The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The pandemic has me comfortably relaxing in my listening room selecting my next choice which is the 1956 album Playboys by trumpeter Chet Baker and saxophonist Art Pepper. The album was their third collaboration between Pepper and Baker, following the successes of The Route and Chet Baker Big Band, all three recorded in 1956.

Playboys was reissued in 1961 under the name Picture of Heath after the fifth track (itself a reference to Jimmy Heath, composer of all but two of the tracks). The tracks themselves were presented in a slightly different order, starting with the new title track.

Hugh Hefner reportedly objected to the original album cover (clearly inspired by Playboy magazine with its near-identical wordmark and pinup photo) and threatened to sue. For Picture of Heath, the original cover was replaced with a photo of the artists in the recording studio.

The 1990 Blue Note/Pacific Jazz CD reissue of Playboys used the pin-up cover, but the same label’s 1998 CD reissue returned to the Picture of Health cover.

1. For Minors Only ~ 4:00
2. Minor~Yours (Art Pepper) ~ 6:44
3. Resonant Emotions ~ 5:41
4. Tynan Tyme (Pepper) ~ 5:32
5. Picture of Heath ~ 6:44
6. For Miles and Miles ~ 6:25
7. C.T.A. ~ 5:12

1998 CD Release

1. Picture of Heath
2. For Miles and Miles
3. C.T.A.
4. For Minors Only
5. Minor Yours
6. Resonant Emotions
7. Tynan Tyme

• Chet Baker ~ trumpet
• Art Pepper ~ alto saxophone
• Phil Urso ~ tenor saxophone
• Carl Perkins ~ piano
• Curtis Counce ~ bass
• Larance Marable ~ drums

More Posts: adventure,album,club,genius,jazz,museum,music,preserving,restaurant,saxophone,travel,trumpet

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

Having completely adapted to a new modus operandi for living this glorious life, I remain vigilant in my social distancing and reminding myself of music I haven’t listened to in a long time. This week I’m pulling out the late great Roy Hargrove who had the vision to record With The Tenors of Our Time. It’s a 1994 release on the Polygram Record label that was recorded at Teatro Mancinelli and Giani Grascinelli Sound Service with executive producer Richard Seidel. The album’s art direction and design is by David Lau, photography by James Minchin, liner notes by Jimmy Katz.

>Others in the team contributing to the production of this album were Larry Clothier ~ production, engineering, mixing; Ed Rak ~ engineering, mastering, mixing; Robert Friedrich ~ assistant engineering; Troy Halderson ~ mastering; Camille Tominaro ~ production coordination; and Nelly Muganda ~ make-up and hair stylist.

1. Soppin’ the Biscuit (composer Roy Hargrove, featuring Stanley Turrentine) ~ 7:59
2. When We Were One (composer Johnny Griffin, featuring Johnny Griffin) ~ 5:59
3. Valse Hot (composer Sonny Rollins, featuring Branford Marsalis, Ron Blake) ~ 6:57
4. Once Forgotten (composer Pamela Watson, featuring Ron Blake on tenor and soprano saxophone) ~ 5:45
5. Shade of Jade (composer Joe Henderson, featuring Joe Henderson) ~ 5:24
6. Greens at the Chicken Shack (composer Cyrus Chestnut, featuring Johnny Griffin) ~ 5:45
7. Never Let Me Go (composer Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, featuring Rodney Whitaker) ~ 5:36
8. Serenity (composer Joe Henderson, featuring Joe Henderson) ~ 5:35
9. Across the Pond (composer Roy Hargrove, featuring Joshua Redman) ~ 6:47
10. Wild Is Love (composer Robert Mickens and G. Brown, featuring     Stanley Turrentine) ~ 6:50
11. Mental Phrasing (composer Roy Hargrove, featuring Ron Blake, Joshua Redman) ~ 6:25
12. April’s Fool (composer Ron Blake) ~ 3:54

• Roy Hargrove – trumpet, flugelhorn (2,4,7,10), production
• Cyrus Chestnut – piano
• Rodney Whitaker – bass
• Gregory Hutchinson – drums
• Ron Blake – soprano, tenor saxophone
• Johnny Griffin – tenor saxophone
• Joe Henderson – tenor saxophone
• Branford Marsalis – tenor saxophone
• Joshua Redman – tenor saxophone
• Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophone

More Posts: adventure,album,club,genius,jazz,museum,music,preserving,restaurant,saxophone,travel,trumpet

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

More Posts: adventure,album,club,genius,jazz,museum,music,preserving,restaurant,travel

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

More Posts: adventure,album,club,genius,jazz,museum,music,preserving,restaurant,saxophone,travel

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

As social distancing and wearing masks continues to be our current state of affairs I had this thought of how this much we have seen in our lifetime, especially those of us who were born in the middle of the 20th century. So going into my music room I pulled down from the stacks Out of This World, a studio album by saxophonist Teddy Edwards. The album was recorded in Denmark on December 5, 1980 for the SteepleChase label. It was originally released with six tracks in 1981, however, the 1995 compact disc reissue added a seventh track. The session was produced by Nils Winther.

Track List: 57:30 All compositions by Teddy Edwards except where noted.

1. No Name No. 1 ~ 6:00
2. April Love ~ 6:47
3. Out of This World (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) ~ 11:07
4. Summertime (George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) ~ 8:29
5. That’s All (Bob Haymes, Alam Brandt) ~ 8:00
6. Cheek to Cheek (Irving Berlin) ~ 6:05
7. Summertime [alternate take] (Gershwin, Heyward) ~ 10:48 Bonus track on CD reissue

• Teddy Edwards – tenor saxophone
• Kenny Drew – piano
• Jesper Lundgaard – bass
• Billy Hart – drums

More Posts: adventure,album,club,genius,jazz,museum,music,preserving,restaurant,saxophone,travel