Bright Moments

happy birthday!!!

way cool, thanks!!

if you really know - please share. -_- No, I don't know for sure, but I'll bet that either it was an outright overdose, general debilitation from drug use over time, or (a la Sonny Clark) a specific incident where someone is so completely out of it that and on the streets that one night he is exposed to the elements to a dangerous degree. If physical violence had been involved, I think I would have heard about that. In those days, in the jazz press, such things usually weren't talked about openly. There were one or two standard phrases -- can't recall them now -- that were understood to mean than X had been a drug addict and had died from an overdose or from one of many drug-related causes. Arguably, no alto saxophonist of talent -- with the possible exception of Jackie McLean on "Jackie McLean and Co." -- ever sounded more strung-out than Ernie Henry did. I recall an old Martin Williams Down Beat review of either "Presenting Ernie Henry" or "Seven Standards and a Blues" (or maybe it was "Brilliant Corners") in which, taking note of Henry's sharpish intonation and at times extreme effortfulness of articulation, he wondered whether Henry really could play much at all (as in, were these things a matter of choice or sheer infirmity) and also implied that those who were drawn to Henry's playing were in some sense voyeurs of pain. Martin, of course, was quite a puritan, but he does have a point. Henry's effortfulness is related to Monk's in that it is truly musically expressive of just what Henry, one feels fairly sure, is trying to bring off; on the other hand, he does falter at times, even by his own standards/narrow margins. As for the nature of what Henry expressed emotionally, while I'd say it would be voyueristic to prize Bird's "Lover Man" because it sounds like what it actually is, a man having a breakdown (and Martin may have had that in the back of his mind), Henry doesn't strike me that way. His limitations as an instrumentalist led him to come up with some unique, musically interesting moves (like a drowning man who invents a new swim stroke), while the "cry" of his playing never seemed external or self-regarding (as IMO Frank Morgan's sometimes did); rather, that aspect of Henry, listened to at the time (before his death), seemed like a dangerous, powerful act of realism, for him and to some degree, and along similar lines, for the listener. It sure was no vacation. thank you for that post!

well - lets first start with this: no one confirmed that it was heroin - yet.

at least it wasn't schlep!!!

thanks for the great anecdote!! unfortunately we still only have the vague "drug overdose" cause of death - no details.

if you really know - please share. -_-

well - i can't find anything about "how" he died - only some vague references to "drugs"

from discog: Ernie Henry / artists (E) Real Name: Ernie Henry In Groups: Dizzy Gillespie Big Band Name Variations: All | Ernie Henry | E. Henry Appears On: Brilliant Corners (CD) Riverside Records Brilliant Corners (CD, Album, RM) Riverside Records, Original Jazz Classics Grand Orchestre - Pasadena 1948 (LP) Mode Disques I Giganti Del Jazz Vol. 2 (LP) Things To Come Curcio Brilliance (2xLP, RE) Milestone Records 1975 Dizzy Gillespie (1946 - 1949) (LP) AMIGA 1976 Afro Blue (CD) Tin Tin Deo Blue Note 1993 Dizzy Gillespie - Jazz Masters 10 (CD) Manteca, Birks' Works Verve Records 1993 The Gold Collection - Classic Performances (2xCD) Tangorine Retro (2) 1997 Ken Burns Jazz (CD, Album) Columbia 2000 Workshop (CD, Album, Mono) Oh Henry Past Perfect Silver Line 2001

from the concord website: ABOUT ERNIE HENRY A forgotten name in jazz history but a potentially significant voice in the mid-1950s, Ernie Henry (1926-1957) was a fine alto saxophonist who had his own sound, coming out of the Charlie Parker tradition. Henry started on violin when he was eight but switched to alto four years later. He matured during the bebop era and was discovered by Tadd Dameron, who hired him for his band in 1947. After that group broke up, Henry had opportunities to play with many of the giants of the era including Fats Navarro, Charlie Ventura, Georgie Auld, Kenny Dorham, Max Roach, and the Dizzy Gillespie big band (1948-1949). He toured with Illinois Jacquet during 1950-1952 and, after a few years off the scene, returned in 1956. In what would be his last two years before drugs led to his premature death, Ernie Henry recorded on Thelonious Monk’s Brilliant Corners album, worked with Charles Mingus, and toured with the new Dizzy Gillespie big band. During his final 16 months, Ernie Henry led three albums for Riverside. Presenting Ernie Henry, a quintet date with trumpeter Kenny Dorham and pianist Kenny Drew, has five of Henry’s obscure originals plus fine versions of “Gone with the Wind” and “I Should Care.” Last Chorus, which was released posthumously, has an alternate take apiece from the other two projects but mostly features Henry in a hard bop octet with trumpeter Lee Morgan and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson. Seven Standards and a Blues, recorded just three months before Henry’s death, is the altoist’s best showcase since he is the only horn in a quartet with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Wilbur Ware, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. Ernie Henry could have done so much more, but at least his three Riverside sets and his sideman projects form a strong musical legacy.

Henry, Ernie [Ernest Albert] (New York, 3 Sept 1926 - New York, 29 Dec 1957) Alto saxophonist He learned violin as a child but changed to saxophone at the age of 12. In 1947 Tadd Dameron began to show an interest in his playing and made him known to musicians who worked in the clubs on 52nd Street; as a result he performed with Dameron, Fats Navarro, Charlie Ventura, Max Roach, Georgie Auld, and Kenny Dorham. After working with Dizzy Gillespie's big band (1948-9) Henry joined Illinois Jacquet (1950), with whom he recorded in 1952. He played only occasionally from 1952 until 1956, but then became a member of Thelonious Monk's group, with which he made some particularly fine recordings (1956, 1957). He also recorded with Matthew Gee (1956) and Dorham (1957), and as a leader. In 1957 he performed and recorded with Gillespie's re-formed big band. Although Henry's playing in the late 1940s and early 1950s was influenced by Charlie Parker, his later recordings show that he was beginning to develop a strongly individual style. Lawrence Koch The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, © Macmillan Reference Ltd 1988

happy birthday!

happy birthday david!!!

short but productive career great on brilliant corners only 3 sessions as leader how did he die?

does it really, or does it say this was on enja? so that's steam, not stream, omg! sorry, just having a little fun with you. actually, the material from the jazz hour reissue comes from shepp's live recordings at montreux in 1975 that appeared on the arista/freedom label. ooops! lol

me neither.

for goodness sake - i just spun (and enjoyed) this: when i removed it from my cd player i noticed that the disc says: ArchieSHEP thats right, SHEP!!!! than i see that the cd is "made in portugal" my AMG says the release was originally on Enja the session date was 1975 is this cd legit or do we have copyright infringement here? how about the rest of the "jazz hour" series?

happy birthday jeff!

Big John Patton - Eagle Eye Blues - Live from Austin Texas - Excellence Records Cat: 1024

happy birthday!!!

hello debra and welcome to the board. clem's writing style is one of the great mysteries of the board. i know that he is very smart and that he has a lot to say but i for one can never figure it out. it is frustrating because i know that i can learn from him. i wish someone would shadow his comments and translate them for me. and yes english is my first language - doesn't help.

works for me!

happy birthday Nate!!!