Dave Rickert
December 2002

Combing the Catalog
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By David Rickert

Bossa Nova/Jazz Waltz
Shorty Rogers
1962

Like Stan Kenton, Shorty Rogers led a big band that featured some of the greatest names in West Coast jazz. No less than Shelley Manne, Jimmy Giuffre, and Bob Shank appeared on early classics like The Big Shorty Rogers Express and Portrait of Shorty. However, Rogers’ band always seemed like a lot more fun to be in than Kenton’s, since Rogers exhibited a goofy sense of experimentation and a knack for writing peppy horn charts that exhibited a great deal of hyper energy. Rogers eventually made concept albums his forte, and albums like The Swingin’ Nutcracker and Courts the Count matched great songs with clever arranging, usually successfully. Once Rogers took his band to the Atlantic label, however, it appeared that all the good players were gone as were the marketable ideas. Bossa Nova must have appeared fresh at the time (it was recorded a year before the Brazilian music craze) but now seems buried in a pack of like-minded albums. Rogers did have the presence of mind to recruit a guitarist and a few percussionists to give the music an authentic flavor, and the music is earnestly played. However, bossa nova works best with a less rambunctious approach. Rogers never seemed capable of approaching anything delicately, and overwhelms the melodies with brassy riffs. Not bad, but when you’re tempted to reach for a big band or a bossa nova record, Bossa Nova won’t come to mind in either case. Jazz Waltz is far better, mainly because the novelty of ÃƒÂ…Ã…Åş time in music is still fresh even today and Joe Mondragon and Mel Lewis create a seemingly infinite variety of ways to swing in waltz time. Rogers contributes a few catchy melodies (in particular the title track) and creates lovely charts for the back-to-back “Echoes of Harlem” and “A Taste Of Honey”. If there’s a drawback to the song selection it’s that no one really needs another version of “Greensleeves” after hearing Coltrane’s version, but the temptation of featuring it may have been too great. As on Bossa Nova, vibist Larry Bunker is given more solo space than usual for a Rogers project. Rogers, never a great instrumentalist to begin with, treats each solo like a tightrope walk. Unfortunately, those eager to seek out more of Rogers work will have a hard task before them; precious little of Rogers’ work is currently available domestically. It’s a pity to think that some unsuspecting buyer might think this is the best Rogers had to offer.

In Concert Town Hall
Joe Bushkin
1963

Piano jazz is a lot like pizza; even when it’s terrible, it’s still fairly good. Case in point is Joe Bushkin, a fine pianist for Eddie Condon who later watered down his style to appeal to a mass audience in concerts such as this. One can almost hear more passionate pianists shaking their fist at Bushkin because they are far more deserving of the recognition. To be fair, Bushkin is still a terrific pianist who can play as fast and as accurately as anyone out there, but one gets the sense that he is content to please an audience with technical wizardry and never seems to be working all that hard to be inventive. Guitarist Chuck Wayne seems to be the real treat, but is rendered inaudible most of the time except for a few brief solos (he seems to have difficulty finding a role in the context). The program is standard fare for cocktail lounges and cabarets-Gershwin, Berlin, Porter-all delivered with a sense of importance and sweeping drama. None of this is all that bad, but can you really purchase this album when there’s so much other stuff out there that’s more accomplished and nuanced? Pick up a Bill Evans album instead.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream
Joe Zawinul
1965

Third Stream is a term coined to describe the marriage of classical and jazz music in composition and performance. Despite bordering on pretension, in most cases this ambitious movement created some of the worst records in history. Fans of either genre remained content to keep their music free from the perceived impurities of the other. Third Stream music had more or less fallen by the wayside by the mid-sixties, but a chance meeting between Zawinul and composer William Fischer inspired this ambitious attempt to once again present classical composition in a jazz context. Not bad for a guy who was only on his second album as a leader. Zawinul and Fischer largely succeed in their attempt to meld the two, using a small string section and an assortment of jazz instrumentation as their tools. Parts of the scores are written out, yet plenty of room is left for improvisation. The transition is seamless and allows for a great deal of modal playing based on the original themes as well as some free jazz dabbling. Along with the string arrangements, which vary from lush to jarring, Zawinul contributes some lovely arpeggios as well as some haunted electric piano. Whether or not this music bears any resemblance to classical (or, for that matter, jazz) is up for debate, but nevertheless The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream is a compelling and challenging listen.

Shorty Rogers-Bossa Nova/Jazz Waltz
Tracks: 1. Samba Do Lorinho (Lorinho's Samba) 2. Chega De Saudade (No More Sadness) 3. Samba Triste (Melancholy Samba) 4. Samba De Uma Nota So (One Note Samba) 5. Pao De Assucar (Sugar Loaf) 6. Samba Do Empashgi (Empashgi's Samba) 7. O Amore E A Rosa (Love Is A Rose) 8. So Voce (Only You) 9. Chora Tua Tristeza (Cry Your Sadness) 10. So Um Amor (Only One Love) 11. O Menino Desce O Morro (Little Brown Boy) 12. I'm Gonna Go Fishin' 13. Greensleeves 14. Walk On The Wild Side 15. Witchcraft 16. Be As Children 17. Jazz Waltz 18. Echoes Of Harlem 19. A Taste Of Honey 20. Terrence's Farewell 21. The Streets Of Laredo.
Personnel: Shorty Rogers-trumpet and his Giants.

Joe Bushkin-In Concert Town Hall
Tracks: 1. The Man That Got Away 2. The "Porgy And Bess" Medley: A) Bess You Is My Woman B) It Ain't Necessarily So C) Summertime D) The Man I Love 3. I Can't Get Started 4. They Can't Take That Away From Me 5. The Song Is Ended 6. The Cole Porter Medley: A) You're Sensational B) Love For Sale C) It's All Right With Me 7. One For My Baby 8. I've Got A Crush On You 9. Just One Of Those Things.
Personnel: Joe Bushkin-piano; Chuck Wayne-guitar; Ed Shaughnessy-percussion; Milt Hinton-bass.

Joe Zawinul-The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream
Tracks: 1. Baptismal 2. Soul of a Village 3. The Fifth Canto 4. From Vienna, With Love 5. Lord, Lord, Lord 6. A Concerto, Retitled.
Personnel: Joe Zawinul-piano, electric piano; William Fischer-tenor sax; Jimmy Owens-trumpet; Kermit Moore-cello; Selwart Clarke, Alfred Brown, Theodore Israel-violas; Richard Davis-bass; Warren Smith-percussion; Freddie Waits or Roy McCurdy-drums.

Collectables on the web: http://www.oldies.com