Requisites

Together Again!!!! ~ Teddy Edwards and Howard McGhee | By Eddie Carter

Teddy Edwards and Howard McGhee enter this morning’s spotlight with their excellent 1961 collaboration, Together Again!!!! (Contemporary Records M3588/S7588). The tenor saxophonist and trumpeter initially worked together from 1945 to 1947 when Edwards was a member of McGhee’s sextet. It’s their second collaboration since the Bebop era, but the first time the duo recorded together. The supporting cast is a magical rhythm section: Phineas Newborn Jr. on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums. My copy is the 1975 U.S. Stereo reissue, sharing the original catalog number.

The album opener is the title track, Together Again, by Teddy Edwards. The quintet begins the melody harmonizing in perfect agreement. Howard takes the wheel and cruises leisurely on the opening statement. Teddy wails with a vibrant voice in the following solo. Phineas heightens the excitement with an impressive reading; then Ray adds a brisk footnote leading to the theme’s return and summation. McGhee introduces You Stepped Out Of A Dream by Nacio Herb Brown and Gus Kahn on the muted trumpet. He showcases the horn’s warm, lyrical tone in a lighthearted setting during two solos. In between them, Edwards gives a charming reading that bounces along over the rhythm section.

Up There by Ray Brown opens briskly from the pianist’s introduction, which evolves into the ensemble’s aggressive theme. Teddy tackles the first solo with fleet agility, and then Howard flies swiftly in the second statement. Phineas swings with a vengeance until the group’s theme restatement and abrupt finish. Side Two begins with Perhaps by Charlie Parker, featuring McGhee on muted trumpet during the opening and closing chorus. Edwards builds the opening solo exquisitely. Newborn follows with an exceptional interpretation. McGhee opens the horn for a passionately nimble reading, and Ray delivers the exclamation point into the group’s exit.

Teddy and the trio have the honors next on Misty by Erroll Garner and Johnny Burke. The quartet starts with a bass and piano duet. Teddy and Ed join them for the song’s very pretty melody. Edwards is the song’s only soloist and delivers an intimately personal interpretation that, to these ears, is one of the album’s highlights. Sandy by Howard McGhee begins with the quintet’s energetic theme. Howard is off to a rousing start on the lead solo. Edwards follows him with a reading of confident assurance. Newborn goes for the jugular next with vigorous enthusiasm. Brown wraps up the solos with dazzling bass lines preceding the quintet’s return to take the song out.

Lester Koenig produced Together Again!!!!, and Roy DuNann was the recording engineer. The reissue sounds great and possesses a vibrant soundstage, allowing the musicians to emerge from your speakers into your listening room with superb fidelity! Throughout the album, the quintet demonstrates how good West Coast jazz could sound in the right hands. The music is great from start to finish, and the musicians complement each other skillfully. If you’re a fan of Cool Jazz or Post Bop, I invite you to consider Together Again!!!! by Teddy Edwards and Howard McGhee on your next record-shopping trip. It offers the opportunity to appreciate two jazz giants who, after an absence of sixteen years, prove that great music doesn’t have an expiration date and can provide listening pleasure endlessly!

~ You Stepped Out of a Dream, Misty – Source: JazzStandards.com
~ Perhaps – Source: Wikipedia.org 
© 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter

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CARLA COOK

Carla Cook – vocals | Jeremy Pelt – trumpet | Vincent Herring – alto saxophone | Eric Reed – piano | tba – bass | Joe Farnsworth – drums

When Carla Cook sings, she swings. The Washington Post says, “She has sass that enlivens her impeccable diction, and tremendous soul that lets her swagger with gutbucket finesse, but it’s all buttressed with sparkling optimism and innocence.” Her improvisational style is steeped in the swing tradition yet eclectic and brimming with fresh interpretations.

Cook will be joined by Smoke’s Coltrane Festival “Countdown 2024” band, the Eric Reed/Vincent Herring Quintet featuring Jeremy Pelt, and Smoke’s Coltrane Festival “Countdown 2024” core ensemble. JazzTimes reports, “Pelt is a technical marvel. He executes intricate solos with ease, plays gorgeous ballads in a tasteful manner, and never lacks flair or sensitivity.” Audiophile Audition adds he has “the power and range of Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard in their seminal years.”

The group is co-led by the perpetually swinging Eric Reed, who All About Jazz says “has fully established himself in the forefront of jazz pianists,” and the fiery Herring who “has firmly established himself as one of his generation’s masters,” adds The New York City Jazz Record. It also includes one of the elite musicians working today, drummer Joe Farnsworth.

7PM Show Details: Your $250 ticket (plus tax & tip) includes a 3-course holiday dinner

9:30PM Show Details: Your $350 ticket (plus tax & tip) includes a 3-course holiday dinner, two shows, a midnight celebration, hats & noise makers

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MILESTONES

Jeremy Pelt – trumpet | Vincent Herring – alto saxophone | Wayne Escoffery – tenor saxophone | Eric Reed – piano Buster Williams – bass | Al Foster – drums

The two nights before New Year’s Eve are dedicated to Countdown Festival Sextet III, which includes two more special guests who also happen to be two of the all-time greats: Bassist Buster Williams and drummer Al Foster. These two masters join esteemed co-musical directors Eric Reed and Vincent Herring along with the powerful duo of trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and saxophonist Wayne Escoffery. It is a stunning group to close out the year, to say the least. The Guardian calls Williams “one of the great acoustic bassists,” and JazzTimes adds, “Williams’ résumé ranks with that of any bassist in the modern era.” JazzTimes also says that Al Foster—well-known for his work with Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, and many more—“is a not-so-secret special groove ingredient enlivening performances and sessions by a long list of heavy hitters,”

~ Please Note: All 7PM and 9PM shows at Smoke are Dinner Shows

~ Friday & Saturday Shows Only: 10:30pm

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THE CATS

 George Coleman – tenor saxophone | Peter Bernstein – guitar | Emmet Cohen – piano | John Webber– bass | Joe Farnsworth – drums

Smoke’s annual year-ending festival celebrating the music of John Coltrane, Countdown 2024, gets off to an auspicious start with the one and only George Coleman leading an exceptional quintet. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Coleman is still making some of the most inspired music of his celebrated career, including work with B.B. King, Miles Davis, and Herbie Hancock, among many others.

*Please Note: All 7PM and 9PM shows at Smoke are Dinner Shows

Friday And Saturday Only: 10:30pm Added

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Cory Weeds was born and raised in Burnaby, British Columbia on December 5, 1975. His interest in jazz began in secondary school, and then chose to pursue his post-secondary education by attending Capilano University and the University of North Texas.

>At the age of 26, Weeds purchased a jazz club which would become the Cellar Jazz Club. The venue was selected by DownBeat named Cellar to its list of the world’s greatest jazz clubs. Thirteen years later in 2014 the Cellar Jazz Club shuttered its doors.

Remaining vital in the jazz community of Vancouver, British Columbia he books musicians at Frankie’s Jazz Club and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby.

In 2023, Cellar Music Group was awarded their first Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. The Grammy was awarded to Steven Feifke and Bijon Watson’s Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra for their album Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra.

Weeds has performed alongside musicians including Christian McBride, Joey DeFrancesco, Peter Bernstein, Eric Alexander, Mike LeDonne, and Joe Farnsworth.

Alto and tenor saxophonist and impresario Cory Weeds, who is the founder and owner of the Cellar Music Group record label, continues to perform and record.

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