Requisites

I was listening to this album a few nights ago and that’s what led me to this morning’s choice submitted for your approval by two jazz titans, trumpet and flugelhorn player Art Farmer and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson.  Another Git Together (Mercury Records MG-20737/SR-60737) by The Jazztet is a 1962 release and their sixth album as an ensemble. They were together from 1959 to 1962 before disbanding but would reunite in the nineties performing live at jazz festivals around the world. Here, the duo is augmented by Grachan Moncur III on trombone; Harold Mabern on piano; Herbie Lewis on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums. My copy used in this report is the 1985 Japanese Stereo reissue (Mercury EXPR-1002), one of The Original Jazz Classics Series from Nippon Phonogram and Polygram Records.

The album takes flight with a trip to the Space Station by Grachan Moncur III, an uptempo burner beginning with the group in complete agreement on a scintillating melody.  Art opens with a vigorously brisk first solo, then Benny blows with audacious confidence next. Grachan gives a statement of spirited exuberance on the third interpretation and Harold provides plenty of enthusiastic energy on a joyous finale.

The sextet changes gears for Domino, a 1950 French tune by Don Raye, Jacques Plante, and Louis Ferrari. It’s also been a hit in the US for numerous vocalists and an unforgettable title song by Roland Kirk on his 1962 album.  The trio settles into a relaxed setting for the melody with Farmer on flugelhorn, and Golson and Moncur trailing him softly. Art begins telling a subtle touching story on the opening chorus with a soft tone. Grachan hits his target next with a gorgeous performance. Benny meets the challenge on the third reading, his tenor sax flowing seamlessly. Harold makes his mark on the closing statement with a dazzling display of creativity preceding the ensemble’s climax.

The title track is a soulful blues by John Hendricks and Pony Poindexter that starts with a dialogue between the trio and ends slowly fading into oblivion.  The fun begins when Benny goes to work first at a danceable tempo, compelling the listener to snap their fingers, get up and dance. Harold gets into a tantalizing groove next, and Art is passionately driven on the third performance. Grachan expresses his emotions exquisitely with the utmost assurance on the fourth statement. Roy and Harold share an irresistibly appealing, smartly articulated performance on the closer.

Along Came Betty by Benny Golson first appeared on the 1958 album, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers while he was a member. The ensemble starts the melody slightly faster than the original recording. Mabern steps up first to create a relaxing atmosphere with a great swinging beat.  Golson breathes new life into his tune with a stylish interpretation providing a remarkable timbre and easy rhythm. Farmer executes a flawless statement on the finale before the sextet reconvenes for the coda.

This Nearly Was Mine by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers made its debut in their 1949 Broadway musical, South Pacific, and reappearing in the 1958 film as well. Farmer is back on flugelhorn leading the sextet on the melody of this pretty waltz at a lively pace. The solo order is Art, Benny, Grachan, and Harold with each man giving inspired improvisations.

Reggie, a cheerful original by Benny named for his second son closes the second side with a perfect vehicle for improvisation as the group collectively illustrates on the opening chorus. The tenor man opens the solos with a boldly assertive statement. Farmer comes in next for an enthusiastically agile reading that’s pitch-perfect. Moncur is as cool as the other side of the pillow on the third performance, and Mabern gets the final spotlight to deliver an imaginatively melodic, happy reading leading to the climax. Tommy Nola engineered the original recording of Another Git Together and has also made albums for Argo, ATCO, Atlantic, Contemporary, Riverside, and United Artists Records. The album was produced by Jack Tracy who also was the director of EmArcy and an editor at a little-known jazz magazine named Down Beat that’s still in publication in print and digital form today. The sound quality from Mr. Nola’s original tapes has been gorgeously remastered by Polygram with a spectacular soundstage throughout the highs, midrange, and low end, that’s quite revealing.  As noted, writer Leonard Feather mentions in his liner notes, “The Jazztet was one of the finest combos in 1959; it is one of the finest today. This is enough; invidious comparisons are not needed. By the same token, three years from now there will be no need to assume that the present LP has lost, any intrinsic value.  Any group in which Farmer and Golson are leaders, and for which they select the rest of the membership, can hardly go wrong”. I agree with every word in that statement and will only add, Another Git Together by The Art Farmer–Benny Golson Jazztet is an LP that’ll reward you with many hours of listening pleasure, especially if you’re a fan of small group jazz! ~ Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers (Blue Note BLP 4003/BST 84003); Domino (Mercury Records MG 20748/SR 60748) ~ Tommy Nola, Jack Tracy – Source: Discogs.com ~ Album Quote – Source: Album Liner Notes by Leonard Feather ~ Domino – Source: Wikipedia.org ~ Space Station – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3FrCKqP1Fs ~ Domino – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN74iqjXLLs Track List | 34:28

1. Space Station (Grachan Moncur III) – 5:10
2. Domino (Don Raye, Jacques Plante, Louis Ferrari) – 6:58
3. Another Git Together (Jon Hendricks, Pony Poindexter) – 6:12
4. Along Came Betty (Benny Golson) – 5:24
5. This Nearly Was Mine (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 6:20
6. Reggie (Golson) – 4:24

• Art Farmer – trumpet, flugelhorn
• Benny Golson – tenor saxophone
• Grachan Moncur III – trombone
• Harold Mabern – piano
• Herbie Lewis – bass
• Roy McCurdy – drums

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager’s next selection for your listening pleasure comes from pianist Kenny Barron who released his Spirit Song. It is an album recorded in Brooklyn, New York at System Two between May 16–17, 1999 and released on the Verve Record label on February 8, 2000. Barron put together a stellar lineup of musicians on this date that was produced by Joanne Klein. All the compositions were composed by Kenny Barron except Billy Strayhorn’s Passion Flower and McCoy Tyner’s Passion Dance.

