Les Spann

[Big Al]

In the Julius Watkins thread, fasstrack mentioned he knew Les Spann. Spann is one of my favorite guitarists, and I wish he'd recorded more often! Here's a list of what I have that Spann is on:

BEN WEBSTER AND ASSOCIATES

BACK TO BACK - Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges

JOHNNY HODGES MOSAIC (the sessions for SIDE BY SIDE and A SMOOTH ONE)

Any other recommendations? Any stories, fasstrack?

[fasstrack]

In the Julius Watkins thread, fasstrack mentioned he knew Les Spann. Spann is one of my favorite guitarists, and I wish he'd recorded more often! Here's a list of what I have that Spann is on:

Any stories, fasstrack?

Nice ones. Random memories:

Early 80s. He used to hang in Washington Square Park, read and drink beer. He minded his business and only talked to people he liked. Once a 'jackleg preacher' or whatever you call those guys invaded his space too closely and he told him to 'go preach the gospel somewhere else. That's as dark as I ever saw him get, and he forgot about it right after. Sometimes he sat in with the street bands that played there. He had mostly stopped playing by then and told me when he got the jones for music he would write a big band chart in his head.

When I had my box with me we would sit and BS and pass the guitar around. He showed me the proper 2 line counterpoint to Con Alma. He was very respectful of my playing and encouraging. A mutual friend we had were the guitar player Eddie Diehl. I know Eddie dug him. Eddie, myself, and a bass player named Jared Bernstein (now a well-known economist in DC) had made a demo in 1981, and Les said he really dug it. I remember him also telling me he had hung with Tal Farlow when he (Spann) was in the army, and they got loaded one time and played their asses off. "He was a hell of a guy" I remember him saying.

I definitely felt he was broken-hearted but he never went there and I certainly never took him there.

That's all I can remember, and rest his soul.

[Stereojack]

And he's on the Dizzy Gillespie Verve albums:

Have Trumpet, Will Excite

The Ebullient Mr Gillespie

Did anyone mention that he had his own record on Riverside?

Gemini, available on OJC

[Jim R]

Here's a selected discog:

Les Spann Gemini Jazzland

Curtis Fuller The Magnificent Trombone Epic

Eddie Davis Lock, The Fox RCA

Red Garland Solar Jazzland

Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges Back To Back Verve

Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges Side By Side Verve

Johnny Hodges The Complete Verve Small Group Sessions, 1956 to 1961 Mosaic

Nat Adderley That's Right! Riverside

Duke Pearson Honeybuns Atlantic

Jerome Richardson Going To The Movies United Artists

Dizzy Gillespie Dizzy's Diamonds: The Best Of The Verve Years (at the moment, I can't remember which individual Gillespie albums Spann was on...)

Edit: I see Jack answered my question.

Edited July 4, 2006 by Jim R

[Bluesman]

He's also on this Bill Coleman CD from 1960:

[Harold_Z]

Eddie, myself, and a bass player named Jared Bernstein (now a well-known economist in DC) had made a demo in 1981, and Les said he really dug it.

Coincidently Jared is mentioned in the Bob Herbert column Chris posted today !

Check it out.

[Big Al]

Thanks for sharing those stories, fasstrack! :

Thanks for the recs, guys!

Wonder what the following are like:

Curtis Fuller The Magnificent Trombone Epic

Red Garland Solar Jazzland

Nat Adderley That's Right! Riverside

I think the Garland and the Adderley are still in print (as is Gemini, clips of which I listened to today, and it was very nice!), but is that Fuller still in print?

[Chas]

Thanks for sharing those stories, fasstrack! :

Thanks for the recs, guys!

Wonder what the following are like:

Curtis Fuller The Magnificent Trombone Epic

Red Garland Solar Jazzland

Nat Adderley That's Right! Riverside

I think the Garland and the Adderley are still in print (as is Gemini, clips of which I listened to today, and it was very nice!), but is that Fuller still in print?

Yes the Fuller is still in print on a Collectables CD along with the other Fuller Epic date , South American Cookin :

I got my copy of Magnificent Trombone a few years ago when some bootlegger ( ? ) put out a bunch of Epics on vinyl for six bucks. It's a pretty sleepy date with lots of ballads ; would have fit right in with Prestige's Moodsville imprint . I like it , but I reach for the Bluenotes , the Warwick and his first Impulse record ( Soul Trombone , Japanese CD only ) more often .

[fasstrack]

Coincidently Jared is mentioned in the Bob Herbert column Chris posted today !

Check it out.

They are friends and both of us admire the hell out of Herbert. He's a great man and a voice in the wilderness.

[mikeweil]

Wonder what the following are like:

Nat Adderley That's Right! Riverside

It's a very nice album, but Spann shares the date with Jim Hall, plays mostly rhythm guitar (one chorus solo in "Tadd") and the focus is on Nat and the all-star sax section with Cannonball, Jimmy Heath, Yusef Lateef, Charlie Rouse, and Tate Houston.

Edited July 4, 2006 by mikeweil

[Harold_Z]

Coincidently Jared is mentioned in the Bob Herbert column Chris posted today !

Check it out.

They are friends and both of us admire the hell out of Herbert. He's a great man and a voice in the wilderness.

Couldn't agree more.

[Niko]

just rembered that spann's flute playing on side by side were one of those things that brought me to jazz (12 years ago when I was 14) - haven't pulled it out in years but will do that this afternoon...