Jack Brandfield - I'll Never Be the Same

Jack Brandfield - I'll Never Be the Same -Gut String Records

Born in New York City in 1998, tenor saxophonist Jack Brandfield debuts with a drummer-less trio album backed by guitarist Randy Napoleon and bassist Rodney Whitaker. The latter two were on the Michigan State University faculty, which Brandfield attended while earning a B.M degree. Before attending Michigan State, Brandfield was a student at the Laguardia School For the Arts, and then at Lincoln Center's Youth Academy, he worked in ensembles directed by Ted Nash, Vincent Gardner, and Melissa Aldana. Presently he lives in Miami, where he is a graduate student at the Frost School of Music at The University of Miami.

About this album, he writes, "The title track, "I'll Never Be The Same," speaks to the inspiration behind the making of my debut album. For the past four years, I've had the great pleasure to be under the mentorship of two of my favorite musicians, Rodney Whitaker and Randy Napoleon. The knowledge and insight I received from them on what it means to swing, how to present a melody, and the importance of carrying the torch for this great American art form will stay with me for the rest of my life. The making of this album is a celebration of the friendship and bonds I built with them."

This statement describes the music on this recording, which is like a graduate thesis on interpreting the American Songbook. Brandfield brings a full-bodied tone and plenty of warmth to the standards he interprets, with Napoleon and Whitaker providing supple support. Listening to his rendition of "Over the Rainbow" or the title track," one is struck by his tender melodicism. He certainly can swing as he exhibits on "Lover Come Back to Me" and "On a Slow Boat to China." There is the delight of his rendition of Thad Jones' "Bossa Nova Ova," the sublime pleasures of the "Ballad Melody," and a superb performance of Ellington's "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me."

Brandfield also stated about this recording, "The drumless trio is a sound that has always captivated me since hearing "Stan Getz Meets The Oscar Peterson Trio" at a young age. That album was a gateway for me to hear all the great tenor players of the 20th Century, such as Ben Webster, Johnny Griffin, and Zoot Sims, who are a few of my favorites. I have always tried to emulate their ability to sing through the horn with confidence and a sense of subtlety and beauty. On the record, I pay tribute to these inspirations by attempting to do what they did best, presenting my favorite melodies with my own voice." 

Like those great legends who inspired him, Jack Brandfield indeed sings through his horn, and this album introduces us to a marvelous new tenor sax voice that we look forward to hearing more from in the future.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a video of Jack Brandfield performing

Take 5 With Sonny Rollins

This week on Take 5 we present a short playlist of the great Sonny Rollins who recently turned 90 years old. Belated Happy Birthday to the Saxophone Colossus.

First up is one of Sonny Rollins first recordings as a sideman with Bud Powell, "Bouncing With Bud."

Next up is Sonny as part of Miles Davis' group playing, "But Not For Me."

Perhaps Sonny's most famous album is Saxophone Colossus with so several iconic performances. One of these was "Blue 7," which was subject to a famous analysis of Rollins' improvisation.

This album also contained one of Sonny's most famous calypso inspired numbers, "St. Thomas." Another famous calypso was "Don't Stop the Carnival." Here is his original recording with Jim Hall on guitar.

We close this short playlist with his rendition of "Without a Song," from his 9/11 concert.

Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Ow! Live at the Penthouse

Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Ow! Live at the Penthouse
Reel To Real

This is the latest production by Zev Feldman and Corey Weeds from previously unissued radio airchecks from Seattle's Penthouse jazz club. It presents nearly an hour of the two tenor saxophone jazz (recorded over two weekends), Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with a rhythm section of Horace Parlan on piano, Seattle bassist Buddy Catlett, and Art Taylor on drums.

For those not familiar with the music of Griffin and Davis, there is plenty of hot tenor saxophone backed by a great rhythm section. As James Carter observes in an interview included in the marvelous liner booklet, it is Davis (out of the Hawkins-Webster school of tenor saxophones) generally takes the first solo, with Griffin taking the later solo, often displaying his ability to play at a blistering speed. In any event, this is music for the heart and not the head starting with a torrid rendition of the Gene Ammons-Sonny Stitt classic "Blues Up and Down." It is followed by a rollicking take on Dizzy Gillespie's "Ow!" Of course, the two tenor saxophones are not the only attraction. Parlan was one of the great pianists, as shown on his solo after Davis' opening solo on 'Bahia." Then there is a spirited "Blue Lou," on which both (but especially Griffin) dazzle with the speed they play. Energized renditions of Billy Eckstine's "Second Balcony Jump" and Lester Young's "Tickle Toe" are complemented by the walking groove of "How Am I To Know?" and the exquisite ballad-playing on Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady."

In addition to the superlative music, the accompanying booklet provides considerable background on their partnership and music. Commentary from Michael Weiss, James Carter, and Kenny Washington add special insight into the music. This is terrific steak and potatoes jazz and will be welcome to the fans of Griffin and Davis, whose music stands up nearly a half-century later.

I purchased this. Here Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis are heard in Scandanavia.

Ben Webster Valentine's Day 1964! Live

Ben Webster
Valentine's Day 1964! Live
Dot Time Records

"Valentine's Day 1964! Live" is one of Ben Webster's last performances in New York City before he left the USA for Europe, where he spent the final nine years of his life. On this recording, he leads a quartet of Dave Frishberg on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Grady Tate on drums.

