Issued to coinide with the 90th Anniversary of the birth of John Coltrane, Acrobat's public domain 4-CD small box "Trane 90," provides a brief survey of the bulk of John Coltrane's astonishing musical career. It doesn't fully cover Coltrane's career because of changes in copyright law in Europe made the original studio recording of "My Favorite Things" (issued in the UK 1964), along with "A Love Supreme" and his last (free jazz) recordings including "Interstellar Space," unavailable.
I trust most of those reading this will be aware of a fair amount of Coltrane's recordings, so a brief summary describing each disc will probably be most helpful. Disc 1 is subtitled "Stablemates - Coltrane the Sideman" and includes Coltrane as a member of assorted Miles Davis groups along with a couple of performances with Thelonious Monk. Included in the selections on this disc includes "Stablemates," the composition by Coltrane's close friend Benny Golson, with Miles and other selections with Miles include Stan Getz's "Dear Old Stockholm," Monk's "Straight No Chaser," "So What" from "Kind of Blue," and a live performance of "On Green Dolphin Street," along with "Monk's Mood" and "Trinkle Tinkle" with Monk himself.
Disc 2 is titled "Straight Street - Coltrane the Leader" and opens with "Straight Street" from an early Prestige date, followed by "Moment's Notice" from his Blue Note album "Blue Train" with a terrific band that included Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. Other noteworthy tracks include "Giant Steps,""Naima," and "Blues For Bechet," in which we see the evolution of Coltrane's quartet (except Steve Davis is on bass on this last number). This disc concludes with the lengthy "Africa" with the classic quartet with orchestra and the spectacular live "Chasin' the Trane" that is almost a duet with drummer Jones.
Disc 3 is "Just Friends - Coltrane Collaborations" and opens with his guest appearance on Sonny Rollins' "Tenor Madness." Noteworthy here is Tadd Dameron's "Soultrane" from a Dameron led prestige date, "Two Bass Hit" from a Red Garland recording, his participation in a George Russell Orchestra date that produced "Manhattan," playing on a Cecil Taylor date for "Just Friends," A session with Milt Jackson that produced "Bags & Trane," and his own "Grand Central," from a Cannonball Adderly session with Miles Davis' then rhythm section.
Disc 4, the final disc is titled "Impressions - Coltrane broadcasts and private tapes," has some fascinating selections starting with Trane with Dizzy Gillespie and Johnny Hodges, then a performance with Miles that was on the Tonight show hosted by Steve Allen in 1955 and another with Miles in 1956 from Philadelphia. The disc and the music closes with classic Coltrane performances of "My Favorite Things" from Newport, "Impressions" from Finland and "Body and Soul," from Birdland in 1962.
As an be seen, there is a generous amount of Coltrane, including some material that most may not be familiar with (thinking about the early live performances on Disc 4). In addition to the four hours and 45 minutes of music, the set comes with a booklet with a fascinating essay by Simon Spillett that discusses Coltrane's legacy, the controversies his music generated and the veneration he still hold over us today. This is very reasonably priced and likely would make a wonderful gift (or stocking stuffer) for a novice jazz listener.
I received from Clint Weiler at MVD Entertainment and this was published in the 2016 Jazz & Blues Report Megal Gift Guide that can be found at jazz-blues.com.
Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson Benny Golson and Jim Merod Philadelphia:Temple University Press: 2016; 336+xvi pp.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing the marvelous saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, has been treated to not simply marvelous music but also his storytelling in introducing the tunes performed, whether recollections about growing up with John Coltrane, or the origins of some of his classic compositions such as "Along Came Betty," "I Remember Clifford," "Stablemates," and so many more. Now, Benny has put some of these stories and more in this new volume that was written with Jim Merod.
This is not a usual autobiography where the person provides a chronicle of his life. Instead the book is more of a systematic organization of vignettes of the manner he would tell in performance, except perhaps he gets into more depth about some and a number of them are matters that would not normally come up unless he was being interviewed.
