Requisites

Whistle Stop ~ Kenny Dorham | By Eddie Carter

One of the biggest pleasures I get from listening to and discussing records from my library each week is I’m able to revisit favorite albums and artists to share my thoughts with my readers. If you’re a fan of Hard-Bop, this morning’s subject of discussion is one of the best by trumpet player, Kenny Dorham. Whistle Stop (Blue Note BLP 4063/BST 84063) was recorded and released in 1961 with a stellar supporting cast: Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Kenny was born in Fairfield, Texas; he played and recorded with many great jazz musicians during his lifetime. He was also a member of the orchestras of Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Mercer Ellington, and The Jazz Messengers. Dorham composed all seven tunes on Whistle Stop and my copy used in this report is the 2017 Music Matters Stereo audiophile reissue (MMBST-84063).

Side One starts with ‘Philly’ Twist, a driving blues that’s off to the races from the opening notes of Philly’s brief introduction into the quintet’s brisk melody. Kenny opens with a vigorously agile reading, then Hank wails convincingly on the second solo. Kenny sinks his teeth into the third performance vigorously. Paul is especially impressive on a concise statement ahead of Philly’s dazzling velocity and propulsive timing on the song’s finale. Buffalo is good soul-food cooking at midtempo with a carefree theme in unison. Mobley starts the soloing with four mellow verses. Dorham responds with a leisurely ride punctuated by the rhythm section’s groundwork. Drew keeps the laid-back feeling going with an infectiously swinging interpretation that’ll have the listener snapping their fingers and tapping their toes. Chambers wraps up everything with a short stroll anchored by only Jones into the reprise and exit.

Sunset closes the first side with the trio’s tastefully elegant introduction to one of the album’s loveliest tunes. Kenny on muted trumpet and Hank lead the quintet through a pretty mid tempo melody. Dorham remains on the mute for the opening statement, cooking easily. Hank strolls into the second performance with jaunty confidence. Kenny dips into a well of positive energy on the next reading. Paul adds the closing word with a feisty finale leading to a soft fade. Whistle Stop starts Side Two with the ensemble’s brisk melody. Mobley ignites the opening chorus with a fiery passion, then Dorham provides an electrically charged reading. Drew steps up next for a zesty performance of creative energy. Philly shares a moment with the front line in an exchange on the closing statement, before executing a lively finale preceding the climax.

Sunrise In Mexico has a soulful personality that comes alive as the day begins on the quintet’s theme. Dorham starts with a solid groove on the first interpretation. Hank demonstrates a lesson in musicality on the second reading. Kenny is as cool as the other side of the pillow on the next solo, and Paul swings softly on an effective closing statement ahead of the reprise and gentle dissolve. Windmill is an energized swinger right out of the gate beginning with a blazing melody. Dorham begins the lead solo with an aggressive fierceness, then Mobley makes searing heat on the second statement. Drew adds an abundant amount of high voltage to the third performance. Chambers walks with a happy bounce on an abbreviated reading. Jones breaks loose briefly on the finale with vivacious brushwork leading to the quintet’s high-spirited ending.

The album closes with Dorham’s Epitaph, a short, beautiful ensemble tune Kenny wrote for his passing. It illustrates his ability as a ballad composer and opens with a very gentle opening chorus by the leader complemented by the sentimental support by Hank and the rhythm section. An expanded version of this song was also written for a large orchestra and renamed Fairy Tale. Kenny Dorham continued recording excellent albums throughout the sixties that were easily the equivalent of those released by Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Lee Morgan, but sadly never received the recognition that might have catapulted him to stardom. He passed away at age forty-eight from kidney disease on December 5, 1972.

The mastering by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Sound and audio engineer Steve Hoffman is phenomenal and improves on the original recording by Rudy Van Gelder with a crystal-clear sound that’s demonstration class placing you in the studio alongside the musicians. Each of the MMJ reissues receives a great deal of care with attention to detail including high-definition gatefold photos, superb packaging of the covers, and 180-gram audiophile vinyl for the music. If you’re looking for a Hard-Bop album that’ll excite your ears, I invite you to audition Whistle Stop by Kenny Dorham. It’s a delightfully rewarding album by one of the best trumpet players in jazz that merits multiple listens and is worth adding to any jazz library!

