The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

Having adapted to this new paradigm of social distancing and self-quarantining from the continuous spikes in the corona virus by those who refuse to wear a mask and are congregating, gives me a certain amount of uninterrupted time to kick back, relax and listen to music.

The album I am choosing to place on the turntable today is the studio album Flight To Jordan recorded August 4, 1960 at the Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey by pianist Duke Jordan.

The album was produced by Alfred Lion and released later the same year on the Blue Note record label. All compositions are by Duke Jordan.

Track List | 38:21

1. Flight to Jordan ~ 5:32
2. Star Brite ~ 7:49
3. Squawkin’ ~ 5:00
4. Deacon Joe ~ 8:43
5. Split Quick ~ 5:11
6. Si-Joya (No Problem) ~ 6:46

• Duke Jordan – piano – solo track 8
• Dizzy Reece – trumpet
• Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophone
• Reggie Workman – bass
• Art Taylor – drums

This pandemic is here for the long run but those of us who are smart and vigilant are going to come out on the otherside healthy and ready to jetset around the world. That’s when I will be hitting the friendly skies once again. In the meantime, stay vigilant, wear masks and remain healthy.

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

As we progress further into this new year with social distancing and self~quarantine from the madness of those who feel the need to live like it’s 2019 some of us have adapted to this new normal. For those of us who no longer consider this pandemic life interrupted, we kick back and relax and listen to music.

This week I chose the second studio album by guitarist Emily Remler titled Take Two. Credited to The Emily Remler Quartet, and she was joined on the recording session by pianist James Williams, bassist Don Thompson, and drummer Terry Clarke. Williams was best known at the time for his four years with The Jazz Messengers, and Thompson and Clarke frequently worked together as part of the Jim Hall Trio.

The hard bop album was produced by Carl E. Jefferson, recorded in June 1982 at Soundmixers, New York City and released on the Concord Jazz label the same month. Leonard Feather called the album a carefully planned and brilliant executed set of performances.

Track List | 42:24

1. Cannonball (Cannonball Adderley) ~ 4:48
2. In Your Own Sweet Way (Dave Brubeck) ~ 4:52
3. For Regulars Only (Dexter Gordon) ~ 6:43
4. Search For Peace (McCoy Tyner) ~ 5:17
5. Pocket Wes (Emily Remler) ~ 6:45
6. Waltz For My Grandfather (Emily Remler) ~ 6:35
7. Afro Blue (Mongo Santamaría) ~ 2:24
8. Eleuthra (Monty Alexander) ~ 6:20

• Emily Remler – electric guitar
• James Williams – piano
• Don Thompson – bass
• Terry Clarke – drums

I’m in this for the long run and we’re going to get through this pandemic, so when the world opens back up for international travel, I’m hitting the friendly skies to once again jet setting around the globe. In the meantime, stay vigilant, wear masks and remain healthy.

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

It’s a new year and it’s been ten months since the quarantine and social distancing has been instituted. Some of us, unfortunately, are still not fully adapting to life with the virus, desiring their comfort zone to be as it was before the pandemic. For those of us who have taken this life interruption to no longer be an inconvenience, we relax and find new engagements for our senses.

With that in mind, this week I’ve selected the classic studio album Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Recorded at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio in New York City on June 25, July 1, and August 18, 1959, it was released on December 14, 1959 on Columbia Records. It is based upon the use of time signatures that were unusual for jazz and is a subtle blend of cool and West Coast jazz.

The producer on the album was Teo Macero, and Fred Plaut engineered the sessions. S. Neil Fujita had the responsibility for creating the cover artwork, and Seth Rothstein was the project director.

The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard pop albums chart, and was the first jazz album to sell a million copies. The single Take Five off the album was also the first jazz single to sell one million copies. By 1963, the record had sold 500,000 units, and in 2011 it was certified double platinum by the RIAA, signifying over two million records sold. The album was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.

Columbia president Goddard Lieberson took a chance to underwrite and release the album. Although it received negative reviews from critics upon its release, it became a popular recording by fans globally. In 2005, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. It was also listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2009 the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Track List | 38:30

All pieces composed by Dave Brubeck, except Take Five by Paul Desmond.

1. Blue Rondo à la Turk ~ 6:44
2. Strange Meadow Lark ~ 7:22
3. Take Five ~ 5:24

1. Three to Get Ready ~ 5:24
2. Kathy’s Waltz ~ 4:48
3. Everybody’s Jumpin’ ~ 4:23
4. Pick Up Sticks ~ 4:16

• Dave Brubeck – piano
• Paul Desmond – alto saxophone
• Eugene Wright – bass
• Joe Morello – drums

As you all know, the moment the world becomes safe and opens back up for Americans to travel, I will be back jet setting around the globe. In the meantime, stay vigilant, wear masks and remain healthy.

