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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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The masks the President promised are out however, he has given all the manufacturers an opportunity to participate. You only get two or three N95’s depending on where you get them. So if your Amazon order is slow to come stop by your local pharmacy and pick up yours. Continue social distancing and remain safe.

This week sliding off the shelves in alto saxophonist Jackie McLean and his 1963 album Destination… Out! The album was recorded on September 20, 1963, produced by Alfred Lion and released in November of the following year on the Blue Note label. It is the second McLean album to feature Bobby Hutcherson and Grachan Moncur III.

He’s 31 years of age and primed torecord an album for the ages. Hard bop aside he ventured into free jazz on this one to explore new sounds and improvisation never heard before. Four tunes make up this release, three by Moncur and one by the leader, who recognized the former’s penchant for composition.

Growth mandates that we expand our personal listening repertoire, that we stray from our comfort zone, and explore the options jazz offers. Needless to say McLean has put together a stellar band of musicians who engage us with the conversation they fluidly and freely have along its journey. 

Track Listing | 34:57

1. Love and Hate (Grachan Moncur III) ~ 8:25
2. Esoteric (Moncur) ~ 9:02
3. Kahlil the Prophet (Jackie McLean) ~ 10:23
4. Riff Raff (Moncur) ~ 7:07

• Jackie McLean ~ alto saxophone
• Grachan Moncur III ~ trombone
• Bobby Hutcherson ~ vibes
• Larry Ridley ~ bass
• Roy Haynes ~ drums

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The variants are still plaguing society and yet most are taking a casual attitude in dealing with health. Understand it takes a village for all of us to get past this, to coin a phrase. Those of us who have had friends and family pass due to Covid~19 know the loss of loved ones. Stay vigilant people.

So, for those of you who are not familiar with the jazz side of the Queen Of Soul, allow this to be your introduction to the other side of her interpretive talent. This week I am pulling from the shelves one of her classic albums, Laughing On The Outside. It is the fourth studio album by Aretha Franklin, recorded at Columbia Recording Studios, in New York City on April 17, 1963 and on June 12–14, 1963 in Hollywood, California. It was released on August 12, 1963, by Columbia Records.

These sessions found a 21-year-old Aretha stepping away from her gospel roots and recording jazz and popular music standards, from Johnny Mercer to Betty Comden to Duke Ellington. She is backed by the arrangements of Columbia producer Robert Mersey. One of the most popular songs from the album is her interpretation of the classic Skylark. This was also one of the first times she recorded one of her written compositions, I Wonder (Where Are You Tonight), on an album.

Track Listing | 41:00

Side One

1. Skylark (Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael) ~ 2:49
2. For All We Know (Sam M. Lewis, J. Fred Coots) ~ 3:25
3. Make Someone Happy (Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne) ~ 3:48
4. I Wonder (Where Are You Tonight)” (Aretha Franklin, Ted White) ~ 3:16
5. Solitude (Duke Ellington, Eddie DeLange, Irving Mills) ~ 3:50
6. Laughing on the Outside (Bernie Wayne, Ben Raleigh) ~ 3:14

Side Two

1. Say It Isn’t So (Irving Berlin) ~ 3:05
2. Until The Real Thing Comes Along (Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin, L. E. Freeman) ~ 3:04
3. If Ever I Would Leave You” (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) ~ 4:04
4. Where Are You? (Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh) ~ 3:50
5. Mr. Ugly (Norman Mapp) ~ 3:22
6. I Wanna Be Around (Johnny Mercer, Sadie Vimmerstedt) ~ 2:25

• Aretha Franklin ~ vocals
• Robert Mersey ~ producer, arranger, conductor
• Earl Van Dyke, Dave Grusin, Andrew Acker, Leon Russell ~ piano
• C. Bosler, Ray Pohlman, Melvin Pollan ~ bass guitar
• Hindel Butts, Hal Blaine ~ drums
• Don Arnome, Tommy Tedesco, Billy Strange ~ guitar
• Jimmy Nottingham ~ trumpet
• Robert Ascher ~ trombone
• Plas Johnson ~ saxophone
• Bernard Eichenbaum, Julius Schacter, Leo Kahn, Berl Senofsky, Felix Gigol, Max Pollikoff, George Ockner, John Rublowsky, Sid Sharp, Tibor Zelig, George Poole, Irving Lipschultz, Irving Weinper, Darrel Terwilliger ~ violin
• R. Dickler, Theodore Israel, Jacob Glick ~ viola
• Jesse Erlich, Anthony Twardowsky, Joseph Tekula ~ cello

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

Do what you desire to or not protect your health but be responsible for the health of your fellow man. This is my request. The children are spreading this far more than adults as I continue to hear reports from friends that they caught Covid from children who have greater exposure.

The album It’s A Quiet Thing from vocalist Morgana King is taken from the stacks representing the need for silence and reflection during this time of uneasiness. Produced by Jimmy Bowen, the album was recorded and released on the Reprise label in 1965 with arrangements by Torrie Zito brings us music reflective of the title.