It is a program with several Duke Ellington numbers mixed in with blues and ballads. Webster's brawny tenor sax is well recorded and in the front, although this is not a perfectly engineered recording. As expected, Webster is superb on ballads, including an exquisite "Chelsea Bridge," a marvelous "Danny Boy," and a rhapsodic "Tenderly." His energetic playing animates "Cotton Tail," one of his features with Ellington two decades earlier. An original 'Ben's Blues," opens with Frishberg playing some two-fisted piano before Webster enters with his big tone. A quote of "Without a Song" is incorporated in Webster's solo here, with Davis' bass also quite evident. Davis also anchors the rendition of "52nd Street Theme," with Frishberg laying out during Webster's solo.

Renditions of Juan Tizol's "Caravan" open and close this recording. The opening version is taken at a quick tempo, while the closing performance is at a more relaxed pace, which perhaps better showcases his tone and sound. This recording is a welcome, although hardly indispensable, addition to Webster's legacy. This recording can be purchased as a CD from Dot Time Records at dottimerecords.com. One can buy a digital download at bandcamp.com, https://dottimerecords.bandcamp.com/album/ben-webster-valentines-day-1964-live.

I purchased this as a download. Here is a video of Ben Webster playing "Over the Rainbow."

Jeff Rupert - George Garzone The Ripple

Jeff Rupert - George Garzone
The Ripple
Rupe Media

"The Ripple," the title of the new CD by tenor saxophonists Jeff Rupert and George Garzone, refers "to the far-reaching effect of Lester Young's voice in music." Rupert is the director of The Flying Horse Band out of the University of Central Florida's Jazz Program. Besides being a master of the tenor saxophone, Garzone is a revered educator, with noted students including Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis, and Donny McCaslin. Besides being educators, they are both superior tenor saxophonists. Backing them is a first-rate rhythm section of Richard Drexler on piano, Jeremy Allen on bass, and Marty Morrell on drums, all of whom have a lengthy association with Rupert.

There are no compositions by Young, or songs recorded by him, on this album. Instead, it features pieces recorded or composed by some of the musicians influenced by Young, including Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Eddie Harris, Zoot Sims, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Henderson. Of course, tenor sax pairings go back to the Basie days, and in recent years we have been graced with the likes of Johnny Griffin and Lockjaw Davis, Dexter Gordon and Gene Ammons, and Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. Rupert and Garzone are another stellar tenor sax pairing.

The music on this recording is exquisite starting with a marvelous bossa nova "Bahia" first recorded by Stan Getz, and if both display ties to Lester Young's Legacy, they each have their own voice. Rupert perhaps employs a slightly more legato approach, while Garzone's attack at times shows his incorporation of aspects of the styles of Coltrane and Rollins. This is most obvious on Garzone's startling opening to "Stardust." Rupert's original, "GO-GO," is a brisk swinging number that derives from a Lockjaw Davis tune. Other highlights of this recording include a terrific rendition of "Without a Song"; the relaxed swing of "The Red Door" from Gerry Mulligan and Zoot Sims; a relaxed take of Lionel Hampton's "Red Top" that opens with the rhythm section quoting Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage"; and the inspired "Hoboken," a contrafact derived from Monk's "Hackensack."

After a spirited "Lester Left Town," this recording closes with an unaccompanied duet by the two, "Alone Together." Rupert and Garzone are superb saxophonists playing some marvelous songs and backed by a first-rate rhythm section. The result is this extraordinary recording.

I received a review copy from a publicist. Here is a video of Jeff Rupert performing with a quartet including Richard Drexler and Marty Morell.

Troy Roberts Days Like These

Troy Roberts
Days Like These
Toy Robot Music

Tenor saxophonist Troy Roberts new recording has him playing with two masters with whom he played and recorded with. Roberts currently is a member of organist Joey DeFrancesco's group and appears on some of the organist's recent recordings. Before that he was a member of Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts Quartet for five years, appearing on three of Watts albums. Watts has appeared on two of Roberts' prior recordings. DeFrancesco plays on the first three of the eight songs here. Emmet Cohen plays organ on the remaining five tracks. Cohen and Roberts were in an organ trio together when Cohen was a student at the University of Miami’s Frost School Of Music and Roberts was on the faculty.

This is a wonderful collection of organ trio recordings starting with "“My Girl is Just Enough Woman For Me." With superlative backing, Roberts shows he can play tough and tenor with a big sound in the manner of Gene Ammons, Stanley Turrentine (who recorded this song several times) and Houston Person. This is a swinging number that also showcases their brilliance of DeFrancesco and Watts, both of whom solo. DeFrancesco sets the tone opening the torch song, "Why Was I Born," with Roberts displaying his exquisite ballad playing. Roberts' original "Trams" has appeared on a Grammy Nominated album by Orrin Evans & The Captain Black Big Band of which Roberts is a member. It is an intriguing composition with engaging, driving interplay among the trio, not to mention the unexpected twists and turns in the solos.

