Requisites
Louis Smith steps into the spotlight for this morning’s discussion with his second 1958 record for Blue Note following Here Comes Louis Smith. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he began playing the trumpet as a teenager and his first recording was Swingin’ by Kenny Burrell, a 1980 Japanese album combining three sessions in 1956, 1958, and 1959. Smith took a job as a music director of Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, Georgia rather than becoming a full-time musician. After leaving school, he became the Director of the Jazz Ensemble at the University of Michigan and a teacher in Ann Arbor. Louis was also an excellent composer. On Smithville (Blue Note BLP 1594), he’s working with an elite quartet, Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, Sonny Clark on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. The LP used in this report is a friend’s copy of the 2010 Music Matters Jazz 45-rpm Mono reissue (MMBLP-1594).
Record One starts with us arriving at Smithville, a slow-tempo blues by Louis inhabiting the first side. Everyone takes it easy from the introduction by Paul and Louis into a laid-back ensemble opening chorus. Charlie opens with a casualness and relaxed attitude on the lead solo. Louis takes over for a mellow, very personal presentation, then Sonny wraps up the song with a delightful showcase that’s handsomely constructed. Wetu, also by Smith occupies Side Two, commencing with the tempo way up and the quintet playing like the wind on the melody. Rouse takes off first with exhilarating speed. Smith also travels fast on the next interpretation. Taylor sets up a ferocious beat for Clark’s fingers to fly fiercely over the keys in an incandescent performance, and Chambers is especially productive on the final spot ahead of the ending theme.
Record Two begins with Embraceable You by George and Ira Gershwin. Louis is the main horn here and approaches the melody and opening statement with a softer voice, summoning affectionate warmth from his trumpet. Sonny shows his sentimental side on a hauntingly beautiful interpretation before Louis and Charlie connect on a pleasantly sweet reprise and climax. There Will Never Be Another You by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon was first heard in the 1942 film, Iceland. It opens with a brief introduction by Clark preceding an invigorating theme. Rouse opens the lead solo swinging immensely, then takes the next chorus one octave higher. Smith unwinds a lively series of scintillating choruses. Clark responds to both horns with enthusiastic virtuosity. Chambers steps into the spotlight last with strong, bass lines soaring back to the soft conclusion.
The finale is Later, a quick original by the leader flying at a speedy clip. Louis meets the challenge with a skyrocketing first solo. Charlie comes next with an adrenaline-charged reading. Sonny follows with a high-voltage power supply. Art brings the song home with some dynamic drumming into the quintet’s cooking reprise and sudden stop ending. If you’ve read any of the other MMJ reissues I’ve discussed, you already know the quality and care that goes into each title is well-known among audiophiles and jazz lovers. For those who haven’t heard them before, they’re mastered from the original analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram audiophile vinyl at RTI (Record Technology Incorporated) in Camarillo, California. Inside the gatefold are extremely beautiful photos from the session by Francis Woolf that could be proudly displayed on your listening room wall.
After listening to both records, I pulled out my 1991 Toshiba-EMI Limited Japanese 33 1/3 Mono reissue to compare the sound with the MMJ LP. The Toshiba reissue has an exceptional soundstage throughout the highs, midrange, and low end. The instruments come to life through your speakers as if you’re at Mr. Van Gelder’s home alongside the musicians during the recording. However, the sound quality of the MMJ Mono reissue is significantly elevated with superb mastering that’s very detailed making an already great-sounding album, that much better. I listened intently to both reissues becoming completely engrossed in the music and while my system isn’t high-end, it still made an enduring impression, and I could hear the difference.
It would be another thirty-seven years before Louis Smith returned to the studio to record an album as a leader. In 2006, Louis suffered a stroke ending his professional career, but he continued to enjoy live jazz in the Detroit-Ann Arbor area until his passing on August 20, 2016, at age eighty-five. To me, Smithville is a shining example of first-rate, no-frills Hard-Bop capturing the driving energy of the musicians at their best. On your next search for vinyl treasure, I invite you to take a trip to Smithville. There you will find an outstanding session of amazing music by Louis Smith that’s highly recommended for your library!
~Here Comes Louis Smith (Blue Note BLP 1584), Smithville (Blue Note BLP 1594-BN 1594), Swingin’ (Blue Note GXF 3070) – Source: Discogs.com ~Embraceable You, There Will Never Be Another You – Source: JazzStandards.com ~Booker Little, Louis Smith – Source: Wikipedia.org © 2021 by Edward Thomas Carter
More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
John Bishop was born on April 5, 1959 in Seattle, Washington and raised in Germany, Washington, DC, San Antonio, Texas and Eugene, Oregon. He started playing drums at 7 in Washington, DC with the Patriots drum corps. He performed regularly throughout high school and college in Oregon, studied with Mel Brown and Charles Dowd and attended the University of Oregon, and later transferred to the jazz program at North Texas State University.
