Known for searching out and discovering hidden jazz treasures, Jazz Detective Zev Feldman has teamed up with co-producer Cory Weeds in putting together a trio of previously unknown gems of recorded music from the 1960s and 70s. The collection here is from a discovery of tapes from gigs at various jazz clubs in Baltimore, from a period where acoustic straight-ahead jazz was hard to come by in an age of fusion, funk and rock filling the listener’s ears and hard boppers had to hang in there to keep the faith. These three artists held firm.
Sonny Stitt is found at the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore for a November 11, 1975 set with Kenny Barron/p, Sam Jones/b and Louis Hayes. The credits state that Stitt is only playing alto sax, but it’s definitely on tenor that he digs in on a fiery “A Different Blues”, a muscular ‘Deuces Wild” and a sleek “Baltimore Blues” that has Barron in classy spirits. Stitt’s alto glides through the Latin’d “Star Eyes” while featuring Jones, and brightfully agonizes through “Lover Man”. Hayes is in a hard bopping mood throughout, and Barron is classy and glassy in support and soloing as on the upbeat “Stella By Starlight”. While associated most of his career with Charlie Parker, Stitt proves here that he was his own man.
Known best a a sideman for Art Blakey, Gene Ammons and Charlie Parker, Walter Bishop Jr led his own trio for awhile before bringing in tenor saxist Harold Vick to create a formidable quartet with Lou McIntosh/b and Dick Berk/dr for a smoker of a night at The Madison Club back in August 28, 1966 and The Famous Ballroom in February 26, 1967. Vick’s tenor sears like a hot poker over Berk’s brushes and Bishop’s graceful modal work on “My Secret Love” and tears into the shuffling “Blues”. Bishop and McIntosh drive hard together on “If I Were A Bell” with the leader like Waterford crystal on the glassy interpretation of a testosterone injected “So What”. Vick’s soprano soars through the energetic waltz of “Willow Weep For Me’ and his flute boogaloos through “Quiet Nights”. A take of “Pfrancing” has Bishop bouncing and skipping through Berk’s ride cymbal like a stone on Lake Superior. Flying sparks of sound.
Hammond Queen Shirley Scott made a career of teaming with muscular tenor sax gents like Stanley Turrentine and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. Here, for at the Left Bank Famous Ballroom, she had Miles Davis alumnus George Coleman along with the crackling drums of Bobby Durham for an overdrive of “Impressions” and an avalanch’d “Witchcraft”. Scott pulls the plugs and Coleman oozes on a soulful take of the ten popular “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” before the team triple times “Smile”. Vocalist Ernie Andrews drops in for a bit, and has fun preaching it on “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim”, jiving through “Girl Talk” and hitting the streets on “Blues”.
These three collections prove that jazz artists didn’t need to plug in in order to electrify.