JazzWax

Backgrounder: 'Os Poligonais' (1964)

Os Poligonais (The Polygonals) was a Brazilian instrumental quintet formed by pianist Vicente Salvia in the early 1960s to capitalize on the bossa nova trend. Joining him were Vidal Sbrighi on tenor sax, clarinet and flute, Edmar Tomy on guitar, Álvaro Galati on bass and Pedro dos Santos Eduardo on drums.

The group's first, eponymous album was Os Poligonais, for Brazilian RCA and released in 1964. It's a gorgeous LP with beautiful piano by Salvia and sensual flute played by Sbrighi. All of the group's albums are superb.

Here's the full album without ad interruptions...

Other ad-free Backgrounders in my series:

• Zoot Sims Plays Bossa Nova, go here.
• Lee Morgan: Lee-Way, go here.
• Bossa Nova for Swinging Lovers, go here.
• Leon Spencer: Louisiana Slim, go here.
• Bossa Nova Modern Quartet: Bossa Nova Jazz Samba, go here.
• Bill Evans & Luiz Eça: Piano Four Hands, go here.
• Ray Brown Trio: Don't Get Sassy, go here.
• Os Tatuis: Os Tatuis, go here.
• Waltel Branco: Mancini Tambem É Samba, go here.
• Jack Wilson Plays Brazilian Mancini, go here.
• Conjunto Copacabana Bossa: Bossa, go here.
• Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Swings Lightly, go here.
• Charles Earland: Charles Earland, go here.
• Kenny Burrell: Crash! w/ Jack McDuff, go here.
• Jack McDuff: The Heatin' System, go here.
• Horace Silver: Horace-Scope, go here.
• Antonio Carlos Jobim: Wave, go here.
• Sonny Stitt: Sonny Stitt Plays, go here.
• Sonny Stitt with Bennie Green: My Main Man, go here.
• Johnny Hodges and Earl Hines: Stride Right, go here.
• Lionel Hampton: Bossa Nova Jazz, go here.
• Johnny Hodges & Ben Webster: Cellar Session, go here.
• Bill Evans: Solo Sessions Vol. 1, go here.
• Frank Wess: Trombones & Flute, go here.
• Presenting the Buddy DeFranco & Tommy Gumina Quartet, go here.
• Ernest Ranglin: Wranglin', go here.
• Dave Pell Octet: Plays Rodgers & Hart, go here.
• Milt Buckner: Block Chords Parade, go here.
• Roberto Menescal: A Nova Bossa, go here.
• Count Basie: Have a Nice Day, go here.
• Freddie Green: Mr. Rhythm, go here.
• Leny Andrade: Leny Andrade, go here.
• Johnny Alf: Ele é Johnny Alf, go here.
• Dodo Marmarosa: Dodo's Back, go here.
• Freddie Redd: The Music From the Connection, go here.
• Nicola Stilo & Toninho Horta: Duets, go here.
• Urbie Green: Persuasive Trombone, go here.
• Johnny Richards: Something Else, go here.
• Wayne Shorter: JuJu, go here.
• Hampton Hawes: All Night Session!, go here.
• Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers, go here.
• Chet Baker: Pretty/Groovy, go here.
• Sonny Stitt: The Sensual Sound of Sonny Stitt, go here.
• Gil Mellé: New Faces, New Sounds, go here.
• Herbie Mann and Charlie Rouse: Just Wailin', go here.
• Bobby Hackett: Memorable & Mellow, go here.
• Tina Brooks: Back to the Tracks, go here.
• Sonny Rollins Plays for Bird, go here.
• Red Garland: A Garland of Red, go here.
• Grant Green: Gooden's Corner, go here.
• Eumir Deodato Plays Marcos Valle, go here.
• Horace Parlan; Movin' & Groovin', go here.
• Russ Garcia: Four Horns and a Lush Life, go here.
• Vic Lewis: Plays Bossa Nova at Home and Away, go here.
• Buddy Collette's Swinging Shepherds, go here.
• Dizzy Gillespie: Gillespiana, go here.
• Nelson Riddle: Communication, go here.
• Nelson Riddle: Changing Colors, go here.
• Elmo Hope: Complete Trios, 1953-1966, go here.
• Buddy Collette: Man of Many Parts, go here.
• The Herbie Mann-Sam Most Quintet, go here.
• Shorty Rogers: Cool and Crazy, go here.
• The Return of Art Pepper, go here.
• Benny Golson and the Philadelphians, go here.
