Requisites

The Newborn Touch is an album by American jazz pianist Phineas Newborn Jr. recorded on April 1, 1964 at the Contemporary Records Studio in Hollywood, California but wasn’t released by the Contemporary label until 1966.

• A Walkin’ Thing (Benny Carter) – 4:37
• Double Play (Russ Freeman) – 3:59
• The Sermon (Hampton Hawes) – 2:40
• Diane (Art Pepper) – 4:17
• The Blessing (Ornette Coleman) – 3:08
• Grooveyard (Carl Perkins) – 3:07
• Blue Daniel (Frank Rosolino) – 3:18
• Hard to Find (Leroy Vinnegar) – 4:04
• Pazmuerte (Jimmy Woods) – 3:30
• Be Deedle Dee Do (Barney Kessel) – 4:04

1. Phineas Newborn Jr. – piano
2. Leroy Vinnegar – bass
3. Frank Butler – drums

Submitted for your consideration this morning is an excellent album titled The Newborn Touch (Contemporary S7615).  He’s working alongside two of the best rhythm men in jazz, Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Frank Butler on drums and my copy used in this report is the original 1966 Mono LP (M3615).

Side One opens with A Walkin’ Thing by multi-instrumentalist Benny Carter that originally appeared on his 1958 album, Jazz Giant featuring Mr. Vinnegar.  The trio performs this tune at midtempo with a strong rhythm throughout featuring the pianist as the lone soloist. Leroy’s bass and Frank’s drums provide the power with a steady beat fitting perfectly into a luxurious finale.  Pianist Russ Freeman’s beautiful composition Double Play made its debut as the title selection of Freeman’s 1957 album with fellow pianist André Previn.  Newborn introduces the song with an enticingly haunting melody, then creates a reading tastefully applied with great beauty sustained by the thoughtful accompaniment by Vinnegar and Butler.  The trio takes on pianist Hampton Hawes’ The Sermon next and the most remarkable thing about this performance is Phineas plays the entire song with just his left hand.  Hampton originally recorded this midtempo blues on the 1956 album, Everybody Loves Hampton Hawes, Volume 3: The Trio. A very short introduction by Newborn evolves into an irresistible melody flowing along in a happy, relaxed frame of mind.  Phineas turns in a very passionate interpretation gliding gently and serenely with personal touches added by Leroy and Frank in the background.

Diane is a very pretty ballad from the pen of alto saxophonist Art Pepper who wrote it for his wife.  He first performed it on his 1957 album, The Art Pepper Quartet for the West Coast jazz label, Tampa Records and would later reprise it three years later on Getting Together.  The trio opens with a slow treatment of the melody in unison preceding Phineas’ voluptuously lush delivery on a sensually appealing interpretation leading to a tender coda. The first side ends with an uptempo rendition of Ornette Coleman’s The Blessing that he wrote in 1952 but didn’t record until his 1958 debut album, Something Else-The Music of Ornette Coleman.  After a pleasingly tangy melody by the trio, Phineas springs into an aggressive opening statement that moves like a musical twister through each verse.  Frank gets his first opportunity to share solo space with the leader in an exchange of hard-driving explosiveness before the closing chorus.

Grooveyard, the midtempo blues by pianist Carl Perkins starts Side Two.  It originally appeared on the 1958 LP, Harold In The Land of Jazz by tenor saxophonist Harold Land.  Perkins who played alongside Vinnegar and Butler on that album began recording professionally at the age of twenty-one in 1949.  He was on track to a promising career before a drug overdose ended his life in 1958 at age twenty-nine, leaving the jazz world with an irreplaceable loss of great talent.  The infectious melody is taken at a very relaxing tempo and the lone reading by Phineas effectively conveys a carefree feeling that’s simple and straightforward. This tune was Carl’s final composition before his passing on March 17th that year and for the Stereo release, the title of the album was changed to Grooveyard as a dedication and tribute to Perkins.

Blue Daniel by trombonist Frank Rosloino first appeared on the 1960 album, Shelly Manne and His Men at The Black Hawk, Volume 1.  This is a jazz waltz that opens with an easy groove on the melody, piano-led by Newborn with Vinnegar and Butler providing the rhythmic backing.  The gorgeous solo by Phineas swings with a good driving beat. The only flaw of the song occurs on the closing chorus when the pianist hits one wrong note, but even that doesn’t take away from the remarkable interplay all three members exhibit as the song unfolds. Alto saxophonist Jimmy Woods is the composer of Pazmuerte, a hauntingly lovely original he recorded for his 1963 album Conflict.  The title, he describes is “a combination of the Spanish words for peace (Paz) and death (Muerte), the ultimate alternatives in all situations of conflict”.  The pianist provides a brief solo introduction that evolves into an elegant melody by the trio, followed by a dainty presentation of graceful tenderness by Phineas concluding with a delicately subtle fadeout.  The finale Be Deedle Dee Do is a down-home medium-paced blues by guitarist Barney Kessel who recorded it on a tremendous 1958 trio session titled The Poll Winners Ride Again.  The trio introduces the song with a concise talk developing into a formal discussion during the opening chorus. Phineas as the only soloist lays down a finger-snapping, toe-tapping groove with exhilarating execution into a vivacious finale.

Lester Koenig, founder of Contemporary Records produced and engineered The Newborn Touch with one of the label’s top engineers, Howard Holzer.  Together their work results in a superbly mastered LP with marvelous sound quality that’s absolutely clear, placing the listener’s favorite chair in the studio surrounded by the trio with excellent definition across the treble, midrange, and bass spectrum.  The album is well balanced with a great mix of tunes from nine of the elite jazz musicians worldwide. You can also feel the energy from Phineas, Leroy, and Frank giving you an abundant dose of jazz one would hear in a nightclub with friends or that special someone.  If you’re a fan of piano jazz, trio jazz or are just discovering his music, I happily offer for your consideration to audition, The Newborn Touch by The Phineas Newborn, Jr. Trio. It’s an exceptional example of his genius, every track shines brilliantly and once heard, I believe it will become a favorite album in your jazz library that you can enjoy repeatedly!  The 1986 Original Jazz Classics Stereo reissue (OJC-270) and 1977 Contemporary Jazz 1500 Series Japanese Stereo reissue (LAX 3133) adds one additional track that was omitted on the Mono LP, Hard To Find by Leroy Vinnegar.

Source: Album liner notes by Lester Koenig © 2020 by Edward Thomas Carter

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