Requisites
JAMMIN’ IN HI-FI WITH GENE AMMONS | By Eddie Carter
Submitted for your consideration this morning is a 1957 session led by tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons that’s one of the fine jam sessions Prestige released in the late Fifties. Jammin’ In Hi-Fi With Gene Ammons (Prestige 7110) brings the saxman together with a world-class sextet of musicians who would become leaders themselves and create some of the best music known as Hard-Bop. Idrees Sulieman on trumpet; Jackie McLean on alto saxophone; Kenny Burrell on guitar; Mal Waldron on piano; Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums. My copy used in this report is the 1984 Mono reissue (Prestige Original Jazz Classics OJC-129 – P-7110).
The album opener is the first of two originals by pianist Mal Waldron, The Twister comes at you at medium speed, swinging from the opening notes of the septet’s melody. Gene leads off the solos cruising at a comfortable speed with plenty of imagination in each verse of the opening statement utilizing a few excerpts from Kerry Dance, Moose The Mooche, and 52nd Street Theme. Idrees follows with a bluesy reading stamped with a down-home, soulful flavor. Jackie takes the next solo enthusiastically building a series of foot-tapping excitement in each verse, then Kenny takes over making his presence felt on the next interpretation with a fine solo performance. Mal follows with a blues-rooted groove that flows smoothly. Paul solos impressively on a brief reading leading to an exchange of riffs between all three horns and Kenny into the ensemble’s closing coda.
Four by Miles Davis was written in 1954, making its first appearance on the ten-inch album, Miles Davis Quartet released that year. The septet’s version of the jazz standard takes an unusual journey after the collective theme treatment. Sulieman, Ammons, McLean, and Burrell take two choruses each in that order, then one chorus apiece twice, followed by a half-chorus each. Walton skillfully constructs three verses for a concise interpretation that are paced leisurely but stated explicitly. Taylor exchanges with the front line before the septet returns for the ending theme.
The 1936 popular song Pennies From Heaven by Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke opens the second side. It serves as the title song for the film that year and starts with a slow-tempo duet between Gene and Kenny that expands into a pleasant midtempo melody. Ammons displays a powerfully rich sound on the opening statement, followed by Burrell who swings easily into a relaxing reading. McLean also weaves a sweet-toned delivery on the next solo. Sulieman delivers a soulful performance next on the muted horn, and Waldron explores some intriguing ideas on the closer preceding the tranquil climax.
The album closer is the second Waldron original, Cattin’, a funky blues that opens with a solo introduction by Paul that evolves into the septet’s opening chorus. Gene sets the tone first with a neatly paced stroll through the lead solo, then Kenny turns in a splendid performance. Idrees delivers a statement of informal casualness on the next solo, then Jackie gets your fingers popping and toes tapping with a soulful groove. Mal responds with a light, breezy interpretation of tasteful simplicity ahead of the septet’s return for the finale.
Fantasy has done an excellent job with the remastering of Mr. Van Gelder’s original recording. The album has an excellent soundstage with no harshness during the highs, midrange, and low end with the septet coming through your speakers as if they’re in your listening room. Jammin’ In Hi-Fi With Gene Ammons is a very pleasant, fun, and enjoyable LP that I’m sure will make a fine addition to any fan’s library who’s a fan of his, Hard-Bop or the jam session. In 1960, and 1964 for the second and third reissues, the album’s title was changed to The Twister!
~Kerry Dance, Moose The Mooche, 52nd Street Theme – Source: album liner notes by Ira Gitler ~Four, Miles Davis Quartet (Prestige PRLP-161); The Twister (Prestige PR-7176) – Source: Discogs.com ~Pennies From Heaven – Source: Wikipedia.org SynopsisJammin’ In Hi~Fi with Gene Ammons is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons recorded on April 12, 1957 and released the same year on the Prestige label.
Track Listing | 50:12- The Twister (Mal Waldron) – 12:15
- Four (Miles Davis) – 13:02
- Pennies from Heaven (Johnny Burke, Arthur Johnston) – 13:02
- Cattin’ (Waldron) – 11:58
- Gene Ammons – tenor saxophone
- Idrees Sulieman – trumpet
- Jackie McLean – alto saxophone
- Mal Waldron – piano
- Kenny Burrell – guitar
- Paul Chambers – bass
- Art Taylor – drums
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Marcus Miller, born William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. on June 14, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York and raised in a musical family. Classically trained as a clarinetist, he also plays keyboards, saxophone and guitar. He began to work regularly in New York City, eventually playing bass and writing music for jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey and keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith.
Spending 15 years as a session musician, he arranged and produced frequently, was a member of the Saturday Night Live band from 1979 to 1981, and co-wrote Aretha Franklin’s Jump To It along with Luther Vandross. He has played bass on over 500 recordings, appearing on over 500 albums by such artists as Herbie Hancock, The Crusaders, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Frank Sinatra, George Benson, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Joe Walsh, Jean-Michel Jarre, Grover Washington Jr., Donald Fagen, Bill Withers, Bernard Wright, Kazumi Watanabe, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J, and Flavio Sala.
He won the Most Valuable Player award given by NARAS to recognize studio musicians three years in a row and was subsequently awarded Player Emeritus status and retired from eligibility. In the nineties, Miller began to write his own music and make his own records, putting a band together and touring regularly.
Between 1988 and 1990 he appeared regularly both as a musical director and as the house band bass player in the Sunday Night Band during two seasons of Sunday Night on NBC late-night television, hosted by David Sanborn.