Another original, "The Waltz of Parting Days” is constructed around a brooding melody, with Roberts again playing with warmth and clarity as Cohen and Watts complement Roberts playing. Roberts' “Sly Old Dog” is a contrafact of Cole Porter’s “It’s Alright With Me." This is a raucous uptempo burner with Roberts' blistering tenor sax (evoking Johnny Griffin), along with Cohen's spirited organ, and Watts driving percussion. After the relaxed, jaunty "Jack the Sipper," Roberts delights us with the Wayne, Hoffman and Sigler tune “Little Man You’ve Had a Busy Day.” This performance again illustrates the warmth he brings to a standard as his velvety playing caresses the melody of this standard.

An uptempo original, “Wizard of Ozroop" enthralls with a gripping performance by Roberts with unexpected and imaginative twists and turns. Troy Roberts is an excellent saxophonist with a big sound who constructs thoughtful, imaginative and passionate solos. He receives superb backing throughout and his session mates provide their own engrossing solos. With the first-rate renditions of rarely performed songs and Roberts originals, listeners need more "Days Like These."

I received a download for review from a publicist. This review appeared in the November-December 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 3387). Here is Troy Roberts performing "Trams."

Houston Person Blue Velvet

\

Houston Person

Blue Velvet

High Note HCD 7090

Everything I Have Is Yours/ Wonder Why/ Blame It On My Youth/ Too Late Now/ There’s No You/ Be My Love/ I Want To Talk About You/ I Hadn’t Anyone Till You/ Blue Velvet

"Blue Velvet" is Person's latest High Note recording with Ray Drummond on bass and Grady Tate on drums joining Person and pianist Wyands for a disc of ballads and mid-tempoed swingers. Person is as marvelous here as on the Etta Jones’ date [this review originally appeared with a review of an Etta Jones recording] as he exhibits that warm, robust tone. The rhythm section also plays at a high level in complementing Person, whether Wyands lightly comping behind Person or  nice cymbal work from Tate. 

Houston Person on The 2015 Jazz Cruise 

Person’s solos are wonderfully developed, melodic, and do overstay there welcome. His playing is romantic without any overuse of vibrato or other devices. Person takes to heart Lester Young’s advice as to knowing the lyrics of the songs performed. “Blame It On My Youth” is typical as he opens having the horn “sing” the lyrics before adding more melodic embellishments. One also appreciates the unhurried and thoughtful character of Person’s playing throughout. Wyands’ own solos echo Person’s lyricism with his solo one on “Be My Love” being exceptional. It is followed by a short Drummond solo on bass, before Person reenters to take the song to its conclusion. This is an exceptional release that along with his playing on the Etta Jones disc shows Person to be among the premiere tenor saxophone stylists today.

This review was written in early 2002 for publication in Cadence, although I split this into two paragraphs.  The Etta Jones disc reviewed to is "Sings Lady Day." I likely received my review copy from Cadence. Photo of Houston Person on The 2015 Jazz Cruise © Ron Weinstock.  Here is Houston Person in live performance.

Scott Hamilton's Remembering Billie Holiday

Veteran tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton’s new album Remembering Billie (Blue Duchess) is a delightful set of ten performances of songs recorded by Billie Holiday. Hamilton had hoped to do a Holiday tribute with Ruby Braff but it ended being something else. The present recording was produced by Hamilton’s friend Duke Robillard and has Hamilton supported by pianist Tim Ray; bassist Tim Ray and drummer Jim Gwin. On two selections, Robillard contributes rhythmic acoustic guitar in the manner of Freddie Green. His backing trio provides supple, swinging support to Hamilton along with occasional solos. 

Hamilton’s saxophone playing is rooted in the swing era’s tenor sax masters such as Lester Young and Ben Webster (and I suggest Benny Carter as another source).Hamilton displays a warm and robust sound with a slight vibrato and a definite melodic flair and his playing most likely will appeal to fans of such modern tenor masters Buddy Tate, Houston Person, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims and Gene Ammons. While the songs on Remembering Billie all were part of Lady Day’s recorded repertoire, most of the performances only hint at Holiday’s recordings. The renditions of Fooling Myself (with a lovely arco bass solo from Zinno) and Good Morning Heartache (with a solo that is structured somewhat on Holiday’s vocal and a nice restrained piano solo) perhaps evoke her recordings more than the other performances.

Throughout this album Hamilton does a wonderful job of musical story telling with his swinging, lyrical playing throughout from the opening of When You’re Smiling to the closing notes of If Dreams Come True. Scott hamilton’s Remembering Billie is a splendid celebration of the music of one of jazz’s finest singers and iconic personalities.

I received a review copy from a publicist for this release. Here is Scott Hamilton in performance.

Frank Wess and Magic 101

Veteran Tenor Saxophonist Frank Wess was 89 when he recorded Magic 101 that has just been issued on IPO Recordings. On this he is accompanied by another jazz veteran, the remarkable Kenny Barron piano along with bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Winard Harper. With this superb band, Wess weaves his magic (a bad pun but it is Wess' nickname) over a program of standards, mostly ballads. 

From the opening moments of Irving Berlin’s Say It Isn’t So, to the last lingering notes of Duke Ellington’s All Too Soon, Wess plays with warmth and imagination while Barron mixes deft restraint with energetic solos while Davis and Harper deftly push things along. Harper is especially wonderful with his use of brushes at times as well as pushing things along crisply when appropriate. But Wess is the heart and soul of the music here. Both Lester Young and Ben Webster, two of his main influences, always thought about the lyrics of the songs they played, and on the lovely The Very Thought of You, Wess shows just how well he learned this lesson. Harper’s deft cymbal work embellishes Barron’s lovely solo here as well.

