Gavin Walker
Oct 9, 2009, 03:34 AM
Yusef Ali Lateef was born in Chattanooga, Tennesee on Oct.9,1920. He was born William Emanuel Huddleston but in the 1940's was known as William Evans and when he converted to Islam and became a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 1950, he became Yusef Ali Lateef. Lateef is still very much alive and performing to this day. He is, of course, a master tenor saxophonist and flutist and also is a distinctive oboe player. He plays many other instruments but the Jazz Feature this evening presents Yusef on those three aformentioned horns. The album "Into Something" was done for the Prestige/New Jazz label and is a fairly straight-forward summing up of his abilities without any of the usual exotic effects of his earlier albums, just before he was to enter a period of his greatest fame and renown as a member of the Cannonball Adderley band, turning it into a sextet.
Lateef, by 1961 had established himself and his family in New York and had emerged from the Jazz underground by not only playing with Charles Mingus but leading his own bands and signing with Riverside Records. Prior to his permanent move to New York, Yusef lived and occasianally commuted to New york for gigs but Detroit was his home as he had lived there since 1925. Lateef in the 1940's was known as William (Billy) Evans and was a journeyman tenor player, touring with a variety of bands like Lucky Millinder's Orchestra and most famously with Dizzy Gillespie's ground breaking big band. He left Dizzy's band and returned to Detroit as his wife had taken ill in 1950. After her recovery, Lateef converted to Islam and enrolled at Wayne State University and studied music theory and at the urging of his friend, guitarist Kenny Burrell, took up the flute and the oboe. Yusef formed his own band made up of fellow Detroiters and held some extensive and long lasting gigs in that city. He began to bring his band to New York for gigs and began recording for Savoy, (his first sessions under his own name) Verve and Prestige/New Jazz. These recordings were treated as curiosities by the critics who liked his tenor playing and his bands but were not at all sure about some of the exotic instruments the Mr. Lateef employed on some of the tunes. Instruments like the argool (a mid-Eastern bagpipe), the rebab (a one stringed mid-Eastern bass) and other exotic instruments like the balloon and the 7-Up bottle!! These recordings established his underground reputation and they are all worth checking out. In many ways, Lateef was bringing what we now know as "world music" into Jazz in the late 1950's!
Yusef Lateef, in the mid-50's had become, what was known in the trade as a "heavy". His formidable tenor saxophone work was as strong and as vital as Coltrane's or Rollins' although he didn't yet have the reputation or the critical acclaim of those two gentlemen. I cannot let this go by without the retelling of two incidents involving Mr. Lateef. Both of these stories have been corroborated by musician friends who were there when these incidents took place. The first has to do with Mr. Lateef's power as a player and the second has to do with his power as a human being. Please indulge me this diversion.
The acclaimed Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet was playing a gig in Detroit in April of 1956 and Sonny Rollins had settled into the band and was approaching his early peak of creativity. On the night in question, Max Roach, who was a good friend of Yusef's and was fully aware of his musical power invited Mr. Lateef to sit-in and play the last set with the band. Roach, Brown and the rest of the band and the audience were blown away by Yusef as he blew the Mr. Rollins away.....in other words, according to one of my friends who witnessed this (drummer Frank Gant)..."Lateef cut Sonny's ass so bad....and we all dug that our home boy proved he was in their league...we went nuts man!" The story goes that after that night, Sonny Rollins was ready to throw in the towel and quit and Max and Brownie stayed up until mid-morning talking him out of it. The world is happy they did.
