and there are echoes standards because of the relative youth results were disappointing; the of the great days. Goodman excepted, and inexperience of the participants. composition doesn't sound too different Basie's band is currently represented in The Berklee School apparently asks from the ex-Herman sidemen small depth more than any other major jazz only that the recording be listened to band things of the 'forties. Toshiko orchestra. Aside from approximately with an open ear. None of the uses a modulating chord movement fifteen important Decca properties, compositions is outstanding. No date with many flatted fives and nines. virtually every worthwhile title recorded is listed, but the session apparently But this thick harmonic texture sounds by the band is available or easily took place within the last year or so, terribly limiting. The prospective obtainable. which makes me doubly surprised improviser is so surrounded with With the post-war years, there was a at the dated quality of the suspensions and altered chord tones falling-off in quality of the Basie compositions. Practically all the that he must spend all of his time recordings, as the original spirit of works are within the extremely breaking loose rather than winging the band dwindled into an empty limited stylistic area of the Basie and freely over and through his section-against-section riff formula Kenton big bands. One quintet number, accompaniment. Katherine, is innocuously West Coast featuring repetitive, familiar Quiet Please, is the most impressive and sounds somewhat like the Stu arrangements with limited free solo selection, probably because it is the Williamson-Charlie Mariano group of a space. The nadir of the Count's least pretentious. The arranger, Bill few years ago. But none has been recording activities was reached when St. Laurent, does make several bad influenced by the important new wave he signed with Victor in 1947 and rhythmic choices, particularly in the of composers and performers presently line he uses for the bridge, and he produced a steady series of commercial active in jazz. Not that this is terribly isn't helped by the out of tune saxes. ballads, desperately banal novelties, surprising. For some peculiar reason, The second side of the recording is trite mechanical blues, and a few academic students of jazz have devoted to several works by an generally disinterested instrumentals. traditionally been more concerned These were the last years of his instructor at Berklee, Robert Freedman.

21 Chaotic Suit, is a program piece as ever, working with Merritt, a strong pretty close to the melody. How depicting the dissolution of a psychotic and dependable bassist, to set up the High the Moon is a masterpiece. Byas personality. Such compositions are tremendous rhythmic urge that has is driving but calm. He builds more often distressingly similar to early characterized each and every one of climaxes than most jazzmen do in a Rugolo-Kenton. This one is no the Messengers' recordings. The rhythm whole Ip. His melodic lines are quite exception. There seems to be no section, in fact, is the focal point of long and the rests between the phrases particular justification for using the interest, for Timmons, unconcerned are very short. (In a review of another 5/4 time signature in the opening with the felicities of asymmetry, sweats Ip published a couple of months ago, largo. The same thematic motive is out the call-and-answer patterns, his I said Byas' phrases were short. This repeated later in the work in 4/4, but solos boiling up to the inevitable was a typographical mix-up; I meant the results—considering the differences chorded climax. There is neither the his rests.) in emphasis—are the same. Freedman's same logic nor compact emotional Donby and Byas a Drink are not too rhythms in general are rather trite power to the hornmen's efforts. Morgan original originals based on standard and are based primarily on eighth makes occasional judicious use of changes (Perdido and Savoy). Byas is notes accented on the up-beat and the inflection, but rarely manages the playing too much on the beat here superimposition of 3/4 figures on sense of continuity he achieved on for my taste. His ideas are nice; he's 4/4 measures—techniques which were Blue Note 4003, his first record as a quite powerful, but I don't think he hackneyed in the 'thirties. An Interlude member of Blakey's band. Mobley varies his dynamics enough on these is better, although the short slow plays with some intensity, especially sides. Jimmy Jones comps too much sections are unnecessarily pretentious. on Hipsippy, but for the most part his I think. It's enough for the bass to The middle section, a subtle, contributions are little more than play four beats a measure. medium-tempo swinger, is the best unhappy strings of cliches, his own Byas is more gentle on September in thing on the record. The logic of the and others, while his time is as the Rain, a very good track. Cherokee contrapuntal writing does not conflict unsatisfactory as on most of the albums is too frantic. Byas forces instead with the implicit jazz feeling. Such is that have featured him in the past of swings. It includes a perfect not the case with Prelude #2 and two years or so. Musing on the quartet example of how he breaks time, The Game, where the interweaving lines sides with Max Roach, the fleet solos though. After reaching the end of a seem contrived. Freedman is an with Gillespie, one wonders why his series of climaxes he'll lay out a few extremely competent composer, but early lyrical promise should never have bars. Then he'll start playing at about only in rare instances does he allow been fulfilled. half the speed of the rhythm section. his jazz to break loose from his Michael James He'll gradually increase his tempo technical ingenuity. until he's with them. He's not really The Berklee School has also published laying behind the beat like Lester the scores of all compositions on DON BYAS: "Free and Easy." Young. It's like two independent these recordings. Although this is a Regent 6044. solos in one. commendable acknowledgment of Don Byas, tenor; Benny Harris, trumpet; Jim Benny Harris is a sensitive trumpeter. student abilities, it strikes me as Jones, piano; John Levy, bass; Fred Hadcliffe, He's influenced by Diz, but is somewhat misguided. Both these drums. emotionally a pole apart. The solos students and others throughout the Canpy; How High the Moon; Donby; Byas are still fresh. I like Charlie Shavers world would benefit far more from the a Drink. better muted; it covers up some of availability of accurately transcribed Don Byas, tenor; Charlie Shavers, trumpet; his stiffness. charts of important jazz composers. Clyde Hart, piano; Slam Stewart, bass; Harvey Pekar As an educational institution of the Jimmy Parker, drums. first order, Berklee would be better Free and Easy. advised to advance its efforts in those Don Byas, tenor; Teddy Brendon, piano; "AL HAIG Quartet." Period SPL 1104. directions. Franklin Skeet, bass; Fred Radcliffe, drums. Al Haig, piano; Benny Weeks, guitar; Teddy Don Heckman September in the Rain; Cherokee. Kotick, bass; Phil Brown, drums. Sweet Lorraine; Tea for Two; You Go To My During the middle 'forties, Don Byas Head; You Stepped Out of a Dream; "ART BLAKEY & THE JAZZ was probably the best tenor man in Undecided; Man I Love; Woodyn' You; Stella MESSENGERS at the Jazz Corner of jazz. The quality of his recorded work by Starlight; Someone to Watch Over Me. the World." Volume 1, Blue Note 4015. varies quite a bit but the best is AL HAIG: "Jazz Will-O-the-Wisp". Hipsippy Blues; Justice; The Theme; Close astonishing. He played then (and may Counterpoint CPT-551. Your Eyes; Just Coolin'. play now—I haven't been to Europe Al Haig, piano; Bill Crow, bass; Lee Abrams Lee Morgan, trumpet; Hank Mobley, tenor sax; for a couple of weeks) with the fierce drums. Bobby Timmons, piano; Jymie Merritt, bass; drive of Hawkins but he was Autumn in New York; Isn't It Romantic?; rhythmically much more supple. His Art Blakey, drums. They Can't Take That Away from Me; Royal technique was flawless and he managed Garden Blues; Moonlight in Vermont; If I Art Blakey is one of the great to achieve a lovely pure vibrato on Should Lose You; All God's Chillun Got individualists in present-day jazz, and even the fastest tempos. He was not Rhythm; Body and Soul; Gone with the Wind; perhaps because of this has been interested in form in the same way On the Alamo. censured for his intransigence behind Rollins is, but this posed no problem Piano solos: the soloist by those whose chief because he was so inventive and Don't Blame Me; April in Paris; My Old Flame. concern is with melody. Such a charge resolved everything he played. If you seems to me misdirected, at least can keep coming up with fresh ideas To those who have followed modern when he is playing with musicians of and resolve them, you don't have to jazz since it first appeared on records, suitable temperament. The power of worry about construction. it is something of a surprise to realize contemporary Eastern style stems not His melodic vocabulary was that Al Haig's name can mean very least from the kind of group tension considerably enriched by the influence little to those who have come to the that requires continual interaction of Charlie Parker, but he generally music during the past decade, so between the playing of soloist and was not so modem rhythmically then it is appropriate to begin with a drummer. Blakey has shown that he as he was on the "Dizzy in Paris" few biographical details. Haig was can meet the needs of this style album cut several years later. one of the very first pianists able to brilliantly without for one moment His conception of ballad playing on meet the demands of modern jazz sacrificing his responsibility in so far this set is pretty standard swing era and became identified with the music as swing is concerned. practice: he is very concerned with in 1945, when he was an important On this album he plays as fervently producing a beautiful sound and stays member of the 52nd Street scene.

22 During the following years he was and be a little more conventional in present on many significant modern phrase lengths, but his melodic small group sessions in which he sense is equally strong and individual. played memorably both as soloist and Also, his technique is such that his in ensemble. His association with playing has a flexibility which lends Parker and Gillespie (he accompanied to even the fastest of his performances the former to Europe in 1949) was a relaxation, that is a positive quality of particular importance. He of his style because it allows him to was in many respects the most think melodically at all tempos. sympathetic pianist to record with Even the fleet Tea for Two is no Parker, and, in collaboration, with Max mere compilation of arpeggios but, Roach, he produced, on such again, presents a true melodic recordings as Segment (Verve 8009), variation on the theme. Chi Chi and Now's the Time (Verve The early bop records by which he 8005), a nearly perfect setting for became known gave little scope for the altoist's ideas. Indeed, Haig gained Haig's ballad playing and, towards the a special reputation as an end of the forties, many of his accompanist, and was once described admirers were surprised by the by Stan Getz as "the best in the richness of his work on records like business." He has an apparently Warden Gray's Easy Living. You Go to intuitive understanding of a My Head and the out-of-tempo THE BIG BEAT—ART BLAKEY surprisingly wide range of soloists introduction to Stella by Starlight are AND THE JAZZ MESSENGERS and, with his fine technical equipment, particularly fine instances of his With Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, he is usually able to execute the best ballad style. Superficially this might Bobby Timmons, Jymie Merritt. possible suport for their improvisations. seem nothing more than very superior (The Chess Players, Sakeena's Vision, At their best Haig's accompaniments, cocktail piano but, although the Politely, Dat Dere, Lester Left Town, like those of John Lewis, are harmony is conventional enough It's Only a Paper Moon) enhancing commentaries rather than (nothing new here), the filigree melodic BLUE NOTE 4029 mere backgrounds. His technique is decoration and variegated keyboard altogether exceptional, and there can voicings have an unobtrusive yet be few pianists who would not admire definite originality. The opening and RECENT RELEASES: the unfailing consistency of his light closing sequences of You Go to My FREDDIE REDD touch, or the absolute evenness of Head illustrate his subtle alterations The Music from "The Connection". his scales and arpeggios. and extensions of a melody, and his With Jackie McLean, Michael Mattos, Haig made comparatively few use of arpeggios. Modern pianists Larry Ritchie. BLUE NOTE 4027 recordings during the 'fifties, so are often accused of having weak left ART BLAKEY these two are especially valuable. hands and of not utilizing the Holiday For Shins. The Period is an old ten-inch issue instrument's full resources, but tracks BLUE NOTE 4004/4005 but is well worth searching for, as it like these show that no such At The Jazz Corner 01 The World. gives a clear idea of Haig as a criticism applies to Haig. BLUE NOTE 4015 soloist. In his solos he is never Weeks' guitar solos are dull However, Moanin'. BLUE NOTE 4003 content either merely to decorate the the piano behind Weeks on You go to melody, or to abandon it altogether My Head is of such beauty that one DONALD BYRD and base his lines solely on the finds it hard to give any attention Byrd In Hand. With Charlie Rouse, chords. He often demonstrates a to the guitar at all. Pepper Adams, Walter Davis Jr., Sam quite exceptional power of conceiving There are no unwanted instruments Jones, Art Taylor. BLUE NOTE 4019 an independent melody that, while on the Counterpoint Ip but it might SONNY RED distinct from the theme, is a true seem that there are too many tracks. Out O) The Wne. With Wynton Kelly, variation on it. The first sixteen bars In fact, it is surprising—though Paul Chambers, Sam Jones, Roy of the fourth Man I Love chorus perhaps only surprising in these days Brooks, Jimmy Cobb. and the second chorus of Sweet of over-extended Ip 'blowing' sessions BLUE NOTE 4032 Lorraine (except the middle eight) —just how much Haig gets into HORACE PARLAN are good examples of this. At other these relatively brief performances. Movin' And Cronvin'. With Sam Jones, times, as in Someone to Watch over The truth is that his powers of Al Harewood. BLUE NOTE 4028 melodic variation and of building Me, he will present the original JIMMY SMITH melody with a deceptive simplicity improvisations that have continuity Crazy Baby. With Quentin Warren, and directness but still make over several choruses lend his solos convincing jazz out of it. an unusual degree of concentration. Donald Bailey. BLUE NOTE 4030 While so many modern pianists have Isn't it Romantic? and Gone with the DIZZY REECE based their styles almost exclusively Wind are two beautifully developed Star Bright. With Hank Mobley, Wyn• on Bud Powell's work, Haig, during solos in which almost every idea is ton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Art Taylor. the period in which Powell's influence properly related to the next, played BLUE NOTE 4023 became established, developed an with a casualness that is deceptive. HORACE SILVER independent approach which is only The perfectly controlled touch and Blowin' The Blues Away. With Blue superficially similar to Powell's. phrasing are evidence enough of a Mitchell, Junior Cook, Gene Taylor, Haig's melodic grace and delicate vigilant sensitivity. Autumn in New Roy Brooks. BLUE NOTE 4017 touch form an obvious contrast to York is another subtle ballad GEORGE LEWIS Powell's almost unrelenting attack improvisation that depends not so Concert. With Kid Howard, Jim Rob• and intensity, though Woodyn' You much on decoration or the invention inson, Alton Purnell, Lawrence Mar- and the second chorus of Tea for Two of new lines as on fascinating rero, "Slow Drag" Pavageau, Joe find him approximating Powell's deviations from the original melody Watkins. BLUE NOTE 1208 up-tempo method. The fast right-hand without ever quite losing it. The theme single lines are similar and so are is seen, as it were, from a number of 12" LP, List $4.98 the detached left-hand chords, yet different angles. Stereo List $5.98 the total effect is very different. Haig While relaxation is an essential of Complete Catalog on Request may lack Powell's rhythmic diversity Haig's style and playing he has a good BLUE NOTE RECORDS INC. 47 We»» 63rd St.. N.w York 23 23 sense of the necessary balance time when he was well-known to a flurry. Neither did any soloist try between tension and release. The way thousands of Negros-, but almost to conceal the tune. Variations were in which the phrases of On the Alamo completely unknown to the rest of the developed out of it and never left are sensitively diversified with world. On them, he plays amplified, its expression for mere flamboyancy." double-time passages illustrates this but not overly electrified guitar. Some The band was Bunk's Johnson's, not effectively. Haig's technique is such of the tracks were hits on the Jax exactly the band on this Ip, but close that comparison with Tatum is and the Sittin' in With labels—Hello enough. About Johnson himself, almost inevitable. Actually, even in Central is a sensitive, meaningful Thomson said, "an artist of delicate the unaccompanied Don't Blame Me and moving performance and Coffee imagination, meditative in style rather and April in Paris, Tatum is only Blues is a boogie at medium tempo than flashy, and master of the darkest recalled rather incidentally. For all filled with Hopkins' rich, sly humor trumpet tone I have ever heard. He their brilliant pianistic effectiveness and fantasy. Others are tunes is also the greatest master of 'blue', the most essential quality of all these associated with other singers, like or off-pitch, notes it has been my solos is Haig's true feeling for melody. Freight Train (John Lee Hooker) and pleasure to encounter. The degrees Max Harrison Everything Happen to Me (B. B. King). of his deviation from the normal pitch The hilarious New Short Haired Woman are infinite, and the taste with which was a remake of his Aladdin hit. The he exploits this variety merits no BARRY HARRIS: "Breakin' It Up". most impressive is the overpowering less a word than impeccable. His Argo LP 644. outcry, Everybody's Down on Me, timbres, his intonations, and his Barry Harris, piano; William Austin, bass; originally issued on Mercury. melodic inventions are at all times Frank Gant, drums. Let's hope there will be more such reasonable, and at all times completely All the Things You Are; Ornithology; Bluesy; reissues from Time Records. interesting. His work takes on, in Passport; Allen's Alley; Embraceable You; The tradition Ip presents Lightning in consequence, and so does that of SRO; Stranger in Paradise. a more solemn and introverted mood those working with him, depth, ease playing acoustic guitar. On several and lucidity. Nothing could be less Intelligence and its wise use are the tracks, he is joined by 'Long Gone' sentimental or speak more sincerely outstanding features of Barry Harris Miles, singing duets on Baby, a from the heart, less jittery, or move whose playing here is a pleasure and powerful, work-song-like cry; ad-libbing around more freely. Certainly no music a delight. The first thing which compels conversation on Prison Blues Come was ever less confused." That says it, enthusiasm is his patient and loving Down on Me; talking about their as far as the first four tracks of attention to melodic detail, the care private party on Gonna Pull a Party. Bunk's side are concerned; I would and delicacy of skilled miniaturist who Lightning reminisces about his only like to add some incidental knows precisely what he wants to do. childhood in the two versions of remarks. For a number of reasons, not Embracable You particularly shows a Bunion Stew, sings some rather tepid all of them clear to me, the other devotion to detail, precision, and finish. versions of well-known material like four tracks are less good. Ace in the The scope of his talent is displayed See See Rider and Back Water, but Hole, in fact, is a compact nowhere more clearly than on All the closes the Ip well with a charming demonstration of everything that went Things You Are. His first chorus is a personal interpretation of Go Down wrong with revival jazz, from the wrong remarkable piece of counter-melodic Old Hannah, and a sad, plaintive, material and peg-leg rhythm to Bunk's construction and a felicitous union of ambiguous Hear My Black Dog Bark, dropping out of the ensemble. conception and execution. Each part one of those songs that will give Careless Love has a fine, strong, of the performance is consistently folk-singers twenty years from now, Dodds-like solo by Ellis Home, and ordered in itself and it contributes to or two thousand miles away, lots two beautiful choruses by Bunk. As on the overall pattern of the complete of chances for misinterpretation. 2:19, Bunk rounds off the number in improvisation. Chris Strachwitz a wonderfully satisfying way by Every track here has something of leading the final chorus with the significance and interest to offer. opening melody, in effect, turned Allen's Alley and Passport are BUNK JOHNSON/LU WATTERS: "Bunk upside down. Bunk Johnson, trumpet and vocal; Turk disappointing, but only relatively so, 2:19 has the tune Bunk later used Murphy, trombone; Ellis Home, clarinet; and are more than compensated for in New Iberia Blues as the theme for Burt Bales, piano; Pat Patton, banjo; Squire by the positive successes. His blues the opening two choruses, Jelly's Girsback, bass; Clancy Hayes, drums and work on Bluesy has a great deal to Mamie's Blues for the vocal choruses, vocals; Sister Lottie Peavy, vocals. show us of the importance of an and New Iberia inverted to finish up; Careless Love; 2:19 Blues; The Girls Go Crazy; imagination which can turn near the contrasting melodies add up to When I Move to the Sky; Ace in the Hole; cliches into statements both new and a modest, almost circular, form. Ory's Creole Trombone; Nobody's Fault But directly meaningful. Clancy Hayes sings so well, not at all Mine; Down by the Riverside. The only really weak spot here is the like a real blues-singer, of course, & Lu." Good Time Jazz. L-12024. accompaniment which never rises to but that's just the point. The band Lu Watters, Bob Scobey, cornets; Turk Murphy, Harris' level. behind Clancy's first chorus use all trombone; Ellis Home, clarinet; Wally Rose, H. A. Woodfin the cliches—woodblocks, piano piano; Clancy Hayes, Russ Bennett; banjos; tremolos, stock blues phrases from Dick Lammi, tuba; Bill Dart, drums. the trumpet and clarinet—in a way LIGHTNING HOPKINS: "Country Georgia Camp Meeting; Irish Black Bottom; Virgil Thomson would, I am sure, call Blues". Tradition LP 1035. Original Jelly Roll Blues; Smoky Mokes; impeccable. LIGHTNING HOPKINS: "The Last of Maple Leaf Rag; Memphis Blues; Black and The Girls Go Crazy is all ensemble the Great Blues Singers". Time White Rag; Muskrat Ramble. LP T 70004. except for a piano solo in the fourth Virgil Thomson wrote about a jazz chorus. It starts right off crisp and Fourteen years ago, Sam Hopkins left concert he had heard: "The music and lively and manages to stay that Houston with pianist Thunder Smith was executed in a style known as way throughout. Bunk's invention to record in Los Angeles. There he New Orleans . . . Piano, clarinet, flags for the fifth and sixth choruses— was renamed Lightning, and they trumpet and trombone improvised with he works over substantially the same recorded as Thunder and Lightning the greatest freedom but also with two-bar riff for thirty-two bars—but on the Aladdin label. Since then, he an astonishing sobriety. Nobody tried he seems to get a second wind in has recorded some two hundred sides. to show how fast he could play or the seventh. After that, the ensembles The Time Ip consists of reissues of how high. At no point was there get looser in texture and the music a dozen of his best sides from the any attempt to swing the beat or fake just gets better and better.