Wess’ own Pretty Lady is a lovely ballad followed an exquisite rendition of Come Rain or Come Shine. After another lovely reworking of a standard, Easy Living, Barron provides a bit of sophisticated blues piano to introduce Blue Monk, with Wess’ tenor contributing to the late hours feel of a blues-drenched performance of this jazz classic. The set closes with an unaccompanied rendition of Duke Ellington’s All Too Soon, which the Duke wrote as a feature for Ben Webster, that exhibits the full breadth of the warmth and tone of Frank Wess. 

Bret Primark entitled an upload of Wess performing Lush Life with his Washington DC high school classmate, the late Dr. Billy Taylor, “When Frank Wess Plays a Ballad, Ben Webster Smiles.” The wonderful Magic 101 has much that will make us (and would make Ben Webster) smile.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is the youtube clip I referred to in my review.

RIP David S Ware

David S. Ware passed away at the age of 62. I never had the pleasure to see him perform but have purchased a number of the recordings. He was a robust 'free' saxophonist, yet rooted deeply in the tradition with Sonny Rollins influence very apparent in his playing. This was not surprising and he recorded several of Sonny's compositions, most notably am album length version of  The Freedon Suite. He performed and recorded with Cecil Taylor, Andrew Cyrille before his own impressive recordings over the past coupled ecdaes. He also had a remarkable long-standing quartet with pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake.  His Thirsty Ear release, Live in the World, contains three CDs of riveting music may be hard to find but worth searching out.

To remember him, here he is in performance for you to enjoy.

Here is some obituaries:

From Jazzwise Magazine.

From JazzTimes.

From the Ottawa Citizen which also has the links to the videos I have embedded in this post.

From Los Angeles Times

From NPR

From Burning Ambulance

From CultureCatch

From NY Times

Pianist Matthew Shipp on David S. Ware:

Here is a preview of a new film about him

Dexter Gordon's Love For Sale in Copenhagen

Love For Sale (Steeplechase) is a newly issued live recording of Dexter Gordon during the period of his lengthy stay in Europe in the sixties and seventies which has been extensively documented primarily by Steeplechase. This is the fifth of a series Dexter in Radioland which makes available radio broadcasts from Montmartre Jazzhus. This series has extended at least to a fourteenth volume with a recent release Satin Doll. Long Tall Dexter on tenor sax was accompanied by an excellent band of Tete Montoliu on piano, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pederson on bass and Alex Riel on drums.

Besides the title track, Dexter and his combo also performs "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears To Dry," both numbers he first recorded on the classic Blue Note album, Go. The other performances include Big Bad Butterfly, with a vocal; an original Soul Sister, and a fast rendition of Cherokee. 

After his introduction of the band and then his introduction to the Cole Porter penned classic that gives this release its title ("Old love, new love... love for sale"), is is quickly evident that he was in excellent form and the remainder of his band is top notch. The arrangement and tempo is from the Blue Note studio date. In his own manner he introduces the next number (a stunning ballad performance) to those in radio-land, "When I want rain, I get sunny weather, guess I'll hang my tears out to dry, out to dry. Arpeggio, s'il vous plait." "Big Bad Butterfly" provides a vehicle for swinging, amusing vocal jive followed by some hot tenor, sensational piano from Montoliu, and strong bass by Ørsted Pederson. 

Cherokee opens with some swing trappings before Dexter launches in a straight bop rendition with echoes of Charlie Parker's Koko in the hot solo. Its a really nice performance which solos by everyone, but alas is an incomplete performance as the broadcast must have cut off in the middle of Riel's drum solo. This cutoff might be the only complaint about this first-rate recording as it caught Dexter in his prime, playing with great authority and panache. 

I purchased this recording. And here is a taste of Dexter performing live.

Don't Mess With Mister Turrentine

Another new remastered CD celebrating 40 years of CTI Records is the CTI Masterworks release of Stanley Turrentine’s Don’t Mess With Mister T. Backed by a Big Band Orchestra (horns and strings) arranged and conducted by Bob James, the original album has been augmented by 4 additional tracks for a full hour of music. James along with Harold Mabern, Richard Tee and Johnny Hammond handle the keyboards, Ron Carter is on bass, Eric Gale on guitar and Irdis Muhammed and Billy Cobham can be heard on drums.

Turrentine had come a long way from the days of touring with Lowell Fulson (Ray Charles on piano), but his music never lost its blues roots and its present in his playing on the title track, a soulful Marvin Gaye composition followed by Turrentine’s mid-tempo groover, Two For T. that has the feel of an organ combo with Gale chording while Mabern takes a nice electric piano solo with carter and Muhammed (with a short break) laying down the steady groove. Turrentine’s Too Blue is another medium tempo blues groover with Richard Tee’s organ and backing horns to support Mr. T’s blues playing and Gale’s jazzy single note solo also benefits from spare use of horn riffs. Turrentine’s warm ballad playing and Gale’s bluesy fretwork and Tee’s churchy organ are heard on Bruce Hawes’ I Could Never Repay Your Love. James arrangement merits mention as the employment of horns and strings complement Turrentine on this and do not get syrupy.

