AOTW August 14, 2005

[mikeweil]

First of all, let me apologize for being sooo late with this. Life has played its tricky game over the last two weeks, including a saddening loss in the family involving travelling all over the country, several days of overdue work around the house that had to be done a week earlier than planned, trouble with some credit card hoax, and my wife insisting we spend the last days of her vacation together in the spa - I had to admit she was right and we really needed and deserved it. And when I finally found the time to sit down and write this two days ago, my browser crashed and all I had written was lost ..... I kindly ask for your understanding and trust that the music will yield enough interest, especially as I could include a brand new reissue of the same group.

When I asked to be put on the list some months ago, Ahmad Jamal's Chamber Music of the New Jazz was my choice - no hesitation.

I like this kind of piano/guitar/bass trio a lot more than those piano wizardry outlets Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson led, or the Nat King Cole way with a concept more on the entertainment side of things. Jamal, Ray Crawford (a very underrated original guitarist, IMHO) and Israel Crosby present the high point in integrated trio playing with a perfect balance of arrangement and improvisation, great interplay and boundless creativity in developping new approaches to old or odd tunes.

The influence on Miles Davis is commonly acknowledged, he covered more than half of the tunes on those Jamal LPs, culminating in Gil Evans' transcription of Jamal's comping on New Rumba as a horn section backdrop for Miles' solo on the Carnegie Hall concert version.

I don not want to recapitulate all discographical details, just let me remind you that this was originally on the small Parrot label:

and later sold to Chess and reissued on the Argo label, which has the cover we all know, reissued in the Universal LPR series last year.

The story about the album and this early part of Jamal's career is excellently documented on a website about the Parrot and Blue Lake labels - have a new look, as this was updated in January 2005 with plenty of new knowledge about recording sessions and unissued material - too bad Universal didn't even attempt to include any of this in their reissue.

As Columbia/Legacy just issued their CD The Legendary Okeh and Epic Recordings which includes all but one track the same trio (except for bassist Eddie Calhoun on 8 tracks) recorded for these labels in between the Parrot sessions, I suggest to include them in this discussion:

The one track missing (Slaughter on 10th Avenue) was included on the earlier CD Poinciana:

Besides that, there was a French reissue of all tracks on two separate CDs; all the music sums up to 82 minutes - the Legacy producers obviously wanted to avoid a double CD just for one track.

This is among my desert island music and is a landmark recording - the Argo LP took on almost mythological dimensions for me after reading about it in Joachim Berendt's jazz book thirty years ago - because it was nowhere to be found. A visit to a Paris second hand store (Crocodisc) several years later remedied that situation, except that it was a badly warped copy of a later Chess reissue with lots of reverb added. I transferred it to a cassette I still use in the car, and gave the LP to a friend with a more forgiving turntable .....

So what's you opinion/experience with these, my friends?

(Again, my apologies for being so late ... .)

Edited August 21, 2005 by mikeweil

[Big Al]

After reading your post, I listened to sound samples of "Chamber" as well as the Okeh disc. Well, I thought I was on a buying sabbatical.....

Judging from the sound clips alone, this music sounds like the kind one would listen to in autumn, as the weather starts cooling off, the shadows get longer, and the leaves start changing color.

[Stereojack]

"Chamber Music" has been a favorite of mine for many years, and it's nice that it finally came out on CD so that more people can enjoy it. A very influential album, yet it surprises me how few know about it. I guess Ahmad's success with the "But Not For Me" trio eclipsed his earlier work.

[mikeweil]

I guess Ahmad's success with the "But Not For Me" trio eclipsed his earlier work.

←

It could well be that the flood of later piano/bass/drums trio albums overshadowed the guitar trio recordings, especially as they were not as readily available. As I stated in my opening post, I was curious about them since the early 1970's but they were all out of print at the time.

I once sent an e-mail to Mosaic and suggested they do that trio and they replied the material was tied by some legal hassles, otherwise they "would have done it years ago" - I guess that would have helped. When I read about the unissued material recorded for the Parrot label, I still wish they might do it - a verrrry nice Mosaic Select this would be. But since we now have these two new CDs, that will remain wishful thinking.

