The Quarantined Jazz Voyager
As I go about my city travels I notice how lax people are with masking and social distancing, having their self-centered need to rush to the lives they knew before the pandemic hit. This week I am selecting an album that has been a classic and one of my favorites since the day I first put on the turntable. It’s the 1965 studio recording Angel Eyes by saxophonist Gene Ammons released on the Prestige label.
The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Two separate sessions compiled the album, tracks 1, 2, 4 & 5 were recorded on June 17, 1960 and tracks 3 & 6 on September 5, 1962. The September session was one of Ammons’ final ones before serving a long drug-related prison sentence.
Track List | 36:25
- Gettin’ Around (Gene Ammons) ~ 6:46
- Blue Room (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) ~ 5:34
- You Go to My Head (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) ~ 5:55
- Angel Eyes (Earl Brent, Matt Dennis) ~ 8:45
- Water Jug (Frank Wess) ~ 5:10
- It’s the Talk of the Town (Jerry Livingston, Al J. Neiburg, Marty Symes) ~ 4:15
- Gene Ammons ~ tenor saxophone
- Frank Wess ~ flute (tracks 1, 2 and 4), tenor saxophone (track 5)
- Johnny “Hammond” Smith ~ organ (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 5)
- Mal Waldron (tracks 3 & 6) ~ piano
- Doug Watkins (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 5), Wendell Marshall (tracks 3 & 6) ~ bass
- Art Taylor (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 5), Ed Thigpen (tracks 3 & 6) ~ drums
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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager
For those of us who are still practicing our social distancing and wearing our masks, this week’s selection of the shelves is A Bluish Bag. It is an album by saxophonist Stanley Turrentine consisting of two sessions recorded for the Blue Note label in 1967. and arranged by Duke Pearson, the first featuring Donald Byrd and the second McCoy Tyner, among others.
The album recording consisting of two sessions, the first February 17th, (#1-7) and June 9th, (#8-12). It was produced by Alfred Lion, arranged by Duke Pearson and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Though recorded in 1967, it was not released until June 5, 2007, forty years later.
Tracks | 62:41
- Blues For Del (Stanley Turrentine) ~ 4:14
- She’s A Carioca ( Vinicius de Moraes, Ray Gilbert, Antônio Carlos Jobim) ~ 6:31
- Manhã de Carnaval (Luiz Bonfá, Antônio Maria) ~ 5:53
- Here’s That Rainy Day (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) ~ 5:32
- What Now My Love (Gilbert Bécaud, Pierre Delanoë, Carl Sigman) ~ 4:38
- Samba do Avião (Antônio Carlos Jobim) ~ 5:12
- Night Song (Lee Adams, Charles Strouse) ~ 6:33
- Days of Wine and Roses (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) ~ 6:05
- Come Back to Me (Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner) ~ 5:55
- Silver Tears (Henry Mancini) ~ 5:07
- A Bluish Bag (Henry Mancini) ~ 7:17
- With This Ring (Luther Dixon, Anthony Hester, Richard “Popcorn” Wylie) ~ 5:49
Players
Tracks 1-7
- Stanley Turrentine ~ tenor saxophone
- Donald Byrd ~ trumpet
- Julian Priester ~ trombone
- Jerry Dodgion – alto saxophone, flute, alto flute
- Joe Farrell – tenor saxophone, flute
- Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone, clarinet
- Kenny Barron – piano
- Bucky Pizzarelli – guitar
- Ron Carter – bass
- Mickey Roker – drums
Tracks 8-12
- Stanley Turrentine ~ tenor saxophone
- Blue Mitchell, Tommy Turrentine ~ trumpet
- Julian Priester ~ trombone
- Jerry Dodgion ~ alto saxophone, flute
- Al Gibbons ~ bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
- Pepper Adams ~ baritone saxophone, clarinet
- McCoy Tyner ~ piano
- Walter Booker ~ bass
- Mickey Roker ~ drums
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Three Wishes
Sonny Stitt replied to the inquiry made by Nica as to his three wishes:
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- “Peace among men.”
- “To play my music, and please everyone.”
- “And I want happiness. And nothing bad to happen to anyone – that’s my fourth and dearest wish.”
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Gerhard Rochus “Gerd” Dudek was born September 28, 1938 in Wrocław, Poland. He studied clarinet privately and attended music school in the 1950s before joining a big band led by his brother Ossi until 1958.
