Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Iain Ballamy was born Guildford, England on February 20, 1964. Taking piano lessons from age of 6 to 14, he received further education at George Abbot School from 1975 to 1980. He went on to study Musical Instrument Technology from 1980 to 1982 at Merton College.

Discovering the saxophone in 1978 with three lessons, his first professional gig was in 1980, playing Ronnie Scotts as the Iain Ballamy Quartet at age 20. He was a founding member of Loose Tubes in 1984. His first recording was with Billy Jenkinsthe following year, and his first solo album, Balloon Man, was released in 1988.

During his career, his performances and recording sessions reads like a who’s who list, including but not limited to Gil Evans, Hermeto Pascoal, Carla Bley, Dewey Redman, George Coleman, London Sinfonietta, Françios Jeanneau, Randy Weston, Clare Martin, Charlie Watts Orchestra, Jeremy Stacey, Jane Chapman, Bryan Ferry, Everything But The Girl, Ian Shaw, Slim Gaillard, Ronnie Scott, Gordon Beck, and one of his closest musical collaborators, Django Bates.

In 1999, Ballamy founded the record label Feral Records, in partnership with graphic artist and filmmaker Dave McKean. He composed the musical score for the movie MirrorMask and the score for the film Luna, both directed by McKean.

Bellamy is currently a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire, Trinity College of Music, and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Modern saxophonist and composer Iain Ballamy continues to explore jazz.

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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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Three Wishes

Gerry Mulligan was approached by Pannonica and asked if he could be granted three wishes what his be and his response was:

1. “To play high trumpet accurately, drums, sing. And if there was a fourth, money.”

*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter

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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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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Ferdinand Povel was born on February 13, 1947 in Haarlem, Netherlands.  Coming from an artistic family, his father was a cineaste (filmmaker) and his mother a pianist. At an early age, he developed a taste for jazz, when first introduced to as a gift on his twelfth birthday, he received a ticket to a late-night concert by the Duke Ellington Orchestra at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

In 1961 he began studying clarinet with Theo Loevendie and teaching himself saxophone because jazz was not yet taught formally in the Netherlands. Ferdinand learned by playing with experienced musicians, such as pianists Rob Madna and Frans Elsen, picking up knowledge of harmony and arrangement as a young member of the orchestras of Kurt Edelhagen and Peter Herbolzheimer, and of the Skymasters.

In 1964 at 17, Povel won the Loosdrecht Jazz Concours with the Martin Haak Quartet. This was the start of his career as a professional musician. 1966 saw him playing with The New Sound Incorporated, giving school concerts and radio and TV broadcasts for Tros and Avro broadcasting companies. He went on to be a finalist at the 1966 International Modern Jazz Festival in Vienna, Austria where the judges included Cannonball Adderley and Mel Lewis.

In the same year, the Netherlands Jazz Orchestra invited Povel to join them as a saxophonist and flutist. Three years later he was in Munich, Germany playing with trumpet player Dusko Goykovich in his Summit Quintet, starring drummer Philly Joe Jones and touring Europe several times.

Ferdinand would go on to play with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band, the Kurt Edelhagen Orchestra, tour the United States of America with the Maynard Ferguson Big Band, and the Peter Herbolzheimer’s Rhythm Combination and Brass from 1971 to 1985. He was a member of George Grunz’s band, Jiggs Whigham Sextet, and the bands of Rob Madna, Frans Elsen, and Cees Slinger. He has played in the front line with jazz icons such as Art Farmer, Bennie Bailey, Woody Shaw, and Jimmy Knepper.

Throughout his career he was never far from playing in various occasional orchestras for radio and television. As an educator he taught jazz improvisation at the Rotterdam Conservatory and at conservatoriums in Zwolle, Hilversum and The Hague. Since 1990 he has taught exclusively at the Hilversum Music Academy, now named the Conservatory of Amsterdam, as part of Amsterdam School of the Arts.

Saxophonist Ferdinand Povel has a discography that includes over one hundred record and CD albums to which he has contributed as a soloist. He has received several honors and continues to perform and educate.

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