Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Kamil Běhounek was born on March 29, 1916 in Blatná, Czech Republic and was an autodidact on accordion, having learned to play by imitating recordings and BBC broadcasts. While studying law in Prague he began performing in clubs and recorded his first solo accordion date in 1936. By the late 1930s, he was working with the Blue Music Orchestra, Rudolf Antonin Dvorsky, Jiří Traxler, and Karel Vlach.
In 1943, he was forcibly compelled by the Nazis to go to Berlin and make arrangements for the bands of Lutz Templin and Ernst van’t Hoff. Upon returning to Czechoslovakia in 1945, he used some of these arrangements for his own band, then returned to Germany the following year, where he continued arranging for bandleaders such as Adalbert Luczkowski, Willy Berking, Heinz Schönberger, and Werner Müller.
He played with his own ensemble, including in Bonn, Germany and after 1948 he performed in West Germany at American soldiers’ clubs. Between 1968 and 1977 he recorded several albums of folk music but continued to play swing with his own groups. He also wrote an autobiography, Má láska je jazz (Jazz is my Love), which was published posthumously in 1986.
Bohemian accordionist, bandleader, arranger, composer, and film scorer Kamil Běhounek, who occasionally played tenor saxophone, passed away on November 22, 1983 in Bonn, Germany.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
William Barron, Jr. was born on March 27, 1927 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he spent his formative years. Moving to New York City in 1958 and came to the jazz world’s attention when he first appeared on a Cecil Taylor recording in 1959, later recorded extensively with Philly Joe Jones, after which he co-led a fine post-bop quartet with Ted Curson.
His younger brother, pianist Kenny appeared on all of the sessions that the elder Barron led. Other musicians he recorded with included Charles Mingus and Ollie Shearer.
Barron spent much of the remainder of his career as an educator, directing a jazz workshop at the Children’s Museum in Brooklyn, teaching at City College of New York, and becoming the chairman of the music department at Wesleyan University.
His day job made it possible for him to consistently record non-commercial music for Savoy, recording that label’s last jazz record in 1972, and Dauntless and Muse. The Bill Barron Collection is housed at the Institute of Jazz Studies of the Rutgers University Libraries,
Tenor and soprano saxophonist William Barron Jr., who never compromised his music or received much recognition, passed away in Middletown, Connecticut on September 21, 1989.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Andy Raphael Thomas Hamilton, MBE was born March 26, 1918 in Port Maria, Jamaica, and learned to play saxophone on a bamboo instrument. He formed his first band in 1928 with friends who were influenced by American musicians such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie and by the Kingston-based bands of Redver Cook and Roy Coburn.
While in the U.S. he worked as a cook and farm laborer but also held short jazz residencies in Buffalo and Syracuse, New York. Returning to Jamaica, he worked as musical arranger for Errol Flynn at his hotel The Titchfield, and on his yacht the Zaka.
Hamilton emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1949 as a stowaway and eventually lived in Birmingham and worked in a factory, while at night he played jazz with his own group, the Blue Notes formed with fellow Jamaican pianist Sam Brown in 1953. He would go on to play local gigs, promote numerous Jamaican bands like Steel Pulse, and established a regular weekly venue in Bearwood, inviting visiting musicians such as Joe Newman, Al Casey, Teddy Edwards, Art Farmer, Harry Sweets Edison, and David Murray.
In 1988 EndBoards Production produced a documentary called Silver Shine about Andy Hamilton’s migration to the UK and the hurdles experienced in growing his music career, the changing musical taste of Windrush generation and their descendants. The documentary features Andy’s Band the Blue Notes with lead vocalist Ann Scott; his first youth band The Blue Pearls, Tony Sykes, Millicent Stephenson, his children Graeme and Mark.
Having recovered from a diabetic coma in 1986, he celebrated his 70th birthday in 1988 playing at his regular venue, The Bear, performed at the Soho Jazz Festival, and in 1991 at the age of 73, Hamilton made his first-ever recording with Nick Gold, Silvershine on World Circuit Records. It became the biggest selling UK Jazz Album of the Year, The Times Jazz Album of the Year, and one of the 50 Sony Recordings of the Year. It was followed two years later by Jamaica at Night, which led to Caribbean and European concerts and national tours. Playing regularly until his death, his 90th birthday concert featured Courtney Pine, Sonny Bradshaw, Myrna Hague, Lekan Babalola, Nana Tsiboe, son Mark and The Notebenders.
