LP-736

Budd Johnson – Ya! Ya!

Released 1964

Recording and Session Information

Budd Johnson, tenor saxophone; Al Williams, organ; Richard Davis, bass; Belton Evans, drums
Sound Makers Studio, New York, January 20 1964

12933 When hearts are young
12934 The revolution
12935 Big Al
12936 Exotique
12937 Where it's at

Budd Johnson, tenor saxophone; Al Williams, organ; George Duvivier, bass; Belton Evans, drums

12938 Come rain or come shine
12939 Ya ya
12940 Tag along with me
12941 Chloe [Song of the swamp]

Track Listing

Ya! Ya!	Budd Johnson	January 20, 21 1964
Come Rain Or Come Shine	Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen	January 20, 21 1964
Big Al	Budd Johnson	January 20, 21 1964
Exotique	Esmond Edmonds	January 20, 21 1964
The Revolution	Budd Johnson	January 20, 21 1964
Tag Along With Me	Budd Johnson	January 20, 21 1964
Chloe	N. Moret & Gus Kahn	January 20, 21 1964
When Hearts Are Young	Romberg, Goodman, Wood	January 20, 21 1964
Where It's At	E. Herbert	January 20, 21 1964

Liner Notes

THE music we today call JAZZ has many facets, many styles, many young striving blowers and fortunately, quite a large corp of creative unhampered instrumental giants.

The featured tenor saxophonist of this album is one of these creative giants. Budd Johnson's career has spanned virtually all of the many styles that have controlled Jazz for one period or another. He has been and is still master of them all. Up till now, the most important segment of the medium that had Budd Johnson as an active practitioner was the pre and early Bebop era. His playing and arranging helped the big swing-entrapped Earl Hines band to begin an important musical change — a change that has never been improved upon (because everything that came after it was based upon it)!

Much of the frantic "free form bag" now extant is merely another feverish attempt to get away from the Bebop forms. The most successful ventures in this direction are being accomplished by the more mature players. Budd Johnson is one of these.

His previous Argo album, "French Cookin'", (721), had him backed by a conventional bass, piano, guitar, drums, plus an augmented Latin percussion section. This album gives Budd a little more blowing room with less of an arranged framework. Here he is accompanied and aided by Al Williams, organ; Belton Evans, drums; and alternating bassists George Duvivier and Richard Davis.

From the opening "work song" type bass figure followed by the squiggly-wiggly type organ figure you can readily feel the non-frantic blues-walking groove on the album's opening title tune, "Ya! Ya After stating the captivating theme Budd lays out till the organ solo swings him in with his own intense message.

"Come Rain Or Come Shine", has always been a beautiful blowing ballad. Budd treats the first chorus tenderly, then doubles it up for his 'blowing' segment. The bridge of the initial chorus is played especially pretty, theatre organ style, by Al Williams.

Bass and drum set the tempo for "Big Al" with Budd coming in blowing with no apparent theme in front. As the tune moves along, however, a very definite set of chord patterns assert themselves until the organ and tenor are playing a two-part invention.

The final selection on Side 1, "Exotique", is just that. Its unhurried theme and feeling remind me of Illinois Jacquet's Argo hit, "Bonita". Budd's style here is sort of "hot, clipped and urgent". Richard Davis' 'orientale' bowed solo in quarter tones is certainly a shocker the first time you hear the record. But as you listen to it repeatedly, it grows into an irresistible statement of great beauty.

Undoubtedly a paraphrase on the "free form bag" mentioned earlier, side two's opening tune is titled, "The Revolution". And also, as we said before, it seems that the most successful ventures into this type of playing are being executed by the more mature musicians. This tune is written utilizing the general interval sounds made by most of those involved with the form. How can you have written free form? I suppose the same way we've evolved "written jazz". Anyhow, Budd jumps into his free solo with a groan and proceeds to develop within the tune's structure, a fine feeling and meaning. All revolutions should be as painless!

"Tag Along With Me", is just that, a series of tags used as the central sounding board for the improvisations, instead of as an ending to a tune. This device lends itself most happily to bouyant type ideas and has been made most famous by the tandem team of Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt. Lester Young, in the '40's began using this style for endings in a more restrained manner, and Budd Johnson on this one really evokes the "Prez" image.

"Chloe", is given a slow bongo beat treatment in a sort of bounce style, with Budd making the major call for this lost swamp girl.

A bright and happy coutrast to the preceding tune follows, "by the name of" "When Hearts Are Young". Al Williams' organ is thoughtfully restrained as Budd builds in a flowing singing manner a solo that sounds as if it should go on forever. It almost does, but is finally faded out with the band still playing.

The closer is a statement of definiteness with no argument permitted, "Where It's At". It's just a strong moving blues in a gutter groove. Like here's the whole message right now!

I don't really believe this is the most important Jazz album ever made. Nor do I believe Budd Johnson thinks this. The claim here is that it is the latest recorded example of the continuing creativeness and melodic inventiveness of one of the under-rated saxophone giants of yesterday, TODAY, and undoubtedly, tomorrow. Those who have been championing the talents of Budd Johnson for quite a while are singularly impressed with his current work and are convinced that the greatest part of his career is only now just beginning.

It's all right here in the grooves of this album for you to hear and appreciate. Don't disappoint your inner ear.

JOE SEGAL