Requisites
Amsterdam After Dark ~ George Coleman | By Eddie Carter
George Coleman enters this morning’s spotlight with an excellent 1979 quartet album, Amsterdam After Dark (Timeless SJP 129). I first heard him playing alto on Houseparty and The Sermon. I later discovered he also played tenor and enjoyed his work on Eastern Rebellion, ‘Four’ and More, Maiden Voyage, Miles Davis In Europe, My Funny Valentine and Seven Steps To Heaven. This morning’s album from the library was his debut as a leader, and he composed four of the tunes. He’s joined on this date by The Hilton Ruiz Trio. Hilton Ruiz on piano and Eastern Rebellion colleagues Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. My copy is the original Netherlands Stereo release.
Side One opens with the trio’s introduction to the title tune, Amsterdam After Dark. George takes over and starts the fire burning on the song’s infectious melody and opening solo. Hilton sinks his teeth into the second reading, and then Sam speaks confidently, preceding the tenor’s joyful vitality in the closing chorus. Hilton Ruiz’s New Arrival picks up the quartet’s pace in an engaging opening chorus. Coleman takes flight first and builds a perfectly crafted interpretation effectively. Ruiz comes on next and is shown to great advantage in the closing statement ahead of the theme’s reprise and fadeout.
Lo-Joe is a feisty original that opens with an airy statement of the theme. George gets things going with a passionate first solo, followed by Hilton, who suggests a happy mood in the second statement. Billy’s brushwork in the closing statement swings very nicely into the foursome’s ending theme and exit. Autumn In New York by Vernon Duke is the album’s only standard. The quartet dresses up this old favorite with an intimately tender introduction and melody. Coleman’s opening statement is reflective and quite beautiful. Ruiz takes a moment for an elegantly exquisite comment leading to the leader’s delicately pretty ending.
Apache Dance is an impressive tune from the opening notes of the two-instrument conversation with tenor sax and drums, leading to a quick run of the ensemble’s theme. George unravels a lot of twists and turns in the first solo. Hilton comes right behind him, keeping his foot on the gas. Billy delivers the song’s final solo until the group reappears to take it out. Blondie’s Waltz begins with the quartet establishing an optimistic melody. Coleman starts things off with a beautifully phrased statement. Ruiz jumps in next to move things along in a lively interpretation. Higgins adds to the fun with a short spot until Coleman’s reappearance for the finale.
Wim Wigt produced Amsterdam After Dark. Bob De Caro and Jim McCurdy were the recording engineers. The album has an exceptional soundstage that comes through your speakers convincingly. If you close your eyes, it’s like the musicians are playing right in front of you. George Coleman is on fire throughout each selection, and the trio compliments him efficiently. At 88 years old, he’s showing no signs of slowing down and is still performing for jazz fans. I’ve caught a few of his performances at Smalls via their nightly streams. If you only have albums with George Coleman as a sideman, I invite you to take a trip to visit Amsterdam After Dark. It’s worth every penny for a spot in your library and is an excellent trip you can take without leaving the comfort of your chair!
~ Eastern Rebellion (Timeless SJP 101), ‘Four’ and More (Columbia CL 2453/CS 9253), Houseparty (Blue Note BLP 4002/BST 84002), Maiden Voyage (Blue Note BLP 4195/BST 84195), Miles Davis In Europe (Columbia CL 2183/CS 8983), My Funny Valentine (Columbia CL 2306/CS 9106), Seven Steps To Heaven (Columbia CL 2051/CS 8851), The Sermon (Blue Note BLP 4011/BST 84011) – Source: Discogs.com ~ Autumn In New York – Source: JazzStandards.com © 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Arthur Edward George Themen was born November 26, 1939 in Manchester, England, where he was involved with the traditional jazz scene in the late 1950s as a self-taught musician, having started playing clarinet as a schoolboy at Manchester Grammar School.
In 1958 he began his medical studies at the University of Cambridge. While there he started playing jazz with the Cambridge University Jazz Band bandmates including Lionel Grigson, Dave Gelly, Jonathan Lynn, and John Hart. Under pianist Grigson’s leadership they achieved near professional standard with a swinging hard-bop style that swept the board in the fiercely contested Inter-University Jazz Band Competitions.
By 1964 he was an orthopaedic consultant playing blues with Jack Bruce and Alexis Korner and was a member of Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated. In 1965, Themen played with the Peter Stuyvesant Jazz Orchestra in Zürich, Switzerland going on to play with Michael Garrick, Ian Carr, and Graham Collier’s Music.
The Seventies saw him playing with Stan Tracey, touring with him all over the world as well as around the UK. Art has played and toured with visiting US musicians Charlie Rouse, Nat Adderley, Red Rodney, George Coleman, and Al Haig.
In 1995 he formed a quartet with pianist John Critchinson. Themen’s style originally owed much to the influence of Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins, but later influences included such disparate saxophonists as Coleman Hawkins, Evan Parker and John Coltrane. He was inspired to play saxophone after he attended a gig by the Dankworth Seven, at the local Palais, at the age of 16, with a female cousin and his future was set.
Following his retirement as a consultant orthopaedic surgery consultant, saxophonist Art Themen has focused on his jazz career.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Hubert Fol was born in Paris, France on November 11, 1925 and learned piano from an early age through lessons from his mother. He also took lessons in violin and clarinet in his teens and early twenties.
