Video of the Week #97

Here is J. J. Johnson playing "Like Someone in Love," from a 1961 French television program. He is accompanied by Pierre Michelot on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums.

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Video of the Week #41 (Gerry Mulligan)

Video of the Week #50 (Dexter Gordon)

Video of the Week #54 (Sonny Rollins)

Video of the Week #96

Lloyd "Tiny" Grimes is one of the unsung heroes of the period when jazz and rhythm and blues were pretty much the same thing. His first major gig was in 1940 as guitar accompanist to the vocal group, The Cats and the Fiddle. In 1943 and 1944, he was a member of the Art Tatum Trio. For the next decade, he recorded with his own groups. One of those was an historic early bebop session from 1944 featuring Charlie Parker. In 1953, he played the guitar solo on The Crows hit record, "Gee."

In the early '50s, he billed himself as Tiny Grimes and his Rockin' Highlanders. Benny Golson, his tenor saxophonist for a short time, recalled being embarrassed at having to bar walk wearing kilts. His primary tenor man during this period was Red Prysock and his lead vocalist was Jalacy Hawkins, later known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins.

This is a soundie, "Never Too Old to Swing," from 1945, with Tiny taking the vocal. I'm not sure who the others are. My guess would be that it's John Hardee on tenor sax.

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The Soundies #13 (Louis Jordan)

Video of the Week #29 (Lonnie Johnson)

Video of the Week #32 (T-Bone Walker)

Video of the Week #95

I can find very little video of jazz piano virtuoso Art Tatum (1909-1956). In this brief 1954 television appearance, he plays "Yesterdays."

Tatum also showed up at a jam session in the 1947 film The Fabulous Dorseys. The song is his composition, "Art's Blues." The other participants are Tommy Dorsey, trombone; Jimmy Dorsey, clarinet; Ziggy Elman, trumpet; Charlie Barnet, tenor sax; George Van Eps, guitar; Stuart Foster, bass; and Ray Bauduc, drums.

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Video of the Week #60 (Bill Evans)

Video of the Week #93 (Erroll Garner)

Video of the Week #57 (A Song is Born)

Video of the Week #94

Pianist Otis Spann was a member of Muddy Waters' band from 1952 until shortly before his death of cancer at age 40 in 1970. His solo recordings are among the best examples of Chicago blues from this classic era. "Spann's Blues" was performed at the 1963 American Folk Blues Festival. He is accompanied by Matt Murphy, guitar; Willie Dixon, bass; and Bill Stepney, drums. The introduction is by Victoria Spivey.

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Video of the Week #47 (Muddy Waters)

Video of the Week #45 (Memphis Slim)

Video of the Week #70 (Roosevelt Sykes)

Video of the Week #93

I hope this video will serve as a reminder of what a great pianist Erroll Garner was. This 35-min set is from a 1964 European tour. He is accompanied by Eddie Calhoun on bass and Kelly Martin on drums. Although I only recognized about half of these songs by name, fortunately someone has published a playlist:

• Honeysuckle Rose
• No More Shadows
• Mambo Erroll
• Penthouse Serenade
• Jeannine (I Dream of Lilac Time)
• Medley:  On the Street Where You Live/I Could Have Danced All Night
• All Yours
• The Lady is a Tramp
• Erroll's Theme

If you'd like to see and hear more, there's another Garner video from this same time period that runs slightly over an hour. It includes his signature tune, "Misty." Because it combines footage from two concerts, some of the songs are repeated.

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Video of the Week #20 (Thelonious Monk)

Video of the Week #69 (Horace Silver)

Video of the Week #89 (Earl "Fatha" Hines)

Video of the Week #92

Jesse Fuller (1896-1976), largely forgotten today, was very popular during the folk-blues revival of the '60s. He was a one-man band, simultaneously playing 12-string guitar, harmonica or kazoo, the fotdella (foot-operated bass) with one foot and percussion with the other. This 14-minute clip from 1968 features "John Henry," "Red River Blues," and his signature tune, "San Francisco Bay Blues."

If you'd like hear more of the same, here's part 2.

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The Soundies #6 (Big Bill Broonzy)

Video of the Week #35 (Mississippi John Hurt)

Video of the Week #77 (Josh White)

Video of the Week #91

I've been offline for a while due to problems with my Verizon internet connection, so I'm playing catch-up. Here are a couple of soundies from 1951.

Bob Crosby, younger brother of Bing, was a singer and bandleader from the '30s through the '50s. His band-within-a-band, the Bobcats, specialized in Dixieland jazz. Here they play "The March of the Bobcats." Five members of the octet are identified on screen. The others are Warren Smith, trombone; Nappy Lamare, guitar; and Bob Haggart, bass.

And now for something slightly different, a duet between Ray Bauduc and Bob Haggart, "Big Noise from Winnetka."

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The Soundies #12 (Slim and Slam)

Video of the Week #48 (Benny Goodman)

Video of the Week #88 (Louis Prima)

Video of the Week #90

Jackie Wilson replaced Clyde McPhatter as lead singer of the Dominoes in 1953 and remained with them for three years. He went on to a successful solo career that lasted almost two decades until, in 1975, he had a stroke on stage that left him in a vegetative state until he died nine years later. This sharp-looking clip from The Ed Sullivan Show comes from early in his solo career. The last of these three songs to be recorded was "Alone at Last" in 1960, so that's probably the date.

