When popular music's 12-inch album era began in 1955, jazz record labels scrambled for artists who could fill up the longer sides cohesively. Many labels looked for musicians who could arrange, bring in top artists for sessions and rehearse them in advance. In effect, they needed managers of highly creative artists who could deliver results quickly. [Photo above of Ernie Wilkins]
At Savoy, producer Ozzie Cadena was in a good spot. The label was based in Newark, N.J., and Rudy Van Gelder's studio, in his parents' home, was in Hackensack. In '55, Cadena produced several superb albums by tapping into the Basie band. One of these albums was Ernie Wilkins's Flutes & Reeds. [Photo above, Gloria and Ozzie Cadena on their two-day honeymoon in New York in 1950, where they did their two favorite things: they went to see jazz and they went to a Giants game; courtesy of Gloria Cadena]
Recorded in August 1955, the album featured Jerome Richardson and Frank Wess (fl,ts), Ernie Wilkins (as,arr,dir), Hank Jones (p), Eddie Jones and (b) Kenny Clarke (d). Of the sextet, Wess, Wilkins and Eddie Jones were associated with the Basie band. Richardson, Hank Jones and Clarke were standout musicians in their own right.
The songs were Basie's Shorty George, Wilkins's Bouncin' With Boots, Blues in a Cold Water Flat and Stereophonic, Frank Foster's Doin' the Thing and Marcel Daniels's That's a Woman. Here's the solo lineup:
Shorty George—Wess solos on flute first and then Richardson
Bouncin' With Boots—Richardson, Wilkins and Wess
That's a Woman—Wilkins, with Wess and Richardson in the background
Doin' the Thing—Wess on flute, Richardson on tenor saxophone
Blues in a Cold Water Flat—Wess, Wilkins and Richardson
Stereophonic—Wess on flute and Richardson on tenor saxophone
Especially interesting on this album is the opportunity to hear Ernie Wilkins on alto saxophone. On most albums, he turns up in the credits as the arranger. Here, we get to hear him play beautifully in a small-group setting. In addition, the jazz flute was just emerging during this period. Wess and Richardson were pioneers of the instrument in a jazz setting along with Buddy Collette, Herbie Mann, Sam Most and a handful of others. [Photo above of Frank Wess]
Other great albums in this mid-'50s period featuring Basie sidemen included The Frank Wess Quintet (Commodore) in 1954, The Fabulous Thad Jones (Debut) in 1954, Joe Newman and the Boys in the Band (Storyville) in 1954, Kenny Clarke (Savoy) in 1955, Joe Newman: I Feel Like a Newman (Savoy) in 1955, Joe Newman: Rompin' With the Count's Men (Concert Hall Society) in 1955, Frank Foster's No Count (Savoy) in 1956, Frank Wess: Opus in Swing (Savoy) in 1956, Joe Newman: The Midgets (Vik) in 1956, Frank Wess: Trombones & Flute (Savoy) in 1956 and Frank Wess: Jazz for Playboys (Savoy) in 1957.
Ernie Wilkins died in 1999.
JazzWax tracks: For some reason, Flutes & Reeds was never reissued on CD in the States. I did find it hidden under Jerome Richardson's name on Four Classic Albums from the U.K.'s Avid label here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Frank Wess and Jerome Richardson on Bouncin' With Boots...
Count Basie held onto his band throughout the 1950s and into the '60s because he didn't hold on tight. Rather than insist his musicians play only with him, Basie let them record as leaders or behind other artists whenever the band had extended time off. As a result, virtually all of his bandmembers recorded alone and together during this period. [Photo above of Basie guitarist Freddie Green]
One of these groups that splintered off from the band to record was known commercially as The Basie-ites. This ad-hoc ensemble recorded two smart albums—one accompanying singer Beverly Kenney in 1956 and the other with pianist Barry Harris on piano in 1960. Both are interesting albums for different reasons.
In 1956, Kenney recorded Beverly Kenney Sings with Jimmy Jones and the Basie-ites for Roost. The band featured Beverly Kenney (vcl), Joe Newman (tp), Frank Wess (ts,fl), Jimmy Jones (p,arr), Freddie Green (g), Eddie Jones (b) and Jo Jones (d). It was her third and final album for Roost before moving on to Decca. Kenney's voice here is absolutely gorgeous, with Newman's muted trumpet playing behind her and Wess's commanding but eel-y tenor saxophone soloing. Wess also plays flute on the album.