24 Burt Bales' sober introduction leads will, perserverance, and several years into Sister Peavey's singing of When of hard work to make the vision I Move to the Sky over bowed bass. reality. The trouble, as everybody Bunk, Turk, and Ellis Home fill in knows now, is that along the way he, ORNETTE beautifully behind her first chorus and the Yerba Buenas, and in the end play what amounts to four part the whole revival movement got hung COLEMAN ensemble on the chorus she hums up on non-essentials. In the early (Bunk switching to a second trumpet 'forties there were a number of part). Ellis Home, who is good on articles that explained patiently what all the numbers (mostly, I think, Lu was trying to achieve, why he because he had gained confidence in used the banjo and wind bass, how The eagerly himself and command of the idiom) he had Bill Dart playing, why the particularly so in Sister Peavey's last rhythm was the way it was. A lot chorus. of what came to be Yerba Buena awaited new LP According to Ralph J. Gleason's characteristics were only supposed informative notes (two paragraphs to be temporary features. ("You have shorter than their original on 10" Ip), to learn to walk, before you can run," by the brilliant, Bunk later claimed that this was my music teacher used to tell me.) the best band he had during his But practice had run ahead of theory, controversial comeback. Bunk was always better as and by the time the theory was artist than as critic; the best band developed (by Roger Pryor Dodge he had was the one that recorded for in the Record Changer) it was too late. saxophonist. American Music in 1944. But this The Yerba Buena band from the start Hot Seven was a fine band musically has been surrounded by so much and of some importance historically, if polemic that the music itself tends only for its role in promoting good jazz to be obscured at times. Admitting in the Bay Area after the Yerba Buena all that, there are still some very good broke up. Virgil Thomson's 'this sort tracks on the Ip. Georgia Camp of music is as cultural an activity Meeting, with good solos by Ellis as any and more so than most' seemed Home, Lu, and Turk (Turk's has a like a truism when he wrote it. Today, stunning passage at the beginning), it seems a cry in the wilderness. conveys a real cakewalky feeling It is easy to forget just how strange without being obvious about it. the early Yerba Buena records sounded Original Jelly Roll Blues stands up on first hearing. At a time when I was well, and the brilliant Maple Leaf Rag used to hearing Basie, Ellington, and is much better than, say, the New Lunceford, I didn't know what to Orleans Feetwarmers' version. But then OF THE CENTURY I like the bright brassy sound the make of them. No music new to my LP 1327 experience, certainly no jazz, since Yerba Buenas got (at the expense of then has seemed quite so bizarre. overbalancing Ellis Home's delicate That's partly because publicity is so ensemble clarinet), good and loud "It is hard to think of any jazz musi• much more efficient now than it was without being raucous, and their cian, alive or dead, who has ever then. (A few weeks ago I turned the cohesive, but not overly tight, exhibited as much naked emotion radio on in the middle of a record. ensembles. Nesuhi Ertegun's notes to as Coleman." WHITNEY BALLIET, the Lu Watter's side are invaluable, I guessed it to be by Ornette Coleman The New Yorker whom I had read about, but not heard. tracing Lu's life from his birth in It was.) It's also because the Yerba 1911 up to 1936. The personnels of Buena band changed our whole view the Bunks could stand some looking of New Orleans jazz. into. For one thing, although Squire "Ornette Coleman is another mani• When they first began recording Girsback is listed on string bass, festation of the questing nature of hardly anybody thought that it was there is a wind bass at least on Ace the jazz musician . . . The saxo• possible to play Original Jelly Roll in the Hole and Ory's Creole Trombone. phone, and possibly jazz itself, Blues the way the Red Hot Peppers For another, considering how-unsettled may never be the same. One can did, let alone considered whether or things were at the time, it is strange listen to Ornette Coleman's records not it was worthwhile. The people that "the longest recording session with interest and with some sense of then who said it couldn't be done— in history" should have maintained discovery . . . Anything this young after the Yerba Buenas had started so stable a personnel. Assuming alto man does will be watched most doing it—are the ones who mutter one likes the music, the sixteen closely by everyone. Nobody's tak• today that it can't be done well. tracks on this Ip make it an ing the chance of missing the boat, If the Yerba Buena experiment (one exceptionally good value for those as they did with Bird." of the boldest experiments in jazz) who worry about good values. But RALPH J. GLEASON, those GTJ covers are terribly cute proved anything, it proved that San Francisco Chronicle New Orleans jazz produced in the anyway. 'twenties a body of performances J. S. Shipman ('compositions') with enough musical Do you have Ornette's first Atlantic album? substance to be good music when STAN KENTON: "The Kenton Touch". played well by somebody else, and Capitol ST 1276. THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME that it was possible to learn Salute; Monotony; Elegy For Alto; Theme for to play them. LP 1317 Sunday; Ballade For Drums; Minor Riff; The Obviously Lu Watters thought it was End of the World; Opus in Chartreuse; Both Ornette Coleman's LPs available not only possible, but worthwhile. Painted Rhythm; A Rose For David. stereo $5.98 and monaural $4.98 He must have grasped intuitively that there was something more than After "progressive," the word most Write for complete LP catalogue pleasurable listening in the old often associated with Stan Kenton and stereo disc listing. records. And once he had the vision, is "innovation." An album like it must have taken an extraordinary this is neither progress nor innovation; TLANTIC RECORDS 157 West 57th Street, New York 19, New York

25 it is convention—convention at its in jazz for some twenty odd years, given afternoon in San Francisco, as most predictable. If you've listened Monk is still one of the most a single record issued by a record to modern classical compositions unmistakably original and enduring company, it is enough. But in an you've heard this Kenton, and if talents on the jazz scene. Even in ultimate sense, as an event within you've listened to Kenton once you've today's sated record market, one looks the comparative totality of a man's heard Kenton; pat techniques and forward to every new Monk record life and his creative output, it is not formulas—modern and contemporary with the kind of excitement one used enough. To put it another way: in view and progresive to be sure—but to reserve for six minutes of new of such inspired earlier pieces as formulas too much in use by modern Duke Ellington every few months, Criss Cross or Misterioso, would we classical composers of yesterday and back in the halcyon days want to remember Monk solely by this today to impart to the music any of of 78's. San Francisco record? I doubt it. Kenton's own personality. It's gotten Because of Monk's special gifts and For myself, my feelings tell me that so you know exactly what to expect his preeminence in his field, we tend I expected more of Monk, while my from Kenton: brassy dissonance, to expect great new revelations from mind and reason tell me that an "atonal" meanderings, vague linear him with each new record. Unlike artist has a right not to say something direction, an occasional jazz cadenza, the average classical audience, the new once in a while. and that oh-so-somber ponderousness jazz public wants to hear new things, Curiously enough, Monk does his in the slow works. You half expect and its listening appetite is voracious. most imaginative playing on this Stan to yell out "This is an orchestra!" In a music as young and vital as record not on his own tunes, but on at the end of each section. There is jazz, this is perhaps a fitting tribute, the Tin Pan Alley ballads. Perhaps little contrast in "The Kenton Touch." but it places a tremendous burden the reason for this is that three of Now and then a Latinish beat will on the jazz artist. It pressures him the Monk originals are based on the be turned on or a guitar will surface into a kind of constant artistic renewal blues changes; and even the non-blues above the strings, but the break is of himself. Artistic renewal is fine, but originals are—as is Monk's habit— only momentary. The works consist it is not to be pressured; it must treated very much like blues. Within mostly of tonal masses of sound arise completely out of the artist's a man's own style and over a period overloaded and laden with strings and needs. At the same time the jazz of some twenty years, how many new lacking dominant and subordinate musician dare not outdistance his ideas can he be expected to have elements. The lines wander around audience, because it will certainly on a series of changes as elemental indecisively, and one track leads desert him at that point. To hoe this as the blues? The harmonic, melodic right into the next with little if fine line between artistic regeneration and rhythmic discoveries Monk any change. What results is not jazz, and commercial marketability is not made in the blues form all go back nor is it modern classical—hardly easy. It is not even desirable, since ten to fifteen years, and have, by music. the two goals are basically now, infiltrated the styles of dozens I understand that Stan Kenton really incompatible. And yet many a of other jazz men, becoming almost believes in what he is doing, and that musician finds himself in this spiral a common language. I think for Monk he is earnest and dedicated and, shaped trap. the challenge has (perhaps only undaunted by past failures, Such thoughts come to mind while momentarily) gone out of persistently strives for a new balance listening to this new Monk Ip, and the blues. between symphonic music and jazz. account for my somewhat ambivalent A challenge of sorts still seems to Perhaps when he discovers a composer feelings toward it. These thoughts exist in the four tunes by Berlin, capable of successfully carrying out come to mind because Monk—with Dennis and others, where Monk in out his ideas, he will attain the characteristic independence—will not characteristic fashion transforms these status he apparently seeks. be pressured into either position. songs into striking vignette-size Mimi Clar Certainly "Monk Alone in San "compositions". In all four instances, Francisco" is in no way commercially Monk's unsentimental, forthright THELONIOUS MONK: "Thelonious compromising; however, it also fails approach is in itself a devastating Alone in San Francisco". to tell us anything new about Monk comment on the tunes. With typical Riverside RLP R-312. and his music. It thus raises the forcefulness, he uses the material as Thelonious Monk, piano. issue of whether a man of great talent a means to an end. Out of the flabby Blue Monk; Ruby, My Dear; Round Lights; must create striking new images at originals, Monk miraculously draws Everything Happens to Me; You Took the every turn, or whether he can forth musical thoughts of rock-like Words Right out of my Heart; Bluehawk; sometimes be allowed to coast implacability,—especially in Pannonica; Remember; There's Danger in Your along on previous achievements. The the rather massive, dissonance-tinged Eyes, Cherie; Reflections. answer depends, I suppose, in part chordal treatment of something called "GIGI GRYCE". Savoy. (Signal S1201). on how long he coasts. You Took The Words Right Out Of Gryce, alto; Thelonious Monk, piano; Percy But there is more to it than that. My Heart. (Here Monk applies one of Heath, bass; Art Blakey, drums. In essence, the question this his favorite devices, that of keeping Shuffle Boil; Brake's Sake; Gallop's Gallop-, record raises is of a philosophical both the tonic and its leading tone Nica's Tempo. (artistic-moral) nature, rather than present in virtually all chord formations Gryce, alto; Art Farmer, trumpet; Jimmy a musical one. For certainly Monk's —almost like a pedal point). Cleveland, trombone; Danny Bank, baritone; musicianship is, as usual, beyond Whether in his own compositions or Gunther Schuller, french horn; Bill Barber, cavil. On this or any other record those of other writers, the over-all tuba; Horace Silver, piano; Oscar Pettiford, Monk creates an original self-contained mood of the record is a darkly bass; Kenny Clarke, drums. musical world. Within it there may introspective one. The album title— Speculation; In a Meditating Mood; Smoke be degrees of greater or lesser with emphasis on the word "alone"— Signal; Kerry Dance. inspiration, but Monk's world could seems very appropriate. A sad and Eddie Bert, Cecil Payne, Julius Watkins and never be mistaken for another's. Still lonely mood pervades these Art Blakey replace Cleveland, Bank, Schuller, the question remains: is stylistic performances, in direct contrast to and Clarke. Ernestine Anderson, vocals. originality enough? so much contemporary jazz, which Social Call; The One I Love. I think the answer depends on the is either happily (and superficially) criteria one wants to assume. Taken funky or acrid and bitter. Any new recording by Monk is bound as a single event, as a moment in But over the whole record, the to create considerable interest. It is a man's life, as the record of a sameness of mood begins to sap at significant that, after being active man's feelings and thoughts on a one's powers of concentration,

