Brian Nation
Feb 4, 2007, 06:33 PM
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).
Recent shows are also available as Podcasts. Subscribe (http://playlist.citr.ca/podcasting/xml/thejazzshow.xml)
Each show features an entire album at 11PM.
Album features for February:
February 5 Erroll Garner and his Trio featuring Wyatt “Bull” Ruther
February 12 “Straight Ahead” Oliver Nelson and Eric Dolphy
February 19 “Magic in Munich” Clifford Jordan and ‘The Magic Triangle’
February 26 “Les McCann Ltd. in New York”.
February 5: Bassist Wyatt ‘Bull’ Ruther was a big part of the Vancouver Jazz scene when he lived here from 1972 until 1984 when he left and moved back to San Francisco. Wyatt was a wonderful addition to the Vancouver scene as he brought his vast knowledge and experience to many groups including the Linton Garner Trio, the Fraser MacPherson Trio and several editions of the Gavin Walker (The Jazz show host) Jazz Quartet and so many other bands. Wyatt became a good friend and had thousands of great jazz stories to tell. Ruther was born on this day in 1923 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and died on October 31, 1999 in San Francisco at age 76. Wyatt was a great timekeeper with a big sound and always played the right notes and when the groove was happening, a beatific grin would remain on his face throughout the session. Wyatt played with so many major players it would be hard to list them all but we’ll begin with Dave Brubeck (his first quartet with Paul Desmond) Lena Horne, the Canadian Jazz Quartet (Wyatt lived in Ottawa in 1955/56) with vibist Peter Appleyard then out to California to join drummer Chico Hamilton’s quintet with Eric Dolphy, then with pianist George Shearing’s quintet, onto pianist Ray Bryant’s trio then to vocalist Carmen McRae for a few years and a year with Count Basie’s band where he was on several sessions with Frank Sinatra. The list goes on but Wyatt told Gavin Walker that the happiest musical moments and his career pinnacle was as a member of pianist Erroll Garner’s trio from 1952 to 1954. Garner, a self-taught genius who couldn’t read music or even tell what key he was in was one of the most influential and distinctive stylists in jazz and also one of the most successful musicians ever. Garner’s recordings were loved the world over and he was adored even by people who disliked jazz. Garner was managed by Sol Hurok and was booked into the best rooms all over the world. Garner was also from Pittsburgh where he was born on June 15, 1921 and died at age 56 on January 2, 1977. Tonight, in honour of what would have been Wyatt Ruther’s 84th birthday we hear him with Erroll Garner in a great session with drummer Eugene ‘Fats’ Heard in a program of jazz standards plus the original version of Garner’s hit composition ‘Misty’. Don’t miss this one.
February 12: 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 October 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. This feature was going to be heard on November 2006 but the station was off the air due to a major power failure so it will be heard tonight.
February 19: “The Magic Triangle” was another name for “Eastern Rebellion” or the Clifford Jordan Quartet or the Cedar Walton Quartet but this band with Jordan on tenor saxophone and flute and Cedar Walton on piano along with Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums was one of the finest bands of its’ time during a time when jazz was at a low ebb (the seventies). This group represented jazz tradition but also pointed in a new direction without resorting to some of the extremes of so-called ‘free jazz’ or any of the commercial excesses of “fusion”. This band was organic and could they swing! Work was scarce in the States but this band found a following in Europe and recorded some of their best music over there. Tonight’s feature was recorded in Munich hence the title “Magic in Munich”. Jordan, who died in the early nineties was one of the great voices of the tenor saxophone was born in Chicago on September 2, 1931. He was originally inspired by Sonny Rollins but quickly developed his own voice in the bands of Horace Silver, Max Roach and with Charles Mingus. Cedar Walton came to New York in the late 1950’s and was soon working with trumpeter Kenny Dorham, and joined trombonist J. J. Johnson’s fine little band, then onto the jazztet with saxophonist Benny Golson and trumpeter Art Farmer and really rose to jazz fame as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in one of it’s best editions. Walton developed s a composer as well. Cedar was born in Dallas, Texas on January 17, 1934. Sam Jones was simply one of the greatest bass players in jazz and played many years with altoist Cannonball Adderley and pianist Oscar Peterson. Sam was born in Jacksonville, Florida on November 12, 1924 and died of cancer on December 15, 1981. Jones recorded and played with every important musician in modern jazz. The same could be said of drummer Billy Higgins who was born in Los Angeles on October 11, 1936 and died a couple of years ago. Billy always played with a great smile on his face and brought to the drum kit his philosophy, which was “not to rape the drums but to make love to them”. Billy came to national attention with Ornette Coleman’s first quartet and played with everyone from Sonny Rollins to Monk and like Jones put in time with almost every modern jazz player of note. This band was co-operative and everyone contributed compositions to its’ repertoire. The magic triangle was truly that!
