Requisites

Big Blues ~ Art Farmer & Jim Hall | By Eddie Carter

This next choice from the library I acquired after hearing a selection on SiriusXM’s Real Jazz channel. The album is titled Big Blues (CTI Records CTI 7083), released in 1979 and the two men co-leading this enjoyable date are Art Farmer on flugelhorn and Jim Hall on guitar. Rounding out the ensemble are Mike Mainieri on vibes, Mike Moore on bass, and Steve Gadd on drums.  My copy used in this report is the 2017 ORG Music Stereo Audiophile reissue (ORGM-2019).  

The song that initially sparked my interest leads off the first side, Benny Golson’s 1956 contemporary jazz classic, Whisper Not! It’s one of his most recorded compositions and also became a beloved vocal after Leonard Feather added lyrics in 1962. The quintet jointly creates a mellow melody with a blues beat to begin the song. Jim makes his guitar sing first with a relaxed casualness and steady rhythm. Art gets into an infectious laid-back groove next moving upward with bright chops and impeccable prowess. Mike takes over for the finale with an astonishing drive and intensity preceding the reprise and gentle coda.

The 1969 jazz standard, A Child Is Born by Thad Jones closes the first side starting gently with a brief introduction and tender theme by the rhythm section.  Farmer starts the soloing with a ravishingly beautiful, muted performance, followed by Hall who delivers passionately elegant lines on the next interpretation. Mainieri gives a delicately gentle and evocative presentation recalling the spirit and imagination of the song’s composer into the serenely beautiful climax. Big Blues by Jim Hall starts the second side with a spirited midtempo opening chorus by the ensemble and the solo order is the same as on Whisper Not. Jim takes the lead here, showing us his versatility with charming articulation. Art follows, using the mute to deliver skillful assertion on the next reading. Mike’s closing statement is captivating from the moment it starts, expressing joy into the reprise and fadeout. Pavane For A Dead Princess by Maurice Ravel ends the album and was written as a solo piano piece in 1899.  The song’s original title is Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Infanta) and the ensemble begins the introduction and melody at a slow tempo fitting the original composition.  Farmer steps up first, back on the open horn, beginning as he did on the theme, then raises the temperature to midtempo before returning to a softer mood for the close.  Mainieri pulls out all the stops on the next reading with a sparkling presentation.  Hall takes the final bow with a gorgeous performance preceding the reprise and graceful fadeout.

Big Blues was originally produced by Creed Taylor and engineered by David Palmer who worked at Electric Lady Studios, and Joel Cohn who’s worked on many CTI albums. This reissue was mastered from the original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman and pressed on 180-gram Audiophile vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany. As was the case of many of the classic CTI Records, the sound quality is first-rate with an excellent soundstage across the highs, midrange, and low end that won’t disappoint the listener in their favorite spot to listen to music. Art Farmer and Jim Hall recorded together four other times, Interaction (1963), Live at The Half Note, To Sweden With Love (1964), and Panorama-Live at The Village Vanguard (1997).  Each is highly recommended, and I feel the same can be said for Big Blues.  I invite you to make time for this one on your next vinyl hunt, it’s an enjoyable album of Contemporary Jazz with extraordinary chemistry, and exceptional performances you won’t soon forget!

~ Interaction (Atlantic 1412/SD 1412); Live at The Half Note (Atlantic 1421/SD1421); Panorama-Live at The Village Vanguard (Telarc Jazz CD-83408); To Sweden With Love (Atlantic 1430/SD 1430) – Source: Discogs.com

~ Whisper Not, A Child Is Born ~ Source: JazzStandards.com

~ Pavane For A Dead Princess ~ Source: Wikipedia.org

© 2020 by Edward Thomas Carter

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Sten Åke Henry “Stan” Hasselgård was born on October 4, 1922 in Sundsvall, Sweden. His father, John Levin Johansson changed his name to John Hasselgård. Growing up in Bollnäs, Sweden, he began playing clarinet at age 16, attended the University of Uppsala, and played in the Royal Swingers there.

In 1945 he played in a quintet led by Arthur Österwall, and founded a new Royal Swingers group that same year. In 1946-47 he played with Simon Brehm’s sextet alongside pianist Gösta Eriksson, trumpeter Bror Hansson, guitarist Kurt Wärngren, and drummer Bertil Frylmark.

