JazzWax

Top Mindblowers (Vol. 2)

With June just about wrapped up, it's time to look look back at the best quotes that emerged from my JazzWax interviews over the past three months. Part 1 of this quarterly series appeared at the end of March and can be viewed here. To merit a place in this roundup, a quote must be pithy or offer fresh insights into jazz and jazz artists. To access the full interview for each quote, click on the name of the individual quotes in the "JazzWax Interviews" section in the right-hand column.

Here are the top quotes from jazz legends over the past quarter:

"[Antonio Carlos] Jobim told me that he and other Brazilian musicians listened to the records I made with Laurindo Almeida in the early 1950s as well as other West Coast jazz albums I was on. He said those records helped them figure out what direction to go in for bossa nova." —alto saxophonist Bud Shank on West Coast jazz's critical role in the development of Brazil's bossa nova movement.

"Erroll Garner favored Percy Faith, Andre Kostelanetz and other mood music recordings when he came into [New York's] Colony Music Store. Since Erroll couldn't read music, he always wanted clear, correct renditions of pop songs so he could hear how they were supposed to sound before interpreting them himself." —Dan Morgenstern, director of Rutgers University's Institute of Jazz Studies, on his early record-store job.

"One time Miles came out of the shower and said, 'Phil [pictured], what do you think about me being black?' My brother was taken aback, he was such a gentle guy. He said, 'Aw, Miles, that stuff doesn't matter to me. All I know is you're the greatest trumpeter that ever lived.' But that, of course, was tongue in cheek. Phil loved Conte Candoli most of all and told me so." —Joe Urso, sharing a story told to him by his tenor saxophonist brother, Phil, who roomed with Miles on the road. Phil died earlier this year.

"Phil was sitting at the end of the bar. I got up and went over to him and asked, 'Why aren't you playing?' Phil [pictured] told me not to make a scene. I said, 'What do you mean? I brought my friend over here to see you play. What's the matter?' Phil says, 'Chet needed some money. He got $50 for my horn.' " —Joe Urso recalling how Chet Baker took advantage of his brother, Phil, to raise money for a fix.

"Erroll [Garner] said, 'Well, Ronnell, when I came along, pianists were all playing stride. Like Teddy, Fatha Hines and Art. I never could do that with my left hand. But I could do it in one spot in the same octave range. A lot of folks didn’t know I was left-handed. My right hand was weakest. I’d always have to play catch up with my right hand, which dragged a little bit.” —Pianist Ronnell Bright [pictured] recalling what Erroll Garner told about the origin of his piano style.

"Sarah bought sheet music [of Thanks for the Memory] for all of the musicians. She also had sheet music like everyone else, and was reading the word 'Parthenon,' which was hyphenated. Sarah was unfamiliar with the word or what the Parthenon was. So she couldn’t figure out where the emphasis was supposed to go." —Ronnell Bright [pictured] on why Sarah Vaughan had so much trouble with Parthenon on Thanks for the Memory, from After Hours at the London House (1956).

"Erroll [pictured] had no relationship to keys. He didn’t read music. He’d just play. The [bassists who played with him] said sometimes they’d have to play Misty in B or F-sharp. The next night the song might be in E or A. Whatever Erroll heard at the moment. There were no difficult keys for Erroll. That's why Erroll always started songs by playing solo or vamping. It gave the bass player time to figure out the key.” —Ronnell Bright on Erroll Garner.

"The inspiration for Park Avenue Petite came from my imagination and nothing real. I simply thought of a lovely single young lady living in one of Park Avenue's high rises. Each day she passes the building's doorman without knowing that he has great admiration for her. However, he is never able to approach her or express his feelings because of his job and her high position in society. The lady is so high above him socially. Sadness, futility, desperation, hopelessness and unfulfillment become his metier as he mechanically opens the door for her each day, sharing only her delightful, captivating and alluring smile." —Benny Golson [pictured] on the origin of his composition, Park Avenue Petite. [Photo by Tom Pich]

"I used to bring special copies [of Chris Connor's Lullaby of Birdland] to radio stations. These [promotional] discs allowed radio announcers to dub in their voices, so it sounded like they were announcing Chris at Birdland. Life was very simple then." —producer Creed Taylor [pictured] on how radio disc jockey Bob Garrity's voice wound up on some recordings of Chris Connor's Lullaby of Birdland.

"Ella is fantastic, but when she sings I always wonder what happened to the meaning of the song." —producer Creed Taylor [pictured], on his preference for Chris Connor, Carmen McRae and Nina Simone.

"Jack Teagarden made it look so easy. He used different slide positions on the trombone because his arms were short." —producer Creed Taylor

"For me, lyrics are like the script to a play. You have to act them out emotionally. Every singer that does anything worthwhile has to be an actor. You have to act out the lyrics of a song and put your personality into it." —singer Chris Connor.

"Art was so sensitive. It was as if he had no skin. The way he dealt with issues was getting loaded and playing music. I think a lot of people become artists because they're so troubled, they need art to put their creativity and issues in order." —Laurie Pepper, record producer and widow of saxophonist Art Pepper [pictured].

Tomorrow, look for my second quarterly feature: Top Replays '08 (Part 2). It's a list of 10 albums that I've played more often than others over the past three months.

Sunday Wax Bits

JazzWax improvements! As you may have noticed, several new convenient features have been added to this blog in response to readers' requests. Let me explain what's new and how each one can enhance your JazzWax experience:

1. Search: Wondering whether I've written about a specific album or artist? Recall reading a post over the past year but aren't sure when it ran? Now just type the words into the search bar at the top of the right-hand column and hit the "return" button." Up will come what you're looking for. A special thanks to Christine, who suggested this feature.

