neveronfriday

A brief aside: I just noticed that my Atlantic release from 2003 has one leaf of the booklet in twice (the center page with pages 7 and 10 and a double-page spread of a photo by Dennis Stock.). Strange.

When the chance came up to suggest an AOW, many recordings popped into my head, Gerry Mulligan's Songbook, Tord Gustavson's Changing Places, plus a whole number of others. But, the CD that has gotten the heaviest rotation on my stereo this year is Sonny Stitt's Stitt Plays Bird. I bought this one not all that long ago from 2001 when they had a larger number of Atlantic remasteres on offer, and it managed to magically work its way to the top of my ever-growing "have-to-listen-to" CD pile, only to stay there and, sometimes permanently, block a lot of others from ever getting the attention they deserve. **************************************************************************** Track List: **************************************************************************** 01 Ornithology (by Charlie Parker & Benny Harris) 03:39 02 Scrapple from the Apple (by Charlie Parker) 03:48 03 My Little Suede Shoes (by Charlie Parker) 03:04 04 Parker's Mood (by Charlie Parker) 04:19 05 Au Privave (by Charlie Parker) 02:39 06 Ko-Ko (by Charlie Parker) 04:51 07 Confirmation (by Charlie Parker) 04:35 08 Hootie Blues (by Charlie Parker) 06:35 09 Constellation (by Charlie Parker) 03:16 Bonus Tracks: 10 Now's the Time (by Charlie Parker) 03:18 11 Yardbird Suite (by Charlie Parker) 04:49 Note: Tracks 10 - 11 are outtakes recorded during the Stitt Plays Bird sessions, first released on the 1990 CD reissue of this album. **************************************************************************** This tribute album pretty much defines where Stitt comes from, and much of his style owns tons to Bird. This anecdote, taken from the 1966 liner notes (by Ira Gitler) illuminates this: "I heard the records he (Parker) had done with McShann and I was anxious to meet him. So when we hit Kansas City, I rushed to Eighteenth and Vine, and there, coming out of a drug store, was a man carrying an alto, wearing a blue overcoat with six white buttons and dark glasses. I rushed over and said belligerently, 'Are you Charlie Parker?' He said he was and invited me right then and there to go and jam with him at a place called Chauncey Owenman's. We played for an hour, till the owner came in, and then Bird signalled me with a little flurry of notes to cease so no words would ensue. He said, 'You sure sound like me." Although Stitt always insisted that he sounded like that before he met Parker, he still, as the same liner notes state, "[...] embodies the Parker sound and spirit". Stand-outs are, in my opinion, the brisk "Constellation", "Now's The Time" with some nifty guitar and alto interaction, and "Yardbird Suite" which has this wonderful laid-back groove. The only problem I have with this disc is the sometimes rather "pingy" cymbal sound (too much treble, IMHO), but I'm probably being retentive again and altogether it is a fine quality recording. I'll write more as we go along. Have a listen. Cheers!

Cheers!

Thanks, I can use that cake. I've tried to make this birthday last a little longer ... all that cake eating demands extra time. Cheers!

I like this piece best. It reminds me I am probably not the only one with alcoholic tendencies on this board...

Just after the 100,000th post on this board (many people were online, checking the thread every couple of seconds or so), Jazzmoose posted this: I just screamed with laughter. Cheers!

Yabbadabbadoo ...

A real pity with the Garner material. I simply can't understand how such a stellar player can be treated in such a sad way by the music industry/the family estate. I have no idea who is doing what and why (or not and why not), but it's a sad thing to see that recordings by one of the most important American musicians of any time period are so damn hard to find or not even available. Sucks! In a very major way!

PM on the way.

Thanks, Dan. The real problem is that once you can't size-up the girls in the front row(s) anymore, you know that things are not the way they are supposed to be. For all of those reading this, you all know that we are NOT talking about jazz concerts anymore ... (OK ... fire away ...) Cheers!