February 26: Pianist Les McCann burst onto the jazz scene in the early sixties with his trio including young Herbie Lewis on bass and the tasteful Ron Jefferson on drums. McCann’s piano style while not innovative was bluesy and soulful and full of Gospel influences. McCann amalgamated the styles of Red Garland, Horace Silver and Bobby Timmons into his own thing and became very popular in the L.A. and San Francisco areas and his trio called “Les McCann Ltd.” was a hot draw and he began recording prolifically. The critics came down hard on McCann and dismissed him as a lightweight but McCann had the last laugh due to his popularity and drawing power. Les was born in Lexington, Kentucky on September 23, 1935 (the same birthdate as John Coltrane) and is still going strong as a pianist and singer. This date marked McCann’s first visit to New York and the trio recorded a couple of albums worth of tunes at the ‘Village Gate’ where they played for a few weeks. McCann had heard of a couple of horn players that impressed him, especially tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and he told his recording producer that he would like to do an album with some horns. Richard Bock, McCann’s producer agreed and this date came to be after a very short rehearsal. Turrentine was on board and the unheralded and obscure ex-San Franciscan Frank Haynes was the second tenor saxophonist. Haynes recorded very little but was a highly respected and original player who sadly died of throat cancer in 1965, four years after this session was recorded in December 1961. Haynes’ sound and approach contrasts beautifully with Turrentine’s. Richard ‘Blue’ Mitchell was on holiday from Horace Silver’s band and blended his trumpet voice with the two tenors and an instant band was born. All the tunes are McCann’s and when this album was released the critics who had dumped on McCann raved about this one. Check out tonight and you might agree with them.....I did!
Recent shows are also available as Podcasts. Subscribe (http://playlist.citr.ca/podcasting/xml/thejazzshow.xml)
Each show features an entire album at 11PM.
Album features for February:
February 5 Erroll Garner and his Trio featuring Wyatt “Bull” Ruther
February 12 “Straight Ahead” Oliver Nelson and Eric Dolphy
February 19 “Magic in Munich” Clifford Jordan and ‘The Magic Triangle’
February 26 “Les McCann Ltd. in New York”.
February 5: Bassist Wyatt ‘Bull’ Ruther was a big part of the Vancouver Jazz scene when he lived here from 1972 until 1984 when he left and moved back to San Francisco. Wyatt was a wonderful addition to the Vancouver scene as he brought his vast knowledge and experience to many groups including the Linton Garner Trio, the Fraser MacPherson Trio and several editions of the Gavin Walker (The Jazz show host) Jazz Quartet and so many other bands. Wyatt became a good friend and had thousands of great jazz stories to tell. Ruther was born on this day in 1923 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and died on October 31, 1999 in San Francisco at age 76. Wyatt was a great timekeeper with a big sound and always played the right notes and when the groove was happening, a beatific grin would remain on his face throughout the session. Wyatt played with so many major players it would be hard to list them all but we’ll begin with Dave Brubeck (his first quartet with Paul Desmond) Lena Horne, the Canadian Jazz Quartet (Wyatt lived in Ottawa in 1955/56) with vibist Peter Appleyard then out to California to join drummer Chico Hamilton’s quintet with Eric Dolphy, then with pianist George Shearing’s quintet, onto pianist Ray Bryant’s trio then to vocalist Carmen McRae for a few years and a year with Count Basie’s band where he was on several sessions with Frank Sinatra. The list goes on but Wyatt told Gavin Walker that the happiest musical moments and his career pinnacle was as a member of pianist Erroll Garner’s trio from 1952 to 1954. Garner, a self-taught genius who couldn’t read music or even tell what key he was in was one of the most influential and distinctive stylists in jazz and also one of the most successful musicians ever. Garner’s recordings were loved the world over and he was adored even by people who disliked jazz. Garner was managed by Sol Hurok and was booked into the best rooms all over the world. Garner was also from Pittsburgh where he was born on June 15, 1921 and died at age 56 on January 2, 1977. Tonight, in honour of what would have been Wyatt Ruther’s 84th birthday we hear him with Erroll Garner in a great session with drummer Eugene ‘Fats’ Heard in a program of jazz standards plus the original version of Garner’s hit composition ‘Misty’. Don’t miss this one.
