Requisites
Cliff Craft~Cliff Jordan | By Eddie Carter
Submitted for your approval to begin this morning’s discussion is a pleasant album that was loaned to me to audition by tenor saxophonist, Cliff Jordan. Cliff Craft (BLP 1582) is the third and final album the Chicagoan would record for Blue Note following his debut with tenor man John Gilmore, Blowin’ In From Chicago, and his self-titled album, Cliff Jordan, all three were released in 1957. My copy used in this report is the 2011 Music Matters 45-rpm Stereo audiophile reissue (MMBST-81582)! The first true Stereo reissue of Cliff Craft was discovered in Blue Note’s vaults, thanks to a master tape Rudy Van Gelder made that was released by Classic Records in 1999.
Backing him on this LP is one of my favorite musicians, Art Farmer on trumpet; alongside Sonny Clark on piano; George Tucker on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. Record One begins with Laconia, Jordan’s middle name starts with a Latin flavor on the melody that’s sheer magic. Art solos first, delivering an expressive opening solo reminiscent of Miles Davis’ sound on Round About Midnight, also released in 1957. Sonny takes the next interpretation with youthful energy as smooth as velvet; Cliff closes with a mellow tone on the final performance that’s vividly imaginative and right on the beat.
Soul-Lo Blues, the second Jordan tune occupies Side Two and starts with an impressive bass line by Tucker who’s joined briefly by Clark, then the ensemble on the main theme. Jordan shows his prowess on the first statement with an illuminating exploration that strives forward at a smooth flow. Farmer mesmerizes with impeccable chops on the second easy-going interpretation. Clark continues this bluesy adventure, swinging comfortably on the third reading, inspiring Tucker who makes a significant contribution on the closer with a relaxed delivery before a splendid closing chorus by the ensemble.
Record Two opens with the title tune, Cliff Craft by the saxophonist comes out the gate quickly with a rapid introduction and melody. Cliff takes off first with a strong performance that fuels the rhythm section with a rocking beat. Art follows with a dazzling presentation of passionate exhilaration on the next solo. Sonny responds to the previous statements with radiant verses that follow one another with confident assurance. Louis shines last in an engaging conversation with Farmer and Jordan ahead of the finale.
Up next is Confirmation by Charlie Parker that opens with Sonny playing a few bars before the quintet’s vivacious delivery of the melody. Jordan is up first with a lead solo that shows the joy in his playing and that his music comes from the heart. Farmer puts some fresh clothes on this bebop anthem with a soulful tone, then Clark instills the third interpretation with energetic exuberance supported by the solid supplement of Tucker and Hayes. The drummer gives the final statement a spirited workout illustrating his impeccable sense of time while trading choruses with Farmer and Jordan before the out-chorus and concise punctuation by Tucker at the song’s climax.
The final side starts with Sophisticated Lady by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, and Mitchell Parish. The 1933 standard is a quartet performance handled with tender finesse by Jordan, Clark, Tucker, and Hayes. Cliff opens with a smoky, sultry reading, then Sonny follows with a regal interpretation that’s delicately gentle. George culminates the statements with a tender touch of elegance, and Louis binds the song together with compassionate timekeeping into a pretty coda.
Anthropology by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie was composed in 1945 and originally titled, Thriving From a Riff. The ensemble is firing on all cylinders for this brisk swinger; both horns fire the first shot beginning the introduction and opening chorus. Farmer takes charge first with a prodigious performance that sets the tone. Jordan is up next with a sprightly reading, then comes Clark who’s bright, lively, and cheerful on the third solo. The front line returns to exchange a few choruses with Hayes who makes the perfect comment into the out-chorus. The quality and care that go into the MMJ reissues are well-known among jazz lovers and audiophiles.
There’s the excellent remastering of Rudy Van Gelder’s analog tapes utilizing 180-gram Virgin Vinyl. Also, the high-quality of the gatefold covers and superb photography inside the gatefold could hang on the wall in your listening room. The music on Cliff Craft is exquisitely recorded with a sensational soundstage that one could listen to repeatedly. If you’re a fan of tenor sax, Hard-Bop, or in the mood for an album perfect for late-night listening, I submit for your consideration Cliff Craft by Cliff Jordan. It’s a solid record that’s capable of smoothing the rough edges from your day and enjoy with your favorite drink!
~ Blowin’ In From Chicago (Blue Note BLP 1547); Cliff Craft (BST 81582); Cliff Jordan (BLP 1565); Round About Midnight (Columbia CL 949) – Source: Discogs.com ~Confirmation, Sophisticated Lady, Anthropology – Source: JazzStandards.com ~© 2020 by Edward Thomas Carter Synopsis
Cliff Craft is an album by American jazz saxophonist Clifford Jordan featuring performances recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey on November 10, 1957 and released on the Blue Note label. Track Listing | 43:18
- Laconia ~ 7:06
- Soul-Lo Blues ~ 8:29
- Cliff Craft ~ 6:30
- Confirmation (Charlie Parker) ~ 7:34
- Sophisticated Lady (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Mitchell Parish) ~ 6:46
- Anthropology (Dizzy Gillespie, Parker) ~ 7:03
- Clifford Jordan – tenor saxophone
- Art Farmer – trumpet (tracks 1-4 & 6)
- Sonny Clark – piano
- George Tucker – bass
- Louis Hayes – drums
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Glenn Gray Knoblauch was born on June 7, 1900 in Metamora, Illinois. Known professionally as Glen Gray, his father was a saloon keeper and railroad worker who died when he was two years of age. Along with an older sister, his widowed mother remarried a coal miner and moved her family to Roanoke. He went on to graduate from Roanoke High School, in 1917 where he played basketball and acquired his nickname, Spike.