I find these recordings as classic as the best of the Modern Jazz Quartet recordings - maybe this is to refined and well-conceived for hard bop lovers. But any Miles fan should know them - I'm glad he achknowledged their influence.

Jack, have you read the passages about Jamal on the Parrot label site? I find it interesting that he started as a sideman in some Israel Crosby band, and then had problems with a bassist wanting to play "bebop solos" in his trio ... after this was settled with the local union he got Eddie Calhoun, Richard Davis (!) and finally Israel Crosby. Must have been quite a boost for him that this major swing era bassist joined his trio.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

If I am not mistaken, the new OKeh/Epic CD is missing not one, but THREE tracks - there were earlier versions of Perfidia and Rica Pulpa - see timings. Correct?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: October 25, 1951

Location: Chicago, IL

Label: Columbia

Ahmad Jamal (ldr), Ray Crawford (g), Ahmad Jamal (p), Eddie Calhoun (b)

a. CCO5288-4 The Surrey With The Fringe On The Top - 02:49 (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II)

Portrait CD: RK 44394 - Poinciana (1989)

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

b. CCO5289-2 Will You Still Be Mine - 02:41 (Tom Adair, Matt Dennis)

Portrait CD: RK 44394 - Poinciana (1989)

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

c. CCO5290-2 Rica Pulpa - 02:31 (Eliseo Grenet)

d. CCO5291-1 Perfidia - 02:54 (Alberto Dominguez, Milton Leeds)

All titles on: - Mosaic CD: MD7-199 - The Columbia Piano Mood Sessions (2000)

Unknown percussionist plays shaker on c.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: May 5, 1952

Location: Chicago, IL

Label: Columbia

Ahmad Jamal (ldr), Ray Crawford (g), Ahmad Jamal (p), Eddie Calhoun (b)

a. CCO5337-1 Aki And Ukthay (Brother And Sister) - 03:04 (Ahmad Jamal)

b. CCO5338-2 Billy Boy - 02:37 (Traditional)

c. CCO5339-3 Ahmad's Blues - 02:53 (Ahmad Jamal)

d. CCO5340-1 A Gal In Calico - 02:34 (Leo Robin, Arthur Schwartz)

All titles on: - Portrait CD: RK 44394 - Poinciana (1989)

- Mosaic CD: MD7-199 - The Columbia Piano Mood Sessions (2000)

- Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: October 25, 1955

Location: New York City

Label: Columbia

Ahmad Jamal (ldr), Ray Crawford (g), Ahmad Jamal (p), Israel Crosby (b)

a. CO53895 Perfidia - 03:55 (Alberto Dominguez, Milton Leeds)

Epic LP 12": LN 3212 - The Ahmad Jamal Trio

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

b. CO53896 Slaughter On Tenth Avenue - 04:50 (Richard Rodgers)

Portrait CD: RK 44394 - Poinciana (1989)

c. CO53897 Old Devil Moon - 03:43 (E. Y. Harburg, Burton Lane)

Portrait CD: RK 44394 - Poinciana (1989)

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

d. CO53898 Black Beauty - 03:25 (Duke Ellington)

Epic LP 12": LN 3212 - The Ahmad Jamal Trio

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

e. CO53899 Don't Blame Me - 03:20 (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh)

Epic LP 12": LN 3212 - The Ahmad Jamal Trio

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

f. CO53900 Rica Pulpa - 03:49 (Eliseo Grenet)

Epic LP 12": LN 3212 - The Ahmad Jamal Trio

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

g. CO53901 Autumn Leaves [aka Les Feuilles Mortes] - 02:41 (Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prevert, Johnny Mercer)

Epic LP 12": LN 3212 - The Ahmad Jamal Trio

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

h. CO53902 Crazy He Calls Me - 04:57 (Carl Sigman, Sidney Keith Russell)

Portrait CD: RK 44394 - Poinciana (1989)

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

i. CO53903 They Can't Take That Away From Me - 02:57 (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)

Epic LP 12": LN 3212 - The Ahmad Jamal Trio

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

j. CO53904 It's Easy to Remember - 03:55 (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

Portrait CD: RK 44394 - Poinciana (1989)

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

k. CO53905 Squeeze Me - 03:49 (Thomas 'Fats' Waller, Clarence Williams)

