LP-759

Lou Donaldson – Musty Rusty

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Bill Hardman, trumpet; Lou Donaldson, alto saxophone; Billy Gardner, organ; Grant Green, guitar; Ben Dixon, drums
RVG, Englewood, New York, June 3 1965

13974 The Space Walk
13975 Musty Rusty
13976 Hippity hop
13977 Cherry pink and apple blossom white
13978 Ha' Mercy
13979 Midnight Sun

Track Listing

Musty Rusty	Lou Donaldson	June 3 1965
Midnight Sun	Lionel Hampton & J. Francis Burke	June 3 1965
Hipty Hop	Lou Donaldson	June 3 1965
The Space Walk	Ben Dixon	June 3 1965
Ha' Mercy	Lou Donaldson	June 3 1965
Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White	Marcel Agerson, Mack David, Luis Gugliemi	June 3 1965

Liner Notes

DURING the history of jazz, many artists have come and gone. On the current scene only a select few from the late Forties clan are still active and popular and one of the main reasons is that these men have so much to offer both jazz and non-jazz listeners. This is particularly true of Lou Donaldson. Lou's lyrical style. original sound and ability to appeal to a varied audience is once again demonstrated in MUSTY RUSTY, his fourth Argo album. It is a foot-tappin', soul-stirring record, full of drive, swing and musical creativity.

When I write about Lou Donaldson, I feel that I can do so with some authority. because I speak as a long-time friend and fellow musician. I have been a fan of the man and his music from the release of his first album. I was around during the evolution of this great sound and now you, the listener. are hearing it at its greatest maturity. You are the important judge at this time, so let's give the album a listen-to. If you are not now a Donaldson fan, I believe that you will join the crowd after hearing MUSTY RUSTY.

The first track Of the album is the title tune — a Lou Donaldson original. Lou and the very capable trumpeter Bill Hardman set the theme and then Lou leads off with about five exciting choruses to set the groove and lead the way for a very young and new talent on the organ named Billy Gardner. I'm sure that after you hear his solo you will agree that he will be heard from again and again. After Billy swings his way through the blues, Grant Green, one of the greatest jazz guitarists on the current scene, takes charge and leads you through several "boss" choruses. After the sermon by Grant, we just fade away quietly.

Midnight Sun, a Lionel Hampton original, really gets the Lou Donaldson melodic touch. It is soulful, pretty and very warmly complimented by a Grant Green solo that leads you back to the last statement by Lou. This is a must for listening delights.

As they say in the "soulville" of every city, "This is it. Baby"! Hip-swinging, finger-poppin', or any thing else you want to call it, can very easily be applied to Lou's composition, Hiply Hop. Lou, Bill Hardman, Grant Green and Billy Gardner swing from beginning to end.

Five-four-three-two-one-and side two blasts off with Space Walk, an original composition by Ben Dixon, the drummer in the group. The theme is taken by Bill and Lou with an off beat syncopation by Grant Green and Billy Gardner to set the orbiting mood. Then Lou goes into orbit, followed by Bill on trumpet and then Grant Green. After walking and swinging in space, the crew makes a perfect landing and everything is A-OK.

Ha' Mercy makes you think of Lightning Hopkins, Kansas City, New Orleans, and all of those other dimly-lit, smoke-tilled rooms with blues singers feeling the spirit and making up the words as they go along. Alto and trumpet set the theme to let you know where it's at and then Lou plays two choruses to let you know what it's all about. Billy Gardner then ignites the electronic tubes to tell his story, and last but not least, Grant Green lets you know that words do not have to be spoken or sung to convey this type of message. Ha' Mercy!

Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White is a tune that has been around for a long time but Lou's originality in phrasing and sound breathes new into this interpretation. Lou leads off with the melody, then he is joined by Bill Hardman in the middle of the tune. Then Lou has the final eight bars by himself. As on all the other tracks in this album, the soloists all come through with flying colors.

