In today’s music scene, you can throw a rock in any direction and find a musician who is part of a “jam band”, with Snarky Puppy and Medeski, Martin and Wood coming quickly to mind.
The actual idea of an album of guys just getting together around showing ones wares in a casual way was perfected and started by Count Basie charter member and trumpeter Buck Clayton. He did a bunch of them back in the 1950s, and continued in the 70s with Chiaroscuro records, with the latter covered in this review.
Most of the artists are either alumni of various Basie incarnations, one weaned on the Big Band Era. Trumpeters besides Clayton include Harry Edison, Joe Newman and Doc Cheatham, with trombonists being Urbie Green, Vic Dickenson and Jimmy Knepper. The saxes feature Earl Warren-Lee Konitz/as and the beefy tenors bring in Budd Johnson, Zoot Sims, Buddy Tate and Sal Nistico. Throw in soprano saxist Bob Wilbur, baritonist Joe Temperley, and pianists Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan and ringer Earl Hines for drummers Mel Lewis, Gus Johnson and bassists Richard Davis or Milt Hinton (among other guests) and you’re in for a Kansas City dry rubbed treat.
Each song has 4-6 songs, casually laid out, but all composed and subtly arranged by Clayton. All of the songs have the classic and relaxed Basie pulse, with the horns usually stating the theme and then the variations joyfully emitted. Sims and Johnson blow smoke rings on “Boss Blues” and “Lazy Bones” with Hines in inspired form on the latter and “Jayhawk.” Konitz is California Cool for “Glassboro Blues” and Tate’s Texas Tenor growls on “Change For Buck”. Edison is sweet on his mute for the tasty “Kansas City Style” , with bonemeisters Knepper and Dickenson sliding like Lou Brock for “Jazz Party Time” and bandwagon. The thing that keeps you coming back for these tunes is the perfect mix of casual charts, yet with solos that give each artist a change show display his personality. You feel like you’re sitting in with the giants of a generation, and you are.