2. Subscribe: You now have two free ways to subscribe to daily posts at JazzWax. Both are in the right-hand column:

To sign up for the handy "feed reader," click the first button under "Subscribe for free" in the right-hand margin. Then just follow the instructions. Linked headlines will appear each day on your search engine's home page. 

To sign up for an email copy, just provide your e-mail and click the "subscribe" button. You'll receive the post a day later, but you won't miss a single column.

3. Recent posts: I've added a list of links to the most recent posts. This way, if you miss a day or more, you instantly can see the last series of posts, in order. Just click on the headline to view.

4. Comment alerts: For those who post comments, you'll love this one. Now you will be alerted by email when another reader posts a comment in response. You activate this feature by subscribing to the "comment feed" inside the comment zone. For example, if you click on "comment" under a post, you'll see text that says: "You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post." Just click on the blue link to sign up for an alert.

5. JazzWax Interviews: All of the interviews that I have conducted with jazz legends and personalities are listed in the right-hand margin. Simply click on the name, and you'll be at the first page. To see the next page in a mulit-part interview, go to the top of the post and click on the "Part 2" link, etc.

6. Favicon: In a day or so, you will notice a new icon at the start of the JazzWax URL. A favicon is a tiny image next to a URL in your browser that personalizes the site. I added a favicon because many people bookmark this blog (meaning, they drag it into the bookmark column on the left-hand side of their browser for easy, one-click access). A favicon makes it easier for you to spot the JazzWax link in your bookmarks.

That's it for now. More coming. As always, if anything at the blog is frustrating or you have ideas to make the information easier to access, send along an email and I'll address them.

A big thanks to Chris, Jen and the entire team at SixApart for implementing these changes. By the way, if you're interested in starting a blog or want to learn more about the company that hosts my blog, go here. SixApart is the web's leading provider of blog tools and services, and the folks who work there are superb.

Sarah Vaughan memory. I received an email earlier in the week from Owen Cordle, who reviews CDs for JazzTimes:

"Your Sarah Vaughan column reminded me of a funny thing that happened at a rehearsal with her in the mid-1980s. I was one of five saxophonists hired by the North Carolina Symphony to play on some symphonic-type charts behind her. The gig was a fundraiser and donor-appreciation type of event for the Symphony—a plush affair at a hotel in Chapel Hill.

The saxes were seated up front, with the Symphony in a semi-circle behind us, and Miss Vaughan's rhythm section in front of us. When I looked up from my music stand, there was Andy Simpkins on bass right in front of me and Harold Jones on drums to his right. It was the best seat in the house.

At the rehearsal, we were playing Misty, I think, and there was an abrupt key change at the end of a chorus—no modulation. Miss Vaughan sailed right through it in the original key and immediately broke out in laughter. No big deal. The conductor simply had everyone back up a few bars and start again. This time she nailed it. A most professional attitude and recovery.

But don't think I'm the kind of saxophone player who routinely hangs out in her kind of company. I just got lucky. All the other cats were busy, so I got the call."

    Clarifications. The great Ira Gitler dropped a line late last week to fine-tune a few points made in my posts on Gil Evans and Ike Quebec:

"Robbins' Nest actually was written by Sir Charles Thompson with help from Joe Newman. Illinois Jacquet and his combo made the song famous. Milestones (1947) was a gift to Miles from John Lewis [pictured], who played piano on the date. I had heard that John really wrote it (vibraphonist Teddy Charles may have been the one who first hunched me to that), and the tune certainly sounded like something John would have written. In later years, I asked John directly, and he confirmed it. But I think Miles really did write Sippin' at Bell's, one of his few.

As for the pronunciation of Ike Quebec's last name, I believe it was Kwuh-bec or, as some people used to say it, Kwee-bec. Long story short, it's pronounced like the Canadian city."

I have updated the posts so that they now incorporate Ira's points. For more on Robbins' Nest and to read dozens of fabulous oral histories with jazz legends, pick up Ira's book, Swing to Bop here.

Billy Bauer. Michael Palmer from Australia and host of the Johnny Hodges tribute site dropped a line in response to my post on Billy Bauer's Plectrist (1956):

"To show how versatile a musician BB was in his recording days, listen to the Bobby Hackett and Jack Teagarden Jazz Ultimate (very aptly named as it is a wonderful recording) and also the Rex Stewart and Cootie Williams album, The Big Challenge."

New guitar e-zine. Modern Acoustic, a new, free online magazine written by Boston-based Rich Kassirer is up and running. You can download a copy here.

Jo Stafford swings Broadway. One of my all-time favorite vocal albums is Jo Stafford's Swinging Down Broadway (1958). It seems the album is someone else's favorite as well. Two tracks from the album, Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe and How High the Moon, have been posted at YouTube.

Listen to Jo mimic the trombones on the beginning of Happiness. And listen carefully to what she does on Moon, bending notes and changing keys, especially at the end with the bongos running behind her. This is Paul Weston at his 12-cylinder best, with Jo completely in the groove.

Art Van Damme. While listening to Jo Stafford, another YouTube clip caught my eye. To my amazement, there was Art Van Damme, one of my favorite jazz accordionists. Michigan-born Van Damme recorded extensively in the 1940s and in the 1950s as cocktail music—or what we now call "lounge." But Van Damme always could swing, as evidenced by his working over of Gone With the Wind here at a concert not long ago in Paris, perhaps. I've added this clip to the "Videos" section on the right for handy access in the future.