A bonus:  The picture is not as sharp, but the song, "Higher and Higher," released in 1967, is a Chicago soul classic.

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CD Review:  The Dominoes Collection, 1951-59

Video of the Week #59 (Otis Redding)

Video of the Week #83 (Sam and Dave)

Video of the Week #89

Jazz pioneer Earl "Fatha" Hines appears on Jazz Casual in 1963, accompanied by Johnny Green, bass, and Earl Watkins, drums. The set opens with "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else" and closes with "Love is Just Around the Corner." In between, Hines is interviewed by host Ralph J. Gleason and does a demonstration of how his piano technique changed during his career.

You might also want to check out this version of "Memories of You" from 1965.

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The Soundies #2 (Fats Waller)

Video of the Week #20 (Thelonious Monk)

Video of the Week #81 (Ahmad Jamal)

Video of the Week #88

I remember Louis Prima from the '50s and early '60s, when he was a jump blues singer whose act featured quite a bit of comedy. But he changed with the times. This surprisingly sharp looking 9-minute short, Swing Cat's Jamboree, is from 1938, when he fronted a New Orleans style jazz band and played more trumpet. Here's the program:

1. “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans”
2. “I Can't Give You Anything But Love” (Shirley Lloyd, vocal)
3. “Please Be Kind”
4. “You're an Education” (Ted Gary, vocal; Gary and Mitzi Dahl, dancers)
5. “Loch Lomond”

In addition to Prima, the band consists of Meyer Wemberg, clarinet; Frank Pinero, piano; Frank Prederico, guitar; Sherman Masinter, bass; and George Hirsh, drums and vibes. Some of the singing is corny, but be sure to stick around for “Loch Lomond.”

Since Louis Prima appeared on television often, there is no lack of clips from the '50s. Here's he is singing his biggest hit, “Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody,” with his wife, Keely Smith and his band, Sam Butera (tenor sax) and the Witnesses.

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The Soundies #13 (Louis Jordan)

Video of the Week #68 (Cab Calloway)

Tim Hauser (1941-2014)

They [Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers] sang “I Promise to Remember” a cappella. I swear that was my turning point. That was God's way of saying, “Here's your gig, son, and if you don't get it, it's not my fault”

Tim Hauser, the founding member of Manhattan Transfer, has died at age 72. He was taken ill with pneumonia while preparing for a performance in Elmira, NY, and passed away in the hospital of cardiac arrest on October 16. Manhattan Transfer—Janis Segal, Cheryl Bentine, Alan Paul and Tim Hauser—was the most successful jazz vocal group of the last four decades, recording over 20 albums and winning 10 Grammy Awards in both the jazz and pop categories.

Timothy DuPron Hauser was born December 12, 1941 in Troy, NY, and grew up in Ocean Township, near Asbury Park, NJ. As a teenager, he listened to Alan Freed's radio program and was attracted to R&B vocal groups, especially Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. (The opening quote describes a time he overheard them rehearsing.) Along with his friend Thomas Picardo, aka Tommy West, he formed a vocal group of his own, the Criterions, who had two releases on the Cecilia label in 1959, and toured with Dion and the Belmonts.

While he was studying economics at Villanova University, Hauser and Picardo/West formed a folk trio, the Troubadours Three. After graduating from college in 1963 and spending some time in the Air National Guard, he went to work in advertising in New York City, while continuing to pursue his musical interests. He formed the first Manhattan Transfer group in 1969. The name is the title of a 1925 novel by John Dos Passos. The group, which included Erin Dickens, Marty Nelson, Pat Rosalia, and later Gene Pistilli, released an album, Jukin', on Capitol in 1971, and lasted until 1973.

The second Manhattan Transfer was formed in 1973 when Hauser met Laurel Masse while driving a cab. She introduced him to Segal and Paul, and their night club performances developed a following in New York. Ahmet Ertegun heard and signed them, and they recorded their first Atlantic album, Manhattan Transfer, in 1975. It included the pop hit “Operator,” a gospel tune. They also had a summer TV series on CBS in 1975. They recorded three more albums with this lineup. In 1978, Laurel Masse was injured in a car accident and left the group. She was replaced by Cheryl Bentine, and the third Manhattan Transfer has remained intact ever since. Here's a video of the group doing “Java Jive,” featuring Laurel Masse (on the right).

The group recorded in virtually all vocal group genres, including the pre-war pop styles of the Ink Spots and the Andrews Sisters, gospel, '50s R&B, and girl groups of the '60s. A highlight of their live performances was their version of “Gloria,” originally by the Cadillacs. Their biggest hit, “The Boy From New York City” (1981), a cover of the Ad Libs' 1965 girl group song, made the Top 10 of the Billboard pop charts. Here's another of my favorites from among their R&B covers, “Baby, Come Back to Me,” (aka, “Morse Code of Love”), originally by the Capris. It's a lip sync, but at least you can see who sang what part.

