One of the prettiest octet albums of the 1950s was Tadd Dameron's Fontainebleau. Recorded in March 1956, the album for Prestige featured Kenny Dorham (tp), Henry Coker (tb), Sahib Shihab (as), Joe Alexander (ts), Cecil Payne (bar), Tadd Dameron (p,arr), John Simmons (b) and Shadow Wilson (d). The regal quality of Dameron's compositions and arrangements are steeped in classy romanticism yet remain in the hip bop realm. [Photo of Tadd Dameron above by Francis Wolff (c) Mosaic Images]
The players on the album come together well, as if carefully selected for their tones. Dorham's spirited trumpet playing is paired with Coker's mournful trombone and the deliberate reeds of Shihab, Alexander and Payne. Behind them, the rhythm section swishes along, powered by Wilson. Dameron on piano is an entity unto himself.
Fontainebleau is a concept-album tribute to the one-time palace and weekend getaway of the French nobility southeast of Paris. When Dameron saw the landscape and Château de Fontainebleau in 1949, he was emotionally touched by the visiual beauty and symmetry. The forest, lake dotted with white swans and magnificent chateau float into each other, and Dameron's pieces seem to do the same.
If we think of the first track, Fontainebleau, as the concept's overture, one can visualize the rising sun crash through the foliage and across the sprawling lawns. The quick-paced Delirium seems to depict the animals dashing about in the forest. The Scene Is Clean sounds like an ode to the swans floating across the water without disturbing the surface. Flossie Lou depicts the architectural exterior of the palace while Bula-Beige, clocking in at more than 11 minutes, seems to be a guided tour of the majestic interiors.
For me, the album is as perfect as a panoramic landscape painting of the site. The music is delicate and cohesive, and the solos celebrate the vistas that dazzle the eye.
Saxophonist Joe Ford has released just one studio album as a leader. Which is surprising considering how superb the recording is. The album is Today's Nights, recorded in New York for the American Bluemoon label in March 1993. The lineup features Joe Ford (as,sop), Kenny Kirkland (p), Charles Fambrough (b) and Jeff "Tain" Watts (d). Special guests include Darrell Brown and Nasai Abady (d), and Vince Evans (synth). Born in 1947, Ford studied with Jackie McLean, and Frank Foster, among others, and began hi recording career in 1974 playing with Birthright on Free Spirits.
After four albums with McCoy Tyner—Focal Point (1976), The Greeting (1978), Horizon (1979) and 13th House (1980), Ford recorded as a sideman on a long string of dates with different leaders, including additional albums with Tyner. He joined Jerry Gonzalez's Fort Apache Band in 1988. In the late 1990s, he led two groups, the Black Art Sax Quartet and a big band called The Thing. In March 2007, Ford was recorded in Ukraine on Live at Kiev Conservatorium Hall. He's still recording today.
In addition to being a beautiful player on both alto and soprano saxophones, Ford is a tight composer. For this album, he wrote Today's Nights, Interior Motive, Buffalo Chips, Blue Muse, Izit and Always Thinking of You. Fambrough wrote Amy's Waltz, Chemical Residue is by Herbie Hancock and My Life With You is by Gerry Eastman. Some of Ford's compositions are straight ahead while others feature a bit more abstraction. This album should be reissued.
A note on Bluemoon from Peter Levin:
This Bluemoon label isn’t the Spanish Blue Moon; it’s the American label founded by George Nauful and Jim Snowden in 1989 as part of Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings, with support from Rhino Records. An early news story about it can be found in the LATimes of October 15, 1989, for those who subscribe online. After a long period of inactivity, Bluemoon was resuscitated by Nauful and occasionally issues new releases. Its output is mostly closer to “smooth jazz” than straight-ahead jazz.
JazzWax tracks: Joe Ford's Today's Nights is out of print. I came across it after Ignatios Alexander emailed me about Ford. When I researched Ford's leadership albums, I discovered Today's Nights. I see there are a couple of CD copies available at eBay.
Weekend correction: My apologies to singer Randy Crawford. Over the weekend, I referred to her as "the late Randy Crawford." She is still very much with us. My post has been fixed. Crossed wires writing late at night. Thanks to readers who flagged the error.
For my "Anatomy of a Song" column in the WSJ this week, I interviewed Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and other members of Blondie as well as producer Mike Chapman and saxophonist Tom Scott on the writing and recording of Rapture (go here). The 1981 song is significant because it's considered the first rap hit to reach No. 1 using original music rather than sampling the beats of other artists records.