Hidden Jazz Downloads (Vol. 3)

My periodic list of fabulous little-known and often overlooked jazz downloads began as "Hidden Gems at iTunes." But in recent weeks and months, I've noticed that Amazon has made an impressive push to host an ever-growing database of downloadable tracks. In some cases, Amazon has what iTunes doesn't.

So I've changed the name of this column to "Hidden Jazz Downloads." The albums featured aren't really hidden, of course. Anyone can find them. By "hidden," I mean that the albums I've dug up are either buried on other albums, have been overlooked, or have just been reissued or remastered.

Here are my five hidden picks of the week. They can be found either at iTunes or Amazon—or, in some cases, both:

Harry Carney with Strings—Harry Carney (1954). In December 1954, Harry Carney recorded an album with strings. Arranged by Ralph Burns, the album was for Norman Granz's Clef label [original cover, right] and featured a chunk of Duke Ellington's band: Ray Nance on trumpet and violin; Tony Miranda on French horn; Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet and tenor sax; Carney on baritone and bass clarinet; Leroy Lovett on piano; Billy Bauer on guitar; Wendell Marshall on bass; and Louie Bellson on drums. You won't find this album if you search for it by its original title. That's because its tracks have been folded into a Ben Webster download called Music for Loving [left]. If you bring the Webster up at Amazon and then to the second disc, the last eight tracks make up the Carney album. (See what I mean by "hidden?") Once downloaded, you'll hear the oversized sea-walrus sound that made Carney the envy of every baritone saxophone player of the period. You'll also hear a fine contrast between baritone horn and a rich bed of strings.

You Talk That Talk!—Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons (1971). Like the Harry Carney album with strings, you won't find You Talk That Talk! [right] as a stand-alone CD. I recently discovered it tucked away on Gene Ammons: Legends of Acid Jazz. Originally issued on Prestige, it is one of my favorite Ammons and Stitt albums. In addition to a clutch of funky 1970s tenor battles, there are two killer ballads: Stitt's Body and Soul, my favorite Sonny version, bar none; and Ammons' The Sun Died, which is equally soulful. The rhythm section here features Leon Spencer, Jr. on organ, George Freeman on guitar and Idris Muhammad on drums. By the way, the Gene Ammons tracks on the Acid Jazz CD are from The Black Cat and feature Ammons at his groovy best. In the 1970s, these two old school boppers were two funky fellers.

Clark Terry Septet—Clark Terry (1954-55). If you dig Quincy Jones' early writing for small groups and you're crazy about Lucky Thompson, this album is worth digging. The download [pictured below] actually combines three different dates from the mid-1950s. The first eight tracks were for EmArcy Records and were recorded during two different January 1955 sessions. They feature Clark Terry on trumpet; Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, Cecil Payne on baritone sax, Horace Silver on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, Oscar Pettiford on bass and cello and Art Blakey on drums (a killer lineup). The last four tracks were part of an unusual MGM session recorded earlier in June 1954. The album was called Cats Versus Chicks [above right]. The album pitted an all-male jazz group against an all-female crew. Featured on the download's 9th, 10th and 11th tracks were the guys: Clark Terry on trumpet, Urbie Green on trombone, Lucky Thompson [pictured, in the 1940s] on tenor sax, Horace Silver on piano, Tal Farlow on guitar, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. On Anything You Can Do, the 12th tract, some of the women joined in: Norma Carson on trumpet; Terry Pollard on piano and Mary Osborne on guitar. Unfortunately, the remaining tracks aren't included, but I'll be writing about the date down the road. [Photo of Thompson by Herman Leonard]

Stan Getz and Laurindo Almeida—Stan Getz (1963). Two days after recording what would become known as the most successful jazz bossa nova album, Getz/Gilberto, Getz recorded this album with Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida. The album isn't as well known today as Getz's other bossa nova LPs. Fortunately, the Verve album was just remastered and reissued on June 3, and the download sounds fabulous. For a sample, dig Once Again (Outra Vez). I could listen to Stan and Laurindo play that baby on a loop all day. Ten years earlier, Almeida had teamed with Bud Shank, Harry Babasin and Roy Harte to record the earliest Brazilian jazz albums, which would influence Antonio Carlos Jobim and other Brazilian bossa nova pioneers. Today those early 10-inch LPs are on an album called Brazilliance Vol. 1, which is available as a download.

Plus Four—Max Roach (1956). This is the Clifford Brown album that never was or should have been. Recorded three months after Brown and Richie Powell's death in a June 1956 auto accident, Max brought together Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Sonny Rollins on tenor sax, Ray Bryant on piano and George Morrow on bass for this EmArcy recording. It's high energy all the way, and an extension of Sonny's 1956 return to the group.

Billy Bauer: Plectrist

Guitarist Billy Bauer recorded only one album as a leader. The album was Plectrist, and it featured Andrew Ackers on piano, Milt Hinton on bass and Osie Johnson on drums. Bauer wasn't shy. The reason for the sole leadership date was Bauer's workload as a sideman. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Bauer recorded relentlessly in bands and groups, preferring to play a supporting role. Producer Norman Granz virtually had to beg Bauer to record Plectrist for his Norgran label, cutting off Bauer repeatedly each time Bauer tried to explain how busy he was and why he couldn't do it. [Photo of Billy Bauer by Herman Leonard]

Bauer had a natural, swinging style that was essential for keeping 1940s big-band rhythm sections on track. A superb sight-reader, Bauer had great taste in chord structures and improvisational lines. What's more, he was confident and clear, which is why he was in such demand.

