Mark Stryker

Hindal Butts (note first name spelling with one "l" is correct) was on the scene in Detroit for decades. As near as I can tell, he died just a couple of years ago at 91, but I never met him and never heard him play, so I don't know what his scene or health was like in the last 20 years. His heyday was the 1950s and '60s but he was definitely active in the '70s. In the 1950s, he worked extensively with Kenny Burrell in the guitarist's various groups, including Kenny's band The Four Sharps with Harold McKinney on piano and Paul Chambers on bass. and bassist Paul Chambers. At one point, Tommy Flanagan replaced McKinney, who was drafted in 1954, and Elvin Jones eventually succeeded Butts as drummer. There's a 1953 club ad for "Kenny Burrell and his Sharps " reproduced in Bjorn and Gallert's "Before Motown" that lists the personnel as Burrell, Frank Foster, McKinney, Chambers, and Hindel (sic) Butts. Kenny's first record as a leader, a 78 single on the JVB label c. 1954-55 consisting of "My Funny Valentine" (a Burrell vocal) and Kenny's Sound" (the latter is a 32-bar tune based on I Got Rhythm with a Honeysuckle Rose bridge and an A-section melody that's a direct ripoff of "Dexter Digs In." Yusef Lateef play flute and tenor of these sides , Billy Burrell is on electric (!) bass, and the vibraphonist is almost assuredly Abe Woodley (aka Nasir Hafiz). I used to think it was Butts on drums, and that was Kenny Washington's guess when I played him these sides; but I've come to think more recently that it's Elvin on drums based on the beat and the way the player slaps the brushes on "Kenny's Mood." (The Tom Lord discography lists this session as c. 1950 and says Tommy Flanagan is on vibes: That's incorrect.) One of Joe Henderson's first jobs in Detroit was as part of a Butts-led quartet in 1957. In "Before Motown," Butts is quote as saying that it was drummer Johnny Cleaver -- that's Gerald Cleaver's father -- who first told him about Joe. In the '60s during Aretha Franklin's Columbia days, Butts toured and recorded with her. He's the drummer on her jazz-oriented "Yeah" taped in 1965. The rest of the all-Detroit group behind Aretha here is Burrell, Teddy Harris Jr. (piano), and James (Beans) Richardson (bass). A few tracks with Butts are also Franklin's "Take It Like You Give It." The Lord discography lists Butts on a 1956 Louis Jordan session on the Bear Family label taped in New York. He's also listed as the drummer on Betty Lavette single on Atlantic cut in 1962 ("You'll Never Change"/"Hear I Am"). I've seen Detroit newspaper ads where he's listed as working the clubs in Detroit in the early '70s backing up folks like Jimmy Witherspoon. I don't really know much more about his later life and career. I regret that he was not on my radar screen in my early days in Detroit when I might have been able to meet him and forge a relationship.

https://www.arts.gov/news/press-releases/2024/announcing-2025-nea-jazz-masters

All -- thanks for the enlightening responses.

I have always read that Don Pullen played organ/piano with Arthur Prysock and wrote arrangements for him -- but I had never found any recorded examples of this until today, when I found Prysock's 1969 LP "Where the Soul Trees Grow" (King Records) at Peoples' Records in Detroit. Pullen is listed as the arranger in the credits, but no other personnel is given. Of course, the record is on YouTube. Pyrsock sounds great on this record and I dig the soulful vibe of the charts and some surprising repertoire choices. While we're on the subject, does anyone know other recorded examples of Pullen as an soul/R&B sideman?

I knew James well -- #JazzFromDetroit -- an earnest, super-positive spirit with a bit of the religious revivalist in his aura and an eccentric streak who would refer to himself in interviews in the third person. He would say things like: "I said, 'Tatum,' what you need to do is write a piece called "Rise Up Detroit!" Whenever I asked how he was doing, he might say something like, "Well, Tatum is 75 and still vibrating." He was a Southern transplant, who made his career as public school music teacher in Detroit but also also a jazz pianist and composer. He made things happen, most notably creating the James Tatum Foundation for the Arts in 1987, which would eventually grant some $500,000 in scholarships to roughly 500 Detroit-area students who went on to study music, dance, theater, etc. in college. The biggest annual fundraiser for the foundation was a sprawling concert he would produce at Orchestra Hall in Detroit. Often he would write a new large-scale piece for the performance. Not sure if this particular Mass was originally written for such an occasion, but but I do remember it being performed at one of the concerts I attended. He died in 2021 at the age of 90.

I believe his wife is French and a non-native English speaker so this may have something to do with what sounds like odd sentiment and syntax.

The first two I would search for are Max Roach +4 (with Rollins/Dorham) and The Max Roach 4 Play Charlie Parker (Dorham/Mobley or Coleman). These are both tremendous records with everyone in peak form. "Jazz in 3/4 Time" is not as strong or consistent overall, though Rollins plays his ass off, especially on "Valse Hot," where he's wilder and more creative than on the original version on his own record a year earlier.