26 especially since mood and atmosphere by Gigi Gryce, affords us an THE BEST BLUES ARE ON are not the only elements which are opportunity to compare with the somewhat lacking in variety. On a San Francisco set. The four pieces PRESTIGE/BLUESVILLE purely musical level, the performances recorded on the earlier date included show the same unconcern for contrast. one by leader Gryce and three by As one listens to the entire Ip in "side man" Monk, among the latter AL SMITH HEAR MY BLUES continuity, one has the definite one of his most original lines, Gallop's BVLP 1001 feeling that Monk's fingers seem to Gallop. be going always to the same places Monk's solos on these sides are on the keyboard, and finding the among his very finest, and are much BROWNIE McGHEE & same patterns and figurations. A more outward going and fluent than favorite Monk ending, found already SONNY TERRY DOWN HOME BLUES on the more recent date. In fact, I on many earlier recordings think they are among the best of BVLP 1002 occurs no less than Monk's playing on records. The three times, on fluency of feeling is further aided WILLIE DIXON & J.. Blue Monk, Bluehawk and abetted by the tight rhythm MEMPHIS SLIM WILLIE'S BLUES — and Round Lights ensemble of Blakey and Heath. Blakey —the three blues! especially, despite a feathery light BVLP 1003 Likewise the touch, gets a pungent beat and endings of Pannonica infectious sound, that together with MILDRED ANDERSONPERSON TO PERSON and Reflections Percy's springy bass lines are a joy are almost identical. to hear. Blakey's and Monk's BVLP 1004 And many other exchanges of fours on Gallop patterns, used on records in the are also worth a number of listenings. ROOSEVELT SYKES THE RETURN OF last ten years, recur with debilitating By comparison Gryce seems much regularity. This is born out by the least effective of the four. Some ROOSEVELT SYKES comparative listening to those Monk of Monk's "changes" give him real BVLP 1006 pieces recorded previously. Some trouble, and in general, he doesn't are better here, others better there. quite connect up with the music as Some indeed seem to be attempts well as he should. This is especially L0NNIE JOHNSON L0NNIE SINGS THE BLUES to recapture the sound and over-all true of Gallop's Gallop. BVLP 1007 shape of earlier versions,—which Gryce's own Nica's Tempo rounds out is certainly a composer's privilege. the side. In the context of the Ruby My Dear is a case in point. record, it reminds one rather Here Monk emulates the whole coda forcefully that Gryce's piece—unlike of the earlier recording except for Monk's—has no real melody, but rather THE BEST SWING IS ON one striking difference a line consisting vaguely of the top in the final cadence. notes of a chord progression. PRESTIGE/SWINGVILLE Where the earlier Hearing the new Riverside and Savoy record had a none-too- records side by side, one is led to V unusual A-flat chord the hope that Blakey and Monk will COLEMAN HAWKINS PLUS THE revolving to D-flat, the some day work and record together new version—whether again. RED GARLAND TRIO SVLP 2001 by accident or Gunther Schuller predetermination would TINY GRIMES TINY IN SWINGVILLE be hard to say— alters one note, but with SVLP 2002 b WES MONTGOMERY: "A Dynamic New a fascinating aural Sound". Riverside 12-310. difference: the A-flat Wes Montgomery, guitar; Melvin Rhyne, organ; BUDDY TATE & HIS BAND TATE'S DATE resolving to D-flat Paul Parker, drums. changed to a B-flat, SVLP 2003 Round Midnight; Yesterdays; End of a Love still resolving to D-flat. Affair; Whisper Not; Ecaroh; Satin Doll; I gather that for many jazz Missile Blues; Too Late Now; Jingles. enthusiasts, any remotely analytical TINY GRIMES, thinking about notes, pitches and Guitarist Montgomery has been EDDIE "LOCKJAW" DAVIS, chords is simply odious. Nonetheless, preceded by the plaudits of Julian J. C. HIGGINBOTHAM CALLIN' THE BLUES musicians deal with sounds, chords Adderley, Ralph Gleason, and Gunther SVLP 2004 and notes; and it is precisely what Schuller, the last of whom describes they do with these basic ingredients, Montgomery as "an extraordinarily how they "select" them, that we are spectacular guitarist ... his playing COLEMAN HAWKINS' ALL STARS able to differentiate one from another. at its peak becomes unbearably The choice of a B-flat rather than featuring JOE THOMAS exciting, to the point where one feels an A-flat may be a matter of complete unable to muster sufficient physical & VIC DICKENSON SLVP 2005 indifference to some (although a endurance to outlast it . . . towards tryout on the piano might convince the climax of his solos, guitar and a few). But "choice of notes" is REX STEWART THE HAPPY JAZZ man become entirely one and both still one of the basic means by which SVLP 2006 a musician can reveal himself seem no longer earth-bound." while artistically. And—as in the above he may orbit in the wee hours of example—Monk's choice was an an Indiana morning, on this record, AL CASEY BUCK JUMPIN' unexpected one, and therefore of which was cut on a Manhattan evening, SVLP 2007 interest,—at least to me as a he and his group offer thoughtful but fellow musician. essentially tune-selling performances of the current hip parade. A recent reissue of a three or four Rhyne, a thoroughly modern organist, 12 High Fidelity Albums $4-98 year old record, half of which features approaches his instrument tonally in Send for free catalog to the style of such early masters as Monk's piano within a quartet led Prestige Records Inc. 203 South Washington Avenue, Bergenfield, N. J. 27 Waller and Basie, avoiding the swings powerfully. Mambo Moves AL SMITH-EDDIE "LOCKJAW" DAVIS: electronic power and consequent Garner was an almost classic example "Hear My Blues". Prestige 1001. blurring prevalent among most current of a jazzman and an Afro-Cuban Night Time Is The Right Time; Pledging My

practitioners, while Parker is a drummer palming off a few similarities Love; I've Got a Girl; I'll Be Alright; Come sympathetic, listening drummer. —swing, 4/4 pulse, even tempos—as On Pretty Baby; Tears In My Eyes; Never Let Montgomery sports an unusual a valid fusion of styles. Me Go; I've Got The Right Kind Of Lovin'. technique, but for this non-guitarist Topnotch mambo bands prove that listener, there ain't much shaking legitimate blending operates at a much This is the first of a series of blues musically. deeper level. The musicians in Tito albums planned by enterprising Aside from two originals, Missile Puente's or Machito's orchestras do Prestige. Al Smith's gospel-singing Blues and Jingles, which almost not depend on conga drums or bongos background undoubtedly accounts for happen, most of the pieces are alone to bind them to the West performances which recall some of approached as ballads, and, in Indies; they concentrate on fusing those by Brother John Sellers. The comfortable background-music fashion, Latin and Anglo America at melodic union of gospel and blues, of spiritual make no demands on one's attention. and harmonic levels. In the process and temporal, does not necessarily We are merely offered a highly jazz synchopations get choppier, result in uneasy compromise, but it sophisticated Three Suns with cajones. montuno riffing acquires a swing does result in a hybrid hard to Louis Levy accent, and the harmonic horizons evaluate. Mahalia Jackson, for instance, of Afro-Cuban music are widened. presents the reverse of the case heard here. She doesn't sing the blues, but BROTHER JOHN SELLERS: "Big Boat When the trumpet section stands up in her vocal qualities and mode of up the River". Monitor MP 505. to take a chorus it is obvious they are musically bilingual—for example delivery she can often remind us of Polished, commercial folk music by Bessie Smith and prove, incidentally, a singer who has worked in a variety when they recombine flatted fifths and Cuban cinquillos in their that the Devil hasn't all the best tunes. of styles from blues through spirituals In the last chorus of some of his and gospel music to rock and roll. improvisations. A picture emerges of men who have profited by the depth numbers, Al Smith goes into the Sellers sings the traditional Big Boat frenzied, vocal soaring that denotes, up the River with a strong voice of their involvement with two musical languages. in gospel groups, a state of possession but no special distinction. or ecstacy, real or simulated. It is a Such men are Bud Shank and On several sides, he is technique that jazz may well have Laurindo Almeida. Their "Holiday In accompanied by Ernest Hayes on borrowed from the gospel field, but Brazil" Ip successfully merges modern piano; Mickey Baker, guitar; Panama applied to vocal blues it often sounds jazz with Afro-Brazilian music. It Francis, drums; Lloyd Trotman, bass theatrical. Al has a good voice and seems to me an extremely interesting and Haywood Henry, tenor sax, often vigorous delivery, but he sings the album which will be influencing latin working a monotonous rock and roll melody line without the subtle regard jazz specialists in years to come. I vein. Trouble is a Woman, one of for blues changes which makes Joe liked Lonely, a composition these, could probably make the Turner, say, so rewarding. Two of the which twice pits Shank against a top forty as a single. songs here, in a very sentimental vein, fierce samba pattern. Tempo picks up Brother John is relaxed and easy on are from the repertoire of the late and a samba-jazz fusion of startling the down-home blues Something Johnny Ace. They will appeal to a translucency is brought in. It Strange Going on Wrong, and he sings generation of teenagers who, we must dazzles the ear. well on Crawdad, where Baker plays earnestly hope, will shortly grow up. In an ambitious Ip it is not surprising acoustic guitar. On Chain Gang, The accompaniment by the Lockjaw when we are given a sampling of what accompanied only by steady Davis group is confident and thoroughly might be termed 'trihybrid music — background pounding, Sellers voice professional. Lockjaw's brilliant, Mood Antigua—which convincingly sounds amazingly strong and steady. compensatory solo on the dire Never mixes jazz, Brazilian, and East When I Was a Little Boy, the play Let Me Go draws attention to the fact Indian tabla. Rio Rhapsody examines song that Leadbelly did so well, is that this exciting musician, though the baiao, an infectious rhythm sung to hand-clapping, and it has popular with the public, remains from the North-east of Brazil, the more than a hint of black velvet generally underrated in print. shirts open to the waist. samba, then propels us home with jazz. Stanley Dance Sellers is a good, strong singer, not There are excellent liner notes by very original, who has not found either Mimi Clar. A short paragraph CECIL TAYLOR: "Love For Sale". material or accompanists to fit the describing a few of the inherent United Artists UAL 4046. way he feels about music. problems of synthesizing jazz and Cecil Taylor, piano; Buell Neidlinger, bass; Chris Strachwitz Brazilian music should be required reading matter for all young jazzmen Rudy Collins, drums; Bill Barron, tenor; who plan to "do a latin Ip". Ted Curzon, trumpet. BUD SHANK-LAURINDO ALMEIDA: "Holiday In Brazil" gives one the Little Lees; Matystrophe. "Holiday In Brazil". World Pacific impression Shank and Almeida worked Taylor; Neidlinger; Collins. LP 1259. carefully at understanding the tricks Get Out of Town; I Love Paris; Love For Sale. Shank, alto sax: Almeida, guitar; Gary Peacock, of the other's delivery, unafraid of bass; Chuck Flores, drums and tabla. This kind of record compensates for what the learning process might do the assembly-line products that so Simpitico; Rio Rhapsody; Nocturno; Little to the 'authenticity' of the music. Girl Blue; Chfiro In "A"; Mood Antigua; The frequently come the way of the jazz We can savor the rewards of such reviewer. Whatever its merits may turn Color of Her Hair; Lonely; I Didn't Know What an attitude. The "strange phrases, keys, Time It Was; Carioca Hills. out to be in the course of time, it at and chords" Shank found in least is not susceptible to critical The world of Afro-Latin jazz is false Afro-Brazilian become the stimulus pigeonholing. And the musical language and fabulous. False because often the for jazz that soars. On the other Taylor speaks, although not unaffected listener does not get what the liner hand, Almeida's guitar, with dance by other styles, in or out of jazz, is notes promise: a well-integrated blend pressure off and receptivity to jazz on, novel enough to force the listener to of two musical traditions, fabulous becomes tender, hushed, and very concentrate his attention. Whether the because regardless of its phony lyrical. "Holiday In Brazil" augurs well impression of artistic significance internationalism, the gimmick, the state of Afro-Latin jazz in Taylor's frenzied creative energy and assuming the jazzmen and latin tha 1960's. violently rhythmic piano technique percussionists have merit, Robert Farris Thompson give to his work is fictitous or not, is

