Lesser-Known Leaders with Well-Known Sidemen

[Joe]

Man, I'm seeing several records I've pulled from for BFTs here! Love that Jay Oliver record, BTW.

[felser]

On 5/28/2020 at 3:20 PM, clifford_thornton said:

Ed Kelly isn't too well-known, but was a Bay Area fixture for many years. Pharoah is the "Friend," obviously. 

I believe Kelly played on some of Pharoah's Theresa albums.  Not in position to confirm right now.

[optatio]

Mariette Bodier: Going Places. Madiva MD1001 [1983]

[Larry Kart]

Larry Sonn. Trumpeter led several big band albums for Coral in the late-'50s with Phil Woods and the rest of the usual NYC suspects of the time. Haven't heard them for decades but recall that they were tasty of their sort. Pretty sure Fresh Sound has put them out again.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

18 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

Alejandro Espinosa Quartet - Like Someone In Love - Sony (Chile)

With Ralph Lalama (tenor), Renee Rosnes (piano), Ramon Romero (bass), Alejandro Espinosa (drums)

This was recorded in the country of Chile. A good friend who lives in Santiago, and is the leading jazz expert in Chile sent me a copy of this CD  20 years ago. 

I have been unable to find a copy of the CD cover online. 

I looked for that CD for a long time and never found a copy of it anywhere.

This is the only cover picture I've ever seen. It's tiny so I don't even know if it's the actual cover:

[Dan Gould]

Can't believe I didn't think of this guy: Ted Harris (saxophones, clarinet, arranger). Jim S. posted about him under the mistaken assumption he was Barry Harris' not-so-famous brother.  But he did make some records with some pretty great sidemen. His first record is pictured below. 

Presents 5 Giants of Jazz  brought in Tommy Flanagan, Richard Williams, Vernell Fournier and Charles Williams.

His last had Al Hibbler and Virgil Jones.

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2020 by Dan Gould

[sonnymax]

40 minutes ago, bresna said:

I looked for that CD for a long time and never found a copy of it anywhere.

This is the only cover picture I've ever seen. It's tiny so I don't even know if it's the actual cover:

His last name is spelled with a "z", not an "s".

[Larry Kart]

On 5/26/2020 at 6:15 AM, Marzz said:

 

Jimmy Woods - Conflict w. Carmell Jones, Harold Land, Andrew Hill, George Tucker, Elvin Jones.

 

Perhaps, Eric Kloss - "In The Land of the Giants" with Booker Ervin, Jaki Byard, Richard Davis, Alan Dawson.

or "Consciousness" w. Pat Martino, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack De Johnette

 

No  -both Woods and Kloss were for-real players.

On 5/27/2020 at 6:38 AM, Dan Gould said:

Ben Webster and the Frans Wieringa Trio should almost get honorable mention in this thread, since supposedly Wieringa got the date because he raised the dough to hire Ben. He might not have been the greatest pianist but at least he had the good sense to put Ben's name at the top on a record that only got made because he wanted to record.

Until proven otherwise -- for the win!

And from several point of view.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

53 minutes ago, sonnymax said:

His last name is spelled with a "z", not an "s".

Good find! But it looks like even he spelled it both ways:

[Dan Gould]

1 hour ago, Larry Kart said:

Until proven otherwise -- for the win!

And from several point of view.

The suggestion that the Ben Webster "fits" or the Hammond Cheese?

[Larry Kart]

1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

The suggestion that the Ben Webster "fits" or the Hammond Cheese?

the latter

[Peter Friedman]

4 hours ago, bresna said:

I looked for that CD for a long time and never found a copy of it anywhere.

This is the only cover picture I've ever seen. It's tiny so I don't even know if it's the actual cover:

Yes, that is the actual cover. How did you find it?

[Dan Gould]

18 minutes ago, Larry Kart said:

the latter

Oh. I think the Ted Harris is the best because the entire band is either legendary or quite well known.

[Niko]

3 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

the latter

the thing about the Feuer album is that his thick, over the top and completely unneccessary organ playing completely ruins what could otherwise be a splendid album... the giant cheese on the cover is a good analogy... I also like how he assembled this group of legendary jazz players and then found someone who was really namend "Billy Wiggins" for the drum chair - so that everybody would think it's a typo

Edited May 30, 2020 by Niko

[Peter Friedman]

[Dan Gould]

2 hours ago, Niko said:

the thing about the Feuer album is that his thick, over the top and completely unneccessary organ playing completely ruins what could otherwise be a splendid album... the giant cheese on the cover is a good analogy... I also like how he assembled this group of legendary jazz players and then found someone who was really namend "Billy Wiggins" for the drum chair - so that everybody would think it's a typo

We know its not Smilin' Billy?

[Niko]

no, we don't - there is a jazz drummer named Billy Wiggins, but his short list of credits starts a bit later while Billy Higgins in California in 1959 or so does make sense - so maybe it is Smilin Billy after all...

