What is now known as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra started decades ago as the Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Orchestra. For five decades, until interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, they were featured every Monday Night at the Village Vanguard. Today I salute this great big band with this short playlist.
We start with a performance that was televised in 19668, "Just Blues."
Next is a selection from their 1970 album "Consummation," "A Child Is Born."
From a 1969 performance in Denmark, we hear "Central Park North."
From the 1976 album "New Life" we hear "Cherry Juice."
Finally from the "Central Parl North" album, they perform "Jive Samba."
As a bonus, we view a mini-documentary that was prepared in conjunction with the Resonance Records release of "All My Yesterdays," documenting the initial performances of this historic band.
Ruth Brown was an amazing, pioneering woman. 'Discovered' at Washington D.C.'s Crystal Caverns (alter the Bohemian Caverns) she was a major rhythm and blues star with Atlantic Records which became known in part as The House That Ruth Built. While she had many hots for Atlantic, after her hit-making days were over she revived her career on Broadway as well as a big band vocalist with the Thad Jones-Mel Louis Orchestra (now The Vanguard Orchestra. She was never strictly a blues singer as that was too narrow to describe her artistry, although the focus of her later day recordings was the blues.
We start this short playlist with one of Ruth's big hits for Atlantic, "Hey Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean," this was a live recording with the Paul Williams Band.
Next up is a performance from the musical "Black and Brown Revue," "If I Can't Sell It, I'll Sit On It."
Often overlooked is Ruth's recording with the great Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. Here she sings with them in 1969, "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts of Town."
Here is Ruth with the title track of her album, "A Good Day For The Blues."
We close with a duet with B.B. King, "Ain't Nobody's Business."
As I type this, I am watching a video of the late Allen Toussaint on Qwest TV. It is a Baloise Session in Basel, Switzerland and was his next to last performance. He passed away after his performance the next day in Barcelona. During this performance, he performed "Get Out of My Life Woman," which he introduced noting he was the most recorded of the songs he had written. This week's Take 5 playlist is a short playlist of versions of this number.
First up we have Lee Dorsey, who made the original recording. This is from a live performance.
Next up is a version that many will be familiar with from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. This though is also from a live performance.
Next up is Joe Williams, the blues and balladeer master backed by the great Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra.
So many artists have done this including Jerry Garcia, Chris Robinson, the Jerry Garcia Band, and the great Albert King who recorded this on his classic album, "Born Under A Bad Sign."
We conclude with a live performance by Mr. Toussaint himself at the "2015 Dear Jerry Concert."
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