The book is organized into eight parts and it would give an overview of the contents to describe each of the parts and some of the contents of that part. After Merod's preface, which provides an overview of Golson's life and contribution, while his own introduction is an indication of the positive, as opposed to negative, messages he hopes to provide in detailing his story.
Part 1 is entitled John Coltrane and in its three chapters discusses his interactions with Coltrane including John and him meeting Bird and Diz and then being the musical dynamo. Part II is entitled "The 'Hood' and Youthful Reckonings" and includes some of his early musical adventures as well as his Uncle Robert and Benny's first visit to Minton's, early musical experiences and then hard times. Part 111, entitled "Great P People," takes us to his experiences with the likes of Bull Moose Jackson and Earl Bostic, Art Blakey, Tadd Dameron, Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro, Jimmy and Percy Heath, Betty Carter, Art Farmer, and others. as well as discussing going to Howard University and further matters. Part IV, "Hollywood," was a revelation for me as I was unaware he had left the jazz world to spend several years scoring for film and TV. Included are his recollections of what was musically involved along with his three years with the show, "M*A*S*H."
Part V, "Amazing Friendships," has his recollections of Quincy Jones, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Dizzy Gillespie, Philly Joe Jones (who he went back with to his youth), Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Dinah Washington and Curtis Fuller as well as tells the story of The Jazztet that he and Art Farmer co-led. Part VI, "Music and Writing," includes his discussion of how his approach to writing music developed along with discussions of "Stablemates," his first recorded song, "Along Came Betty," and "I Remember Clifford." He was (and still is) not happy with changes Miles Davis made in his composition in the first recording of "Stablemates" (which included John Coltrane in Davis' Band). Elsewhere he recalls very sad circumstances of learning of Clifford Brown's passing that led to one of his most famous compositions. The last chapter in this part, "The Ballad and 'Weight,'" is one of the most thought provoking, as Golson considers playing of ballads such a great factor in the music's art and the import of the ballad as almost a genre in itself while in playing ballads, emphasis is on the weight given to each specific note played.
Part VII, "Icons," has his recollections of persons he had met that stand apart from simply great musicians. Included is his recollections of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, and performing in the film, "The Terminal." There are also recollections of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Coleman Hawkins, Art Blakey, Kenny Dorham, Lee Morgan, Peggy Lee, Diana Ross, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, Charles Mingus, Benny Goodman, Gigi Gryce, Larry Young, Mickey Rooney, Redd Foxx, Jersey Joe Walcott, and Muhammad Ali amongst those disccussed. Part VIII, "Verses And A Coda," includes how he resumed his musical performing career after his Hollywood hiatus, the centrality of the blues and the Coda which is a brief discussion of his becoming a Jehovah Witness.
The text is clean and readily accessible as a Golson melody and a photo album includes a number of memorable images. Golson is such a positive person, and that is conveyed throughout his graceful telling of his story. This is an important addition to the body of jazz biographies and autobiographies.
I purchased this. Here is Benny talking about John Coltrane.
I believe it was a link to a free download on allaboutjazz.com that turned me on the Carla Marciano, an Italian saxophonist from Salerno, Italy. Listening to the download immediately led me to download on itunes (and its available elsewhere) her new recording Stream of Consciousness (AlfaMusic). She elads a quartet of her on saxophone; Alessandro La Corte on piano; Aldo Vigorito on bass and Gaetano Fasono on drums. I ahve seen her referred to as John Coltrane's daughter and listening to this recording it is immediately evident from the opening God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, which certain will evoke Coltrane'srendering of Greensleeves, to the title three-part suite where she and her combo will make some wonder if this is a previously unissued Coltrane recording. What's interesting is that the suite is akin to some of Trane's freer recordings. Anyway this lady has certainly left a strong impression on me and this is well worth checking out. Here website biography is at http://www.carlamarciano.it/bio.asp
Miles Davis - The Complete Illustrated History
Miles Davis - The Complete Illustrated History, published by Voyageur Press of Minneapolis, Minnesota is a marvelous graphic overview of one of the most important, influential and original artists of the Twentieth Century. This coffee-table sized volume provides an overview of Miles Davis’ life accompanied not simply by wondrous and classic photography, but also short essays by his musical colleagues, jazz critics and historians and cultural historians. The who package is quite well done and the various comments from those of his contemporaries like Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Lenny White, Ron Carter and Clark Terry and such noted jazz writers as Francis Davis, Ashley Kahn and Robin D.G. Kelley, certainly help flesh out a bit of his personality as well as his musical history. This is the second such book on Miles (We Like Miles came out two years ago to accompany a Miles Museum exhibit in Paris and Montreal) and is certainly a must for those who don’t have the prior volume, but also stands on its own for those (like myself) who have the earlier book.
