Classic Vanguard Small Group Sessions

  When I first ran across some compilation CDs in 2002 by Sir Charles Thompson and Jimmy Rushing on the Vanguard label, I did a double-take. The sessions date from the early to mid Fifties, and I had never even known of their existence until then. I’d always thought of Vanguard Records as a folk-oriented label with artists like Joan Baez, Buffy Saint Marie, and Ian & Sylvia, with a few Country Joe and The Fish releases in the late Sixties. Now Mosaic Records has come to the rescue, by compiling the Classic Vanguard Small Group Sessions. It turns out that most of the music on the 7 CDs in the set has never been reissued in any format, and the generally high quality of the swing-oriented music makes this a treasure chest of largely forgotten releases. All the sessions were produced by the legendary John Hammond, a larger than life figure who played a major role in American popular music for decades starting in the 1930's. Thomas Cunniffe’s booklet essay details the complicated story that led to Hammond’s association with Vanguard. Hammond was assisted on some of the earlier dates by Nat Hentoff, a columnist for Down Beat magazine at the time.

Originally released on 10" or 12" lps, all the music (aside from the final session, a live recording from Count Basie’s nightclub in Harlem) was recorded by the Brooklyn Masonic Temple with a single microphone some thirty feet above the stage. In general, the sound quality is surprisingly good, well balanced with clear separation of the instruments. The biggest names in this compilation are tenor saxophonists Buddy Tate, Frank Foster, Lucky Thompson, and Coleman Hawkins, drummer Jo Jones, bassist Walter Page and vocalist Jimmy Rushing from the Count Basie band, pianist Hank Jones, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and trumpeters Buck Clayton and Ruby Braff, although even some of these figures from the past will be known mostly to serious jazz fans. 

The Fifties were an interesting time in the history of jazz, when hard bop (like the music of Art Blakey and Horace Silver) and the more mainstream sound of the bands in this set largely coexisted, albeit with different audiences. Tenormen Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Ben Webster were still active, while modernists like John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, and Benny Golson were starting to make names for themselves. Add in technological developments, like the use of tape recording, 10 & 12-inch lps, and later in the decade, the beginning of stereophonic reproduction, and it’s clear that this was a heady and complicated time for music. Swing-era musicians had to adapt to longer playing times after a lifetime of making sides that lasted for 4 minutes or less, and record companies also had to cope with the new realities of recording and releasing music. 

To these ears, the stars of this collection are trumpeter Ruby Braff, with his beautiful tone and thoughtful improvisations, the nearly forgotten pianist Sir Charles Thompson and his delightful sense of swing, the always pleasing “Mr. Five By Five,” Jimmy Rushing, and the influential drummer Jo Jones. The Basie veteran powers sessions by trombonist Vic Dickenson, trumpeters Braff and Clayton, and all three sessions featuring Jimmy Rushing. The collection also includes Jones’ first date as a leader, with Count Basie himself at the piano bench for two takes of Shoe Shine Boy. In the best Mosaic tradition, there’s one unreleased track, an alternate take of Kandee from Buck Clayton’s July 1, 1954 session. And there’s more to come, with a projected second collection of Vanguard Piano Jazz Showcase highlights, featured more Jo Jones and Sir Charles Thompson, plus Mel Powell and three duet albums by Ruby Braff and pianist Ellis Larkins. Unhesitatingly recommended. 