Despite many of the critical remarks, many of which are not completely unfounded, I am a huge Oscar Peterson fan, so I have tons of his recordings (does anyone actually have ALL Oscar Peterson recordings? Me thinks that's impossible). The same goes for Teddy Wilson, whose recordings I jump on whenever they become available somewhere. And then there is Bill Evans, of course. Half a meter to one meter. Cheers! P.S.: I also have every Judas Priest and James Taylor CD, just about every version of Night on the Bold Mountain (Mussorgsky) ever recorded, there's my Gordon Lightfoot shelf ... how's that for eclectic? Man, don't even get me started on this ...

Hi Jim and everyone, although I have been on the board on and off the past days and weeks, I've had major health problems concerning my eyes, including major surgery on both eyes. Being all stressed out pretty much all the time, I ignored some warnings and before I could put on disc two, the shite hit the fan in a major way. I'm OK now, but there are still some things that have to be taken care of (for the next two weeks I have to wait and see if other invasive surgery is necessary). I still have to be very careful and am not supposed to do pretty much anything. I've had plenty of time to listen to music these past weeks, and the two BFT discs were listened to many, many times (so were the older ones). I'm sorry I can't really participate in this one, but staring at a computer screen for longer than a few minutes is a major problem right now, so I have to stick to shorter posts. Jim, I REALLY enjoyed the discs and they have pointed me in several new directions (I have printed out some answers, using larger fonts, reading up on what was going on here and enjoying the discussion). So, Jim, thanx! Maybe it is nice to know that on the way to recovery, your discs were, for me, a very pleasant and interesting way to spend some otherwise pretty horrible hours. These next weeks and months I have to be a whole lot more careful, so although I am participating and signing up for future tests, I won't be able to contribute all that much. I hope Jim and future BFT hosts won't be too disappointed or irritated, but the BFTs are so much fun for me that I don't want to forfeit my place on the list. Maybe I can make it up with my own BFT disc ... which is approximately ten years away. Hope you guys will understand. Being a drummer myself, I have been known to say that I didn't give a hoot about any body parts besides my arms, legs and ears, but I have now learned that eyes are damn important. Sounds stupid, but ... Cheers! deus62

[panic mode: on]

Nate, wonderful comments on the session! What attracted me was the "togetherness" on this recording. I'm an avid listener when it comes to piano trios, and this one jumped out at me from the get-go as something different, mostly because the structure of the songs is often a whole lot more interesting than your standard fare. It is the suspense created in many of the tunes (Thad's Pad, Ah Henry and the title track, especially) coupled with an atmosphere which puts you right next to the musicians (try listening for the groans, the counts, the humming ... very atmospheric). I find myself returning to this recording again and again, and after listening intensively to my Teddy Wilson Complete Mosaic or my Oscar Peterson London House Sessions (or the Blue Note live recordings), this disc never fails to amaze me with its atmosphere, no matter how good the above mentioned other artists and their recordings are. Wonderful stuff. Cheers!

Lovely cakes! Thanx!

And that's one crooked beach ... Cheers!

I'm anally retentive enough as it is ... Cheers!

Covers etc.... Digipack cover (outside): Digipack cover (inside): Digipack cover (foldout-inside): Booklet (outside): Booklet (inside front): Booklet (inside back): Cheers!