If you go to Barnes & Noble’s website or to amazon, you can get the flavor of this volume from the preview that is available. I purchased both of these items.
FOOTPRINTS: THE LIFE AND
WORK OF WAYNE SHORTER by Michelle Mercer JEREMY P. TARCHER/PENGUIN
At the Hollywood Bowl not too long before he passed,
Miles Davis told Wayne Shorter, “You know, you need to
be more exposed.” A rather intriguing comment about
Shorter who certainly has had a most distinguished career in jazz as a musician, a composer and a person.
Shorter was a central figure in the bands of Art Blakey &
the Jazz Messengers and the second great Miles Davis
Quintet, before forming Weather Report with Joe Zawinul,
and then having the fruitful partnership with Brazilian
singer, Milton Nascimento, and in more recent years lea ing his own highly regarded group. Throughout this tenure, he has enriched the jazz corpus with such classic
compositions as Africaine, Native Dancer, Lester Left
Town, Footprints, Delores, E.S.P., Infant Eyes, Neferiti,
Mysterious Traveler, Super Nova, and Speak No Evil, to
list a few. At the same time, Shorter’s playing, which fortunately is fairly well documented, shows him to be one
of the great saxophonists of the past few decades and
certainly one who may have shown influence from John
Coltrane, but certainly developed his own approach.
Michelle Mercer was fortunate enough to get Wayne’s
cooperation in writing her biography and overview of his
music, Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter.
Not only was she able to interview and spend time around
Shorter, but this also enabled many of Shorter’s associates to cooperate with her. Shorter is not the simplest
interviewee, and as Herbie Hancock notes Shorter does
not simply answer questions, he reacts. “Reactions, not
just answers, that are chock-full of wisdom. In his jovial
way, and with an innately uncanny sense. Wayne says
what a person needs to hear in order to expand himself.” As Ms. Mercer notes in her introduction, getting to
write this biography involved more than simply charting
the events of Wayne’s life, which she does. It involved
being around him and realizing his still evolving life and
career. Growing up in Newark, Wayne was fortunate to have
a mother that nurtured his creative whims which included
an early display of artistic talent and allowed his imagination to flourish., as well as be critical of social norms
and institutions, and in their neighborhood where some
of the immigrant families were less fortunate than the
Shorters, his parents pointed this out “to discourage racial stereotyping and encourage self-reliance.” Then he went to Arts High whose alumni include Sarah Vaughan,
Melba Moore, Connie Francis and Woody Shaw where his
artistic bent was encouraged and while there discovered
music, namely bebop, which led him to develop an interest in playing music at the age of 15.
Perhaps a late beginner, nevertheless Shorter quickly
picked up the technical aspects of music, including reading quickly, and started playing in local bands and going
to New York University as a music education major while
still playing and starting to compose, and playing the Palladium on a bill with Tito Puente who recalled to Wayne
years later how Wayne’s band from Newark had kicked
his band’s ass. He met and started working with Horace Silver, and
later met John Coltrane, with whom he would practice
together, and then begin a friendship with Joe Zawinul.