28 Now a correspondence course open to question. But anyone interested Muddy Waters: Hoochie Coochie Man; in the contemporary jazz world should Goin' Down. expose himself to this. The musical Says Ed Sherman in the blurb: "Credit GEORGE RUSSELL'S texture resulting from the continual should go to Alan Lomax for . . . his use of tone clusters in which dissonance tireless effort in affecting (sic) such LYDIAN CHROMATIC has no harmonic function is a complex an event" but frankly, there are few one. (This also holds true for linear inspired moments in this half hour on CONCEPT FOR JAZZ passages in the right hand, for then record. Jimmy Driftwood's very name staccato left-hand chords contain sounds "folksy", and there is something IMPROVISATION many tones foreign to the harmony). arch in his reference to his "Southern I think it proper to speak in terms of brogue", something bogus in the talk "The first important theoretical inno• harmony, since none of the tunes of "Damn Yankees", something vation to come from jazz."—John Lewis, abandons a relatively simple contrived in his applause-fetching fundamental degree progression. The musical director of the Modern Jazz final notes. But in spite of these Quartet. quintet side, for instance, is mostly affectations (effectations?) he can put minor blues, with the exception of a "Important for every serious jazz mu• a song over and has an easy, attractive sician."—Art Farmer. highly effective turn to major modality delivery. None of his songs are at the end of Little Lees. remarkable though the bizarre Taught at the School of Jazz, Lenox, At any rate, Taylor's playing is Unfortunate Man sung to a tune which Mass. particularly effective when it attains has more bawdy verses in the British For information write to: a balance between the complex and Army than could be sung in a week, the simple, provided a good deal of has content which would do doubt be Concept Publishing Company the time by a beautifully solid metrical related to an African song of Derision 121 Bank Street, N. Y. 14, N. Y. pulse due to drummer Rudy Collins. in a different context. An unobtrusive Contrast between choruses utilizing banjo accompanies him but most tones in the right hand is well noteworthy is his own playing of the conceived in this respect. Now and odd, marimba-sounding "picking bow." again in the trio performances the From Baltimore came the Stoney listener is apt to lose the thread of Mountain Boys, a group of remarkable discourse. This is probably because virtuosi on fiddle, banjo, guitar and Neidlinger's bass abandons mandolin. A brief and exciting Fire fundamental chord tones more often on the Mountain is followed by Rolling than in some of his previous work in my Sweet Baby's Arms attributed with Taylor. This would be all right if "Scrugg"(s) on which the lead singer there were more factors unifying the recalls the Carter family and the chorus structure; Taylor's approach, individual instrumentalists take some however, is too centrifugal for his remarkable breaks before the tune accompaniment to have the same comes to a snap finish. This is the liberty. high spot of the record. Mule Skinner Taylor seems uncomfortable as Blues is attributed to Woody Guthrie, accompanist on the quintet bands. though it was first recorded by Jimmie Here the contrast between Bill Barron's Rodgers (Blue Yodel No. 8), and conservative tenor (in harmony as receives amusing treatment. For a well as rhythm) and the leader's virtuoso interpretation though, hear conspicuous non-background is too Jack Elliott's version on Dobell's "77" emphatic. Ted Curzon's harmonically Ip.l issued in Britain. and rhythmically more plastic; Memphis Slim is cursed by an accordingly, it is more pertinent to appallingly bad drummer. Boogie Taylor's style. It is odd that the Woogie Memphis is a showpiece, no treatment of Cole Porter standards more, but the pianist is not even BAY AREA comes off better than that of Taylor's permitted to display his technique. It originals. Perhaps this is because the is followed by The Saddest Blues latter are a little artificially hip. which is described as "an ideal way It is a sad thing indeed that a record to illustrate the word 'funky'". It was of this caliber must be merchandised when Little Brother recorded it as with a street-walker in full color on Vicksburg Blues with different words, the album jacket, particularly when but this is no more "funky" than the Cecil Taylor's music is the antithesis weak guitar is "soulful". Both these of meretriciousness. titles by Peter Chatman are credited Larry Gushee to "Slim." Leroy Carr's How Long Blues Published by permission of The concludes the set and is by far the American Record Guide; James Lyons, best of the three. It "gives your fingers editor. kinda exercise" explains Memphis Slim, and he manages to play as if the drummer were not present. "Alan Lomax Presents FOLK SONG Hoochie-Coochie Man by Muddy Waters FESTIVAL at Carnegie Hall". United is not appreciably different from the DANCE ORCHESTRATIONS Artists 3050. Chess recording; it just lacks thl fire. Jimmy Driftwood: Sal's Got a Sugar Lip; Goin' Down is a messy arrangement; COMBO ORKS • Musical Supplies Down in Rackensack; The Unfortunate Man. it has only Muddy's singing to Stoney Mountain Boys: Fire on the Mountain; recommend it. If you are a dedicated For Free Catalog Write to: Rolling in My Sweet Baby's Arms; Mule blues enthusiast, forget this disc, but Skinner Blues. the Stoney Mountain Boys are certainly TERMINAL Memphis Slim: Boogie Woogie Memphis; The worth hearing. Saddest Blues; How Long. Paul Oliver MUSICAL SUPPLY, inc. Dept JR. 113 W 48 St .New York 36, N.Y. away from the apparently inevitable is fine. He cuts Blakey, who is debt to Clifford Brown. He is good pedestrian on his track, Zing Went SHORTER throughout with especially fine The Strings Of My Heart. Guitarist moments on Minor Mode. Pepper Eddie McFadden, whom I have Adams is relatively subdued, but his heard in better form on other Smith REVIEWS solo on I'll Never Be The Same is recordings, has some good moments well constructed. on There Will Never Be Another ART PEPPER is a very good musician You and Blue Moon. I can make no Taste, delicacy, and a judicious sense indeed; on alto saxophone he is sense of Leonard Feather's assertion, of melodic development are the consistently inventive, and one may be in the notes, that Smith is the Bud marks of TEDDY WILSON'S style. sure that he is giving his best always. Powell of the electric organ. Wilson is a significant musician He has taken Charlie Parker's sonority While nominally under Smith's because of the way in which he has and manner of phrasing and adapted leadership "The Sermon" (Blue Note used his talent and channelled his them to his own rhythmic and melodic 4011) is a blowing date for half the emotions to perfect an easily flowing, abilities. He develops his solos in Blue Note stable. Smith is subdued finely structured, and rhythmically basically casual segments but they throughout, coasting on cliches and pronounced style, with melodies which are consistent and well thought out. trivia. The Sermon, a twenty are usually both musically convincing His is a conservative style, but one minute discourse on the art of funk, and, on their own terms, emotionally can only admire a conservatism which finds him at his most repetitious, valid. The really delightful thing enables him to proclaim both his and Brooks, Donaldson, and Burrell about Wilson's improvisations at ability and his own value so well. do little to enhance their reputations. their best is precisely their essential "Modern Jazz Classics" (Contemporary On the-credit side in J.O.S. is the Tightness of mood and perception. M 3568) finds Art Pepper on alto, rather formless but suggestive alto This rightness makes it nearly tenor, and clarinet in arrangements work of George Coleman. Art Blakey impossible to find fault; one might by Marty Paich, able but scarcely is strangely lethargic on his two wish for a wider range of feeling, but memorable charts which raise the tracks, while Donald Bailey seems that would be to wish for another question as to whether there was much quite uncertain of his role on his pianist entirely. However, "The Touch point in burdening Pepper with one. Then there is Lee Morgan's of Teddy Wilson" (Verve MG V-8330) is a band. Certainly much of Pepper's splendid work on The Sermon and scarcely an adequate representation work is fragmentary because of the Flamingo. Morgan is a genuinely of his talent. His skill at variation is arrangements. I think he is most original musician, just entering the constantly frustrated by the rather effective on alto. Groovin' High is a creative stage of his career. His straightforward, expository treatment fine example of his control and considerable technical skill is he accords most of the numbers. rhythmic balance and a graceful and buttressed by his strong sense of This literal reading of such tunes as flowing line. His best alto solo here development which structures each Little Things That Mean So Much and is on Walking Shoes where his line has solo. In The Sermon, for example, he If You Are But a Dream, while a forceful delicacy which strikes extends a melodic fragment into a impeccable, represents a sort of fatal one immediately and becomes more whole which has both unity and point. coasting. On Jeepers Creepers and memorable on repetition. Then on (He attempts the same on J.O.S., but it Bye Bye Blues, his variations are Walkin' he digs in for a gutty, hot does not come off.) Flamingo is well done but seem unconnected and tenor solo which leads one to devoted entirely to Morgan, with some somehow irrelevant. Happily, on believe that he is discovering his rather desultory work from Kenny Wonderful, Sunny Morning, and own voice on the instrument. Burrell, and contains his most Sometimes I'm Happy the reasons for I have always found the electric organ significant work on record to date, his reputation become obvious. repellent its tone sounds to me as I think. After a rhapsodic and "Showcase" (Riverside RLP 12-313) though someone were blowing bubbles meaningful series of embellishments is very much PHILLY JOE JONES' lp; in a bucket of warm, sticky oil. on the exposition, he breaks into a the leader sometimes seems to play Realizing my bias, I listened with long, flowing variation which has for himself and to forget the horns great care to JIMMY SMITH'S Blue unified melodic flow, each part along, and one feels in a number Note 1556. My previous impressions of developing clearly and rationally from like Battery Blues that the drummer Smith's work were verified; I found him the preceding, and emotionally alive and the other instrumentalists belong a limited and conventional soloist with the joy of discovery. An to two different groups. Not that he whose style has its roots in the astonishing performance which, like is not a fine drummer; at his best he 'thirties, with some modern touches. all good art, makes one happy with a works with an easy and exemplary With Smith to swing is the thing, world in which such things happen. discretion in developing a rhythmic but swing seems to mean a quality "The question his later records compel line which both supports and con• of agitated hotness not usually based us to ask is why he has failed to tributes its own interest. Here he on a foundation of melodic maintain his commanding position assumes an aggressively self-conscious development which would make and go on to further achievements—for role, falling into certain emphatic and this sort of swing valid. His major today he is just an unusually rigid patterns which are not always device is to take hold of a sketchy individual soloist who only occasionally relevant to the work of the rest of (or trite) idea and ride it. It is extends himself." This quotation from the group. But "Showcase" particularly apparent in Blue Moon Max Harrison's study of DIZZY has the distinct merit of presenting and Somebody Love Me where GILLESPIE in this magazine two interesting new soloists (new to motifs are taken up, toyed with, (November, 1959) is only too applicable me at any rate). Bill Barron is a and abandoned, undeveloped. However, to "The Ebullient Mr. Gillespie" tenor saxophonist of some potential. Smith is a technical master of his (Verve MG V-8328). Gillespie does not His style is obviously derived from instrument and The Fight amply make a pretence of extending himself, Young's, but he speaks with his demonstrates his capabilities. His and his playing has the casual own accent and with a lightly resonant long introduction to All The Things quality of a man who can do very tone that is memorable, and Julian You Are, treated a la Bach, further much more but who seems to feel Priester infuses the ur-modern style proves this, and is sufficiently he doesn't have to, and doesn't. Such of J. J. Johnson with a new vitality interesting in its development to records seem to reflect a lack of and purpose. Then Blue Mitchell suggest that an important side of interest in his art, and what seems shows that he is an increasingly Smith's talent is too little known. nearly a disdain for his listeners—an meaningful soloist who is growing Donald Bailey's deftly supple drumming unpleasant thing to have to say

30 of the man who produced I Can't Get faster ones. Manne, John Williams, Jerry Williams, Started and Salt Peanuts. The rest of BOOKER LITTLE is a young trumpeter and Krupa) taking part. Red Nichols the group does its job, but that is all. with good technical ability and, so is listed for Royal Garden Blues, and NAT ADDERLEY'S "Much Brass" far, nothing to say that wasn't said the last track is supposed to (Riverside RLP 12-301) is an example by Clifford Brown. Of his companions be divided by Manne and Krupa. of what may be termed modern jazz on "Booker Little 4 and Max Roach" Anita O'Day sings a very mannered academicism. In any movement, (United Artists UAL 4034), George Memories of You. the once lively, fluid ideas of Coleman is a growing but still very LOU McGARITY'S "Blue Lou" (Argo originators can become rigid devices. unsteady soloist, while Tommy 654) is a quasi-mood set which The idioms of the boppers, the cool Flanagan plays well and forcefully makes few demands on the listener. school, and the hard boppers have throughout, with his best work on McGarity plays Teagarden's style with not been immune, and the original Sweet and Lovely. The real star assurance but little originality. The discoveries of the three schools have is Roach. This remarkable man sidemen work with that mixture of become conventions. The record under dominates every track by the grace the competent and the pedestrian review is, to put it bluntly, mediocre. of his line which provides both which marks a certain type of Not that there is anything so gross accompaniment and a rhythmic professionalism; one is not surprised as insincerity or poor musicianship. counterpoint of no small interest in to learn from George Hoefer's very What is missing is creative vitality. itself. On Milestones and Jewel's appropriate notes that most of them Adderley had then only acquired Tempo, for instance, it is a joy to are veterans of radio and television the mannerisms of a style, and his note how his fours flow directly from work. solos reiterate a small stock of his accompaniment and are not, as On "With Four Flutes" (Riverside melodic ideas. Slide Hampton strikes with so many drummers, the result of RLP 12-306), BILLY TAYLOR, in an air me as a still developing musician who special bursts of energy. It is such man's nightmare, also has conventional still has a rather 'corny' sense of artfulness and canniness from Roach rhythm and a conga drum. The time and accent. Laymon Jackson's that brings in those crucial shades flutes function as a section and in work has a stiff rhythmic attack and of accentuation and tone which solos. On the face of it there is no lack of ideas, but the tuba is a are present on each number here. reason why the flute should not be difficult instrument. The rhythm However, in a sense he plays alone. a perfectly good jazz instrument but section plays ably. Albert Heath's The company has done Little a since it has become standard in drumming supports the soloists well. disservice in issuing the faulty 'progressive' jazz dates, pretentious Sam Jones is his steady self Moonlight Becomes You. and humdrum material has been throughout, and he distinguishes In sonority, attack and general blown on it, and this record has himself as the best soloist on the assurance DONALD BYRD'S playing more of the same. Richardson, Wess, recording with his cello work on Blue on "Byrd In Hand" (Blue Note 4019) Mann, and their colleagues bubble Concept. Wynton Kelly is disappointing; is considerably better than I have and chirp like leftovers from a Disney most of his solos have lather facile heard him. His tone has become much production. The section has a rather runs of little real content. clearer and his execution is no longer dull tone and no notable sectional The public success of ANDRE troubled by the hesitancies which so development. Taylor is his customary PREVIN is one of those phenomena frequently marred the vitality of his bland, mechanical, emotionally which one is sometimes forced to work. Nevertheless, at his best he uncommitted self. acknowledge because of their seems still an apt performer who GEORGE LEWIS'S "A New Orleans persistence. From what little I have is repeating, as if by rote, certain Dixieland Spectacular" (Omega been able to glean of Previn's musical none too well thought out acquisition OML-1053) is from the mid-'fifties, scope as a jazzman, his imagination from the mid-'fifties. Indeed, the a period in Lewis' career midway rarely rises above the commonplace— entire set draws from the early Jazz between the ingenuous enthusiasm of or the genteelly vulgar. As a jazz Messengers and the Roach-Brown his first recordings and the slicker pianist he lacks taste, feeling and group; one listens in vain for any sign productions one hears today. Six ideas, but he makes up for it by that anything has happened since. orchestral tracks have the advantage copying the styles of Horace Silver and Pepper Adams takes his usual chord of Lawrence Marrero's strong and Red Garland rather freely. On "King running approach; he has yet to deft banjo work, and "Kid Howard's Size" (Contemporary M 3570) I was extend his work beyond this rough but effective lead voice. Jim unable to find a track that might foundation. On the other hand, Robinson contributes his quota of merit more than a horrified awe at Charlie Rouse makes a continual effort cliches. Lewis is melodically what technical facility and lack of to do just what Adams hasn't done, uninteresting, but the zest of his sensibility can do. Much Too Late he does not always succeed, but the playing here carries him along very and Low and Inside are travesties on effort is there. Art Taylor is again well. The best work by the band the blues, and they deserve disdain on hand with his Blakey-inspired is on A Closer Walk With Thee which when one thinks of the essential work which lacks both Blakey's faults is moving enough to require piety nobility of the blues piano tradition. and his virtues. Davis and Jones from anyone who might want to The other tracks are just as tinklingly contribute familiar functional support. complain of its details. Burgundy banal. However, on nearly every "The GENE KRUPA Story" (Verve MG Street, with the recitation of New number Red Mitchell shows what jazz V-15010) is the sound track recording Orleans place names by Monette is and how it should be played. from the film. I have no idea how Moore, is a rather ingratiating piece I suppose "ILLINOIS JACQUET Flies these numbers function in it, but of nostalgia. Four quartet numbers give Again" (Roulette R 52035) could be musically there is an air of cheap more solo responsibility to Lewis than termed mainstream dance music. movie glibness in its pandering to he can carry. In polyphonic interplay, Jacquet is the soloist in a large group a popular image of jazz as the when Lewis' phrases act as fills for which plays conventionally arranged property of certain rather dull dance the gaps left by P. T. Stanton's cornet and lightly 'swinging' soft-lights-and- bands. Most of the music is mediocre they serve well enough. When Stanton sweet-music and some simple 'jump' swing, with a clumsy nod at "Chicago is out or is filling in Lewis' phrases, material. Jacquet is no longer the style" in Royal Garden Blues and Way weakness of invention is obvious. frenetic splutterer of the JATP, but a Down Yonder in New Orleans. The Stanton's work is crude and rather Ben Websterish tenor with fairly notes refer to such people as Eddie Bixish, but he is forceful. Dick Oxtot straight-forward ideas, competently Miller, Benny Carter, Barney Kessel, is a firm banjoist but lacks Marrero's 'romantic' on the slow tracks and Jess Stacy, Pete Candoli, and no power and understated skill. simulating a certain swing on the less than four drummers (Shelley H. A. Woodfin