Saxophonist Andy Hamilton, appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours among other awards, continued to play, teach and promote music even as he approached his 94th birthday, passing away peacefully on June 3, 2012.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Harry Hayes was born Henry Richard Hayes in Marylebone in the West End of London, England on March 23, 1909, a bookmaker’s son. Winning a scholarship to his local grammar school, he was given a soprano saxophone by his father when he was 11 and by age 16, made his professional debut as an alto player at the Regent dance hall in Brighton. He was soon playing at London’s Kit Kat Club and the Piccadilly hotel. In 1927, he joined Elizalde at the Savoy, working alongside Americans like saxophonists Adrian Rollini, Fud Livingstone and Bobby Davis, trumpeter Chelsea Quealey, and pianist Jack Russin.
He became highly successful during the big band era of popular music that dominated by radio and bands playing London hotels and clubs. The late 1920s through the 30s, Hayes worked with musicians and bands such as Sydney Kyte at Ciro’s Club, pianist Billy Mason at the Cafe de Paris, Spike Hughes’s Orchestra at the Empress Rooms, Leslie “Hutch” Hutchinson, and Maurice Winnick at the Carlton, with Harry Roy at the Mayfair and with Sydney Lipton at the Grosvenor House. In 1932, he was featured in the band that accompanied Louis Armstrong’s first British tour.
Called up in 1940, Hayes served in the Welsh Guards band but continued to perform with others. After his discharge in 1944, he formed an eight-piece band, which went on to record sessions for HMV at Abbey Road featuring some of the best players of the day including Harry Roche, Norman Stenfalt, a young George Shearing and tenor saxophone Tommy Whittle. He played with Benny Carter, and appeared in a London Jazz At The Philharmonic concert with Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Lester Young.
By 1947, Hayes was playing Charlie Parker bebop, and opening his first music shop in Shaftesbury Avenue. He was also active as a music teacher. While working with Kenny Baker in the 1950s, he led his own band at various London nightspots. Retiring from regular playing in 1965, he continued to run his shops until 1985. He was granted the freedom of the City of London in 1988 nd his last performance was at the Birmingham international jazz festival in 1992. Saxophonist and shopkeeper Harry Hayes passed away at the age of 92 on March 17, 2002.
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Requisites
Coltrane’s Sound is an album credited to jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1964 on Atlantic Records, catalog SD 1419. It was recorded at Atlantic Studios during the sessions for My Favorite Things, assembled after Coltrane had stopped recording for the label and was under contract to Impulse! Records. Like Prestige and Blue Note Records before them, as Coltrane’s fame grew during the 1960s Atlantic used unissued recordings, releasing them without either Coltrane’s input or approval.
Track Listing | 38:18 ~ Original Recording / 50:33 CD Reissue *All compositions are by John Coltrane except where mentioned
- The Night Has A Thousand Eyes ~ Buddy Bernier, Jerry Brainin ~ 6:51
- Central Park West ~ 4:16
- Liberia ~ 6:53
- Body and Soul ~ Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton, Johnny Green ~ 5:40
- Equinox ~ 8:39
- Satellite ~ 5:59
- John Coltrane ~ tenor saxophone except for soprano Central Park West
- McCoy Tyner ~ piano
- Steve Davis ~ bass
- Elvin Jones ~ drums
- Nesuhi Ertegün ~ production
- Tom Dowd ~ engineering
- Marvin Israel ~ photography
- Ralph J. Gleason ~ liner notes
Fans of Modern Jazz know that John William Coltrane was in a league of his own as a bandleader, composer, soprano and tenor saxophonist, making some of his most substantial contributions to the music genre recording for Atlantic, Impulse and Prestige. The album up for discussion is Coltrane’s Sound (Atlantic 1419), originally recorded in 1960 at the same session that also gave the jazz world, My Favorite Things. This album was released in 1964, three years into Coltrane’s contract with Impulse Records, capitalizing on his increasing popularity during the first half of the sixties. Though criminally underrated, it’s an outstanding program of two timeless evergreens and four original tunes that Coltrane demonstrates are just as enjoyable as the standards. This album in my opinion also helps solidify his place as one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century. Completing the quartet are McCoy Tyner on piano, Steve Davis on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. My copy used in this report is the 2010 Rhino Records US Stereo Audiophile Reissue (SD 1419–R1 1419).