Pieces of Dreams is the first of the bonus selections and the strings are a bit too prominent although Turrentine and rhythm section sounds fine when the strings lay out. The alternate take of the Marvin Gaye title track has Billy Cobham on drums and Johnny Hammond on organ and has more of blowing feel as the horn section and strings lay out. Hammond and Gale really tear into their solos while Turrentine exhibits considerable passion. Hammond, Gale and Turrentine exhibit more fire in Cobham’s Mississippi City Strut, and while James’ Harlem Dawn is not a striking a composition perhaps, it is a nice moody performance with more robust tenor saxophone.

Certainly there is nothing wrong with the first four tracks that constituted the original album. The addition of the bonus tracks (especially the last three) makes the CTI Masterworks reissue of Don’t Mess With Mister T., an even stronger showcase for Stanley Turrentine’s tender yet muscular, bluesy and soulful tenor saxophone.

A publicist sent me the review copy. And here is Mr. Turrentine playing the title track

Long Tall Dexter's Night Ballad Mastery

This writer remembers a weekend of performances by the great Dexter Gordon at the Tralfamadore Cafe in Buffalo in Spring 1977 with a local rhythm section. It was a weekend of music that brought together folk of all ages and ethnicity to see one of the greats of jazz. The tenor saxophonist who influenced Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, but who had been living for several years in Europe was making what was still a rare US tour before moving back.

Gordon was a commanding presence as well as one of the greatest of the post-war musicians to come up during the bebop era. It wasn't simply his playing, but his suave and sophisticated manner when speaking with folks or the audience. Around this time, he was be signed to Columbia Records and made a number of memorable recordings for them, continuing to perform and make music until his passing as well as be acclaimed for his acting in the movie "Round Midnight."

Dr. Robert E. Sunnenblick has produced for his Uptown label a new Dexter Gordon live recording, Night Ballads Montreal 1977. This was recorded at Rising Sun during an engagement in November of 1977 (the music on this recorded between November 9 and November 12). It had Dexter with his working band of George Cables on piano, Rufus Reid on bass and Eddie Gladden on drums who wouldn't record their first studio album until half a year later.

As suggested from the title, the focus on this set is on ballads which include Lover Man, You've Changed, Old Folks and Polka Dots and Moonbeams, along with a brief rendition of LTD, his theme song to close the release. These are, with the exception of the closing theme, lengthy ballad performances. Gordon of course is in the spotlight with his lengthy improvisations that caress the songs with warmth, wit and soul as he would explore the themes, incorporate musical quotes and let the magic develop.

Gordon, like Lester Young, believed in the importance of the lyrics andhe introduces the songs with his recitation of the lyrics in his deep, sonorous voice. In his playing, there is a hint of his idol, Ben Webster, in some of his playing here mixed in with his more lengthy bop inflected choruses. Pianist Cables also gets a fair share of solo space that allowed him to explore the melody in his distinctive style, with his playing on Old Folks being especially memorable.

The CD comes with a booklet with extensive annotation from Gordon's widow, Maxine alone with pianist Cables who provides astute and detailed comments on each of the performances. As wonderful as the music on Night Ballads is, over 70 minutes of ballads may be a bit much for some folks in one sitting, but that quibble doesn't change the view that the terrific music makes it a highly recommended addition to the body of Long Tall Dexter's recordings.

This was a purchase.

Sabertooth's Two Tenor Dr. Midnite Jazz

Sabertooth is a two-tenor organ group that has been holding down a weekly gig at Chicago’s The Green Mill jazz club. Saxophonists Cameron Pfiffner and Pat Mallinger along with Pete Benson on the Hammond B3 and Ted Sirota on the drums hold forth Sunday in the wee early hours (2-5 AM) at The Green Mill.

Sabertooth has held forth here since 1990 and June 23, 2007, Delmark was there to tape the night and the result is a new CD, Dr. Midnite - Live at The Green Mill, that captures the two tenor organ combo in high flight. Delmark likens the two to such past celebrated two tenor tandems as Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis and Johnnie Griffin and Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt. These two players have been at it together for such a longtime and their empathy certainly shows here as does the stellar support they also receive from Benson and Sirota.

The two open the disc on flutes for a hint of Scottish flavor before they dig in for Mallinger’s Blues For C Piff. This number quickly illustrates their contrasting styles as Pfiffner comes across to me as showing a bit of Sonny Rollins flavor in his playing while Mallinger is more Coltrane-ish. After each solos, Benson takes a shift before the horns come back, again hinting at taking us to the Scottish highlands, then finishing this solid blues. The melody of It's Surely Gonna Flop If It Ain't Got That Bop, alludes to Ellinton’s It Don’t Mean a Thing …, as the two take flight on this bop flavored original with Mallinger on alto and Pfiffner on soprano. There is a nice drum solo on this from Sirota.

The group provides a marvelous rendition of the Harry Belafonte calypso, Mary Anne, as Pfiffner evokes Sonny Rollins as this opens with Mallinger on alto again. They play jointy on some measures, which is spiced up by Mallinger alto being a commentator to Pfiffner’s tenor.The title track, a Pfiffner composition with his spoken introduction, is slightly spacey number. It is followed by an unexpected rendition of the theme from the classic television show, Odd Couple. What delightful way they set up the melody before Mallinger opens up on tenor set against a buoyant rhythm, and then they sing ‘Don’t You Think It’s Odd’ to ride the song out.