—Warren Stephens

LP-758

Ahmad Jamal – Extensions

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Ahmad Jamal, piano; Jamil S. Nasser, bass; Vernel Fournier, drums
Nola's Penthouse Studios, New York, May 18-20 1965

13961 This terrible planet
13962 Dance to the lady
13963 Bogaloo (?) (unissued)
13964 Whisper not
13965 Extensions (pt 1)
13966 Who can I turn to? (unissued)
13967 The first love song (unissued)
13968 unknown title (unissued)
13969 Look at that face (unissued)

Track Listing

Extensions	Ahmad Jamal	May 18-20 1965
Dance To The Lady	John Handy	May 18-20 1965
This Terrible Planet	Bob Williams	May 18-20 1965
Whisper Not	Benny Golson	May 18-20 1965

Liner Notes

IT IS always delightful exposing oneself to Ahmad Jamal's talents because he posesses all of the ingredients of 'the real jazz musician'. Innate ability varies in people but this man has been given an infectious swing, a wide harmonic scope, and a love for beautiful melodies.

Until a couple of years ago, he often said. "I haven't had a lesson in fifteen years: I was playing this way when I was twenty!" In his native Pittsburgh, and later while working Chicago night spots, his exceptional gifts were recognized, hut we have to differ with Jamal — he's playing greater than ever! This album is a testimony to that, sanctioned by the extremely capable bassist, Jamil S. Nasser, and the superb drummer, Vernei Fournier. Jamal's preference for the trio has persisted for sixteen years and this seems to be an ideal choice.

From "Wanted...Peace," one of Bob Williams' musicals, comes THIS TERRIFLE PLANET. A rhythmic combination of tambourin, sock cymbal, and side tom helps set the pace of this F-minor medium offering with a bluesy-eastern flavor.

Ahmad says, "THIS TERRIBLE PLANET is a most interesting composition and the words are equally interesting. I'm looking forward to people like Johnny Hartman doing it."

The runs of John Handy's DANCE TO THE LADY advance ripples of feeling. A&R man Dave Usher, highly excited in the control booth, is prompted to tell Ahmad after the take. "Yea! The lady dances with us!"

"DANCE TO THE LADY is a pretty tune," says Ahmad. "I dig it! Written by one of the most talented and scholarly musicians today, John Handy. He holds a masters degree and lives in San Francisco. A person, in musician circles, is very unfortunate who hasn't discovered him, very unfortunate!"

Benny Golson's WHISPER NOT is in the 'groovy modern tradition'. A fiery flavor is given underneath the beat by Vernel's fantastic top cymbal work.

Ahmad reminisces, "WHISPER NOT is such a swinger! A tune I've been doing for some time. Wrinen by one of my favorite musicians who has the rare facility of being a fine writer and instrutnentalist. When he was with Earl Bostic, he used to come to the Pershing. This is one of many of his compositions I enjoy."

After an ensemble intro, we go into the only original, EXTENSIONS. Then comes a bass solo, then one by Fournier, then Ahmad surprises us by tastefully plucking the piano strings. Following is a series of exchanges and then an up-tempo demon-like swing: a sort of intellectual adventure. a variety of interesting rhythms.

Ahmad considers EXTENSIONS to be the most important tune in the album and it has occupied his thoughts considerably: "This is a flag-waver even time we perform it. Wc did it with the Cleveland Orchestra on July 28, 1965. This is definitely 'thinking' music. Ever since we starred doing EXTENSIONS it hasn't failed to overwhelm the audience to the point of standing ovations."

Vernel Fournier has experienced two jazz history-making cities and perhaps this has contributed to his more than adequate percussion endowment and made him an expert. He was born in New Orleans and migrated to Chicago at twenty. A recording studio technician says. "He plays so politely!" Fournier rides his top cymbal brilliantly and with accompanying accents, using sock, brass, snare and tom — a soloist can't helped being moved. A brief spell away from the trio caused him to say on returning, "It's good to be back. I missed Ahmad!"