As the big bands gave way to smaller ensembles in the late 1940s and early 1950s, guitarists increasingly were called upon to keep tempos and set moods. Like Mundell Lowe, Barney Kessel, Kenny Burrell, Johnny Smith, Dave Barbour, Chuck Wayne, Jimmy Raney and many other guitarists, Bauer was a journeyman, joining groups for brief periods and record dates before being yanked away by another leader or record producer, especially in the 10-inch LP era.

Between 1942 and 1946, Bauer played steadily with Woody Herman's band, known euphemistically as the First Herd. In the fall of 1946 Bauer joined pianist Lennie Tristano and bassist Clyde Lombardi to form the first Lennie Tristano Trio. Sessions followed with other artists, including small ensemble dates with bassist Chubby Jackson and trombonist Bill Harris, Bauer rejoined Tristano's trio in 1947, this time with John Levy on bass. In 1948, Bauer spent much of the year with Benny Goodman. By year's end, he was voted an All Star by Metronome magazine's readers. [Pictured: Bauer, on guitar, behind a seated Woody Herman, in 1946]

As was customary, the magazine's poll winners were recorded. So in January 1949, the Metronome All-Stars made two sides, Overtime and Victory Ball. Today, the discs remain highly charged works that not only showcase the advanced forms of jazz emerging from bebop's wide shadow but also represent an historic convergence of talent. The other 1948 Metronome All-Stars were Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Fats Navarro on trumpets; Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson on trombones; Buddy DeFranco on clarinet; Charlie Parker on alto sax; Charlie Ventura on tenor sax; Ernie Caceres on baritone sax; Lennie Tristano on piano; Billy Bauer on guitar; Eddie Safranski on bass; and Shelly Manne on drums. Pete Rugolo was the arranger. Before you read any further, take another look at that trumpet section.

In March 1949, Bauer joined the groundbreaking Lennie Tristano Sextet, which included Tristano, Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, Tristano, Arnold Fishkin and Denzil Best. The group experimented with impossibly difficult modal compositions such as Wow! and Cross-Current, radicalizing the cool jazz sound introduced a year earlier at the Royal Roost by the Miles Davis nonet. An interesting footnote: The Miles Davis nonet 78-rpm recordings (later packaged as the Birth of the Cool sessions) were made in January 1949, just three months before Tristano recorded his. An interesting footnote: They were recorded for the same label—and Lee Konitz played on both!

In March 1951, Bauer played on the modal Ezz-thetic session with Miles Davis and Lee Konitz, which further advanced the Third Stream sound. In August, Bauer recorded on Chico O'Farrill Orchestra's Dance One session for Norman Granz's Clef label. A long string of recording dates followed for Bauer in 1952 and 1953.

In December 1954, Bauer's phone rang. It was Charlie Parker asking "B.B" if he was available to appear on a Clef session. It would turn out to be Parker's last studio recordings. The date was the second half of Granz's ill-conceived Cole Porter concept album that Parker never completed before his death in March 1955.

Right after the turn of the year in 1956, Bauer finally relented to Granz's nagging and agreed to record Plectrist. The word "plectrist" was made up by the session's producer and means one who skillfully uses a plectrum or a triangular plastic pic on the guitar's strings. The first four tracks of Plectrist were recorded on January 23, 1956, with another six captured on March 12.

Bauer's playing swings on the up-tempo tracks and features gorgeous chords on the ballads. Bauer is so good on the album that he sounds as if he's accompanying himself. What you notice throughout, in addition to Bauer's beautiful taste, is Osie Johnson's drums. Johnson appeared on dozens of recordings in the 1950s, but it's rare to hear his drumming style and technique so distinctly. On Plectrist, you can hear clearly just how gifted a beat-keeper he was and why he was a favorite of so many session leaders of the period.

Milt Hinton, of course, keeps rock solid time all the way through. Again, because this is a small group with guitar as the lead, you hear exactly why Hinton [pictured] was so beloved by session and club artists.

Andrew Ackers is the least-known player on the date. Ackers was a session pianist who worked steadily in the 1940s with bandleaders Jerry Wald and George Paxton, and with Carmen McRae in 1955. Bauer picks up the story about Ackers in the liner notes from the 2000 re-issue:

"I just grabbed a couple of guys I'd been working with. I had been on a lot of dates with Milt Hinton and Osie Johnson who did a lot of studio work in those days. I knew Andrew Ackers because I was working at NBC at the time, and Fran Warren, the singer, had a couple of little shows, and he was the conductor; every once in a while I was called to do a show with him.

We didn't get to play much on the shows, but we used to get together about an hour before a show and talk and play. Andy was a good accompanist; he backed me up very nicely, never got in my way. Some guys play well but they get in your way all of the time. Andy let me play.

So when I got the record date, I said, 'Well, I'll get Andy.' I could have gotten anybody—I probably could have gotten Lennie [Tristano] to do it—but I was with Andy a lot, and I like the way he accompanied me... [Pictured, from left, Bobby Hackett, Whitey Mitchell, Denzil Best and Bauer in the early 1950s]

Norman wasn't in the studio when I made the album. It was just the musicians and an engineer. I'd say, 'Here we go!' and we'd play. I let everybody do what they wanted to do."

For an example of Bauer and Ackers playing in complete harmony, dig the Bauer original ballad Night Cruise. Or the uptempo Irving Berlin standard, Maybe I Love You Too Much. Ackers had great taste. It's a shame he didn't record more.

Plectrist is a snapshot of the level of taste and talent that existed in early 1956, especially among guys who went from studio to studio earning a living on record dates. It's a sleeper album that's a must-own for any collection.