Interesting how Jones arranged Old Buttermilk Sky to open with the same introduction Miles Davis used on Walkin' two years earlier. Other gems include Nobody Else But Me, A Fine Romance, Who Cares What People Say, Isn't It a Lovely Day,My Kind of Love and Makin' Whoopie. Kenney's voice had a joyous child-like innocence and fragility, and she always made fascinating and bold on-the-fly note choices.
I wish someone would report the story of her emotional decline and why she attempted suicide several times before succeeding in 1960. Meds for depression today simply didn't exist then, leaving people with mental illness to fend for themselves, often with disastrous results. Knowing Kenney's fate four years later brings a special urgency to her rendition here of Can't Get Out of This Mood.
The second Basie-ites album, with Barry Harris on piano in 1960, is The Basie-ites: How High the Moon, for Jubilee. It's less tightly arranged and the songs are a bit old fashioned for the date, though we do get to hear some spirited Harris with the Basie rhythm section, which is a treat. The Basie-ites this time around included Joe Newman and Thad Jones (tp), Al Grey (tb), Billy Mitchell and Frank Foster (ts), Frank Wess (ts,fl), Barry Harris (p), Freddie Green (g), Eddie Jones (b) and Sonny Payne (d).
How High the Moon works splendidly, with a terrific bop solo by Harris and then each member of the band takes a turn. Poor Butterfly and Stairway to the Stars feature powerful trumpet solos by Joe Newman, the latter with a mute and a solo by Harris. Al Grey solos on When I Think About Lovin' You, doing so with an It's Easy to Remember (And So Hard to Forget) feel. Newman is back on My Old Flame and Grey returns on September Song.Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child once again belongs to Newman and Grey is on Blue Moon, with Harris adding yet another tasty bop solo. Newman and Grey play so beautifully throughout that the album has a vocal feel. [Photo above, from left, of Freddie Green, Frank Wess and Joe Newman]
Of course, many more Basie-band configurations flourished in the 1950s and early '60s. They just didn't call themselves the Basie-ites. For example, on Sarah Vaughan's After Hours at the London House, the signer was backed by a Basie-band ensemble. For fun, someone should create a list of all the Basie-ite sessions, whether they went by that name or not. It would be a long list.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find both recordings on a recently released 24-bit remastered album called The Basie-ites (Fresh Sound) here.
You'll also find the Kenney material as a download on Beverly Kenny Sings for Johnny Smith / Come Sing with Me / Sings with Jimmy Jones and the Basie-iteshere.
The latter album along with other Beverly Kenney albums are available at Spotify.
JazzWax clips:Here's Beverly Kenney with the Basie-ites singing Nobody Else But Me...
Here's the full album of The Basie-ites with Barry Harris on piano and the rest of the ensemble...
Wes Montgomery was puzzled. Like most leading jazz musicians in 1965, the guitarist didn't think much of the pop scene. Like many top jazz artists, he felt the music was absurdly repetitious and that many second-rate musicians were making a ton of fast money in an industry increasingly driven by image, not art or talent. Geared to the surging adolescent market, pop lacked substance, Montgomery felt, and covering these formulaic songs on albums could leave one looking like a silly sell-out.
So in September 1965, when Creed Taylor, Montgomery's producer at Verve, turned up at his gig at New York's Half Note and played him Little Anthony & the Imperials' Goin' Out of My Head, Montgomery scoffed. "Creed, you must be going out of your head. I can’t do that kind of stuff." [Photo at top of producer Creed Taylor and guitarist Wes Montgomery by Chuck Stewart]
Months earlier Montgomery had been in Europe on his first tour. Backing the guitarist was pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Arthur Harper, drummer Jimmy Lovelace and special guest Johnny Griffin. On March 27 of '65, the group appeared a the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris. For years, their performance at the small French theater was available only as a bootleg. Now, Resonance Records has remixed and reissued a clean, warm version in cooperation with the Montgomery estate. The result is a stunning two-CD set, Wes Montgomery: In Paris, the Definitive ORTF Recording. The music and fidelity are remarkable.