While with Maynard Ferguson, he was recruited by Art
Blakey to replace Hank Mobley, where his talent a saxophonist and composer blossomed. It was one of the great
editions of Blakey’s Band with Lee Morgan on trumpet.
While with Blakey, some called him a Coltrane clone but
Sonny Rollins noted that while Wayne liked Trane and
himself, he was innovative himself and it came out in how
he constructed his solos, “He was an honest boy and a
real player.” With Blakey he introduced such songs as Lester Left
Town and Africaine. With Blakey, he toured Europe for
the first time and the closing concert in Paris featured
several expatriates including Bud Powell who sat in with
the Messengers. Afterwards Powell, Blakey and others socialized, but
Wayne went back to his room, drinking some wine and
work on some tunes. At 3 A.M., there was a knock on the
door, and opening it he was surprised to see Bud Powell,
not Lee Morgan or Walter Davis, who came in and asked
Wayne to play something. Wayne launched into Dance of
the Infidels, after which Bud thanked him and left, an event
that stuck in Wayne’s mind like other encounters he had
with famous jazz legends. The time with Blakey was the first major exposure of
Shorter’s talents and contemporaneous with his first recordings as a leader on Vee-Jay, which have been followed over the past few decades by his tenure with Miles
Davis in Davis’ Second Quintet, and contemporaneous
with his Blue Note releases like Speak No Evil, and Super Nova. Then with long-time friend Joe Zawinul he was an
integral part of perhaps the greatest fusion band, Weather
Report, where he focused on soprano sax in order to be heard.
Then there was the V.S.O.P reunion at the 1976 Newport
in New York Jazz Festival and the accompanying tour,
and after a number of years he recorded his first solo
album in years and introduced the United States to the
remarkable Milton Nascimento, and on to later gigs with
Joni Mitchell and a tour with Carlos Santana, to his present
band. Mercer chronicles the life as well as the personal evolution of Shorter as he adapted and became committed
to Buddhism attempting to balance the religion’s demands
to the conflicting demands of a musician’s life, his marriage to Ana Maria, his ailing first child Isak whose brain
damage may have been as a result of a vaccination and the devotion of the family to the child, sheltering Tina
Turner through the worst of her times with Ike at the point
where she finally broke away and went on her own, and
when Ana Maria changed flights to meet him in Europe
and boarded the tragically fated Flight 800 in 1995.
This rather sterile description of the book fails to convey the richness of the narrative. Footprints doesn’t describe Wayne’s compositions in technical detail but conveys a sense of the recordings and his playing. More importantly it conveys the complexity of his person and his
relationships. The book opens and repeats with the narrative Wayne
going backstage to meet Miles Davis at one of Miles’ last,
if not the last, performances, and after others were sent
out, being told he needed to be exposed. Shorter has never
had a flamboyant personality and while sometimes shy,
he has always been thoughtful and caring and has known
when to say things. Fortunately he continues to expose himself as he
plays and bring us his magic in performance and on
record. Footprints includes 19 pages listing Wayne’s compositions and the first recordings (if they were recorded)
of the composition. One wishes there had been a discography of Wayne’s
recordings, but that probably would have been a book in
itself. Footprints was a fascinating and enlightening read
that will be hard to stop reading at times, and like I often
do after being engaged with the book has led me to reexamine Wayne’s musical legacy. This review originally appeared in the July-August 2007 jazz & Blues Report (Issue 295). I do not remember if I purchased this or received a review copy. I close this review with this 2003 video of Wayne Shorter performing Footprints.
Miles Español is the title of a two-CD recording on Entertainment One Music that was conceived and produced by Bob Belden with a roster of internationally renowned artists. Subtitled New Sketches of Spain, the disc includes fresh renditions of compositions from Sketches of Spain and Kind of Blue, and original compositions from some of the contributing artists.
