The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

To maintain my health during this variant period of the pandemic I am continuing to listen to great music as I remain socially distant. This week I am pulling out from my shelves the album Easy Like, Volume 1 by guitarist Barney Kessel.

The album was released by Contemporary Records in 1956. Eight songs were released on the 10-inch album Barney Kessel which were recorded on November 14, and December 19, 1953, while other songs were recorded on February 23, 1956. It was recorded at Contemporary Records Studio in Los Angeles, California. The album was produced by Lester Koenig.

All tracks are written by Barney Kessel except where noted.

1. Easy Like ~ 4:04
2. Tenderly (Walter Gross/Jack Lawrence) ~ 4:06
3. Lullaby of Birdland (George Shearing/George David Weiss) ~ 3:16
4. What Is There to Say? (Vernon Duke/Yip Harburg) ~ 3:10
5. Bernardo ~ 3:34
6. Vicky’s Dream ~ 2:37
7. Salute to Charlie Christian ~ 2:52
8. That’s All (Alan Brandt/Bob Haymes) ~ 3:18
9. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart (Duke Ellington/Irving Mills/Henry Nemo/John Redmond) ~ 4:12
10. Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don’t Tease Me) (Ellington/Lee Gaines) ~ 3:41
11. April in Paris (Duke/Harburg) ~ 3:00
12. North of the Border ~ 2:46

• Barney Kessel ~ guitar
• Buddy Collette ~ alto saxophone, flute
• Bud Shank ~ alto saxophone, flute
• Arnold Ross ~ piano
• Claude Williamson ~ piano
• Harry Babasin ~ double bass
• Red Mitchell ~ double bass
• Shelly Manne ~ drums

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

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina) is a perfect album to listen to as this country continues to play the stupid card and not take this pandemic or its remedy serious. So as those of us who are vaccinated, wearing masks and social distancing. This studio album was recorded in 2007 by the Terence Blanchard Quintet at Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California and Bastyr University, Kenmore, Washington. It was released on August 14, 2007 by Blue Note Records. Blanchard won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, and was nominated for Best Jazz Instrument Solo for his work on the song Levees.

The album was produced by Blanchard, with Robin Burgess as the associate producer, the engineers were Brian Valentino and Frank Wolf, Seth Waldman was the assistant engineer, and mastering by Gavin Lurssen. Lolis Eric Elie, Blanchard, Brice Winston, Derrick Hodge,and Aaron Parks each contributed to the liner notes.

Spike Lee commissioned Terence Blanchard to compose the score for his 2006 four-hour HBO documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, to show the agony of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 2007 Blanchard recorded “A Tale of God’s Will”, which contains The Water, Levees, Wading Through, and Funeral Dirge heard in Lee’s documentary. His mother Wilhelmina survived but lost her Pontchartrain Park home.

1. Ghost of Congo Square (Blanchard, Hodge, Scott) ~ 3:01
2. Levees ~ 8:07
3. Wading Through ~ 6:27
4. Ashé (Aaron Parks) ~ 8:18
5. In Time Of Need (Brice Winston) ~ 7:53
6. Ghost Of Betsy ~ 1:58
7. The Water ~ 4:07
8. Mantra Intro (Kendrick Scott) ~ 3:22
9. Mantra (Kendrick Scott) ~ 9:49
10. Over There (Derrick Hodge) ~ 7:43
11. Ghost Of 1927 ~ 1:38
12. Funeral Dirge ~ 5:51
13. Dear Mom ~ 3:39

• Terence Blanchard ~ conductor, trumpet, orchestration, producer, liner notes
• Brice Winston ~ soprano sax, tenor sax, liner notes
• Derrick Hodge ~ double bass, bass guitar, liner notes
• Aaron Parks ~ piano, orchestration, liner notes,
• Kendrick Scott ~ drums, percussion, orchestration
• Zach Harmon ~ tabla and happy apple

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

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

With rising cases of the Delta variant continuing to fill hospital beds to capacity with the unvaccinated causing other procedures to be postponed and medical staff walking out, I remain even more vigilant in protecting myself from those whose sole purpose is to put themselves and others in harm’s way. Remaining masked, socially distanced and secluded.

This week I’m pulling out the classic 1997 album Big Band by saxophonist Joe Henderson, the fourth of the five albums he recorded for Verve Records during the end of his career. The album was recorded at the Power Station ~ Berklee, New York City over a four year period between March 16, 1992 ~ June 26, 1996 and was released in 1997.