As a composer, Miller co-wrote and produced several songs on the Miles Davis album Tutu, including its title track. He also composed Chicago Song for David Sanborn and co-wrote ‘Til My Baby Comes Home, It’s Over Now, For You To Love, and Power of Love for Luther Vandross and wrote Da Butt, which was featured in Spike Lee’s School Daze.
Miller hosts a jazz history show called Miller Time with Marcus Miller, is a film score composer, was nominated and won several Grammy Awards. Bassist Marcus Miller continues to perform, record and tour.
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Hollywood On 52nd Street
Something’s Gotta Give was composed by Johnny Mercer for his friend Fred Astaire who starred in the 1955 film Daddy Long Legs. It is the love song duet between him and Leslie Caron. The song playfully uses the irresistible force paradox – which asks what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object – as a metaphor for a relationship between a vivacious woman and an older, world-weary man. The man, it is implied, will give in to temptation and kiss the woman.
The film also stars Terry Moore, Thelma Ritter, Fred Clark, and Ray Anthony who appear as himself with his orchestra. Filming took place on location at 20th Century Fox Studios in Hollywood and the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan.
The Story: On a trip to France, millionaire Jervis Pendleton III (Astaire) sees an 18-year-old girl Julie Andre (Caron) in an orphanage. Immediately enchanted with her, but mindful of the difference in their ages and what the press may report should his involvement be discovered, he anonymously sponsors her to attend a fictional college in New England. She writes him letters, which he doesn’t read. After 3 years, he goes to visit her at a dance, not telling her that he is her benefactor. They fall in love, but the usual movie-type difficulties get in the way before they can get together at the end.
Hollywood On 52nd Street
I’ll Remember April is a jazz standard with music written by Gene de Paul, and lyrics by Patricia Johnston and Don Raye. The song made its debut in the 1942 Abbott and Costello comedy Ride ‘Em Cowboy starring the comedy team along with Dick Foran, Anne Gwynne, Johnny Mack Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Samuel S. Hinds, Douglas Dumbrille, and Morris Ankrum. The film was directed by Arthur Lubin, the song was sung by Foran. Musical numbers were staged by Nick Castle.
The song’s story is about a romantic relationship ending. The lyric uses the seasons of the year metaphorically to illustrate the growth and death of a romance. The lyric also uses the ideas of the hours in a day and the flames of a fire to illustrate a relationship growing stronger and subsequently losing strength.
The Story: The author of best-selling western novels, Bronco Bob Mitchell (Dick Foran), has never set foot in the west. A newspaper article has exposed this fact to his fans, and his image is suffering because of it. He decides to make an appearance at a Long Island charity rodeo to bolster his image. When a steer escapes while he is riding a horse nearby, he is thrown. Not knowing what to do, a cowgirl, Anne Shaw (Anne Gwynne), comes to his rescue and saves his life by bulldogging the steer. Shaw gets hurt, retreats to her father’s dude ranch followed by Mitchell who eventually becomes a decent cowboy.
Cast Fact: This is Ella Fitzgerald’s first screen role, where she plays Ruby, who fills several roles as one of the employees of the ranch. At the opening rodeo, she is dressed as a rodeo clown and comes to Anne’s side when she is hurt. Later in the film, she can be seen removing an apron before singing. Ella sings A-Tisket, A-Tasket on the bus, as the ranch crew drives from the railway station to the ranch. Ruby and the other employees interact playfully during the song.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jan Leder was born in Queens, New York on May 20, 1944 and showed musical talent from an early age, tapping out melodies on the family piano at the age of three. Quickly surpassing her older siblings, at the age of five, she began six years of piano lessons with her classically trained mother. It was not until junior high school that she first picked up the flute. Formally she studied classical flute but in her free time, she taught herself to improvise rock & roll and pop/R&B tunes alongside local guitarists in New York’s Central Park.
At 17 years old Leder began studying with jazz pianist Lennie Tristano, with whom she continued until his death in 1978. Although crediting Tristano with helping her come into her own as a musician, real recognition and commercial success eluded her until the late 1990s. Her first big break came when Buddy Scott and colleagues from Monad records heard her playing in 1994 at The Dockside in Tarrytown, New York. Her tape of a live date with Art Lillard and others at the Five Spot in New York so impressed Scott, that he signed her to a Monad Records contract and released the live recording intact as the CD Passage to Freedom.
Unfortunately, Passage to Freedom, which includes some really nice work by drummer Lillard, pianist Jon Davis, bassist Yosuke Inoue, and guitarist Mark McCarron, was released just as Monad Records met its demise, leaving Leder’s debut effort largely unavailable and unnoticed for close to two years. In 1998 and 1999, exposure via the internet brought her to the attention of a wider audience and earned her very favorable reviews for Passage to Freedom.
1998 saw A-Records vocalist Diane Hubka recorded Leder’s original composition “Thinking of You” on her own debut CD, Haven’t We Met, which was nominated for a Jazz Award in the Best Debut CD category. Her contribution to Hubka’s CD ultimately led to her signing a recording contract with A-Records, a division of the Dutch label, Challenge Records. The following year she released her second CD, Nonchalant, on which she added the talents of bassist Sean Smith, percussionist Daniel Moreno, and vocalists Angela DeNiro, Mary Foster Conklin, and Cleve Douglass to the already strong instrumental talents of Passage to Freedom collaborators Lillard, McCarron, and Davis. Flutist Jan Leder continues to perform and record.
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