Among the more than 30 musicians assembled are Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, pianist Chano Domingez, drummer Alex Acuña, flautist Jorge Pardo, Sonny Fortune, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Rabih Abu-Khalil. Some of the musicians are former Miles sidemen, some are flamenco masters from Spain, some are from North Africa, and some are prominent figures in New York’s Latin Jazz scene. Tim Hagans, Scott Kinsey, and Vince Wilburn Jr. (Miles Davis’s nephew). One purpose of this recording is to emphasize the Africa-Spain-New World Connection in the emergence and evolution of jazz as is titled Doug Ramsey’s essay in the liner booklet, taking us from Jelly Roll Morton to Chano Pozo and Dizzy Gillespie and reminding us of the impact the Moors had during their occupation of Spain.
Belden himself in his notes here states that in his treatment of some compositions such as Concierto De Aranjuez, he did not wanted to mimic Miles’ recording but rather help develop the Gypsy and Arabic influence on Spanish music and his unusual instrumentation that includes oboe and bassoon in addition to oud, dumbek and cajon to allow this fresh hearing of a classic. Chick Corea’s Trampolin follows with Ron Carter and Antonio Sanchez joined by flautist Jorge Pardo on the buoyant flamenco inspired piece. Just Three Miles is by Rabih Abu-Khalil whose oud playing and trumpet by Tim Hagans provide an intriguing mix of Berber and other sounds. Duende is a duet between guitarist Niño Joseles and flautist Pardo with a strong flamenco base. It’s followed by the marvelous Gonzalo Rubalcaba on Fantasia Por Miles Y Gil, listed as a solo piano performance in the booklet, but he clearly is accompanied by bass and drums (Carter and Sanchez?).
Similarly on what is supposed to be a piano trio plus percussion, Edsel Gomez’s Paisaje Urbano has an unidentified soprano saxophonist (Sonny Fortune?) who dances above Gomez’s Latin jazz piano. The unusual instrumentation continues on Saeta/ Pan Piper, with its employment of bagpipe in addition to woodwinds and French horns and trumpets with the harp of Edmar Casteñada standing out among the percussion with a bassoon solo by Mike Rabinowitz framed by riffing muted trumpets.
Jack DeJohnette’s Spantango opens the second disc with unidentified flute (Jorge Pardo?) along with Chano Dominguez’s spectacular piano, Eddie Gomez’s bass, DeJohnette‘s and Luisito Quintero’s congas. It is followed by a rendition of Miles’ Flamenco Sketches with Sonny Fortune’s flute and Jerry Gonzalez’ flugelhorn in addition to more piano from Dominguez. Gonzalez is outstanding in his spot, and like most of this recording the performance highlights percussion over orchestration. Tirititran Catalan is a traditional theme that bassist Carles Benavent arranged that spotlights Niño Joseles acoustic guitar and Corea’s piano followed by another selection that showcases Corea with a guitarist, John Scofeld’s El Swing, with Scofeld’s single note runs standing out with DeJohnette being outstanding providing rhythmic accents. Rubalcaba’s Momento has a ruminative quality while Miles’ Teo/ Neo showcases Edsel Gomez’s piano with John Benitez on bass, Alex Acuña on drums and Sammy Figueroa on congas supporting his effervescent playing.
By the close of Solea, again with an expanded ensemble with woodwinds, brass, harp and accordion, one has listened to a variety of performances that freshly explore not simply the music that Miles recorded five decades ago, but a more contemporary presentation of some of those elements that provided inspiration then and continues to provide a source for fresh musical invention. While the list of personnel in the booklet contains some errors, musically there can be no fault whatsoever found on this thoroughly engaging recording.
My review copy was provided by a publicist or the record label. The review originally appeared in the November 2011 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 338). To that review I add this youtube video of the recording of this album.