01 THAD'S PAD 7:25 02 AH, HENRY 8:10 03 THE SUMMARY 6:00 04 LITTLE RASCAL ON A ROCK 6:18 05 UPON REFLECTION 11:27 06 LADY LUCK 8:04 07 MEAN WHAT YOU SAY 8:21 08 KIDS ARE PRETTY PEOPLE 6:36 09 RAY-EL 7:22 10 A CHILD IS BORN 4:33 Music by Thad Jones 1, 2, 5 published by Thank Music Corp. ASCAP 3, 4, 610 10 published by D'Accord Music, Inc. ASCAP Liner Notes by Kenny Washington: (Note: There are probably smaller errors ... it was a drag to scan this one.] A few days after the jazz world was saddened by the news of Thad Jones' death, I was contacted by the great saxophonist Frank Wess for an engagement. The first person I ran into at that engagement was Hank Jones. I had no idea he was going to be on the gig. After exchanging pleasantries, I gave him my condolences. At that point Hank said " There will never be another Thad ". No truer words have ever been spoken : Thad's genius was tri-fold, he was a composer, arranger and trumpeter. In my opinion, Thad ranks high in the beyond-category status, with Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. I don't mean to take anything away from these two geniuses, because Thad would be the first one to tell you how much he was influenced by them. He grew up at the right time and was able to absorb not only the big band sounds but the music of the Bebop era. Speaking of Ellington, few people know that Thad spent a few months in the Ellington band. In 1961, a recording session for Columbia records took place involving the Count Basie Orchestra (which Thad was a part of) as well as Ellington's, playing together. Thad wrote a beautiful composition and arrangement for that date, titled To You. Duke heard it and was knocked out by the chord voicings and overall depth of the piece. He could hear his influence on Thad, but Duke knew he had his own thing. It was after this date that Duke hired him away from Basie for a short time (too bad nothing was recorded). To be sure, in that short time Thad was checking out Duke and Duke was checking out Thad. Jazz is very much like a relay race. He or she runs a few laps before passing the baton on to the next runner. Thad in turn has been a major influence on tons of young writers. For those of you who are not hip to the arrangements Thad wrote for Basie or Roulette, or those gems that he wrote for his co-led band with Mel Lewis, make a bee line to your local record shop and cop!!! It should also be noted that while a lot of Thad's contemporaries were writing new melodies an standard popular song changes, Thad was writing compositions with his own harmonic progressions. Even when Thad chose to write a tune one, for example, I Got Rhythm, the chord changes, melodies and rhythms were so interesting it would almost make you forget it was actually I Got Rhythm. As a trumpeter Thad defies gravity. He definitely had the history of the Instrument under his belt. Too many people sleep on Thad as a trumpeter He was an unselfish man. While leading the big band he wanted to give other players a chance to play. More often than not he didn't leave any space for himself to stretch out and play. Because of this, I think he is taken for granted. Thad had his own hip harmonic and rhythmic formulas from the start. He was simply a natural. Of course, Hank needs no introduction to jazz fans. He has recorded with everyone from Hot Lips Page to Anthony Braxton. Trust me when I say that I've listened to hundreds of records with Hank on them, and he never played a bad note in his life. Hank possesses what I call the 3Ts: touch, tone and time. Hank recognized Thad's genius early on, and often recorded his compositions. On this CD we hear pure Thad throughout, in a loving tribute from Hank to his younger brother. The other two thirds of this trio likewise need no introduction. Elvin Jones, Hank's younger brother, has been a dynamic force in the percussion world for over 35 years. Although he's one of the biggest influences on younger drummers today, I feel he's misunderstood. Few drummers of today know how much music this man knows, how musically sensitive he can be; he's a brush master and what a great ensemble player he is! I hope this CD will finally hip drummers and fans to the fact that there's more than one side to this master percussionist. Elvin has also recorded dates as a leader. George Mraz was a member of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra in the first half of the seventies. He recorded three records with the orchestra, and has a thorough knowledge of Thad's music. This guy is the only bass player I know who can play any of Thad's tricky melodies. Whether it's in thumb position or with the bow it doesn't matter, plus he plays them in tune. I've witnessed