Pianist John Dennis recorded just two albums, both for Debut Records, on March 10, 1955. One was New Piano Expressions, featuring John Dennis (p), Charles Mingus (b) and Max Roach (d) with solo tracks by Dennis. The second album was Jazz Collaborations, with trumpeter Thad Jones joining the trio.
Debut was launched by Roach and Mingus in 1952 as way to skirt commercial pressures found at most major jazz labels and retain creative control of recordings. The strains of running a label on top of Mingus's and Roach's need to earn an income from touring and recording for major labels with solid distribution channels eventually caused Debut to fold in 1957.
Fresh Sound has now released both albums as John Dennis: The Debut Sessions. What's most remarkable are Dennis's solo tracks—Odyssey, Chartreuse, Variegations and Someone to Watch Over Me. There's a lush beauty to Dennis's solo playing that includes a whiff of the classical romantic impressionists such as Debussy and Ravel. The trio tracks are good, as are the tracks with Jones on trumpet. But it's a shame that Mingus and Roach didn't record much more of Dennis playing solo. I suppose one of the drawbacks of being a musician who owns a label rather than a producer is that you hear opportunities for yourself instead of an artist you've discovered.
After recording for Debut, Dennis never recorded again, or at least doesn't turn up on another jazz recording, based on data from the Jazz Discography. According to liner notes by Fresh Sound owner Jordi Pujol:
In a 1990 article by Gene Santoro, saxophonist Jimmy Heath mentioned that pianist John Dennis had been nicknamed 'Fat Genius' by musicians in Philadelphia. Pianist Muhal Richard Abrams praised the 'full pianistic approach' of Dennis, which blended a cocktail style with jazz and classical strains. There's an oral interview with vibraphonist Walt Dickerson (1928-2008) about Dennis in which he said the following: 'There was a pianist, a genius, whose name was John Dennis, who had a photographic memory. We were like inseparable brothers and we always shared notes...
Everyone that came through Philly, they were fearful of him. He was just that awesome... He wasn't thrilled with the scene at all, because he knew he was far in advance of that which was going on... His record was on the Debut label that Max and Mingus ran. When they heard John, they had to record with him. Dennis's parents were fundamentalists who put a lot of pressure on him not to play the devil's music. It has a physical effect when an artist cannot continue to search and develop his artistry. Something happens to that person, physically and mentally. I learned that many people die from a broken heart, though nothing was wrong with them physically. They're brokenhearted and just give up. That's what happened to John.
How, where and when Dennis died and why he never recorded again is unknown.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find John Dennis: The Debut Sessions (Fresh Sound) here.
JazzWax clip: Here's John Dennis on solo piano, playing Chartreuse...