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

Ella and Louis is a 1956 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, accompanied by the Oscar Peterson Quartet, This was the first of three albums that they were to record together for Verve Records, later followed by 1957’s Ella and Louis Again and 1959’s Porgy and Bess. All three were released as The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve.

Norman Granz, the founder of the Verve label, selected eleven ballads for the duo, mainly played in a slow or moderate tempo. Recording began August 16, 1956, at the new, and now iconic, Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California. Though Granz produced the album, Armstrong was given final say over songs and keys. Val Valentin was the session engineer and the photography was taken by Phil Stern.

Tracklist

Side One

1. Can’t We Be Friends? (Paul James, Kay Swift) ~ 3:47
2. Isn’t This A Lovely Day? (Irving Berlin) ~ 6:16
3. Moonlight In Vermont (John Blackburn/Karl Suessdorf) ~ 3:42
4. They Can’t Take That Away From Me (George & Ira Gerrshwin) ! 4:39
5. Under A Blanket Of Blue (Jerry Livingston/Al J. Neiburg/Marty Symes) ~ 4:18
6. Tenderly(Walter Gross/Jack Lawrence) ~ 5:10

1. A Foggy Day (George & Ira Gershwin) ~ 4:32
2. Stars Fell On Alabama (Mitchelll Parish/Frank Perkins) ~ 3:34
3. Cheek To Cheek (Irving Berlin) ~ 5:53
4. The Nearness Of You (Hoagy Carmichael/Ned Washington) ~ 5:42
5. April In Paris (Vernon Duke/Yip Harburg) ~ 6:33

• Ella Fitzgerald – vocals
• Louis Armstrong – vocals, trumpet
• Oscar Peterson – piano
• Herb Ellis – guitar
• Ray Brown – bass
• Buddy Rich – drums

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

October 6, 1992 was the Fantasy reissued compact disc release date of the original Prestige/Moodsville Records is my next exploration into one of the world’s great bop, cool jazz, and soul-jazz tenor saxophonists to keep me company during this pandemic. The Gene Ammons Story: Gentle Jug is a compilation reissue of sixteen songs recorded on two separate dates. A master at interpreting ballads, Gene Ammons presents lyrical music that is quite enjoyable.

The album was produced and original photography taken by Esmond Edwards, recorded by Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, and the art direction was contributed by Phil Carroll. The reissue producer and writer of the liner notes was Bob Porter and the album was remastered by Phil De Lancie.

A compilation of two previously released albums, 1961’s Nice an’ Cool” (1 to 8) recorded on January 26, 1961, and 1962’s The Soulful Mood of Gene Ammons (9 to 16) recorded April 14, 1962. Tracks 1 to 8, originally issued on Prestige / Moodsville 18 as Gene Ammons – Nice An’ Cool Tracks 9 to 16, originally issued on Prestige / Moodsville 28 as Gene Ammons – The Soulful Moods Of Gene Ammons.

Tracklist

Nice An’ Cool

1. Till There Was You (Meredith Wilson ~ 7:08
2. Answer Me, My Love (Rauch, Winkler) ~ 4:35
3. Willow Weep For Me (Ann Ronell) ~ 4:00
4. Little Girl Blue (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) ~ 4:55
5. Something I Dreamed Last Night (Magidson, Yellen, Fain) ~ 7:41
6. Something Wonderful (Riodgers, Hammerstein) ~ 3:03
7. I Remember You (Mercer, Schertzinger) ~ 4:21
8. Someone To Watch Over Me (Gershwin, Gershwin) ~ 3:48

1. Two Different Worlds (Frisch, Wayne) ~ 4:53
2. But Beautiful (Burke, Van Heusen) ~ 4:27
3. Skylark (Carmichael, Mercer) ~ 6:19
4. Three Little Words (Kalmar, Ruby) ~ 3:49
5. On The Street Of Dreams (Lewis, Young) ~ 3:09
6. You’d Be So Nice To Come Home (Cole Porter) ~ 4:17
7. Under A Blanket Of Blue (Neiburg, Livington, Symes) ~ 5:12
8. I’m Glad There’s You (Dorsey, Mertz) ~ 6:02

• Gene Ammons ~ Tenor Saxophone
• Patti Bown (tracks: 9 to 16) | Richard Wyands (tracks: 1 to 8) ~ Piano
• Doug Watkins (tracks: 1 to 8) | George Duvivier (tracks: 9 to 16) ~ Bass
• Ed Shaughnessy (tracks: 9 to 16) | J.C. Heard (tracks: 1 to 8) ~ Drums

When the curtain goes up and the pandemic is controlled I will return to flying around the globe discovering the best of jazz. Until that time arrives stay safe and healthy.

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