Butch Warren & Freddie Redd Baltimore Jazz Loft

Butch Warren & Freddie Redd
Baltimore Jazz Loft
Brad Linde

"Baltimore Jazz Loft" captured an informal performance complementing a session organized to record unheard compositions from Freddie Redd. This album was the last album released during Freddie Redd's career. Redd was a part of the New York scene in the 50s and 60s. He is most famous for composing the music for the play and film "The Connection" and the Blue Note album of music from that play that included Jackie McLean. While not the most prolific recording artist, he had recorded a number of memorable recordings over the intervening decades. Joining him is bassist Butch Warren who played on many classic Blue Note albums by the likes of Sonny Clark, Herbie Hancock, and Dexter Gordon and was part of Thelonious Monk's Quartet for a couple of years.

On this album, Redd and Warren are joined by Washington DC area saxophonist, composer, and arranger Brad Linde. Linde was responsible for organizing these recordings. Matt Wilson, who had been looking forward to working with Warren, is on drums. This album was recorded in October 2013. Warren died not long after this date that is intended to capture the spirit of the jazz loft activities found in New York in the fifties and sixties, such as displayed in the documentary "The Jazz Loft." Recorded at Baltimore's An Die Musik, it has an appropriate ambiance.

After a short piano prelude, the rhythm section kicks off on Redd's "Nothing But the Blues," which provides an opportunity for Redd and Warren to shine. Redd has a piano style that these ears find reminiscent of Duke Ellington with a touch of Monk, while Warren's playing focuses on the walking quarter-note pulse he provides. Linde on tenor sax joins in for "I Can't Get Started" with a warm style in a Lester Young vein. Warren's "I Remember Monk" is a medium-tempo swinger that alludes to Monk more than is an imitation of Monk's music. Redd's spare playing, particularly in his accompaniment to Linde, evokes Monk. Like Monk, Redd makes use of silence as well as what he plays. His playing is not as angular in his lines as Monk. Linde is as impressive here as elsewhere. Warren's "A Little Chippie" opens with a choice bass solo before Linde melodic playing. Another highpoint is Warren's "Barack Obama," taken with a light Latin groove.

I am not sure if there was a live audience for most of this, but on the closing "There Will Never Be Another You," there is an appreciative one for the trio. This performance opens with Redd playing a chorus of "'Round Midnight" before the band launches into the standard. The sound is generally reasonably good, although Linde's sax sounds at times a bit muffled. The music is very, very good, and thanks to Brad Linde for having this recorded and making it available. It is available at Bandcamp as a digital download and a limited edition cd, https://bradlinde.bandcamp.com/album/baltimore-jazz-loft.

I purchased this as a download. Here is a 2011 performance by Butch Warren and Freddie Redd at Bohemian Caverns in Washington DC.

RIP Butch Warren

2012-0719 Freddie Redd & Butch Warren-6323, a photo by NoVARon on Flickr.

Just heard that Edward 'Butch' Warren passed away. A legendary bassist he was brought by Kenny Dorham from DC to NY and for several years was part of the house rhythm section with Sonny Clark and Billy Higgins. He played on so many classic Blue Note albums by Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock and was Monk's bassist in the Mid-1960s. He will most certainly be missed.

The Washington Post had a wonderful appreciation on him a few weeks ago, http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-13/entertainment/42036719_1_jazz-night-stanley-turrentine-nursing-home.

And here is the Washington Post obituary.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/edward-butch-warren-washington-born-bassist-dies-at-74/2013/10/06/89a11a2e-2eb0-11e3-bbed-a8a60c601153_story.html

He is pictured above with Freddie Redd.  Here is a clip of him with Monk in 1963.

WAMA - How about Jazzing Up Your Hall Of Fame

Edward 'Butch' Warren belongs in
the Hall of Fame of Washington DC Music

I have in the past blogged about Washington, DC area musicians that have been long overdue for being honored by the Washington Area Music Association in their Hall of Fame, In the past I have noted the Bobby Parker, DC's Blues Legend and major influence on many artists including Chuck Brown; Haywood 'Little Sonny' Warner, one of the greatest blues vocalists from the area; and Mr. Personality himself, Lloyd Price, who was based in Washington for several years and who made musical history here. Their continued omission in WAMA's Hall of Fame reflects poorly on those in WAMA who make the selections for the Hall of Fame.

I do have a couple of names from the world of jazz that also deserve to be recognized.

Edward 'Butch' Warren is a Washington native that in the sixties was one of the leading hard bop bassist and part of Blue Note's House Rhythm Section (Sonny Clark on piano and Billy Higgins on drums) for many sessions such as Clark's Leapin' and Lopin'; Dexter Gordon's Go and A Swinging Affair; Don Wilerson's Preach Brother! and Jackie McLean's Vertigo. He also recorded with Herbie Hancock, Takin' Off (with the original recording of Watermelon Man); Kenny Dorham's Una Mas; and Thelonious Monk's It's Monk Time. Warren, in fact, was part of Monk's Band for 1963 and 1964.   He has had hard times but his return to music in recent years has been very heartwarming and in 2011 he produced his first album as a leader, French 5Tet, that the website capitalbop.com selected as among the five best new DC jazz recordings of 2011. Few have produced such a body of recordings as he participated on. Here he is seen playing Kenny Dorham's Blue Bossa in France. He played on Dorham's original recording.

Carter Jefferson was one of the fine tenor saxophonists who emerged in the seventies and was taken too soon from us in 1993. He played in the backing bands of The Temptations, The Supremes and Little Richard before playing with Art Blakey and Mongo Santamaria. Between 1977-1980 he was a member of Woody Shaw's Band, arguably the leading hard bop ensemble of that time. After his time with Shaw, he spent time with Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, Cedar Walton, Jerry Gonzalez, Malachi Thompson, and Jack Walrath.  He only recorded one album as a leader, but left an impressive body of work on the recordings by Shaw and others. Here is carter Jefferson as part of Woody Shaw's great band.