ORTF stands for the Office of French Radio and Television, which among other things archives recordings of American jazz artists who performed in France. Interestingly, finding the Montgomery tapes were something of an accident. Producer Zev Feldman noticed the listing at ORTF while working on another project. Upon request, Zev and Resonance's George Klabin sought permission to restore and reissue the Montgomery performance and were given a green light. [Photo above, from left, Zev Feldman and George Klabin]
The results are truly special. The unleashed energy, speed and and swing of the Montgomery group on stage is stunning on songs such as Four on Six, Impressions, To Wane, Jingles and others. And there's lots of heart on the ballads, such as The Girl Next Door and Here's That Rainy Day. The latter is amazing. The Johnny Griffin tracks—Full House, 'Round Midnight and Blue 'n Boogie/West Coast Blues—have a harder sound, with the saxophonist wailing away. A different mood from the quartet tracks but still worthy. [Photo above of Wes Montgomery in Paris by Jean-Pierre Leloir, courtesy of Resonance Records]
This set is a fantastic addition to the Wes Montgomery canon and shows us how much more muscular and spirited the guitarist was in a performance setting abroad than when harnessed in the studio.
Getting back to that conversation between Creed and Montgomery about Goin' Out of My Head at the Half Note later in the year, let Creed pick up the story from my interview with the legendary producer: "I said [to Montgomery], 'Listen to the chord changes and the melody, and you’ll find there’s something there that’s going to be very useful for you in a recording studio.' I also told Wes that Oliver Nelson was arranging and that he already had the chart in his head. 'Forget the vocal and performance,' I told Wes. 'Listen to the chord changes.' That was the only time I had to talk to Wes in a somewhat uncomfortable situation."
In November '65, Montgomery recorded the album, Goin' Out of My Head, for Creed at Verve, with Oliver Nelson's arrangements. This would be the start of Montgomery's revolutionary exploration of the pop chart at Verve and CTI. During this brief but prolific period, Montgomery would turn AM-radio hits into hip adult contemporary jazz classics. Months before he crossed over, he was in Paris showing off his stuff to an audience just as confused as he was by the thunderous rise of pop-rock and soul.
Wes Montgomery died in June 1968.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Wes Montgomery: In Paris, the Definitive ORTF Recording (Resonance) here.
In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed actor Nick Nolte (go here) on growing up in Iowa, the pills his mom gave him when he felt too tired to get up for school, why he almost wound up banned from high school football, the turning point that led him to become an actor and the house he lives in today in Malibu that he built around a sycamore tree. Nick has a new memoir out, Rebel: My Life Outside the Lines.
Also in the WSJ, I interviewed Joely Fisher (go here) on her father, singer Eddie Fisher, and why Kate Bush's The Man With the Child in His Eyes helped ease her frustration with the man she wishes were more like her daddy. Joely's mom is Connie Stevens. Joely's new book is Growing Up Fisher: Musings, Memories, and Misadventures.
Spotted in England, my book, Anatomy of a Song, at a Waterstones book shop in Cheltenham, courtesy of Colin Goodall. Can't make it to a book store? To buy in the U.S., go here. In the U.K., go here. My next WSJ "Anatomy of a Song" column will be up online on Monday and in Tuesday's paper. Hint: It's a song that was in the Top 20 as a duet and three years later was #1 as a solo recording.
Back in 2013, Bret Primack interviewed me for a series of videos he was producing for Prestige in support of the label's anniversary. I totally forgot about it until the video wound up on my Facebook timeline. Here it is...
Hugh Masekela (1939-2018), a masterful South African jazz trumpeter whose Grazing in the Grass instrumental was a #1 Billboard pop hit in the States in 1968, died on January 23. He was 78. I interviewed Hugh for the WSJ in 2014 (go here) about Louis Armstrong's When It's Sleepy Time Down South. Hugh struck me as a gentle, thoughtful man who thoroughly loved jazz and never forgot Pops for giving him one of his horns and the jazz spirit (photo above of Hugh Masekela by Bruno Vasil in 2013). Here's Hugh's Grazing in the Grass...
And here's Friends of Distinction's cover of the song released a year later in 1969...
