Chicago, April 20, 1951 THE BLINDFOLD TEST Things To Come Granz Displays Sharp Ear These are recently - cut record- anti their personnels. Though not all jazz sides, many may be of interest to Down Beat readers beraum* of some of the sidemen in the groups. Sy LEONARD FEATHER Do not ask your dealer for them until you see by the Beat Because Nomian Granz uas the first non-musi- record review section that they arr cian ever to take the Blindfold Test, and because it available. to i 3/16/51). R*od»—Hyml* Schertser end priii is part of his business to be up-to-date on records CHARLIE BARNETS ORCHESTRA (Canl- Artie Drellinger* a string section* rhythm •nd the st} les of recording artists, it was difficult to tol, 3/5/51). Trumpet*—Johnny C*pola, —Teddy Wilson, piano* Hy White, guitar* grei ■elect items with which he would be unfamiliar. Carleton Me Booth, Dick Collins, and Al Del Simon* * trombones—-Ziggy Elmer, To circumvent this problem, ani at the same time Dave Wells, and Lou McCreery, saxes ■ and make things extra tricky for Norman, I included Dick Meldonian, Reae Bloch, EZddie Wasser man, Willis Holman, Bob Dawes and Cher* several sides that were recorded at concerts, mainly lie Barnet* rhythm —Claude Williamson, in other countries and on records that haven’t been piano* Ed Mihelieh, has*, and John Mark­ ROBERTA QUINLAN with GEORGE SI­ imit released here. ham, drams. RA VO’S ORCHESTRA (Merrary, 3/12/51). Cherokee; Rod akin Rhumba; Skyliner and Trumpet»—•Loui« Macri, Jimmy Maxwell, Norman proved to be the most articulate blind- Tennoaaoe Walla (For Fun). Tony Fa«o, and Joe Ferrante* trombone« tine foldee since Stan Kenton, though with very differ­ —Buddy Morrow and Lon MeCarity* sa*M ent results, as the following verbatim quotes illus­ MARY LOU WILLIAMS’ TRIO (Atlantia, —Bernie Kaufman, Jimmy Horvath, Art doul trate. 3/7/51). Mary Lou Williams, piano* Carl Drellinger, Hank Roa», and Danny Bank * Pruitt, baa«, and Bill Clark, drams. rhythm -Billy Rowland, piano* Terry Sny­ to V der, vibes* Art Ryerson, guitar* Jaek Lea- Pagliacei; Optas Z-2; Mary's IFultaf Tha berg, bass, and Charli* Perry, drama. Surrey with tha Fringe on Top; My Firat Date with You; *S* Wonderful; You're the Any Old Timo You Say; Do You Dig 1. It’s Roy, isn't it? It has that same breathless- John Paoli; I'll Ba Thore with Balla Or, Nob ness Roy sometimes has Piano sounds a little and Old Smokey. Nob like Teddy; ut least he stalls as calmly as Teddy usually plays. Tenor doesn't kill me at ill This «on; ter Bishop, piano* Ted Kotick, bass* Jo«e hav< sounds almost like some of the old stuff the Benny —Andy Ferretti, Bill Clarke, and Bart Wal­ Manguel, bongos* Luis Miranda, e*nga, end lace* trombones -Buddy Morrow and Art Roy Haynes, drum». grei Goodman groups used to do. Give it two or two and Manners* »axe»—Faul Ricei, Ted Compera, a half, for the trumpet player. end Alfie Evans* violin Florian Zabach* Tiro Tiro and three other «idee, titles rhythm—Phil Wall, piano* Allen Hanlon, withheld by request. tout guitar* Paul Prins, bass, and Herb Quigley, 2. This doesn’t move me at ali so far is it from ELMO TANNER with LEROY HOLMES* that Goodman Carnegie hall album? I never got a ORCHESTRA (MGM, 3/15/51). Mickey Me- Miekle, trumpet* Hymie Schertser, Jack Hat chance to hear those Either this was made at Fulton, Hank Rocs, and Artie Drellinger, a concert or the applause ’vas faked in. I have to reeds* Lou Stein, piano* Hy White, guitar * SLIM GAILLARD’S QUINTET (M«rmiry, jew< compare this with my stuff—you know, on an aver­ 3/5/51). Slim Gaillard, guitar and vocals* age tour we record maybe five whole concerts to Ernie Shepherd, bas« and vocal«* Pep* trar get only two albums of music. People may dislike Beeque, bongoa* Dick Hyman, piano, and Perdido intensely, but at least it succeeds in what Herb LaVell*, drama. Piai it set out to do. 1. Roy Eldridge. Undecided (Vogue). Eldridge, trumpet* Zoot Sumac Orooni; Laughing in Rhythm, and BILLY TAYLOR’S QUARTET (Atlantic, Fra Sima, tenor* Dick Hyman, piano* Ed Sbaugbneaay, drum«* Pierre Goof Ball Gussie. 