Glen attended the American Conservatory of Music in 1921 but left during his first year to go to Peoria, Illinois, to play with George Haschert’s orchestra. From 1924 to 1929, he played with several orchestras in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1956, he went back into the studio to record the first of what became a series of LPs for Capitol Records, which recreated the sounds of the big band era in stereo. Casa Loma in Hi-Fi was the result, with 14 high-fidelity recordings.
Swing saxophonist Glen Gray passed away from lymphoma on August 23, 1963 in Plymouth, Massachusetts aged 63.
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Grant Stewart was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on June 4, 1971. His father was a part-time jazz guitarist and at age ten, he played alto saxophone solos from saxophonists Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, and Wardell Gray that had been transcribed by his father. In his early teens, he was gaining experience with such artists as Pat LaBarbera and Bob Mover. By 18 he was leading a quartet in Toronto and had a regular gig at C’est What café and pub.
A move to New York City when he was 19 saw Grant working with guitarist Peter Bernstein and saxophonist Jesse Davis. He then began playing at Smalls Jazz Club from when it opened in 1993. His younger brother, Philip, has been his drummer since 2005.
For his 2007 recording Young at Heart, Stewart chose some challenging compositions, including by Elmo Hope and Neal Hefti, as well as originals. On Around the Corner in 2010, Stewart also played soprano sax.
Saxophonist Grant Stewart continues to play steady swinging hard bop, with a current catalog of seventeen albums as a leader and has recorded with Ehud Asherie and John Swana.
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Aubrey Frank was born on June 3, 1921 in London, England. He started playing alto saxophone at fourteen, then switched to tenor the following year. HIs first gig was with Jack Harris, then joined the RAF but continued playing with Ambrose, Johnny Claes, Geraldo, Lew Stone, and George Evans. He was in the first Ted Heath band and the RAF Fighter Command Band. During World War II he played with Sam Donahue and Glenn Miller.
Leaving the RAF, he continued to work with Ambrose until 1947, as well as the Skyrockets and the Squadronnaires. From 1949 to 1954 a member of Jack Nathan’s band alongside Ronnie Scott and Harry Klein. He freelanced and became a staple on early British bebop dates where his adaptability allowed him to play in any type of band, from Dixieland to modern jazz.
He recorded with the George Shearing Sextet, Harry Hayes, Alan Dean All-Star Sextet and had a long career regarded as a first-class session musician but was a jazzman at heart. With the advent of bop, his style changed little, leading the Aubrey Frank Modern Music Sextet consisting of Hank Shaw or Wyatt Forbes, Harry Klein, Andy Denits, Stan Wasser, and Douggie Cooper. Tenor saxophonist Aubrey Frank passed away on his seventy-second birthday in 1993.
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Toby Hardwicke was born Otto James Hardwicke on May 31, 1904 in Washington, D.C., and started on string bass at the age of 14, then moved to C melody saxophone and finally settled on alto saxophone. A childhood friend of Duke Ellington, he joined Ellington’s first D.C. band in 1919. He also worked for banjoist Elmer Snowden at Murray’s Casino.
In 1923, Ellington, Hardwick, Snowden, trumpeter Arthur Whetsol, and drummer Sonny Greer had success as the Washingtonians in New York City. After a disagreement over money, Snowden was forced out of the band and Duke Ellington was elected as the new leader. Booked at a Times Square nightspot called the Kentucky Club for three years, they met Irving Mills, who produced and published Ellington’s music.
Otto left the Duke Ellington band in 1928 to visit Europe, where he played with Noble Sissle, Sidney Bechet and Nekka Shaw’s Orchestra, and led his own orchestra before returning to New York City in 1929. He went on to have a brief stint with Chick Webb that year, then led his own band at the Hot Feet Club, with Fats Waller leading the rhythm section in 1930. He led a group at Small’s before rejoining Duke Ellington in the spring of 1932, following a brief stint with Elmer Snowden.
He played lead alto on most Ellington numbers from 1932 to 1946 and was a soloist on Black and Tan Fantasy, In a Sentimental Mood and Sophisticated Lady. Hardwick, with his creamy tone, was almost always the lead alto in the reed section of the Ellington orchestra except in some situations where Ellington required the more cutting tone of Johnny Hodges’ alto to set the tone of the ensemble. He left the band in 1946 over a disagreement with Ellington about his girlfriend, freelanced for a short time in the following year, and then retired from music.
>Occasionally doubling on violin and string bass in the Twenties, alto saxophonist Toby Hardwicke who also played clarinet and bass, baritone, and soprano saxes, passed away on August 5, 1970.
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