The second story was told to me by trumpeter Ted Curson who was an eye witness. In 1960, Lateef joined the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop for a few months, his first gig after moving permanently to New York. Mingus was holding down a steady gig at The Showplace on West 4th Street. The Jazz Workshop like most Mingus groups had a revolving cast of players but the core people at that time were Curson, Eric Dolphy, sometimes Booker Ervin, Yusef and pianist Roland Hanna and of course Dannie Richmond. Mingus music at that time was attracting poets, actors, writers and many members of the arts community as well as some of New York's High Society and some very wealthy ladies and gentlemen. Mingus was pretty excited by all of this attention and informed the band that they all must dress their best. Suits and ties, shoes shined or even better still tuxedos. The club was doing very well with line-ups every night etc. Mingus was in his glory and the music was happening. After the order to dress went out all the band showed up dressed to the nines, the club was packed with people waiting outside and Yusef Lateef came in with his horn dressed in slacks, sandals (no socks) and a dashiki! Mingus flipped out and began screaming and cursing at Lateef in front of the musicans and crowd...."what kind of shit is this man, I fucking told you to dress up....suits and ties man and shined goddamn shoes and blah blah blah!" Mingus was yelling and flailing his arms around and Lateef, a rather large and muscular man grabbed Mingus under his arm pits and lifted him off the ground and very quietly said "Peace, brother Mingus, peace................" Mingus and the room were silenced and Mingus very quietly said, "Lets go make the set man."
Both of these stories show the strength and conviction of Mr. Lateef and it's reflected in his music. The Feature album can be divided into two parts as three of the tunes have Lateef's tenor saxophone backed by just bass and drums a la Sonny Rollins. Herman Wright is on bass and is very strong. Wright was from Detroit and had studied with and even substituted for Mingus (when Mingus played piano) and picks all the 'Wright" notes. The great Elvin Jones is on drums and is a much more polished player than he was in 1957 when he played with Rollins. The second part is when the trio becomes a quartet with Barry Harris on piano. Harris and Lateef go back a long way and their years of playing together show on this date. We hear Mr. Lateef on flute on one tune and on oboe on a blues written for his then young son, Rasheed. The other two tunes are on tenor. Four of the compositions are Yusef's and three are standards. This album was made on December 29,1961 just a few days before he joined Cannonball Adderley's band and made it a sextet and rose to great fame in what many consider Adderley's finest ensemble. After leaving Adderley, Mr. Lateef embarked on a long career of leading his own groups, teaching, travelling the world and setting an example for all of us to try and reach. Mr. Lateef celebrated his 89th birthday on Oct. 9.
Along with the Jazz Feature shortly after 11pm, I can guarantee that despite it being Thanksgiving, The Jazz Show wont be a turkey. See you then...............................
Lateef, by 1961 had established himself and his family in New York and had emerged from the Jazz underground by not only playing with Charles Mingus but leading his own bands and signing with Riverside Records. Prior to his permanent move to New York, Yusef lived and occasianally commuted to New york for gigs but Detroit was his home as he had lived there since 1925. Lateef in the 1940's was known as William (Billy) Evans and was a journeyman tenor player, touring with a variety of bands like Lucky Millinder's Orchestra and most famously with Dizzy Gillespie's ground breaking big band. He left Dizzy's band and returned to Detroit as his wife had taken ill in 1950. After her recovery, Lateef converted to Islam and enrolled at Wayne State University and studied music theory and at the urging of his friend, guitarist Kenny Burrell, took up the flute and the oboe. Yusef formed his own band made up of fellow Detroiters and held some extensive and long lasting gigs in that city. He began to bring his band to New York for gigs and began recording for Savoy, (his first sessions under his own name) Verve and Prestige/New Jazz. These recordings were treated as curiosities by the critics who liked his tenor playing and his bands but were not at all sure about some of the exotic instruments the Mr. Lateef employed on some of the tunes. Instruments like the argool (a mid-Eastern bagpipe), the rebab (a one stringed mid-Eastern bass) and other exotic instruments like the balloon and the 7-Up bottle!! These recordings established his underground reputation and they are all worth checking out. In many ways, Lateef was bringing what we now know as "world music" into Jazz in the late 1950's!