However, the dominant style in which Manhattan Transfer performed was vocalese, a style of jazz singing popularized by the trio of Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross in the '50s, in which new lyrics are written to fit jazz instrumentals, including classic solos. The Transfer's 1979 album Extensions included “Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone,” and their classic, “Birdland,” by Joe Zawinul of Weather Report, with lyrics by Jon Hendricks.

Their greatest success occurred during the '80s. They won the Downbeat poll as best jazz vocal group every year of that decade. Check out Bodies and Souls (1983) and Bop Doo-Wopp (1984). In my opinion, their best album was Vocalese (1985), which included “Killer Joe,” “Joy Spring” and “Ray's Rock House” (Ray being Ray Charles). Their 1987 album, Brasil, featured songs from that country, including “Soul Food to Go.” Although the fidelity is not great, this 80-minute concert from 1986 features Manhattan Transfer during their heyday.

Manhattan Transfer continued to record and perform up to the present. One of their latter-day successes was Tonin' (1994), a collection of '50s and '60s hits with guests stars such as Ben E. King, Smokey Robinson and Frankie Valli. Here they are doing “The Thrill is Gone” with Ruth Brown and B. B. King.

Tim Hauser recorded a solo album, Love Stories, in 2010, which is probably best forgotten. Manhattan Transfer was in the first class inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Here's a recent version of “Birdland” from about 2007.

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Two More Vocal Group Losses

The Human Orchestra

Video of the Week #85 (The Ink Spots)

Video of the Week #87

This half-hour French TV show from the '60s begins with four instrumental selections from stride pianist Joe Turner (1907-1990). He played in the bands of Louis Armstrong and Benny Carter. After World War II, he moved to Europe, where he was popular for many years. He is not to be confused with blues/R&B shouter Big Joe Turner, who had many hits for Atlantic Records in the '50s.

However, the real attraction begins at 13:45 into the program:  Four great songs from the New Orleans blues singer and pianist Champion Jack Dupree. Enjoy!

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The Soundies #10 (Amos Milburn)

Video of the Week #45 (Memphis Slim)

Video of the Week #70 (Roosevelt Sykes)

Video of the Week #86

From a 1962 TV program Jazz Scene USA, here are West Coast drummer Shelly Manne and his Men doing "Speak Low." Featured are Richie Kamuca, tenor sax; Conte Candoli, trumpet, and Russ Freeman, piano. The bassist is not identified, but I think it's Monty Budwig.

I found two other clips from the same program, "Fantan" and "The King Swings."

Does anyone recognize the host? It's singer Oscar Brown, Jr.

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Video of the Week #25 (Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers)

Video of the Week #41 (Gerry Mulligan)

Video of the Week #52 (Dave Brubeck)

CD Review: Various Artists, No More Doggin': The RPM Records Story, Volume 1, 1950-53

Highly Recommended

Some of the greatest post-war rhythm and blues came from Modern, RPM, Flair and Meteor, a constellation of record labels owned by the four Bihari brothers. While most of their music was recorded in Los Angeles, they had a secondary base of operations in Memphis. Initially, they purchased masters from Sam Phillips recorded at his Sun studio. Later, they hired Ike Turner to work as a talent scout and to supervise recording sessions.

Modern released over 500 R&B singles between 1945 and 1957. RPM released about 200 singles between 1950 and 1957, while Flair and Meteor had considerably fewer. Ace Records in the U. K. is gradually releasing the Bihari catalog of recordings. They have previously issued 2-CD “best of” sets from Meteor and Flair. Now they are releasing two 2-CD packages from the larger RPM files. Volume 1 covers the years 1950 to 1953, and Volume 2, due later this year, will feature songs from 1954 to 1957. Some of the Biharis' most successful artists released some or all of their records on RPM.

Because some of these songs have been released on previous Ace CDs, it is their policy to use alternate takes, when available. About half of these 52 songs are alternate takes. This makes little difference, since they are usually quite similar to the master takes.

RPM's first record was a Dixieland jazz version of “Alabamy Bound” by trumpeter Clyde Hurley's small group, with vocal by Adele Francis. Beginning with their second release, “Happy Payday” by Austin McCoy, the remainder of the songs on these two CDs are either country blues or urban R&B.

The mainstay of RPM was B. B. King, who released 15 singles from 1950 to 1953, and another 21 from 1954 to 1957. Eight of them are collected here, including his breakthrough hit, “Three O'Clock Blues” from 1951. 

There are seven songs by Memphis singer and pianist Rosco Gordon, including his hits “Booted” and “No More Doggin'.” One side of each of Howlin' Wolf's two RPM releases is also included. (Both Gordon and the Wolf were involved in a contract dispute between the Biharis and the Chess brothers in Chicago. It was settled when the Biharis signed Gordon and Wolf moved into the Chess kennel, a trade that ultimately favored Chess.)

West Coast jump bluesman Jimmy Nelson is represented by five cuts, including his signature tune, “T-99 Blues.” Texas country blues specialist Lightnin' Hopkins contributes four selections. Ike Turner takes the lead on two records, one of them a duet with his second wife Bonnie. Turner proteges Sunny Blair, Junior Brooks and Houston Boines have one selection apiece, as do notable Memphis bluesmen Willie Nix and Big Walter Horton (billed as “Mumbles”). Detroit's Eddie Kirkland sings a duet with the uncredited John Lee Hooker.

