• THE STYLE OF DUKE ELLINGTON by Mimi Clar i Contemporary C 3560 SHELLY MANNE & HIS MEN Henry Mancini from ^the TV program starrinPETEg R GUNN Craig Stevens 1*1 Manne, it's the greatest! Wonderful jazz originals by Hank Mancini this swinging jazz session. Shelly's Men — from the score of the TV show PETER stars, all —are: Victor Feldman, vibes and GUNN find an ideal interpreter in SHELLY marimba; Conte Candoli, trumpet; Herb MANNE & HIS MEN. Shelly, who also Geller, alto sax; Russ Freeman, piano; and plays for the TV program sound track, Monty Budwig, bass. invited guest star Victor Feldman (also a Recorded in Contemporary's superb high PETER GUNN regular) to join his men for fidelity sound. 12" Hi-Fi Long Playing C3560, $4.98; also available on stereo records S7025, $5.95 at dealers everywhere. CONTEMPORARY RECORDS 8481 MeJrose Place, Los Angeles 46, California LETTERS WORD FROM THE WEST IN DEFENSE OF GIANTS MORE MISSING MODERNS May I express my appreciation of the Have just been listening to some of the The J. J. Johnson solo on Benny Carter's first issue of The jazz Review? I think tunes on the Ella-Duke Songbook album, Love for Sale is definitely his first on the need for such a magazine has long in particular the ones with Ben Webster. records. It is a smooth, simple affair that been felt by fans on the Pacific Coast. I You know I can't listen to him on this shows no trace of his later style. J. J. solos particularly enjoyed the very perceptive album without getting a lump in the on three of the Karl George 1945 Melo• pieces on Monk and Davis by Gunther throat, and in some cases he is completely dise titles. On How Am I to Know he plays Schuller and Dick Katz, though there was devastating. There never was a man who in a simple balled styled not far removed much more in the mag that was exceed• played so much tenor sax, and I'll throw from the Carter. In Peek-a-boo he takes a ingly valuable. in Hawk, Chu and Sonny. It's a damn fast solo that has overtones of his mature C. H. Garrigues shame nobody listens to those Englishmen, work while on Grand Slam his chorus is Jazz Editor, San Francisco Examiner McCarthy and Dance, about neglected definitely boppish. jazzmen. In Inside Bebop Feather stated that in AND THE EAST Much of the blame rests with the jazz Cootie Williams's Echoes of Harlem on Long may your new publication prosper. mags. For circulation purposes they must Hit, Bud Powell "can be heard playing the Gil Evans, New York come up with a new sensation (in quotes) same bop style he features today" and this almost every issue. The older jazzmen statement has been taken for granted for BUT have been the victims of this lousy busi• too long. In fact Bud plays a remarkably I love you madly, but . ness for too long. Webster, today, is play• advanced bop solo on Floogie Boo and Some of the articles are so pretentiously ing greater even than during his years an involved improvisation with strong bop scholarly (over-documented, over-footnoted, with Duke. I admit to the belief that overtones on Honeysuckle Rose. That's over-discussed) as to be meaningless. This jazz is not jazz without "soul" or "heart" about all. In Sweet Lorraine he has a is a minority of your articles. If I were or "lyricism" or whatever you wish to call simple but quite pleasant ballad-style solo. anti-intellectual, I wouldn't be reading The it. Thats why to me, it is pure pleasure, Incidentally, Cootie's recording of Round Jazz Review in the first place. Hodeir; a treat to be savoured over and over About Midnight on Majestic, also made in Schuller on Monk; and most of the others again, to hear Ben play. 1944 should be noted. Williams plays the were fine. The Negro Church: Its Influ• To keep up with the march of progress melody very well but its contours do not ence on Modern Jazz is a little ridiculous, (again in quotes) I listen to Sonny and suit the character of his tone. (It's regret• not to say boring. A few of the reviews Stan and Cannonball. But, hell this is not table Fats Navarro never recorded this.) have been like this too. Just thought I'd pleasure, it's an effort, like reading a tech• On the other side Powell can be heard let you know . Miles Davis article was nical volume on a subject alien to one's behind Eddie Vinson's vocal on Some• stupendous. So is Jazz in Print. My per• own field of interest. Frankly, I don't feel body's Gotta Go but nothing