Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Clark Tracey was born February 5, 1961 in London, England and began his music journey playing piano and vibraphone before switching to drums at age 13, studying under Bryan Spring. He played in several ensembles with his father Stan Tracey including a quartet called Fathers and Sons with John and Alec Dankworth in the 1990s. In addition to his work with his father, which took him around the world, he has played with numerous visiting American musicians, notably Bud Shank, Johnny Griffin, Red Rodney, Sal Nistico, Conte Candoli, Barney Kessell, John Hicks and Pharoah Sanders throughout his career.
Through the 1980s Clark performed and recorded with Buddy DeFranco, Martin Taylor, Charlie Rouse, Alan Skidmore and Tommy Smith. The Nineties saw him with Claire Martin into the new century. During the decade and beyond he led his own ensembles with a host of recognized names like Django Bates, Nigel Hitchcock and Jamie Talbot. Concentrating on promoting the music of his late father, his final group under his own name included Mark Armstrong, Tom Ridout, James Wade Sired, Gareth Williams and James Owston.
Drummer, band leader, and composer Clark Tracey, has received several honors and was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to music and the promotion of jazz. He continues to pursue excellence in the genre.
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Requisites
Coltrane Plays The Blues ~ John Coltrane | By Eddie Carter
The weather outside is cold, dreary, and rainy, with a thick and impenetrable fog enveloping the area, making it a perfect day to enjoy the blues. Submitted for your consideration from the library is Coltrane Plays The Blues (Atlantic 1382/SD 1382) by John Coltrane. It’s a quartet date that hit the stores in 1962 but was initially recorded at the 1960 session that produced My Favorite Things and perfectly fit the bill for this morning’s discussion. The ensemble is John Coltrane on soprano sax (tracks: A2, B2) and tenor sax (A1, A3, B1, B3), McCoy Tyner on piano (A1, B1 to B3), Steve Davis on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. My copy is the 1972 Japanese Stereo reissue (Atlantic P-7504A) by Warner-Pioneer Corporation.
Side One starts with Blues To Elvin by Elvin Jones, a tasty dish of soul food that McCoy and the rhythm section begin making the listener feel at home in the introduction. John serves the song’s appetizing melody and prepares a luscious main meal in the opening statement. McCoy enters next with a delicious interpretation, then John’s final course is a succulent dessert made all the more delectable by the trio’s supplement. Blues To Bechet, written for Sidney Bechet, is the first of five by John Coltrane, placing the leader on soprano sax, backed by just Davis and Jones. The threesome opens with a relaxing melody. Coltrane begins the song’s only solo with an easy swing that blossoms into one of his most innovative improvisations preceding a soft climax.
The pace quickens for the first side finale, Blues To You. John’s back on tenor and backed again by Steve and Elvin for this fast-paced tune. Coltrane grabs you from the get-go and doesn’t let go until his brief exchange with Elvin leads the listener into the climax. Side Two begins with the quartet back in complete form for his third original, Mr. Day. Davis and Jones set the groove in motion, segueing into Coltrane leading the charge on the melody. The leader continues to wail on an energetic opening statement. Tyner takes the listener on an exuberant joyride in the second interpretation. Coltrane adds an incredibly satisfying exclamation ahead of the theme’s reprise, and Davis closes the song as he began.
Mr. Syms slows the pace down for the quartet to take it easy during the opening and ending theme with John back on soprano sax. In between, McCoy has the solo spotlight and finds a comfortable groove that builds to a perfect climax. The foursome closes the album with Mr. Knight, an easy-flowing tune that displays an interesting mixture of African and West Indian music in its structure. After the group establishes the melody, Coltrane draws the listener to a few fascinating elements in the first reading. Tyner takes the reins next and makes a compelling point that paces well against the rhythm section preceding Coltrane’s reprise of the theme and the rhythm section’s slow disappearance into nothingness.
Nesuhi Ertegün supervised Coltrane Plays The Blues, and Tom Dowd was the recording engineer. The sound quality is splendid, with a clean, crisp, well-balanced soundstage. If you’re a fan of John Coltrane and in the mood, for an album to enjoy at the end of a long day or week, I invite you to check out Coltrane Plays The Blues on your next vinyl shopping trip. It’s an enticing invitation to explore and enjoy an overlooked but fascinating album that shows his lyrical side and is well worth the price of admission for a spot in your library!
~ My Favorite Things (Atlantic 1361/SD 1361) – Source: Discogs.com © 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Requisites
Heavy Soul ~ Ike Quebec | By Eddie Carter
A few nights ago, I was thinking about my mom and reflecting on some of the records she loved to play while cooking dinner when my sister and I were younger. I listened to one of her favorite albums by tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec, which led me to this morning’s choice from the library. Heavy Soul (Blue Note BLP 4093/BST 84093) is a quartet date and the third of four records the label released in 1962. His bandmates on this record are Freddie Roach on organ, Milt Hinton on bass, and Al Harewood on drums. Their first appearance together was on an earlier release that year; It Might As Well Be Spring. My copy is the 1990 Toshiba-EMI Limited Japanese Stereo reissue sharing the original catalog number.