Vernel says. "THIS TERRIBLE PLANET is some title! It has a beautiful African sound. I play 3/4 and 4/4 time, Jamil 3/4, and Ahmad 3/4. DANCE TO THE LADY has a beautiful melody," Vernel continues, "I love this one! I like WHISPER NOT's beat. Going to listen carefully to the playback. Yea, " Vernel amens, "this EXTENSIONS really gives me a fast up-there challenge!"

Jamil S. Nasser is also from a city with a jazz tradition, Memphis. He allied himself to the bass in 1948 and, now being one of the prominent men on that instrument in New York, shows that this alliance wasn't fruitless. Of significance, however, is the pleasure of hearing his power, steady beat, and fertile rhythmic imagination.

Jamil says. "I love THIS TERRIBLE PLANET and sinking into the rhythm like an anchor. This I call 'anchoring'. DANCE TO THE LADY is unusual, musical, and written by a helluva musician! Love the tune! I get a swingin' kick out of WHISPER NOT." (Nasser danced happily on the playback of this one.) "We really get a good tempo on EXTENSIONS."

Watching Ahmad during a break flipping the pages of a Bach two- and three-part inventions, one thinks — or could think — of the journey trekked by him to the top: it's miraculous! But greatness cannot be harnessed by obstacles or disadvantages — this record is the proof.

And now allow me to present Ahmad Jamal's EXTENSIONS...

—Ahmad Basheer
Off The Record

LP-757

The Ramsey Lewis Trio - The In Crowd

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass; Redd Holt, drums
Bohemian Caverns, Washington D.C, May 13-15 1961

13924 A felicidade [Happiness]
13925 Stack (unissued)
13936 Without a song (unissued)
13937 Spartacus [Love theme from Spartacus]
13938 The "In" crowd
13939 Tennessee waltz
13940 A hard day's night (unissued)
13941 Sometimes I feel like a motherless child (unissued)
13942 Come Sunday
13943 It happened (unissued)
13944 And I love her (unissued)
13945 Theme from "Golden Boy" (unissued)
13996 Since I fell for you
13997 Night song (unissued)
13998 You been talkin' 'bout me baby

Track Listing

The 'In' Crowd	Billy Page	May 13-15 1961
Since I Fell For You	Buddy Johnson	May 13-15 1961
Tennessee Waltz	Pee Wee King / R. Stewart	May 13-15 1961
You Been Talkin' 'Bout Me Baby	Garnett / Hirsch / Riviera	May 13-15 1961
Spartacus (Love Theme From)	Alex North	May 13-15 1961
Felicidade (Happiness)	A.C. Jobin / V. DeMorais	May 13-15 1961
Come Sunday	Duke Ellington	May 13-15 1961

Liner Notes

The Ramsey Lewis three are among the best-selling jazz artists on records today. A collection of their works shows the many facets of their styles. Lewis has been presented with big bands and strings in addition to the regular trio format and in all situations he plays good jazz — sometimes pretty, sometimes blue. sometimes cool, but always swinging and straight from the heart of a true jazz artist.

The scope of jazz today has widened and young men like Ramsey Lewis are improvising, drawing from many sources, blending and putting into jazz something that was not there before, but never losing the source — the blues. The shaping of a mature musical personality is a long, slow process that is often as stormy as growing from adolescence to adulthood. In many cases, final crystallization never occurs and the musician is stalled on the brink of something important. For Ramsey Lewis, however, the process is just about complete and there is no doubt in my mind that his playing has reached a finality which indicates the culmination of the long trip.

The strides Ramsey has made in the last few years have been amazing. His sound and style have grown completely distinctive, and could be considered a synthesis of the older elements of jazz — elements that project the roots, beginnings and emotional undercoating of the idiom.

The trio was formed about a decade ago, while Ramsey was a student at DePaul University. The trio still consists of the original members, with bass and cello player extraordinary, Eldee Young, and the brilliant drummer Isaac "Red" Holt. All are from Chicago.

