There are certain times in your life when you think everything is the way it’s supposed to be, and then something comes to shake you up to realize how far you’ve strayed from your path. Sometimes I get that way-I feel full of myself, then read the Bible about Jesus and after comparing yourself to the Truth, I think, “I’ve got FAR to go.”
That’s how this 2cd set from Uptown Records hit me. Just when I started thinking the present situation in jazz was going along all right, I pop this sucker in and POW-how did jazz devolve from this?
Chubby Jackson made his name as bassist for Woody Herman’s famous Herd in the mid 40s, just when swing was veering into the new thing called bebop. When the Herd broke up, Jackson put together his own big band of mostly unknowns and for a brief time had the HOTTEST team in the land. This collection of radio broadcasts, rehearsals, studio recordings and even a couple interviews captures the corpulent captain in full command of his ship, with the band rollicking like a tidal wave on unbelievably exciting pieces such as “Tiny’s Blues” and “Father Knickerbocker.” The band was propelled by the fire in his guts drumming of Tiny Kahn (who arranged most of the pieces) and along with conga master Joe Harris created an incessant and joyful groove. As for the soloists, well, the tenors were influenced by Pres, the altos by Bird and the trumpets by Diz, so all is right with the world.
The mix of intensity and air tight precision of the band at the Royal Roost “Bopera House” are simply glorious, with the vocal choruses on ”Lemon Drop” and the white hot “Belvedere Bop” capturing the mood and vision of the era to perfection. A rehearsal from 1949 has the all star reed section of Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Al Cohn and Gerry Mulligan for a handful of beauties that have pieces like “Sid’s Swing Symphony” and “Oh! Them Saxophones” give allusion to the birth of the cool, while a quintet of Jackson with Conte Condoli/tp, Lou Levy/p, Denzil Best/dr and Frank Socolow/ts make mince meat out of “Begin the Beguine” and “Boomsie.” Lennie Tristano comes in for a one-off trio with Billy Bauer/g and Jackson crooning on “My Ideal,” but the big band stuff with some exciting section work between the inspired solos will make you want to chuck all of your ECM albums in a heartbeat. Not only are the musicians playing with a passion, but there’s just enough humor in the music to keep you entertained as well. How many smiles is Keith Jarrett going to create in concert? How did we get here from there?
The two interviews with Jackson, as well as the encyclopedic notes will give you some background and perspective of the music, the music business, and the times. Definitely in the running for Best Reissue/Historical album of the year.
Uptown Records