Also for the WSJ this week, I interviewed retired Admiral William H. McRaven on his childhood in Texas for my "Houe Call" column (go here). Admiral McRaven was head of U.S. Special Operations Command between 2011 and 2014. If you're unfamiliar with Admiral McRaven's 2014 commencement address at the University Texas, you're in for a motivational treat. By the way, the phrase used by the admiral at the end is, "hook 'em horns," the University of Texas's slogan and hand sign. [Photo of Adm. William McRaven in his home in Austin, Texas, in May by Brent Humphreys for The Wall Street Journal]
SiriusXM. I'll next be on SiriusXM's Feedback (channel 106) with Nik Carter and Lori Majewski on June 21 from 9 to 10 a.m. (EDT) to talk about Blondie's Rapture. I'll also have 10 amazing music clips. Don't miss it.
Stanley Cowell. After my post on Stanley Cowell, Norm Snyder sent along one of his images above of Cowell and Charles Moore. Norm says the image was probably taken in the mid-1960s at the Detroit Artist Workshop.
Lennie Tristano. Following my post on Lennie Tristano last week, I heard from Jack Goodwin in England:
Hi Marc. Great to see those amazing videos again. There's only one Lennie Tristano! The gentleman with the bald head assisting Lennie to his piano was pianist Lloyd J. Lifton of Chicago. He studied with Lennie for many years but also acted as guide and helper on occasions. He accompanied Lennie on this tour of Europe in 1965.
Once again, here's the video in question (Tristano comes out at 18:16)...
Bret Primack. At All About Jazz, Steve Provizer has a Q&A with Bret Primack on the making of his documentary, Ira Gitler Lives. Go here.
Jeri Southern. Steve Taylor alerted me to a radio interview with Jeri Southern and her daughter, Kathryn King. Go here.
Rita Payes. Brett Gold sent along the following tip:
Marc, I try not to impose and suggest things to you except on very rare occasions (I'm sure you get enough unsolicited material), but I recently found a bossa nova singer on YouTube who is extraordinary. Her name is Rita Payes, and I think she's from Barcelona.Here she is:
Musik.pm. Over in Gothenburg, Sweden, Bengt-Ove Boström (above) writes a jazz blog in English and Swedish. Bengt-Ove started the blog in 2012. Some of the Swedish posts (marked with "sw" at the end of each link) have been translated into English. Go here.
CDs you should know about:
Alan Matheson—the pianist, cornetist and flugelhornist has recorded three superb duet albums with bassist Wade Mikkola. They are Souvenirs (2017), Summer Evening (2014) and Duetti (2013). The music is lyrical, moody and rich in depth and Scandinavian flavor. All three albums also are available at Spotify. Alan is based in Vancouver, where he teaches in the music departments of Vancouver Community College and the University of British Columbia. Here's Stan Kenton's 1956 song Sunset Tower...
For Finnish readers: Alan's CDs are for sale at the Helsinki record store, Digelius Music. The store has been operating since 1971. Alan and Wade will be playing there in mid-July to celebrate the store’s 48th anniversary.
Cheryl Lynn—Got to Be Real: The Columbia Anthology(Soul Music). Cheryl Lynn had a number of disco hits in the 1970s and early '80s, the biggest being Shake It Up Tonight in 1981. Now, Cherry Red, on its Soul Music label, has gathered Lynn's work for Columbia on two CDs. Made me want to dust off my roller skates. Go here.
Eddie Palmieri—Mi Luz Mayor (Uprising). Latin-jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri has been recording since 1962. Just in time for summer, his latest album is music that sets off like a pack of firecrackers—featuring top Latin and jazz horns and vocals including Gary Smulyan, Ronnie Cuber, Conrad Herwig, Brian Lynch, Carlos Santana, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Herman Olivera and others. The music sizzles from the opening track. Go here.
Sent by...Frank Moser. Here's vibraphonists Bobby Hutcherson and Joe Locke playing Old Folks...
Two from me...here's Jimmy Rushing singing Goin' to Chicago with Benny Goodman's band...
And here's T-Bone Walker on Goin' to Chicago with quite a backup ensemble—Dizzy Gillespie, Teddy Wilson, Louis Bellson, Clark Terry, Coleman Hawkins, Zoot Sims, James Moody, Benny Carter and Bob Cranshaw....
What the heck:Here's Randy Crawford and the Crusaders performing Street Life in 1979...
Oddball album covers of the week.
There's nothing too oddball about these. I just wanted to gather a bunch of jazz albums with dots on the cover...
Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Anatomy of a Song" (Grove) and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax is a three-time winner of the Jazz Journalists Association's best blog award, including 2018.