Albums you should dig.
Soho Scene '63(Rhythm and Blues Records) is the fourth double-CD in a terrific series on British jazz in the early 1960s. Compiled by Nick Duckett, the first CD features Brit jazzers such as Alan Elsdon's Band, Johnny Hawksworth Trio, Dave Lee and Ronnie Ross, among others. On the second CD are influential tracks by American artists such as the Chris Columbo Quintet, Billy Mitchell, Dave Pike, Jack Wilson and Eddie Baccus, to name a few. Forty-nine tracks in all, plus a 24-page booklet by Simon Spillett. Go here (CD) and here (digital). More from R&B Records, go here.
Ohio Players: The Definitive Collection(Robinsongs). This funk-disco band from Dayton, Ohio, had seven major hits in the States in the 1970s and were notable for their suggestive, glossy album covers. Hits included Skin Tight, Fire and Love Rollercoaster. This three-CD set showcases their early years, the golden years and later and solo years. Go here.
Dave Bartholomew: Jump Children! (Jasmine). New Orleans trumpeter Dave Bartholomew is best known as the bandleader and arranger behind Fats Domino's success. But Dave also recorded as a leader. This two-CD set remasters Dave's Imperial singles plus additional singles between 1950 and 1962. If Fats was one of rock 'n' roll's fathers, Dave was its first arranger. Notes by Bob Fisher. Back in 2010, I had a gumbo lunch with Dave in New Orleans at Dooky Chase's Restaurant. I must transcribe my tape. For the album, go here.
Update. Last week, I told you about three MPS albums that were recently remastered for CD. I now have a link from MPS to Mark Murphy's Midnight Mood. Here again are all three with links to Amazon... In Tune: The Oscar Peterson Trio and the Singers Unlimited (1971), Monty Alexander: Here Comes the Sun (1971) and Mark Murphy: Midnight Mood (1968) can be found here, here and here.
Roy Eldridge radio. WKCR-FM will present its annual "Roy Eldridge Birthday Broadcast" on Tuesday, January 30, celebrating the legacy and career of the trumpet virtuoso by playing his music for 24 hours, on Tuesday at midnight (EST). You can listen on your computer or phone from anywhere in the world by going here.
What the heck. Here's Ketty Lester singing Love Letters in 1961...
Oddball album cover of the week.
Short of the sound of someone purging, it's hard to imagine what audio would help you develop a dislike for fattening foods—"without the need for will power!" And according to the cover, your only role is to "watch the pounds melt away." The followup was probably Never Age. "Helps time stand still as friends grow old. Watch as gray hair turns black and old jeans fit perfectly as you listen."
At her vocal peak in 1966, Nancy Wilson was the very picture of grace and artistic command. Her jazzy vocal style added a soulful flavor to pop songs of the day and her range and phrasing were masterful. Today, as enveloping as her albums are, they don't give you the full scope of what made Nancy special at the very top of her game. To fully appreciate her gifts, you have to watch Nancy in action. One can only imagine what she was like in '66 at supper clubs such as The Coconut Grove. You realize Nancy was a pure video star (much like Peggy Lee)—a charismatic singer who understood the camera and how to knock out viewers on the other end of the lens. Yesterday I watched a bunch of videos of Nancy in '66 and thought I'd share them with you. If you want to read my 2010 interview with Nancy before watching, go here.
Now, sit back and enjoy five videos of Nancy in 1966 and one bonus video from 1970...
Here's Nancy on The Danny Kaye Show. Dig the Paul Weston Orchestra behind her, especially the drummer. And as dopey and dated as Kaye is, they sang quite a duet...
Here's Nancy on TV's I Spy singing The Song Is You...
Here she is on the same show, singing When Did You Leave Heaven...
Here's Nancy singing on the Sound of Ravinia (move the time bar to 25:15). Ravinia is a 36-acre park in Highland Park, Ill., that remains the nation's oldest outdoor music festival...
Here's Nancy with Andy Williams on The Andy Williams Show...
And here's Nancy on TV's Hawaii Five 0, not in '66 but in '70, to remind us what a superb dramatic actress she was as well...