In recent years, the Ramsey Lewis Trio's popularity has risen to phenomenal heights. Nowhere in the country has the trio been more enthusiastically received than in the nation's capitol, where they *enjoy the praises of fans of all nations. It is stnall that hundreds or global neighbors waited in line to enter the beautiful, sculpturesque, world-renowned BOHEMIAN CAVERNS, the home of the 'IN' crowd, to see and hear the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

Recording night for the trio is an event for Washington fans, and this is the trio's second recording date in the famous BOHEMIAN CAVERNS. The first (ARGO LP-741) was as a big commercial success.

The trio opens this albunn with "I'm in with the 'in' crowd...I go where the 'in' crowd goes." Here Ramsey swings with a touch of the blues in the chordal work.

"Since I Fell For You" is a splendid old composition played in a manner that holds the attention all the way to the lonely sounding end.

On "Tennessee Waltz", Eldee Young plays cello with unbelievable dexterity. His approach ranges from a gentle reserve to unpredictable aggressive movements and his "Flamenco" introduction is a priceless bit of merriment.

On other selections, such as "Love Theme From Spartacus." "You Been Talk-in' 'Bout Me Baby" and "Felicidade", I find drummer "Red" Holt increasingly impressive, most effectively so, in his unique contributions.

From the beginning, the trio settled into a comfortable groove. relaxed and swinging. "I'm in with the 'in' crowd I know what the 'in' crowd knows." Yes, they know what the 'IN' crowd wants to hear, so they recorded a thoroughly satisfying collection of fine music, tailor-made for the 'IN' crowd.

Ramsey Lewis has made a lot of fine recordings and this is one more to add to his illustrious background.

Al Clarke
WOOx Radio
Washington. D.C.

LP-756

James Moody - Cookin' The Blues

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Howard McGhee, trumpet; Bernard McKinney, trombone; James Moody, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute; Musa Kaleem, baritone saxophone; Sonny Donaldson, piano; Steve Davis, bass; Arnold Enlow, drums; Eddie Jefferson, vocals
Jazz Workshop, San Francisco, June 1961

10955 Bloozey (unissued)
10956 Little Buck
10957 Home fries
10958 Disappointed
10959 It might as well be spring
10960 One for Nat
10961 Bunny Boo
10962 The Jazz Twist
10963 Sister Sadie
Moody Flooty

Track Listing

The Jazz Twist	James Moody	June 1961
One For Nat	Gene Kee	June 1961
Bunny Boo	James Moody	June 1961
Moody Flooty	James Moody	June 1961
It Might As Well Be Spring	Rodgers & Hammerstein	June 1961
Disappointed	E. Jefferson	June 1961
Sister Sadie	Horace Silver	June 1961
Little Buck	James Moody	June 1961
Home Fries	Gene Kee	June 1961

Liner Notes

BACK in 1946, James Moody made his first recording date. He was the featured tenor saxophonist with Dizzy Gillespie's big band on a number called Emanon. Moody was cookin' the blues — to a turn.

Almost twenty years later, Moody is back with Diz, and cookin' better than ever. In between. however, he was a band leader in his own right, as anyone who is aware of Argo Records well knows. Moody's bands have always been big little bands or little big bands, depending on how you look at it. They combined musicality and swing, and certainly knew how to play the blues. This 1961 edition, recorded live at The Jazz Workshop in San Francisco, is no exception. Here the band is heard in a supporting role, save a short solo by pianist Sonny Donaldson on The Jazz Twist. The stage is Moody's for the most part, except on the two selections in which his long-time buddy, singer Eddie Jefferson, steps into the spotlight.

When Moody went to Europe in the late Forties as a member of the Gillespie band, he decided to stay on the Continent. In France and Sweden, he became a recording star on both tenor and alto, his original instrument. When he returned to the United States in 1951, Jimmy continued to utilize both horns. Later in the Fifties, he added flute to his already heavy arsenal. In this album, he uses all three weapons to cook the blues.

Moody is very "vocal" on all his instruments but perhaps no place as much as on alto. His Jazz Twist solo, at a groovy medium tempo, gets into some screaming before it's finished. On the minor-key Home Fries, he does some hard wailing and crying. Even on It Might As Well Be Spring he imparts a bluesy inflection replete with a rowdy rooster crow.