RPM was known for its great vocal group records, especially those by the Jacks and Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns, but most of them were released after 1953. Only two vocal group sides are included here, both by the Robins, moonlighting as the Nic Nacs, in which they attempt to duplicate their success on Savoy backing Little Esther. Teenager Mickey Champion, a Little Esther soundalike, sings the lead. There is also a selection by Ms. Champion as a solo artist.

Collections like this one usually include a few unexpected pleasures and this is no exception. There are two lively sides by little-known L. A. jump bluesman Jimmy Huff. Tenor saxophonist Jay Franks contributes a breathless instrumental, “Stripped Gears.” There are also chances to hear Gene Forrest (later of Gene and Eunice) and actor Harry Caesar (as “Little Caesar”) singing bluesy ballads.

In sum, there are several terrific R&B records and very few duds on these two CDs. The only drawback is that collectors may have some of them on other CDs.

Disc 1: Clyde Hurley, Alabamy Bound; Austin McCoy, Happy Payday, Part 1; Luke Jones, Mama, Oh Mama; B. B. King, B. B. Boogie; The Other Night Blues; She's Dynamite; Three O'Clock Blues; Fine Lookin' Woman; Memphis Eddie, Good Time Woman; Gene Phillips, Big Fat Mama; The Nic Nacs, Found Me a Sugar Daddy; Gonna Have a Merry Christmas; Junior Blues, Whiskey Head Woman; Mickey Champion, Good For Nothin' Man; Rosco Gordon, Rosco's Boogie; Saddled the Cow; Booted; Jimmy Nelson, T-99 Blues; Fine Little Honey Dripper; Alexander Moore, If I Lose You, Woman; Willie Nix, Try Me One More Time; Howlin' Wolf, Riding in the Moonlight; I Want Your Picture; Lightnin' Hopkins, Bad Luck and Trouble, Jake Head Boogie; Mumbles (Big Walter Horton), Black Gal. (74 min.)

Disc 2: Rosco Gordon, No More Doggin', New Orleans Wimmen; Just in From Texas; We're All Loaded; Lightnin' Hopkins, Last Affair; Another Fool in Town; Sunny Blair, Glad to Be Back Home; B. B. King, Shake It Up and Go; Woke Up This Morning; Please Love Me; Ike Turner, Trouble and Heartaches; Jay Franks, Stripped Gears; Bonnie and Ike Turner, My Heart Belongs to You; Houston Boines, Superintendent Blues; Jimmy Huff, She's My Baby, Don't You Know?; Eddie Kirkland, It's Time For Lovin' to Be Done; Jimmy Nelson, Sweetest Little Girl; Meet Me With Your Black Dress On; Cry Hard Luck; Gene Forrest, Aching and Crying; King Perry, Vaccinate Me, Baby; Welcome Home, Baby; Melvin Daniels, I'll Be There; Little Caesar, Chains of Love Have Disappeared; Frankie Irvin, False Love. (74 min.)

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Joe Bihari (1925-2013)

CD Review: Hadda Brooks, Queen of the Boogie and More

CD Review: Various Artists, Speak Easy: The RPM Records Story, Volume 2, 1954-57

CD Review: Hadda Brooks, Queen of the Boogie and More

Recommended

Hadda Brooks is an unsung heroine of the first decade of post-war rhythm and blues. She had two parallel careers, as a ballad singer and a boogie-woogie pianist. She recorded primarily for Modern Records, owned by the Bihari brothers, which, along with its affilates Flair, Meteor and RPM, produced some of the best West Coast R&B of the '40s and '50s. Ace Records in the U. K. has been gradually releasing the Biharis' catalog for two decades.

Hadda Hopgood was a classically trained pianist. Legend has it that Jules Bihari, then an independent record distributor, found her playing classical music in a Hollywood music shop. When he asked her if she could play boogie woogie, she said she would give it a try. The CD's notes (by Tony Rounce) hint at a romantic relationship between them, but in any case, Jules was sufficiently inspired by her to start his own record label. Modern 101, “Swingin' the Boogie” b/w “Bluesin' the Boogie,” was released in 1945 under the name “Hadda Brooks,” and sold well enough to be followed by many similar recordings. It was as a ballad singer, however, that she had her greatest success, particularly with her version of the pop tune “That's My Desire” in 1947.

Modern's first record album, Queen of the Boogie, issued in 1948, was also by Hadda Brooks. Young people may wonder why long playing vinyl records and CDs are sometimes called “albums.” This collection consisted of three 78 rpm records whose cardboard sleeves were sewn between stiff front and back covers, and which opened like a scrapbook or photo album. The name stuck, even when it was no longer appropriate. The original front cover is reproduced as the cover of this CD, and the six songs are its first six selections.

There are 24 songs on this CD. Ten were released around the time they were recorded, five are alternate takes of previously released sides, and nine are previously unreleased. Four of these nine were found unlabeled in the Modern files and were given generic titles by the Ace staff. All are piano instrumentals, and by my count, all but seven are boogie-woogies. The only time Hadda's voice is heard is when she chants for a few bars on “Bully Wully Boogie.” 

