LP-660

Milt Buckner - Mighty High

Released 1960

Recording and Session Information

Jimmy Campbell, alto saxophone; Milt Buckner, organ; Kenny Burrell, guitar; Joe Benjamin, bass; Maurice Sinclair, drums
New York, December 2, 1959

9906 Burnt out
9907 Syncopated clock
9908 Abstractions
9909 Organ grinder's swing
9910 Two flights up
9911 D.T.'s
9912 After hours
9913 Mighty high
9914 Teach me tonight
9915 Haunting me
9916 Castle rock
9917 Willow Weep for Me

Track Listing

Mighty High	Milt Buckner	December 2 1959
Teach Me Tonight	DePaul	December 2 1959
Abstraction	Milt Buckner	December 2 1959
Two Flights Up	Buckner, Turner	December 2 1959
After Hours	Parrish, Bruce	December 2 1959
D.T.'s	Buckner, Turner	December 2 1959
Organ Grinder's Swing	Hudson, Parrish, Mills	December 2 1959
Willow Weep For Me	Ronell	December 2 1959
Burnt Out	Milt Buckner	December 2 1959
Syncopated Clock	Leroy Anderson	December 2 1959
Castle Rock	Sears, Drake, Shirl	December 2 1959
Haunting Me	Heywood	December 2 1959

Liner Notes

A CHANCE REMARK of Lionel Hampton changed Milt Buckner's career completely. It led him from the piano to organ. It changed him from an unknown pianist to one of the most widely acclaimed organists of the day.

Actually, Milt began playing piano way back in the '30s with McKinny's Cotton Pickers and Jimmy Raschell. In 1941 he joined Lionel Hampton's band and remained with him until 1948, when he left to form his own band. However, he felt that his greatest opportunity remained with Hampton and so rejoined him in 1950. It was during this time Milt became famous for his compositions and arrangements. The most famous of these was the tune titled Hamp's Boogie Woogie.

One night Lionel happened to ask Milt if he could play the organ. Milt replied, "I can't, but I'll try." After a few weeks of practicing Milt played to the public. At first he had some difficulty with the volume control, operated by a foot pedal, and as Milt says, '"Hamp would give me a funny look when my note was sustained long after the chord changed."

After thoroughly mastering the organ Milt left the Hampton band to start his own small group. The group was an immediate success and recording sessions and club dates have been plentiful ever since.

Among the tunes in this album are five Buckner originals, including the title composition, Mighty High. It's a slow-moving blues that features Kenny Burrell's guitar, in addition to Milt's powerful organ.

Abstraction is a moody ballad whose theme is stated first by altoist Jimmy Campbell.

Two Flights Up is a swinger that's voiced like a big band arrangement. The mounting tension it builds going into the final jumping chorus will remind many listeners of the arrangements Milt used to write for the Hampton powerhouse.

D.T.s does not stand for delirium tremens — it is the initials of Danny Turner, the co-writer on the tune.

Burnt Out, another finger-snapper, is dedicated to a Hammond organ of Buckner's that got caught in a night club fire one night and got '"burnt out."

Among the other tracks on the album is a particular favorite of mine, Willow Weep For Me. Milt's solo is at once humorous and bluesy and I expect it's one track on this LP that I'll wear out.

Organ Grinder's Swing, a big hit back in the mid-FOS when it was recorded by Jimmie Lunceford's band, gets a spirited swing with a touch of highland fling in Buckner's version.

Haunting Me is a new Eddie Heywood composition recorded here for the first time.

With Milt on the date are two musicians from his home town of Philadelphia, saxist Campbell and drummer Maurice Sinclaire, who are part of his traveling group. On guitar is Kenny Burrell, one of jazz' best-known plectrists and an Argo recording artist in his own right. The bassist is veteran Joe Benjamin, heard with many groups in the last few years, including Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck, and Barbara Carroll.

I think that you will find much enioyment from the sounds created here by a well-groomed group. Musically it shows Milt Buckner's "locked hands" technique oil at his "feather-fingered" best. Meaning the quality truly is Mighty High.

Burt Burdeen