Booker Little

[Chas]

A couple of questions :

On Slide Hampton's Horn of Plenty , outside of the three standard tunes Hampton gets all the composing credit , yet on two tracks , Newport and Patricia I detect Booker Little's sonic fingerprints , to the point that I wonder if he shouldn't have been given composer credits .

Listen to the characteristic melancholic , wistful harmonies and use of dissonance that opens and closes Newport .

In Patricia I hear the characteristic Little harmonies and the sudden changes of mood through metrical modulation typical of Little's writing .

I am familiar enough with Hampton's writing for octets not including Booker Little , that these two tracks seem uncharacteristic at best . However , perhaps there is some Hampton that I haven't heard that would make me less dubious . Does anyone else feel the same way about this ?

I have the album on Fresh Sound CD # 206 ( 1994 ) and see that it has been re-reissued on Fresh Sound CD # 349 with the Two Sides of Slide cover ( both CDs have both records ) . Has it been remastered ?

For what it's worth , although I love the music of Porgy and Bess , the Two Sides of Slide session is one I almost never listen to .

Here is the original cover of Slide Hampton's Horn of Plenty on Strand :

Although I doubt many have heard of let alone heard vocalist Pat Thomas' Strand record , can anyone here confirm that Booker Little is heard on this record ? The record doesn't appear in Alan Saul's Little discography , but Kenny Washington says Booker's participation is unmistakable .

Here is the cover of this rare record :

[JSngry]

Hampton did a chart on "Newport" for Maynard's band. Don't know if the Strand album came before or after that. But it's pretty much in keeping with the rest of his writing for that band. Slide Hampton was a prolific writer in Maynard's band, and his charts are not without harmonic/textural interest. Maybe Little's writing was influenced by Hampton's?

[brownie]

I have this Strand Slide Hampton LP.

It comes with very detailed backliner notes written by Mort Goode (with obvious consultations with Slide Hampton) which details Hampton's contributions to the album. No indication that Booker Little helped with the writing on those.

Also and to quote from Goode 'PATRICIA is the middle name of Slide's wife. He paints colour and sound using open and block voicings'.

And to answer Jim's post, the liner notes mention the Slide Hampton band and the Strand album came after Slide's departure from the Maynard Ferguson orchestra.

[JSngry]

Thanks. brownie!

I've got the Strand LP also, but about half the front & back cover are peeled off. But it was a quarter in a thrift store, so...

[Chas]

Hampton did a chart on "Newport" for Maynard's band. Don't know if the Strand album came before or after that.

According to Fitzgerald's Hampton discography , Ferguson recorded Newport on March 15 1960 for his Newport Suite Roulette LP ( with Hampton credited as arranger ) . According to Saul , the Newport on the Strand LP was recorded sometime in October of 1959 ( "Late 1959" sayeth Fitzgerald ) .

And to answer Jim's post, the liner notes mention the Slide Hampton band and the Strand album came after Slide's departure from the Maynard Ferguson orchestra.

The Strand LP was done after his departure as a player , but he was still doing arrangements for Ferguson after the Strand recording if the October 1959 date is correct .

I don't have the Ferguson LP , but it might be interesting to compare the Strand Newport

with the one heard on the Roulette -- not that that would definitively settle its provenance .

As I said , Newport and Patricia seem a better fit stylistically with Little's subsequent output , but it may well be the case that after hearing more Hampton I will come to see that Little's writing was in fact shaped by Hampton's .

[ladenso1]

[snipping part about Slide Hampton LP]

Although I doubt many have heard of let alone heard vocalist Pat Thomas' Strand record , can anyone here confirm that Booker Little is heard on this record ? The record doesn't appear in Alan Saul's Little discography , but Kenny Washington says Booker's participation is unmistakable .

Here is the cover of this rare record :

I registered for this forum specifically to send an e-mail query to Chas asking if he or K Washington had any other info about the players on this LP, which I own. He replied that he's not in touch with Kenny.

But when I got out my copy I discovered some almost 8 year-old e-mail correspondence. On the jazz-lovers e-mail list, the very Alan Saul Chas mentions had forwarded a post he'd received from a Japanese critic saying that Kenny Washington had told him about this LP and suggested that the players included Booker, Curtis Fuller, Tommy Flanagan, and Charlie Persip.

That February '99 post to the jazz-lovers list had motivated me to get out the record and (I had totally forgotten about this) take some notes on what I heard.

First of all, K Washington is almost undoubtedly correct about the presence of Curtis. His opening strains on the album's first track, "It Could Happen to You," evoke "Arabia."

Secondly, the trumpet appears on only one of the album's tracks (along with Curtis's second appearance on the record), "Sometimes I'm Happy." I'm afraid I haven't listened to enough Booker to make a strong judgment as to whether it's he on that track.