Concord Records is issuing this week a two-disc retrospective of Miles Davis’ recordings for Prestige Records,The Definitive Miles Davis on Prestige.” The two discs bring together over two hours of music in the twenty four performances selected and cover the period between 1951 and 1956. These are when Davis established his reputation, but prior to his time with Columbia Records with whom he would produce his most famous body of work. The Prestige catalog of Miles has been mined and reissued extensively over the years, and there are of course CD box sets of his recordings for that label. This two disc compilation serves as an overview of some of Davis better known recordings for the label. Ashley Kahn provides a discussion of the specific recordings and their context in MIles’ life and career at this time.
The first of the two discs covers Davis’ recordings from 1951-1954. The opening Morpheous and George Russell’s Ezz-Thetic (from a Lee Konitz album) carry forth echoes of The Birth of the Cool. There are such famous numbers as Dig and Four as well as Compulsion, with Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker both on tenor (one of Bird’s few tenor recordings). Davis’ distinctive range, most often when he employs a mute is becoming evident especially iconic ballads like I’ll Remember April, as well as on Richie Carpenter’s Walkin’. There’s the first recording of the Sonny Rollins’ gem Airegin, as well as a lively Bag’s Groove with Jackson and Thelonious Monk. It is instructive how Monk lays out during Miles’ solo, an illustration of Miles’ distaste for Monk’s accompaniments.
Disc 2 is devoted to the 1955-1956 recordings by Miles quintet with the great rhythm section of pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Jo Jones, along with John Coltrane on tenor sax. Trane sits out three of the twelve selections on this disc. The twelve selections include Surrey With The Fringe On Top, If I Were A Bell,Round Midnight, Rollins’ Oleo, My Funny Valentine (sans Coltrane), and The Theme. Some of these tunes became part of Miles’ repertoire for the next several years after he had changed labels, going to Columbia, and a good number likely are familiar to many of you. It completes this nice retrospective of Davis’ early recordings as a leader.
My review copy was supplied by the record company.
A new recording of one of the iconic jazz recordings of the twentieth century “Sketches of Spain” features the trumpet of Lew Soloff along with Harmonie Ensemble New York conducted by Steve Richman. Both Soloff and Richman have connections to the classic Miles Davis recording. Soloff had a long association with the late Gil Evans, and Richman had a close family friend who played trumpet on the original classic Miles Davis recording and had regaled him with recording session stories of the Evans-Davis collaborations. As George Avakian observes in his notes the original recording was first performed in the studio with little rehearsal time. Evans adaptation of two Spanish composers works and three originals along with his orchestrations made for a celebrated recording which has been sporadically performed over the years.
I have not listened to Davis’ original recording in some time and I did not revisit it for purposes of making comparisons. If I did a blindfold listening I suspect I would be far from able to detect differences from Davis’ original recording. In the context of a ‘jazz’ recording, its unusual to respond to it as a performance of a repertory item as one might do to a symphonic recording of Beethoven. However, this is wonderfully recorded and played. It is a luxurious listening experience (as was Davis’ original) recording. Soloff’s trumpet cries, moans and soars against an orchestral background that pulses and dances and is exhilarating to listen to. Even viewed simply as a revisiting of the original, the performance here reminds us of Gil Evans stellar works. Half a century after originally imagined and recorded, this new rendering of Sketches of Spain shows its continuing vitality. The above review appeared in the February-March 15, 2011 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 333) at page 21-22 (The issue can be downloaded at jazz-blues.com). I received a review copy from the publicist for the release.
The second installment of my look back at 2010 with some choice Vintage jazz releases.
Noah Howard Schizophrenic Blues (FMP-Destination Out) Howard, who recently passed away, was among the first wave of free jazz artists and this session from 1977 is among a series of downloads of out-of-print FMP CDs that the Destination Out website has started. As I recently noted that “even at its most Ayleresque moments “Fire March,” there is a lyricism as well as a blues foundation that makes this release engaging.
Charlie Haden The Complete Remastered Recordings on Soul Note (Soul Note). One of a number of recent Black Saint and Soul Note reissues with 5 CDs in mini lp jackets. This includes two original CDs by Old and New Dreams, the Ornette Coleman Alumni group with Dewey Redman, Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell, along with Etudes with Paul Motian and Geri Allen, Silence by Charlie Haden With Chet Baker, Enrico Pieranunzi, Billy Higgins and Enrico Pieranunzi’s First Song.