• Moacir Santos: Coisas, go here.
• Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: Lock, the Fox, go here.
• Tony Bennett: The Movie Song Album, go here.
• Thad Jones/Mel Lewis: Consummation, go here.
• James Moody: Return From Overbrook, go here.
• Barry Galbraith: Guitar and the Wind, go here.
• Count Basie: With Quincy Jones and Neal Hefti, go here.
• Johnny Richards: Walk Softly, Run Wild!, go here.
• Dave Pike: Bossa Nova Carnival, go here.
• Clare Fischer: Só Danço Samba, go here.
• Reggie Johnson: First Edition, go here.
• John Graas: French Horn Jazz, go here.
• Eddie Lockjaw Davis & Johnny Griffin: Tough Tenor Favorites, go here.
• Bill Perkins: Bossa Nova With Strings Attached, go here.
• Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, go here.
• Pepper Adams Quintet, go here.
• Sonny Rollins Plus 4, go here.
• Coleman Hawkins: Desafinado, go here.
• Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays, go here.
• Paul Quinichette: Moods, go here.
• Jimmy Forrest: Forrest Fire!, go here.
• Brazilian Jazz Quartet: Coffee and Jazz, go here.
• Art Blakey!!! Jazz Messengers!!!, go here.
• Sidney Bechet/Martial Solal, go here.
• John Carisi: The New Jazz Sound Of "Show Boat," go here.
• The Marty Paich Quartet, Featuring Art Pepper, go here.
• João Gilberto, 1998, go here.
• Bobby Timmons: Soul Time, go here.
• Gerry Mulligan: Jeru, go here.
• Ray Bryant: Alone With the Blues, go here.
• Leon Spencer Jr.: Bad Walking Woman, go here.
• Jimmy McGriff: Step 1, go here.
• Johnny "Hammond" Smith: Breakout, go here.
• Oliver Nelson: Taking Care of Business, go here.
• Quincy Jones: Americans in Paris, go here.
• Sonny Stitt: Tune-Up!, go here.
• Herbie Mann: Yardbird Suite, go here.
• Quincy Jones: Twilight Time, go here.
• Lou Levy Quartet: Jazz in Four Colors, go here.
• Johnny Alf: Rapaz de Bem, go here.
• Hank Mobley: Poppin', go here.
• Barney Kessel: Kessel's Kit, go here.
• Larry Young: Into Somethin', go here.
• Henry Mancini: The Jazz Sound From Peter Gunn, go here.
• Sonny Stitt: Night Crawler, go here.
• Maynard Ferguson: Around the Horn, go here.
• Frank Rosolino: Franky Speaking!, go here.
• Ben Webster: King of the Tenors, go here.
• Kenny Dorham: Una Mas, go here.
• Gigi Gryce: Nica's Tempo, go here.
• Charlie Parker With Strings: The Master Takes, go here.
• The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn Jr., go here.
• The Complete Chet Baker Sings, go here.
• Shorty Rogers Courts the Count, go here.
• Miles Ahead: Miles Davis +19, go here.
• Kenny Burrell, Jazzmen - Detroit, go here.
• Bill Watrous, In Love Again, go here.
• Gene Ammons, Boss Tenor, go here.
• Roy Eldridge: The Strolling Mr. Eldridge, go here.
• Clifford Brown and Max Roach with Sonny Rollins, go here.
• Fats Navarro: Nostalgia, go here.
• Hank Mobley: Hank Mobley Quintet, go here.
• Sandy Mosse: Relaxin' With..., go here.
• Maynard Ferguson: A Message From Newport, go here.
• Jimmy Raney: Two Jims and Zoot, go here.
• Zoot Sims Plays 4 Altos, go here.
• Jimmy Forrest: Out of the Forrest, go here.
• Jazz Studio 2, From Hollywood, go here.
• Billy Taylor: My Fair Lady Loves Jazz, go here.
• Hank Mobley: Soul Station, go here.
• Sylvia Telles, Lúcio Alves and Roberto Menescal: Bossa Session, go here.
• Horace Silver: The Horace Silver Trio, go here.
• Walter Davis: Davis Cup, go here.
• Wynton Kelly: Kelly at Midnite, go here.
• Jack Sheldon: Jack's Groove, go here.
• Herbie Nichols: Complete Masters, go here.
• Hank Mobley: Hank Mobley Quartet, go here.
• Mundell Lowe: Satan in High Heels, go here.
• Hal McKursick and Art Farmer: Quintet Sessions, go here.