There was only one of those. R.I.P.

Cool podcast series about the history of jazz concerts at the Museum of Modern Art. https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1066?sc_src=email_6099927&sc_lid=604885617&sc_uid=aS5gTmJNVc&sc_llid=41242&sc_eh=6b33ec2e2398ebc11&utm_source=Emarsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MSHIP_Engagement_Roundup_20240628_All+active&&mi_u=119402927&mi_ecmp=6099927

See Lewis Porter's Coltrane biography, pages 98-99. Some measured negative comments about Coltrane from Nat Hentoff in a Downbeat review of the quintet's first LP on Prestige. Quotes from Sy Johnson also provide context.

That's a LONG version -- too long, really. Gonsalves was often great at sustaining extended solos, but not every time ...

Answering the opening question: Audiophile LP reissues mastered at 45 rpm have been a thing for a long time.

I have this box -- love it

Morgan and Hubbard also both appear on Blakey's "Golden Boy" recorded in late spring 1964.

That's Benny Golson on the left.

Wilder.

There are a handful of listings for Tate on bari in the Tom Lord Jazz Discography, though, curiously, the record with Dollar Brand is not one of them. But that's obviously a bari he's playing on the way out on Poor Butterfly. Here are a few: The Great Buddy Tate : Warren Vache (cnt) Buddy Tate (ts-1,cl-2,bar-3) Hank Jones (p) Milt Hinton (b) Mel Lewis (d) Jackie Williams (d-4) replaces Lewis, Paul Tate (vcl) New York, March 26, 1981 On Green Dolphin Street (1) Concord Jazz CJ163 What are you doing the rest of your life ? (1) - At sundown (3,4) - Softly, as in a morning sunrise (2) - Bernie's tune (3) - I realize now (pt vcl,1,4) - Duckie (1,4) - H9021]Add Helen Humes Helen Humes (vcl) acc by Arnett Cobb (ts) Buddy Tate (ts,bar-1) Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (as,vcl) Gerry Wiggins (p) Lisle Atkinson (b) Ronnie Cole (d) New York, October 8, 1979 I'm gonna move to the outskirts of town (ecv vcl) (1) Muse MR5217, MCD5473 [CD] Woe is me - - My old flame - - Loud talkin' woman - - [T680]Add Buddy Tate Sherman Shuffle : Buddy Tate/Bob Wilber : Bob Wilber (sop-4,as-5,cl-6) Buddy Tate (ts-1,bar-2,cl-3) Sam Jones (b) Leroy Williams (d) New York, January 29, 1978 Curtains in the night (1,3,4) Sackville (Can)3017 Back in your own backyard (1,6) - Have you met Miss Jones ? (1,4) - Sherman shuffle (2,5) - The best things in life are free (1,6) - (Ballad medley - Lover man (bw out,1,5) - Body and soul (sj,lw only) - Warm valley (bt out,1,5) - Potentate (1,5)

That's definitely a baritone saxophone on the out chorus.

Nobody like her. Singing Ligeti ...

The collective personnel on "Another Hand" is Sanborn plus; Leon Pendarvis – organ (2) Terry Adams – acoustic piano (3, 4, 7, 😎 Mulgrew Miller – acoustic piano (5, 10) Bill Frisell – guitars (1, 2, 7), acoustic guitar (6), electric guitar (9) Marc Ribot – guitars (3, 7, 8), electric guitar (6), acoustic guitar (9) Al Anderson – guitars (4) Dave Tronzo – acoustic guitar (6), guitars (7, 😎 Charlie Haden – bass (1, 2, 6, 9) Greg Cohen – bass (3, 4, 7, 8), arco bass (9), arrangements (9) Marcus Miller – bass guitar (5, 10) Joey Baron – drums (1, 2, 3, 6–9) Steve Jordan – drums (4) Jack DeJohnette – drums (5, 10) Don Alias – percussion (2, 3, 4, 6–9) Lenny Pickett – tenor saxophone (2), horn arrangements (2), contrabass clarinet (9), E flat clarinet (9) Art Baron – trombone (2, 9), bass trombone (9) Syd Straw – vocals (4, 6)Charlie Haden,

A sweet spot.

His official X (Twitter) account confirms: "It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications." https://x.com/DavidSanborn/status/1790051862961344992

I never gave much thought to what Padma Lakshmi likes to listen to in the kitchen, but if I had, I certainly would not have guessed that Alice Coltrane's "Journey in Satchidananda" would be on the list. #JazzFromDetroit.

Blue Note Records has confirmed that Cuscuna has died at age 75. Damn. He was a hero and a mensch. I had many interactions with Michael over the years and cherish them all. I always learned something from him. He supported my work and made it possible for me to use several Francis Wolff images in “Jazz from Detroit,” including the cover. A HUGE loss.