His flute has a pleasing, beautifully-controlled, but never effete sound that is as azure as his other axes. Moody is flutin' the blues on only one track in this set and that's Moody Flooty. Once again he shows how to get a jazz feeling on flute without becoming hysterical.

Moody's tenor is never harsh but has an edge that bites and a center with plenty of guts and he fingers it with the same incredible facility that he brings to the smaller alto. James is a tough man at any tempo. As fellow saxophonist Allen Eager said to me, one night at Birdland, when we were enjoying James' playing, "He can do anything he wants to on his horn."

One For Nat has Moody in full flame and a short drum break by Buddy Enlow. Bunny Boo is in a rocking, finger-popping groove with the mood for Moody set by the walking Steve Davis and Enlow. Moody's Little Buck is a terse, swift, riffy blues with a Lester Young-ish beginning and a few hints of Pres in other places.

In abetting vocalist Eddie Jefferson's portrait of Horace Silver's Sister Sadie, Moody blows a particularly hot tenor chorus. This one swings all the way with Jefferson's words even taking in Blue Mitchell's trumpet solo from Silver's original version.

Jefferson was the first singer to write words to instrumental solos and perform them. "I started doing it back around 1938 or 1939," he told me. "I used to have a record player in my hotel room and just sing along with the records for my own amusement and for the cats who always hung around." Eddie's other solo in this set is Disappointed, based on Charlie Parker's Lady Be Good solo from Jazz At The Philharmonic. The first time Jefferson recorded this, he sang: "I got in trouble foolin' around with a pretty woman." This time he tells us: "I got in trouble feelin' around with a pretty woman." That's some fancy foolin'! Eddie's sense of humor is all over this one in a demonstration of how to make a sad story amusing. It's the only track in the album where Moody doesn't solo, but Jefferson takes good care of all the business. Elsewhere, it's all Moody, and he cooks the blues with the authority and élan of a musical Escoffier.

—IRA GITLER

LP-755

The Ramsey Lewis Trio - Choice!

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass; Redd Holt, drums
Chicago, 1958

8795 Carmen

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass; Redd Holt, drums
Chicago, 1959

9185 Delilah

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass; Redd Holt, drums
Chicago, April 22 1959

9275 C C Rider

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass; Redd Holt, drums
Chicago, February 23 & 24, 1960

10065 Little Liza Jane

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass; Redd Holt, drums
Chicago, February 16 & 17 1961

10701 Hello, Cello!
10704 Blues For The Night Owls

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass, cello; Redd Holt, drums; Lew Douglas (dir, strings), Oliver Nelson (dir, reeds)
Bell Sounds Studios, New York, August 2+3 1962

11810 Memphis In June
11817 My Bucket's Got A Hole In It

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass; Redd Holt, drums
Universal Recording Studio, February 27-28 1963

12293 Look-a-here

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass, cello; Chris White, bass; Redd Holt, drums
RVG, Englewood, New York, August 20 1963

12559 Lonely Avenue

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass, cello; Richard Evans, bass; Redd Holt, drums
Ter Mar, Chicago, January 31 1964

12971 Travel On

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass; Redd Holt, drums
Bohemian Caverns, Washington D.C, June 4 + 6 1964

13261 Something You Got

Track Listing

Something You Got	Chris Kenner	June 4 + 6 1964
Little Liza Jane	Arranged By – Lewis	February 23 & 24 1960
Memphis In June	Carmichael	August 2+3 1962
Travel On	Eldee Young	January 31 1964
Delilah	Victor Young	1959
CC Rider	Arr. Lewis, Young, Holt	April 22 1959
Lonely Avenue	Doc Pomus	August 20 1963
Look-A-Here	Ramsey Lewis	February 27-28 1963
My Bucket's Got A Hole In It	Clarence Williams	August 2+3 1962
Hello, Cello!	Young, Lewis, Holt	February 16 & 17 1961
Blue Spring	Ramsey Lewis	February 14, 15 1962
Carmen	Arranged By – Ramsey Lewis	April 30 1960
Blues For The Night Owls	Bernard, Thompson	February 16 & 17 1961