The Grateful Dead’s China Cat Sunflower closes this album. Perhaps the music here is a bit less focused, although hardly unlistenable. If I was living in Chicago, I think I would want to be well-rested for Saturday night, because based on Dr. Midnite Sabertooth is obviously worth staying up and going to see.

This review originally appeared in the April 2008 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 303), although I have made minor editorial and stylistic changes. I received my review copy from Delmark.  Here is a video to give you all a taste of Sabertooth at the Green Mill.

Varied & Vintage Coleman Hawkins in Europe

Coleman Hawkins, In Europe: London, Paris & Brussels (Standing Oh!vation), is an import DVD that collects video from four different European locations with Jazz’s first great tenor saxophonist heard in different group contexts from 1962 to 1966. The DVD contains nearly two hours of performances from those shows as well as a bonus of almost a half hour in bonus performances from the 1960 TV film, After Hours with another group featuring Hawkins.

In Europe opens with a quintet that he co-leads with Harry ‘Sweets” Edison with a group that includes Sir Charles Thompson on piano, Jimmy Woods on bass and Jo Jones on drums. Filmed in 1964 at London's Town Hall, the full group is featured on Wardell Grey’s Stoned. This is followed by ballad features for Hawkins (September Song), Thompson (What’s New on which Hawkins is heard reciting the melody at the opening), and Edison (Willow Weep For Me). The full group is seen on Edison’s blues Centerpiece, before the set closes with the Ellington standard, Caravan, which spotlights drummer Jones. The next set is from 1966’s Royal Jazz Festival in London and has Hawkins in a quintet co-led with the great Benny Carter and with a terrific rhythm section of Teddy Wilson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Louis Bellson on drums. They launch into a swinging Blue Lou, before short ballad features for Carter, I Can’t Get Started, and Hawkins, Body and Soul, before a lengthy romp on Hawkins’ Disorder at the Border, which gives everyone a chance to stretch out. Musically, these selections may be the highpoint of this video compilation.

A nice 1966 Parisian rendition of the standard Moonglow follows with Hawkins supported by Oscar Peterson on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Louis Hayes on bass is followed by an intriguing 1962 quintet date from Brussels with pianist George Arvanitas, guitarist Mickey Baker, bassist Jimmy Woode and drummer Kansas Fields. The interesting program opens with an unaccompanied tenor sax solo from Hawkins, Blowing For Adolphe Sax. The rest of the program includes a spirited Disorder at the Border, South of France Blues (aka Blues in G and Rifftide. “South of France Blues” is reminiscent of “After Hours” and is a chance for guitarist Baker, a respected session man on hundreds of sessions and the Mickey of Mickey & Sylvia fame, to shine in addition to Hawkins.

As if these performances were not enough, the 1960 TV show After Hours is included, with a sextet co-led with trumpeter Roy Eldridge, a rhythm section of guitarist Barry Galbraith, pianist Johnny Guarnieri bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Cozy Cole with vocalist Carol Stevens. Legendary NYC radio announcer William B. Williams does the voice over to set the scene of a late night after hours club where the musicians just pop in to play and if the setting is a little contrived, the music is very solid.

I would not be surprised if Standing Oh!vation is a successor to the Improv-Jazz series of DVDs and like those, the packaging is not very elaborate. It lacks the superb annotation that is characteristic of the JazzIkons series of DVDs and the reproduction of the original film does not seem to be as good, but certainly the video here is quite satisfactory and the performances are quite welcome to have available. Fans of the Hawk and swinging jazz will enjoy these.

This review originally appeared in the March 2009 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 314) and my review copy was provided by a publicist. It may be hard to find as well but worth searching out.  Jazz Loft (www.jazzloft.com) does show this in their online DVD catalog.

Coleman Hawkins from you tube performing South of France Blues.

Vintage Sonny Rollins On Impulse

Among the two LPs on one CD reissues that mark 50 years of Impulse is Sonny Rollins’ On Impulse/ There Will Always Be Another You. The two albums were both recorded in 1965, with On Impulse a studio recording that was his first release for the label while There Will Never Be Another You was a live recording from a performance at new York City’s Museum of Modern Art that was not released until 1978. Drummer Mickey Roker is on both recordings. On Impulse also had Ray Bryant on piano and Walter Booker on bass, while pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Billy Higgins (along with Roker) were on the live Museum of Modern Art recording which took place a few weeks prior to the studio session.

Also common to both recordings was renditions of On Green Dolphin Street, and Three Little Words. The live rendition of the former number being preferred to these ears as Rollins’ tenor sounds a bit sour opening On Impulse. This isn’t to dismiss the performance as it grows stronger during the improvisation. Highpoints on this studio date include the moody Everything Happens To Me which is ideal material for his thematic explorations; and a Rogers and Hart standard Blue Room.

The live rendition of On Green Dolphin Street sounds more energetic (perhaps because of the two drummers). There is splendid Tommy Flanagan on this and then the performance segues into the live Three Little Words. Here Rollins is first unaccompanied, then the drummers join and are followed by piano and bass on the briskly paced rendition. Mademoiselle de Paris is a brief waltz followed by the lovely To A Wild Rose, which he co-authored and then this performance concludes with a very lengthy treatment of the title track.

