Jackie McLean's 1950's Prestige Recordings

[Late]

I'm not feeling the checked tie + checked shirt, but Trane knew things others did not ...

But back to Jackie. Today I listened to:



in its entirety. This is actually a much better album than conventional wisdom regards it as — i.e. historically not insignificant, but also passable in the grand scheme. But listen to the solos. None of them are throw-aways. This was a working band at the time, and it seems one that was hoping for a break. Everybody's slightly careful, but to good effect. Webster Young puts forth his best tone and is thinking Miles (perhaps via Fats) all the way. Jackie seems like he's trying to avoid all the Parkerisms that Mingus hated, and Ray Draper is more delicate than he is on the Prestige sessions. Gil Coggins sounds positively Monkian, and check Larry Ritchie — what happened to that guy? There are lots of references to contemporaneous music of the time — quotes of Sonnymoon, Miles licks, and Philly Joe Jones-isms. This band was tight, and they were gigging in Newark. I wonder what they sounded like live.

If this album were on Blue Note, it wouldn't be as under-remarked as it is. 

[cliffpeterson]

jsngry- Mr. Phipps lives in Guilderland, a suburb of Albany, NY

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2013/aug/25/phipps_wp/?print

He continues to play- will be performing this Sunday at a local church

 

 

[Larry Kart]

Jsngry was asking about bassist Arthur Phipps, not pianist Nat Phipps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Phipps

[Late]

Phipps:

Not Jackie, but a good album nonetheless. Nice to hear Barrow stretch out. (He's the phantom participant on Blues & The Abstract Truth.)

[Late]

Listening to the February 15, 1957 "Arthur Phipps Session" right now. The ballads are perhaps the highlight. Jackie's Prestige work ages well, contrary to conventional wisdom.

[felser]

On 10/28/2015 at 7:36 PM, Late said:

Phipps:

Not Jackie, but a good album nonetheless. Nice to hear Barrow stretch out. (He's the phantom participant on Blues & The Abstract Truth.)

Wow, never heard of that one, would love to give a listen!  

[Teasing the Korean]

2 hours ago, felser said:

Wow, never heard of that one, would love to give a listen!  

Here you go!

 

[Bluesnik]

On 10/22/2015 at 5:53 AM, JSngry said:

Still haven't wrapped my head around the concept of living in a world where wearing a tie was something you did without thinking about it...

Very much agree with that.

[Brad]

On 10/22/2015 at 11:53 PM, JSngry said:

Still haven't wrapped my head around the concept of living in a world where wearing a tie was something you did without thinking about it...

I’m retired now but the day our company went casual was the last day I wore one (except for certain occasions).  Still, there’s something about it when you wear one with a nice suit.  

[Peter Friedman]

Reading this Jackie McLean on Prestige thread has pushed me to pull some of those CDs off the shelf for current listening.

[JSngry]

3 hours ago, Brad said:

 Still, there’s something about it when you wear one with a nice suit.  

There is indeed. But I have to think about doing it before I go ahead and do it. It seems like in that day, a lot of people just did it without thinking, as part of their everyday apparel?

[Rooster_Ties]

On 4/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, JSngry said:

There is indeed. But I have to think about doing it before I go ahead and do it. It seems like in that day, a lot of people just did it without thinking, as part of their everyday apparel?

I wear and have worn a tie practically every single day I’ve been at work (at the Museum I’ve worked for since 2013, and also in a desk IT-related job I had from 1994-2003).  Here in DC, I used to be the assistant to the executive director of a major DC museum for ~7 years (immediately pre-pandemic) — and now I work in the Museum Shop (where I deal with the public 90% of my day, every day, same museum).

As many of you might remember, I have this huge collection of 100+ vintage narrow square-bottom ties from the 60’s — mostly Rooster brand (plus a few others).

I’m not “Rooster_Ties” here just for nothin’ — and also on the Steve Hoffman Forums, on Reddit, and a few other places. Hell, I think that was my userid on the old BNBB, come to think of it.

And let me tell you, it’s 100x easier and simpler for me to not otherwise look like a schlub, simply by wearing a tie every day. When I was upstairs (in Administration), it was always with slacks. Now it’s with jeans (incl. a few “non-blue” jeans, i.e black jeans, grey, brown, etc). It’s (the ties)… well, they’re my thing.

My work wardrobe is infinitely easier to not have to think about (not at all, really), with that big collection of interesting vintage neckties to choose from. Without them, I would have zero sense of style. And while I’m still not always the most stylish person in the Shop, at least I always look a million times less generic (and more importantly, less like a schlub).