Having achieved international renown, he moved to New York City in 1947, and played on 52nd Street with Jack Teagarden and Max Roach. Under the stage name Stan Hasselgard he made his acclaimed recording of Swedish Pastry. and in 1948 he joined Benny Goodman’s septet, alongside Wardell Gray, Mary Lou Williams and others.

His last recording session took place on November 18th, because five days later he was killed in a car crash. Clarinetist Stan Hasselgard passed away on November 23, 1948 in Decatur, Illinois. He was 26.

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Rashid Bakr was born Charles Downs on October 3, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois but grew up in Bronx, New York from the age of four. His decision to become a musician came from the profound influence of John Coltrane had on him, along with his uncle, drummer Papa Jo Jones. As a child surrounded by jazz musicians growing up, he was given his first set of sticks by Art Blakey and was soon sitting in with his uncle in a Dixieland band.

He attended Queens College studying chemistry and psychology and on to Brooklyn College grad school gaining a degree in clinical psychology. While in college he never missed a Coltrane or Miles Davis performance and his father bought him his first drum set.

During the Seventies, after college and a stint in the Army saxophonist Bobby Zankel took him to an auspicious audition for him with Cecil Taylor, becoming part of his big band. He was active in the New York City loft jazz scene, performing at venues such as Rashied Ali’s Ali’s Alley and Sam Rivers’ Studio Rivbea. He was a member of Ensemble Muntu with Jemeel Moondoc, among others.

In 1976, Bakr performed in a production of Adrienne Kennedy’s A Rat’s Mass directed by Cecil Taylor at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village of Manhattan. Also in the production were Jimmy Lyons, Andy Bey, Karen Borca, David S. Ware, and Raphe Malik. Taylor’s production combined the original script with a chorus of orchestrated voices used as instruments. 1981 saw him with Taylor touring Europe for three years before returning to New York City.

Free jazz drummer Rashid Bakr is a member of Other Dimensions in Music with Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter, and William Parker.

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Roy Powell was born on October 2, 1965 in Langham, Rutland, England. His mother was a historian, his father a scientist who moved the family to Canada. His father had given him piano lessons and had been playing the piano for five years. Returning to England when he was ten, he attended New Mills Grammar School at the same time as Lloyd Cole.

In the 1970s, Powell was listening to Duke Ellington and Miles Davis and buying albums through the mail from America. He attended the Royal Northern College of Music, studying piano and classical composition during the day and playing in Manchester jazz clubs at night. After departing school, he started a jazz fusion band and choreographed a ballet. In 1992 he was a member of the Creative Jazz Orchestra. Three years later he moved to Norway to teach.

Powell has been a member of the group InterStatic with Jacob Young, and Jarle Vespestad, and the group Naked Truth with Lorenzo Feliciati, Pat Mastelotto, and Graham Haynes. He recorded the album Mumpbeak with Feliciati, Mastelotto, Bill Laswell, Tony Levin, and Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz. Pianist, organist, composer, and educator Roy Powell has recorded fifteen albums as a leader and continues to perform and record.

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

As we await the opening of the country this Quarantined Jazz Voyager presses on with his listening to great jazz by placing on the turntable the classic Kenny Dorham disc titled Inta Somethin’. This live album by the trumpeter features performances recorded at The Jazz Workshop in San Francisco, California on November 13, 1961. It was released in the first quarter of 1962 on the Pacific Jazz label. Dorham contributed two originals to the set, track #1 and track #6.

Track Listing | 38:31
  1. Una Mas ~ 7:13
  2. It Could Happen to You (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) ~ 6:00
  3. Let’s Face the Music and Dance (Irving Berlin) ~ 6:06
  4. No Two People (Frank Loesser) ~ 6:59
  5. Lover Man (Jimmy Davis, Ram Ramirez, James Sherman) ~ 5:01
  6. San Francisco Beat ~ 7:12
Personnel
  • Kenny Dorham ~ trumpet (except tracks 3 and 5)
  • Jackie McLean ~ alto saxophone (except track 2)
  • Walter Bishop Jr. ~ piano
  • Leroy Vinnegar – bass
  • Art Taylor – drums

As you listen and enjoy this wonderful addition to the jazz catalogue, I emplore you follow your conscience to stay healthy and encourage you to remain vigilant in your social distancing. During this sabbatical from jet setting investigations of jazz around the globe, this voyager’s choices are ever-present. The world will be back and so will I.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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