BFT 233, The Reveal

[Ken Dryden]

Track 1
“Fantazm,” written by Duke Ellington
John La Barbera Big Band: Fantazm (Jazz Compass)
Soloists: Pat La Barbera: soprano saxophone; Bill Cunliffe: piano; Bob Carr: bass clarinet

Joe La Barbera, the drummer in the last Bill Evans Trio, also is present in the band. He, John & Pat are brothers. One of Duke Ellington’s lesser known works dating from the 1940s.

Track 2 
Trouble is a Man, by Alec Wilder
Coleman Hawkins: At Ease With Coleman Hawkins 
(Prestige/Moodsville RVG Remasters)
Coleman Hawkins: tenor saxophone; Tommy Flanagan: piano; Wendell Marshall: bass; Osie Johnson: drums

Track 3 
Manhã de Carnaval, by Luiz Bonfá & Antônio Maria
Terry Gibbs: Bopstacle Course (Xanadu)
Terry Gibbs: vibes; Barry Harris: piano; Sam Jones: bass; Alan Dawson: drums

Track 4
“We See…We Believe,” the last segment from “Discovery,” the first section of “The Lost Cathedral,” by Bud Shank
Bud Shank: The Lost Cathedral (ITM)
I learned about this recording when I interviewed Bud Shank a number of years ago. He was very enthusiastic about the project. A group of performers climbed into an abandoned cistern and were recorded as they improvised to take advantage of the unique reverb in July 1991. They include: Jay Clayton: vocals; Dick Oatts: soprano saxophone; Bobby Shew: trumpet; Jiggs Whjigham: trombone; Bill Ramsay: baritone saxophone. Bud Shank “conducted” them by flashlight. The tape was then used for background in a 1992 concert in Port Townsend, Washington, featuring a band led by Bud Shank (alto saxophone) with Dave Peck (piano), Chuck Deardorf (bass), Dean Hodges (drums) and Gary Gibson (percussion).

Track 5 7:18
The Midgets, by Frank Wess and Joe Newman
Lewis Nash & Be-Bop All Stars Featuring Frank Wess (Solid/All Art)
Lewis Nash: drums; Frank Wess: flute, Terell Stafford: trumpet; Jesse Davis: alto saxophone; Mulgrew Miller: piano; Peter Washington: bass

I always have to sneak in at least one Japanese import since not everyone has the opportunity to hear many of them.

Track 6 3:05
Any Old Time, by Artie Shaw
George Romanis and His Orchestra: East Coast Series, from the LP Sound in Motion (Fresh Sound)
Ernie Royal, Doc Severinsen, John Bello, Clark Terry (solo), Nick Travis, Jimmy Maxwell, Jimmy Nottingham: trumpets; Urbie Green, John Mesner, Wayne Andre, Frank Rehak: trombones; Paul Faulise: bass trombone; Don Butterfield: tuba; Tommy Newsom: piccolo & flute; Eddie Costa: vibes; Barry Galbraith: guitar; Chuck Wayne: rhythm guitar; George Duvivier: bass; Mousie Alexander: drums, Bunny Shawker: percussion

This track borders on easy listening, but the supporting cast is great and Clark Terry’s trumpet is immediately recognizable.

Track 7 8:03
Alone Together, by Arthur Schwartz & Howard Dietz
from Tough Young Tenors (Antilles)
James Carter: tenor saxophone; Herb Harris: tenor saxophone; Marcus Roberts: piano; Reginald Veal: bass; Ben Riley: drums

A CD featuring five young tenor saxophonists in different combinations and alone with the rhythm section, issued in 1991. James Carter is the only one who has risen to prominence.

Track 8 6:51  46:00
What News, by Reg Schwager, based on Bob Haggart’s “What’s New”
The Don Thompson Quartet: Winter Mist (The Jazz Alliance)
Don Thompson: vibes; Reg Schwager: guitar; Pat Collins: bass; Barry Elmes: drums

I enjoyed getting to see Don Thompson in multiple roles while I was in Toronto for IAJE in 2003. He played bass with Marian McPartland at the conference and led a big band at the old Montreal Jazz Bistro where he played both piano and vibes.

Track 9 6:26 52:30

“Winter of My Discontent,” by Alec Wilder
Vic Juris: Music of Alec Wilder (Double Time Jazz)
Vic Juris: guitar; David Liebman: tenor saxophone, Steve LaSpina: bass; Jeff Hirschfield: drums

Marian McPartland wasn’t the only musician who was a huge fan of Alec Wilder as a composer. The late Vic Juris deserves wider appreciation, as much of his discography was recorded for either small or European labels, while he made his mark in numerous bands as a sideman. The only time I got to hear him was at Dizzy’s in the fall of 2019 a few months prior to his death, playing in the Rufus Reid Big Band. Of course, Juris has a long association with Liebman.

Track 10 4:17   57:00
Melancholia (mislabeled Melancholy), by Duke Ellington
Joe Van Enkhuisen & Horace Parlan: Ellington Ballads (Timeless)
Joe Van Enkhuisen: tenor saxophone; Horace Parlan; piano

Something a bit off the beated path that I picked up from a fellow Organissimo board member. I don’t know much about the saxophonist, I picked it up because Parlan was on it and I didn’t recall that many duo recordings in his discography.

Track 11 6:23   63:30
Blood Count, by Billy Strayhorn
Mat Marucci: Ulterior Motif (Jazz Inspiration)
Mat Marucci: drums, John Tchicai: tenor saxophone; Aaron Garner: piano; Al Bent: bass

I’ve been in touch with drummer Mat Marucci since shortly after I reviewed this 1998 CD and disagreed with the inclusion of Sheryl Crow’s lame pop hit “All I Really Wanna Do.” He is a big fan of the late John Tchicai so I thought it would be to include something a little more mainstream by the saxophonist.

Track 12 6:50
Peace, by Horace Silver
Jasper Van ’T Hof, At the Concertgebouw - Solo (Challenge)
This pianist and organist covers a lot of styles, but I thought this arrangement was a nice change of pace from his typical recordings.

Track 13 7:37
“Before You Left,” by Phil Woods, a contrafact of “After You’ve Gone.”
Phil Woods Featuring Johnny Griffin: The Rev & I (Blue Note)
Phil Woods: alto saxophone; Johnny Griffin: tenor saxophone; Cedar Walton: piano; Peter Washington: bass; Ben Riley: drums

Phil Woods’ sole CD as a leader for Blue Note. I am a huge fan of his work and he was a fun interview for me.

[Dan Gould]

Thank  you Ken - this may be a new record for the "all BFTs will contain a recording you own but will not recognize" rule.  In addition to the two that I helped ID the specifics of, I also own the Hawk recording and the Van Enkhuisen/Horace Parlan record (I also programmed Van Enkhuisen a few years ago for one of my own BFTs).

Regarding the Tough Young Tenors recording I find it interesting that several hated on the pianist to one degree or another - I hear Marcus Roberts differently and continue to be a fan.  

[randyhersom]

My new Dialogs database was almost an effective sleuthing tool on #12.  I found the tracks named Peace and ordered them by duration, and started searching close to 6.50 for European pianists.  I didn't go far enough in the longer direction, unfortunately.  I resorted to Shazam and then reviewed the database hits to find out how close I had come.  Forgot that the compiler might choose to omit long applause and/or revealing intros.  I did that myself on my first BFT.

As I mentioned on another thread, I discovered Karheinz Miklin through his version of Peace during this process.

[Ken Dryden]

Yeah, excessive applause and announcements being edited from the tracks can really shorten track length.