Epic LP 12": LN 3212 - The Ahmad Jamal Trio

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

l. CO53906 Something To Remember You By - 02:47 (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz)

Epic LP 12": LN 3212 - The Ahmad Jamal Trio

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

m. CO53907 Poinciana - 03:33 (Buddy Bernier, Nat Simon)

Portrait CD: RK 44394 - Poinciana (1989)

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

n. CO53908 The Donkey Serenade - 03:19 (Chet Forrest, Bob Wright, Rudolph Friml, Herbert Stothart)

Epic LP 12": LN 3212 - The Ahmad Jamal Trio

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

o. CO53909 Love For Sale - 08:30 (Cole Porter)

Epic LP 12": LN 3212 - The Ahmad Jamal Trio

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

p. CO53910 Pavanne - 04:24 (Morton Gould)

Portrait CD: RK 44394 - Poinciana (1989)

Epic Legacy CD: EK 93580 - The Legendary OKeh & Epic Recordings (2005)

Mike

[JSngry]

Al hears autumn, I hear spring. Ear of the behearer, I suppose. No matter, it's beautiful and continually fresh music. A minimal pallate richly painted, and the silences are often louder than the sound.

fwiw, Chamber... had another cover, a green one. That's how I first came across it. Can't find an online image, though.

[mikeweil]

fwiw, Chamber... had another cover, a green one. That's how I first came across it. Can't find an online image, though.

←

That's the cover my first warped copy had - not particularly charming.

[mikeweil]

If I am not mistaken, the new OKeh/Epic CD is missing not one, but THREE tracks - there were earlier versions of Perfidia and Rica Pulpa - see timings. Correct?

I'm afraid this can only be cleared by listening to and comparing the original issues - the French CBS issue CBS 465649-2 The CBS Jazz Piano Collection - Ahmad Jamal Volume 1 "The Three Strings" has a Perfidia running 3'54 and a Rica Pulpa running 3'49 - both attributed to the earlier session!

Could it be they attributed new matrix numbers to these two titles when they used them for the later LP issue?

Your source for the timings is the Mosaic issue? Or their online discography? Or other?

BTW - this French issue has the first eight tracks and Slaughter ..., Old Devil Moon, Black Beauty, and Don't Blame me from the later session.

CBS 465650-2 The CBS Jazz Piano Collection - Ahmad Jamal Volume 2 "The Ahmad Jamal Trio" has the remaining 10 tracks from the third session. Timings are identical with one exception:

j. CO53904 It's Easy to Remember - 03:55 (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)

runs only 2:54 on that French issue, no edit audible. I smell a mistake.

Edited February 17, 2006 by mikeweil

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Those particular timings are from online sources. I just timed Perfidia from my copy of the Epic LP and it is indeed 3:55.

Who's got the Mosaic to confirm the 2:54 timing of Perfidia?

I just timed It's Easy To Remember from my copy of Poinciana CD and you are absolutely right - 2:55!

Mike

[Brad]

One hears autumn, the other spring. I hear economy of notes but a full sound if that makes any sense and colors that are imbued with relaxation.

[mikeweil]

Our much loved friends from the Pyrenean mountains (Definitive) just released this double CD:

Complete Recordings - Featuring Ray Crawford And Israel Crosby

Ahmad Jamal Trio

Featuring: Ahmad Jamal (p), Ray Crawford (g), Israel Crosby (b)

Definitive DRCD11292-2

PRICE: 14.95 €

Contains the complete albums: "Chamber Music Of The New Jazz" (Argo LP, 1955) "Ahmad Jamal Trio" (Epic LP, 1955) and "Ahmad Jamal" (Epic LP, 1955).

BONUS TRACKS:

Argo's Complete 1956 Session/LP "Count 'Em 88" + 2 tracks from Okeh's 1951 Session "Ahmad Jamal's Three Strings".

This 2-CD set contains Ahmad Jamal's complete trio recordings with guitarist Ray Crawford and bassist Israel Crosby collected here for the first time ever on one edition.

This release boasts all of these albums in their entirety including the complete May 5, 1962 Piano Scene session (with Eddie Calhoun replacing Israel Crosby on bass) that was originally released as part of Epic's 1955 Ahmad Jamal album, featured here as bonus tracks.