JazzWax tracks: Plectrist is out of print as a CD. Issued by Verve in 2000 as part of its lovingly remastered Elite Edition series, the CD now goes for $22 used, while an import is about $30 here. Great news, though—the album is available as a download at iTunes and Amazon.

JazzWax video clip: To hear how exciting the Lennie Tristano Sextet was in 1949 with Bauer on guitar, go here. It's a recording of Wow! with just the cover of Tristano's Supersonic LP displayed. But listen to Bauer's solo. Shows you how he could fit right in with these modal monsters using simple smart, swinging lines.

Sarah Vaughan: Embraceable You

On December 16 and 18, 1954, Sarah Vaughan recorded what remains her most definitive work of the 1950s. Known today simply as Sarah Vaughan (EmArcy), the album featured Clifford Brown on trumpet, Herbie Mann on flute, Paul Quinichette on tenor sax, Jimmy Jones on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass and Roy Haynes on drums. The arranger was Ernie Wilkins. [Photo of Jimmy Jones, Sarah and Clifford Brown by Herman Leonard]

The session was recorded at the Fine Sound Studio in New York's Great Northern Hotel on 56th St. The studio was founded by C. Robert Fine [pictured], Mercury's legendary head engineer. Back in the early 1950s, Fine used a minimalist single-microphone monaural recording technique that produced highly dimensional results, which is why the album's fidelity remains superb in all its LP and CD incarnations.

Produced by Bob Shad, the two sessions weren't meant to generate an album. Instead, Shad intended to release the tracks on extended play 45-rpms, with one song on each side. Each vinyl 45-rpm would come in its own miniature cardboard jacket with photos and liner notes. It was a marketing strategy used in the early 1950s by labels to capitalize on the new smaller format and gain access to jukeboxes.

Once the Vaughan dates were completed, Shad set about packaging the songs on EP's, each with its own title and cover art. The four EP's were: Sarah Vaughan (with Jim on the A side and He's My Guy on the B side); The Divine Sarah (April in Paris backed by You're Not the Kind); Sincerely, Sarah (with Embraceable You and I'm Glad There Is You on the flip side); and Lullaby of Birdland (featuring Lullaby of Birdland and September Song).

For some reason, It's Crazy was the odd song out and wasn't released until many years later, which always puzzled me. Based on my research yesterday, it turns out Shad had planned to release It's Crazy as the A side with I'm Glad There is You on the B side. But at the end of the December 18 session, there was studio time left on the clock. A look at the matrix numbers from the date shows that the masters were captured that day with a relatively low number of takes compared to the December 16 session, which required many more.

So Shad had Sarah and just her rhythm section record Embraceable You to finish the date. The other musicians at the session were dropped, presumably to minimize the risk of false starts and performance errors that would demand additional takes and time. One look at the Embraceable You matrix number says it all: Just one take was needed for the master.

Clearly, the playback was so startling that Shad decided to drop It's Crazy and pair Embraceable You with the equally penetrating ballad I'm Glad There Is You. It's Crazy was left in the can. Which was exactly the right call, given the quality of Embraceable You's execution.

Years later, when all the tracks from these two sessions were combined on a 12-inch LP and then various CDs, most listeners bypassed Embraceable You, focusing instead on Lullaby of Birdland or You're Not the Kind. But after giving Embraceable You about 15 listens yesterday, I find that the song is one of the date's finest efforts and most overlooked tracks.

Embraceable You is Sarah's first trio-only recording with Jimmy Jones [pictured], who just months earlier had replaced pianist John Malachi as the vocalist's accompanist. Jones' work on this track is sublime. You can hear him anticipating Sarah's every move, releasing lush chord changes and filling in Sarah's breaks with relaxed, feather-light lines. Jones also gets a chance to stretch out 2:21 into the song, when Sarah steps away to give her trio a vocal-free chorus.

Listen for Jones' chord clusters just before Sarah returns. He cascades down with the same beautiful idea four different times prior to Sarah's soaring re-entry. And dig Roy Haynes' [pictured] dramatic brushwork here. His mix of sensitivity and percussive pushing throughout is terrific. This is a fabulous sleeper track on an album you probably already own but haven't heard in some time. Reach for the CD and put on Embraceable You.

JazzWax tracks: Sarah Vaughan has been released numerous times over the years, most recently in 2000. Embraceable You and the rest of the album is available as a download at iTunes and Amazon. Or you can buy the CD here, choosing from a range of domestic and imported releases.

JazzWax video clip: To see Sarah sing Embraceable You in the mid-1980s, go here. Sarah includes the song as part of a Gershwin medley. Be sure to listen carefully during her intro to But Not for Me. At 0:46 into the song, she does a pitch perfect run up that will knock you out. Also, notice how rich and deep her voice is here. The YouTube notes say the clip was recorded in Stamford, CT, and that it comes from a DVD that you can purchase by clicking on the link provided.

Gil Evans: Robbins' Nest

The earliest known recording of a Gil Evans arrangement is the Skinnay Ennis Orchestra's Strange Enchantment in 1939. Two years later, Evans [pictured] joined Claude Thornhill's orchestra and remained with the bandleader until 1949, with a four-year break for World War II. It was during his second stay with Thornhill that Evans developed his signature orchestral sound. One of the first examples of this revolutionary approach to arranging can be heard on Thornhill's 1947 recording of Robbins' Nest.

What surprises many people is that Evans began his career as a West Coast arranger in the 1930s. Exposed to bop and swing during World War II, Evans moved to New York in 1946 and combined what he knew and what he had learned. His post-war arrangements for Thornhill were cooler and treated the band's different sections as equals. Ironically, Evans' would eventually come full circle by influencing a generation of West Coast arrangers.