 

Edited May 31, 2020 by Niko

[Peter Friedman]

Bjorn Johansen Quartet with Cedar Walton, David Williams, Billy Higgins

[JSngry]

6 hours ago, Niko said:

no, we don't - there is a jazz drummer named Billy Wiggins, but his short list of credits starts a bit later while Billy Higgins in California in 1959 or so does make sense - so maybe it is Smilin Billy after all...

 

 

http://www.musiciansofthenashvillesymphony.org/2015/04/musician-profile-bill-wiggins-timpani-joined-in-1968-from-nashville-tennessee/

but it seems that Hammond Cheese had a different title at one time, and it says Wiggins there, too.

Still, even if it is some drummer named Wiggins, it's not that Billy Wiggins.

But...did Gerald Wiggins have any family that played drums?

[Peter Friedman]

Ray Alexander Sextet with Kenny Barron, Warren Vache, Oliver Jackson, Harvie Swartz, Bob Kindred

[Justin V]

On 5/27/2020 at 7:24 AM, Д.Д. said:

Owen Howard (drums) "Sojourn" (KOCH Jazz 1995, recorded in 1993) with Chris Potter, Larry Grenadier, Phil Grenadier, and Brad Shepik: https://www.discogs.com/Owen-Howard-Sojourn/release/4367486 

This one is actually really good.

To be fair, I don't know how much of a profile the sidemen had in 1993, but by now all of them (expect for Phil Grenadier, I guess) are definitely more well-known than Owen Howard.  

Owen Howard's More Lore: Drum Lore, Vol. 2 is a good one as well.  I picked it up to hear more of Adam Kolker (the band also includes John O'Gallagher, Frank Carlberg and Johannes Weidenmueller).  

1 hour ago, Peter Friedman said:

Ray Alexander Sextet with Kenny Barron, Warren Vache, Oliver Jackson, Harvie Swartz, Bob Kindred

Bob Kindred is probably known a little better than Ray Alexander, but he was a helluva saxophonist who flies under the radar.  Gorgeous tone on multiple reed instruments with a patient, mature approach.  Like Houston Person, I'd imagine that he probably knew the lyrics to the standards he played.  He did record a number of albums, fortunately.

I recommend the two Kindred albums I have, both of which have sidemen who are more well-known:

Blue Moon, with John di Martino (who has recorded with Person as well, incidentally), George Mraz and Ben Riley.

Hidden Treasures, with Clark Terry, Grady Tate, Bill Charlap, Bill Mays, Richard Stoltzman, Todd Coolman, Tim Horner, Sean Smith and Fred Sherry.  It can be found for a bargain price.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Justin V

[Peter Friedman]

52 minutes ago, Justin V said:

Owen Howard's More Lore: Drum Lore, Vol. 2 is a good one as well.  I picked it up to hear more of Adam Kolker (the band also includes John O'Gallagher, Frank Carlberg and Johannes Weidenmueller).  

Bob Kindred is probably known a little better than Ray Alexander, but he was a helluva saxophonist who flies under the radar.  Gorgeous tone on multiple reed instruments with a patient, mature approach.  Like Houston Person, I'd imagine that he probably knew the lyrics to the standards he played.  He did record a number of albums, fortunately.

I recommend the two Kindred albums I have, both of which have sidemen who are more well-known:

Blue Moon, with John di Martino (who has recorded with Person as well, incidentally), George Mraz and Ben Riley.

Hidden Treasures, with Clark Terry, Grady Tate, Bill Charlap, Bill Mays, Richard Stoltzman, Todd Coolman, Tim Horner, Sean Smith and Fred Sherry.  It can be found for a bargain price.

I have those Bob Kindred CDs and do enjoy them. It was about 15 years ago that I saw Bob Kindred play at a Jazz Party. I was not familiar with him, and was  surprised by his wonderful tenor saxophone playing. His playing was very much in the style of Zoot Sims and Al Cohn. I wondered why he had recorded so little as his playing was at a very high level ? 

[Marzz]

On 5/30/2020 at 4:52 AM, Larry Kart said:

No  -both Woods and Kloss were for-real players.

Sure. But didn't the OP ask for "where the sidemen are bigger names than the leader"?

Edited May 31, 2020 by Marzz

[Larry Kart]

2 hours ago, Marzz said:

Sure. But didn't the OP ask for "where the sidemen are bigger names than the leader"?

I thought the point was that the leader was a guy you'd barely or never heard of and where the gap in quality between the leader and his sidemen was vast. Neither element was in play with Woods and Kloss.

3 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

I have those Bob Kindred CDs and do enjoy them. It was about 15 years ago that I saw Bob Kindred play at a Jazz Party. I was not familiar with him, and was  surprised by his wonderful tenor saxophone playing. His playing was very much in the style of Zoot Sims and Al Cohn. I wondered why he had recorded so little as his playing was at a very high level ? 

Fine player.

[Peter Friedman]

Peter Sommer Quintet - With Rich Perry, Richard Gunnison, Ken Walker & Todd Reid