Tracklisting:

CD-1

1. New Rumba

2. A Foggy Day

3. All Of You

4. It Ain'T Necessarily So

5. Medley

6. Get A Kick Out Of You

7. Jeff

8. Darn That Dream

9. Spring Is Here

10. Black Beauty

11. Love For Sale

12. Something To Remember You By

13. Poinciana

14. Don'T Blame Me

15. Autumn Leaves

16. They Can't Take That Away From Me

17. Old Devil Moon

18. It's Easy To Remember

19. Squeeze Me

20. Pavanne

CD2

1. Crazy He Calls Me

2. Perfidia

3. Rica Pulpa

4. The Donkey Serenade

5. The Surrey With The Fringe on Top

6. Slaughter On 10th Avenue

7. Will You Still Be Mine

8. Ahmad's blues

9. A Gal In Calico

10. Aki And Ukthay

11. Billy Boy

12. Volga Boatman

13. On Green Dolphin Street

14. How About You?

15. I Just Can't See For Lookin'

16. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year

17. Beat Out Me

18. Maryam

19. Easy To Remember

20. Jim Loves Sue

21. I Wish I Knew

Personnel and dates:

CD1: Ahmad Jamal (p), Ray Crawford (g), Israel Crosby (b). Chicago & NYC, 1955.

CD2: Ahmad Jamal (p), Ray Crawford (g #1-11), Israel Crosby (b #1-5,12-21), Eddie Calhoun (b #6-11), Walter Perkins (d #12-21).

AFAIK (how about a Japansese issue?) this is the first CD release of the only trio LP with Walter Perkins (who was replaced by Vernel Fournier by the time the next session was recorded). But it is by no means complete, as it does not include the drummerless trio's recordings for Parrot that were only on 78's or remain unissued.

I'll buy it anyway and post here if it sounds the same as the recent CD reissues.

Edited February 17, 2006 by mikeweil

[fasstrack]

First of all, let me apologize for being sooo late with this. Life has played its tricky game over the last two weeks, including a saddening loss in the family involving travelling all over the country, several days of overdue work around the house that had to be done a week earlier than planned, trouble with some credit card hoax, and my wife insisting we spend the last days of her vacation together in the spa - I had to admit she was right and we really needed and deserved it. And when I finally found the time to sit down and write this two days ago, my browser crashed and all I had written was lost ..... I kindly ask for your understanding and trust that the music will yield enough interest, especially as I could include a brand new reissue of the same group.

When I asked to be put on the list some months ago, Ahmad Jamal's Chamber Music of the New Jazz was my choice - no hesitation.

I like this kind of piano/guitar/bass trio a lot more than those piano wizardry outlets Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson led, or the Nat King Cole way with a concept more on the entertainment side of things. Jamal, Ray Crawford (a very underrated original guitarist, IMHO) and Israel Crosby present the high point in integrated trio playing with a perfect balance of arrangement and improvisation, great interplay and boundless creativity in developping new approaches to old or odd tunes.

The influence on Miles Davis is commonly acknowledged, he covered more than half of the tunes on those Jamal LPs, culminating in Gil Evans' transcription of Jamal's comping on New Rumba as a horn section backdrop for Miles' solo on the Carnegie Hall concert version.

I don not want to recapitulate all discographical details, just let me remind you that this was originally on the small Parrot label:

and later sold to Chess and reissued on the Argo label, which has the cover we all know, reissued in the Universal LPR series last year.

The story about the album and this early part of Jamal's career is excellently documented on a website about the Parrot and Blue Lake labels - have a new look, as this was updated in January 2005 with plenty of new knowledge about recording sessions and unissued material - too bad Universal didn't even attempt to include any of this in their reissue.

As Columbia/Legacy just issued their CD The Legendary Okeh and Epic Recordings which includes all but one track the same trio (except for bassist Eddie Calhoun on 8 tracks) recorded for these labels in between the Parrot sessions, I suggest to include them in this discussion:

The one track missing (Slaughter on 10th Avenue) was included on the earlier CD Poinciana:

Besides that, there was a French reissue of all tracks on two separate CDs; all the music sums up to 82 minutes - the Legacy producers obviously wanted to avoid a double CD just for one track.