Equally fascinating is how Evans managed to influence and be influenced. In 1947, he turned small-group bop standards Donna Lee, Anthropology and Yardbird Suite into even-paced big-band suites for Claude Thornhill. At the same time, he had a major impact on Miles Davis, helping the trumpeter develop a more spacious approach to his playing—Milestones in 1947 (written by John Lewis and given to Miles as a gift) and the nonet dates of 1948 and 1949.

Ultimately, Evans was among the first to significantly modernize the sound of large and medium-sized ensembles, more so than Neal Hefti and Ralph Burns. Breaking from the swing tradition and adding modal phrasings that made compositions sound less predictable and more airy, Evans' writing style shaped the direction of countless arrangers, including Gerry Mulligan, Bill Holman and Quincy Jones.

Much of Evans' success as an arranger was a direct result of Claude Thornhill. In the mid-1940s, when Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and other bands were featuring brass-heavy arrangements and hot-dog soloists, Thornhill [pictured] was both a throwback and a visionary. Rather than develop muscle-bound charts that grew louder and louder as they progressed, Thornhill favored complex harmonic configurations that proudly demonstrated his band's ability to blow loud and tender all in the same song. As might be expected, such alpha-beta arrangements were a bear to play.

Saxophonist Hal McKusick [pictured], who replaced Lee Konitz in Thornhill's band in 1949 and stayed until 1950, spoke to me yesterday about Claude:

"Claude was respected by all musicians. He had a sensitive band, thanks to his concept of what a dance jazz band should sound like. I'm sure he was influenced by his classical training on piano. His personality dictated the need to have a quiet band that could play full as well as retain that warm sound of blended tones.

Claude was innovative—using Parker's themes early, orchestrated by Gil Evans. He also gave free rein to Gerry Mulligan [pictured], who produced terrific charts. Claude's theme song, Snowfall says a lot—five clarinets over the rest of the band in a slow tempo and good dynamics.

Claude liked to conduct the band from the piano and shoot ideas from there. He expected the best from his musicians and got it through choice and rehearsals.

His way of auditioning players was telling. He'd have them sit near him and just improvise as he played the piano. He was always concerned with intonation and phrasing and found it difficult to tell someone in the band that they weren't in tune or not phrasing well. Instead, he would play that person's note or phrase on the piano while the band was performing and bring attention to the out-of-tune player. This made players more sensitive and aware. 

Claude also used that system to get people out of the band who were not up to par. Frustrated with their lack of ability to measure up, they'd just quit.

For me, it was one of the best musical experiences, a chance to grow and develop my abilities. It was an opportunity to share amazing music and to know one of the finest band leaders."

Gil Evans had everything to do with Thornhill's modern sound and ability to attract and keep top players. Born in Toronto, Evans was a mining-town brat, moving from town to town as his stepfather worked ore lodes throughout the Northwest. The family eventually settled in California in 1922, and Evans' first exposure to jazz was seeing Duke Ellington [pictured] in 1927 in San Francisco. He soon bought his first record, No One Else But You by Louis Armstrong and Earl "Fatha" Hines.

While studying music in high school, Evans began transcribing records. In 1933, he formed his first group that included six musicians but soon expanded to nine. Evans was the band's arranger, and the group played ballrooms in Southern California until 1938. [Evans, third from the left, with his band in 1934]

That year, Evans was offered a job arranging for Skinnay Ennis' [pictured] band, which soon began to work with Bob Hope in Hollywood. Another arranger, Claude Thornhill, was brought in to help with the workload. Thornhill had already started an orchestra and was on the West Coast at the time. In 1941 Thornhill decided to relocate to New York for a three-month stay at the Glen Island Casino.

Evans joined Thornhill in New York, and on November 17, three of his arrangements for Thornhill were recorded—I Hate You, Darling; Rose O'Day; and Somebody Nobody Loves.

With the onset of World War II the following month, Thornhill disbanded his orchestra in 1942, and Evans joined the army soon afterward, winding up assigned to various stateside military bands. While in the army, he met Lester Young and heard bebop for the first time. After his discharge in 1946, Evans returned to New York and rented an apartment on West 55th St., just blocks from the clubs on 52d Street [pictured]. When Thornhill re-formed his orchestra that year, Evans re-joined as the band's arranger.

Evans' first big chart was Anthropology, an ambitious orchestration of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie's bop tune based on the chord changes to I Got Rhythm. Evans' arrangement was recorded by Thornhill in September 1947, opening with Claude playing a tongue-in-cheek minuet. What followed was an ambitious bop interpretation showcasing various soloists, including trombonist Tak Takvorian and alto saxophonist Lee Konitz [pictured].

Evans' arranging style matured rapidly, and a month later, in October 1947, the band recorded his chart for Robbins' Nest, written by Sir Charles Thompson with help from Joe Newman. This is perhaps the first time you hear shades of his writing for the Miles Davis nonet that would form the following year and seeds of the Miles Ahead (Miles +19) session of 1957.