Mosaic MD7-280; Disc 1 (74:45): (A) Vic Dickenson Septet (12/29/53); (B) Vic Dickenson Septet (11/29/54); Disc 2 (62:49): (B) Vic Dickenson Septet, concluded; (C) Ruby Braff Sextet (10/17/5); Disc 3 (73:33): (D) Sir Charles Thompson Sextet (12/30/53); (E) Sir Charles Thompson and His Band (8/16/54); (F) Joe Newman and His Band (3/9/54). Disc 4 (80:01): (G) Buck Clayton’s Band (featuring Ruby Braff) (7/1/54); (H) Buck Clayton (3/14/57). Disc 5 (70:14): (I) Jo Jones (8/11/55); (J) Jimmy Rushing’s All Stars (12/1/54); Disc 6 (68:00): (K) Jimmy Rushing and His All Stars (8/16/55); (L) Jimmy Rushing (3/5/57); Disc 7 (70:55): (L) Jimmy Rushing, concluded; (M) Various Artists: A Night At Count Basie’s (10/22/56). For complete discographical details, go here. Limited to 5,000 sets; available from www.mosaicrecords.com

Miles Davis Quintet: Miles In France, 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8

  The latest entry in Columbia’s Miles Davis bootleg series takes us back to the early Sixties with the Miles Davis Quintet on Miles In France, 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8. There are three 1963 concerts, recorded on successive days in July at the Festival Mondial Du Jazz in Antibes, and two concerts in Paris from one night in 1964. On the 1963 date, the quintet had George Coleman on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Coleman had only been in the band for a year and a half by this time, and the rhythm section started working together in May 1963. Coleman was followed, briefly, by Sam Rivers for a tour of Japan in July 1964. Then it was the turn of Wayne Shorter and what’s often called the Second Great Miles Davis Quintet. Although there have various stories about the rhythm section sometimes giving Coleman a hard time on the bandstand, in an interview for this release, he notes that he “was able to stay flexible and be more creative with Miles.” He adds that “Things really worked out good for me in that band ...” Shorter had been in the group less than a month by the time the Miles Davis Quintet returned to France to perform at the Paris Jazz Festival at the beginning of October 1964, not nearly enough time for new additions to the repertoire. The quintet’s European tour lasted until October 11, and when they into the studio to record E.S.P. in January 1965, there was a batch of new tunes written by the individuals in the group.

Miles, who seemed especially inspired when playing in France, is in extremely good form, bold and assertive on the faster numbers and breathtakingly lyrical on the slower tunes. The rhythm section seemingly jelled through some magic spell, or maybe it was just the energy of a teenage Tony Williams. The sound, even if it’s all in mono, is clear enough to offer the opportunity to listen closely to Williams near the start of his career. Another pleasure of the current collection is the chance to hear two excellent saxophonists grapple with some of the same material, like Victor Feldman’s Joshua and a frequently played favorite of the era, Walkin’ (usually credited to Richard Carpenter, but probably composed by Jimmy Mundy). Before this release, the only official release of Shorter performing this repertoire was the Miles In Berlin album, which originally came out only in Germany. Of the five concerts in this set, only the second Antibes show has previously been released. However, the music came out in pieces on various albums over a four-decade span, starting with 1964's Miles Davis In Europe. The only previous issue of the entire show was as part of Seven Steps To Heaven: The Complete Miles Davis Columbia Recordings, 1963-1964.

The muted black-and-white design of the package is in contrast with the fiery and passionate music of Miles and his band. The booklet includes plenty of photos of the bands onstage, along with a short essay by Marcus J. Moore and excerpts from interviews that Moore conducted with George Coleman and Ron Carter. Happily recommended, naturally. 

Columbia/Legacy 19802-80168-1 [LPx8), 19802-80167-2 [CDx6]; Miles Davis (tpt) George Coleman (1963) or Wayne Shorter (1964) (ts) Herbie Hancock (p) Ron Carter (b) Tony Williams (d); Antibes, France, July 26, 1963; Introduction by Andre Francis/ So What/ All Blues/ Stella By Starlight/ Seven Steps to Heaven/ Walkin’/ My Funny Valentine/ Joshua/ The Theme/ Closing announcement by Andre Francis. (83:22); Antibes, France, July 27, 1963; Introduction by Andre Francis/ Autumn Leaves/ Milestones/ I Thought About You/ Joshua/ All of You/ Walkin’/ Bye Bye Blackbird/ The Theme (103:37); Antibes, France, July 28, 1963; Introduction by Andre Francis/ If I Were a Bell/ So What/ Stella By Starlight/ Walkin’/ The Theme (62:18); Paris, France, October 1, 1964; First concert: Autumn Leaves/ So What/ Stella By Starlight/ Walkin’/ The Theme. Second concert: All of You/ Joshua/ My Funny Valentine/ No Blues/ The Theme (98:52). www.legacyrecordings.com

2024: The Year In Music

2024 was another depressing year, and 2025 promises (threatens) to be even worse. 

