John Benson Brooks made his name for composing tunes and writing charts for the likes of Les Brown and Tommy Dorsey. The pianist also released a pair of ambitious albums in the late 50s, one taking American folk tunes and giving them a jazz sensibility , and the other a collection of themes from a trip by Harold Courlander in Alabama, mixing it with classical muses as well. The selection of musicians for these two albums is exemplary , and it’s fascinating to hear the likes of Zoot Sims/ts, Al Cohn/bs, Barry Galbraith/g, Osie Johnson/dr, Milt Hinton/b, Nick Travis-Art Farmer/tp and Cannonball Adderley/as in a different setting.
The Folk Jazz, U.S.A. session includes boppy material such as “Saro Jane” and”Betsy” with a polyphonic “The New Saints” and a rich “Black Is the Color.” Travis glows on “Wayfarn’ Stranger” and Galbraith is folksy on ”Shenandoah.”
For the 1958 Alabama Concerto, Adderley is warm on “ The Henry Jones Story” as well as the “Blues For Christmas.” The pieces are highly arranged but the horns produce some rich themes on “Trampin” and “Job’s Red Wagon.” An intriguing side bar for these West Coast swingers.