There are others that are also worthy including the marvelous drummer, composer, educator and leader, Nasar Abadey; or the legendary pianist and composer, Freddie Redd, who recorded for Blue Note as well as composed music from the legendary play, The Connection. I am sure Michael West from the Washington City Paper and other publications, or Luke Stewart and Giovanni Russonello from capitalbop.com could make additional suggestions. 

Freddie Redd and Butch Warren Live Tomorrow

Blue Note Legends Freddie Redd and Butch Warren 

at the Museum of American Art

Persons living and/or working in the DC Area should be aware the Smithsonian's American Art Museum, 8th & F Streets, NW in the Gallery Place area of Washington near the Verizon Center is presenting a performance, tomorrow evening, that will feature a couple of legends who are associated with Blue Note Records, pianist  Freddie Redd and bassist Butch Warren.  The free performance takes place at the Museum's Kogod Courtyard and will start at around 5:00PM.

Pianist and composer Redd recorded for Blue Note in the early 1960s, including the music he contributed the the play, The Connection, which later was one of his Blue Note albums that was reissued on the Mosaic label.  DC native Warren was part of a rhythm section with the late pianist Sonny Clark and late drummer Billy Higgins and played on countless Blue Note sessions in the early 1960s including sessions by Clark, Donald Byrd, Grant Green, Jackie Mclean and Dexter Gordon. Warren also played on Herbie Hancock’s Takin’ Off album and plays bass on the original recording of Watermelon Man. He also spent about a year playing with Thelonious Monk. Warren had the first two albums under his own name in the past few years and was subject of a feature in JazzTimes. 

The band will also include two of DC’s most accomplished saxophonists, Brian Settles and Brad Linde. It will be an exceptional evening of jazz and its free.

Here is a clip of the Freddie Redd & Butch Warren at Bohemian Gardens

Here is Thelonious Monk in Japan with Butch Warren on bass doing Evidence.

Butch Warren's French Album Debut

I have become aware that Butch Warren, a bassist who was a Washington native, who five decades ago was a vital part of the New York City and a regular on Blue Note album dates along with pianist Sonny Clark and drummer Billy Higgins (think about some sessions by Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Booker Ervin, Jackie McLean, Kenny Dorham and McCoy Tyner), was playing regularly in the area, although having a number of issues including spells of homelessness. Pianist Peter Edelman has been part of groups that featured Warren at Washington.

Giovanni Russonello, at the excellent DC jazz website, www.capitalbop.com had a review of several recent releases by DC area artists and Warren’s first date as a leader, French 5Tet (Black & Blue) was one of them. The album was a result of French saxophonist Pierrick Menuau, in Washington for a concert at the French Embassy, catching Warren playing at a club and then putting together a brief tour of France including a a public concert for Radio France that was broadcast and then issued on French 5Tet.

Menuau and Warren are joined on this recording by Jean-Phillipe Border on guitar, Pierre Christophe on piano and Mourad Behammou on drums. The recording has the same flavor as those classic Blue Note recodings warren was just a part of. it opens up with Warren’s bass on the original, A Little Chippie, before Menuau displays a strong fluid tenor sax style (and like Dexter Gordon inserting some musical quotations) followed by some fleet guitar as the rhythm section swings. Hank Mobley’s East of The Sun follows with nice cymbal work by Benhammou, and then the classic ballad Laura with more lovely tenor (Menuau perhaps sounding some like Long Tall Dexter).

There are three more Warren originals and one might wonder whether the performances titled I Remember Monk and Eric Walks are correctly titled. The tune labelled I Remember Monk is somewhat suggestive to these ears of Mingus’ So Long Eric, while Eric Walks is a swinging performance that kicks off with terrific guitar before another nice sax solo.  Really nice sax in the vein of Booker Ervin on I Remember Monk. I enjoyed the other original, Barack Obama, apparently a more recent composition of Warren with a samba tinge. Giovanni Russelonello was disappointed in the performance, and references a performance by Warren with a group that included pianist Freddie Redd (another Blue Note legend) and drummer Nasar Abadey, noting “With a talented three-saxophone line carrying Barack Obama’s melody, the band sauntered and flowed, swinging deeply and proudly through the brief “B” section.” I certainly appreciate Russenello’s perspective and one certainly echoes his hope that Warren have a chance to record it again. It was Kenny Dorham who took Warren out of Washington and to New York and after a brief statement of The Theme, the 5Tet concludes with the classic Blue Bossa, another classic Warren played on the original. This is a thoroughly enjoyable recording and it is worth seeking out. It certainly is heartening that it is available and perhaps a domestically produced follow-up will be coming shortly.


The Capital Bop review is at http://www.capitalbop.com/2011/05/12/album-review-the-debut-of-a-legend-butch-warrens-french-5tet/. Information on ordering can be found at http://concertsonthehill.info/bw/index.html and for US orders, $18.00. One can send payment through PayPal to the address concertsonthehill@gmail.com. One can also send email questions to that address and request an invoice and it is available at amazon but perhaps through the same source.


As a bonus from youtube, here is Butch Warren and his French FTet performing Blue Bossa, from his tour of France.

Capital Bop will be presenting The DC JazzLoft series as part of the upcoming DC Jazz Festival, http://www.capitalbop.com/dcjazzloft/ which folks can support through Kickstarter, http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/capitalbop/capitalbops-dc-jazz-loft-series-at-the-dc-jazz-fes.