Robbins' Nest is truly remarkable. Evans' arrangement opens with the reeds blowing breathy, suspenseful minor-key interchanges. Trumpets and trombones exchanges dramatic lines in the background as Thornhill's piano wanders in. Thornhill then solos, blocking out the song's major-key theme, with reeds and trombones interacting in the background. Thornhill returns with block chords. The entire chart builds to a fascinating crescendo that begins 2:07 into the recording. It's pure Evans, with all of the cool-jazz phrasings that he would use to great effect in the years that followed. [Pictured: Thornhill's band in New Orleans, 1953]

What you hear on Robbins' Nest (and Donna Lee and Yardbird Suite from November 1947, for that matter), is the birth of a new sound, one that eventually would be adapted by virtually every major arranger of the 1950s. [Pictured: Evans in 1953 with Peggy Lee; photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images]

JazzWax tracks: Gil Evans arrangement of  Strange Enchantment for Skinnay Ennis can be sampled here. Evans' groundbreaking arrangement of Robbins' Nest is available at iTunes, along with Anthropology, Donna Lee and Yardbird Suite. Or you can buy a CD that contains Evans' and Mulligans' arrangements for Thornhill here.

McCoy Tyner: Fly With the Wind

In late 1975, when jazz fusion was at its height, pianist McCoy Tyner approached producer Orrin Keepnews at Milestone Records about recording an album of mostly original compositions backed by strings. Tyner's vision wasn't for a laid-back syrupy affair but a robust, percussive date featuring 17 top-notch musicians. Four of the five compositions would be by Tyner as well as all of the arrangements.

As producer of Tyner's records for Milestone since Sahara in 1972, Keepnews liked the idea. Under marketplace pressure to deliver records that were as big in scope, concept and packaging as the glossy LPs being issued by CTI Records, Keepnews seized on the concept and began to plan the date.

Keepnews knew that Tyner's demanding vision needed highly skilled sidemen. But since the session would have to be held on the West Coast where Milestone and parent company Fantasy were based, Keepnews was concerned that he wouldn't be able to attract the right musicians and string players to San Francisco for the complex material Tyner had written. Keepnews also needed someone to conduct the large session. [Photo of Keepnews and Tyner courtesy of Milestone archives]

The sideman problem was solved by timing the date to when flutist Hubert Laws [pictured], drummer Billy Cobham and bassist Ron Carter would be appearing locally near the label's Berkeley, CA, studios. Several of the woodwind and string players were members of the San Francisco Symphony. Tyner brought in Bill Fischer, a friend and skilled conductor who worked with him on his 1973 album, Song of the New World.

On January 19, 20 and 21 1976, the musicians gathered and recorded Fly With the Wind, a jazz-fusion opus. At a time when multi-track recording was standard and overdubbing was an accepted method of layering sound with just a handful of musicians, Tyner insisted on forgoing the technology and trickery in favor of straight up playing. What you hear on the album is the work of the musicians performing simultaneously in the same studio, writes Keepnews in the re-issues liner notes.

As Keepnews points out, the result "qualifies unequivocally as a jazz album...it never loses contact with its basic jazz qualities." True enough. But it's a different sort of jazz, one heavily influenced by the muscular, showy music style gaining popularity with young listeners.

As readers of this blog know, I'm not a big fan of fusion. I find much of it to be long-winded, noisy and self-indulgent. For me, the fusion of the 1970s was largely a cold, disengaged genre created by theory-heavy music school graduates hoping to piggy back on the success of The Who, Pink Floyd, Yes, Santana and other instrument-driven concert-rock groups popular at the time.

Fly With the Wind is an exception. The 32-year-old album remains a fascinating percussive work that holds up well, treating the strings and woodwinds not as mood setters but as an equal partner. Listen to the title track, Fly With the Wind, which rises continuously from plateau to plateau, supported by Cobham's [pictured] huge drum rolls and flavored by Laws' flute. 

Salvadore de Samba has the feel of Chick Corea's Spain, while Beyond the Sun is a ballad that makes superb use of the harp, strings and flute. You Stepped Out of a Dream is the album's only standard, but given Tyner's [pictured] fascinating arrangement, you hardly recognize it. Instead, the composition comes off as a complex fusion reading. And dig Ron Carter's bass work!

Rolem closes out the album and again features big drumming, flute flashes and breakneck modal piano work. Carter's acoustic bass and solo on this track remains extraordinary and keeps the song relevant today.

When I reach for a fusion album, this one is it (along with a few others). As fusion goes, Fly With the Wind is a prime example of how inventive the genre could be without delivering a headache.

JazzWax tracks: Fly With the Wind is part of Concord Records' Keepnews Collection series of remastered recordings, and the sound is wide, dimensional and pristine. The remastering has managed to grasp all of the sounds recorded and lay them out in a way that lets you hear exactly what Tyner had in mind. There also are two bonus tracks—alternate takes of Beyond the Sun and Rolem. The Keepnews Collection release can be downloaded at Amazon here or purchased as a CD here.

Interestingly, Fly With the Wind's album cover mimics CTI Records' offerings of the period—a big nature shot (by Galen Rowell) on the front with the image "bleeding" (continuing) onto the back, where there's a small head shot of Tyner. Also, there were no liners notes on the back of the original album to remain in step with the minimalist packaging trend of the day, Keepnews writes, a decision the producer now wistfully regrets.

Sunday Wax Bits

Peggy Lee's mouth. Over the weekend I had a chance to watch Fever: The Music of Peggy Lee, a DVD bio of the great singer and songwriter released in 2004. The DVD's color and sound are sensational. The fire-engine reds and swimming-pool blues prevalent during the early days of color film have been polished to a high shine, while the fidelity is so crisp I had to reach for the remote to bring it down a bit.

The first part of Fever is a 60-minute documentary of sorts, featuring a quickie bio and smattering of talking heads reflecting on what made Lee so special. The bio and interviews are mere filler, of course, since the main attraction is a chronological collection of clips, many of them not seen in some time. They include Lee singing I Don't Know Enough About You, Pete Kelly's Blues, I'm a Woman, Big Spender, The Shining Sea, Fever and a staggering live version of Is That All There Is? There also are plenty of rare home movies provided by Lee's daughter and granddaughter.