Most fans of the bossa nova are familiar with Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto. They also may be hip to Marcos Valle, Joao Donato, Carlos Lyra, Vinicius de Moraes, Walter Wanderley, Luiz Bonfa and Sylvia Telles. New to you, however, may be Johnny Alf, who's often referred to as "the father of the bossa nova." Whether or not the title is completely accurate, Alf in the early '50s brought a cool jazz sensibility to his songwriting and piano playing and an intoxicating romanticism to his ballad vocal style.
Here are some of my favorite videos of Alf, who died in 2010...
Here's Alf's first single, an instrumental called Falseta, in 1953 (move the time bar up to 2:45)...
Here's Alf in 1969 singing and playing Eu ea Brisa...
Here's Alf singing and playing Se eu te Disser...
Here's Alf with Alaíde Costa singing Ilusão à Toa...
Big John Patton wasn't big. Playing the organ-combo circuit in late 1961 and early '62, a club owner began calling him "Big Bad John." The name was inspired by Jimmy Dean's record, Big Bad John, which was released in September of '61 and went to #1 on Billboard's pop chart in early November. Patton told an interviewer he resisted the name at first but soon came to like it. It's unclear whether he nixed "bad" when he began recording or Blue Note gave his name a shave so it would fit on record covers and labels.
What set Patton apart from many of his organ contemporaries in the 1960s and early '70s was his attack on the instrument. Rather than treat the organ like a set of drums with keys, Patton was gentler and more at home creating subtle, soft, infectious grooves. All of his leadership albums and records as sideman in the 1960s were for Blue Note. In the 1970s, he recorded a couple of albums for Muse and a few other labels, but for the most part his recording career slowed considerably after 1970.
A nice entry to Patton's style is That Certain Feeling, recorded for Blue Note in March 1968. The album featured Junior Cook (ts), Big John Patton (org), Jimmy Ponder (g) and Clifford Jarvis (d). All of the album's songs were written by Patton except for one—Jimmy Watson's Daddy James. The remaining tracks were String Bean, I Want to Go Home, Early A.M., Dirty Fingers and Minor Swing. Junior Cook, a terrific hard-bop tenor saxophonist, plays cool and dry here, grooving with Patton rather than tearing up the studio during his solos.
Of particular note on this date is guitarist Jimmy Ponder, who brought a good deal of soul and heat. Ponder and Patton were a perfect match, with Ponder stirring Patton's sound as songs simmered. Ponder had a strong hand for rhythm guitar but he also could wail on solos. Dirty Fingers is a wonderful example of the Patton-Ponder synergy. Patton favored soul-jazz guitarists, particularly Grant Green, with whom he recorded 17 albums—nearly his entire output for Blue Note. Ponder was a fabulous sub.
It's hard to know why Patton's recording career slowed so precipitously after 1970 or what Patton did from the late 1970s through the early 2000s. My guess is much of his time was spent playing gigs.
Big John Patton died in 2002. For more on Patton, go here.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Big John Patton's That Certain Feelinghere. Or, I found the album hidden on John Patton: Capitol Vaults Jazz Serieshere.
The Capitol Vaults album can be found on Spotify.
JazzWax clips:Here's the mighty Dirty Fingers. Dig the interplay between Patton and Ponder...
When Eric Kloss recorded Introducing Eric Kloss at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., in September 1965 he couldn't drive. For one, he was blind since birth. For another, he was just 16. But even at that early age, Kloss could blow, as evidenced by his sidemen on his first album: Don Patterson (org), Pat Martino (g) and Billy James (d),
Born in Greenville, Pa., Kloss attended the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind, which was run by his father. Like Ray Charles, George Shearing, Al Hibbler, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and so many other blind jazz artists, Kloss spent his early youth searching inward and emerged with enormous soul and skill. By age 12, he was playing at clubs in nearby Philadelphia with touring artists such as Sonny Stitt.
It's unclear how Kloss came to the attention of Prestige owner Bob Weinstock or producer Cal Lampley. The liner notes stupidly don't offer a clue about how he was discovered. I'd guess that one or more of Prestige's East Coast touring artists, possibly Patterson or Stitt, hipped the label.
