Brian Nation
Oct 26, 2006, 11:37 AM
Gavin Walker's "The Jazz Show" is heard Mondays 9PM to midnight on CITR (http://www.citr.ca/) 101.9 FM and online (http://www.citr.ca/default.asp?id=19&mnu=19). Each show features an entire album at 11PM.
Album features for November:
Nov 6: One of Sonny Rollins’ most important albums is tonight’s feature. It’s “Worktime” and was originally out on the Prestige Label then re-issued a few times on the Fantasy/Concord Original Jazz Classics series. In late 1954 after recording an excellent date with his pal Thelonious Monk ( as a sideman) for Prestige, Sonny took a long look in the mirror and decided he did not like what he saw. Sure he knew he was a solid player with a growing underground reputation who had the respect of leaders like Miles Davis and Monk and had recorded a few albums as a sideman and under his own name but there was the dark side. In that mirror Sonny saw a strung-out heroin addict who had done time on Rikers Island and in the federal pen in Lexington, Kentucky for drugs and who had lied and stolen money from his mom, pawned his horn more times than he could remember.....something had to change or else he would end up like his idol, Charlie Parker. Sonny left New York and went to Chicago (a city he visited in 1950 and loved) took a small room and sweated out heroin withdrawal on is own then took to eating better food, lifting weights and working in a warehouse staying away from the music scene except to practice his horn. He even turned down an offer from Miles to join his new band as he didn’t feel strong enough to re-enter the scene (John Coltrane got the job with Miles). Finally in late 1955 at the invitation of drummer Max Roach Sonny felt ready and became part of jazz history in the Max Roach/Clifford Brown quintet. “Worktime” was all about “The New Sonny” and it revealed not only Rollins’ new found personal strength but also the positive results of all the practice that he did on his horn in Chicago. His huge sound and his utter confidence coupled by his always evident hard swing make this album in many people’s estimation one of Sonny’s finest. Rollins once told Gavin, the host of the Jazz Show that this record was one of the very few that he could listen to with pride. With Sonny are two members of the Roach/Brown group.....Max roach himself on drums is so prominent in pushing Sonny to great heights and bassist George Morrow anchors the bottom and handles the fast tempos with ease. Pianist Ray Bryant with his light, fleet touch is a perfect foil for Sonny. Miles Davis used to play this album for fellow musicians at his house to show them “where the music is at”. You’ll hear it too and find that it’s so good that sound of Sonny and company ends all too soon.
Nov 13: Tonight we celebrate the birthday of a great and unheralded pianist who had the musical respect of many including Phineas Newborn, Andre Previn and Oscar Peterson to name three.....the musician in question is Hampton Hawes (born in Los Angeles on Nov. 13, 1928 and died of a blood clot in the brain on May 22, 1977). Hawes, who was self-taught and learned almost everything by ear began playing professionally as a teenager with R & B saxophonist Big Jay McNeely (who could also hold his own with any jazz player) and also played with Charlie Parker in 1947 and with every significant figure on the West Coast jazz scene. After a stint in the army, Hawes formed his own trio with bassist Red Mitchell and began making recordings under his own name. the old jazz bugbear.....narcotics, blighted Hawes’ career and he was busted (for the third time) in 1958. He was released (clean and sober) in 1963 through executive clemency of President John Kennedy (who recognized Hawes’ artistry and importance). Hampton Hawes had a productive career until his untimely and premature death. Tonight’s feature finds Hawes in a unique musical situation. In 1957 he went to New York to seek work but his reputation as a junkie preceded him and he was only able to pick up an occasional one-nighter; the rest of the time Hawes and his buddy, pianist Sonny Clark (who died in January 1963 of a drug overdose) scoured the city for money and drugs. (Check out Hawes’ moving biography called “Raise Up Off Me” Da Capo Press, 1979) Enter Charles Mingus who admired Hawes and knew Hampton’s father (a well known Minister in Los Angeles). Mingus had no love for junkies but because he knew and respected Hawes’ dad, Mingus set up the record date. That is tonight’s feature. Mingus wanted to help Hampton financially and musically and in so doing created an album unique in the Mingus discography. “Mingus Three” is a trio date with Hampton Hawes as the lead voice and it brings out the creative best in Mr. Hawes with great backing by Mingus on bass and Dannie Richmond on drums doing standards and originals by Hawes and Mingus. Happy birthday Hampton Hawes.....you are deserving of re-discovery!