The ballad “Stardust,” is a piano solo. On most of the rest of the tunes, according to the notes, she was accompanied by Teddy Bunn on guitar, Red Callendar or Bill Davis on bass, and Al “Cake” Wichard on drums. Bunn, if present, is seldom audible except on “Moonglow,” where he takes the lead. There is one cut, “Schubert's Serenade in Boogie,” in which she is backed by a small R&B band and trades the lead with a tenor saxophonist, probably Maxwell Davis.

Because of her musical training, Hadda Brooks liked to play classical or semi-classical themes in boogie woogie tempo. She would usually begin by playing the tune as written, but after about 20 seconds, her left hand would get restless and she would begin the familiar boogie-woogie pattern. This became a bit of a cliché for her. There are eight of these classical themes on this CD.

Hadda Brooks is a more than adequate boogie-woogie pianist. While she lacked the strong left hand of some of the male pianists of the '30s and '40s, she more than makes up for this with the inventiveness of her syncopated melodies. The only problem with this CD, which accounts for my relatively weak rating, is its lack of variety.

Hadda Brooks was a great singer. (Here's an example that I posted several months ago.) My ideal Hadda Brooks CD would be more evenly divided between vocals and instrumentals. Such CDs are available—for example, Romance in the Dark on Ace, and Jump Back, Honey, which collects her OKeh recordings from 1952 and 1953. This CD is more for Hadda Brooks completists.

Tracks: Juke Box Boogie; Bully Wully Boogie; Sunset Limited; Boogie at the Bandbox; Night Life; Down Beat Boogie; Minuet in G Boogie; Hungara (Gypsy); Sleepy Time Gal; 743 Blues; 134 Blues; Schubert's Serenade in Boogie; Hadda's Honky Tonk Train; Humoresque Boogie; Melody in F Boogie; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in Boogie; Grieg's Concerto in A Minor; Star Dust; Strollin' and Rollin'; Rollin' and Strollin'; St. Louis Blues Boogie; Basin Street Blues; Moonglow; Polonaise Boogie. (67 min.)

Personnel: Hadda Brooks, piano; remainder unidentified, but probably Teddy Bunn, guitar; Red Callendar or Bill Davis, bass; and Al “Cake” Wichard, drums.

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Video of the Week #43 (Hadda Brooks)

Joe Bihari (1925-2013)

Video of the Week #85

These two soundies are by the Ink Spots, probably the most influential vocal group ever. They were obviously filmed at the same time, but I'm not sure of the date, or even the personnel. "If I Didn't Care" was recorded in 1939 and "The Gypsy" in 1946, so the date is somewhere between 1946 and as late as 1952. The lead singer is the great Bill Kenny. During the first verse of "If I Didn't Care," they stand, from left to right, Kenny, Billy Bowen, unknown and Charlie Fuqua. The unknown man is the bass. On the original record, the talking bass was sung by Orville "Hoppy" Jones, but he died in 1944. For most of the late '40s, the fourth member of the group was Kenny's brother Herb, but this is not him. Can anyone identify the mystery man?

Later in the '50s, Herb Kenny made some excellent records as lead singer of Herb Kenny and the Rockets. Charlie Fuqua was the uncle of Harvey Fuqua, one of the lead singers of the Moonglows.

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The Soundies #7 (The Delta Rhythm Boys)

The Soundies #15 (The Mills Brothers)

Video of the Week #49 (The Flamingos)

Video of the Week #84

This unusual half-hour appearance of the Art Pepper Quartet on Jazz Casual is from May 1964. It represents what host Ralph J. Gleason calls a "radical departure in style" for Pepper. Known primarily as a cool jazz player, at this point in his career he was very intense, very Coltrane-ish. The opening selection is "The Trip." Gleason's interview begins about 8:30 into the program. The second song, "D Section," starts at 13:20. The last tune, beginning at 26:10, is listed in the program notes as untitled. In addition to Pepper, the group consists of Frank Strazzeri, piano; Hersh Hamel, bass; and Bill Goodwin, drums.

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Video of the Week #23 (John Coltrane)

Video of the Week #41 (Gerry Mulligan)

Video of the Week #62 (Jimmy Giuffre)

John Coltrane's Birthday

Today is the 88th anniversary of the birth of John William Coltrane in Hamlet, NC. He died of liver cancer on July 17, 1967 at age 40, long before his work was finished. Resonance Records has chosen today to release a long-awaited two-CD recording, Offering: Live at Temple University. The concert was recorded on November 11, 1966, eight months before his death.

A 45-min interview with John Coltrane has recently been restored and made available. It was conducted by a fan, August Blume, in his home on June 15, 1958, prior to a performance of the Miles Davis Quintet in Washington, DC.  The first 20 min or so is about religion and philosophy. The remainder concerns musicians he admires, with special emphasis on Monk.