At any rate, Kloss's first album was a sterling success. Close Your Eyes and Old Folks are standards while 'S 'Bout Time is a cooker by Patterson. Kloss wrote That's the Way It Is, a slow blues, while the album's balance consists of Miles Davis's All Blues and the standard Embraceable You. Kloss played alto sax on Old Folks, That's the Way It Is and Embraceable You, and tenor on Close Your Eyes, 'S 'Bout Time and All Blues.
Kloss recorded 20 leadership albums but stopped recording in 1981, reportedly due to health issues. Life Force (1967) and Now (1978) are also among my favorites. For more information about Kloss, go here.
Introducing Eric Kloss is a splendid gateway to the saxophonist, whose horn grew a little freer as the years passed. You can hear in his playing a yearning and a vision that transcended sight. Through his horn, you're able to see directly into his soul and he's able to reach into yours.
JazzWax tracks: For whatever reason, Introducing Eric Kloss never made it to the digital format. However, in the early 2000s, Prestige released About Time, a CD that combined Introducing Eric Kloss and his second album, Love and All That Jazz. Unfortunately, this album, too, is unavailable, though you can find rare copies here. Prestige may want to consider re-issuing these Kloss albums along with several others.
JazzWax clips: Fortunately, three tracks from Introducing Eric Kloss are up at YouTube...
Mention the 1970s to jazz fans and many will think of the jazz-rock fusion movement. Bands then that united jazz and the rock guitar and other electric instruments included Tony Williams Lifetime, Chick Corea's Return to Forever, Miles Davis, Weather Report, Larry Coryell's Eleventh House and the Mahavishnu Orchestra to name just a few. [Photo above of Donald Byrd]
But fusion wasn't the only jazz-hybrid movement emerging in the post-Woodstock '70s. Another jazz genre took its cues from the Stax label under the direction of Al Bell, Sly Stone, James Brown, Kool and the Gang, the Ohio Players and other electric funk artists popular in African-American communities and on black radio. One of several jazz artists who pioneered this soulful electric jazz-funk fusion was Donald Byrd. [Photo above of Rufus Thomas, who recorded for Stax]
Last time I posted on Byrd, I focused on his album Fuego (1959), a hard-bop masterpiece. During the early and mid-1960s, Byrd's albums for Blue Note moved in the same general direction as many other artists who succeeded by combining R&B, funk and the riff-heavy boogaloo. These artists included Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Grant Green, Herbie Hancock, the Jazz Crusaders and many others.
But by 1969, Byrd shifted gears once again by integrating electronic instruments and adding a strong drum beat and percussion, which not only helped him transition to a younger African-American audience but also put him in play at parties and club dance floors. Unlike rock fusion, which was popular with sit-down audiences in college dorm rooms and events, Byrd focused more on grooves and beats, accompanying them on his trumpet rather than being driven by them.
This dynamic period in Byrd's career began in 1969 with the recording of Fancy Free, an album decades ahead of its time. It sounds fresh today, and young artists still sample it. There were only four tracks, two on each side—Byrd's Fancy Free and I Love the Girl, and Mitch Farber's The Uptowner and Charles Hendricks' Weasil.
The album was recorded over two sessions. The collective personnel was Donald Byrd (tp), Frank Foster (ts), Julian Priester (b), Lew Tabackin and Jerry Dodgion (fl), Duke Pearson (elec-p), Jimmy Ponder (g), Roland Wilson (b), Joe Chambers and Idris Muhammad, (d) and Nat Bettis and John H. Robinson Jr.(perc).
Fancy Free is an upbeat but mellow Latin-jazz track showcasing the conga and Dodgion's beautiful flute. I Love the Girl is a precious ballad dominated by Pearson on the Fender Rhodes electric piano and Byrd. The Uptowner is a gorgeous funky boogaloo with Byrd, Foster and Priester. Weasil grooves at roughly the same tempo with the same instrumental line-up but a loud flat snare by Joe Chambers that foreshadows the drum sample 10 years later. Byrd's horn stands out on all tracks, ruminating on the slower songs and heating up on the uptempo groovers.