Nov 20: Alphonso Son “Dizzy” Reece was born in Kingston, Jamaica on January 5, 1931 and is a powerful voice on the trumpet who despite his nickname does not sound like Dizzy or Miles or Fats Navarro but is his own man with a rich singing brass sound and a unique concept all his own. Dizzy took up trumpet in his early teens and listened to the many good players in the “Ska” bands around Kingston but also listened intently to American short wave radio broadcasts that eventually formed his playing concept. Reece headed to England in the mid-fifties and plunged headlong into the modern jazz scene in London and recorded for various British labels as a leader and sideman. At the urging of people like Donald Byrd, Art Taylor and especially Miles Davis, Reece emigrated to the U.S. in 1959 and because of the influence of Miles Davis, Blue Note Record’s Alfred Lion signed Reece to a contract. Dizzy recorded several good albums for Blue Note (all collated on a Mosaic Select set #1 called simply “Dizzy Reece”). For tonight’s feature we turn to the most personal of Reece’s Blue Notes, a quartet date with Dizzy as the sole horn. Very few trumpeters can carry a record date without a second horn but Dizzy can and he pulls it off beautifully playing good standards and a couple of originals. He’s backed by Walter Bishop Jr. in one of his finest outings on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Dizzy’s favourite drummer, Arthur Taylor (“I Love A.T., He’s got a long beat and swings so hard” said Dizzy”). “Soundin’ Off” is a great listen to an overlooked master.
Nov 27: Eric Dolphy and Oliver Nelson may seem like stylistic opposites but as the old saying goes.....opposites attract. Dolphy and Nelson made a number of albums together the most famous being “The Blues and the Abstract Truth”. Eric Dolphy (born in Los Angeles June 20, 1928 and died in Berlin on June 29, 1964) played most reeds (he is heard here on alto saxophone and bass clarinet) and although critics said that he was influenced by Ornette Coleman that was not the case. Yes Dolphy could play “free” when the situation demanded it but he was basically a “chord change” player who adhered to the tune’s structure but used a more vocalized approach (a throwback, really to earlier players) on all of his horns. Oliver Nelson (born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 4, 1932 and died in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 1975) played all the saxophones (he’s heard here on alto and tenor saxophones) and was a great arranger and composer. His approach to his horns was more conservative than Dolphy’s and yet they blended so well and their different approaches kept the music happening and interesting. Nelson is the leader and as with all Nelson recordings it’s very well organized and very well rehearsed. Nelson did not tolerate sloppiness or the “jam session” concept of making records. “Straight Ahead” was done for the Prestige/New Jazz Label and Nelson paid for the rehearsals out of his own pocket as Prestige was a low budget label. The results are worth it: good tunes and arrangements by Nelson and a great rhythm section with the underrated Richard Wyands on piano, the amazing George Duvivier on bass and “Mr. Snap Crackle”, Roy Haynes on drums. Dolphy and Nelson have a ball on this date which was done a month after “The Blues and the Abstract Truth”. “Straight Ahead” may be overlooked but it is a classic.
Album features for November:
Nov 6: One of Sonny Rollins’ most important albums is tonight’s feature. It’s “Worktime” and was originally out on the Prestige Label then re-issued a few times on the Fantasy/Concord Original Jazz Classics series. In late 1954 after recording an excellent date with his pal Thelonious Monk ( as a sideman) for Prestige, Sonny took a long look in the mirror and decided he did not like what he saw. Sure he knew he was a solid player with a growing underground reputation who had the respect of leaders like Miles Davis and Monk and had recorded a few albums as a sideman and under his own name but there was the dark side. In that mirror Sonny saw a strung-out heroin addict who had done time on Rikers Island and in the federal pen in Lexington, Kentucky for drugs and who had lied and stolen money from his mom, pawned his horn more times than he could remember.....something had to change or else he would end up like his idol, Charlie Parker. Sonny left New York and went to Chicago (a city he visited in 1950 and loved) took a small room and sweated out heroin withdrawal on is own then took to eating better food, lifting weights and working in a warehouse staying away from the music scene except to practice his horn. He even turned down an offer from Miles to join his new band as he didn’t feel strong enough to re-enter the scene (John Coltrane got the job with Miles). Finally in late 1955 at the invitation of drummer Max Roach Sonny felt ready and became part of jazz history in the Max Roach/Clifford Brown quintet. “Worktime” was all about “The New Sonny” and it revealed not only Rollins’ new found personal strength but also the positive results of all the practice that he did on his horn in Chicago. His huge sound and his utter confidence coupled by his always evident hard swing make this album in many people’s estimation one of Sonny’s finest. Rollins once told Gavin, the host of the Jazz Show that this record was one of the very few that he could listen to with pride. With Sonny are two members of the Roach/Brown group.....Max roach himself on drums is so prominent in pushing Sonny to great heights and bassist George Morrow anchors the bottom and handles the fast tempos with ease. Pianist Ray Bryant with his light, fleet touch is a perfect foil for Sonny. Miles Davis used to play this album for fellow musicians at his house to show them “where the music is at”. You’ll hear it too and find that it’s so good that sound of Sonny and company ends all too soon.