Liner Notes

Success in the entertainment business is difficult to achieve and more difficult to hold on to. And for a jazz oriented group this is doubly true. The Ramsey Lewis Trio has managed to get a firm foothold on the cliffs of success and their steady, well-paced climb to the top gives every indication of a long reign of popularity. Ramsey, Eldee and Red have not "lucked up" on anything, they have worked hard to perfect a presentation that combines great musicianship and showmanship.

A pronounced characteristic of Ramsey's playing is the fact that everything he does is touched with at least a tint of blue. It is interesting to note that several of the "best of" tunes in this album are out-right blues or close relatives of the form. There is something eternal and universal about the blues — everyone seems able to relate to the soulful sounds.

How do you pick a baker's dozen "best" tunes from almost twenty record albums of one of your favorite instrumental groups? We tried and ended with an absolutely irreducible list of twenty-two titles. What to do? We decided to ask Ramsey Lewis which tunes are among those most often requested when the trio is performing throughout the country. In effect, you, the fans, picked the tunes in this album. So enjoy!

—Esmond Edwards

LP-754

Illinois Jacquet – Spectrum

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Russell Jacquet, trumpet; Illinois Jacquet, tenor saxophone; Patti Bown, piano; George Duvivier, bass; Grady Tate, drums; Candido Camero, conga drum
RCA Recording Studios, New York, April 29 1965

13905 Big Music
13906 Black Foot
13907 Blues for Bunny
13908 Blue Horizon

Ernie Royal, Jimmy Nottingham, trumpet; Illinois Jacquet, Buddy Lucas, tenor saxophone; Haywood Henry, baritone saxophone; Ed Stoute, piano; Billy Butler, Eric Gale, guitar; Leonard Gaskin, bass; Herbie Lovelle (d) Bert Keyes arr,conductor
RCA Recording Studios, New York, April 30 1965

13909 Goin' out of my head
13910 Spanish boots
13911 Elise
13912 I remember her so well
13913 Now and them

Track Listing

Goin' Out Of My Head	Randazzo / Weinstein	April 29 1965
Spanish Boots	Don Menza	April 29 1965
Elise	Michel LeGrand	April 29 1965
I Remember Her So Well	Halletz / Coburn / English	April 29 1965
Now And Then	Ortolani / Newell	April 30 1965
Blues For Bunny	Russell Jacquet	April 30 1965
Black Foot	Russell Jacquet	April 30 1965
Big Music	Illinois Jacquet	April 30 1965
Blue Horizon	Edwin Stoute	April 30 1965

Liner Notes

JAZZ IS A MAN AND HIS HORN. Jazz is a man like Illinois Jacquet. This giant of a musician has traveled many roads, exploring and forming never-to-be-forgotten sounds.

When I look back to the early forties, I recall the sounds of Lester Young, Don Byas, Chu Berry, Ben Webster and Illinois Jacquet. Then, if I move my musical calendar forward in time, my memory fills with the names of Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Allen Eager, Flip Phillips, Gene Ammons, et al. And Illinois Jacquet's name still holds strong. The man and his music moved with the times. Today, as well as yesterday, the Jacquet style, the Jacquet tone, is an oasis of jazz.

In this album you get "spectrum" of music, music contemporary with the demands of today's record buying public. On my all-night show in Miami Beach, the listeners want sounds with a beat, a Latin sound and pretty music. The young set who grew up on rock and roll now dig jazz, but they need to feel a beat. This album caters to the basic needs of a cross-section of the American jazz public.

The five tunes on side one were all arranged by Bert Keyes — one of the top Rhythm and Blues arrangers in New York City. Bert's charts always emphasize strong rhythm and in these the beat is cooking throughout. The tunes on this side were chosen from a variety of bags. "Goin' Out Of My Head" was a big R&B hit for Little Anthony and the Imperials; "Spanish Boots" is a jazz composition of compelling force, and the other three compositions are from recent movies. Jacquet's robust tenor sax makes every track a personal triumph — now playing the melody straight, now weaving around and through the chord structure of a piece with tasty inventions.

