The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager is pulling down from the stacks of his library a recently acquired, never-before-released studio album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers titled Just Coolin’. Recorded on March 8, 1959 in Rudy Van Gelder’s living room studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, the session featured a short-lived line-up of The Jazz Messengers.

The album features two previously unissued compositions including Timmons’ tune Quick Trick. The session for Just Coolin’ finds The Jazz Messengers’ saxophone chair in transition. The interim saw the return of Mobley, who was a charter member of The Jazz Messengers when the band first formed in 1954 and appeared on their debut recording The Jazz Messengers At The Café Bohemia in 1955. Mobley also filled an important role as the band’s resident composer. Now, 61 years later jazz fans all over the world will have the chance to listen for themselves.

Track List     Side 1 1. Hipsippy Blues (Hank Mobley) 2. Close Your Eyes (Bernice Petkere) 3. Jimerick (unknown) Side 2 1. Quick Trick (Bobby Timmons) 2. M&M (Hank Mobley) 3. Just Coolin’ (Hank Mobley)

Personnel

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager’s next selection from his library is a studio album by Eddie Higgins titled Bewitched on Venus Records. It is part of the Venus Jazz Giants series was recorded at The Studio in New York on January 20 and 31, 2001. It was produced by Tetsuo Hara and Todd Barkan, engineered by Katherine Millerand was mastered by Shuji Kitamura and Tetsuo Hara.

A limited-edition Japanese released album in 2009, it was reissued as a replica mini-LP paper sleeve with obi strip and insert in Japanese.

Track List | 61:12

What A Difference A Day Made ~ 6:01; Detour Ahead ~ 5.28; Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered ~ 4:13; You Must Believe In Spring ~ 5:04; Beautiful Love ~ 3:39; Alice In Wonderland ~ 5:04; Angel Eyes ~ 5:21; The Philanthropist ~ 5:56; Estate ~ 3:38; Blue Prelude ~ 4:39; I Hear A Rhapsody ~ 4:39; As Time Goes By ~ 5:02; Autumn Leaves ~ 4:28

Personnel

• Piano – Eddie Higgins
• Bass – Jay Leonhart
• Drums – Joe Ascione

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager’s next selection from his library is the 1962 album release Lena Horne titled Lena On The Blue Side. This studio album, released by RCA Victor in stereo and monaural. The recording took place in New York City in the summer of 1961.

The album features mainly blues-inspired songs, a departure for Horne from her usual standards, and recordings from the Great American Songbook. The recordings were arranged and conducted by Marty Gold.

The album was received well by the music press and Billboard Music Week of February 1962 rated it with a four star. Charting in the Billboard 200 album chart at #102. The complete album has only been reissued on CD in Japan in 1991.

Paradise ~ 3:40; The Rules Of The Road ~ 3:36; Darn That Dream ~ 2:41; I Wanna Be Loved ~ 3:02; I Hadn’t Anyone Till You ~ 2:45; Someone To Watch Over Me ~ 3:41; It’s A Lonesome Old Town ~ 2:32; I’m Through With Love ~ 2:58; What’ll I Do ~ 1:57; It Might As Well Be Spring ~ 3:30; They Didn’t Believe Me ~ 2:15; and As You Desire Me ~ 3:02.

• Lena Horne – Vocals
• Andy Ackers – Piano
• George Duvivier – Bass
• Al Caiola – Guitar
• Osie Johnson – Drums
• Bernie Glow, Mel Davis – Trumpet
• Sy Berger, Tony Studd – Trombone
• Strings

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager is choosing from the library the 1960 album coming from trombonist Julian Priester titled Spiritsville released on the Riverside subsidiary label Jazzland. It was recorded on July 12, 1960 at the Plaza Sound Studios in New York City and was produced by Orrin Keepnews.

The tracks include Chi-Chi (Charlie Parker) ~ 4:43; Blue Stride ~ 6:15; It Might As Well Be Spring (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) ~ 5:47; Excursion (Walter Benton) ~ 5:42; Spiritsville ~ 7:31; My Romance (Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) ~ 5:50; and Donna’s Waltz ~ 5:32

The personnel brought in for this recording session were: Julian Priester ~ trombone, Walter Benton ~ tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 2 & 4-7), Charles Davis ~ baritone saxophone (tracks 1, 2 & 4-7), McCoy Tyner ~ piano, Sam Jones – bass, and Art Taylor ~ drums.

Remain diligent my fellow voyagers in staying healthy, continue to practice 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 of collecting during this sabbatical from jet setting investigations of jazz around the globe.

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

Willow Weep for Me is a jazz album recorded in 1965 by guitarist Wes Montgomery and was posthumously released in 1969. The arranger and conductor on the session was Claus Ogerman.

The album reached number 12 on the Billboard Jazz album chart in 1969. At the 1970 Grammy Awards Willow Weep for Me won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.

After Montgomery’s death in 1968, Verve Records used recordings from the sessions that produced Smokin’ at the Half Note and the label hired arranger Claus Ogerman to write string and brass arrangements for “Willow Weep for Me”, “Portrait of Jennie,” “Oh! You Crazy Moon,” and “Misty.” Subsequent reissues erased the new backing arrangements.

1. Willow Weep for Me (Ann Ronell) – 7:42
2. Impressions (John Coltrane) – 5:01
3. Portrait of Jenny (Burdge, Robinson) – 2:45
4. The Surrey with the Fringe on Top (Rodgers, Hammerstein II) – 5:20
5. Oh, You Crazy Moon (Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 5:27
6. Four on Six (Wes Montgomery) – 9:29
7. Misty (Johnny Burke, Erroll Garner) – 6:45

• Wes Montgomery – guitar
• Wynton Kelly – piano
• Paul Chambers – bass
• Jimmy Cobb – drums

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