Studio Only Groups

[Teasing the Korean]

The Latin Jazz All-Stars, with Buddy Collette and Tommy Tedesco, who recorded the Crown masterpiece Jazz Heat, Bongo Beat, arguably the greatest album ever made.

Edited April 15, 2022 by Teasing the Korean

[Teasing the Korean]

Henry Mancini - Peter Gunn

Les Baxter - Jungle Jazz and African Jazz

[Teasing the Korean]

Irving Joseph - Murder, Inc.

Mundell Lowe - TV Action Jazz!

[Larry Kart]

Tom Talbert's arrangement of the Bix Beiderbecke composition "In a Mist" with Joe Wilder, trumpet; Joe Soldo, flute; Danny Bank, clarinet and bass clarinet; Harold Goltzer, bassoon; Jim Buffington, French horn; Barry Galbraith, guitar; Oscar Pettiford, bass; Osie Johnson, drums. Recorded in 1959 and released under the title"Bix Duke Fats" (Atlantic)

 

 

[Teasing the Korean]

Buddy Collette's Swinging Shepherds.

[Larry Kart]

It says "Mingus' Finest Hour" below (and he certainly plays beautifully here, as do Phil Woods and Art Farmer) but this a Quincy Jones date:

 

Associated Performer, Recording Arranger, Conductor: Quincy Jones Associated Performer, Trumpet: Art Farmer Associated Performer, Trombone: Jimmy Cleveland Associated Performer, Flute: Herbie Mann Associated Performer, Tenor Saxophone: Lucky Thompson Associated Performer, Alto Saxophone: Phil Woods Associated Performer, Baritone Saxophone: Jack Nimitz Associated Performer, Bass: Charles Mingus Associated Performer, Drums: Charlie Persip Associated Performer, Piano: Billy Taylor

 

[JSngry]

For real, aren't we talking about a really sizable percentage of all jazz records ever?

[Larry Kart]

7 minutes ago, JSngry said:

For real, aren't we talking about a really sizable percentage of all jazz records ever?

Yes ... but this has been fun.

[Rooster_Ties]

On 4/15/2022 at 11:47 PM, Larry Kart said:

I did write a book, "Jazz In Search of Itself" (Yale U. Press)  that includes many of the pieces I'd written over the years that I thought were worth preserving… …but sadly there's nothing there about Charles' music. I wish there had been.

I have your book, Larry, and for some reason or another I got it in my head you were the possible mystery writer.  FWIW, I could have sworn it was something (then) unpublished — whenever the post was from (and now I’m vaguely remembering it was quite a while ago, maybe like 2005, give or take,  but something I only saw in the last year or two).

So maybe something by @allenlowe then? Or who else am I forgetting around here? — (in terms of jazz authors). My apologies if I’m forgetting anyone!!

Something (then) unpublished about Teddy Charles (it sounded like a short chapter, iirc) — in a post here from like 15+ years ago.

Was it ever published? And how can I get a copy? (I don’t think I’d even really heard of Teddy Charles — or not actually heard any music if his, at least — until like 3-4 years ago).

Edited April 16, 2022 by Rooster_Ties

[T.D.]

46 minutes ago, JSngry said:

For real, aren't we talking about a really sizable percentage of all jazz records ever?

The initial post stipulated "...influential, landmark or special ensembles...", which might narrow the field somewhat.

[JSngry]

Is this leading to an article about the importance of producers? It certainly could.

[Milestones]

Clearly a lot of classic Blue Note albums featured studio get-togethers, and this appeared to be pretty common with Prestige and Riverside as well.  But there are an awful of live albums in jazz (and many great ones at that), and presumably they would feature working groups.

It seems to me that Miles, Coltrane (once past the Prestige phase), Monk, Blakey, Mingus, Silver essentially stuck to the same groups in the studio and on the road.

[mhatta]

I think Richard Davis once said that actually the Dolphy/Little/Waldron/Davis/Blackwell quintet did another gig at some university, but poorly attended and got no offer hereafter.  Is he still with us?

[Late]

4 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

Tom Talbert's arrangement of the Bix Beiderbecke composition "In a Mist" with Joe Wilder, trumpet ...