Side two is more conventional — at least as far as instrumentation is concerned. Here, Illinois and his trumpeter brother, Russell, collaborate with a really broiling rhythm section. Patti Bown on piano, George Duvivier on bass, drummer Grady Tate, and conga drummer Candido lay down such a groovy foundation that you'd have to have advanced rigor mortis not to feel the excitement.

Russell Jacquet has worked in his brother's bands off and on since the forties, but now they live in opposite parts of the Country — Illinois in New York, and Russell alternating between Texas and Calitornia. Russell flew to New York specially for the session and it was swinging reunion.

Patti Bown. a young lady who plays a whole lot of piano keyboard, shares the solo space with Illinois and Russell and she makes sparks fly.

But Illinois Jacquet is the star. He is all "pro" and his horn is an instrument for creating musical joy. SPECTRUM is Illinois' fourth ARGO album; each has presented him in a different setting and he's come through like a champ each time.

—ALAN ROCK
THE ONLY JAZZ VOICE
WMBM AM & FM
MIAMI HEACH, FLORIDA

LP-753

Bunky Green – Testifyin' Time

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Walter Strickland, trumpet; Bunky Green, alto saxophone; James Meyertenor, baritone saxophone; Billy Wallace, piano; Cleveland Eaton, bass; Marshall Thompson, drums
Ter Mar, Chicago, February 18 1965

13754 When the sun comes out
13755 Testifyin' Time
13756 Tweedlee dee
13757 My Ship
13823 Silver Dollar
13824 Tamra
13825 Orbit Six
13826 On Green Dolphin Street

Track Listing

Testifyin' Time	Edith Green	February 18 1965
Silver Dollar	Jack Palmer / Clark Van Ness	February 18 1965
Tamra	William Wallace	February 18 1965
On Green Dolphin Street	Bronislaw Kaper / Ned Washington	February 18 1965
Tweedlee Dee	Winfield Scott	February 18 1965
My Ship	Kurt Weill / Ira Gershwin	February 18 1965
Orbit Six	Edit Green	February 18 1965
When The Sun Comes Out	Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler	February 18 1965

Liner Notes

CHICAGO's line of internationally-recognized saxophonists is irnpressively small. It includes such talents as Gene Ammons, Johnny Griffin, Eddie Harris, and by adoption, Sonny Stitt. The release of this, his very first Argo album, will most assuredly add Bunky Green's name to the list. Actually, considering Bunky's amazing musical prowess, it is little short of amazing that it has taken so long for him to emerge as a recorded leader. During 1956/57 he played in New York with Charlie Mingus. Chicagoans began to admire his playing shortly thereafter when he began to frequent the original Monday night Gate of Horn sessions from 1957 till 1959. During that time he locked horns with such stellars as Ira Sullivan, John Gilmore, and the late Nicky Hill, and more than held own with all of the above-mentioned musicians.

Bunky's personality in part may be responsible for his delayed entry into the recorded field, for Bunky Green likes to be ready. He always has stressed schooling and readiness and this album is undeniable evidence of that readiness! No last-minute rehearsals during studio time, or sidemen who couldn't fathom the arrangements.

As a result of winning the "Best Instrumentalist" and ' 'All Around Musician" awards at the 1964 Notre Dame Jazz Festival, Bunky has tucked away in his 'hip' pocket a scholarship to Berkeley's famous School of Music. Also as a result of being heard at that festival he was invited to do a State Department-sponsored tour of Algiers, which he completed last summer. "There," Bunky says, "I heard what those eastern musicians really are doing."

Bunky takes a realistic view of the music profession. When jazz jobs are not available in suf%cient abundance to permit sole dependence upon them, he works with the fine Latin band of Manny Garcia or, as was the case when this album was cut, plays tenor in a big show band. Bunky is now attending the music school at Chicago's Roosevelt Universlty, where he occasionally strengthens their Jazz Lab Band during rehearsals. Safely, Bunky Green might be described as a very talented, superb young modern musician who knows where his musical tastes lie, and plays like he knows it.