As a saxophonist, Hubert worked with Claude Abadie and Boris Vian and co-founded the Be Bop Minstrels with his brother in 1947. In 1949~1950, he toured Europe and recorded with Coleman Hawkins, then worked with Kenny Clarke and Django Reinhardt before embarking on another European tour with Dizzy Gillespie and Rex Stewart.
In the 1960s his health deteriorated, leading to his playing far less frequently.Saxophonist and bandleader Hubert Fol transitioned on January 19, 1995 in Paris.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
James Ostend Brown was born on November 9, 1906 in Baltimore, Maryland and learned to play piano, trumpet, and saxophone in his youth. Professionally known as Pete Brown, he played in New York City with Bernie Robinson’s orchestra in 1928, and played from 1928 to 1934 with Charlie Skeete.
1937 saw him working in the John Kirby band for several years and during the decade he worked with Frankie Newton, who was also a member of Kirby’s band. Brown and Newton recorded often. In addition to recording under his own name, he also recorded with Willie “The Lion” Smith, Jimmie Noone, Buster Bailey, Leonard Feather, Joe Marsala, and Maxine Sullivan.
Pete worked on 52nd Street in New York City in the 1940s, both as a sideman with Slim Gaillard, among others. As a bandleader, he was in Allen Eager’s 52nd Street All-Stars in 1946.
In the 1950s, Brown’s health began to fail, and he receded from full-time performance. He played with Joe Wilder, Big Joe Turner, Sammy Price, and Champion Jack Dupree. He appeared at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival with Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge. His last appearance was in 1960 with Dizzy Gillespie.
Alto saxophonist and bandleader Pete Brown, who was Cecil Payne and Flip Phillips teacher, transitioned on September 20, 1963 in New York City.
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Requisites
Starting Time ~ Clifford Jordan | By Eddie Carter
Clifford Jordan enters the spotlight to begin November with a wonderful 1961 quintet date called Starting Time (Jazzland JLP 52/JLP 52S). It was the tenor saxophonist’s seventh album as a leader and second on the label following A Story Tale. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and early in his career, played with Max Roach and Sonny Stitt and was also a member of a few rhythm and blues groups. Clifford recorded three albums at Blue Note after moving to New York in 1957. Here, he is joined by Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Cedar Walton on piano, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Albert Heath on drums. My copy is the 1984 US Original Jazz Classics Stereo reissue (Jazzland OJC-147).
The opener, Sunrise in Mexico by Kenny Dorham, first appeared on the trumpeter’s album, Whistle Stop. The front line begins the introduction in unison, segueing into the quintet’s mid-tempo melody. Clifford is up first, and then Cedar has a satisfying statement. Wilbur and Albert share a brief comment before the group’s closing chorus fades out slowly. Extempore is a blues by Clifford Jordan that gets underway with the ensemble’s inviting theme. Jordan opens with a solo as smooth as velvet, and then Dorham glides through the second statement leisurely. Ware continues this bluesy trip in the following reading, and Walton speaks briefly ahead of the melody’s return and climax.
Down Through the Years is a very pretty ballad by the leader that the quintet begins with a delicately gentle melody. Clifford opens with a thoughtfully polite reading. Kenny takes a beautiful romantic interpretation next. Cedar closes with an elegantly serene performance preceding the ensemble’s tender reprise and conclusion. Quittin’ Time is the saxophonist’s lively way to end the first side with the group’s brisk theme. Jordan goes first with a spirited statement, and then Dorham keeps things rolling. Walton enters the next solo swiftly, and Heath swings comfortably in the closer, leading to the theme’s restatement and exit.
Side Two starts with One Flight Down, a funky blues by Cedar Walton that the quintet has some fun with. Cedar takes charge first with an infectiously laid-back solo. Kenny gets the next nod, and Jordan takes over for a short, satisfying statement leading to the closing chorus. Windmill by Kenny Dorham also comes from Whistle Stop and is a speedster from the quintet’s opening chorus. Dorham fires the first shot with an electrically charged interpretation. Jordan soars into an enthusiastic performance next, and then Walton shifts into high gear on the third reading. The leader has a vigorous exchange with Heath before the reprise and summation.
Don’t You Know I Care by Duke Ellington and Mack David is a quartet performance by Clifford and the rhythm section. The saxophonist is the featured soloist and begins with a warm tone on the melody and a beautifully phrased opening solo. Cedar shines briefly in a concise comment until Clifford reappears to take the song out tenderly. Mosaic by Cedar Walton became the title tune of an album by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. The quintet begins with Dorham leading the way on the Eastern-flavored melody. Jordan takes the first statement, and then Dorham makes a profound impression next. Walton takes us into the ensemble’s reprise with a splendid solo.
Orrin Keepnews produced Starting Time, and Ray Fowler was the recording engineer. The sound quality of this OJC reissue is wonderful, with a soundstage that places the listener’s sweet spot in the studio as the musicians are playing. Clifford Jordan recorded thirty-six albums as a leader, and as a sideman, he appeared with some of the greatest musicians in jazz. For those fans of the tenor sax who enjoy a great hard-bop album, I invite you to check out Starting Time by Clifford Jordan on your next record-shopping trip. It’s a terrific record that I highly recommend as a welcome addition to any jazz library!
~ A Story Tale (Jazzland JLP 40/940S), Mosaic (Blue Note BLP 4090/BST 84090), Whistle Stop (Blue Note BLP 4063/BST 84063) – Source: Discogs.com © 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter
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