Note: I’m NOT saying people who don’t wear ties look like schlubs. Just that *I* do.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Rooster_Ties

[jlhoots]

4 hours ago, Brad said:

I’m retired now but the day our company went casual was the last day I wore one (except for certain occasions).  Still, there’s something about it when you wear one with a nice suit.  

Funerals??

[Rooster_Ties]

On 10/22/2015 at 11:43 PM, Late said:

Holy cow, that’s a square-bottom tie!!  That’s probably a Rooster brand tie!!!

I *love* finding photos like this out in the wild.  This is great!!!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I never realised there was a firm called Rooster Ties! Learn summin every day!

When I was at work, I wore ties. Strictly speaking, I wore A tie. I only had one and wore it until it wore out, when I'd buy another (from the Tie Rack). I liked outrageous cartoon ties. My favourites were of the Pink Panther leaning on a lamppost playing a tenor sax, then of a leering pink pig. (John Major (then Prime Minister) paid an official visit to the department and thought I'd put the pig on specially for him!)

That's the ultimate in not having to think about what tie you wear.

MG

[Dub Modal]

I'm glad yall love 'em. Ties make no sense to me at all as I don't understand the necessity of wearing knotted fabric around my neck. I wear them only when required. I'm just not big on accessories I guess. 

Anyway, I've got several of McLean's Prestige albums from the 50s and I really do enjoy them. 

[felser]

1 hour ago, Dub Modal said:

 I wear them only when required.  

+1.  And loosen them around the neck as much as permissible, and take them off as soon as I can.

[Late]

I need to spin this one next. I always skip over it for some reason.

[JSngry]

8 hours ago, Late said:

I need to spin this one next. I always skip over it for some reason.

Because Jackie looks like a goddam ventriloquist's dummy?

[Late]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Because Jackie looks like a goddam ventriloquist's dummy?

"Mr. Hardman & His Giant Talking Friend"—that was their side gig. Jackie played along with it to keep Bill smiling.

The whole thing freaked the rhythm section out however.

[Gheorghe]

If I like to listen to an easy listening long track, one of my choices may be "Long Drink of the Blues". Funny how Jackie sounds on the tenor too. And I like Jackies renditions of ballads on some of the Prestige sessions. 

[Late]

Jackie seems looser on this date. Maybe because it wasn't his?

[Late]

Prestige-era Jackie on this one. Weinstock (if it was actually his choosing) seemed to like to pair Ammons with McLean.

Tangential history lesson time:

WD-40 was invented in 1953. The letters stand for "Water Displacement." The number stands for how many times chemists experimented with certain compounds before landing on a recipe that achieved anti-rust qualities. The lubricant and anti-squeak properties were pleasant side effects.

Why didn't Art Taylor's loved-ones tell him about his bass drum pedal? Was Arthur too sensitive to receive constructive criticism? If only he'd been gifted a spraycan of the 3 year-old wonder product—so many "hi fi jam sessions" would have benefited. Surely Bob Weinstock, an aerospace enthusiast in his teen years, kept a can in his desk.

 

[Dub Modal]

3 hours ago, Late said:

Prestige-era Jackie on this one. Weinstock (if it was actually his choosing) seemed to like to pair Ammons with McLean.

Tangential history lesson time:

WD-40 was invented in 1953. The letters stand for "Water Displacement." The number stands for how many times chemists experimented with certain compounds before landing on a recipe that achieved anti-rust qualities. The lubricant and anti-squeak properties were pleasant side effects.

Why didn't Art Taylor's loved-ones tell him about his bass drum pedal? Was Arthur too sensitive to receive constructive criticism? If only he'd been gifted a spraycan of the 3 year-old wonder product—so many "hi fi jam sessions" would have benefited. Surely Bob Weinstock, an aerospace enthusiast in his teen years, kept a can in his desk.

 

Amen 

[gmonahan]

5 hours ago, Late said:

Prestige-era Jackie on this one. Weinstock (if it was actually his choosing) seemed to like to pair Ammons with McLean.

Tangential history lesson time:

WD-40 was invented in 1953. The letters stand for "Water Displacement." The number stands for how many times chemists experimented with certain compounds before landing on a recipe that achieved anti-rust qualities. The lubricant and anti-squeak properties were pleasant side effects.

Why didn't Art Taylor's loved-ones tell him about his bass drum pedal? Was Arthur too sensitive to receive constructive criticism? If only he'd been gifted a spraycan of the 3 year-old wonder product—so many "hi fi jam sessions" would have benefited. Surely Bob Weinstock, an aerospace enthusiast in his teen years, kept a can in his desk.

 

The things I learn from this Board!

 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by gmonahan