Perfection: Serge Chaloff - 'The Most!' (1949)

One of jazz's many paradoxes is that West Coast jazz was created largely by East Coast jazz musicians, and East Coast jazz was heavily influenced by West Coast musicians.

Shorty Rogers, Gerry Mulligan, Shelly Manne, Terry Gibbs, Don Fagerquist and Dave Pell, to name just a handful, were artists who grew up on the East Coast. Charles Mingus, Dexter Gordon, Don Cherry, Eric Dolphy, Chico Hamilton, Bobby Hutcherson, Dave Brubeck, Zoot Sims and others who are thought of primarily as East Coast jazz artists grew up in California.

Here's another paradox: The relaxed, contrapuntal harmony we identify with West Coast jazz groups of the 1950s first emerged in New York on a Futurama recording session supervised by Leonard Feather. 

Of the four songs recorded on March 10, 1949 by Serge Chaloff and the Herdsmen, two of them had a proto-West Coast approach—The Most! and Bobscotch. Both were arranged by Shorty Rogers, who would become one of West Coast jazz's chief architects. [Photo above of Shorty Rogers in L.A. in the early 1950s]

The Most!, written by Al Cohn, stands out. The septet led by Chaloff featured Red Rodney (tp), Earl Swope (tb), Al Cohn (ts), Serge Chaloff (bar), Terry Gibbs (vib), Barbara Carroll (p), Oscar Pettiford (b) and Denzil Best (d). Most were current or former members of Woody Herman's First (1944-1946) and Second Herd (1947-1949) bands. Hence, the group's "Herdsmen" moniker. [Photo above of Serge Chaloff in New York in 1950 by William P. Gottlieb]

Here's Rogers's smoothly arranged bopper, The Most!, which would set the tone of his West Coast jazz harmony approach...

Other Perfection tracks in this ongoing series...

• Paul Desmond and Jim Hall: Any Other Time, go here.
• John Coltrane: You Say You Care, go here.
• Quincy Jones: Funk Junction, go here.
• Art Farmer's Work of Art, go here.
• Miles Davis: A Gal in Calico, go here.
• Gene Krupa: Mulligan Stew, go here.
• Dave Brubeck: The Duke, go here.
• Horace Silver: The Back Beat, go here.
• Horace Parlan: Up & Down, go here.
• Dexter Gordon: Society Red, go here.
• Barney Kessel: You Go to My Head, go here.
• Count Basie: Corner Pocket, go here.
• Herbie Mann: Manteca, go here.
• Donald Byrd: Bronze Dance, go here.
• George Shearing: I'll Be Around, go here.
• Ammons & Stitt: You Talk That Talk, go here.
• Count Basie: Blues in My Heart, go here.
• Moonlight in Vermont, go here.
• Johnny Griffin / Matthew Gee, Here, go here.
• Jimmy Smith / Stanely Turrentine: When I'I Grow Too Old to Dream, go here.
• Chet Baker: Estate, go here.
• Jazz Studio 1: Tenderly, go here.
• Herb Pomeroy: Down Home Outing, go here.
• Frank Sinatra: There's a Small Hotel, go here.
• Bill Harris Herd: Blackstrap, go here.
• Gerry Mulligan: Westwood Walk, go here.
• Red Garland and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: We'll Be Together Again, go here.
• Bill Evans: Reflections in D, go here.
• Ted McNabb & Co.: Mountain Greenery, go here.
• Maynard Ferguson: Fox Hunt, go here.

Mike Abene's Charts for Maynard Ferguson

Following my Perfection post last week on Mike Abene's rip-roaring composition and arrangement of The Fox Hunt for Maynard Ferguson in 1962, Bill Kirchner sent along a treat. [Photo above of Mike Abene]

As post-1960 jazz orchestral arrangers go, Mike is among the finest, and his charts for Ferguson's big band are gracefully ferocious. I interviewed Mike in 2022 (here) and last posted about him here. [Photo above of Maynard Ferguson]

Bill's treat? He put together all 17 of Mike's studio arrangements for Ferguson in order by year [Photo above of Bill Kirchner]:

Here's Spookin', recorded in 1962...

Spookin'

Here's Overcoat Stomp, recorded in 1962...

Overcoat Stomp

Here's Lament for Susan, recorded in 1962...

Lament for Susan

Here's New Bag Blues, with solos by Lanny Morgan (as), Mike Abene (p) and Ferguson (tp), recorded in 1962...

Here's My Sweetie Went Away, She Didn’t Say Where, When, Or Why. Solos by Jack Gale or Kenny Rupp (tb) and Ferguson (tp), recorded in 1962...

Here's Born To Be Blue, with a solo by Lanny Morgan (as), recorded in 1962...

Here's Fox Hunt, with solos by Don Rader and Ferguson (tp), recorded in 1962...

Fox Hunt

Here's What’ll I Do, with solos by Lanny Morgan (as), Ferguson (tp) and Don Menza (ts), recorded in 1962...

Here's Knarf, with solos by Frank Hittner (bs) and Ferguson (tp), recorded in 1963...

Knarf

Here's Whisper Not, with solos by Willie Maiden (ts), Ferguson (tp), Frank Vicari (ts) and Dusko Goykovic (flg hrn), recorded in 1963...

Here's Chicago, with solos by Lanny Morgan (as), Mike Abene (p), Ferguson (tp) and Dusko Goykovic (tp), recorded in 1963...

Here's Cherokee, with a solo by Lanny Morgan (as), recorded in 1963...

Here's Maine Bone, with a solo by Don Doane (tb), recorded in 1963...

Here's On Green Dolphin Street, with solos by Frank Vicari (ts), Ferguson (tp) and Kenny Rupp (tb), recorded in 1964...

Here's Airegin, with solos by Lanny Morgan (as) and Ferguson(tp), recorded in 1964...

Here's Mary Ann, with solos by Ferguson (tp) and Frank Vicari (ts), recorded in 1965...

And here's I Believe in My Soul, with solos by Charlie Mariano (as) and Ferguson (tp), recorded in 1965...