Nat King Cole, Riffin': The Decca, JATP, Keynote & Mercury Recordings (Verve) Three CDs has classic recordings by the King Cole Trio, his Jazz at the Philharmonic performances and sessions with the Keynoters, Dexter Gordon and Lester Young.
George Russell The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (Black Saint). Nine CD set with various groups that provide different takes on the late composer and jazz theorist’s works, Includes some great musicians from both the United States and Europe.
John Carter & Bobby Bradford Mosaic Select: The Complete Revelation Recordings (Mosaic) A valuable reissue of West Coast duo who were associated with Ornette Coleman . Includes much unissued duets as well as reissues the Revelation albums. Now if someone will do a complete reissue of Carter’s Five CD series, "Roots and Folklore: Episodes in the Development of American Folk Music."
Miles Davis The Complete Bitches Brew (Sony). It has been 40 years since this path-making disc. This 40th Anniversary 3-disc package offers the original album on 2 CDs plus rare bonus audio material and a DVD of the entire previously unreleased Copenhagen performance from November 4, 1969.
Fats Waller Fats Waller On The Air: 1938 Broadcasts (Tai Ping Records). A reissue of primarily broadcast recordings that includes some selections that i believe have not been previously reissued. Marvelous recordings with His Rhythm as well as English broadcast with him on organ as well as backing vocalist Adelaide Hall.
Coltrane on Coltrane: The John Coltrane Interviews
Edited by Chris DeVito
2010: A Capella Books - Chicago Review Press
The lead author of The John Coltrane Reference, Chris DeVito has provided an invaluable new volume that includes practically all of the published interviews about John Coltrane although with articles, album liner notes (including Coltrane’s notes and poem for “A Love Supreme”) and similar pieces which have material where Coltrane talking about himself and his music. Also included are lengthy interviews with a child hood friend from Coltrane’s native high point, NC, and a music teacher in Philadelphia. while some of the material may be familiar to some, there are a number of pieces that most will be aware of. That said, it should be noted that the overwhelming majority of the interviews and articles will be new to the reader. Also it does not include the full text of Ralph Gleason’s interview with Coltrane (only an excerpt is provided) as the entire interview will be published in a book of Gleason’s interviews that is coming out. Also, where the source tape is available, DeVito makes corrections and changes based on the tape such as on Frank Kofsky’s interview, the lengthiest of the interviews with Coltrane published here.
The earliest piece here is a 1952 Baltimore Afro-American account of a 1952 performance by Coltrane and Specs Wright followed by a previously unpublished interview by August Blume in 1958 when Coltrane was in Baltimore with the then new Miles Davis Quintet. The informality of the discussion, which was recorded without Coltrane’s knowledge at the end is fascinating as he discusses music, philosophy, religion and other performers. Coltrane’s straight-forwardness comes across her and throughout the latter interviews. His humility and the fact he was constantly striving to improve himself as a musician and searching in his music is something repeated in various latter interviews and so many of the interviews not the contrast between the apparently ‘angry’ music and the calm and thoughtful responses of him, whether discussing how he tries to relate to audiences, reactions to him and Eric Dolphy being called anti-jazz (an infamous DownBeat article), how playing the soprano saxophone was affecting his playing of the tenor saxophone, and thoughts on members of his band and musicians he admired.