But at least there was a lot of great music to listen to. Here are my choices of new releases, debut recordings, and archival discoveries and reissues:

New Releases

BassDrumBone - Afternoon (Auricle)

George Cables - I Hear Echoes (HighNote)

Phillip Golub - Abiding Memory (Endectomorph Music)

Rich Halley 4 - Dusk And Dawn (Pine Eagle)

Tom Harrell - Alternate Summer (HighNote)

Darius Jones - Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity)

Ivo Perelman/Chad Fowler/Reggie Workman/Andrew Cyrille - Embracing The Unknown (Mahakala Music)

Ivo Perelman/Mark Helias/Tom Rainey - Truth Seeker (Fundacja Słuchaj)

Marta Sanchez Trio - Perpetual Void (Intakt)

Matthew Shipp Trio - New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk)

Jason Stein/Marilyn Crispell/Damon Smith/Adam Shead - spi-raling horn (Balance Point Acoustics/Irritable Mystic)

Tarbaby - You Think This America (Giant Step Arts)

Nasheet Waits - New York Love Letter (Bitter Sweet) (Giant Step Arts)

Debut Recordings

John Alvey - Loft Glow (Jazz Music City)

Mathias Højgaard Jensen - Is As Is (Fresh Sound New Talent)

Archival Discoveries

Alice Coltrane - The Carnegie Hall Concert (1971; Impulse!)

Bobby Hutcherson - Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970 (Mosaic)

Art Pepper - The Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings (1981; Omnivore)

Sun Ra – Lights on a Satellite: Live at the Left Bank (1978; Resonance)

Emily Remler - Cookin’ At The Queens (1984 &1988; Resonance)

Sonny Rollins Trio - Freedom Weaver (The 1959 European Tour Recordings) (Resonance) 

McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson - Forces Of Nature : Live At Slugs’ (1966; Blue Note)

Mal Waldron and Steve Lacy – The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (1995; Elemental)

Many thanks, as always, to all the musicians and recording engineers involved. And a special shout-out to all the publicists who keep me busy! 

Jason Stein, Marilyn Crispell, Damon Smith, Adam Shead: spi-raling horn

  The quartet of Jason Stein, Marilyn Crispell, Damon Smith & Adam Shead is exuberant and boldly exciting on spi-raling horn. Drummer Shead is the least experienced member of the band, but he fits in beautifully, rising to the occasion with grit and rambunctious flair. Stead and the widely acclaimed bass clarinet specialist Stein had met in the recording studio before, on their 2020 duo session Synaptic Atlas. Pianist Crispell needs no introduction to anyone with a passing interest in modern piano stylists. Bassist Smith, whose Balance Point Acoustics label has several decades of releases to be proud of, has performed in free settings with such figures as John Butcher, Henry Kaiser, Frank Gratkowski, and Peter Kowald. The recording details for this date have the notation that “This is the entire studio session in the order in which it was played,” a rarity even in the realm of freely improvised music. The power and spirited interaction of these players is a testament to their distinctive individual sounds and their willingness to give utmost priority to the music of the collective. Picking favorite selections in a session like this one is a fool’s errand. Suffice to say that there are plenty of enticingly elegant and inventive passages in these instant compositions. Heartily recommended. 