31 approach to bear on Charlie Parker, mond and Fletcher Henderson fash• but he fails to break new ground as ioned the dominant band style and BOOK Williams has done. What he does ac• ably shows the important transitional complish is a good summation of what role of this style and of its musicians. can be learned about Parker's style His main job, which he discharges well, REVIEWS from listening to his recordings. On the is to gather together what is already other hand, Harrison's chapter on known about the subject and to reite• boogie woogie supplements brilliantly rate forceably some simple truths William Russell's earlier work on this which are often ignored (such as the relatively minor jazz form. (Can't we fact that most of the important jazz• now have a moratorium on boogie men of the late 1920's and early 1930's woogie articles?) Unfortunately his ex• came from middle-class backgrounds). cellent discussion of the style and of Closely akin in subject matter to this the major boogie woogie figures loses chapter is Franklin Driggs' essay on JAZZ. Edited by Nat Hentoff and Albert effectiveness at the chapter's end be• jazz in Kansas City and the Southwest, McCarthy. Rinehart, 1959. cause he insists on throwing in a large which has already been highly praised Jazz consists of a dozen essays com• number of minor figures. in one review of the book. There is no missioned by the editors "to examine This compulsion to list everyone in a question about the need for an inves• a number of areas" of jazz history jazz movement, whether they have any tigation of this long-neglected jazz which have been neglected and thus major importance or not, is the prin• area, and there is no denying that "to help place jazz in fuller perspec• cipal fault of Jazz, as it is of most jazz Driggs has done an indefatigable job tive." One of the highest compliments books. Most of the essayists mar their of research. However, in its present which can be paid the book is that it chapters by trying to crowd into their state his essay impresses me as little reminds one very much of a monu• discussion more musicians and/or more than research. The material is mental book of some twenty years ago styles than they can adequately cover not in readable shape; it is just a col• which also consisted of essays com• in the space allowed. Some day jazz lection of facts loosely organized and missioned by two prescient editors. writers may realize that the best way not clearly presented. This was Jazzmen (1939), which started to cover a jazz movement or style is to The editors are to be commended for with a somewhat parallel purpose: "to concentrate on the few major figures in making an excellent attempt to put in relate the story of jazz as it has un• that style. All that need be said can proper perspective the major figures folded about the men who created it." be related to these major figures. and movements in jazz. However, it is The new book complements the older Martin Williams' article on bop and unfortunate that they did not push book admirably. As the title suggests, post-bop, which actually contains more their method further and insist that Jazz places the emphasis on the music insight than Harrison's Parker chapter, the contributors concentrate on the im• itself, rather than on the stories of the is so hamstrung by this approach that portant figures. There is little doubt musicians, as Jazzmen did. And to a it never really gets off the ground. Like• in my mind that Waterman could have great extent it deals with musicians wise, Guy Waterman would have done done a capable job on Scott Joplin and movements which Jazzmen did not better if he had concentrated ex• and Martin Williams on Thelonious cover. This is particularly true of its clusively on ragtime and its foremost Monk, and it should not have been too essays on Jelly Roll Morton and Duke practitioner, Scott Joplin; his excellent difficult to commission similar pieces. Ellington, two musicians Jazzmen vir• piece is diffuse because he skips There is no question that the book as tually ignored. around so much. Paul Oliver's thought• it stands ranks as one of the most im• Gunther Schuller's examination of El• ful study of how the blues developed portant contributions to jazz literature lington's early style can stand as a and spread is also harmed by his since Jazzmen. If only the editors had model of how the analytic method of compulsion to mention every important held the reins tighter on the authors, the trained critic of concert music can (and not so important) blues singer. we might have come close to finding be applied to jazz. Schuller goes be• Albert McCarthy's admirable and much- the book which would encompass the yond Andre Hodeir in striking at the needed assessment of the traditional full nature of jazz. As it is, we are heart of Ellington's unique style. Al• jazz revival of the 1940's becomes still waiting. though his essay covers only the years bogged down in minor figures at the Sheldon Meyer 1926-1931, Schuller develops most that end. is implicit in Ellington's mature style. The extreme example of this obsession DOWN BEAT JAZZ RECORD REVIEWS, He also demonstrates conclusively what with names for their own sake is John Volume IV. Chicago, 1960. a massive contribution Bubber Miley Steiner's chapter on Chicago jazz which Editor Gene Lees makes very modest made to this style. Altogether this is reads like a directory of Chicago mu• claims for this collection of record re• the best critical piece ever written on sicians and contains such ludicrous views, but the reviews themselves in• Ellington. sub-titles as "Boys' Bands" and dicate that not all the reviewers shared Jelly Roll Morton is served almost "Friendships." This trivia has no place his limited concept of their job. equally well by Martin Williams. While in a serious jazz book. Mr. Lees makes a careful distinction not a trained musicologist like Schul• New Orleans jazz is not as well served between 'firing line criticism' and more ler, Williams shares with the best of as it might be, especially since the reflective and analytical 'Upper Level earlier jazz critics a fundamental author of the chapter, Charles Edward Criticism', and he seems to imply that musical knowledge and the ability to Smith, has already contributed greatly it would be unfair to expect more of listen closely to jazz and explain to our understanding of the subject. a Down Beat reviewer than a general lucidly what he hears. Williams sees However, here Smith largely restates indication whether or not the record Morton as the first master of form in what is already known, and, in addi• is worth buying. But the distinction be• jazz; thus, he largely separates Morton tion, he attempts the absurd job of tween the two kinds of criticism should from the New Orleans tradition and tracing the New Orleans tradition down scarcely apply to a bi-weekly maga• links him instead to ragtime before through the Modern Jazz Quartet. zine which does not insist on covering and to Ellington and Thelonious Monk Hsio Wen Shih, in his chapter on the every jazz release. Many critics out• afterward. Using Morton's music as his growth of the big band tradition, is the side the jazz field have shown us that point of reference, Williams makes us only writer in the book who has been even a weekly schedule allows time see, as no one has before, the essence able to write a meaningful essay while for reflection, and a few critics (you and importance of Morton's style. dealing with a great number of figures. know the names; Wilson, Agee & Co. Max Harrison brings the same critical He lucidly describes how Don. Red• seem to make The Jazz Review as often

32 as Louis Armstrong, if not as often as Monk.) have proven that even a weekly can publish first-rate criticism by hir• ing first-rate critics, in any case, acute searching criticism exists in this volume side by side with I the superficial and glib. Compare the two reviews of Yusef Lateef 'experi• ments' on page 122, for example. Mr. Ralph Gleason shares his perplexity with us, but decides not to try to puz• zle it out. Mr. Martin Williams puts the a quarterly of comment & criticism experiment into a context, explores some of the implications, exposes some pretensions, and concludes by setting the soloists into a precise heirarchy for both intention and achievement. PAUL BOWLES Mr. Williams, in this collection, seems MARTIN WILLIAMS to have developed into a critic with a serious concern for jazz, wide and de• tailed knowledge of its history and tra• ALLEN GINSBERG ERICK HAWKINS ditions, and genuine perceptions about both its theory and its practice. Almost all his reviews are worth several re- DONALD PHELPS CHARLES OLSON readings, and though he is rarely a quotable writer because his style is so diffuse, the impact of each review as a whole is usually both independent and just.

His best work here includes two fine single copies: 75c. RECORD CENTRE STORES reviews of Chet Baker, one each on Blakey's Messengers, Lou Donaldson, 655 Lexington Ave.. Cor. 55th St. Greenwich Village - 41 West 8th St. Benny Golson, Coleman Hawkins, Her- bie Nichols, and a remarkable review Subscribe—$2.50 yearly of Hal McKusick's "Cross Section Saxes" that raises many interesting and important questions about the 299 W. 12th Street, N. Y. 14, N .Y. problems of jazz composition. The other reviewers are not so con• sistently rewarding. Mr. Richard Had- lock is capable of writing with both insight and precision, but he rarely SPECIAL OFFER does both at the same time. When he does, in reviews of a Lee Konitz-Bill Russo collaboration, of a Roy Haynes- Phines Newborn-Paul Chambers trio TO READERS OF and of the Rex Stewart-Cootie Wil• liams "Porgy and Bess", he is very much worth reading. Even when he is THE JAZZ REVIEW not at his best, he usually manages to put his finger on the most important point about any given record, but when A 12 MONTH SUBSCRIPTION he tries to expand his remarks in a closer approach to the subject, he sometimes lapses strangely. His review of a Cecil Taylor record, the longest of FOR $3.50 his reviews in this collection, seems to Just fill out the coupon and send it with your check or me provocative but wrong-headed, In what sense are the younger generation money order to: THE JAZZ REVIEW 124 White Street, of jazzmen more concerned with rhyth• mic freedom than the best boppers? N. Y. 13, N. Y. Please add $1.00 for foreign postage. I would have thought just the opposite. And to what extent do Taylor's sub• stitutes for normal jazz structure suc• ceed? Mr. Hadlock doesn't say. Please send me the Jazz Review for 1 year. The three staff men in the three major cities wrote more than a third of the NAME . . reviews. Mr. Lees, himself a singer and an aficionado of orchestration, special• ized in those fields. He was (he has ADDRESS now given up reviewing) a perceptive if somewhat permissive critic of singers and singing, most certain of himself CITY ZONE. STATE when he dealt with singers on the fringe between jazz and pop. His views on arranging seem, if anything, over- This offer is available to new subscribers only.

33 professional; he was more often im• in his Quincy Jones review, and that a part of the critic's task to put ques• pressed by technical skill in scoring he still could be a good critic in his tions, difficult questions, to the artist and subtleties of voicing than by more review of "Mingus Ah Urn". Mr. Ralph as to play Virgil to the potential record overt expressive qualities. Gleason is an enthusiast and a deter• buyer? Mr. George Hoefer is an experienced, mined middle-brow. Logic has small Hsio Wen Shih gentle, at times uncertain reviewer who place in his make-up, but what can account for the strange review of "New tends to resolve all doubts in favor of THE COUNTRY BLUES. York, N. Y." that barely mentions the musician being reviewed. I am Samuel B. Charters, Rinehart and Co., George Russell? And in what sense, afraid he often used the word "inter• New York, 1959. esting" as a substitute for understand• except perhaps the commercial, is Jon ing. Mr. J. A. Tynan is a deplorable Hendricks "The most important . . ."? For better or worse, the task of docu• reviewer who firmly believes in telling And who ever heard of a critic falling menting and evaluating American folk them whether it's worth the price of in love with a boy singer? Mr. John S. music seems to be partly in the hands admission, but he seems to believe Wilson is soberer and more stateman- of devoted fans, whose knowledge of that this can be done without esthetic like. But it's often hard to tell state- music comes from personal accumu• standards. Anything goes, he seems'to manship from copping out. Mr. Ira lations of songs and records, carrying say, in jazz. Clowning is as good as Gitler, not one of the old pros, ap• out "research" projects in the field creation and much more fun. When he parently made the gig too late to get with a tape recorder and an impas• uses the word "monumental" in that onto the masthead. His reviews here sioned determination to collect new way in his Bill Holman review, I won• are not particularly good, certainly not information. Their data is passed on to der if he doesn't think that preten• as good as his most recent Down Beat the public, with little or no comment, tiousness is best of all. reviews, which are very good indeed. and the public, ready to accept any• But 1959 was a year of transition at Apparently some of the by-lines on the thing that comes off a printing press, Down Beat. Only Mr. Tynan functioned reviews originally published anony• is delighted by the "authenticity" of as a reviewer continuously through the mously got lost permanently. it all. The collector, who is at best an year. Of the two who left early, Mr. Don If ali of this says that Down Beat rec• editor but more often merely a stenog• Gold was the more reliable. Like Mr. ord reviews are inconsistent, then I rapher, becomes, with publication, a Hadlock, he usually could grasp the guess that's what I mean. Even the critic, folklorist, author and researcher. most significant point of a record, star ratings, which might act as an There are three reasons why record though he rarely tried to go further. equalizer, don't reduce the incensist- collectors and tune collectors have Mr. Dom Cerulli, based on this small ency much; one reviewer averaged 3.56 taken on the cataloging and chron• sample, appears to be a man who has stars; another averaged 2.76. The aver• icling. First, much folk material has never heard a bad big band. age for the collection is three and been, and still is, ignored or scorned The late arrivals are more interesting, some odd, which seems to me self- by those who could afford to lend especially Mr. Don DeMichael. He ob• defeating. How can the average be financial support to extensive and me• viously knows a crochet from a semi• higher than good? Or do I misunder• thodical research. Secondly, social and quaver, as he shows us in his review stand the meaning of average and the racial barriers have discouraged many of Miles' "Kind of Blue", but he ap• meaning of good? otherwise qualified researchers from pears to have heard too little jazz to But there is another way of gauging operating in their own backyard—the have a secure background. He misin• the effectiveness of critical perform• South. Finally, folk music, seldom pre• terprets a Joe Turner record because ances. How well does this volume cope served on paper, has been occasionally he failed to realize that Turner makes with the crucial critical problems of captured on phonograph records since two different kinds of records today, the last year in jazz? To pick a few the early 'twenties, and these record• a point neatly taken into account in an key problems at random, there was ings form an erratic but colorful short adjoining review. He thinks that "5 by Ornette Coleman's music, the Buck history of the sort of folk product Monk by 5" is "typical of the music Hammer fraud, the curious case of Americans purchased from that time of Monk". The extravagant compari• Lambert-Hendricks-Ross, and behind on. sons he makes about Ray Bryant, ad• everything, the enormous question of Samuel Charters has edited his notes mittedly a fine and versatile player, the relation of improvising to writing and tapes, collected in the course of makes me wonder how hard he has in jazz. his travels through parts of the South, listened to Hines, Wilson, Powell and The reviews of Mr. Coleman were care• into a highly readable hard-cover book Silver—or do I mean Ray Bryant? His fully non-committal. Mr. Hammer has of limited scope. It is essentially a comment on Tiny Grimes' tone sug• become a skeleton, carefully hidden. collection of annotated bio-discogra- gests he has been neglecting rhythm L-H-R are now approved, now ac• phys of those Negro blues singers and and blues; when he speaks of Hawk's claimed, but their shaky esthetic players who have appealed to Char• former 'smooth urbanity' I wonder if he premise is never questioned; they get ters on records. The value of this work might be thinking of Carter; when he by on charm, high-spirits and general lies in the hitherto unknown facts that says Gil Evans created something hipness. And except for that McKusick the author has unearthed about several "larger" than the original works he review, the importance of the whole superb blues performers. The chapter orchestrated in "Great Jazz Standards" question of composition in jazz is devoted to the late Blind Lemon Jeffer• I wonder about his yard-stick in spite hardly reflected in these reviews. Scor• son, for one, is good reference mate• of my admiration for Evans; when he ing is sometimes a matter of writing rial on this shadowy but impressively describes Ben Webster's "gentility", backgrounds, or sometimes the soloists talented man from Texas. Charters even "passionate gentility", (Ah, there, fit themselves well into the framework gives us fascinating accounts of medi• Nat Hentoff!) I gape in astonishment. of the writing. But in this problem it cine show performers, sightless min• And when he manages to review Sarah is the details that count, and they're strels, untutored jug players, and rela• Vaughan's "No Count" without men• not even touched. tively unsophisticated popular record• tioning all those wonderful four-bar But all these issues are only suscepti• ing artists. A true collector of record parodies, I begin to wonder about his ble to attack by critics with a clear lore, he furnishes us also with names ear as well. Perhaps he simply has not sense of the jazz tradition, an ear and of recording executives, company poli• enough control as a writer to say what (dare I say it?) firm esthetic principles. tics, and, of course, original catalog he means. Surely criticism should be concerned numbers of records turned out some The other late arrivals are familiar to not only with the technical accom• thirty years ago, but the reader who all old Down Beat readers; they are the plishments musicians show in their asks for Paramount 12354 in his favor• old pros. Mr. Leonard Feather shows work, but with the premises of their ite record store is likely to be dis• that he is still a superlative reporter conceptions as well. Isn't it as much appointed.