During the early 1960s, Dudek played in the Berliner Jazz Quintet, in Karl Blume’s group and in Kurt Edelhagen’s orchestra until 1965. He then became interested in free music and joined Manfred Schoof’s quintet. He took part in the first sessions of The Globe Unity Orchestra in 1966, and played with them at various times into the 1980s.
He also worked with many other European free musicians and composers, including Alexander von Schlippenbach, Loek Dikker and The Waterland Ensemble And European Jazz Quintet.
He is best known for his work with Manfred Schoof, Wolfgang Dauner, Lala Kovacev, the Globe Unity Orchestra, Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Albert Mangelsdorff, Don Cherry and George Russell. Tenor and soprano saxophonist, clarinetist and flautist Gerd Dudek continues to be involved in music.
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Requisites
Anniversary ~ Stan Getz | By Eddie Carter
There’s nothing I enjoy more than watching jazz music performed live. Since the pandemic, the next best thing is being transported to a particular location when listening to an album on the turntable. This morning’s album was recorded on July 6, 1987, at one of the best European jazz venues, Café Montmartre, and is titled Anniversary (The EmArcy Jazz Series 838 769-1) by Stan Getz. Stan had turned sixty earlier in the year, and he was celebrating year forty-four of his illustrious career. His sound on the tenor sax was warm, lyrical, and immediately identifiable and his resume of great musicians and vocalists he’s played and recorded with reads like the Encyclopedia Britannica of jazz. Getz played many times at Montmartre, and on this album, he’s joined by Kenny Barron on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums. The copy used in this report is a friend’s Phonogram France Stereo pressing by Polygram Classics.
Side One opens with an original tune by Johnny Mandel, El Cahon. The song’s title is an anagram for tenor man, Al Cohn, one of The Four Brothers in Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd. Stan starts with a brief solo introduction before moving the tempo upward for the first reading. Kenny offers some light-hearted entertainment on the next statement. Rufus plays just as imaginatively on the third solo and Victor shares the finale with Stan before the closing chorus. I Can’t Get Started by Ira Gershwin and Vernon Duke is a timeless evergreen from The Great American Songbook. Getz begins the song, not at the beginning, but the bridge with a haunting introduction and melody. He also performed the song this way in concert during the late eighties. The melody moves upward for Getz’s opening solo before ending with notes of voluptuous warmth. Drew embodies the spirit of the song on the closing chorus with a compelling performance complementing the gentle response of Reid and Lewis.
Side Two starts with a second staple in the Songbook, Stella By Starlight by Ned Washington, and Victor Young. The ensemble begins at a livelier tempo with Stan asserting his skill with a bright, lively, and cheerful melody and lead solo. Kenny comes in next for an exciting and intriguing reading. Rufus provides the next exquisite statement with an improvised bass line that’s undeniably attractive. Stan adds a few vigorous closing remarks ahead of the ending and the crowd’s approval. The closer is Stan’s Blues by Gigi Gryce allowing everyone a solo opportunity. The leader sets the tone with a relaxed attitude on the opening chorus. Reid is up first with a delightful reading that starts slowly but builds to a soulful climax. Getz blows with authority on the second statement. Drew compliments him with an air of assurance on the third reading, and Lewis gives a concise comment. Getz takes the ensemble into the finale, receiving an enthusiastic ovation from the Montmartre audience.
Anniversary was produced by Ib Skovgaard for broadcast on Denmark Radio and the man behind the dials is engineer, Johnnie Hjerting. The result of their efforts is a beautiful recording with a stunning soundstage. The record is silent until the music starts, and the listener is transported to the Café Montmartre audience to enjoy Stan Getz at his best. Two years after Anniversary was released, Getz passed away on June 6, 1991, at age sixty-four. Sadly, there was only one pressing of the LP and it may be hard to find (I know because I’m still looking for a copy). But should you come across it on your next vinyl search, it’s the perfect music to chill to after a long day or week or to enjoy during or after a romantic dinner with that special someone. If you’re a fan of Cool or Modal Jazz, Anniversary by Stan Getz is sure to please newcomers to his music as well as seasoned fans and is highly recommended for your library!
~ I Can’t Get Started, Stella By Starlight – Source: Discogs.com © 2021 by Edward Thomas Carter
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