Sean O'Connell has written a blog entry (with links) entitled "Ten John Coltrane Tracks For People Who Don't Know Anything About John Coltrane." You may find it interesting even if you do know something about him. Here's a favorite track of mine that O'Connell missed. "Blue Train" is from 1957. The other musicians are Lee Morgan, trumpet; Curtis Fuller, trombone; Kenny Drew, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; and Philly Joe Jones, drums.

Today is a big day for the arrival of musicians. Ray Charles was born on September 23, 1930, four years after John Coltrane.

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CD Review:  John Coltrane Quartet, Afro-Blue Impressions

Video of the Week #23 (John Coltrane)

Video of the Week #38 (Miles Davis)

Henry Stone (1921-2014)

Rhythm and blues record producer and distributor Henry Stone died in Miami on August 7 at the age of 93. He was owner or part-owner of a couple of dozen independent record labels. He is best-known to R&B fans for discovering Otis Williams and the Charms, and to the rest of the world for some disco records he produced in the '70s.

He was born the Bronx as Henry David Epstein on June 3, 1921, and grew up in Manhattan.  After his father died, he was placed in an orphanage, where he took up the trumpet and later formed a jazz band. During World War II, he served in the U. S. Army Band. After the war, he changed his name and began producing records for Jewel, a Los Angeles jazz and blues label.

He moved to Miami and in 1949 started Stone Distributing, marketing rhythm and blues from independent labels to juke box operators. Shortly thereafter, he and songwriter Andy Razaf started Rockin' Records. In 1951, Stone recorded four sides by Ray Charles, two of which were released on Rockin', while the others were sold to the Sittin' in With label. Other artists who recorded for Rockin' included John Lee Hooker [as John Lee Booker], Joe Hill Louis [as Leslie Louis], Little Sammy Davis, Wilbert Harrison, and most importantly, the Charms.

Stone is said to have found Otis Williams singing on a street corner in Cincinnati when he was 16. He is no relation to the Otis Williams who was a member of the Temptations. The other members of the Charms were Rolland Bradley, Richard Parker, Donald Peak and Joe Penn. Stone signed them with Rockin' and their first record, "Heaven Only Knows" b/w "Loving Baby" was released in January 1953. When Stone asked Syd Nathan of King Records for help with distribution, Nathan offered him a partnership in his then-dormant DeLuxe affiliate. "Heaven Only Knows" was re-released as DeLuxe 6000 in October, and Stone produced about 90 records for DeLuxe until he and Nathan fell out in late 1955. Most of them featured vocal groups such as the Crystals, the Five Jets, the Quails, and the Thunderbirds.

When Stone split, Otis Williams stayed with DeLuxe and a new Charms group was assembled. The other groups members remained with Stone while he started a new label, Chart Records. As a rule of thumb, Stone's productions for Rockin', DeLuxe and Chart are labeled "the Charms," while the post-Stone records are credited to "Otis Williams and His New Group," "Otis Williams and His Charms" or just Otis Williams. The Charms, one of the greatest '50s vocal groups, made the R&B charts seven times, and Otis Williams and his group continued to record for King until 1962. Their biggest hit, "Hearts of Stone" was #1 on the R&B charts for nine weeks in late 1954. It is one of the few R&B cover records that is better than the original by the Jewels.

As a personal note, "Hearts of Stone" is one of the first three records I ever bought. The others were "Earth Angel" by the Penguins and "Sincerely" by the Moonglows. The sides Otis Williams and the Charms recorded for Stone can be found on the Ace CD The Original Rockin' and Chart Masters, an essential CD for vocal group fans. Stone continued to record groups such as the Champions and the Evergreens, and Miami's Rockin' Doowop From the Chart Label, also on Ace, is highly recommended. Roy Gaines, Lightnin' Hopkins and Jimmy Wilson also recorded for Chart.

Henry Stone continued making records and compulsively starting new labels. A favorite of blues collectors is "A Fool No More" by Eddie Hope and the Mannish Boys on the Marlin label from 1956.

In 1960, Stone had an opportunity to pull Syd Nathan's chain. He recorded "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes," an instrumental by the James Brown band. Brown was under contract to King Records, so it was credited to Nat Kendrick and the Swans. Kendrick was Brown's drummer. It reached #8 on the R&B charts.

Disco!!! Henry Stone had his greatest success in the '70s with TK Records and its affiliate labels, Alston, Glades and Cat, which he ran with former pop singer Steve Alaimo. They called it "the Miami Sound" and it featured artists such as KC and the Sunshine Band, who charted 15 times and went to #1 three times, George McCrae, Gwen McCrae (his wife), Latimore, Timmy Thomas, and Betty Wright. The Miami sound guaranteed Henry Stone a comfortable retirement. The link below is for completeness. Click it at your own risk.

Henry Stone also recorded "Another One Rides the Bus" by Weird Al Yankovic. A documentary about Stone's life, Rock Your Baby, is said to be in production.

I'm grateful to the British magazine Blues and Rhythm for keeping me up to date on the deaths of musicians not considered important enough for my local newspaper.

