Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Phillip Robert Lee was born on April 8, 1943 in London, England and studied guitar with Ike Isaacs as a teenager. He was a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and performed at the 1960 Antibes Jazz Festival.

Later in the 1960s he played with John Williams and Graham Collier, as well as in a band with Bob Stuckey, Dudu Pukwana, and John Marshall.

During the 1970s, Phil moved into jazz-rock playing in bands such as Gilgamesh and Axel with Tony Coe and with Michael Garrick, Henry Lowther, and John Stevens.

Lee recorded Twice Upon a Time in 1987) with Jeff Clyne. Later in his career he worked with Gordon Beck, Andres Boiarsky, Benny Goodman, Lena Horne, Marian Montgomery, Annie Ross, and the London Jazz Orchestra.

Guitarist Phil Lee continues his exploration of jazz music.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. was born April 6, 1960, in Paterson, New Jersey and started playing guitar when he was six He attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School, an all-boys Catholic school. In his teens, he performed with Benny Goodman, Les Paul, Zoot Sims, Slam Stewart, and Clark Terry.

He played trumpet through his college years, attending the University of Tampa and William Paterson University, but his most important teacher was his father through the Eighties. During that period he established himself as a jazz guitarist and a vocalist and released his debut solo album, I’m Hip (Please Don’t Tell My Father) in 1983.

During the 1990s, Pizzarelli played in a trio with Ray Kennedy and his younger brother Martin. In 1993, the trio opened for Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas, Nevada and four years later, he was starring on Broadway in Dream, a show devoted to the music of Johnny Mercer.

Naming Nat King Cole as the inspiration for his career, he has honored him with the albums Dear Mr. Cole and P.S. Mr. Cole. He has also recorded tribute albums to Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Richard Rodgers, and Paul McCartney. Along with his father accompanying Annie Ross, they recorded her album To Lady with Love, a tribute to Billie Holiday that Ross recorded when she was eighty-four.

He has hosted a national radio show, Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli, and has worked with George Shearing, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Frigo, Buddy DeFranco, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

As a co-producer of the James Taylor album American Standard, he received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2020. Guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli continues to explore and expand his musical vocabulary.

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

This week another great album is being featured for us to listen to titled Street of Dreams recorded  at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on November 16, 1964 by jazz guitarist Grant Green. The album was produced by Alfred Lion, however, wasn’t released until August 1967 on the Blue Note label. The photograph used on the album cover features street signs that are at an actual street corner in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California.

The conversation between these four giants of jazz is comfortable and easy. They play off one another, adding to the strength of the album. Consisting of a mere four songs, one can hear the short story they create.

The album includes Billy May’s Somewhere in the Night, which was the theme of the television program Naked City, and Lazy Afternoon, from the 1954 musical The Golden Apple. On the whole, this is an enjoyable thirty-three minutes of mid~tempo jazz. While you’re listening, think about protecting your community as we continue to experience the ravages of this pandemic… which, by the way, although it may feel like it, hasn’t gone away yet people!

1. I Wish You Love (Léo Chauliac, Charles Trenet) ~8:46
2. Lazy Afternoon (John La Latouche, Jerome Moross) ~ 7:44
3. Street of Dreams (Victor Young, Sam M. Lewis) ~ 9:03
4. Somewhere in the Night (Billy May, Milt Raskin) ~ 8:01

• Grant Green ~ guitar
• Bobby Hutcherson ~ vibes
• Larry Young ~ organ
• Elvin Jones ~ drums

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The virus is still raging across America and now has a new host… the children. I have personally known a half dozen friends who have contracted Covid from children or grandchildren who are back in school and bring it home. Be vigilant my people and stay safe and healthy.

This week I am putting on the turntable the bossa nova/jazz album titled Jazz Samba. It is an album by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd released by Verve Records in 1962. It was recorded on February 13, 1962 in Pierce Hall, All Souls Unitarian Church, Washington, D.C. and released the following April. It ws produced by Creed Taylor.

The idea for the album came about while the Charlie Byrd Trio was on a State Department goodwill tour in Brazil, drummer Buddy Deppenschmidt spent his free time with local musicians, teaching them American jazz and learning bossa nova from them. It was his idea to record an album combining jazz and bossa nova with Stan Getz.

