While most people may recognize the names of bebop progenitors Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, for some reason trumpeter Howard McGhee gets little notice. He was one of the very first beboppers, arguably on the very first recording with Coleman Hawkins, producing the hit “Stuffy.” This four disc, 93 song set will hopefully set the (literal) record straight, as it contains some of the most exciting sounds that eventually became the heat seeking missile of modern jazz.
The collection goes in chronological order, beginning with Howard’s early days in Hollywood with a team that included the warm tenor of Teddy Edwards and the torrid bass of the volatile Charles Mingus for pieces ranging from a gorgeous “Stardust” to a swinging 8 to the bar of “Mop Mop.” The team of McGhee and Edwards became quite successful and formidable, with some hip pieces like “Around The Clock” with some raucous vocals by Pearl Taylor and Estelle Edson on “Call It The Blues.” Without singers, they are a sleek team for ”Midnite At Minton’s and “High Wind In Hollywood.”
Charlie Parker has McGhee in the front line for a hip “Be-Bop” and “Thermo-Dynamics.” Most impressive of all is with a pre-crooner Billy Eckstine brings his valve trombone together with Hank Jones/p, Ray Brown/b and JC Heard for a cooking collection of “Flip Lip,” The Last Word” and a sublime “The Man I Love.” Milt Jackson, Jimmy Heath and James Moody are parts of later bands that are kinetic gems such as “Merry Lee,” and gorgeous takes of “It’s The Talk of the Town” and “I’m In The Mood For Love.”
A trumpet summit meeting with Fats Navarro is a brass delight as they lock horns on “Boperation,” “The Skunk” and “Double Talk.” A collection of concert recordings with guests ranging from JJ Johnson and Oscar Pettiford create a jam session atmosphere on “How High The Moon” with some “Korean All Stars” supporting McGhee on swinging takes of “Perdido” and “One O’Clock Jump.” A final studio session with future stars Tal Farlow/g, Gigi Gryce/as-fl, Horace Silver/p and Percy Heath close things out with Gryce feathery on “Shabozz” and bopping like Bird on “Tranquility.” |
As unfortunately happened to many jazzers of this era, McGhee’s career got sidelined by “personal” problems, thereby depriving us of a hard bopping version of this giant. Still, this collection has more excitement and inspiration than 10 mp3s of whatever you are downloading from today’s navel gazing artists. No fusion, no confusion.