Adolph (Al) Jacobs, guitarist with the Coasters on many of their greatest hits, died of cancer on July 23 at the age of 75. The Coasters at that time were Carl Gardner, Billy Guy, Leon Hughes and Bobby Nunn. Jacobs was included in many of their group photos, but was not on screen during their television appearances. With the exception of Lowman Pauling of the Five Royales, the accompanists of R&B vocal groups were not great guitarists. Evidence of Jacobs' solid support can be found on "Young Blood."

After leaving the Coasters, Jacobs worked as a session musician. In the '70s, the Adolph Jacobs Trio performed regularly at the Sportsman's Nightclub in Los Angeles. He also accompanied various Coasters revival groups.

Conrad (Cliff) Dunn, described as the "baritone lead" of the Philadelphia group the Dreamlovers, died on June 22. The lead singer of their biggest hit, "When We Get Married" (1961), was Morris Gardner. The other group members were Ray Dunn (Cliff's brother), Cleve Hammock and Tommy Ricks. I'm unable to identify any Dreamlovers sides on which Dunn sang lead. They all sound like Gardner to me.

The Dreamlovers also served as uncredited backup singers for Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp, the Dovells and others on the Cameo and Parkway labels.

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Lynwood Slim (1953-2014)

Blues singer and harmonica player Lynwood Slim, whose real name was Richard Duran, died in Los Angeles on August 4. In 2011, he contracted hepatitis C, which led to cirrhosis of the liver. He was told he would need a liver transplant, but never received it.  He died following a stroke at age 60.

Richard Dennis Duran was born in Los Angeles on August 19, 1953. As a child, he played the trumpet. He took up the harmonica at age 15 and played in and around his home town. In 1974, he moved to Minneapolis, where his blues band was named best in the area in 1986. Following a brief stay in Amsterdam, he moved back to L. A. in 1988. He frequently teamed with guitarist Junior Watson and various alumni of the Hollywood Fats Band. Somewhere along the way, he learned to play jazz flute, an unusual blues instrument, but one that is compatible with his laid-back singing style.

Slim was leader or co-leader on eight CDs released between 1996 and 2010. He is best known for his last two, both on the Delta Groove label: Last Call (2006), and Brazilian Kicks (2010), with Brazilian guitarist Igor Prado and his Band. In this video, Junior Watson is the first guitar soloist, followed by Igor Prado.

Video of the Week #83

This week, a soul classic. Sam and Dave sing their signature hit, "Hold On, I'm Comin'," filmed during a Stax/Volt Revue European tour, in Oslo in April, 1967. Dave Prater, on the left, died in an auto accident in 1988. Sam Moore is still performing. They are backed by Booker T. and the M.G.'s, left to right: Al Jackson, Jr., drums; Donald "Duck" Dunn, bass; Steve Cropper, guitar; and Booker T. Jones, organ. The horn players are members of the Mar-Keys.

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Bobby Womack (1944-2014)

Video of the Week #59 (Otis Redding)

A Racist Who Loved the Blues

Joe Sample (1939-2014)

A second member of the Jazz Crusaders—later, simply the Crusaders—has passed away in less than a year. Pianist and keyboard wizard Joe Sample died on Friday, September 12 in Houston at age 75. The cause of death was mesothelioma. Trombonist Wayne Henderson died in April at the age of 74.

Joseph Leslie Sample was born in Houston on February 1, 1939, the fourth child in a family of five. He began playing piano at the age of 5. In addition to Sample and Henderson, the other permanent members of the Jazz Crusaders were Wilton Felder on tenor saxophone and Nesbert “Stix” Hooper on drums. Various people occupied the bass chair over the years. The group began in Phyllis Wheatley Junior High School in Houston, with Sample, Felder and Hooper playing as the Swingsters. When Joe Sample went to Texas Southern University to study piano, he met Henderson and added him to the group.

In 1960, the group members moved to Los Angeles and took the name the Jazz Crusaders as a tribute to the leading hard bop group of the day, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. From the beginning, they incorporated Gulf Coast rhythm and blues influences into their sound. Their first album for Pacific Jazz was Freedom Sound (1961). Joe Sample wrote the rousing title song. For a video of the Jazz Crusaders playing “Freedom Sound” on television in the early '60s, please go to my Wayne Henderson obituary.

All four of the original members shared songwriting duties. Here's another Sample composition, “New Time Shuffle,” from their eighth album, The Thing (1965).  

The Jazz Crusaders recorded 16 albums for Pacific Jazz between 1961 and 1969. As time passed, they simplified their sound, began to cover pop tunes, and released abbreviated single versions of some of their songs. Joe Sample had been experimenting with an electric piano for some time, but in 1970, he switched permanently, electric guitarist Larry Carlton joined the group, and the Jazz Crusaders morphed into the jazz-funk fusion group, the Crusaders. This brought them their greatest commercial success, including five songs that made the R&B charts between 1972 and 1984. One of their songs, “Street Life,” written by Sample and Will Jennings and sung by Randy Crawford, reached #36 on the pop charts in 1979.

Joe Sample released his first album under his own name, Fancy Dance, in 1969. The Crusaders finally broke up in 1987, although there were occasional reunions. In fact, he had been building a solo career for some time. Like many of his contemporaries, he stayed busy moonlighting as a session musician, working with folks like Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, Tina Turner and Steely Dan. He has released about 20 albums on labels such as Blue Thumb, MCA, Warner Brothers and Verve. Many of them fall into the smooth jazz category, with Sample accompanying his piano with a synthesizer. His 1997 CD Sample This, produced by George Duke, is a sampler featuring re-recordings of many of his more popular songs with the Crusaders and beyond.