Nov 13: Tonight we celebrate the birthday of a great and unheralded pianist who had the musical respect of many including Phineas Newborn, Andre Previn and Oscar Peterson to name three.....the musician in question is Hampton Hawes (born in Los Angeles on Nov. 13, 1928 and died of a blood clot in the brain on May 22, 1977). Hawes, who was self-taught and learned almost everything by ear began playing professionally as a teenager with R & B saxophonist Big Jay McNeely (who could also hold his own with any jazz player) and also played with Charlie Parker in 1947 and with every significant figure on the West Coast jazz scene. After a stint in the army, Hawes formed his own trio with bassist Red Mitchell and began making recordings under his own name. the old jazz bugbear.....narcotics, blighted Hawes’ career and he was busted (for the third time) in 1958. He was released (clean and sober) in 1963 through executive clemency of President John Kennedy (who recognized Hawes’ artistry and importance). Hampton Hawes had a productive career until his untimely and premature death. Tonight’s feature finds Hawes in a unique musical situation. In 1957 he went to New York to seek work but his reputation as a junkie preceded him and he was only able to pick up an occasional one-nighter; the rest of the time Hawes and his buddy, pianist Sonny Clark (who died in January 1963 of a drug overdose) scoured the city for money and drugs. (Check out Hawes’ moving biography called “Raise Up Off Me” Da Capo Press, 1979) Enter Charles Mingus who admired Hawes and knew Hampton’s father (a well known Minister in Los Angeles). Mingus had no love for junkies but because he knew and respected Hawes’ dad, Mingus set up the record date. That is tonight’s feature. Mingus wanted to help Hampton financially and musically and in so doing created an album unique in the Mingus discography. “Mingus Three” is a trio date with Hampton Hawes as the lead voice and it brings out the creative best in Mr. Hawes with great backing by Mingus on bass and Dannie Richmond on drums doing standards and originals by Hawes and Mingus. Happy birthday Hampton Hawes.....you are deserving of re-discovery!
Nov 20: Alphonso Son “Dizzy” Reece was born in Kingston, Jamaica on January 5, 1931 and is a powerful voice on the trumpet who despite his nickname does not sound like Dizzy or Miles or Fats Navarro but is his own man with a rich singing brass sound and a unique concept all his own. Dizzy took up trumpet in his early teens and listened to the many good players in the “Ska” bands around Kingston but also listened intently to American short wave radio broadcasts that eventually formed his playing concept. Reece headed to England in the mid-fifties and plunged headlong into the modern jazz scene in London and recorded for various British labels as a leader and sideman. At the urging of people like Donald Byrd, Art Taylor and especially Miles Davis, Reece emigrated to the U.S. in 1959 and because of the influence of Miles Davis, Blue Note Record’s Alfred Lion signed Reece to a contract. Dizzy recorded several good albums for Blue Note (all collated on a Mosaic Select set #1 called simply “Dizzy Reece”). For tonight’s feature we turn to the most personal of Reece’s Blue Notes, a quartet date with Dizzy as the sole horn. Very few trumpeters can carry a record date without a second horn but Dizzy can and he pulls it off beautifully playing good standards and a couple of originals. He’s backed by Walter Bishop Jr. in one of his finest outings on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Dizzy’s favourite drummer, Arthur Taylor (“I Love A.T., He’s got a long beat and swings so hard” said Dizzy”). “Soundin’ Off” is a great listen to an overlooked master.
Nov 27: Eric Dolphy and Oliver Nelson may seem like stylistic opposites but as the old saying goes.....opposites attract. Dolphy and Nelson made a number of albums together the most famous being “The Blues and the Abstract Truth”. Eric Dolphy (born in Los Angeles June 20, 1928 and died in Berlin on June 29, 1964) played most reeds (he is heard here on alto saxophone and bass clarinet) and although critics said that he was influenced by Ornette Coleman that was not the case. Yes Dolphy could play “free” when the situation demanded it but he was basically a “chord change” player who adhered to the tune’s structure but used a more vocalized approach (a throwback, really to earlier players) on all of his horns. Oliver Nelson (born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 4, 1932 and died in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 1975) played all the saxophones (he’s heard here on alto and tenor saxophones) and was a great arranger and composer. His approach to his horns was more conservative than Dolphy’s and yet they blended so well and their different approaches kept the music happening and interesting. Nelson is the leader and as with all Nelson recordings it’s very well organized and very well rehearsed. Nelson did not tolerate sloppiness or the “jam session” concept of making records. “Straight Ahead” was done for the Prestige/New Jazz Label and Nelson paid for the rehearsals out of his own pocket as Prestige was a low budget label. The results are worth it: good tunes and arrangements by Nelson and a great rhythm section with the underrated Richard Wyands on piano, the amazing George Duvivier on bass and “Mr. Snap Crackle”, Roy Haynes on drums. Dolphy and Nelson have a ball on this date which was done a month after “The Blues and the Abstract Truth”. “Straight Ahead” may be overlooked but it is a classic.