much hap• sonal view: Stanley Dance is 25% right, this problem will ever get so serious that pens. 50% hogwash, and 25% exaggeration. what these new fellows do will be called There are still a few Gillespie solos that A Letter to the Editor section would "jazz" and what I like will be called are not too well known. He is heard to be fascinating if limited to critics and something else. fine effect on Tony Scott's Ten Lessons musicians, just as the New York Times Eventually appreciation of those facets with Timothy on Gotham (which he re• section is not for just "anybody." Com- of jazz which are now being neglected by corded as B. Bopstein) and he plays a prenez? these young technical dynamoes, will be re• fine obbligato to Rubberlegs Williams's MORE! MORE! MORE! vived. JR could play an important role (if dreadful singing on Clyde Hart's / Want Peter Loeb it is truly interested in publishing a fair Every Bit on Continental. From the same Saranac Lake, New York magazine, and not just propagandizing for session Parker contributes a good obbligato its own "pets") by publishing serious to Williams on Four F Blues. A really THE BIG SOUND AND THE HARSH SOUND studies of the work of the "mainstream" memorable Gillespie solo can be heard Your magazine is quite a disappoint• men. Lay off the "historical" theme, and on Oscar Pettiford's Something For You ment! Long and boring stories about concentrate on the fact that men like Roy on Manor. This is a powerful big band moldy figs are as dull as the repetitious and Ben and Hawk are today's great jazz• performance and Gillespie's solo is played boring solos of the hard boppers playing men. I don't know of any other field of with great fire and a Strong tone. Other on and on and on and on. None of your endeavor where middle-aged men, giants tracks from this session feature more dis• writers seem to care a darn about sound, of accomplishment, have been fluffed off so tressing singing by Williams. polish and teamwork. I would rather the badly. (Just look at the latest list of A few brief points may be added. On Ted Heath band take the idea of one of Hollywood box-office stars, for example. the Hawkins-Monk date in 1944 on Joe the non-disciplined musicians you rave The young punks just don't have a chance Davis Monk soloed on Flying Hawk and about and make something of it than the against the great ones: Cooper, Grant, to On the Bean. The former is a loosely- harsh sound of the idea in embryo. name two.) constructed but quite conventional solo but The egotistical soloist today gives me a I. L. Jacobs the latter has hints of what the pianist pain and I would much rather read about San Diego, California was to do in a few years. A little-known the big bands. Alas your writers don't P.S. When Mose Allison sang that line Sarah Vaughan vocal can be found on care about them, and thus the big band about a young man not having a chance Dicky Wells's We're Through, recorded lp's either don't get reviewed or are un• because the old men have all the money, for H. R. S. in 1946. It is an average ex• kindly commented upon. Martin Williams' this must have seemed rather ironical to ample of her work at that time but the comment on Dave Pell, by the way, in some of the middle-aged jazzmen who can't band drags badly. Edmond Hall's 1941 Down Beat was assinine. I'll take the big get inside a recording studio these days. Blue Note session is worth remembering. sound and the wonderful West Coast (How many albums were there by Stan It included Meade Lux Lewis on celeste groups every time. The only reason you Getz, at last count?) and Charlie Christian. The latter took a guys won't admit West Coast is best is (The Letters to The Editor section is open fine blues solo on Profoundly Blue and that you are here, and it would lessen your to any reader. If, however, you have a long also had a chorus on Jammin' in Four. importance. reply or addition to anything appearing in The effect of his Jammin' solo is heigh• Ronald Wier, Jr. the magazine, try sending it in as an tened by Lewis's background riffs. Dodo Shelton, Conn. article.) (Continued on page 42) 4 THE JAZZ REVIEW Editors: Nat Heritor?, Martin Williami Publishers: Leonard Feldman, Israel Young Art Editor: H»io Wen Shih Advertising Manager: Richard Joseph Editorial Assistant: Margot Worynski The The Jazz Review is published monthly by the Jazz Review Inc., Village Station, P.O.