The sessions were produced, written and arranged by Joe Henderson, along with executive producer Richard Seidel, and producers Bob Belden (2,3,4,6,7,9), and Don Sickler (1,5,8). The production coordinator was Patricia Lie. The recording was mastered by Allan Tucker, mixed by Jim Anderson, photography by Jim Katz, and the i​Illustration was created by Edwin Fotheringham.

1. Without a Song (Vincent Youmans, Billy Rose, Edward Eliscu) ~ 5:24
2. Isotope ~ 5:20
3. Inner Urge ~ 9:01
4. Black Narcissus ~ 6:53
5. A Shade Of Jade ~ 8:22
6. Step Lightly ~ 7:19
7. Serenity ~ 5:52
8. Chelsea Bridge (Billy Strayhorn) ~ 4:30
9. Recordame (Recuerdame) ~ 7:25

• Joe Henderson ~ tenor saxophone, arranger (tracks 1, 2, 5, 8)
• Slide Hampton ~ conductor, arranger (tracks 3, 7))
• Dick Oatts ~ soprano saxophone, alto saxophone
• Pete Yellin, Steve Wilson, Bobby Porcelli, John O’Gallagher ~ alto saxophone
• Craig Handy, Rich Perry, Tim Ries, Charles Pillow ~ tenor saxophone
• Joe Temperley, Gary Smulyan ~ baritone saxophone
• Freddie Hubbard, Raymond Vega, Idrees Sulieman, Jimmy Owens, Jon Faddis, Lew Soloff, Marcus Belgrave, Nicholas Payton, Tony Kadleck, Michael Mossman, Virgil Jones, Earl Gardner, Byron Stripling ~ trumpet
• Conrad Herwig, Jimmy Knepper, Robin Eubanks, Keith O’Quinn, Larry Farrell, Kiane Zawadi ~ trombone
• David Taylor, Douglas Purviance ~ bass trombone
• Chick Corea, Helio Alves, Ronnie Mathews ~ piano
• Christian McBride ~ bass
• Joe Chambers, Al Foster, Lewis Nash, Paulinho Braga ~ drums
• Michael Mossman ~ arranger (track 9)
• Bob Belden ~ arranger (tracks: 4, 6)

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

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

As the Delta variant continues to ravage the country in another wave of rising illness and once again full hospitals, for those of us remaining vigilant I offer you listeners a classic album Bud Powell in Paris. This studio album was produced by Duke Ellington and released in 1964 for Reprise Records.

On this album recorded in Paris, France in February 1963, Leonard Feather wrote the liner notes, the cover painting was done by Donald Leake and digital mastering was performed by Lee Herschberg.

1. How High the Moon (Morgan Lewis, Nancy Hamilton) ~ 3:54
2. Dear Old Stockholm (Traditional) ~ 3:53
3. Body and Soul (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton) ~ 6:05
4. Jor-Du” (Duke Jordan) ~ 4:18
5. Reets and I (Benny Harris) ~ 3:43
6. Satin Doll (Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Mercer) ~ 4:45
7. Parisian Thoroughfare (Bud Powell) ~ 1:56
8. I Can’t Get Started (Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin) ~ 5:40
9. Little Benny (aka Bud’s Bubble) (Harris) ~ 3:31

Personnel

• Bud Powell ~ piano
• Gilbert Rovere ~ bass
• Kansas Fields ~ drums

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

The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

Remaining vigilant, being healthy, social distancing as those in our nation who continue to navigate positively and negatively through this pandemic.

This week the album I’m recommending for listening is The Young Lions by Lee Morgan leading an ad hoc group of musicians who made up the septet for this recording. It was recorded on April 25, 1960 at the Bell Sound Studios in New York City and was produced by Sid McCoy. The album was released in 1961 on Vee~Jay Records.

The album title echoes that of a popular 1948 novel by Irwin Shaw which had been made into a feature film shortly before the album was recorded. The young lions who made the music on this album have varied musical philosophies and sundry jazz backgrounds.

The young lions phrase was revived in jazz in the 1980s when, as in 1960, there was a tension between the modern jazz traditionalists and the avant-garde.

1. Seeds of Sin (Shorter) ~ 5:44
2. Scourn’ (Shorter) ~ 5:58
3. Fat Lady (Shorter) ~ 5:03
4. Peaches and Cream (Shorter) ~ 6:52
5. That’s Right (Morgan) ~ 11:37

• Lee Morgan – trumpet
• Wayne Shorter – tenor sax
• Frank Strozier – alto sax
• Bobby Timmons – piano
• Bob Cranshaw – bass
• Albert “Tootie” Heath (3-5, 8) drums
• Louis Hayes (1, 2, 6, 7) – drums

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