He returned to Seattle in 1981 for an extended engagement with the band Glider and never left. An unusually creative and fertile scene at the time, in the early ’80s, he was a member of the fusion group Blue Sky, which released two Top 10 albums and performed extensively throughout the decade. For 20 years, he was with the piano trio New Stories along with pianist Marc Seales and bassist Doug Miller.
He has recorded, performed and/or toured internationally with Don Lanphere, Mark Murphy, Tom Harrell, Julian Priester, Charles McPherson, Vincent Herring, Nick Brignola, Conte Condoli, Bobby Shew, Larry Coryell, Ernie Watts, Lee Konitz, Slide Hampton, Benny Golson, George Cables, Kenny Werner, Bobby Hutcherson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Sonny Fortune, Herb Ellis, Buddy DeFranco, Bobby McFerrin, Joe Locke, Jerry Bergonzi, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Larry Coryell, and countless others.
As an educator he taught drums privately for forty years and was on the faculty at the University of Washington from 2005-2009. He regularly conducts drum and jazz workshops throughout the country. Appearing on more than 100 albums, John was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2008, and was named a “Jazz Hero” by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2019. Drummer John Bishop continues to perform, record and produce.
More Posts: drums,educator,history,instrumental,jazz,music producer,producer
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Gary Smulyan was born in Bethpage, New York on April 4, 1956. He studied at Hofstra University before working with Woody Herman. His biggest influence is Pepper Adams. When Adams died, Smulyan recorded an album titled which included eight pieces composed by Adams.
Smulyan has played with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mel Lewis Big Band, the Dave Holland Big Band and Octet, the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band. He has performed and recorded with Carla Bley’s Big Band.
He has recorded thirteen albums as a leader, as a sideman seventy-six with Harry Allen, David Byrne, Michel Camilo, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Freddy Cole, George Coleman, Dena DeRose, Bill Evans, Gil Evans, Jon Faddis, John Fedchock, Don Friedman, Benny Green, Tom Harrell, Gene Harris, Jimmy Heath, Joe Henderson, Conrad Herwig, Freddie Hubbard, Denise Jannah, B.B. King, Mike LeDonne, Joe Lovano, Joe Magnarelli, Kevin Mahogany, Mark Masters, Mingus Big Band, Grachan Moncur III, Eddie Palmieri, Charlie Parker, Charlie Persip, Diana Ross, Rob Schneiderman, John Scofield, Don Sickler, Mark Soskin, Dave Stryker, Roseanna Vitro, Walt Weiskopf, and Gerald Wilson.
Baritone saxophone Gary Smulyan leads a trio with bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Kenny Washington.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bob Mover was born March 22, 1952 in Boston, Massachusetts into a musical family as his father played professionally with among others the Charlie Spivak Orchestra. Starting on the alto saxophone at age 13, he studied with Phil Woods at a summer music camp and took private lessons with Ira Sullivan.
In 1973, at the age of 21, Mover was a sideman for Charles Mingus for a five-month period at New York City’s 5 Spot Café. By 1975 he was working regularly in New York City jazz clubs with Chet Baker and he made his first European appearances with Baker at La Grande Parade du Jazz in Nice, France, Jazz Festival Laren in the Netherlands, and the Middelheim Jazz Festival in Antwerp, Belgium.
By late 1975, Bob started leading his own groups around the New York area and made his first two albums as a leader for Choice and Vanguard in 1976 and 1977 respectively: On the Move (Choice) and Bob Mover (Vanguard). Weekly gigs at the Sweet Basil in Greenwich Village included Tom Harrell, Jimmy Garrison, Kenny Barron, Albert Dailey, Ben Riley, Mike Nock, and Ron McLure.
Reuniting with Chet Baker in 1981 for a European tour and landing in Germany they recorded Chet Baker Live at Club Salt Peanuts Koln, Volumes 1 and 2 for the Circle label. Mover recorded two more albums as a leader in 1981 and 1982, In the True Tradition and Things Unseen, both issued by Xanadu.