Side One kicks off with the first of three originals by Ike Quebec. Acquitted is a catchy tune that begins with a lively groove for the quartet’s theme. Ike kicks off the solos with a driving rhythm, and Freddie treats the listener to a zesty performance. The leader returns to share a few more thoughts preceding the ending theme, fading into nothingness. Just One More Chance by Sam Coslow and Arthur Johnston first appeared in the 1931 featurette, One More Chance. Quebec and company make an indelible impression on the melody, then the saxophonist leads off with a stylish performance. Freddie adds a deep sense of nostalgia in the second statement, leading to the tenor’s elegant conclusion.
Que’s Dilemma, also by Quebec, moves the beat upward for the saxophonist’s agile melody. He begins the song’s only solo with Milt and Al in the background, Freddie joins the festivities next, and Ike completes his invigorating statement into the closing chorus and disappearance. Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? by Jay Gorney and E.Y. Harburg poignantly gives a glimpse into the times during the Great Depression. The quartet presents the melody with a sad simplicity that serves as a springboard into Ike’s deeply affecting opening solo. The following presentation by Freddie is equally gentle and stunningly executed with Milt and Al’s assistance. Ike sums up the song’s story with a gorgeous reprise and finish.
Side Two gets underway with George, and Ira Gershwin’s, The Man I Love. The ensemble states the theme slowly; next, the tempo quickens for Ike to wail on the song’s only interpretation. The group slows the beat down for the closing chorus and finale. Ike’s third tune, Heavy Soul, is a down-home blues that commences with an introduction, first by Milt. Then, Ike, Al, and Freddie enter with subtly conceived statements to complete the theme. Ike draws an exceptionally tender tone from his tenor sax in the first presentation. Freddie maintains a therapeutic mood with one of his most relaxed performances. Milt has the last word and effectively walks toward the saxophonist’s ending theme, which disappears into oblivion.
I Want a Little Girl by Murray Mencher, and Billy Moll is a beautiful ballad that hasn’t been over-recorded. Ike and the rhythm section establish an affectionately exquisite theme, and he continues telling a sensitive story in the opening interpretation. Freddie emerges next with a delicately expressed reading, then Ike returns to add a heartfelt exclamation preceding the quartet’s return for the gentle climax. The album’s closing track, Nature Boy by Eden Ahbez, is a two-instrument conversation between tenor and bass. Ike creates an enchanting illustration on the opening and closing melody, and Milt provides supportive warmth and sensitivity into a charming finale. Alfred Lion produced the initial session, and Rudy Van Gelder was the recording engineer.
The reissue’s sound quality is fantastic, with a spacious soundstage that’s clear and detailed. Toshiba-EMI has also done an excellent job on the remastering, and the vinyl is quiet until the music begins. Ike Quebec was an accomplished dancer and pianist before taking up the tenor sax in his twenties. In 1940, his recording career began with the Barons of Rhythm, and he’s performed with Cab Calloway, Benny Carter, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Hot Lips Page, and Trummy Young. Most of Ike’s discography as a leader and sideman is on Blue Note, and he also served as an arranger and talent scout for the label. He occasionally recorded during the fifties due to heroin addiction but began a comeback in 1959. Four years later, he lost his battle with lung cancer on January 16, 1963, at age forty-three.
If you’re in the mood for mellow tenor sax, I invite you to add Heavy Soul to your list the next time you are out vinyl shopping. It’s an excellent place to start discovering the music of Ike Quebec and a delightful album perfect for late-night listening or long drives with the windows down. The fast numbers crackle with excitement, and the slow tunes reveal the depths of Ike Quebec’s creative ingenuity, resulting in an easy choice for any jazz lover’s library that’s hard to beat!
~ It Might As Well Be Spring (Blue Note BLP 4105/BST 84105) – Source: Discogs.com ~ Nature Boy, The Man I Love – Source: JazzStandards.com ~ Ike Quebec, Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? – Source: Wikipedia.org ~ © 2022 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Christine Rosholt was born January 3, 1965 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Graduating from the Minneapolis Children’s Theater Company & School, she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in performance art and photography from the Art Institute of Chicago.
Her training in theater helped her become adept at working and holding a room. She was a consummate entertainer, connecting instantly with her audience, bantering with her band, telling stories, laughing at herself.
She first appeared in theaters as an actress and singer. By the early 2000s she began performing as a jazz vocalist in clubs in her hometown, as the band singer of Beasley’s Big Band. Influences from Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Blossom Dearie and Frank Sinatra were prevalent in her delivery.
She recorded and released three full-length CDs between 2006 and 2011, Detour Ahead, Lipstick: Live at the Dakota, and Pazz with British songwriter Kevin Hall, featuring a new direction blending pop, jazz and R&B.
Beyond a packed performance schedule which took her across the twin cities and as far as Fargo, or cramming in rehearsals for fundraisers, she was an avid volunteer, activist, committee member, craftspeople recruiter. Vocalist Christine Rosholt transitioned suddenly on December 27, 2011 in Minneapolis.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Patt Casion was born on December 31, 1963. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and pursued a career that led her around the world, working in multiple genres. Along with playing with her own band, IOC with its rotating membership, she performed regularly in every kind of venue. Her versatility also made her an in-demand musical instructor.
Casion returned to the sound of the 50s and 60s, and introduced African based music into the post bop era music. Her music is also rooted in the Black church gospel idiom as she weaved improvisation into all her music.
Soprano saxophonist Patt Casion, who performed in both gospel and jazz genres, transitioned from cancer in Monterey, California on December 31, 2017. She was 55.
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