Interestingly, many of the interviews from the sixties after the famous DownBeat article where Coltrane and Dolphy respond to their critics, come from European publications and we get a sense of audience reactions to a live performance of “A Love Supreme,” from some of the introductions and questions. Then there are concerns (and restraints) about playing in clubs and the quality of PA systems as opposed to concerts. While the issue of politics and the issue of racial discrimination do come up, the interview with Kofsky is perhaps the one in which he discusses points at length. Also included is an invaluable remembrance of Coltrane with Babatunde Olantunji with whom Coltrane was a friend and eventually a collaborator, and Coltrane helped open the Olantunji Olantunji Center of African Culture, which was the site of one of Coltrane’s last performances and notes that Coltrane was withdrawing from certain performance venues because of a desire to have more self-determination over his music. Also included is a remembrance of Hod O’Brien that remembers Coltrane as an extremely generous man, who allowed O’Brien to take a break when O’Brien had not had a break for several hours and needed to use the facilities.
Chris DeVito has provided an invaluable service in bring all this material together, despite some repetition of themes between some of the interviews. They do help provide a sense of this gentleman who was not simply one of the most significant musicians of the 20th Century, but a man to be admired on so many other levels.
For purposes of FTC regulations I received a review copy from the publisher or a publicist for the publisher.
I have a penchant for books on music (especially blues and jazz) and photography. Books of photographs of blues and jazz musicians have a specific place in my heart, so when I saw on amazon the description of “Jazz” by Ed Van Der Elsken, I added it to my shopping cart but it wasn’t only until recently that I purchased the book. It is published in Amsterdam and it does include some introductory text which I am unable to understand since I do not read Dutch, but it contains a number of black and white photos from the fifties that look like they were taken during European tours by touring American Jazz Masters.
If the technical information on camera equipment and such matter is provided, it must be in portions of the text that I cannot decipher. In addition to the covers, there are 79 pages of photographs in this 7.2 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches hardback that weighs just under 15 ounces. I give the physical dimensions because most of my recent photo book acquisitions are not easily transportable, and despite being a hard cover, this is readily transportable. Their are audience pictures showing some showing unbridled enthusiasm and others more restrained. Notable groups include the Modern Jazz Quartet, Oscar peterson, Duke Ellington (one picture has him jubilant as he conducts the Orchestra) , Art Blakey with Lee Morgan, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong and the All Stars, Miles Davis on stage with Lester Young and with a big smile as Lester plays in one picture and Jimmy Rushing with Benny Goodman. Of course there is more here, but this gives some sense of who is included here. There is a grittiness in part from the grainy reproduction of many of these wonderful shots and there is a nice range of views including some from above like a two-page spread of Armstrong & the All Stars with the concert hall audience clearly visible. Van Der Elsken marvelously captures much of the flavor of the music in his images here. I have no regrets about purchasing this book and suspect lovers of vintage jazz photography will share my enthusiasm for this.
Today, I was at Barnes & Noble, in downtown Washington DC, and browsing the jazz and blues books section when I come across a book, Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats. I pick it up skim through it and then purchased it. It is published by Abrams Image and the credits have it compiled and photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter with a forward by Gary Giddins and an Introduction by Nadine de Koenigswarter, granddaughter of Pannonica. Pannonica is better known as Nica, the Baronness who befriended so many jazz musicians for such a long period of time. She was the person in whose apartment Charlie Parker died. Later, when she purchased a house in New Jersey, many jazz musicians visited or stayed with her. In 1957, she helped Thelonious Monk regain his caabaret license and also campaigned for its elimination which occurred when John Lindsay was elected Mayor. Monk had encouraged her to buy a house and she did ,which was named the Cathouse, and Monk himself moved there with his family in 1973, staying there until he passed. Others moved in or stayed for a period.
What the book compiles is the answers of about 300 jazz musicians to what three wishes in life they had. The text consists of their answers. Included are countless photographs of jazz legends from Monk, Barry Harris, Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, Art Blakey, Bud Powell, Sonny Clark John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Mary Lou Williams, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and countless others. Most of her photos were taken with a Polaroid camera, and several of the images are from worn photos, but the pictures, like their words, speak to us decades later. Some of informal, intimate images of them at the house, others sghow them perforing at the Cathouse. This is a book one can easily get lost with for days and hopefully should be available at your better book store or from the large internet retailers.
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