Moving to Montreal, Canada in 1983 he taught at Concordia University. Three years later he recorded his fifth album as leader, The Nightbathers, with pianist Paul Bley and guitarist John Abercrombie, which was an experiment in free improvisation. From 1987 to 1997, Mover lived in Toronto and toured Europe and with Don Thompson and Archie Alleyne, he helped found the Toronto Jazz Quartet. He accepted a teaching position at York University, giving saxophone master classes and teaching a course called Musicianship for Jazz Singers. Alto saxophonist, bandleader and educator Bob Mover has recorded ten albums as a leader, eight as a sideman and continues to perform, record and teach.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
Requisites
Star Bright ~ Dizzy Reece | By Eddie Carter 3.7.21
This morning’s choice from the library comes from a young man from Kingston, Jamaica. Alphonso Son Reece attended the Alpha Boys School where he began playing the baritone sax before switching to the trumpet at age fourteen. It’s also during this time where he got his nickname Dizzy, which had nothing to do with Dizzy Gillespie. He became a professional musician at sixteen and has played with some of the greatest jazz musicians in England, France, and the United States. Star Bright (Blue Note BLP 4023/BST 84023) was released in 1959 and is his third album as a leader following Progress Report (1957), and Blues In Trinity (1958). He’s backed on this date by three musicians he only knew from their records, Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Wynton Kelly on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass. Completing the quintet is Art Taylor on drums who played with Dizzy on Blues In Trinity. My copy used in this report is the 2003 Classic Records Mono audiophile reissue (BLP 4023 – BN 4023).
Side One starts at a relaxed tempo with The Rake, one of four tunes Reece composed for the 1958 British film, Nowhere To Go. The quintet opens with a laid-back stroll through the melody, and Dizzy lays down an easy-going opening solo. Hank follows with a reading so comfortable and cozy, you almost feel his warm personality coming from your speakers. Wynton glides into the closing statement gracefully with Paul and Art backing him leading to the reprise.
The pace picks up for the 1945 tune, I’ll Close My Eyes by Billy Reid and Buddy Kaye. Reid originally wrote this song as one of regret and remorse, but Kaye updated the lyrics, making the song upbeat. The trio creates the down-home atmosphere for the leader’s perfectly crafted opening chorus. Mobley begins with a stirring performance, followed by a spirited statement by Reece. Kelly achieves a wonderful groove on the next reading and Chambers walks with passionate precision on the climax.
The quintet takes a trip to Groovesville next, an impromptu blues by Dizzy beginning with the first of two statements by Wynton. The pianist opens this happy swinger with a blues-rooted energy that’s highly contagious. Dizzy takes charge next with a cheerfully buoyant interpretation, then Hank expresses his excitement on the third reading. Wynton picks up where he left off with a second clever statement preceding the front line splitting the closing chorus and the coda.
Side Two gets underway with Dizzy’s The Rebound, a medium-fast original that commences with the ensemble stating the melody collectively. Reece kicks things off with a feisty first reading, then Mobley takes the next spot, his tenor sax soaring with a soulful charm. Kelly answers enthusiastically with a high-spirited interpretation, and Chambers makes the final solo sparkle with a concise contribution before the ensemble takes the song out.
I Wished On The Moon was written in 1935 by Dorothy Parker and Ralph Rainger. It would become a big hit for Bing Crosby who recorded it that year with The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. The group’s approach to this familiar evergreen is laid-back with Dizzy leading the trio through the carefree theme and finale with inspired interpretations by Dizzy, Hank, and Wynton who make it look so easy. Dizzy’s A Variation on Monk sets off at a brisk uptempo pace by Kelly, and the rhythm section evolves into a vigorous collective opening chorus. Mobley charges into the lead solo with an invigorating performance, then comes Reece who’s firing on all cylinders with an exhilarating statement. Kelly matches the front line’s intensity with a marvelous presentation that’s over too quickly. Taylor begins his only solo opportunity with an exchange of ideas between himself and both horns, then gives the final statement some vigorous brushwork ahead of the closing chorus.
A lot of thought and care went into the remastering of Rudy Van Gelder’s original tapes by Bernie Grundman of Bernie Grundman Mastering. The music is superbly recorded with a breathtaking soundstage and the instruments emerging from your speakers as if the musicians are playing right in front of you. The record was pressed on 200–gram Quiex SV–P Audiophile Vinyl with a flat–edge and deep groove on the label. It’s silent until the music begins. If you’re a fan of Hard-Bop from that magic year of 1959 and aren’t familiar with Dizzy Reece, I offer for your consideration, Star Bright, a stellar album that’s one of the brightest stars in his discography and one I can happily recommend for your library!
~ Blues In Trinity (BLP 4006/BST 84006), I Wished on The Moon (Decca 39857), Progress Report (Tempo Records TAP 9) – Source: Discogs.com ~ Alphonso Son Reece, I’ll Close My Eyes, I Wished on The Moon – Source: Wikipedia.org © 2021 by Edward Thomas Carter
More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music,trumpet