Requisites

Night Flight To Dakar ~ Al Cohn, Billy Mitchell, Dolo Coker, Leroy Vinnegar, Frank Butler | By Eddie Carter

Submitted for your consideration this morning is the second of two albums recorded during The Xanadu All-Stars’ first tour in Senegal, West Africa.  Night Flight To Dakar (Xanadu Records 185) was released in 1982 after the first LP, Xanadu In Africa hit the stores a year earlier.  The personnel consists of Al Cohn and Billy Mitchell on tenor sax; Dolo Coker on piano; Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Frank Butler on drums.  My copy used in this report is the original release.  On the four quintet tunes, Cohn is heard on the left channel and Mitchell on the right channel.

The album opens with the title tune, Night Flight To Dakar was composed by Coker as a tribute to his bandmates and in honor of the ensemble’s trip to Africa.  It’s a tune the group has fun on with a vigorous beat by both horns in unison leading the trio on the melody.  Al opens with a scintillating groove of spirited wailing as refreshing as a cold drink on a hot summer day or evening.  Billy makes his point next with innovative energy on a superb statement.  Dolo digs into the finale with a tasty reading before the front line shares the final two choruses into the reprise and close.

Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying was written by Joe Greene in 1946 and showcases the trio in a gorgeous performance.  Dolo tenderly presents the melody and approaches the song’s only solo with delicate respect, sustained by Leroy and Frank’s gentle foundation.  It’s back to a blowing session for the quintet’s first side finale with an uptempo version of Blues Up and Down by tenor saxophonists Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt.  This jazz favorite was written in 1950, making its first appearance on a Prestige 78-rpm single and reissued a year later on the LP, Battle of The Saxes.

The song is charged with electricity from the opening notes of the melody.  Billy begins the fireworks with an exciting exhibition of musical virtuosity.  Cohn comes right on his heels with a blistering heatwave of his own.  Coker swings into a bouncy, happy groove on the next interpretation.  Vinnegar steps up next with a rousing chorus shadowed by Butler, then swings swiftly on the next five verses.  Butler makes a crisp contribution, exchanging the final statement with both saxes into a most satisfying conclusion.

Sweet Senegelese Brown by Billy Mitchell is dedicated to a woman from Georgia.  This song opens Side Two built on the chords of the 1925 standard, Sweet Georgia Brown by Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard, and Kenneth Casey.  Al and Billy provide the first two exemplary readings, but the showcase here belongs to Frank who has the longest solo at 5 ½ minutes.  It’s not a bad performance, but his readings on Blues Up and Down and The King are better in my opinion. Dolo and Leroy don’t solo themselves but provide the propulsive power on the opening and closing themes and behind both saxophonists.  The finale is by Count Basie and became a signature song for Illinois Jacquet.

The King is an uptempo cooker allowing everyone solo space and opens with a high-voltage melody collectively.  Billy soars first into a fiercely, heated lead solo, then Al attacks the next one with the quick motion of a whirlwind.  Dolo executes the next reading with rapid-fire agility, then Leroy takes a joyful excursion next.  Frank exchanges a few riffs with Al and Billy, taking the ensemble home on a high note.

Night Flight To Dakar was recorded by American engineer Paul Goodman and he delivers an album with good sound quality.  I say good because the one area that fails as you’re listening is when a musician is talking.  You can barely make out what anyone is saying until the very end of The King when one of the guys says Merci Beaucoup to the crowd.  That issue aside, the ensemble delivers a solid live performance with excellent musicianship and a soundstage from the instruments that’s good enough to provide excellent playback on any mid-fi or high-end audio system.  I’m intrigued enough to start looking for the first album Xanadu In Africa for a serious listen and enjoyed the music on Night Flight To Dakar enough to recommend it for fans of Al Cohn, Billy Mitchell, Dolo Coker, Leroy Vinnegar and Frank Butler.

