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Miles Davis and Sonny Stitt: Jazz Time: Olympia
by Samuel Chell
On page 249 of his autobiography, Miles Davis recounts driving around Philly with Jimmy Heath, recalling that he “probably was complaining to him about Sonny Stitt playing the wrong [stuff] on 'So What,' because he would always [mess] up on that tune."The marvel is that Miles called on Stitt to replace Coltrane in the first place. But Wayne Shorter wanted to stay on with Art Blakey, so the most complete and polished bebop player of them all, a ...
Continue ReadingArt Pepper: Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section
by C. Michael Bailey
Making a classic better and affordable? Man, being reasonable, must get drunk; The best of life is but intoxication: Glory, the grape, love, gold, in these are sunk The hopes of all men, and of every nation; Without their sap, how branchless were the trunk Of life's strange tree, so fruitful on occasion: But to return,—Get very drunk; and when You wake with headache, you shall see what then. —George Gordon, Lord Byron, from Don Juan
Continue ReadingSonny Clark: Sonny's Crib
by Reid Thompson
Sonny's Crib is a very pleasing recording from the sadly overlooked pianist Sonny Clark that works very well as a representative piece of the Blue Note catalogue at the time, framing all the characteristics that made that label so successful. It is essentially a blowing session, and to some extent, a preparation for Coltrane's seminal Blue Train, which was recorded several weeks after Sonny's Crib and featured the same ensemble with Lee Morgan subbing for Donald Byrd and Kenny Drew ...
Continue ReadingPaul Chambers/Wynton Kelly: The Complete Vee Jay Paul Chambers/Wynton Kelly Sessions 1959-61
by C. Andrew Hovan
Following hard on the heels of Mosaic’s already acclaimed Vee-Jay set collecting early works from Wayne Shorter and Lee Morgan, we get The Complete Vee Jay Paul Chambers-Wynton Kelly Sessions, a superlative companion piece that sets straight material that has been issued and reissued in haphazard form for many years now. In addition to a pair of original releases from bassist Paul Chambers and another three from pianist Wynton Kelly, we get the full output of the Fabulous Frank Strozier ...
Continue ReadingRed Garland Trio: Groovy
by Douglas Payne
This trio was known as the rhythm section when Groovy was made. Pianist Red Garland (1923-84), bassist Paul Chambers (1935-69) and drummer Art Taylor (1929-95) were in the midst of a long tenure with Miles Davis and stayed busy in studios backing one horn player after another. The unit's simpatico refinement never wavers in doubt. They were made for each other, honed in night-after-night of performances in a variety of settings. Consider the way Garland balances his chunky block chords ...
Continue ReadingJohn Coltrane: Soultrane
by Douglas Payne
Tenor Titan John Coltrane (1926-67) made his solo recording debut on Prestige in 1956 and during his two and a half years with the label, sat in on an incredible 25 sessions. In 1958 alone, he'd recorded eight albums for the label and Prestige had enough material to continue releasing new Coltrane material into 1964! He never slowed down, leaving Prestige to record prolifically for Atlantic. Then, of course, there were the truckloads of significant records made for ...
Continue ReadingPaul Chambers: Bass on Top
by Joel Roberts
In July of 1957, when Paul Chambers recorded “Bass on Top," his third and final Blue Note release as a leader, he was already in his third year with the most influential jazz group of the time, the first great Miles Davis Quintet; he had just taken part in the Davis/Gil Evans Orchestra sessions that led to the classic “Miles Ahead" album; and he was appearing with the Davis Quintet and its new saxophonist Sonny Rollins at the ...
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