“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship”
Ever meet someone, and just know right at the start that you’re going to be best friends? That’s how I feel after getting my first group of releases from the UK jazz label Avid Jazz. They specialize in 2cd sets that are comprised of 2-6 albums from a wide range of jazz artists, usually from the 50s-60s. What makes this label so worthwhile is that, unlike companies like Mosaic, they are able to mix and match various labels, and thereby giving you some obscure beauties that have either never seen the light of day, or only been available in Japan. There are some releases I’ve never even HEARD of here. You’re going to go crazy figuring out where to begin, but I’ll try to help as objectively as possible: GET THEM ALL!!! NOW!!!! You’re welcome.
1) Valve trombonist/composer/arranger Bob Brookmeyer starts things off with 4 sessions that he lead or co-lead with the likes of Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. Excited yet? Keep going! Recorded Fall 1961 has him with Getz, Steve Kuhn/ Roy Haynes and John Neves/b making some of the most lovely sounds you’ll ever want to hear, while the ’56 Brookmeyer has the leader in a large band ensemble with Hank Jones at the keyboards. Tonite’s Music Today from ’56 has Sims, Jones, Wyatt Reuther/b and Gus Johnson/dr going down easier than a cold Frappe’ on “I Hear A Rhapsody” and “How Long Has This Been Going On?” A ’60 quartet outing with Jimmy Rowles/p, Mel Lewis/dr and Buddy Clark/b simmers nicely on “I Got Rhythm” and the title track. Hums like a 62 Lincoln.
2) Another overlooked jazz giant is trumpet master Art Farmer, who arguably had the most golden tone of all the horn men of his era. These four albums are pretty good evidence, my friend, with Modern Art from 1958 being an absolute classic. Bill Evans and Benny Golson join the band with some lusciously moving takes of “I Love You” and “Darn That Dream.” The same year, Portrait of Art Farmer has the leader in a quartet setting with Hank Jones and Roy Haynes, and the brass glistens on “Stablemates” and “Nita.” A bopping quintet with alto saxist Gigi Gryce, along with Duke Jordan/p, Addison Farmer/b and the relentless Philly Joe Jones/dr tear apart “Nica’s Tempo” and go native on “Shabozz.” Farmer teams up with Golson again, as well as Cedar Walton/p and Tootie Heath in ’60 for a sextet date that has the band doing the John Lewis/MJQ songbook. Great readings of “Django” and “Milano make this one clever and classy.
3) Stan Getz is covered here on one of his most famous sessions (Focus) as well as some I’d never heard before. The heady arrangements of Eddie Sauter on the ’61 session showed a whole different side of Getz, while the ’60 Cool Velvet album with strings by Russell Garcia has the tenor master in a more mellow light. Gentle backup on matrial like “It Never Entered My Mind” and “Whisper Not” are the things that dreams are made of. The ’55 quintet of West Coast Jazz with Conte Condoli/tp, Lou Levy/p, Leroy Vinnegar/b and Shelly Manne/dr define the melodious strength and gentle drive of the genre, with a take of “East of the Sun” that shines like the morning. In ’57 Getz led a quartet with Mose Allison on piano, and the sound as hip as you could hope on “All The Things You Are” and “Bye Bye Blues.” Where’d THIS one hide all these years?!?
4) Talkin’ about forgotten tenors! At one time, Illinois Jacquet was the cock of the walk, with his solo on Lionel Hampton’s”Flying Home” the 40s equivalent of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” You just HAD to know it to be “in.” These 5 sessions were recorded in the days of the shorter 10” album and have some of the most rousing tenor honking you’re ever going to need. A ’54 date with Leo Parker/bari and the tenacious tenor of Ben Webster sounds like a summit meeting of lions, particularly on the title track “I Wrote This For The Kid” and “The Kid and the Brute,” (which has more honking than a traffic jam in Naples), while a ’57 session is overloaded with All Stars. Roy Eldridge/tp, Jimmy Jones/p, Ray Brown/b, Herb Ellis/g and Jo Jones/dr swing like there’s no tomorrow on “Harlem Nocturne” and “Lullaby of the Leaves.” Oh Yeah! 1959’s Flies Again teams Jacquet with a mini big band as they slide and sway through “That’s My Desire” and a tasty treat of “Robbin’s Nest.” A trio of rare ’51 dates has the roaring tenor teamed with Carl perkins/p, Oscar Moore/g on a burning “All of Me” with Cecil Payne/bar and Shadow Wilson/dr on a hot little “One-Nighter Boogie” and with Hank Jones/p, Gene Ramey/b, John Collins/g and Art Blakey/dr and some some jumping originals. Sweaty stuff-no one plays like this anymore!
5) Zoot Sims did not go under-recorded, and you can thank God right now for that. If you’re up off your knees, check out these four rarities on various labels. Stretching Out from ’58 has Sims with Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn/ts, Harry Edison /tp, Hank Jones/p, Freddie Green/g (are you salivating yet?), Eddie Jones/b and Charlie Persip/dr. Wonderful takes of “Pennies From Heaven” and “King Porter” only scratch the surface of this date, while 1956’s Starring Zoot Sims has the breathy tenor fronting Henri Renaud’s orchestra with a Parisian rhythm section on delightful things like “My Old Flame” and “On The Alamo.” A quartet date from 1960 finds Sims with an intriguing team of Dave McKenna/p George Tucker/b and Charles Mingus’ drummer Dannie Richmond. They sound fantastic together on a collection of Tin Pan Alley tunes. Richmond on “Bill Bailey”?!? Fantastic! Most intriguing is the 1959 Soul Jazz of Porgy and Bess which has Bill Potts orchestrating and arranging the Gershwin Opus for a jazz band. Al Cohn, Phil Woods, Jimmy Cleveland, Bob Brookmeyer, Art Farmer, Harry Edison, Charlie Shavers and Bill Evans are only part of the team here. Most of the whole meghilla is featured hear and most of it works pretty well. A little bit of everything is on these two discs. Get one, get all!
Avid Jazz Records
www.avidgroup.co.uk