Requisites

Consequence, as defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions”. In effect, that’s a perfect way to describe this morning’s choice from the library, Consequence (Blue Note Classic LT-994). Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean’s two previous releases, One Step Beyond and Destination Out expressed an abstract style toward progressive jazz and both were still selling well. I think this is why Alfred Lion didn’t release the album after it was recorded. However, this 1965 date pairs McLean with one of his favorite collaborators, Lee Morgan on trumpet.  The rhythm section is equally stellar, Harold Mabern on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. My copy used in this report is the original 1979 Stereo LP.

Bluesanova, the first of two tunes by Morgan starts Side One with a dazzling theme led by the front line. Lee takes off first on an enthusiastic rhythmic flight succeeded by Jackie who wails with exciting freshness. Harold weaves a happy spell on the closing performance, then the front line makes one final comment each before the ensemble dissolving into nothingness. Consequence, also by McLean is a speed demon from the outset of the brisk opening chorus. The leader opens the soloing like a meteorite streaking across the sky. Morgan raises the temperature to the searing heat of a tropical summer on the second reading.  Mabern delivers a ferocious statement next, then Higgins has a rapid-fire exchange with Lee and Jackie into an abrupt climax.

My Old Flame by Sam Coslow and Arthur Johnston made its debut in the 1934 film, Belle of The Nineties. The lyrics of this beautiful ballad describe a woman recalling a former lover with reflective affection, and the group presents a passionately tender interpretation. Jackie takes the first step with a touching opening statement.  Harold and Lee turn in two beautifully expressed readings before Jackie appears again for a delicately elegant ending. A festive mood gets Side Two underway with McLean’s Tolypso, a danceable mid~tempo tune providing the ideal setting for a graciously inviting lead presentation by the altoist. Morgan adds some hot and spicy sauce to this festive occasion and Mabern sizzles with an effervescent spontaneity before the trio leads the partygoers into a fadeout.

Slumber is by Lee Morgan and during the melody, I thought I’d heard it before and was experiencing déjà vu. It turns out I did recognize it because it was recorded two years later on The Procrastinator (1978) as Soft Touch. After the ensemble’s unhurried melody, Lee opens the first solo expressing an enjoyable, relaxed mood. Jackie’s alto swings brightly next and Harold captivates on the closing reading. McLean’s Vernestune was originally recorded as The Three Minors in 1962 for an album that was shelved until its release in Japan, Jackie McLean Quintet (1977). It begins with a speedy main theme in unison. McLean provides plenty of fireworks on the first solo, then Morgan answers with a quick attack. Mabern blazes brightly on the closing presentation with a ferocious determination that doesn’t stop until the upbeat exit.

McLean and Morgan were a perfect match together and Alfred Lion utilized their talents whenever he could. Jackie performed on Lee’s LP’s: Leeway (1961), Cornbread (1967), Charisma (1969), The Sixth Sense (1970), Tom Cat (1980), and Infinity (1981). Lee returned the favor on Jackie’s album Jacknife (1975).  The sound of the original recording by Rudy Van Gelder is quite good without a bit of harshness from top to bottom. I did an A-B listening comparison between Consequence and Record Five of The Complete Blue Note 1964-66 Jackie McLean Sessions (1993), which duplicates the LP song sequence. The sound of the Mosaic album is exceptional with a significant improvement in the highs, midrange, and bass. If you like jazz or are a fan of Jackie McLean, Consequence is a solid straight-ahead session with an extraordinary supporting cast that you can’t listen to without tapping your feet. Together, they create thirty-six minutes of enjoyable listening worthy of occupying a spot in any Hard-Bop or Post-Bop library!

Charisma (Blue Note BST 84312), Destination Out (Blue Note BLP 4165/BST 84165), Infinity (Blue Note Classic LT-1091), Jacknife (The Blue Note Reissue Series BN-LA457-H2), Leeway (Blue Note BLP 4034/BST 84034), One Step Beyond (Blue Note BLP 4137/BST 84137), The Complete Blue Note 1964-66 Jackie McLean Sessions (Mosaic Records MQ6-150), Jackie McLean Quintet (Blue Note LNJ-80118), The Procrastinator (Blue Note Classic Jazz Series BN-LA582-J2), Tom Cat (Blue Note Classic LT 1058) – Source: Discogs.com

~ My Old Flame – Source: JazzStandards.com ~ Belle of The Nineties – Source: Wikipedia.org ~ Bluesanova – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBEDJ1Ke5l0 ~ Consequence – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YKe7O6KDxM © 2021 by Edward Thomas Carter

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

For those of us who foresaw that we would still be social distancing that we would be listening to great music in the safety of our homes. This week I’ve taken the liberty of enjoying listening to Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins on their 1963 album titled Sonny Meets Hawk! Released on RCA Victor. Recorded in the RCA Victor Studio B in New York City on July 15 & 18 1963, the album features some of Sonny’s most avant-garde playing.