34 To fellow collectors, Charter's methods blues and formal blues songs, can be the shot of that ancient little lady must seem inevitable and even schol• traced to Abbe Niles,2 Odum and John• riding in that ancient car to the ac• arly. Unfortunately, The Country Blues son,3 or Allen, Ware, and Garrison4), companiment of raucous Dixieland was is built upon a number of assumptions but we are given no hints about the funny in its incongruity. And who are that others will have difficulty discover• significance of the country blues as a better subjects for photographers than ing or believing. folk art form, what criteria to employ Louis Armstrong or Big Maybelle? In his introduction, Charters correctly in judging this music, or even the gen• As an example of virtuoso photography, refers to his book as "the first ex• esis of style on regional or individual Jazz On A Summer's Day is brilliant. tended study" of his subject, but his bases. Messers. Stern, Courtney, Hafela and subject turns out to be not country As an informal collection of personal Phealan had a field day with their blues but rather blues performers and sketches on Lonnie Johnson, the Mem• cameras. Nothing of "human interest" their records. Contrary to his claim to phis Jug Bands, Jim Jackson, Leroy escaped their eagle-eyed lenses. I was have included every major blues ar• Carr, Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, reminded of the fine still work done tist, the author has omitted from seri• Tampa Red, and many others, and as in former years by Weegee, whose mar• ous discussion all but the handful he a sentimental peek behind the "race" vellous candid shots undoubtedly ex• has personally pursued. (Leadbelly, for record catalogs of the past thirty years, erted a considerable influence on pho• example, is virtually erased by Char• The Country Blues is an entertaining tographic art. ters from the annals of blues singing. and incidentally informative book. As But, because I am personally involved John and Alan Lomax have already a reference work, without bibliogra• with jazz, it was very difficult for me devoted a book to him, but there is phy or complete record listings, it is to just sit back and enjoy this fascinat• no bibliography here, and the reader useful only to those working within the ing human circus without being frus• may be left with the mistaken notion scope of Charters' selected subjects. trated and even offended. I feel the that Leadbelly either wasn't important While this book does help to fill a producers paid a very high artistic or never sang country blues.) hardcover void, it is a pity that Sam• price to attain their success. By film• Again, the collector will probably ac• uel Charters passed by the opportun• ing some of the worst aspects of the cept the inherent contradictions that ity to bring genuine critical insight, festival, they have only served to re• lead to confusion for others. Although beyond that of the honest and enthu• inforce the widely held opinion that 1) some "country blues" performers were siastic collector, to a field that, for jazz is light entertainment, guaran• city-bred opportunists trying to make many needs definitions and exegesis. teed to provide a quick thrill, but the grade as popular entertainers while couldn't, by the wildest stretch of the others were rural inheritors of tradi• 1. Jones, Max, "On Blues" pp. 72-107 in tional song materials, Charters chooses The PL Yearbook of Jazz, edited by Albert imagination, be considered a mature to lump them all under a single ambig• McCarthy, 1946. art for grown-ups; and, 2) Newport is uous title. The English writer Max 2. Niles, Abbe, Introduction to Blues: An the greatest place in the world for a Jones once made some interesting ob• Anthology, edited by W. C. Handy, New beer party. I guess it could be argued servations! regarding urban influences York, Albert & Charles Boni, 1926. that the blame belongs, not to those on country blues, along with the effects 3. Odum, Howard W. and Johnson, Guy B. responsible for the film, but to the pro• of religious taboos upon rural per• The Negro and His Songs and Negro ducers and performers of the festival formers, but this is apparently water Workaday Songs. University of North itself. But, if the producers of the film too deep for Charters who ignores Carolina Press, 1926. were aware of musical standards, why church influences entirely, except for 4. Allen, William Francis; Ware, Charles P.; did they dwell on some of the most a chapter about the sacred singer Blind United States. New York, Peter Smith, tasteless elements, Chuck Berry, for Willie Johnson, who "seems to belong" Garrison, Lucy M. Slave Songs of the instance. And Dinah Washington's ar• with the blues singers. (Blind Willie, 1951. tistry wasn't served by those camera it develops, recorded on the Columbia angles either. 14000 series, as did some blues This concern for so-called visual in• singers.) terest at any cost has also long afflicted MOVIE television presentation of musicai per• Charters traveled much the same route formances. I happen to believe that that recording executives of old fol• the most valid way to photograph the lowed, leaving us with about the same REVIEW performance of music is to try to cap• impression that the original records ture the inherent excitement in the themselves give—that the country blues self-absorption of the artist and the came mostly from Texas, Mississippi, Jazz On A Summer's Day. produced and performance. Several times in the film, and Tennessee and settled in Memphis directed by Bert Stern; script and con• the camera caught that excitement. and Chicago. The wealth of folk blues tinuity by Arnold Pearl and Albert Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden material in Alabama, Georgia, and D'Anniable; musical director, George were handled very well. So was Anita Florida remains largely neglected. Avakian; edited by Aram Avakian. O'Day—if somewhat grotesquely. But The author announces, in the intro• A requisite for enjoying this film is the sudden shifting of the camera from duction, his intention to discuss the that one not be a jazz devotee. Al• audiences, to performer, to scenic trivia music on the level of its "relation• though it is a semi-documentary of and back ruined some of the music ship with its own audience." Having the 1958 Newport Festival, the music for me. I like my music straight, and thus cleared the way for digressions in it, what little of quality there was, I don't like it "programmed" for me. into the marketing of phonograph rec• functioned mainly as a prop for spec• The most glaring instance of this oc• ords, he dredges up obscure singers tacular visual effects. curred when, during Theolonius Monk's whose records flopped on the market Aspects of this movie other than its fine performance of Blue Monk, sud• and skips over white blues singers like music were covered in the daily press. denly my eyes were assaulted with a Jimmy Rodgers whose records sold I'm sure some of the raves were justi• yacht race! Monk continued playing, very well. In view of this apparent fied, if only because of the excite• and then I was confronted with a shot racial bias, it is curious that there is ment generated by seeing a myriad of of a zealous photographer focusing a long passage toward the end of the book devoted to Elvis Presley. personality types, mainly the audience, his lense on him. It's a little like Charters' chapters dealing with the caught in the act of being themselves. watching TV with the sound off, while background and development of the And if one's personal involvement with listening to the radio and trying to blues are adequate as far as they go jazz music is on a take-it-or-leave-it read. Or being deeply involved in the (most of this material, including the basis, one is free to enjoy the many music in a concert hall while the cur• author's distinction between country hilarious, and sometimes poignant, vig• tain keeps rising and falling. On the nettes captured so skillfully. Certainly, other hand, I had to sit for an eternity

35 while Chico Hamilton's mobile fea• ond annual "CJF". The festival, really mediocre to poor by any standard, but tures consumed the entire screen with• more contest than festival, was spon• two groups were in such bad taste out musical interest to sustain the sored by the University with the direc• that they will be considered later. shots. And when someone as engross• tion and advisory support of several To this writer there were five out• ing as Mahalia Jackson is performing, well-known jazz personalities, particu• standing small groups and three excep• that's all I want to see. I certainly larly Mr. Charles Suber of Down Beat, tional big bands. The small groups don't want to watch people dancing who helped with publicity and with were the Dave Baker Quintet, Indiana in the audience while she is singing! the organization of the contest itself. U.; the Bob Pierson Quartet, Detroit If the producers don't believe in pre• Jazz groups from any college or uni• U.; the Kansas U. Quintet; the U. of senting music straight, they might at versity who wished to participate in the Minnesota quintet; and the Bob Sardo least pick more judicious moments for festival submitted tapes of their work. quartet of Purdue. The three big bands the camera to wander. I also got the From these, a committee selected were from North Texas State College, feeling that some of the shots of spec• twenty-seven contestants ranging from Ohio State, and Northwestern Univer• tators didn't conform to the perform• big bands to solo performers, who per• sity. ance they were purportedly watching. formed in Friday afternoon and night, Dave Baker's quintet was the unani• Some of the scenes looked rigged. If and Saturday afternoon preliminary mous choice of all musicians who they were, why? sessions. heard it as the outstanding group of There were minor distractions: the The judges, Stan Kenton, Frank Holz- the festival, It included Baker's flex• synchronization between player and fiend (the Chicago Blue Note entre• ible bass trombone, Dave Young's hard sound was always a little off, but I may preneur), Robert Share (Berklee bop tenor, Austin Crow's piano, Larry have seen a bad print. There were School), Willis Connover and Suber, se• Ridley's bass, and Paul Parker's drums. scenes of the America's Cup observa• lected nine finalists, six small groups Each man had mastered the mechan• tion trials. Why? The editing seemed and three big bands, to perform in a ical aspects of playing better than per• choppy—or was this deliberate, to help final Saturday evening session. Awards haps any other musicians who played convey a hectic atmosphere? were presented to the outstanding jazz during the two days. Beyond, each dis• The highspots for me were: the open• group, small combo, big band, jazz in• played maturity, originality and a ing titles and the Jimmy Giuffre 3's strumentalist on each instrument, direct non-nonsense awareness of what music; Thelonious Monk's music; Ma• leader, arranger, over-all instrumental• jazz is. They challenged themselves with difficult material (for example, halia Jackson's artistry and unassum• ist, and most promising young soloist. Ornette Coleman's The Sphinx), played ing dignity; the straightforward pre• The leading small combo was awarded with cohesion and showed signs of sentation of the Gerry Mulligan quartet. a week's engagement at the Blue Note; compositional talents in Baker's Ken• I realize that the film producers are each outstanding instrumentalist re• tucky Oysters. Paul Parker's drumming ceived a new instrument (only one blameless for some of the performers' was unsurpassed—lifting and probing saxophone was presented), the out• breaches of taste and for poor mu• at any tempo. Pianist Crow, working in sicianship, but they are responsible for standing soloist a scholarship to the a Red Garland-Wynton Kelly vein was preserving it for posterity. Good mu• Berklee School, and the most promis• one of only three competent jazz pian• sic still has precious few mass out• ing soloist a scholarship to attend the ists that I heard in the two days. lets and this movie might have been Stan Kenton music camp at Indiana Bassist Larry Ridley was so far ahead one. University next summer. Each group's of any other bassist present that the I came away from the theatre feeling performance was limited to twenty min• others who heard him headed for the that jazz was once again the butt of utes. The program was well spaced; woodshed. a bad joke, and, as a jazz musician, the announcers were clear and con• I felt I indirectly had been "had." cise; the audience fairly well behaved; Bob Pierson's Quartet featured the The foregoing notwithstanding, I still groups went on and offi swiftly; in short, leader's Rollins-influenced tenor, his believe (I am an optimist) that some• the festival was beautifully produced. more personal alto, clarinet and flute, day a faithful photographic record of The musicians varied, but most fell in• pianist John Griffith whose flowing lyri• good music will be made, (maybe by to one of two categories. One has been cal work stood out and a bass-drums the same people) and will draw large known on college campuses for years team of Ben Appling and William Wood audiences—and even make money. —many campuses produced another Bix only slightly below the one mentioned Perhaps I misinterpret the the purpose in the early 'thirties, or another Benny above. Their deep involvement with of the film and the aim was to study Goodman in the late 'thirties, and to• the main current of jazz was apparent, people at an even. If so, I take ex• day, they produce Brubecks, Garners or mechanical difficulties were negligible, ception to the producers' intent, be• exact replicas of the Dukes of Dixie• cliches rare and they chose challeng• cause I feel that in that case the land. These musicians attempt to lift ing material like Blue Train and Dr. music is misused. And then, perhaps the "style," the superficial character• Jackyl. a different title would have been more istics, of their idols without either Bob Sardo's accordion (praised by Mat appropriate, say "The Big Weekend." their technique or sense of musical Matthews in last year's festival), Gary Dick Katz values; they seldom venture outside Barone's trumpet, bassist Duke Larson the list of tunes recorded by their and drummer Tim Froeschner provided idols; and their imitations often amount the festival's most tightly balanced to parody. Better jazz musicians on unit. More than any other group in college campuses may also show dis• the festival, they showed organiza• tinct recognizable influences, but they tion and a concept of group playing. are assimilating important musical in They explored difficult tempos, brought fluences. Their attitude toward jazz is off a haunting Summertime, (the best likely to be less limited by the atti• conceived small group ensemble of CONCERT tudes of college communities, to refer the festival) and swung hard. itself to the jazz world outside. Both The Kansas University Quintet included kinds of musicians were present at tne the only Lester Young school tenor REVIEW festival. They were different in their man, Gary Foster, whose facility and approach to music, and they remained fine tone combined with his improvi- separate off the stand. The jazzmen sational abilities to produce satisfy• I spent two days in March listening played in informal sessions after the ing solos. The choice of most musi• to some of the country's best colle• concerts; the others split. cians who heard him for outstanding giate jazz musicians, and some of the It is not necessary to discuss most of trumpet awards was Carmell Jones, who worst, at Notre Dame University's sec• the twenty-seven groups, for they were displayed a conception derived from