Rollins playing is superlative throughout, although he sounds off-mike at times and the drums may be a tad too prominent and sound boxy. This may account for why this was not issued until over a decade later. Despite the sound, Rollins and Flanagan especially are terrific throughout this. There is so much classic Sonny Rollins and this contains more very good Rollins.

My review copy was sent by Jazz & Blues Report for whom this was originally written. Here is Sonny Rollins being honored by President Obama as part of the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors.

Scott Ramminger's Crawstickers A Rich Musical Stew

I have known Washington DC area saxophonist-vocalist Scott Ramminger from performances at clubs in the area. I have seen him both as a sideman in a band and leading his band the Crawstickers. He has just issued a CD titled Crawstickers with some of the DC area’s finest roots and rhythm players, including guitarist Dave Chappell, bassist Claude Arthur and drummer Pete Ragusa (best known for his long tenure in the Nighthawks). Also on this on backing vocals are Mary Ann Redmond and Patty Reese, two of the wonderful female singers that grace the DC area.

Watching Scott, I am always struck how good a vocalist and saxophonist. He is quite an accomplished musician whose saxophone solos are much more than simply honks and squeals. He is a storyteller and his solos provide a nice voice to contrast with the guitarists he plays with. The other thing is that his bands are tight and can swing and jump. They never came off as forced nor do they ever sound heavy handed or lead footed. These same strengths characterize this recording.

In addition to the strong playing, Ramminger has provided us with eleven originals that display his way with words. His songs are full of astute, often quirky, observations about everyday relationships and life. The songs include a strong blues duet with Mary Ann Redmond, There Must Be Something Wrong With You, and the Crescent City groover Real Fine Gumbo, about a woman not too sightly and a bit mean, and whose parents hate Scott, but she makes a real fine gumbo so all is right. The are funky grooves of Give a Pencil To a Fish, where he sings that give a pencil to a fish and the fish ain’t gonna write like Joyce, and give a hammer to a cow and he will never build a barn, and to his lady he says that’s why I won’t “give my love to you.” In addition to the fine studio band, Real Fine Gumbo sports a larger horn ensemble while Give a Pencil has some hot trumpet from Vince McCool who effectively uses a mute on it. That song also has features fine tenor from Ramminger’s, while Dave Chappell adds strong slide guitar. This is typical of their strong playing throughout.

Brian Simms plays keyboards throughout including accordion on Three Dollar Beer. This number has a Tex-Mex groove and a strong lyric about a man losing his job on a rig off the Gulf Coast and his wife going off with an insurance salesman and no matter hard he tried, he ended back at the roadhouse for a three dollar beer. Another topical song, I Dreamed I Met Jesus, has Jesus in a bar late last night , having a salad and an Amstel Lite while saying he was troubled by the way the world looks and people setting fire to each other’s holy books. The album concludes with a rocking duet with Patty Reese, “The Country’s Gone From Me.”

This is seriously entertaining music here with plenty of substance in the performances. Mix together strong original material with a first-rate band and a terrific singer-saxophonist, the result is the real fine gumbo of Scott Ramminger’s excellent Crawstickers. Scott’s website is www.scottramminger.com and this is available on cdbaby and iTunes.

Scott provided me with a review copy.

Zoot Sims Is "In A Sentimental Mood"

MVD Visual has released in the US the Gazell Records video of Zoot Sims, In a Sentimental Mood. This video was filmed in November, 1984, just months before the tenor saxophonist passed away. It was filmed at the library of Sonet Records in Lidingo, Sweden with Sims backed by Bassist Red Mitchell and guitarist Rune Gustafsson. The library setting and the drummer-less trio makes for an intimate performance. An interview by Mitchell of Sims (actually more of a conversation) is interspersed between the performances.


The performances focus on ballads starting with the Ellington classic that gives this DVD its title and ending with Autumn Leaves. The swinging Sims was a masterful ballad playing which, like his basic approach to the saxophone, reflected the influence of Lester young perhaps with a slightly vibrato that might have been picked up from Ben Webster. Mitchell provides a foundation as Gustafsson lends some chords with each taking solo breaks. Gone With the Wind opens with somewhat more of a breathier sound, perhaps reflecting more Webster here (and Webster did record this on a session with Art Tatum.


The interview portions includes recollections of his early days including a story of his time with Benny Goodman when he had a big apple on the stand and Benny had him solo and took the apple and kept gesturing for Sims to keep soloing as Goodman ate the apple and recalls it was the longest solo he ever had with Benny. After Sims had talked about his early days on 42nd Street, Mitchell himself recalls playing with a trio opening for Charlie Parker at the Onyx Club, and Bird after the set comes by and speaks in a very proper Wasp-ish accent and asks Mitchell to play the next set with him. Mitchell thinks this isn't serious until Bird announces it from the bandstand.


The light banter complements the performances with the filming centering mostly on the players faces and expressions, so we see Sims and his embouchure but little fingering, but their is plenty of character revealed in their faces as well as in the music. In a Sentimental Mood is a delightful video that fans of Sims' ballad mastery will certainly enjoy.


I received a review copy from MVD Video.

Ben Webster's Tenor Sax Magic At Ronnie Scott's, 1964

Ben Webster is generally recognized as one of the major pioneers and stylists of the tenor saxophone, whose beefy, brawny, yet sensuous tone and attack gave him a signature, recognizable sound which influenced other tenor players such as Dexter Gordon (who named a son after Webster), Paul Gonsalves, and Harold Ashby. His breathy vibrato was adapted by Albert Ayler and, later, David Murray. He was a player of driving swing as well as a tender balladeer.