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Leslie Anthony Joseph Thompson was born on October 17, 1901 in Kingston, Jamaica where  as a child he studied music at the Roman Catholic Alpha Cottage School. When he was 16, he joined the West India Regiment and played in their band locally in Kingston movie palaces in the 1920s.

Moving to London, England in 1929 and studying at Kneller Hall. During this time he played euphonium and cornet. In 1930 he began playing with Spike Hughes, where he played trumpet, trombone, and double bass until 1932. Thompson toured Europe with Louis Armstrong, then formed his own band, intended to be all-black although initially with two white trombonists who blacked up. with the help of Ken “Snakehips” Johnson, who himself took over control of this band in 1936. Jiver Hutchinson was one of his sidemen.

In 1936–37 Leslie played with Benny Carter, and later played double bass with Edmundo Ros. He served in the Royal Artillery on the south coast during World War II. He had been unable to become a bandmaster in the army because of rules preventing black soldiers becoming officers. He was active in dance halls and nightclubs after the war, but stopped playing music professionally after 1954 and later became a parole officer.

His autobiography was first published by Rabbit Press in 1985, and was reissued as Swing from a Small Island – The Story of Leslie Thompson by Northway Publications in 2009. Trumpeter Leslie Thompson passed away on December 26, 1987 in London, England.

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George Girard was born October 7, 1930 in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana and in  high school he studied music under Johnny Wiggs and  immediately after graduating in 1946 he became a professional musician. He played and toured with the bands of Johnny Archer and Phil Zito before co~founding the band The Basin Street Six, made up mostly of friends he had grown up with, including clarinetist Pete Fountain.

The band got a regular gig at L’Enfant’s Restaurant in New Orleans, as well as regular television broadcasts over WWL. The band started receiving favorable national attention, but being dissatisfied with it, broke up the band in 1954 and founded his own band, George Girard & the New Orleans Five. Landing a residency at the Famous Door in the French Quarter, he recorded for several labels, and got a weekly broadcast on CBS’s affiliated local radio station WWL.

His ambitions to make a national name for himself were thwarted when he became ill and had to give up playing in 1956. Trumpeter George Girard, known for his great technical ability, passed away from colon cancer in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 18, 1957. He was twenty-six.

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Jon Eardley was born on September 30, 1928 in Altoona, Pennsylvania and first started on trumpet at the age of 11. His father played in Paul Whiteman’s orchestra. From 1946 to 1949 he played in an Air Force band in Washington, D.C., then led with his own quartet in D.C. from 1950 to 1953.

Moving to New York City in 1953 and the following year saw him playing with Phil Woods, then with Gerry Mulligan for three years, and with Hal McIntyre (1956). Following this he returned to his hometown and played there until 1963, when he moved to Belgium.

In 1969 he moved to Cologne, Germany, playing there with Harald Banter and Chet Baker. Working through the 1980s, the last years before death he played in the WDR Big Band Cologne, Germany.

He recorded with Gerry Mulligan, Teo Macero, J. R. Monterose, Airto Moreira, Charlie Parker, Manfred Schoof, and Zoot Sims. Trumpeter Jon Eardley, who recorded four albums as a leader and ten albums as a sideman, passed away on April 1, 1991 in Lambermont, near Verviers, Belgium.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Nelson “Cadillac” Williams was born on September 26, 1917 in Montgomery, Alabama and began playing piano at age 13, however, he settled on the trumpet soon afterwards. It has been speculated that while still a teenager he may have played with blues pianist/singer Cow Cow Davenport.

In the 1930s, he played in the territory bands Trianon Crackerjacks and Brown Skin Models, and acted as musical director for the Dixie Rhythm Girls. Around 1940, he left Alabama for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he played with Tiny Bradshaw’s band before joining the U.S. Army during World War II.

After the war, Billy Eckstine hired Williams, before working with John Kirby and pianist Billy Kyle. In 1949, he began the first of several stints with Duke Ellington, who bestowed upon him the nickname “Cadillac”.

In 1951, he left Ellington’s employ and moving to Paris, France he led his own bands and recorded for French labels. He returned to Ellington in 1956, and played with him again in 1969 on a tour of Europe. Trumpeter Nelson “Cadillac” Williams settled in the Netherlands and passed away in 1973 in Voorburg.

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