2/2O/S1). Billy Taylor, piano* John Col­ righ Stuff like that has to be at least exciting; it rep­ Miebelot, baas. Recorded in Pari», 1950. lin«, guitar* Al McKibbon, basa, and Shadow resents an excitement that I find totally lacking here .. This doesn’t swing at all; I don’t know the solo­ Good Groove; Cuban Caper; N Aoi fa ists; they either couldn’t get with the rhytlun sectior Thora to Soyl; Somebody Loves Ma; If I or couldn’t get with themselves I thought I Hod You; Thon Swell; The Very Thought knew the tenor man but I got lost it could have anyway, the whole thing mish-mosh. I wouldn't buy it. Ño stars. CHESTRA (MGM, 3/2/51). French horns— Dirk Moore and William Sandburg* «axe» ■ 3. This is the Hampton thing with Johnny . Hymie Schertaer, Toot* Mondello, Al Klink, end Ben Harrod* violin* Leo Cruraek, Jack do, wait! I could’ve sworn I heard Carney in the Zade, Le* Bolo tine, Kurt Dieterle, Sylvan background. Maybe one of Duke’s later records. I Ki raener, and Joe Gomer* viola»- Howard don’t know the singer and don’t care f >r her . .. the STAN GETZ« QUARTET (Roost 3/1/51). Kaye and Henry Pelkine* relio Maurice Brown* rhythm-- -Ed Ryan, piano* Mundell recent Ellington sounds have been dispirited, lack Stan Geta, tenor* Horace Silver, piano* Joo Calloway, baas, and Walter Bolden, drums. Lowe, guitar* Ed Safranski, baca, and Bun the vigor cf the older band if this is Johnny, ny Shawker, drama. I’ve heard better, but the record a= a whole swings. ing slogans. What did progressive mean, anyway? My Prayer; Wonderful, 9 uan*t Hl; Deep Two and a half. Goodmat and Basie ana Ellington never needed a BONNIE LAKE (JENNEY t with RUSS slogan. I’d hate to hen*' Kenton try to mess with CASE’S ORCHESTRA (MGM, 3/12/51). hey, that’s my kid, DAHL" ORCHESTRA (Colmubl., 3/1/511. some of the swinging bands at the Savoy. Duke Tony Faso, trumpet* Lou MeGarity, trom­ Sonny Criss! I like him—too bad he doesn’t get a bone* Sid Cooper, flute* Artie Drollingor, Trombone» 1 ■George Arns and Jack Satter- Ellington war the real pioneer in jazz concerts, and Seid* saxes-1 Bill Stegmeyer, Bernie Kauf« brea» this must be from one of Gene’s concerts bas« clarinet* Milt Yaner, alto and clarinet * he can go into the Apollo or the Savoy and play a string section* Jack Russin, piano, Ed the same music he plays at a one-niter for dancing Safranski, bass; Mundell Lowe, guitar, end Bunny Shawker, dram». and at his concerts— things like Cotton Tail and McGhe. One thing I’d have liked better, when Bountiful Madnesaf Bo Ono But Y*n| Scnny was taking it out, the others could have Ko-Ko are good anywhere. Hoppy Ending, and On tho Riviera. riffed behind him to build up the excitement. I With Stan it’s 20 men for dancing one year, 40 men for concert.-« the next. 1 guess next year he’ll WOODY HERM ASTS ORCHESTRA (MGM know the modern school doesn’t care to, but I would 3/14/51). Trumpet*—Doug Mettom*, Roy have motioned to them to do that. have___ to_______ have __80 ____,___undthe year after that md Johnny Bello i Whoever this drummer was accented differently 160. If he or Pete have anything to say they can indell, Jerry Dorn, xe«—Jack Dulong, from the kind of drummer I like . I like to hear say it just as well with 16 men. Give the record no a rhythm section build up behind a guy; here the stars, ■nd Woody Harman, elarl- Hulbert, baritonet Howard Bigg», Geno Ramey, base, end Al Taylor, fave McKenna, piano ; Red horns are swinging th«- rhythm section instead of Milt Larkin, vocal«. the other way around. If Dizzy or Bird played with 7. The trombone player’? all right . you know, and Sonny Igo*, drama. Basie’s band, for instance, they’d be fantastic . I have a feeling ubout Dixieland that’s probably I don’t know this pianist, didn’t hear enough. Give different from w’hat people would expect. I just this three-point-nine; I want to reserve four stars say live and let live. I guess what they’re trying for son ethmg really perfect. to do here, they do well; they seem to have an en­ thusiasm that comes through on the record ... Two- 5. You're sure finding some stuff I never heard ... beat has a certain rigid drive, although I don’t JIM WYNN^ BAND (Metenry, 3/18/51, nothing happens here; the rhythm section sounds particularly like it, and this trombonist is pretty MARIAN MePARTEAND’s Ql INTI,I in Hollywood). Jim Wynn, bariton** Ed trumpet might have been Buck, facile. Maybe it rates about three -tars for Dixie, (King, 3/1S/51). Marin MePartlaad, pi­ Hale, alto, Eddie Davis, tenor* Googoo but I wouldn’t buy it. ano* Reinhart Eleen, harp* Bernard Green­ Hutchinson, trumpet* Zeil Kindred, piano* but I won’t hazard a guess. It sure is an advantage house, relio * Bob Carter, ham, and Don Snake Sims, drum« and vocal«, Buddy to a solo.si to have an established, identifiable style, Woodson, boss, end Charlie Narria, guitar.