February 12: 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 October 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. This feature was going to be heard on November 2006 but the station was off the air due to a major power failure so it will be heard tonight.
February 19: “The Magic Triangle” was another name for “Eastern Rebellion” or the Clifford Jordan Quartet or the Cedar Walton Quartet but this band with Jordan on tenor saxophone and flute and Cedar Walton on piano along with Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums was one of the finest bands of its’ time during a time when jazz was at a low ebb (the seventies). This group represented jazz tradition but also pointed in a new direction without resorting to some of the extremes of so-called ‘free jazz’ or any of the commercial excesses of “fusion”. This band was organic and could they swing! Work was scarce in the States but this band found a following in Europe and recorded some of their best music over there. Tonight’s feature was recorded in Munich hence the title “Magic in Munich”. Jordan, who died in the early nineties was one of the great voices of the tenor saxophone was born in Chicago on September 2, 1931. He was originally inspired by Sonny Rollins but quickly developed his own voice in the bands of Horace Silver, Max Roach and with Charles Mingus. Cedar Walton came to New York in the late 1950’s and was soon working with trumpeter Kenny Dorham, and joined trombonist J. J. Johnson’s fine little band, then onto the jazztet with saxophonist Benny Golson and trumpeter Art Farmer and really rose to jazz fame as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in one of it’s best editions. Walton developed s a composer as well. Cedar was born in Dallas, Texas on January 17, 1934. Sam Jones was simply one of the greatest bass players in jazz and played many years with altoist Cannonball Adderley and pianist Oscar Peterson. Sam was born in Jacksonville, Florida on November 12, 1924 and died of cancer on December 15, 1981. Jones recorded and played with every important musician in modern jazz. The same could be said of drummer Billy Higgins who was born in Los Angeles on October 11, 1936 and died a couple of years ago. Billy always played with a great smile on his face and brought to the drum kit his philosophy, which was “not to rape the drums but to make love to them”. Billy came to national attention with Ornette Coleman’s first quartet and played with everyone from Sonny Rollins to Monk and like Jones put in time with almost every modern jazz player of note. This band was co-operative and everyone contributed compositions to its’ repertoire. The magic triangle was truly that!
February 26: Pianist Les McCann burst onto the jazz scene in the early sixties with his trio including young Herbie Lewis on bass and the tasteful Ron Jefferson on drums. McCann’s piano style while not innovative was bluesy and soulful and full of Gospel influences. McCann amalgamated the styles of Red Garland, Horace Silver and Bobby Timmons into his own thing and became very popular in the L.A. and San Francisco areas and his trio called “Les McCann Ltd.” was a hot draw and he began recording prolifically. The critics came down hard on McCann and dismissed him as a lightweight but McCann had the last laugh due to his popularity and drawing power. Les was born in Lexington, Kentucky on September 23, 1935 (the same birthdate as John Coltrane) and is still going strong as a pianist and singer. This date marked McCann’s first visit to New York and the trio recorded a couple of albums worth of tunes at the ‘Village Gate’ where they played for a few weeks. McCann had heard of a couple of horn players that impressed him, especially tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and he told his recording producer that he would like to do an album with some horns. Richard Bock, McCann’s producer agreed and this date came to be after a very short rehearsal. Turrentine was on board and the unheralded and obscure ex-San Franciscan Frank Haynes was the second tenor saxophonist. Haynes recorded very little but was a highly respected and original player who sadly died of throat cancer in 1965, four years after this session was recorded in December 1961. Haynes’ sound and approach contrasts beautifully with Turrentine’s. Richard ‘Blue’ Mitchell was on holiday from Horace Silver’s band and blended his trumpet voice with the two tenors and an instant band was born. All the tunes are McCann’s and when this album was released the critics who had dumped on McCann raved about this one. Check out tonight and you might agree with them.....I did!