Side One opens with a sparkling rendition of The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, written in 1948 by Jerry Brainin and Buddy Bernier. This jazz and pop standard made its introduction in the film noir crime drama Night Has a Thousand Eyes, released that year. The movie was based on the 1945 novel by author Cornell Woolrich. The song is one of the most popular standards in The Great American Songbook and has been recorded numerous times as a vocal and instrumental. Sometimes played and sung sublimely, the quartet offers a lively theme treatment that’s inspiring. John starts the soloing charging out the gate with a vigorous performance. McCoy heats up the closing reading with exuberant enthusiasm into the coda. Trane turns to the soprano sax for Central Park West, the first of four tunes by the leader. It opens with an alluring introduction and ends with an equally tender melody led by John who also expresses gentle feelings on the opening statement with a soft timbre. The song’s final solo by McCoy is an intimately polite presentation anchored by the affectionate infrastructure of Steve and Elvin.
The first side wraps up with Coltrane’s Liberia, returning the foursome to an uptempo beat with a sprightly theme treatment in unison. John takes the opening statement, gradually building each verse efficiently into a passionate climax. Tyner displays his strong chops on a short closing solo that’s stunning into Trane’s reappearance for the finale. The ageless classic Body and Soul begins the second side with a midtempo rendition by the quartet. It was written in 1930 by Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour. The most famous instrumental version was made in 1939 by Coleman Hawkins for Bluebird and it’s one of the most recorded standards in the history of music. The trio led by McCoy’s cheerful piano introduces this chestnut and John provides a succulent treat of what’s in store on the opening melody and heightens the mood on the lead solo. McCoy flavors the next reading with a joyful swing to the infectious beat, then Coltrane makes a final statement that’s brief, but clever leading to the blissful conclusion.
Up next is Equinox, a slow tempo blues by John that was named by his first wife, Naima. The equinox occurs twice a year, the first one around March 21st and the second by September 23rd. It’s the point when the sun crosses the equator with day and night, everywhere on earth approximately at an equal length. The rhythm section opens the song sensuously into Trane’s elegantly tender opening chorus and passionate solo. Tyner concludes the readings with a delicately gentle performance over the soothing support of Davis’ bass and Jones’ elegant timekeeping. Coltrane’s Satellite, the album finale is a trio performance following in the footsteps of Sonny Rollins’ trio LP’s with just the bass and drums providing the power behind him. This tune is a jubilant joyride with John blowing fire on the theme and excitingly fierce solo. Steve dazzles with feisty exuberance and Elvin brings the heat with aggressive brushwork behind John’s reprising the theme into the climax.
The man behind the dials of the original recording was one of the best engineers in the business, Tom Dowd and Nesuhi Ertegün supervised the album’s production. Bernie Grundman cut the lacquers from the original analog masters, utilizing premium 180-gram audiophile vinyl by RTI (Record Technology Incorporated). The sound quality of Mr. Dowd’s work has been beautifully remastered and is amazing throughout the treble, midrange and bass spectrum with a very revealing soundstage for the instruments placing the listener’s favorite chair in the center of the studio alongside the musicians. If you’re in the mood for an album of Hard-Bop and Modal Jazz, I invite you to audition Coltrane’s Sound by John Coltrane. It’s a great LP that makes a profound statement to a legendary jazz giant and a title that should not only appease and delight the serious jazz aficionado but the first-time listener as well! See you next month and Happy Listening Gang!
~ Body and Soul (Bluebird B-10523-A); My Favorite Things (Atlantic 1361/SD 1361) – Source: Discogs.com
~ The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, Body and Soul – Source: JazzStandards.com
~ Equinox – Source: The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, Wikipedia.org
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