36 Clifford Brown and mechanical dex• of a "real nice beautiful ballad" Baker's quintet would not be eligible terity one seldom finds outside of first (Moonlight in Vermont) and a ridicu• for competition as a group because rank jazz trumpets. Musicians who lous bow to the judges' bench in a they were not able to stay through the heard Jones' after hours, playing at a treatment of Opus in Chartreuse were festival, Charles Suber, as chairman downtown bar early Sunday morning, highlights in the melodrama and of the committee of judges, announced went away shaking their heads. Bassist wooden verticality of Hardy's playing. that, based on strict professional Don Ferrar's big sound and excellent Brubeck swings his fingers off com• standards and originality, finalists arco work in a ballad, and drummer pared to this trio. among small groups would include Tom Steve Hall (a pupil of Shelly Manne The Free Forms of the Catholic U. of Mustachio's trio (Garnerisms), Brian and Roy Harte) and his precise sound America played keyless, structureless Hardy's trio (Brubeckiana), the Mod-, rounded out this group. The choice of sounds and sat in the stands later em Men, the Notre Dame quintet (in• an Ornette Coleman chart When will the telling those around them about musi• offensive but dim), and the Bob Pier- Blues Leave? and Dig showed this quin• cal fine-points of other soloists. ("Ha! son Quartet. The last was the only tet's direction. The Whole Tone Scale!"). An embar• one that any musician I talked to The U. of Minnesota quintet featured rassing display of snobbery and avant- thought worth consideration. Pierson's Jim Marentic's Golson-like tone and guardism. But their work was inter• quartet played brilliantly that evening swing and trumpeter Jack Coan's esting if sincerely intended, which is (pianist Griffith was so poignantly blue slightly legitimate sound but fine range hard to tell in so brief a time. at times as to produce tears), and the and ideas. With rhythm support and Dot's trio had a drummer whose work other small groups dismally. But Tom the blues-oriented piano of leader Jim has been called "tasty"—not in the Mustachio's Dots trio was chosen as Trost (the last of three acceptable jazz Jo Jones sense—he hardly seemed to the outstanding small group. pianists present) they ripped through touch the drums at all; yet the over-all The Big Band finalists had been North Al Cohn's For Adults Only, Dig and effect was rather jerky and fluctuated Texas State, Ohio State and North• Like Someone in Love. Group coopera• in time. The group also included my western. Their arrangers and composers tion was excellent; genuine enthusi• choice for the worst bassist in the deserved unlimited applause and got asm and confidence pleasing. Three festival, and a pianist, Tom Mustachio, it. North Texas was the one with the big bands included only four jazz who showed us everything that is wrong Kenton-like approach—complex charts, soloists comparable to those in the with Errol Garner and none of what involved compositions, and broad tonal small groups. They were an alto- is indubitably right. Like Hardy, Tom contrivances. Needless to say, North ist, whose name I failed to get and Mustachio played loudly and stead• Texas was selected as the top big Marvin Stamm, trumpeter, North Texas; fastly failed to swing. Mustachio played band. tenorist Sonny McBroom, Ohio State; Misty, and other tunes associated with Trumpeter Carmell Jones and Gary Ba- trombonist Loren Binford, Northwest• Garner, and did not indicate that he rone were ignored for Marvin Stamm's ern. Only McBroom had enough solo had ever listened to another pianist. big band work (like choosing Fergu• space to test his staying power, and The Modern Men from Dartmouth Col• son over Clifford Brown); trombonist he showed both originality and sense lege were four young men who ob- Dave Baker was out in favor of Loren of structure. Trumpeter Stamm was a vfously knew where jazz was going. Binford—a big band trombone who had superb technician with more facility They played with crackling ensemble little jazz space (most people couldn't than ideas (on the order of Maynard work and a jazz sound. But in im• remember having heard him); the worst Ferguson and Vinnie Tanno,—excitable, provisation, even the limberest musical of three big band drummers was se• a bit melodramatic). I am told that rules completely evaded them. Whole lected over Paul Parker and wonder• Stamm plays excellent jazz, but he bars were ignored by the soloists, ful bassist Larry Ridley was likewise was not given much room to play solos. changes were cast aside (not substi• ignored. Tom Mustachio was chosen the The strong points of the big bands tuted for—cast aside) and only with outstanding pianist and most promis• were the fine idiomatic arrangements the return to the melody at the end (an ing soloist (one musician said: "You and fine playing of Texas; loose but amazing accompHshment considering know, Bill Evans could have taken deep swing by Ohio State; the fiery where the horns had wandered) was John Griffith's place with Pierson's dynamics of Northwestern. All the solos order restored. Baritonist-altoist Don group, and, given the same space, he except by those men mentioned above Miller "thrilled" the fans with affected would have been overlooked by the were poor. The best of the three large posturing and zipped off fast runs that judges."). Tenor Dave Young, for some band drummers was the one with North covered a multitude of sins. Trumpeter reason did receive an award. Most of Texas, although none measured up to Allen Houser's tone was good, but his the other choices were automatic; there Paul Parker and Ben Appling. jazz talent small. In Bassist Yassin's was only one jazz vocalist competing, Two Dixieland (in the worst sense) one extended solo on Friday afternoon, one flautist; and two or three guitar• Bands competed. The Wayne State the tempo dropped as if the turntable ists offered little to choose from. Ramblers attempted to out-Duke the had been shut off, rose slightly toward I talked to one loser afterward: he Dukes of Dixieland, with fussy, nag• the end, and continued with everyone shrugged, "You get used to it; you ging banjo work, a disgraceful Uncle aboard at a third tempo not quite as have to play exactly like Garner or Tom treatment of Mamma Don't 'Low fast as the original. somebody they know to get a gig in and a frantic display of pop-eyed en• The festival, up to the announcements Detroit." Another: "It's hardly worth ergy that sent jazz musicians scurry• of the judges' decisions, had been en• the time and effort; last year was bet• ing for the dressing rooms. The Dayton tirely enjoyable for me. I had come ter, but this year . . . ?" Pianist Mus• U. Dynamos were like the Ramblers expecting some good music and some tachio seemed puzzled. As the final but wore red vests, played louder, were bad; several groups had exceeded my words were spoken, he stood alone better Toms and more embarrassing expectations and only one had been fingering the top of his new electric for white and colored alike. They re• more unpleasant than I had imagined. piano, looking as if he did not quite ceived an award for "outstanding show• I had found myself unhappy at times believe his success. A teenage girl manship." That's right, "outstanding with audience reaction to sounds which rubbed her leg on a door and sighed, showmanship". recalled Shearing, Jamal, Garner, Bru• "I could listen to that pianist (Mus• The Brian Hardy trio presented a naive beck and the Dukes, which, well played tachio) all night." She was asked if impersonation of a Dave Brubeck trio, or not, brought oos and aaahs. But I she had ever heard of Errol Garner; she with an excursion to Ahmad Jamal. comforted myself that the judges would said "No." Bassist Warren Brown seemed to have be more sensitive than the audience to Jazz had stood up to be counted, had one set of chord changes (a mail• the work of musicians who sounded hardly been recognized, and had gone order set) and played them relentlessly like no one except themselves. home. through most of the tunes. A rendering But after announcing that Dave John William Hardy

37 When facilities at Green• JAZZ IN PRINT ville, North Carolina are completed in about two years, the Voice of America will be the most powerful single broadcast• ing operation in the world. Willis Conover by then will reach everywhere but America—unless you hav« short-wave. Cassell, the British pub• lisher, has issued Sidney Bechet's autobiography, Treat It Gentle. Said Bechet about revivalism: "It's by NAT HENTOFF like they believed the From Down Beat' s music stopped way back directory of vocalists there." . . . Lenny Bruce in the May 12 issue— is by far the most creative Mabel Mercer . . . "Miss comedian in America. Mercer has built a con• From C. H. Garrigues in the siderable reputation as a San Francisco Examiner of singer in the rock-and-roll a Bruce appearance there: idiom. Strongly reflecting "The remainder howled with the spirit of blues in her laughter, gasped with the work, she has had many shock of sudden insight, successes on single rec• and almost wept with the ords ; in addition, she shame of what that insight counts lp albums in her revealed." discography." Daniel Halperin still lacks Big Mabel started on the the courage to use his own Four months after the sit- tent shows with Ma Kettle name when reviewing books in strikes began, no trade and went on to cut singles for the British Jazz News paper had reported the for a Turkish r&b label but reveals his capacities support of the movement that also had Noel Coward as a critic in this review by Duke Ellington and and Elsa Maxwell as of the Basie band in Count Basie. Ellington exclusive artists. Britain: "Now Sonny actually accompanied 12 Down Beat was also rather (Payne) helps Freddie Green students on a Baltimore naive in printing Jack and Eddie Jones swing the sit-in. Basie, in a state• land's The Expatriate Life orchestra and his self- ment to the Pittsburgh of Stan Getz in the April .14 confident showmanship adds Courier, the country's issue, a fanciful fairy tale considerably to its visual largest Negro newspaper, that is not supported by attractiveness." came out unequivocally for other reports from Freddie appreciates the the students. Meanwhile, Scandinavia. help so much he's thinking Nat Cole has been active in Malcolm Walker began a of bringing back that long raising money for the Charlie Mingus Discography stick which he used to poke students and for Dr. Martin —one's been needed for Sonny when helper Payne King, charged with tax some time—in the April rushed the beat. evasion by desperate Jazz Monthly. In the same Said Nelson Riddle in a Alabama state officials. issue, there's a perceptive London Daily Express inter• The most prodigious worker review of The Connection view in which he compared for "movement" among en• by Don Heckman. This editor Ella Fitzgerald and Frank tertainers has been thoroughly disagreed with Sinatra: "I don't think she Harry Belafonte. And in the The Jazz Review's report on gives as much thought to a Amsterdam News, Max Roach the play. As Heckman says: lyric as Frank. But some• and Art Blakey suggested a "The pseudo-hipsterisms of how it doesn't matter jazz concert for the the Kerouac-styled beats because her wonderful students As of this writing, seem empty and shallow when quality of voice and her plans are underway for a placed alongside Gelber's wonderful musicianship similar project. vivid portrait." seems to make her justify

38 the song...Frank sizes up stalled. ".. .Ralph Gleason Coltrane's playing allows a song...Ella...could suggests that the new novel the listener no quarter. It mispronounce the words Girl Singer (Doubleday) belabors him, it hounds him, and it would still be by Debbie Ishlon of Colum• it stares him down... marvelous to listen to.. bia Records be given to Coltrane is an inventive, But a man like Sinatra has Norma Jean Speranza (Jill impassioned improviser a different approach. He Corey) for review. who above all traps the uses all the tricks of his The April Crisis, the listener with the unex• trade, and Ella uses hardly NAACP monthly, has a useful pected...His style, to be any of them except the list of books by Negro sure, is still unfinished. ones that come auto• authors in 1959...Barry His tone is bleaker than matically to her." McRae writes about the Luis need be, many of his notes I'll take Sinatra. Anybody Russell orchestra in the are useless, and his rhyth• who mispronounces the words April, 1960, Jazz Journal. mic methods are frequently and places false emphasis In the March, 1960 issue of just clothes flung all over in the lyrics indicates Notes, a quarterly pub• a room. In addition, Col• she doesn't understand lished by the Music trane, unlike such col• what she's singing about. Library Association, gentle leagues as Sonny Rollins Hungary will send its Marshall Stearns writes: and Ornette Coleman, has National Radio Jazz Or• "The Jazz Review ... is not yet learned what to chestra to the Antibes Jazz known among some musicians leave out." Balliett on Festival this summer. A as 'Hostility Rag.* " Our Tatum: "...What does it program of freedom songs? historian of jazz invective matter...if...Tatum uses More real news about jazz informs us that the mu• his methods—the liquid, in New York—in re the sicians Marshall quotes are seemingly overlapping swing era players—in one Rudi Blesh (instrument arpeggios, the Hineslike Bulletin du Hot Club de unknown) and Marshall W. suspensions of rhythm, the France than in ten years Stearns (C-Melody saxo• immaculate, enamelled sense of Down Beat. The reporters phone) . of touch—to construct an are Jeann Roni Failows and Bob Freedman in an Erroll elaborate series of figure Jack Bradley. . . Garner review in The Boston eights that only skim the Norman Granz's jazz film, Traveler: "Like many other surface of each number? Jammin' The Blues, has been unschooled pianists, Erroll Such virtuosity is its own released for television. Garner finds himself quite reward." It'll be part of a new at home in keys which are From the Washington Post, series, All American Bands somewhat uncommon in sent in by Paul Nossiter: ...Signs of the Times: instrumental jabb. This "A seminar on religion and Columbia has a full-page seems to prove that a key jazz, led by the 'Holy Cats' ad in the May Harper's on or tonality is not intrin• jazz combo from Virginia its jazz catalogue alone... sically difficult, but Theological Seminary, Same issue has a report by merely unfamiliar to those Alexandria, will be held at Eric Larrabee on the who choose to treat it as Christ Episcopal Church .. Buck Hammer hoax. such.". . . John McLellan in Since playing together, the Mrs. Joseph Schillinger The Boston Traveler about six seminarians say they writes that the first jazz Ornette Coleman: "...all have become increasingly concert held in Moscow was this "controversy" non• aware of 'the inherent April 28, 1927. It was or• sense is unfair and religious depths in jazz ganized and directed by the insulting. Unfair when it music as a unique American late Joseph Schillinger. frightens people away from art form.* " Wasn't Sidney Bechet there listening to him or pre• It's time for the formation before?...From the Melody vents them from relaxing of American-Secularists- Maker: "Copenhagen—An and enjoying his music for-Jazz, Inc. hour before the Modern And insulting when it In the London Record and Jazz Quartet's concert at impugns his sincerity." Show Mirror, James Asman the Tivoli...John Lewis Whitney Balliett on John has appealed to British RCA took one look at the piano Coltrane in The New Yorker: to reissue Negro blues and declared, 'No concert.' "That ugliness, like life, recordings from the Chicago His contract stipulated can be beautiful is the era. Good luck, sir. that a Steinway must be surprising discovery one Appeals to Victor in used, and the start of the makes after attempting to America have finally born concert was delayed an hour meet the challenge offered fruit in a Camden LP com• until one had been in• by John Coltrane. . . piled by Leonard Feather.