this on many nights playing on the bandstand with him, both with Hank and another great Detroit pianist, Tommy Flanagan. This is a great trio with no weak links. As you can, hear these giants came to play and to take care of business, playing Thad's music the way it should be played. Thad's Pad was originally recorded by Hank back in 1953 for Verve with just piano, bass and guitar. This 1993 version is slower and much more relaxed. Hank uses a new, typically hip intro which gives Elvin a couple of two bar breaks before the melody. Hank comes on strong playing two choruses of pure class piano, showing us that there are still a few pianists around that have left hands. Mraz takes two choruses for himself. This solo is a good example of what I mentioned earlier about how well he plays in tune. Dig how he has complete command of the tune playing upward, downward and all around the changes. Both Hank and George exchange fours with Elvin. You can hear that he has studied the brushmasters like Denzil Best, Jo Jones (no relation), and Charlie Smith to get to his own unique brush sound. Incidentally, dig Elvin's ensemble playing on the melody. Ah, Henry is one of two pieces that Thad had written that never got recorded or played in public. Hank was looking through his stockpile of music and discovered these compositions. This piece has the simple standard AABA song form; but that's where the simplicity ends. In the 9th bar of the A section the time signature changes to 3/4 time for four bars. That same A section is repeated: this time, there's five bars of 3/4 time before going to the bridge in 4/4 time which is 16 bars. The fast A section is repeated before going to the solos (try dancing to this one). That form continues through the solos. I was talking with Hank's lovely wife Teddy, and she remembers Thad bringing this piece around to their home. As they rehearsed the tune and Hank played a solo she could hear Thad repeatedly exclaim "Ah, Henry" in admiration of his brother. When you listen to Hank's solo on this track you will want to exclaim "Ah, Henry !" Hank's introduction on The Summary is worth the price of the whole CD alone. This beautiful piece is the second movement of Thad's Suite for Pops, written in dedication to Louis Armstrong after his death in 1971. Thad and Mel recorded the entire suite with the big band for A&M Horizon in 1972. Mraz was on the original recording, but here gets a chance to play a melodic bass solo. Hank shows us he is still the master of ballad piano playing, and also displays that full piano sound that only he can get. Little Rascal On A Rock goes back to 1976. Thad was inspired to write this after getting a kick out of watching the son of pianist Jaki Byard playing on a big rock. This piece has that dual personality, like a little boy innocent one minute and mischievous the next. Hank plays the melody with the same feeling and voicings as the big band version by Thad and Mel. This is a hard tune to play on, with all kinds of harmonic pitfalls. Hank and George handle the changes like the pros they are. Incidentally, this was George's feature number when he played with the big band. Elvin has his say before the melody returns. Upon Reflection is the other newly discovered (never recorded) gem from the pen of Thad. He sure could write pretty tunes with challenging chord changes to play on. George and Elvin shift into a nice two-feeling for Hank's lyrical statement. The same feeling is maintained for George's solo. Dig how he quotes Dizzy Gillespie's Woody'n You at the end of his solo. After the bass solo there's an interesting interplay between the three where they switch roles. Hank is the foundation keeping the basic time. George is playing rhythmic punctuations and utilizing double stops. Elvin is on the top with his arsenal of polyrhythms. Check out how he brings the dynamics and tempo back to the original ballad feel for the melody. Lady Luck was originally written for Elvin's date on Riverside in 1962. Thad chose to write this tune on the changes of Taking A Chance On Love. This tune is a good example of how Thad could take an old standard, and do a complete facelift so you don't ever recognize it. Dig how he puts a two-bar break at the 7th bar of the A sections of the melody to further throw you for a loop. George leads off playing a great two-chorus bass solo. After you listen to this solo a few times and check out the notes he plays under Hank, you will see why he is one of the busiest bassists in New York. Hank's solo on this track is my favorite on the date. This is one of those "in the crack" tempos that's below medium, and just above a walking ballad. Hank sounds so relaxed and carefree, but at