The trumpet player's opening and closing obligato make me think of some other track somewhere but I'm afraid I can't put my finger, err ear, on it. I thought it was an obscure Donald Byrd track but I've just listened to that and Byrd does not engage in those kind of opening and closing obligatos on that particular track. Maybe I _am_ thinking of some track by Booker.

The liner notes to that album are very frustrating: "Look at the run-down of the material. The soloists are listed with each tune." In actual fact, of course, not one player is named. But I'm very confident it's Curtis on those two tracks.

[ladenso1]

[snipping part about Slide Hampton LP]

Although I doubt many have heard of let alone heard vocalist Pat Thomas' Strand record , can anyone here confirm that Booker Little is heard on this record ? The record doesn't appear in Alan Saul's Little discography , but Kenny Washington says Booker's participation is unmistakable .

Here is the cover of this rare record :

[snipping much of my reply to Chas

Secondly, the trumpet appears on only one of the album's tracks (along with Curtis's second appearance on the record), "Sometimes I'm Happy." I'm afraid I haven't listened to enough Booker to make a strong judgment as to whether it's he on that track.

The trumpet player's opening and closing obligato make me think of some other track somewhere but I'm afraid I can't put my finger, err ear, on it. I thought it was an obscure Donald Byrd track but I've just listened to that and Byrd does not engage in those kind of opening and closing obligatos on that particular track. Maybe I _am_ thinking of some track by Booker.

Chas sent me a personal reply asking if I could put up an mp3 of "Sometimes I'm Happy." So I've given it a try. I have to tell you that process is still something of a mystery to me--especially creating m3u's which I didn't bother with in this case.

I'm also dealing with much less than state-of-the-art equipment and for reasons that are beyond my abilities to understand, the trumpet player sounds much more undermiked in the mp3 than he does on the LP (although there's a slight effect even there). So when the trumpet solo ends and the vocal begins you'll probably have to turn down the volume. Sorry 'bout that.

Anyway, the mp3 I created is at

http://www.msu.edu/~ladenso1/Booker.html

(Click the hypertext, of course, on that page). Let me know if it doesn't work for you. And if it does, do you think it's Booker?

[Larry Kart]

Sure could be Little, but at odd moments I was reminded of Ray Copeland.

[Chas]

The mute makes identification a little more difficult , but the phrasing on the bridge does sound like Booker Little . Singer has a touch of Nina about her .

I very much appreciate your posts in this thread Mark

[flat5]

I'll vote for Booker & Curtis.

Singer is very musical.

I give it a 7. You can dance to it :-)

[ejp626]

I don't know anything about this LP, but I have heard of Pat Thomas before. My father-in-law kept asking me to track down her version of Desafinado, which was a minor hit in the early 1960s. So I managed to find it on some compilation CD. It's a nice version. Too bad she never got much of a break.

[umum_cypher]

Tbn is without a doubt Curtis - same staccato 12/8 swing feel, several of his favourite licks.

Tpt makes more mistakes than Booker usually did (i.e. some), and the doubletime bit doesn't start very Bookerishly, but that chorus has got his fingerprints all over it: his articulation, line architecture, wholetone substitutions ... 95% sure.

Following a second listen, 99.4% sure. He just doesn't sound like anyone else - vice versa, really.

[bertrand]

'Bookerishly'? I wonder if I can use that in Scrabble without being challenged.

Bertrand.

[Stefan Wood]

I have three Pat Thomas lps, the Strand and two MGM lps. Desafinado is the most fun of the three, with its infectious bossa nova grooves, but I do like the Strand one as well. The Moody date (the other MGM lp) is decent vocal jazz. I had no idea who the personnel were on the Strand!

[ladenso1]

I have three Pat Thomas lps, the Strand and two MGM lps. Desafinado is the most fun of the three, with its infectious bossa nova grooves, but I do like the Strand one as well. The Moody date (the other MGM lp) is decent vocal jazz. I had no idea who the personnel were on the Strand!

Well, this post piqued my interest. I think the reason I knew about Pat Thomas and was motivated to participate in an auction maybe 15-20 years ago to get the Strand LP was that I had a memory, c. 1965, of Daddy-o playing her version of "I'm in the Mood for Love," though at this point I can't remember if she sang it straight or if she used the Eddie Jefferson lyric.

And the above post also led me to look in Google for material on the two MGM LPs. At a Lalo Schifrin discography I was very interested to see that _Desafinado_ includes "I Wish You Love" because when I got the Strand LP, Thomas's voice reminded me of Gloria Lynn's hit (c. 1965) on that number. It still does, but I don't disagree with Chas when he mentions a touch of Nina.

[david weiss]

Tbn is without a doubt Curtis - same staccato 12/8 swing feel, several of his favourite licks.

Tpt makes more mistakes than Booker usually did (i.e. some), and the doubletime bit doesn't start very Bookerishly, but that chorus has got his fingerprints all over it: his articulation, line architecture, wholetone substitutions ... 95% sure.

Following a second listen, 99.4% sure. He just doesn't sound like anyone else - vice versa, really.