But the real treat for me is Fever's bonus material, which includes complete versions of short films featuring Lee and husband and guitarist Dave Barbour, an appearances by Lee on the TV show What's My Line? and a shampoo ad by Lee in which the camera zooms in close. Lee's breathtaking beauty only grows as the lens nears.

Lee was music's first true video star. Her contemporaries were interesting to watch, but Lee was mesmerizing. The camera absolutely adores her, and from the viewer's standpoint, you can't get enough of her. Part of her on-camera appeal, in addition to those warm golden pipes, is that she never seems to be behind the controls of her charm. There's no diva here, just the look of someone who's wondering what all the fuss is about. She's radiant and in charge, falling deeply in love with whatever song she's singing. Yet Lee always seems a little dazed by it all, which was part of her appeal.

Watching Fever's clips, you also start to realize that in the late 1950s Lee was way more beautiful than Marilyn Monroe and more poised than Grace Kelly and other thoroughbred film actresses of the day. Lee increasingly came to personify female wholesomeness, intelligence and sexiness in the late 1950s just as women in film were being cast as dumb, loose or chronically dependent on men. Which is probably why film opportunities that emerged for Doris Day dried up for her. Dopey wasn't Lee's bag.

With Fever, you also get to study Lee's trapezoid of a mouth. Watch as it twists diagonal to the lyrics, puckers, sneers, tightens and unwinds. Watch her eyes widen innocently and narrow into two inky, sultry slits, depending on a song's words. Lee had 100 different facial expressions, and no two were alike. Her face was constantly in motion, often to the point of distracting you from her sublime voice.

I also noticed that Lee had this cute stage trick for enhancing her appeal. While she sang, she would shift her eyes furtively left, center and right before working them way back again. The result was a certain innocence, a cross between "Am I doing this right" and "Will they catch me?" Clearly a technique passed along by some old pro or friend early in her career, since she uses it effectively in Why Don't You Do Right? from Stage Door Canteen (1943). This room-scanning technique ensured that women were captivated and men properly seduced. It's funny how men saw one thing in Lee while women saw another. You notice this during Lee's What's My Line? appearance, as Lee lets panelist Dorothy Kilgallen's ego rise while reducing a smitten Ben Gazzara to a puddle. She knew just what to say and do, and unlike many actresses of the period, never seemed bothered or exhausted by the effort. Oh, and Lee could sing, too.

Fever: The Music of Peggy Lee (Capitol) is available here.

Ike Quebec. Today, disc jockey Sid Gribetz will be hosting a special five-hour broadcast on WKCR-FM celebrating the career of tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec [pictured]. Sid will be spinning Quebec's recording output from 2 to 7 pm (EDT). WKCR is at 89.9-FM in New York. Or if you're at a computer anywhere in the world, you can listen to Sid via a live stream here.

Quebec had an uneven recording career that started in 1943 with Roy Eldridge and included stints with Cab Calloway, Hot Lips Page and others. A strong sightreader, Quebec also was a session producer for Blue Note Records in the late 1940s. Drug problems sidelined Quebec in the 1950s, just as recording opportunities were expanding for many artists. Long a favorite of Blue Note's founder, Alfred Lion, Quebec staged a comeback in 1959 with a string of LPs for the label, including a series of singles produced for the jukebox. Quebec died in 1963 of lung cancer.

Frank Sinatra. Will Friedwald, the New York Sun's jazz critic, sent along a link to a hilarious American Comedy Network video clip. It features an animated Frank Sinatra singing My Way with the words changed to reflect The Chairman's disgust with our computerized times. Have a look here.

Wes Montgomery. For some time Bret Primack has been packaging superb video podcasts featuring interviews with Orrin Keepnews to support Concord Records' remastered re-issues of select recordings. This week Bret features The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, one of the greatest jazz guitar albums ever recorded. As has been the case with all of Concord's releases in the series, the sound of this CD is better than the Japanese imports of recent years. Bret's clip is here.

Dave Barbour. Jan Stevens of The Bill Evans Web Pages here sent along an e-mail in response to my post last week on Peggy Lee: The Lost Masters:

"It was great to see the Peggy Lee video clip of I Only Have Eyes for You with husband Dave Barbour. Peggy did it all with such ease and sensuality! However, I bet Dave chewed out the pianist after the Eyes performance. Clearly Barbour is supposed to have the "fills" between Peggy's phrasing, but the piano player is stepping all over him, more so in the first half of the song. The pianist doesn't seem to get the point till toward the end!"

Chris Greene. Soul and Science 2: Electric Boogaloo is Greene's second album. It came in over the transom last week. The newly released jazz-funk CD has a 1970s feel and features Chicago-native Greene on a range of saxophones. Joining him is Damian Espinosa on keyboards, Marc Piane on acoustic bass and Tyrone Blair on drums. Greene has some set of chops, especially on the tenor, as is evidenced on the first track, Amalgasantos. And dig Espinosa on the Fender Rhodes. Wow. You can download Amalgasantos or the entire album at iTunes or buy the CD here. Keep an eye on this kid, and remember, you heard it here first.

Art Tatum at the Apollo

Last night, about halfway into the first act of Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here, a one-man show at New York's Apollo Theater through Sunday, the nightclub owner played by actor Paul Butler tells the audience that Tatum's motto in life was "Expect more." In many ways, Tatum's mantra summed up the evening's attempt to leverage a fascinating album into a two-hour play about Tatum's life. Sadly, the result was a bit of an overreach.

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