This is among my desert island music and is a landmark recording - the Argo LP took on almost mythological dimensions for me after reading about it in Joachim Berendt's jazz book thirty years ago - because it was nowhere to be found. A visit to a Paris second hand store (Crocodisc) several years later remedied that situation, except that it was a badly warped copy of a later Chess reissue with lots of reverb added. I transferred it to a cassette I still use in the car, and gave the LP to a friend with a more forgiving turntable .....

So what's you opinion/experience with these, my friends?

(Again, my apologies for being so late ... .)

Yes. Yes. YES. I just brought this up on another board (actually in the course of discussing a great 70s album by Ahmad, "The Awakening" with his third trio). Thanks for bringing this to folks' attention, Mike. Ahmad's particular genius and touch is best served by simpatico players who listen and support. (it's called being a, a, damn what is that again? Oh, a musician...) These three are so balanced and in tune with each other. And they make the material, some of which would be tepid novelty numbers in lesser hands (Rica Pulpa? C'mon...) come beautifully alive. These guys shadow each other's thoughts and they play---and swing---so quietly!.

And as to your comment re Ray Crawford, bravo. He was always a soloist with guts and flair, and a bit more aggressive, even more nervous, than Ahmad---making a nice foil. And his percussive effects don't sound hokey. They hold up. His accents on four/'and of four' are pretty hip and cast a long shadow (Philly Joe w/Miles, anyone?).

This trio? Unadulterated genius. Good call.

[medjuck]

Jamal is a good example of how fashions change: in the early 60's no-one who wanted to be hip admitted to liking him. People thought Miles was joking about him. it was almost the equivilent of saying you like Kenny G. today.

[mikeweil]

And as to your comment re Ray Crawford, bravo. He was always a soloist with guts and flair, and a bit more aggressive, even more nervous, than Ahmad---making a nice foil. And his percussive effects don't sound hokey. They hold up. His accents on four/'and of four' are pretty hip and cast a long shadow (Philly Joe w/Miles, anyone?).

Crawford didn't invent them, but I think no other guitarist did them as well. They always fit the chord changes, and the rhythmic variations are as hip as any master bongocero would do them. In fact, they're hard to play on bongos as they fit the technical possibilities of guitar picking so well. He grooved like a great percussionist.

p.s.: I cherish Crawford's LP on Candid, Smooth Groove .....

[mikeweil]

Jamal is a good example of how fashions change: in the early 60's no-one who wanted to be hip admitted to liking him. People thought Miles was joking about him. it was almost the equivilent of saying you like Kenny G. today.

The big difference is that Jamal's recordings already stood the test of time ...... I doubt Kenny G.'s have as much substance.

[fasstrack]

And as to your comment re Ray Crawford, bravo. He was always a soloist with guts and flair, and a bit more aggressive, even more nervous, than Ahmad---making a nice foil. And his percussive effects don't sound hokey. They hold up. His accents on four/'and of four' are pretty hip and cast a long shadow (Philly Joe w/Miles, anyone?).

Crawford didn't invent them, but I think no other guitarist did them as well. They always fit the chord changes, and the rhythmic variations are as hip as any master bongocero would do them. In fact, they're hard to play on bongos as they fit the technical possibilities of guitar picking so well. He grooved like a great percussionist.

p.s.: I cherish Crawford's LP on Candid, Smooth Groove .....

I'm a guitarist, BTW, so I know who did what on my instrument. It's sort of my job. Herb Ellis has done that bongo thing, as has Tal, and probably a lot of cats without big names. I've heard Eddie Diehl do it once in a while. It's pretty easy: you tap the strings with one or both hands near the pickup. Of course, your time better be happening, or it's your ass....

Yeah, Ray is a good player. I liked him with Ahmad and also Gil Evans on that feature on La Nevada. He made a solo LP in the 80s on Dobre called, I think, H. Ray Crawford---anyway using that name. I dig it out once in a while, but honestly don't think it's up to his other stuff. It is nice, though. Also I have lying around somewhere a cassette of him on a date with Jimmy Smith. Title, anyone?

And he's still around. Another jazz soldier survivor! Right on, brother Ray. Right on.....