Balance Point Acoustics bpaltd20020/Irritable Mystic Records IMR003; Jason Stein (bcl) Marilyn Crispell p) Damon Smith (b) Adam Shead (d); Chicago, IL, June 19, 2023; a song paid by singing/ a universe of otherwise/ the ground laid open/ saturant moon water/ so close it cut my ribs/ back and back out/ a rusted bell’s clank; 62:18. balancepointacoustics.com

McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson: Forces Of Nature: Live At Slugs’

Forces Of Nature: Live At Slugs’ documents a 1966 club date by the McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson quartet, with Henry Grimes on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. The group played for only one week at Slugs’, on New York’s Lower East Side. DeJohnette, who turned 82 in August 2024, has stopped traveling, giving him time to go through his archives, where he found the tape of this gig. Pianist Tyner and tenor saxophone master Henderson recorded together for Blue Note on a number of occasions in the early Sixties, and they were well-acquainted with one another’s musical predilections. Bassist Grimes played with seemingly everyone on the scene before he suddenly vanished in 1970, only to be rediscovered in 2002. And DeJohnette was equally at home in the Bill Evans trio and the Miles Davis Quintet, among many other credits. This set was taped by Orville O’Brien, who is also credited on such high-profile releases of the period as Alice Coltrane’s Journey In Satchidananda, Freddie Hubbard’s Night Of The Cookers, and Roy Brooks’ The Free Slave. The mix could use more piano sound, but given the quality of his other work, O’Brien was probably working under less than ideal conditions. No matter: the group is swinging hard from the first downbeat, roaring through a 26-minute version of Henderson’s In ‘N’ Out, the title track to a 1964 Blue Note album by a Henderson quintet that included Tyner. The ballad of the night, We’ll Be Together Again, slows things down, with Henderson expounding at length, Tyner playing a lovely solo, and Grimes and DeJohnette holding it all together. Taking Off is a lengthy minor blues improvisation, nearly a half hour long. It starts out pretty fast and stays that way. Henderson blows up a storm for half the length, as the rest of the band rolls and tumbles behind him. Tyner follows with his characteristic powerful attack. A potent drum solo and Grimes’ unflappable bass presence make this a memorable and exciting excursion in pure improvisation. Tyner’s The Believer follows, an early composition that was first recorded by John Coltrane for Prestige in 1958. Tyner never recorded it himself, which makes this passionate performance a true revelation. The set ends with a relatively brief foray into Henderson’s Isotope, first heard on his 1964 Blue Note album Inner Urge. That was a quartet session with Tyner at the piano, and this rendition is distinguished by the lively interplay between saxophone and piano. With liner notes by Nate Chinen, plus reminiscences and commentary by DeJohnette, Jason Moran, Joe Lovano, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Nasheet Waits, Terri Lyne Carrington and others, the booklet is the icing on the cake, but the overwhelming power of the music will make it tough to read and listen at the same time. Waits’ metaphor for the strength of this music is that it’s like running “a sprint for a couple of miles.” So when you sit down to listen to Forces Of Nature, be prepared to be both elated and exhausted. The mid-Sixties was a particularly dire time in jazz history, with rock and soul music in ascendance, but this quartet is working hard, thrilling the jazz die-hards in the small club, and now, decades later, thrilling the audience at home. Passionately recommended. 

Blue Note (2 CDs, 2 Lps, or digital); Joe Henderson (ts) McCoy Tyner (p) Henry Grimes (b) Jack DeJohnette (d); NYC, 1966: Disc 1 (41:00): In ‘N’ Out/ We’ll Be Together Again. Disc 2 (45:28): Taking Off/ The Believer/ Isotope. www.bluenote.com