A combination of lesser jobs being available to swing era stylists in the early sixties and his reputation for a volatile personality led to less work stateside, and at the urging of friends like Milt Hinton, he took a boat and sailed to England where he was booked by Ronnie Scott at Scott's legendary club. No one knew at the time that Webster would never return to the United States. But in December, 1964, Webster began an engagement backed by a trio with the superb pianist Stan Tracey. The performances, his first in Europe, were recorded and have been issued by the European Storyville label, At Ronnie Scott 1964: The Punch.


Its a wonderful collection of performances as Tracey helps spur on Webster, who Scott introduces as one of the kings of the tenor sax. Opening is Blues in B Flat, a brisk, swinging rendition of a blues Webster first recorded for Emarcy as Randle's Island, displaying his strength as a blues player (not unexpected given his Kansas City background and his work with Jimmy Witherspoon amongst others). It is followed by two superb ballad performances. Stardust, which was a feature for Webster in the Ellington band and remained a central part of his repertoire (and the rendition here is typical for him) and is followed by Gone With the Wind, which he had recorded with Art Tatum, and here he displays the velvety tone he often brought to a ballad.


The liner notes make a deal out of his renditions of Charlie Parker's Confirmation (inexplicably credited to Dizzy Gillespie) and Gillespie's Night in Tunisia, two bebop classics. One shouldn't be surprised at how Webster strong Webster sounds here. Confirmation after all is one of Parker's original blues, and Webster was quite at home with the blues. Also heard is a spirited How High the Moon, which after all was the source of another Parker classic bebop number, Ornithology. There is a tendency to perhaps make the gulf between swing and bebop broader than it was, and the better swing musicians might not play in the bebop style, but they could certainly play convincingly in the style.


There are also other strong ballad performances on this including My Romance and a especially lovely Over the Rainbow. The album closes with a spirited Cottontail, with Tracey's spare accompaniment helping propel Webster, before taking his own thoughtful solo. This engagement at Ronnie Scott’s was the beginning of a fruitful time for Webster. 47 years later Webster's music from then still strongly resonates.


I purchased this CD.

Unsung Tenor Sax Hero Hadley Caliman"s "Straight Ahead"

Tenor saxophonist Hadley Caliman would have been a more prominent name in the jazz world if he hadn’t primarily serving as a teacher and mentor around Seattle for the last few decades of his life as he was a teacher at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle while living in Cathlamet, outside Seattle. A classmate of Art farmer at Los Angeles’ Jefferson High School, he studied with Dexter Gordon and on Central Avenue in the 50’s was known as “Little Dex.” He has performed, recorded and toured with musicians such as Freddie Hubbard, Gerald Wilson, Carlos Santana, Dexter Gordon, Elvin Jones, Mongo Santamaria, Joe Pass, The Grateful Dead, Joe Henderson, Don Ellis, Flora Purim, Phoebe Snow, Bobby Hutcherson and many others, and in fact recorded four albums under his name in the 70s. For more on his life you should visit http://www.hadleycaliman.com/index.php from which I derived this biographical information. He passed away in September, 2010 after a two-year struggle with liver cancer.

The Seattle-based Origin Records helped document Caliman with three CDs (one with Pete Christlieb) in the past few years. The last of these three is Straight Ahead, recorded in November 2008 with a band that included trumpeter Thomas Marriott, pianist Eric Verlinde, bassist Phil Sparks and drummer Matt Jorgensen. As the liner notes observe, John Coltrane is an evident influence on Caliman’s playing, but an influence tempered by his West Coast bop background. Listening to his rendition of the F.K. Hollander ballad You Leave Me Breathless, is perhaps the best evidence of Trane’s mark on his tone and sound, but his own sensibility is evident as well. But listening to this I am also struck how on some of the quartet performances, the feel reminds me of Dexter Gordon’s Steeplechase Recordings from the 70s such as the swinging quartet rendition of The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, with Verlinde standing out (quoting Surrey With a Fringe on Top in his solo).

There is so much to savor here from the opening Caliman original, Cigar Eyes, named after a LA bartender which sports a nice funky riff with Marriott bright, round tone complementing the leader. Rapture, from the pen of his friend, tenor saxophonist, Harold Land has a bit more reflective quality and Marriott and pianist Verlinde make valuable contributions as well as the leader. The rhythm section is marvelous here with Jorgensen’s cymbal work accenting the solos. Cathlamet is a lovely Marriott original celebrating Caliman’s home town for several decades, followed by Joe Locke’s Blues For PT, a mid-tempo romp that Caliman goes full bore with his solo. There is a lovely quartet rendition of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” and then the full quintet for a swinging treatment of Lee Morgan’s Totem Pole, with the understated rhythm that make the solos from Caliman and Marriott stand out. This is a terrific disc that shows Hadley Caliman was still moving straight ahead with his music until his end.

JazzNow Seattle, http://jazznowseattle.com/, the terrific podcast devoted to Seattle’s jazz scene by Jason Parker and David Marriott, enabled me to become aware the music of Caliman and many other fine performers on that city’s scene. This recording should be readily available, but you can contact or Origin Records directly, www.origin-records.com, which is where I purchased this from.