That is some fine Wilder trumpet! I'd never heard this song; nor had I heard of Talbert. Thanks for posting.

6 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Jazz Heat, Bongo Beat, arguably the greatest album ever made.

Arguably.

[Larry Kart]

There's a fair amount of Talbert available, much of it including Wilder, and while "Bix, Duke, And Fats" probably was Talbert's  best work, all of it is at least very good (he led an advanced West Coast big band in the late '4os that included Art Pepper). He led an interesting life, at one point he operated a riverboat on the Mississippi, and there's a good biography of him.

[Teasing the Korean]

12 hours ago, JSngry said:

For real, aren't we talking about a really sizable percentage of all jazz records ever?

That was my initial thought.

11 hours ago, T.D. said:

The initial post stipulated "...influential, landmark or special ensembles...", which might narrow the field somewhat.

Two of those three adjectives may be subjective.

[Mark Stryker]

As the original thread starter, I should jump in to say a few things. 

1. It is certainly true that a sizeable percentage of all jazz recordings have been made by studio only groups, even if various players within those bands did in fact work together a lot both on record or live. A majority of the BN catalog, for example, is comprised of records like this.  

2. I did try to narrow the field by stipulating "influential, landmark or special ensembles"  though in retrospect "special" in particular is in the ears and eyes of beholder and so my caveat did not serve to limit the field in the way I was hoping.

3. What I should have been more insistent about stipulating was that I was MOST interested in groups that assembled MORE THAN ONCE in the studio without ever appearing in public (or only doing so on a single occasions or two). The Hot 5/Hot 7 qualify under this standard, so does Miles' Birth of the Cool band and, I think, the Ervin/Byard/Davis/Dawson quartet that was mentioned. 

4. This was not aiming toward a column about producers -- though good idea, Jim -- but rather was born of my earlier query about whether the Grant Green/Larry Young/Elvin Jones trio existed outside of the four studio LPs it made for Blue Note -- Talkin' About, Into Something (with Rivers), I Want to Hold Your Hand (with Mobley), Street of Dreams (with Hutcherson).

5. I'm glad folks seem to be having fun, and I'm enjoying listening to tracks that I either haven't heard in forever or didn't know at all  -- looking especially at you, Larry.

6. Ellington/Mingus/Roach and "Money Jungle" is another one-off that qualifies, though it would be better for my purposes had they made another record together. 

Carry on ...

[medjuck]

3 hours ago, Mark Stryker said:

3. What I should have been more insistent about stipulating was that I was MOST interested in groups that assembled MORE THAN ONCE in the studio without ever appearing in public (or only doing so on a single occasions or two). The Hot 5/Hot 7 qualify under this standard, so does Miles' Birth of the Cool band and, I think, the Ervin/Byard/Davis/Dawson quartet that was mentioned. .

Maybe even specify that they should be the same musicians-- I think no two recording sessions of the Miles nontet had exactly the same musicians.  

[Peter Friedman]

These two albums would seem to qualify. Bags with Lucky Thompson, Hank Jones, Wendell Marshall and Kenny Clarke. Wonderful sessions.

[BillF]

[JSngry]

7 minutes ago, BillF said:

Finally!!!! 

[hopkins]

Was the Quinichette/Pierce  Basie "reunion" group studio only? 

[Larry Kart]

4 minutes ago, hopkins said:

Was the Quinichette/Pierce  Basie "reunion" group studio only? 

Believe so. BTW, of those albums (two IIRC) the one with Walter Page was much superior, Page's last recording I think.

[hopkins]

There are three:

- For Basie, recorded in October 1957

- Basie Reunion, recorded in September 1958

- Like Basie, recorded in March 1959

 

You are right, the first is Page's last recording. The second has Buck Clayton and Jack Washington added and is also very enjoyable, IMO. 

[mjzee]

Listening now to Johnny Hartman's The Voice That Is!, I see he's accompanied by Hank Jones, piano, Barry Galbraith, guitar, Richard Davis, bass, and Osie Johnson, drums; recorded in 1964.  It seems to me this group played often together.  No idea if they ever played live; perhaps more like session guys who were personally compatible and were able to be hired as a group.  Does this qualify?