Tom Harrell: Alternate Summer

  Trumpeter and composer Tom Harrell has a very full discography, beginning with his recording debut as a member of the Stan Kenton orchestra in 1969. He made his first album as a leader in 1976, and he has recorded steadily since then. His latest is Alternate Summer, with a new batch of tunes to intrigue and inspire his stellar cast of musicians. The rhythm section of Luis Perdomo on keyboards, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, and Adam Cruz on drums has been with him for a few years. For this outing, he’s brought in two of the most prominent and stimulating tenor saxophonists of the day, Dayna Stephens and Mark Turner, as well as the accomplished guitarist Charles Altura on four tracks. Harrell’s exceedingly lovely and burnished trumpet sound is intact as he nears 80 years young. The groove is paramount in his compositions, a lesson no doubt learned in his tenure with Horace Silver from 1975-1979. Highlights of the disc include the funky UV with Perdomo on soulful organ, the mellow Heliotrope with its enticingly poised trumpet solo and delicate acoustic guitar from Altura, the dramatic Plateau with inspired solos by Stephens and Perdomo, and the lengthy and inventive Wind with its sinuous Turner solo. And a shout-out to Okegwo and Cruz, a most adaptable and dynamic bass and drums duo that provides the lift that Harrell’s music thrives upon. Alternate Summer is an hour of sheer delight, and one of the best albums of the year. 

HighNote HCD 7344; Tom Harrell (tpt) Dayna Stephens (ts on 4-6,8) Mark Turner (ts on 1-3,9-10) Luis Perdomo (p on 4,6-10; Fender Rhodes el p on 1-3; B-3 org on 5) Charles Altura (ac & elec g on 2,3,5,7) Ugonna Okegwo (b) Adam Cruz (d); NYC, November 28 & December 27, 2022; 1.Miramar/ 2.Peanut/ 3.Alternate Summer/ 4.Intermezzo/ 5.UV/ 6.Chalcedon/ 7.Heliotrope/ 8.Plateau/ 9.Wind/ 10.Radius; 59:52. www.jazzdepot.com

Sun Ra: Lights On A Satellite (1978 AND 2024!)

  When it comes to the universe of Sun Ra, there are no such things as coincidences. So it makes perfect sense that two albums of the Arkestra’s music, each titled Lights On A Satellite and recorded many decades apart, should be issued in the same month. In 1978, the Arkestra appeared at the hippest spot in Baltimore, Maryland: the Left Bank Jazz Society’s presentations at the Famous Ballroom. Lights On A Satellite: Live At The Left Bank captures the Arkestra in performance. I had the immense pleasure of seeing the Arkestra several times in the late Seventies, and they never failed to give a spectacular show, complete with fabulous home-made costumes, space chants, dancers, Sun Ra’s insanely wonderful synthesizer forays, and the great sax section with John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Davis and Marshall Allen on altos, and Danny Ray Thompson on baritone. The set list for this blistering performance includes such goodies as the title track, Fletcher Henderson’s Yeah Man (1933), Horace Henderson’s Big John’s Special, an Arkestra favorite first recorded in 1934, We Travel the Spaceways and what might be my favorite Sun Ra composition, the infectious Watusi. The band is in great form, and Ra himself plays with his usual wit and great spirit, especially on the three consecutive piano features, beginning with his excursion Over the Rainbow. The packed booklet features photos, including some from the show, notes by J.D. Considine who was at this performance, and a reminiscence by filmmaker Robert Mugge, whose film Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise was shot at this Baltimore appearance. (Mugge also contributed a couple of pieces to this release as bonus tracks, the swinging piano improvisation called Left Bank Blues and an Arkestral look at ‘Round Midnight, with Ra at the organ.) The booklet also includes snippets of interviews with the late Dan Morgenstern, Marshall Allen, saxophonist Gary Bartz, pianist Craig Taborn, and the unique perspective of Michael D. Anderson, who was one of the drummers at the Famous Ballroom. Anderson later became the archivist for the Arkestra, and he co-produced this release with Zev Feldman. This Lights On A Satellite is a total delight, with Sun Ra’s music given the impeccable treatment that it deserves.