Yusef Lateef, in the mid-50's had become, what was known in the trade as a "heavy". His formidable tenor saxophone work was as strong and as vital as Coltrane's or Rollins' although he didn't yet have the reputation or the critical acclaim of those two gentlemen. I cannot let this go by without the retelling of two incidents involving Mr. Lateef. Both of these stories have been corroborated by musician friends who were there when these incidents took place. The first has to do with Mr. Lateef's power as a player and the second has to do with his power as a human being. Please indulge me this diversion.
The acclaimed Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet was playing a gig in Detroit in April of 1956 and Sonny Rollins had settled into the band and was approaching his early peak of creativity. On the night in question, Max Roach, who was a good friend of Yusef's and was fully aware of his musical power invited Mr. Lateef to sit-in and play the last set with the band. Roach, Brown and the rest of the band and the audience were blown away by Yusef as he blew the Mr. Rollins away.....in other words, according to one of my friends who witnessed this (drummer Frank Gant)..."Lateef cut Sonny's ass so bad....and we all dug that our home boy proved he was in their league...we went nuts man!" The story goes that after that night, Sonny Rollins was ready to throw in the towel and quit and Max and Brownie stayed up until mid-morning talking him out of it. The world is happy they did.
The second story was told to me by trumpeter Ted Curson who was an eye witness. In 1960, Lateef joined the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop for a few months, his first gig after moving permanently to New York. Mingus was holding down a steady gig at The Showplace on West 4th Street. The Jazz Workshop like most Mingus groups had a revolving cast of players but the core people at that time were Curson, Eric Dolphy, sometimes Booker Ervin, Yusef and pianist Roland Hanna and of course Dannie Richmond. Mingus music at that time was attracting poets, actors, writers and many members of the arts community as well as some of New York's High Society and some very wealthy ladies and gentlemen. Mingus was pretty excited by all of this attention and informed the band that they all must dress their best. Suits and ties, shoes shined or even better still tuxedos. The club was doing very well with line-ups every night etc. Mingus was in his glory and the music was happening. After the order to dress went out all the band showed up dressed to the nines, the club was packed with people waiting outside and Yusef Lateef came in with his horn dressed in slacks, sandals (no socks) and a dashiki! Mingus flipped out and began screaming and cursing at Lateef in front of the musicans and crowd...."what kind of shit is this man, I fucking told you to dress up....suits and ties man and shined goddamn shoes and blah blah blah!" Mingus was yelling and flailing his arms around and Lateef, a rather large and muscular man grabbed Mingus under his arm pits and lifted him off the ground and very quietly said "Peace, brother Mingus, peace................" Mingus and the room were silenced and Mingus very quietly said, "Lets go make the set man."
Both of these stories show the strength and conviction of Mr. Lateef and it's reflected in his music. The Feature album can be divided into two parts as three of the tunes have Lateef's tenor saxophone backed by just bass and drums a la Sonny Rollins. Herman Wright is on bass and is very strong. Wright was from Detroit and had studied with and even substituted for Mingus (when Mingus played piano) and picks all the 'Wright" notes. The great Elvin Jones is on drums and is a much more polished player than he was in 1957 when he played with Rollins. The second part is when the trio becomes a quartet with Barry Harris on piano. Harris and Lateef go back a long way and their years of playing together show on this date. We hear Mr. Lateef on flute on one tune and on oboe on a blues written for his then young son, Rasheed. The other two tunes are on tenor. Four of the compositions are Yusef's and three are standards. This album was made on December 29,1961 just a few days before he joined Cannonball Adderley's band and made it a sextet and rose to great fame in what many consider Adderley's finest ensemble. After leaving Adderley, Mr. Lateef embarked on a long career of leading his own groups, teaching, travelling the world and setting an example for all of us to try and reach. Mr. Lateef celebrated his 89th birthday on Oct. 9.
Along with the Jazz Feature shortly after 11pm, I can guarantee that despite it being Thanksgiving, The Jazz Show wont be a turkey. See you then...............................