the same time has that rock steady left hand. Throughout all this he's swinging his tail off. Elvin plays a fantastic drum chorus before Hank comes in with the bridge and they take it out. Mean What You Say was originally recorded on the first Thad and Mel Big band album for Solid State. Hank was the pianist on that date. This is one of my favorite Thad compositions. It's a pleasure to hear a trio version of this tune. Hank carefully shapes and builds his solo. At the beginning of the second chorus he gets into a double time feel, and George and Elvin follow right behind him. Check how they shift gears back to the original tempo before George's solo. These gentlemen were in tune with each other. Elvin plays a two chorus drum solo before the theme is restated. There's a big band version of Kids Are Pretty People, but Hank recorded this for Galaxy back in 1977 with guitar and bass. This version is done at a slower, funkier tempo. Both Hank and George have soulful statements on this one. Even though Elvin's solo might sound abstract to some of you, he knows exactly what he's doing. If you sing the melody during his solo you'll see that Elvin plays two perfect A sections before the trio comes in with the bridge. Ray-El was originally from the same date as Lady Luck. It's a play on Elvin's name using his middle name, Ray, and the first two letters of his first name. It has an interesting song form of AAB. The A section is in C minor. The bridge moves to an E flat major blues. It doesn't go back to the A section until after the solos. To put it in simpler terms, these sections are basically minor and major 12 bar blues. Mraz starts his solo out cleverly quoting another Thad tune titled Elusive, and goes on to make a reference to Thad's Three and One. Hank plays another gem of a solo with a mixture of grease and superhip blues substitution chords. Elvin takes us on a two chorus trip before the A sections are repeated, then they vamp till fade. A Child is Born is Thad's most popular composition. Singers of every persuasion have done it. I even heard it not long ago as Muzak while going up an elevator in an office building. This version is different from all the rest. It starts out very dreamy and impressionistic: dig Hank's chords. The big surprise is that it becomes a feature for Elvin playing the mallets. His solo comes from out of nowhere and is pure genius. Check out the tone he gets out of the instrument. It almost sounds as if he's using four timpani. Elvin sets up the original mood for the ensemble. Hank plays the last eight bars of the tune to conclude the performance. I predict this version will become a classic. It is unfortunate that the three brothers only recorded twice together: The first time was for the MGM subsidiary Metrojazz in 1958 and the aforementioned Elvin date for Riverside. Two more recordings were scheduled but they never panned out. It would be hard to get the three most in-demand musicians in the world together. Thank goodness somebody finally got a chance to document Hank and Elvin together after all these years. I feel the performances here speak for themselves on how these master musicians felt about Thad. If Thad could hear these performances he would smile and again say " Ah, Henry! Ah, George, Ah, Elvin!" Kenny Washington Producer: Jean-Philipps Allard Digitally recorded on February 25 and 26, digitally mixed an February 27 and 28, 1993 At Van Gelder Recording Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Recording, mixing and mastering engineer: Rudy Van Gelder Assistent engineer: Maureen Sickler Cover photography: Mephisto Session photography: Cheung Ching Ming Thad Jones Photograph by Chuck Stewart Prepared for release by Daniel Richard Special thanks to Francois Zalacain Remastered for reissue at Art et Son Studio, Paris by Alexis Frenkel Prepared for reissue by Bruno Guermonprez. Francois Le Xuän and Michel Mercier Design by Barilla Design Original cover art by CB Graphic Buy this one ...

Well, this is easily my favourite of the Universal Anniversary series. I bought a whole bunch of these (plus a bunch from the Heritage series), but this one has been pretty much in constant rotation. I'm at this very moment scanning and preparing the liner notes for this CD ... wait a few minutes. Cheers!

Good luck! Cheers!

Yeah, I could put some Linie Aquavit in there. That should do it. Thanks for the cake. I'm off to bed. I've reached an age at which staying up as late as I have the first 50 years just doesn't cut it anymore. Cheers!

With all that fat, sugar, booze, and fire, I don't think I'll reach 99! So, on to 51 before anyone can do anything about it. Cheers!

Thanks: Cheers!

... and the soundtrack ...