Jazz Samba signaled the beginning of the bossa nova craze in America. Stan Getz was the featured soloist and the tracks were arranged by Charlie Byrd. It was recorded live in less than three hours and started a bossa nova craze both nationally and internationally.

It is the only jazz album to reach number one on both the jazz and pop Billboard charts and remained high on the charts for 70 weeks. Desafinado, the hit single from the album, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000 and the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010.

Stan Getz won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance of 1963 for Desafinado, and Robert Dimery included Jazz Samba in his book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The painting on the cover is by Olga Albizu.

Tracks | 33:12

Side One

1. Desafinado (Antônio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonça) ~ 5:51
2. Samba Dees Days (Charlie Byrd) ~ 3:34
3. O Pato (Jayme Silva, Neuza Teixeira) ~ 2:31
4. Samba Triste (Baden Powell, Billy Blanco) ~ 4:47

Side Two

1. Samba de Uma Nota Só (Antônio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonça) ~ 6:11
2. É Luxo Só (Ary Barroso) ~ 3:40
3. Bahia (aka ‘Baia’) (Ary Barroso) ~ 6:38

• Stan Getz – tenor saxophone
• Charlie Byrd – guitar
• Gene Byrd – guitar, bass
• Keter Betts – double bass
• Buddy Deppenschmidt – drums, percussion
• Bill Reichenbach Sr. – drums, percussion

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Requisites

This morning’s choice from the library is a recent acquisition I’ve been hunting for since it was reissued as part of The Prestige Mono Series. It’s a swinging Fifties jam session that was originally released in 1957 by The Prestige All-Stars. All Night Long (Prestige PRLP 7073/PRST 7289) brings together a first-class ensemble, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Jerome Richardson (tracks: A1, B1 to B3) on flute, and (track: A1) on tenor sax, Mal Waldron on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. My copy used in this report is the 2012 Analogue Productions Mono audiophile reissue (APRJ 7073 – PRLP 7073).

Side One opens with Kenny Burrell’s All Night Long occupying the entire side. Art kicks off the song with an infectious beat. Kenny starts the opening solo with exquisite execution. Jerome’s flute flows with a happy feeling on the first of two statements. Hank takes us on a carefree joyride in the next reading, then Donald speaks his peace with a stellar presentation. Jerome resurfaces on tenor for a sparkling performance, and Mal gives a soulful effort on the next interpretation. Art follows with a brief exchange with the principal soloists before the group takes the song out. Side Two starts with the first of two tunes by Hank Mobley, Boo-Lu. Richardson sets the mood of this happy groove on the melody and opening chorus. Burrell, Byrd, Mobley, and Waldron follow with four short solos ahead of the reprise and close.

Flickers by Mal Waldron suggests a homage to the movies. It begins with the ensemble’s collective mid~tempo theme. Jerome is up first and shines with a light-hearted warmth. Donald and Hank follow with one easygoing reading each, then trade a few feisty riffs. Kenny turns in a tasty performance next and Mal applies blues-rooted energy to the finale leading to the closing chorus and Doug’s slow fade into oblivion. Mobley’s Li’l Hankie comes at you at medium speed with the ensemble in unison on the melody. Hank leads off the solos with a marvelous interpretation. Donald delves into the second reading on muted trumpet mining a vein of musical riches. Kenny tells a short story that makes every note count on the third statement. Jerome lights a fuse of creative inspiration on the next performance, followed by a stimulating conversation between the front line, Waldron, and Richardson ahead of the ending theme.

Bob Weinstock supervised the original album and the man behind the dials was Rudy Van Gelder. Kevin Gray did the remastering from the analog tapes. The record has a flat-edge and deep groove on the label like the original release, and the album cover has a high gloss. This reissue was pressed on 200-gram audiophile vinyl by Quality Record Pressings. The soundstage is outstanding, transporting the musicians to your listening room and the record is silent until the music starts. Burrell, Byrd, Watkins, and Taylor also appear on the companion album, All Day Long, recorded just a few days after this date. If you’re a Hard-Bop fan and are looking for an album with superb musicianship, I can’t think of a better choice to introduce you to The Prestige All-Stars than All Night Long! It’s a gorgeous recording that’s highly recommended and well worth adding to your library!

~ All Day Long (Prestige PRLP 7081/PRST 7277) – Source: Discogs.com © 2022 by Edward Thomas Carter

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