39 Some say the word "jazz" came to were taken to task by Henry Os• we are up another blind alley. Where music from the gutter. Others think good. "This is an example of how do "jasm" and "gism" come from? the term popped out of the blue dangerous a little knowledge may Whether "jazz" is etymologically re• and "just growed." At least one be," the critic declared. "It is en• lated to sex we do not know, nor writer suggested it might be a verbal tirely true ... that a certain obscene do we have information on the earli• imitation of some actual sound; meaning long ago became attached est use of the word in a sexual con• that is, an onomatopoeic word. to the word, but it is not the orig• text. But, Henry Osgood to the con• inal meaning of it, nor is jazz aior.e trary, there is a certain amount of in this respect" (Osgood 1826a:17). justification in the assumption that This did not stem further specula• the use of the term in music was the word jazz. tion by Peter Tamony (1939:5), Doug• derived from its vernacular use in las Stannard (1941:83), Robert Gof- sex. Further investigation may con• fin (1946:63-4) and others. Guy B. firm or deny this. Johnson, the Negro folk historian, Spontaneous generation layed it bluntly on the line in the Did "jazz," like Topsy, "just part III "Double Meaning in the Popular growed"? This has been suggested Negro Blues," in the Journal of Ab• four times in the literature. The Out• normal and Social Psychology, April- look in 1924 said: "Some say that June, 1927: "Used both as a verb it is the Negro's reminiscence of his Fradley H. Garner and and as a noun to denote the sex African tom-toms. According to one act, . . . 'jazz' . . . has long been a story, it was an illiterate Negro in Alan P. Merriam common vulgarity among Negroes a dancehall who coined the word; in the South, and it is very likely for when he was asked, 'What is that from this usage that the term 'jazz you are playing?' he replied, depre- Vulgarity music' was derived" (Johnson 1927: catingly, 'Oh, it's jes' jazz'" (Anon The association of "jazz" with sex, 14-15). 1924a:382). for which the word is sometimes used as a slang synonym, has been Maurice H. Weseen, in the Diction• Cecil Austin, writing on "Jazz" in reported and lamented by many ary of American Slang, gives "Jazz the journal Music and Letters, writers beginning, apparently, in —Sexual intercourse; to have it" brushed it off lightly. "This band 1924 with Clay Smith's revelation in (Weseen 1934:22). Lester V. Berrey, is certainly some jazz,' was a fairly Etude: in the American Thesaurus of Slang, common expression at the time, and If the truth were known about the ori• mentions "jazz" under "copulate" two dollars a night and unlimited gin of the word "jazz" it would never (Berrey 1947:342). quantities of beer always proved a strong attraction to the musicians" be mentioned in polite society ... At H. L. Mencken also links the term fifteen and sixteen I had already made (Austin 1925:258). with the American folk use of jazz tours of Western towns including the as a verb meaning to have sexual Coeuroy and Schaeffner in their Le big mining centres when the West was Jazz (Paris: 1926) probed no deeper. really wild and wooly. Like all ado• intercourse (Mencken 1948:708-9), "Certains le font deriver d'une ex• lescent boys let loose on the world I and Mitford Mathews, in A Diction• pression en usage dans les bouges naturally received information that was ary of Americanisms, says ". . . the none too good for me and was piloted plain fact is that to jazz has long de la Nouvelle-Orleans: Jamm them, by ignorant men to dance resorts . . . had the meaning in American folk- boys (qui correspondrait a Hardi, These dance resorts were known as speech of to engage in sexual in• les gars)" (Coeuroy and Schaeffner "Honky-Tonks"—a name, which in it• tercourse" (Mathews 1951:709). Ma• 1926:101). self suggests some of the rhythms of thews also connects "jazz" with Finally, a most igratiating account Jazz. The vulgar word "Jazz" was in "jasm," which he finds as early as attributed to Joseph K. Gorham and general currency in those dance halls 1860 in the works of Massachusetts reported in a 1919 issue of Literary thirty years or more ago. Therefore jazz author Josiah Holland (ibid., p. 899). Digest: to me does not seem to be of Amer• Jasm, in turn, may be related to . . . the word . . . means simply ican negro origin as many suppose. enough, and without any explanation . . . The vulgar dances that accom• the American dialect word "gism," or definition, the only thing it's pos• pany some of the modern jazz are defined in 1935 by Allen Read: sible for four such letters in such sometimes far too suggestive of the "Strength, talent, genius, ability. Cf 'spunk.' In various parts of the South, order, when pronounced, to convey— ugly origin of the word (Anon 1924e: and that is just "to mess 'em up and 'gism' means 'gravy' or 'cream sauce.' 595). slap it on thick." That's the verb "to Bandleader Paul Whiteman also re• In the North, it is commonly used to jazz." The noun means just the same gretfully gave this as the source of mean 'semen.' In Maine and eastern as the verb except that the noun im• the word. Speaking of another mu• New England the word is pronounced plies the process and the verb the sician, Joseph K. Gorham, Mr. White- 'chism,' and the writer has seen it so action (Anon 1919e:47). man said: spelled.—Ed" (Read 1935:453). Onomatopoeia He did not then note down the aggre• Read's source was B. W. Green's Henry Osgood must have had his gation as a jazz band, though he un• Word-Book of Virginia Folk-Speech tongue at least half in check when doubtedly knew the word as a slang (1897) which noted: "Chism, n. Chis- he offered this one: "Is it too far• phrase of the underworld with a mean• sum. Seminal fluid" (Green 1897:85). fetched to suggest," he asked in So ing unmentionable in polite society . . . Read, however, may have traced it This Is Jazz!, "that the muffled Sometimes I have regretted the origin back as far as 1848. If there is a booming of the great African drum of the word because I think it prob• real link between "gism," "jasm" was in itself the parent of the word; ably has stirred up sentiment against and "jazz," the possibility of an that, in other words, its origin is the music (Whiteman and McBride African, Arabian or American Negro 1926:18,20). onomatopoetic?" (Osgood 1926a:ll- source becomes more remote. And Smith, and by inference Whiteman, 12). 40 Frankie and Johnnie Flamingo (Jeffries, V.) The Bakiff Hollywood, December 3, 1941. Same personnel except Junior Raglin replaces Blanton. Discographer's 061946- 1 Stomp Caprice Standard P-183 Bugle Breaks You and I (Jeffries, V.) Have You Changed Corner Raincheck 061947- 1 Blue Serge Moon Mist I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire Duke (Jeffries, V.) Easy Street Ellington Perdido WORLD TRANSCRIPTIONS? Various times during 1945. on Exact personnels unknown. Unit No. Disc No. 6019 Hop Skip and Jump 6019/6028 6020 I Don't Want Anybody at All Transcriptions (B. Roche, V.) 6021 Baby, Please Stop and Think About Me 6022 Boy Meets Horn 6023 6049 Rockin' in Rhythm 6049/6058 6050 6051 A Slip of The Lip I. L. Jacobs (R. Nance, V.) 6052 Blue Skies 6053 Go Away Blues (B.Roche, V.) 6499 Three Cent Stomp 6499/6508 The purpose of presenting this STANDARD RADIO TRANSCRIPTIONS 6500 material is not only to fill in a Hollywood, January 15, 1941. 6501 Main Stem sizable gap in the Ellington Wallace Jones, Ray Nance, trumpets; 6502 Do Nothin' Till You Hear discography but to call attention to Rex Stewart, cornet; Juan Tizol, Law• from Me (Hibbler, V.) rence Brown, Joe Nanton, trombones; a large collection of recorded 6503 Things Ain't What.They Barney Bigard. Johnny Hodges, Otto Used to Be material which remains stored in Hardwicke, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, the vaults of the recording reeds; Duke Ellington or Billy Stray- 6029 Tea for Two 6029/6038 companies and has never been horn, piano; Freddy Guy, guitar; Jimmy 6030 Summertime (Hibbler, V.) made available to the public. Blanton, bass; Sonny Greer, drums; 6031 Sentimental Lady Though all this material was re• Herb Jeffries, Ivie Anderson, vocals. 6032 Mood Indigo corded for the use of radio 6033 stations when Ellington was under 0552504 Take the "A" Train Standard P-132 I Hear a Rhapsody 6679 Harlem Air Shaft 6679/6688 exclusive contract elsewhere, a 6680 Jack the Bear persistent record company might (Jeffries, V.) Bounce 6681 Honeysuckle Rose obtain rights to release some of it. It's Sad but True 6682 Chopsticks The material ranges from near Madame Will Drop her 6683 Johnny Come Lately duplications of commercially Shawl 6689 Creole Love Call 6689/6698 released sides to unique recordings 055251-1 Frenesi 6690 like the lovely Ultra Blue on Until Tonight 6691 Rose Room World and one addition to the piti• West Indian Stomp 6692 It Don't Mean A Thing fully few Ivie Anderson recordings. Love and I (Nance, V.) The recorded sound on all these John Hardy 6693 Somebody Loves Me transcriptions is excellent, and Hollywood, September 17, 1941. 6819 I Didn't Know About You recordings made exclusively for Same personnel. (Sherril, V.) 6819/6828 radio stations frequently exceeded 061661- 1 Clementine Standard P-169 6820 I'm Beginning to See The Light the three minute time limit. A Chelsea Bridge (Sherril, V.) number of excellent Ips could be Love Like This Can't Last 6821 Don't You Know I Care compiled, whose quality would sur• (Anderson, V.) (Hibbler, V.) prise those not familiar with the After All 6822 Ain't Misbehavin' uniform technical excellence of The Girl in my Dreams 6823 Tries to Look Like You transcriptions of the 'forties. (Jeffries, V.) 7164 Otto, Make That Riff Staccato I. L. Jacobs 061662- 1 Jumpin' Pumpkins (Nance, V.) 7159/7168

41 7165 Jenny 165 New York City, June 10, 1947. 7166 Kissing Bug (Sherrill, V.) Sono 166 Same personnel. 7167 Everything But You Jeep Is Jumpin' 166 Frustration 304 (Sherrill, V.) Take The 'A' Train (Opening theme-X-25-1) 166 Blue Is the Night 304 7168 Every Hour on The Hour Take The 'A' Train (Closing theme-X-25-2) 166 Jump for Joy (Ray Nance, V.) 304 (Kibbler, V.) Perdido 166 Far Away Blues 304 7331 Esquire Swank Tip Toe Topic (Ellington Pettiford and Azalia (Chester Crumpler, V.) 305 7332 Blues on The Double Greer only) 166 Orchids for Madame (Chester Crumpler, V.) 305 7333 Frisky 305 Hollywood, July 11, 1946. Park at 106th 305 7699 I Wonder Why? (Roche, V.) 7699/1108 Personnel same, except delete Meyers, 7700 Caravan Hardwicks, Flood; add Harold Baker, SESAC TRANSCRIBED LIBRARY* 7701 Ray Nance, trumpets. New York City, March 27, 19S9. 7702 Prairie Fantasy Rockabye River 245 Cat Anderson, Ray Nance, Clark Terry, 7703 A Gatherin' in a Clearing 245 Harold Baker, trumpets; Britt Wood• You Don't Love Me No More man, John Sanders, Quentin Jackson, 7804 Midriff 7799/7808 (Al Hibbler, V.) 245 trombones; Johnny Hodges, Russell 7805 Mood to be Wooed Pretty Woman (Al Hibler, V.) 245 Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamil• 7806 Just Squeeze Me (Ray Nance, V.) 246 ton, Harry Carney, reeds; Duke Elling• 7807 The Air Conditioned Jungle Hey, Baby! (Ray Nance, V.) • 246 ton, piano; Jimmy Woode, Bass; Jimmy 7703 Suddenly It Jumped 246 Johnson, drums. Title of 12" long play• 7869 Blutopia 7869/7878 Come Rain or Come Shine (Kay Davis, V.) 246 ing album: "Ellington Moods" K8-0P-4081-1 Fat Mouth (Vance)5 N-2701 7870 Hollywood, July 16, 1946. 7871 Let the Zoomers Drool! Lost In The Night Personnel as before. (Maltby) 7872 Fickle Fling 249 Little John's Tune 7873 In A Jam 9:20 Special 299 (Hamilton) One O'Clock Jump 299 8319 Subtle Slough 8319/8328 Frou-Frou (L. Young)5 Back Home in Indiana 250 8320 Blue Cellophane Dankworth Castle A Ghost of a Chance (Marian Cox, V.) 250 8321 Ultra Blue (Hamilton) Lover Man (Marian Cox, V.) 250 8322 Moonstone (Hamilson) The Unbooted Character 299 8323 Tear Drops in The Rain The Suburbanite 250 8324 Jam Blues K8-0P-4082-1 Night Stick (Swanston)5 8325 Ring Dem Bells Hollywood, July 17, 1946. Lullaby For Dreamers 8326 I Ain't Got Nothin' But Personnel as before. (Vance)5 The Blues (Hibbler-Davis, V.) Moon Mist 249 She Was A Tinkling Thing 8327 You Never Know The In a Jam 247 (Ellis)6 Things You Miss On The Alamo 247 — Jamaica Tomboy 8328 Fitter Panther Patter 1 Can't Believe That You're (Hamilton) (piano-bass duet) in Love with Me 247 Still Water (Vance) Jet Strip (White) 8509 Frustration 8509/8518' Just You, Just Me 248 8510 Someone 249 8511 Passion Flower Tea for Two 249 8512 In the Shade of The Old Tree Double Ruff 247 A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing 248 8513 1. Unpublished Ellington discography compiled The Mooche 248 by Irving L. Jacobs and George C. Davis. 8749 Hit Me with A Hot Note New York City, January 7, 1947. 2. On April 11, 1949, a letter to George C. and Watch Me Bounce Davis from Ted Newton of the World Broad1 (Joya Sherrill, V.) 8749/8758 Same personnel except add Russell Procope, afto sax; Wallace Jones trum- casting System, Inc., reported in part as 8750 Down Beat Shuffle pet; delete Nanton and Baker. follows: 8751 Jones. "At the time Duke Ellington recorded for 8752 Hollywood Hangover Golden Feather 300 World we were asubsidiary of Decca Records, 8753 Golden Cress 300 but on August 1, 1948 we became an affiliate Flippant Flurry 300 of the Frederic W. Ziv Company. Whatever CAPITOL TRANSCRIPTIONS3 Jam-A-Ditty 287 records might have been kept in regard to New York City. March 28, 1946. Fuga-Ditty 287 recording dates, personnel of orchestras, and Taft Jordan, Bernard Flood, Shelton Happy-Go-Lucky Local—Part 1 288 other pertinent information have long since Hemphill, Cat Anderson, Francis Wil• Happy-Go-Lucky Local—Part 2 288 been lost in the archives and they are no longer available . . ." liams, trumpets; Joe Nanton, Lawrence Overture to a Jam Session 287 Brown, Wilber DeParis, Claude Jones, Sultry Sunset 288 Sound of orchestra, featured soloists, and trombones; Otto Hardwicke, Johnny tunes recorded, seem to confirm the assump• Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney, Jimmy New York City, June 9, 1947. tion that the entire library was recorded in Hamilton, reeds; Billy Strayhorn, piano Same personnel except add Tyree 1945. —some titles; Fred Guy, guitar; Wilson Glenn, trombone; and Harold Baker, 3. All information on Capitol Transcriptions Meyers, Oscar Pettiford, basses; Sonny Wilbur Bascomb, trumpets; delete Cat by Duke Ellington was taken directly from the Greer, .drums. Anderson and Wallace Jones. recording contracts by George C. Davis, who Cross Town 163 Beale Street Blues 301 did the research. Passion Flower 163 Memphis Blues 301 4 Kind acknowledgement for the above infor• Magenta Haze 164 St. Louis Blues 301 mation goes to W. F. Myers of Sesac, Inc. Everything Goes 163 Swamp Fire 302 5 This cut included in SESAC Repertory Re• Eighth Veil 164 How High the Moon 302 cording AD 43, a 45 rpm "sampler" which is Riff N' Drill 164 Blue Lou 302 entitled "The Duke's D.J. SPECIAL," with a Blue Abandon 164 Who Struck John? 302 spoken introduction by Duke. Transblucency 165 Violets Blue 303 6 This cut included in SESAC Repertory Re• Embraceable You (Kay Davis, V.) 165 Royal Garden Blues 303 cording a 45 rpm "sampler" which is entitled Rugged Romeo 165 Jumpin' Punkins 303 "Dance to The Big Bands."

42 YOUR GUIDE TO 140 HOURS OF THE BEST JAZZ ENTERTAINMENT IN A |\ r* Q I CI A Leonard Feather 'Nat Hentoff • Dom Cerulli • George HI VI LIX I KJIX Crater • Martin Williams • Ira Gitler • Sid McCoy happy news from RIVERSIDE! A new album by the swinging CANNONBALL ADDERLEY QUINTET is the sort of joyous event that speaks for itself, with no hard-selling advertising needed.

To the many, many thousands who loved the warm and happy first LP by the most sensational new jazz group in many a year, we should have to say nothing more than: they've done it again!

(And if there is, by any possible chance, anyone around who hasn't heard the wonderful sound of Cannonball's ba-nd, we can only say: stop depriving yourself of the pleasure.)

Them Dirty Blues: THE CANNONBALL ADDERLEY QUINTET, featuring Nat Adderley-and introduc• ing a new crop of soulful tunes like Work Song, Dat Dere, Jeannine. (Riverside RLP 12-322; Stereo RLP 1170)

And, still breaking all kinds of sales records (and setting a new high in "soul music"), the This Here album- The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco (RLP 12-311; also Stereo RLP 1157)