Once upon a time, the Giants roamed the earth…
To put this 10 cd, limited edition by Mosaic Records in perspective, one must remember that after The Swing Era of 1935-45, musicians from that era started hearing the modern sounds of bebop crashing at the gates. Some, like Coleman Hawkins, adapted, others didn’t. But it didn’t matter as “mainstream” jazz artists simply needed a vehicle for the public to take in the sounds of jazz without having to go to a smoky jazz club.
Enter Norman Granz, who put together some of the greatest jazz artists on earth and toured them around America and Europe, filling two needs. One was to give these artists a steady income, and the other was to present jazz at its most fresh and accessible. Beginning in 1944, and continuing for decades JATP became a musical institution for both artist and fan.
Having said all that, this collection doesn’t contain the earliest incarnations of JATP with Nat “King” Cole and Charlie Parker. It more than makes up for that, however, but featuring four of the greatest tenor sax players of all time, with only John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins not present (nor able to fit in here due to his style) not in attendance to complete. However, you do get the privilege of hearing the Mount Rushmore of Jazz Tenor Saxists, the three who are inarguably the foundation of everything that came after them. Namely, the first master, the Beethoven of the tenor sax, Coleman Hawkins, along with the perfect foil of the lithe and legato Lester Young and last but not least the gruff and smoldering Ben Webster. From these three, you get the basis for complex harmonic swing, behind the beat coolness and Texas Tenor growling respectively. Then, throw in Stan Getz, who as John Coltrane once stated, “Everyone wants to sound like him”, and you complete the foursome.
Oh, there are other tenor players here as well, namely the Texas Tenor Illinois Jacquet and hard swinger Flip Phillips, who knew how to work up a crowd. And, sure, there are other great musicians here, like the Charlie Parker-sounding bopper Sonny Stitt, the classy Benny Carter and warm toned Willie Smith on alto, and rhythm sections from heaven featuring Oscar Peterson, John Lewis or Hank Jones on piano, bassists Percy Heath, Ray Brown , JC Heard and drummers to cause salivation such as Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Jo Jones and Connie Kay. Brass players include Bill Harris/tb JJ Johnson/tb, Harry Edison/tp, Charlie Shavers/tp, Dizzy Gillespie/tp, Roy Eldridge/tp and guitarists feature swinger Herb Ellis and bopper Barney Kessell. And, of course, not jam session would be complete without the extroverted vibes (in more ways than one) of Lionel Hampton. Bopping clarinetist Buddy DeFranco also sits in for a bit, for a rare foray into the world of mainstream jam.
And that’s what makes this set so important and irresistible. There is a plethora of medleys, ballads, easy swingers and blues that allow the horns to mix, match and contrast. Where else are you going to be able to compare Eldridge and Shavers, Eldridge and Gillespie,or Phillips and Young, Smith and Carter, Webster and Phillips, or even best of all, a “One O’Clock Jump” that has Phillips, Webster and Young all in a row, not to mention a “Blues” and “Ballad Medley” with Jacquet, Phillips and Young. And of course, a straight flush beats four of a kind, so a version of “Stomping At The Savoy” bringing together Young, Jacquet, Hawkins, Getz and Phillips might just be too much for one to take Oh, the head is swimming!
Then, there are pairings like Hawkins with Eldridge, Gillespie with Young (Delicious on “The Modern Set”), and we still haven’t even gotten to Stan Getz’s classic encounter with JJ Johnson for “Billie’s Bounce” and “My Funny Valentine”. There are also nifty little teamings like Coleman Hawkins with Jones, Brown and Rich for a haunting “Yesterdays” Jones with Brown and Rich on “Air Mail Special”, Smith with Jones and Krupa on “Sophisticated Lady”, Young with Oscar Petersons band on “Lester’s Blues” and “I Cover The Waterfront” and Buddy DeFranco with Peterson, Ellis, Brown and Rich for a bopping “Now’s The Time”. Of course, the famed Drum Battle between Krupa and Rich is worth at least a listening to, but for my money, I’ll keep going back, and back, and back to these savory tenor titans. Where did we make a wrong turn? Music for the ages, serving as a plumb bob for how jazz is supposed to sound.