A popular feature of Joe Sample's live performances was his celebration of the work of past jazz pianists such as Scott Joplin, Fats Waller and Duke Ellington. Some of these can be found on his 2008 CD, Soul Shadows. This is Jelly Roll Morton's “Shreveport Stomps.”

His final CD, Children of the Sun, is due out this fall. Here are the Crusaders featuring Joe Sample and Wilton Felder doing “I Felt the Love” at the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2008.

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Video of the Week #82

Last week's death of Gerald Wilson reminded me of another great, underappreciated big band from the 1960s, the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. This is a 30 min episode of Ralph J. Gleason's Jazz Casual from 1968. Jones conducts and plays fluegelhorn; Lewis is the drummer. Several soloists are identified during the program. Here's the play list and starting places on the video:

          Just Blues                                               0:00
          St. Louis Blues                                        5:25
          Interview with Ralph J. Gleason               17:50
          Kids Are Pretty People                            22:00
          Do Not Get Sassy (partial)                       27.40

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Gerald Wilson (1918-2014)

Gerald Wilson (1918-2014)

Even if you were chronologically decades or maybe generations younger than Gerald, you always felt that he was the youngest person in the room. He had none of that feeling that you were hanging out with a guy from the 1930s or 1940s.

                                                                      Loren Schonberg, National Jazz Museum

The versatile jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer and arranger Gerald Wilson died on September 8 in Los Angeles at the age of 96, after a brief bout with pneumonia. His career spanned eight decades; he was active well into his nineties. He was known for his complex, multi-textured but swinging arrangements, and for his active style of conducting. With his flowing mane of white hair, his flamboyant gestures served to cue the audience to what to listen for.

Gerald Stanley Wilson was born in Shelby, Mississippi on September 4, 1914. He learned piano from his mother, a music teacher in the public schools. After a brief stay in Memphis, he moved to Detroit when he was 16, where he graduated from Cass Technical High School. After playing briefly with local bands, he was hired by Jimmie Lunceford to replace trumpeter Sy Oliver. It was there he learned composing and arranging. One of his songs was the 1941 Lunceford standard, “Yard Dog Mazurka.” The song was later stolen by Stan Kenton and recorded under the title “Intermission Riff.”

Wilson served in the Navy during World War II. He first formed his own big band in 1944. Featuring such musicians as trumpeter Snooky Young and trombonist Melba Liston, the band combined swing arrangements with bebop solos. He recorded many single records between 1945 and 1954, but they are hard to find. Here he is doing a version of “One O'Clock Jump” for the Black & White label in 1946.

At a time when big band bookings were hard to come by, he broke up and reformed the group several times. During hiatuses, he played with Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie and accompanied Billie Holiday on tour of the South in 1949. After he finally disbanded the group, he studied classical music. Beginning in the '50s, he relocated to Los Angeles and did free lance arranging and studio work for both jazz and pop artists. He wrote arrangements for Basie, Gillespie, Benny Carter, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Ray Charles, B. B. King and Nancy Wilson, among others. He composed and conducted TV and movie scores.

Gerald Wilson is best known for ten highly acclaimed albums he recorded for Pacific Jazz in the 1960s, beginning with You Better Believe It! in 1961. Here he is on TV's Frankly Jazz performing the second-best-known version of Miles Davis's “Milestones.” (The soloists are identified after the performance. The intro and outro is "Blues for Yna Yna.")

Many of Wilson's compositions had Spanish or Mexican themes. His wife, Josafina Villasenor, is Mexican, and he was a bullfighting afficianado. “Viva Turado," featuring guitarist Joe Pass, was named for a Mexican bullfighter. In a different vein, one of my favorites, "Lighthouse Blues," features Roy Ayers on vibes.

Toward the end of his time with Pacific Jazz, he began recording pop hits in the hope of attracting a younger audience to jazz. 1969's California Soul charted the highest of any of his albums, but to most jazz fans, the quality had declined. All his Pacific Jazz recordings are collected on an out-of-print Mosaic box set released in 2000 which is well worth seeking out.

During the ensuing decades, Wilson remained active, recording occasional albums for the Trend and Discovery labels. He taught jazz composition at Cal State and UCLA. He composed for and conducted the LA Philharmonic in 1972. He hosted a jazz radio show on KBCA in Los Angeles from 1969 to 1976. 

He had a comeback of sorts with the critically-acclaimed CD State Street Sweet on the MAMA label in 1995. Beginning in 2003 with New York, New Sound, he recorded five CDs for Mack Avenue. The most recent was Legacy in 2011. Here he is, in the studio, recording "Before Motown" from the 2009 CD Detroit.

Gerald Wilson was nominated for six Grammy Awards but never won. He was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1990. Wilson's son is jazz guitarist Anthony Wilson and one of his daughters is married to Johnny Otis's son, guitarist Shuggie Otis.

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