~ Blues Up and Down, Battle of The Saxes (Prestige PRLP 107); Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’ (Prestige 877); Xanadu In Africa (Xanadu Records 180) – Source: Discogs.com ~ Sweet Senegelese Brown – Source: Album liner notes by Don Schlitten © 2020 by Edward Thomas Carter

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Billy Amstell was born on August 20, 1911 in London, England. At ten he played piano and at thirteen was teaching himself how to play the alto saxophone. He performed in Glasgow before moving to London in 1930, working with violinist Jack Harris.

During the next year, Billy recorded with Roy Fox and Spike Hughes and became a member of the Bert Ambrose Orchestra in which he played tenor saxophone. In the 1940s he worked for bandleader Geraldo and in the 1950s for the BBC Dance Orchestra, and in the 1960s while a studio musician he worked with George Chisholm.

The 1980s saw Amstell playing clarinet, releasing a solo album, Session After Midnight on the Zodiac label, and wrote his autobiography, Don’t Fuss, Mr. Ambrose. Saxophonist and clarinetist Billy Amstell, who continued to perform into his nineties, passed away on December 19,  2005 at the age of 94.

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DAily Dose Of Jazz…

Dennis Moss MBE, known as Danny in the professional world, was born on August 16, 1927 in Redhill, Surrey, England. The son of a toolmaker, his childhood was spent on the south coast, in the Brighton-Worthing area, where he attended Steyning Grammar School. At the age of thirteen, he saw a jazz band appear briefly in a Bowery Boys film, and was so inspired by the clarinet playing that he swapped his most valued possession, his ice skates, for a second-hand instrument of his own. He was self-taught on both this and the tenor saxophone, which he took up at school,

A spell of National Service at the age of eighteen saw Moss performing for three years in a Royal Air Force regional band. After leaving the forces he joined the Vic Lewis Orchestra, then moved around various bands, especially ones with the potential for a soloist. In 1952, he joined Ted Heath’s band, soon discovering novelty numbers and musical reproductions were limiting his skills as an improviser, and he left after three years.

In 1957 Moss joined John Dankworth’s orchestra. Here, with the band’s encouragement, he began to develop his characteristic saxophone sound. He left Dankworth’s band in 1962, and from here, he joined Humphrey Lyttelton’s group, continuing to hone his style for another two years. He formed his own quartet, playing a mix of club gigs, festival appearances and radio broadcasts for the BBC and continued to tour with this quartet throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He also playing and recording with high-profile singers like Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Sarah Vaughan, and Rosemary Clooney, and appearing with Buck Clayton in the mid-’60s and Louis Armstrong on his last British tour.

Diagnosed in 2005 with pleural mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Saxophonist Danny Moss passed away on May 28, 2008, aged 80.

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Three Wishes

Pannonica asked Steve Lacy what he would wish for if he was given three and he told her: 

1. 1. “The diversion of all war funds into an exploration of the potentialities of the mind.”

   2. “Universal comprehension of art.”

   3. “The end of fear.”

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

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Requisites

Blue Hour ~ Stanley Turrentine With The Three Sounds | By Eddie Carter 

In the hands of Stanley Turrentine, the tenor saxophone was an instrument of soulful creativity and immense power.  From his 1960 debut, Look Out to his biggest hit, Sugar in 1971, Turrentine’s credentials were second to none as a giant of Hard-Bop, Modal, and Soul-Jazz.  This morning’s choice from the library joins him with Gene Harris on piano; Andrew Simpkins on bass and Bill Dowdy on drums who were collectively known as The Three Sounds.  Blue Hour (BLP 4057/BST 84057) was released in 1961 and is the second record where The Three Sounds backed a saxophonist, the other is 1959’s LD + 3 with Lou Donaldson.  My copy used in this report is the 2015 Music Matters 33 1/3 Stereo audiophile reissue (MMBST-84057).  I Want A Little Girl, written by Murray Mencher and Billy Moll in 1930 starts Side One.  This infrequently heard ballad opens with an angelic introduction illustrating Harris’ attentiveness to the lyric and melody.  Stanley brings a beautifully expressive sound and delicate sincerity to the opening chorus, then adds a graceful sensitivity to his solo.  Gene’s interlude is brief but lovely and the closing by the quartet is captivating.

Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You was written in 1929 by Don Redman and Andy Razaf.  Its first recording was by The King Cole Trio in 1943 and a year later, it became a hit for Nat King Cole and a jazz standard with numerous recordings to its credit.  The Three Sounds provide a respectful treatment with a pensive introduction, allowing Turrentine to deliver the evocative theme with warm and affectionate feelings.  The saxophonist also weaves a reverent spell of subtle lyricism on the opening solo.  Harris is up next for the closer with a thoughtfully tender interpretation that speaks to the soul.  The only original on the album ends the first side, Gene Harris’ Blue Riff takes the tempo to a medium beat during the first statement moving with a finger-popping, toe-tapping groove.  The threesome states the melody, then Stanley takes over for a jubilant solo of vivacious spontaneity.  Gene takes the next turn for a bouncy, bright presentation with a youthful spirit.  Stanley returns for a few final compulsive choruses before the pianist takes the threesome into the fade-out.

Since I Fell For You by Buddy Johnson opens Side Two.  He composed both the music and lyrics, introducing it in 1945 with his sister Ella on vocals.  The Three Sounds start the song with a stylishly soft, slow-paced introduction as natural as if it was written for this quartet exclusively.  This segues into a soothing opening melody by Turrentine who solos twice, putting his stamp on both interpretations displaying tranquil restraint on the first and closing statements.  Harris contributes a tender reading that’s lovingly stated, anchored by Simpkins and Dowdy’s voluptuous foundation.  Willow Weep For Me, written by Ann Ronell in 1932 begins with the exquisitely mellow tone of Stanley’s tenor sax having an intimate conversation with the rhythm section on the opening chorus.  Gene’s first solo is elegant and laid-back, revealing its true beauty with gorgeous verses preceding an alluring climax.  Stanley’s closing performance is soulful and bluesy like a leisurely walk on a warm summer evening with the trio proving the ideal companion to take the tune into a luscious coda.

Gene Harris, who was known for his gospel jazz style formed The Three Sounds in 1956 with Andy Simpkins and Bill Dowdy.  The group became a hit with the public and when Blue Hour was recorded, the trio was amid a four-year run (1958-1962) recording a total of twelve albums for Blue Note including four in 1960 alone.  The other three are Feelin’ Good, It Just Got To Be, and Moods.  I believe that’s why Alfred Lion didn’t release the additional eight songs of this session on another album.  The Three Sounds’ were together until 1970 when Harris left to embark on a successful solo career.  Stanley Turrentine was a veteran of the Soul-Jazz style since the fifties and he recorded a total of seventeen LP’s for the label as a leader, plus several as a sideman with Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, Jimmy McGriff, Ike Quebec, Horace Parlan, Duke Pearson, Shirley Scott (who he was married to at the time), Jimmy Smith, and Art Taylor.

In his liner notes, noted author, jazz historian and journalist Ira Gitler offers one definition of the Blue Hour as that early morning time “when you reach across the pillow where your Baby used to lay” and find him (or her) not there.  The sound quality is stunning, the remastering of Rudy Van Gelder’s original tapes by RTI Record Technology Incorporated is superb and the gatefold photos of each musician during the session compliments the music marvelously.  This record is nearly thirty-nine minutes of enjoyable jazz by Stanley Turrentine and The Three Sounds that adds weight to any jazz library.  It’s well worth auditioning for a spot in your library and an LP that’s perfect to enjoy any time of the day, evening, or early morning during the Blue Hour.

~ Feelin’ Good (Blue Note BLP 4072/BST 84072); Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You (Capitol 169); It Just Got To Be (Blue Note BLP 4120/BST 84120); LD + 3 (Blue Note BLP 4012/BST 84012); Look Out (Blue Note BLP 4039/BST 84039); Moods (Blue Note BLP 4044/BST 84044); Sugar (CTI Records CTI 6005) – Source: Discogs.com

~ I Want A Little Girl, Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You, Since I Fell For You, Willow Weep For Me – Source: Wikipedia.org

© 2020 by Edward Thomas Carter

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