Nocturne Records was an interesting label. Co-founded in 1954 by drummer Roy Harte and bassist Harry Babasin, the company was based in Hollywood with a focus on West Coast jazz. Initially, it was a way for the two musicians to record jazz their way.
The house pianist early on was Jimmy Rowles, who teamed with Harte and Babasin to form the label's backing trio. Tearing a page from Norman Granz's approach at Clef and Norgran, they formed a top notch studio trio that provided ready-made accompaniment for artists who recorded. This meant three fewer musicians to worry about hiring for a session, and a steady team that could read and play anything with verve. It was highly efficient. [Photo above of Roy Harte courtesy of CTSImages.com]
Rowles was a superb pianist who could play in virtually any style and would become a celebrated studio musician hired for dozens of sessions in the 1950s. A year after forming, Nocturne merged with Liberty, and Babasin stayed on to supervise the Jazz in Hollywood series released under the Nocturne imprint. [Photo above of Harry Babasin]
One of the last to record a leadership album before the labels were united was Rowles, on Rare But Well Done, recorded in December 1954. He was joined by bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Art Mardigan. The album has just been remastered and re-issued by Fresh Sound along with a few bonus tracks. [Photo above of Red Mitchell]
Rowles was a seasoned natural with sophisticated taste and enormous sensitivity. All of those gifts led him to accompany many of the top pop singers of the 1950s. Rowles started recording in 1941 with Lee and Lester Young, moving on to the big bands of Benny Goodman and Woody Herman during World War II. By 1948, he was playing bebop with trombonist Bill Harris and landed in Georgie Auld's band in 1949 and Jerry Gray's in 1950. [Photo above of Art Mardigan]
Quitting the road and settling in Los Angeles, Rowles was the pianist Gerry Mulligan used when he began woodshedding his contrapuntal approach at Phil Turetsky's house in 1952. Rowles opted to team with Peggy Lee when Mulligan decided to go with a pianoless quartet. Rowles's first leadership session was Jimmy Rowles Plays Standards for Vantage in 1953.
For Nocturne in 1954, he played on Herbie Harper Quintet in February, featuring Harper on trombone and Bob Gordon on baritone saxophone, on Bud Shank/Shorty Rogers Quintet in March and the Harry Babasin Quintet in April. Rare But Well Done was recorded for Nocturne in December, with 10 of the 12 tracks appearing on a 12-inch LP in 1956 after the Liberty deal went through.
What we have here on the new Fresh Sound release is Rowles as an early leader. By then, he had proved himself as a first-call pianist with a wide assortment of big bands and small groups. He also was established as a vocalist's accompanist. On Rare But Well Done, Rowles is at the top of his game and clearly poised for much bigger opportunities.
Given that he plays in a variety of piano styles on the album, including swing, bop and lounge and uses a variety of attacks, from a light tingling tone to heavy block chords, the album almost seems like a Rowles album designed to entice record producers looking for a versatile pianist.
The three bonus tracks are strays from pianist compilation albums recorded in 1956 and 1957. Interestingly, the trio of Rowles, Mitchell and Mardigan was quite strong, with Rowles picking interesting songs and approaches. Mitchell's bass is big and fat, and Mardigan moves the rhythm around in a light, feathery style. Elegant music from an artist who would soon be considered one of Los Angeles's greats.
Jimmy Rowles died in 1996.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Jimmy Rowles: The Nocturne Session (Fresh Sound) with 24-bit remastering here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Remember Me...
Here's Serenade in Blue...
And here's Sonny Berman's Sonny Speaks...