Interestingly, a third session was recorded for this album, featuring Byrd (tp), Kenny Rupp (fhr), Al Gibbons (fl), Gary Campbell (ts), Duke Pearson (el-p), Wally Richardson (g), Bob Cranshaw (el-b), Freddie Waits (d), Roland Wilson (cga), and three vocalists. Three songs were recorded—Now Steady (with the horns out), Yano and Congo (an instrumental). It may have been Byrd's call. All three were rejected by Blue Note, most likely because they didn't come together as planned. With the album two songs short, I suspect the four songs they already had in the can were then allowed to run in full rather than be cut down to make room for two others that were out of character with what they had. Thankfully, since the album works perfectly as is.
Between Fancy Free in 1969 and Words, Sounds, Colors and Shapes in 1983, Byrd's albums grew increasingly fascinating in the electronic jazz-funk space. During this period, Byrd probably hit his commercial peak with Places and Spaces in 1975, which hit #1 on Billboard's jazz alum chart, #6 on the R&B chart and #49 on the pop chart. As a producer, his biggest success was The Blackbyrds' Walking in Rhythm in 1974, featured on the group's Flying Start album. It reached No. 6 on Billboard's Hot 100. For those who may have forgotten it: "Walking in rhythm / moving in sound /Humming to the music / trying to move on," etc.
Yesterday, I had great fun crossing the jazz-funk cosmos listening to all of Byrd's jazz-funk albums on this list:
Fancy Free (1969)
Electric Byrd (1969–70)
Kofi (1969)
Ethiopian Knights (1971)
Black Byrd (1973)
Street Lady (1973)
Stepping into Tomorrow (1974)
Places and Spaces (1975)
Caricatures (1976)
Thank You...For F.U.M.L. (Funking Up My Life) (1978)
Donald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C. (1979)
Love Byrd (1981)
Words, Sounds, Colors and Shapes (1983)
All of them are superb, with different grooves and feels. Freddie Hubbard also was pioneering this space around the same time. I'll turn to him soon.
Donald Byrd died in 2013.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Donald Byrd's Fancy Freehere.
It's also available on Spoitfy.
JazzWax clip: Here's the title track, with Frank Foster, Julian Priester, Donald Byrd and Jerry Dodgion taking solos...
And here'sI Love the Girl, with Duke Pearson and Donald Byrd...
Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed Laila Ali, daughter of boxer Muhammad Ali, on growing up with "the Greatest" dad (go here). Laila talked about their battles and joys. You'll never believe what she has that reminds her of him. Laila has a new cookbook out, Food for Life (St. Martin's).
Also in the WSJ, I interviewed John Bargh, psychology professor at Yale University, on the magic of hearing Led Zeppelin's Heartbreaker for the first time in 1969 while growing up in Champaign, Ill. (go here). At 14, he was a beta tester at the University of Illinois for the early personal-computer technology being developed there. Zep's Heartbreaker, like those desktops, were about the world of tomorrow and the power of doing things differently. His latest book is Before You Know It: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do (Touchstone)
Spotted in London. Singer Georgia Mancio snapped this image "at a prominent place at Foyles bookshop in Southbank, London." Thanks, Georgia!
Two hit men. A photo from Todd Barkan's Facebook page: Jackie Robinson and Nat King Cole at Wrigley Field in Chicago in 1954.
L.A. Jazz. I just finished reading Peter Vacher's Swingin' on Central Avenue: African-American Jazz in Los Angeles (Rowman & Littlefield). A wonderful collection of oral histories by Peter who interviewed 16 musicians who performed in the city's African-American neighborhood. Go here.
Marlene VerPlanck. Following my post on Marlene's passing last Sunday, I received the following from reader Tony Middleton, a former jazz record shop salesperson in London and a discographer...
"Hello Marc, very sad news regarding Marlene VerPlanck. She and Billy VerPlanck would always visit our shop during their visits to England. We had many nice lunches nearby in Soho. Looking through the CDs she recorded, I noticed one had a brief note from Billy May.
"You may find the above photo interesting. On my initial trip to Los Angeles in 1981, the first person I visited was Billy May. We had been corresponding for a number of years, as I used to send him model railroad publications.
"Typical of his sharp wit and general humor, he arrived to meet me in the same car featured on the rear cover of his Billy May Today (Capitol) album. He even had a copy of the album with him. The photo was taken in Sherman Oaks, Calif., in February 1981."