The album was produced by George Avakian and marked the first time the two saxophonists recorded studio together, although they had appeared on stage together briefly that same year at the Newport Jazz Festival.

1. Yesterdays (Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach) ~ 5:13
2. All the Things You Are (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) ~ 9:33
3. Summertime (DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) ~ 5:58
4. Just Friends (John Klenner, Sam M. Lewis) ~ 4:40
5. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)  (Jimmy Davis, Roger “Ram” Ramirez, James Sherman) ~ 8:54
6. At McKies’ (Rollins) ~ 7:03

• Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone
• Coleman Hawkins – tenor saxophone
• Paul Bley – piano
• Roy McCurdy – drums
• Bob Cranshaw – bass (tracks 1, 2, and 5) – recorded July 15
• Henry Grimes – bass (tracks 3, 4, and 6) – recorded July 18

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

Fourteen months and the end of social distancing and mask wearing is not in sight, and remains the fare for the times as does my continual joy of listening to music. So going into my music room I’ve selected for this week’s enjoyment from the shelves the album Good Gracious!. The studio album was recorded on January 24, 1963 at the Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersy and released on the Blue Note label by saxophonist Lou Donaldson. The album was produced by Alfred Lion and released in the early part of June 1964.

If you’re a fan of Donaldson’s you will notice that his tone is richer and fuller than it is on many of his early-’60s records. He connects with the laid-back R&B grooves and soul-jazz vamps and it remains one of his best soul-jazz sessions.

Track List | 41:59

1. Bad John ~ 8:18
2. The Holy Ghost ~ 8:38
3. Cherry (Don Redman) ~ 5:17
4. Caracas ~ 7:19
5. Good Gracious ~ 6:52
6. Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me (Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler) ~ 5:35

• Lou Donaldson – alto saxophone
• Grant Green – guitar
• Big John Patton – organ
• Ben Dixon – drums

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Ola Onabulé was born in Islington, London, England on March 30, 1964 and at the age of seven he was sent to Lagos, Nigeria, where he spent the next ten years in school. When he was seventeen he returned to the UK to study at Millfield School, then attended law school, almost completing a three-year degree before deciding to enroll at Middlesex Polytechnic for an arts degree. While studying, he began to perform in London clubs and venues, writing and performing his own material.

Onabulé’s career spans nearly two decades, releasing his music on his own label, Rugged Ram Records, after recording for Elektra and Warner Bros. His debut album, More Soul Than Sense, was released in 1995.

He has performed internationally, performed with Germany’s WDR Big Band and the SWR Big Band and appeared with the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg in Potsdam for a concert. Ola has played the main stages of the Montreal Jazz Festival and Vancouver Jazz Festival. A return to Canada in 2010 he performed at Victoria Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, and the Edmonton Jazz Festival. His list of credits reads like a who’s who of bog bands and small combos and continues to grow.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Dave Douglas was born on March 24, 1963 in Montclair, New Jersey and grew up in the New York City area, attending Phillips Exeter Academy, a private high school in New Hampshire. He was introduced to jazz by his father and as a young teen was shown jazz theory and harmony by pianist Tommy Gallant. He began performing jazz as a trumpeter during his junior year in high school while on an abroad program in Barcelona, Spain. After graduating from high school in 1981, he studied at the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory, both located in Boston, Massachusetts.

A move to New York City in 1984 had him studying at New York University with Carmine Caruso, and finished a degree in music. Early gigs included the experimental rock band Dr. Nerve, Jack McDuff, Vincent Herring as well as street bands around New York City. He played with a variety of ensembles and came to the attention of the jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader, Horace Silver, with whom he toured the US and Europe in 1987.

During the late 1980s, Douglas began playing with bands led by Don Byron, Tim Berne, Marty Ehrlich, Walter Thompson, and others in New York. He also played in the composer collectives Mosaic Sextet and New and Used.

Trumpeter, composer, and educator Dave Douglas has more than fifty recordings as a leader and over 500 published compositions. Has led and co-led quintets and sextets as well as electronic ensembles, won a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland award, and received Grammy Award nominations. As a composer, has received several commissions from among others from the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Essen Philharmonie, The Library of Congress, Stanford University and Monash Art Ensemble, which premiered his chamber orchestra piece Fabliaux in 2014.

He has served as artistic director of the Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at the Banff Centre in Canada, co-founded the Festival of New Trumpet Music in New York, serving as its director. He is on the faculty at the Mannes School of Music and is a guest coach for the Juilliard Jazz Composer’s Ensemble. In 2016, he accepted a four-year appointment as the artistic director of the Bergamo Jazz Festival.

In 2005 Douglas founded Greenleaf Music, a record label for his albums, sheet music, podcasts, as well as the music of other modern jazz musicians. Greenleaf has produced over 70 albums.

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