Resonance HCD-2074 (2 CDs or 3 Lps): Walter Miller (tpt) Michael Ray (tpt, vcl) Craig Harris (tbn) Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc) Danny Davis (as, fl) Eloe Omoe (as, bcl) John Gilmore (ts, cl) Danny Ray Thompson (bari s, fl) Sun Ra (kybds) Damon Choice (vib) Dale Williams (g) Richard Williams (Radu) (ac & el b) Michael D. Anderson, Eddie Thomas (d) Atakatune (cga) James Jacson (ancient infinity drum, bassoon) The Jingle Brothers (bells, perc) June Tyson (vcl); Baltimore, MD, July 23, 1978; Disc 1 (47:03): Band Intro; Thunder of Drums/ Tapestry From an Asteroid/ Somewhere Over the Rainbow/ A Pleasant Place in Space/ Space Travelin’ Blues/ Yeah Man/ Big John’s Special/ Lights on a Satellite/ Lady Bird; Half Nelson. Disc 2 (48:36): Cocktails for Two/ Watusi/ They Plan to Leave/ Images in a Mirror/ We Travel the Spaceways/ Left Bank Blues*/ ‘Round Midnight*. *Bonus tracks from Robert Mugge’s film, Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise. resonancerecords.org 

     Marshall Allen, who celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2024, has been leading the band since Ra departed this earthly plane in 1993, and by now, he’s been in the Arkestra longer than Sun Ra! To celebrate this milestone, Frank Kleinschmidt of IN+OUT Records brought the Arkestra into a New York studio to record Lights On A Satellite, with ten tunes representative of the current version of the ensemble. The set list, in addition to favorites like the title track, Friendly Galaxy and Tapestry From an Asteroid, includes a previously unheard Sun Ra composition, the uncharacteristic love song Baby Won’t You Please Be Mine, one-time Arkestra member Phil Cohran’s Dorothy’s Dance, Big John’s Special, an Arkestra favorite first recorded in 1934, and, of all things, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, a Turner Layton composition that made its debut on record by the Dixie Daisies in 1922. The Art Ensemble of Chicago’s famous motto, Ancient To The Future, finds one of its deepest manifestations in the Sun Ra Arkestra’s immense repertoire. With the presence of some long-time Arkestra musicians, including trumpeter Michael Ray, saxophonist Knoel Scott, French hornist Vincent Chancey, guitarist Carl LeBlanc, and percussionist Elson Nascimento, there’s plenty of institutional memory and experience for Marshall Allen to draw upon for support in this ongoing project. Allen solos with his distinctive alto saxophone sound at various points throughout a generous program of nearly 80 minutes, and to these ears, his interjections provide the most exciting moments of the whole album. The sprawling and bracingly wild Reflects Motion is probably my favorite track here, evoking, as it does, more of the uncompromised sound of the Sun Ra Arkestra in its prime. All in all, a beautiful present to the great Marshall Allen on his century on the planet. Recommended.

IN+ OUT IOR 77158 (CD or 2 Lps); Michael Ray (tpt, vcl) Cecil Brooks (tpt) Vincent Chancey (Fr hn) Brent White (tbn, b tbn) Dave Davis, Robert Stringer (tbn) Marshall Allen (as, EVI, gong, vcl) Knoel Scott (as, bari s, cga, vcl) Chris Hemingway (as) Anthony Nelson (cl, bari s) Nasir Dickerson (ts) James Stewart (fl, ts) Tara Middleton (vcl, vln) Owen Brown, Jr., Gwen Laster (vln) Melanie Dyer (vla) Nina Bogomas (harp) Farid Barron (p, kybds, Moog theremin) Carl LeBlanc (gtr, vcl) Dave Hotep (g) Tyler Mitchell (b) George Gray (d) Elson Nascimento (surdo, perc) Jose Jorge Da Silva (perc); NYC, June 16, 2024; Lights on a Satellite/ Dorothy’s Dance/ Big John’s Special/ Images/ Friendly Galaxy/ Baby Won’t You Please Be Mine/ Holiday for Strings/ Tapestry From an Asteroid/ Reflects Motion/ Way Down Yonder in New Orleans; 80:17. inandout-records.com