Track Listing | 64:56

1. The Pelican ~ 4:12 | 2. Spirit Song ~ 5:42 | 3. Um Beijo ~ 7:31 | 4. Passion Flower ~ 9:54 | 5. Passion Dance ~ 6:12 | 6. Sonja Braga ~ 6:25 | 7. The Question Is ~ 5:21 | 8. The Wizard ~ 7:59 | 9. Cook’s Bay ~ 7:05 | 10. And Then Again ~ 4:35 Personnel

• Kenny Barron – piano
• Eddie Henderson – trumpet (tracks 1–4 & 6–9)
• David Sánchez – tenor saxophone (tracks 1–9)
• Regina Carter – violin (tracks 3 & 4)
• Russell Malone – guitar (tracks 2, 8 & 10)
• Rufus Reid – bass (tracks 1–4 & 6–9)
• Billy Hart – drums (tracks 1–4 & 6–9)
• Michael Wall Grigsby – percussion (track 2)

Remain diligent my fellow voyagers in staying healthy, continue practicing social distancing, and don’t be so anxious to rush back to the new normal. It has been said that music soothes the savage beast, so listen to great music. I share that music to give you a little insight into the choices this voyager has made over the years during this sabbatical from jet setting investigations of jazz around the globe.

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Requisites

Lenox And Seventh: The Definitive Black and Blue Sessions is a 1985 album led by Alvin Queen and Dr. Lonnie Smith. The sessions were recorded in a studio in Paris, France on May 28 1985. The recording engineer was Dominique Samarcq, with liner notes provided by Alain Antonietto.

Track Listing

• L.S. Blues ~ 6:20
• Slightly Monkish ~ 5:49
• Who Can I Turn To ~ 8:00
• Billie’s Bounce ~ 5:58
• There Is No Greater Love ~ 9:09
• Minor Chant ~ 4:55
• Oleo ~ 4:27Chopstick ~ 6:51

• Dr. Lonnie Smith ~ Organ
• Alvin Queen ~ Drums
• Melvin Sparks ~ Guitar

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Will Goble was born on November 25, 1983 in Durham, NC and became interested in Jazz and related art forms growing up within the creative music scene thriving around his city. Leaving home for Florida State University in Tallahassee in the early 2000s, he quickly flourished under the tutelage of bassist Rodney Jordan and famed pianist Marcus Roberts. His relationship with Roberts extended onto the bandstand as Marcus invited Will to perform with his trio on a number of performances through the years.

Through Roberts, Will met drummer and vibraphonist Jason Marsalis and eventually joined hiss quartet in 2008. He went on to record with Marsalis on Music Update, In a World of Mallets and The 21st Century Trad Band. Relocating to Atlanta, Georgia he set about documenting his work as a bandleader. His debut album, Some Stories Tells No Lies, features his trio with drummer Dave Potter and pianist Austin Johnson, joined by trumpeter Marcus Printup and saxophonist Chad Eby. His sophomore project, Consider The Blues was released in 2016 on OA2 Records with Potter, pianist Louis Heriveaux and saxophonist Gregory Tardy.

Goble returned home to Durham, continuing to tour with Marsalis and perform frequently as a sideman and bandleader. has performed with Marcus and Joan Belgrave, Wessell Anderson, Vincent Gardner, Eric Reed, Warren Wolf, Martin Bejerano, Nick Finzer, Eric Rasmussen, George Colligan, Lew Soloff, Etienne Charles, Michael Kocour, Fred Wesley and many others.

An active educator, he spent several years on the faculty at Scottsdale Community College in Scottsdale, as the coordinator of the College Prep Program at the Phoenix Conservatory of Music where he taught jazz ensembles and music theory, and as a community teaching artist at The Nash, the performance and education home of Jazz In Arizona. Will Goble is steadily carving out a unique space for himself as a bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Champian Fulton was born on September 12, 1985 in Norman, Oklahoma to a jazz trumpeter father whose friends were Clark Terry and Major Holley. At five she took piano lessons from her grandmother and after trying trumpet and drums, she returned to piano and singing. When her father was hired to run the Clark Terry Institute for Jazz Studies, the family moved to Iowa. She went to jazz summer camp, where she founded the Little Jazz Quintet.

One of her early influences was Dinah Washington, particularly the album For Those in Love, which she played often as a young girl. She also admired Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Sonny Clark, Red Garland, Hampton Hawes, Wynton Kelly, Thelonious Monk, and Art Tatum.

Fulton graduated from high school in 2003, then attended State University of New York at Purchase, where she studied with trumpeter Jon Faddis.[4] After graduating, she moved to New York City to pursue a career as a pianist and vocalist. She has performed at various venues playing with Jimmy Cobb, Scott Hamilton, Frank Wess, Lou Donaldson, and Louis Hayes.

She has worked with the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Litchfield Jazz Camp and Rutgers University. In late 2015, she joined the faculty of the Jazz Arts Academy in association with the Count Basie Theatre Education Department to offer workshops in jazz vocals and jazz piano during the summer. In 2014 she received the Rising Star Female Vocalist Critics Poll from Down Beat Magazine. As a leader she has recorded eight albums and continues to perform and record.

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