Pinky Winters. Following my post last week on Pinky Winters, I received a lovely note from the great singer herself:
"Dear Marc, what a lovely piece you wrote about me. I was blown away! I have received so many notes from your readers. I appreciate this so much. Maybe we’ll meet some day so I can thank you in person!"
Lenny Breau. Last week, following my post on guitarist Lenny Beau, I received the following note from Tony Mottola, son of famed guitarist Tony Mottola Sr. (pictured above)...
"Thanks for posting about Lenny Breau, a really underappreciated guitarist. As for Ron Halldorson's comment "all the big-name jazz guitar players knew and adored him," you can count my father in that group. Many years ago, he handed me one of Lenny's CDs as I was leaving his house after a Sunday visit. He said, 'You gotta listen to this guy. You won't believe it.' Dad really admired him. Lenny is prominently featured in Lorenzo DeStefano's 1981 documentary Talmadge Farlow, which has some wonderful duets by Lenny and Tal Farlow at Tal's home in Sea Girt, N.J., and at a club on the Jersey shore. Lenny's sweet and beautiful nature really comes through in those scenes. (A DVD was released in 2006.)
"By the way, the opening number on that CBC TV show you featured sounds like a three-guitar version of my father's arrangement of The Song Is You from his first Command Records album in 1959 (Mr.Big, which had five guitars, counting Bucky Pizzarelli on a 6-string Gibson bass). The complete list of guitarists were: Tony Mottola, Al Caiola, Al Cassamenti, Don Arnone and Bucky Pizzarelli.
"My father had died by the time I discovered that CBC performance on YouTube. Too bad. He really would have been tickled by it." [Photo above from the Mr. Big recording session courtesy of Tony Mottola Jr.; from left, drummer Terry Snyder, guitarists Tony Mottola, Al Caiola, Al Cassamenti and Bucky Pizzarelli.
Here's the song on Tony Mottola's Mr. Big: Guitar...Mottola in '59...
Ron replies. After I shared Tony Mottola's email with Ron, he sent along this reply...
"Hi Marc, I can't say for certain whether or not our version was inspired by the Tony Mottola record, but I would think it was. I've actually never heard this recording before. [Guitarist] Jim Pirie was the one who brought this tune into the mix. We worked it out with him by ear. There was no written chart, and we were only three players doing five-part harmony. Two of us were playing double stops because there was no multi-track overdubbing on this gig.
"How I wish the audio on our version was as good as the Tony Mottola recording! It's too bad that nobody is doing that jazz-guitar ensemble stuff anymore. I always loved that sound. Regarding the video you posted, I haven't seen the Days of Wine and Roses and Billies Bounce segments for years. That was a treat. There was some other neat stuff we worked up for this show. I remember a three-part version of Merle Travis's Cannonball Rag that was pretty interesting. We all were picking like Travis—but in three-part harmony.
"Please tell Tony Jr. that his Dad was very much admired by all of us. All the players on that recording are familiar names to me, and I remember hearing them all on various recordings. All super players who contributed so much during their great careers."
MPS remastered! MPS, the German label, recently remastered and reissued three of its albums on CD—In Tune: The Oscar Peterson Trio and the Singers Unlimited (1971), Monty Alexander: Here Comes the Sun (1971) and Mark Murphy: Midnight Mood (1968). You'll find them at Amazon here, here and here.
RIP Rick Hall, Parts 1 and 2. Last week I told you about Part 1 of Chris Cowles's "Greasy Tracks" radio tribute to late producer and Fame studio owner Rick Hall, who died recently. Last week he recorded Part 2. So, go here for Part1 and go here for Part 2. A terrific show with interviews and a ton of music. High-five Chris.
Paul Anka v. David Lee Roth. Director Raymond de Felitta posted on two versions of Jump—Van Halen's original and Paul Anka's cover. To be completely honest, I rather like Anka's version more. You be the judge. To read Raymond's post at his blog Movies Til Dawn,go here.
What the heck.Here are the Marvelettes singing Don't Mess With Bill...
Oddball album cover of the week.
I'm not sure what's stranger: the grandparents joining the teens' dance party or that the teens seem to find them exciting to watch.
Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Anatomy of 55 More Songs," "Anatomy of a Song," "Rock Concert: An Oral History" and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax has won three Jazz Journalists Association awards.
