Jimmy Cleveland: Verve Elite

[ghost of miles]

Recently I chanced across a marked-down copy of INTRODUCING JIMMY CLEVELAND AND HIS ALL-STARS. Nice date! Quincy Jones did the arrangements, and the supporting cast makes the album live up to its title: Ernie Royal, Lucky Thompson, Jerome Richardson, Paul Chambers, Oscar Pettiford, Hank Jones, Max Roach... I like the originals as much or better than the standards here, too. This one makes me want to seek out some of his other EmArcys, although only one (CLEVELAND STYLE) appears to be in print. Maybe a candidate for a Mosaic Select? Maybe they could even tack the one United Artists date onto the EmArcys...

[JSngry]

Jimmy Cleveland is a BAAAADDD mofo who seems to get less props than his playing deserves. Seems like its always JJ, Curtis, & Rosolino who get the first nod amongst bebop/hard bop trombonists, and they're deserving, sure. But Clevleand consistently displayed some of the most amazing "pre-Watrous" chops on record (or at least what I, as a non-trombonist, consider "amazing chops"), with a great feel and good ideas to go with them. Always a winning combination, that is. And although it's entirely a subjective evaluation, I think he was a more "natural" player in terms of feel and ideas than those guys. That's just how he reaches me. Maybe it's a "Southern" thing, I don't know.

I first heard him on the Sonny Rollins Period date, but it was years before I found out who it was, since the Everest Archive of Folk & Jazz Music issue of that album listed no personnel. That "anonymous" trombonist was the cause of much admiration and speculation for quite a while.

Yeah - Jimmy Cleveland gets much love from me.

[Jim R]

Count me in. I have to admit that I had pretty much overlooked him until that Elite edition disc came out. Gotta offer up some rare props to the folks (meatheads ) at Universal/Verve for THAT one. Aside from all its other attributes, I was completely dazzled by Cleveland's playing on that. There's more to the possibilities with the ol' bone than some folks would have us believe! (On the other hand, I DO enjoy a good trombonist joke now and then) B)

FWIW, here's some data re Cleveland's Mercury/Emarcy albums:

Introducing Jimmy Cleveland And His All Stars Emarcy (Verve VEE) (36066) 1955-08-12; 11-19,22

Jimmy Cleveland,Ernie Royal,Lucky Thompson,Cecil Payne,John Williams,Barry Galbraith,Paul Chambers,Max Roach,Quincy Jones (arr); Hank Jones,Oscar Pettiford, Osie Johnson; Jerome Richardson,Wade Legge,Joe Harris

hear ye hear ye,you don't know what love is,vixen,my one and only love,little beaver,our love is here to stay (2 takes),count ‘em,bone brother,i hadn't anyone til you,see minor

Cleveland Style (Mercury 36126) 1958

Jimmy Cleveland,Art Farmer,Benny Golson,Wynton Kelly,Eddie Jones,Charlie Persip, Jay McAllister,Don Butterfield

out of this world,all this and heaven too,posterity,long ago and far away,a jazz ballad,jimmie's tune,goodbye ebbets field

A Map Of Jimmy Cleveland (Mercury 20442/60117) 1959

Jimmy Cleveland,Ray Copeland,Ernie Royal,Jerome Richardson,Don Butterfield,Junior Mance,Bill Crow,Art Taylor

swing low sweet chariot,a hundred years from today,marie,jay bird,the best things in life are free,stardust,jimmy's old funky blues

Rhythm Crazy (Emarcy 26003) 1965

Jimmy Cleveland,Art Farmer,Benny Golson,Jerome Richardson,Hank Jones,Milt Hinton ,Osie Johnson

crazy rhythm,old reliable,we never kissed,tom kattin',our delight,reminiscing, tricotism

[ghost of miles]

Ripe for a Select, I'd say! That is, if Universal would license them... and I still think it would be neat (if unusual) to traverse label/conglomerate boundaries and put the United Artists date on there as well, because I think that would pretty much be every album Cleveland recorded as a leader. Given that the United Artists date would fall under EMI control, I don't think Mosaic would have any trouble licensing it... just a matter of Universal allowing them to group it with the EmArcys.

Time for me to drop a line to the old Mosaic feedback box, methinks.

Edited January 10, 2004 by ghost of miles

[Free For All]

I got to meet him around 1982 at a convention, and actually got "assigned" to take him out to dinner, which I was MORE than happy to do. At that point he wasn't playing a whole lot- I think he'd gotten into real estate or something. He sure disappeared after several amazing recordings- he was commonly referred to as "Super JJ".

I LOVE the idea of compiling his recordings onto a Select!! I'll bet that might take awhile, though- there have been at least 3 trombone-centered Selects so far, and they may be looking to spread it out a bit. I do think it's a great idea, though.

He should be available for "discovery" by a new generation, for sure.

[Chuck Nessa]

This is a fine example of the '50s white/tight/Quincy Jones stuff. Very professional, but not inspired.

Don't scream at me - I buy it and enjoy. I just know what I'm doing.

[Larry Kart]

"This is a fine example of the '50s white/tight/Quincy Jones stuff." That's the way I felt at the time too. Also, while Cleveland's facility was remarkable, weren't his time and articulation a bit too mechanical and machine-gun like compared to (staying in a post-JJ bag) Curtis Fuller's? I prefer Cleveland when he got away from that Quincy ensemble sound, as on the quintet work he did with Lucky Thompson; it seemed to loosen him up a fair bit. I also recall an unexpectedly handsome ballad chorus on "If You Could See Me Now" on "Gil Evans Plus 10." Maybe Cleveland's "if you've got it, flaunt it" emphasis on his facility was not in his best artistic interests, though I'd say that approach probably was right for Rosolino, where the virtuosity was part of a genuinely madcap sensibility (no reference to Rosolino's death intended).

[montg]

Ripe for a Select, I'd say! That is, if Universal would license them

I think this would be a nice set, but while we're asking for trombonists from Verve, it would be good to include Bill Harris and Al Grey (whose Argo recordings are held by the Verve conglomerate). Either would make a nice Select or perhaps even a full fledged Mosaic.

[Late]

Up for re-reading. I've been digging the little Jimmy Cleveland I have (which doesn't include the Verve Elite), and am at the prospect of a Mosaic Select. I wonder what Cuscuna thinks ...

[sidewinder]

This is a great Elite CD - good reminder to pull it off the rack and give it a spin. Love the arrangements and I think Cleveland gets just about the best sound out of the bone of any jazz trombonist I can think of. A joy to behold. He was also sporadically active in the LA area until quite recently, I believe.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

I think this was clarified elsewhere, but for the record, there is NO Jimmy Cleveland United Artists date. This was a long-standing error: copied from Down Beat by Walter Bruyninckx (the earlier Jepsen did NOT make the error and the Erik Raben update still has it correct) then copied from Bruyninckx by Tom Lord and then into the allmusic site.

The date is actually Sliding Easy by Curtis Fuller. The current Bruyninckx and Lord CDROMs have finally corrected this. As of this moment, the dreaded allmusic site still has not.

Mike

[Mark J]

I can see how this can seem mechanical and over produced (it is Quincy Jones), but I find this album very enjoyable and like Cleveland's playing on it, much as I enjoy the similar album Clark Terry which was also a Verve Elite (this also has Cleveland and is produced by Jones). Both are near the top of my favorite VEEs.