Noise is not required to transport us to destinations that conjure memories. It’s class and sophistication that makes this an elegant compendium of songs. The arrangements and orchestration are equally soft and complimentary to her voice. Her incredible vocal range is backed by a menu of textured strings, guitar, French horn and bossa nova.

Artistry is something one has and when two purveyors connect we become privy to an excellent outcome. This happens to fill that order. So sit back, relax and listen.

1. It’s a Quiet Thing (Fred Ebb, John Kander) ~ 3:02
2. Dindi (Ray Gilbert, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Aloysio de Oliveira) ~ 4:00
3. Useless Landscape (Gilbert, Jobim, de Oliveira) ~ 3:12
4. Gone with the Wind (Herbert Magidson, Allie Wrubel) ~ 2:58
5. Little Girl Blue (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) ~ 3:35
6. Mountain High, Valley Low (Bernie Hanighen, Raymond Scott) ~ 2:09
7. How Insensitive (Norman Gimbel, Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes) ~ 3:14
8. Here’s That Rainy Day (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) ~ 2:38
9. Deep Song (George Cory, Douglass Cross) ~ 3:38
10. If You Should Leave Me (E Se Domani) (Arthur Altman, Giorgio Calabrese, Al Stillman) ~ 3:01

• Morgana King ~ vocals
• Torrie Zito ~ arranger

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

There’s A Sweet, Sweet Spirit ~ Cyrus Chestnut

Remain safe and healthy and be responsible for your health and others. That is all I request.

This week we listen to the music from There’s a Sweet Sweet Spirit, an album by pianist Cyrus Chestnut. Recorded on February 27, 2017 at Systems Two Recording Studios in Brooklyn, New York, the album was released on the HighNote label on Julyu 14, 2017.  

1. The Littlest One of All (Bobby Hutcherson) ~ 4:20
2. Chopin Prelude (Frédéric Chopin) ~ 6:53
3. Nardis (Miles Davis) ~ 7:33
4. Little B’s Poem (Bobby Hutcherson) ~ 4:50
5. Christina (Buster Williams) ~ 4:51
6. CDC (Cyrus Chestnut) ~ 6:23
7. You Make Me Feel Brand New (Thom Bell, Linda Creed) ~ 6:07
8. Easy Living (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) ~ 8:32
9. Rhythm-a-Ning (Thelonious Monk) ~ 4:51
10. There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit (Doris Akers) ~ 5:36

The Players

• Cyrus Chestnut ~ piano
• Buster Williams ~ bass (tracks 1–4 & 6–9)
• Lenny White ~ drums (tracks 1–4 & 6–9)
• Steve Nelson ~ vibraphone (tracks 1, 4 & 8)
• Charlotte Small, Djoré Nance, Keesha Gumbs ~ vocals (track 7)

Tracks | 59:56

1. The Littlest One of All (Bobby Hutcherson) ~ 4:20
2. Chopin Prelude (Frédéric Chopin) ~ 6:53
3. Nardis (Miles Davis) ~ 7:33
4. Little B’s Poem (Bobby Hutcherson) ~ 4:50
5. Christina (Buster Williams) ~ 4:51
6. CDC (Cyrus Chestnut) ~ 6:23
7. You Make Me Feel Brand New (Thom Bell, Linda Creed) ~ 6:07
8. Easy Living (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) ~ 8:32
9. Rhythm-a-Ning (Thelonious Monk) ~ 4:51
10. There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit (Doris Akers) ~ 5:36

The Players

• Cyrus Chestnut ~ piano
• Buster Williams ~ bass (tracks 1–4 & 6–9)
• Lenny White ~ drums (tracks 1–4 & 6–9)
• Steve Nelson ~ vibraphone (tracks 1, 4 & 8)
• Charlotte Small, Djoré Nance, Keesha Gumbs ~ vocals (track 7)

The album was produced by the pianist who pulls from a multitude of generations for his song choices. From Monk and Miles to Chopin, Thom Bell and Linda Creed, blending them perfectly for our listening pleasure.This tight knit group of musicians carry the musical conversation forward never overstepping or interrupting but supporting whoever is speaking.

Tracks | 59:56

1. The Littlest One of All (Bobby Hutcherson) ~ 4:20
2. Chopin Prelude (Frédéric Chopin) ~ 6:53
3. Nardis (Miles Davis) ~ 7:33
4. Little B’s Poem (Bobby Hutcherson) ~ 4:50
5. Christina (Buster Williams) ~ 4:51
6. CDC (Cyrus Chestnut) ~ 6:23
7. You Make Me Feel Brand New (Thom Bell, Linda Creed) ~ 6:07
8. Easy Living (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) ~ 8:32
9. Rhythm-a-Ning (Thelonious Monk) ~ 4:51
10. There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit (Doris Akers) ~ 5:36

The Players

• Cyrus Chestnut ~ piano
• Buster Williams ~ bass (tracks 1–4 & 6–9)
• Lenny White ~ drums (tracks 1–4 & 6–9)
• Steve Nelson ~ vibraphone (tracks 1, 4 & 8)
• Charlotte Small, Djoré Nance, Keesha Gumbs ~ vocals (track 7)

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