This assessment is pretty much dead on. I'd say I'm about 95% sure it's Booker and now is the only record that Booker is on that I don't own.

[Chas]

I have three Pat Thomas lps, the Strand and two MGM lps. Desafinado is the most fun of the three, with its infectious bossa nova grooves, but I do like the Strand one as well. The Moody date (the other MGM lp) is decent vocal jazz. I had no idea who the personnel were on the Strand!

And the above post also led me to look in Google for material on the two MGM LPs. At a Lalo Schifrin discography I was very interested to see that _Desafinado_ includes "I Wish You Love" because when I got the Strand LP, Thomas's voice reminded me of Gloria Lynn's hit (c. 1965) on that number. It still does, but I don't disagree with Chas when he mentions a touch of Nina.

Of the two MGM dates , this one is currently available on Japanese CD :

It has been available through Dusty Groove .

Thomas' Strand date has also seen reissue on Japanese CD and is currently available from Fresh Sound . Lord gives the recording date for Thomas' Strand date as '59-60' . However it was not until June 7th , 1962 that it got reviewed in Downbeat . In giving the album four stars John A. Tynan had this to say ,

" Miss Thomas is a 21 year-old Chicagoan who makes her singing debut with this winning set of good songs well sung . She is as much a " jazz singer " as are many of her contemporaries who lay claim to the classification without nearly so much to offer as Miss Thomas . Her voice is warm and true with the perhaps inevitable overlay of Sarah Vaughan influence . Although Mort Goode writes in the liner notes that her favorite female singer is Ella Fitzgerald , any vocal similarity thereto is not in evidence here . But Miss Thomas has style and imagination , and that adds up to much promise for a career as a singer . It is too bad that the sidemen are unidentified , for their performances on the various tracks are uniformly good . The different instruments are featured in the variety of songs offered--there is good trombone on Sometimes I'm Happy and It Could Happen , better-than-average piano on Mean to Me , a swinging vibes solo on Being in Love , some excellent guitar on Another You and Only Love , and some commendable flute solo work on Blue Room . Miss Thomas' weaknesses are evident in two songs , the very brief Stella--one chorus with vibes background--and the customary racing-tempoed Strike Up the Band . On the former , she takes off into exaggerated jazz phrasing , and one is left with the feeling that she should have taken the song at its own superbly melodic face value ; as for Strike , the impresssion persists that the tempo proved too awkward for the singer , and she seems glad to get it over with . "

[ladenso1]

I have three Pat Thomas lps, the Strand and two MGM lps. Desafinado is the most fun of the three, with its infectious bossa nova grooves, but I do like the Strand one as well. The Moody date (the other MGM lp) is decent vocal jazz. I had no idea who the personnel were on the Strand!

And the above post also led me to look in Google for material on the two MGM LPs. At a Lalo Schifrin discography I was very interested to see that _Desafinado_ includes "I Wish You Love" because when I got the Strand LP, Thomas's voice reminded me of Gloria Lynn's hit (c. 1965) on that number. It still does, but I don't disagree with Chas when he mentions a touch of Nina.

Of the two MGM dates , this one is currently available on Japanese CD :

It has been available through Dusty Groove .

Thomas' Strand date has also seen reissue on Japanese CD and is currently available from Fresh Sound . Lord gives the recording date for Thomas' Strand date as '59-60' . However it was not until June 7th , 1962 that it got reviewed in Downbeat . In giving the album four stars John A. Tynan had this to say ,

" Miss Thomas is a 21 year-old Chicagoan who makes her singing debut with this winning set of good songs well sung . She is as much a " jazz singer " as are many of her contemporaries who lay claim to the classification without nearly so much to offer as Miss Thomas . Her voice is warm and true with the perhaps inevitable overlay of Sarah Vaughan influence . Although Mort Goode writes in the liner notes that her favorite female singer is Ella Fitzgerald , any vocal similarity thereto is not in evidence here . But Miss Thomas has style and imagination , and that adds up to much promise for a career as a singer . It is too bad that the sidemen are unidentified , for their performances on the various tracks are uniformly good . The different instruments are featured in the variety of songs offered--there is good trombone on Sometimes I'm Happy and It Could Happen , better-than-average piano on Mean to Me , a swinging vibes solo on Being in Love , some excellent guitar on Another You and Only Love , and some commendable flute solo work on Blue Room . Miss Thomas' weaknesses are evident in two songs , the very brief Stella--one chorus with vibes background--and the customary racing-tempoed Strike Up the Band . On the former , she takes off into exaggerated jazz phrasing , and one is left with the feeling that she should have taken the song at its own superbly melodic face value ; as for Strike , the impresssion persists that the tempo proved too awkward for the singer , and she seems glad to get it over with . "

Chas,

I had left for Florida when you posted this and I'm just seeing it. Thanks very much. I'll print it and put it with my copy of the LP.