Bunky chose perfect sidemen for this recording. Pianist Billy Wallace, the only other featured soloist, is and has been a trio leader in his own right. Billy derives so much pleasure from a job with horns, however, that he has often taken those in preference to a higher-paying trio gig. His experience is widespread, including a tout with the famous Max Roach Quintet in the late '30s. Most recently he's been working with Bunky and he has also done short stints with Chet Baker and a Louis Bellson big band. Billy's beautiful original, "Tamra", and his arrangement of "When The Sun Comes Out" reveal that he has truc insight into what arranging is all about. His solos and 'comping' speak for themselves. Certainly he is another major talent.

Two very top musicians complete the rhythm section: bassist Cleveland Eaton and drummer Marshall Thompson. Marshall is a permanent member of the London House-ensconced trio of pianist Eddie Higgins. Cleve teaches days in Chicago's public school system for a long time was featured with the Larry Novak Trio at Mr. Kelly's.

Trumpeter Strickland and baritone saxophonist Jim Meyer fill out the big-sounding sextet with their all-important playing of the exciting shouts and figures of Bunky's excellent arrangements.

Opening side one with "Testifyin' Time", preacher Bunky makes the clarion call and the congregation answers heartily. They generate that jump and shout feeling that a tree rnee:tng Slings to mind. 'Silver Dollar", that old, old warhorse, is driven relaxedly through its "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home"-like chord structure with Bunky's fat lower register registering strongly. "Tamra" undoubtedly is one of the album's highlights. The feeling and rapport between Billy Wallace and Bunky Green is joyous to hear. It's almost as though their solos were duets with one another, so tight is their musical thought. "On Green Dolphin Street" piles in with a frantic ear-opening bagpipish intro by Bunky, which is cut off by Billy, who then sets the tempo at almost half that of the intro. It's a finger-popper. Bunky builds naturally to his multiple-note runs and alternates them with stretches of singing melody. Marshall Thompson's large musical ears are very apparent on this one and Billy's solo is very tasty.

Unlikely though it may be, Teresa Brewer's old hit, "Tweedlee Dee", was chosen as vehicle for jazz improvisation. Bunky's wailing of the bridge between the tongue-in-cheek corning of the theme gives the direction his version is to take. His original line on the theme that follows has got to be the hippest thing written in years. He screams on his solo with no holds barred and carries into that same figure which gives Billy Wallace a great springboard for his contrastingly light-touched and reserved solo. "My Ship", the lately rediscovered Kurt Weill beauty, is given its ballad due by Bunky, who shows here just how much he still admires and respects the musical heritage given him by Charlie Parker. An old stomp-time blues figure permeates "Orbit Six" whose main feeling is in 6/8. This original, Bunky tells me, pictorializes several cats on the corner holding a discussion to decide which way all are to go. All speak simultaneously, interrupting each other, till finally the direction is set. Then they all forge ahead swinging their heads off with Bunky in the lead. Billy's locked hands solo is one to remember. By way of contrast. the album's closer, "When The Sun Comes Out", is taken at a very relaxed tempo with Cleveland Eaton walking strongly beneath Bunky as he states the theme and shifts to harmony under the trumpet for the bridge. Bunky gets to cookin' before the piano solo and a nice key change leads the group out with a Hollywood-type scene-changing retard.

This is the kind of album you'll play over and over. You'll have a difficult time picking favorites within it, for all of the selections are marvelous. All of the musicians are topflight professionals who know their apples. I think you'll agree that Vernice "Bunky" Green is, right now, a major jazz talent and an important voice to be heard. He plays styles and has that wonderful cutting edge that identifies such great musicaans as Sonny Stitt and Cannonball Adderly. He also proves here that he is more than capable of wandering, with strong direction, into the baffling world of "free form" jazz. And he swings like a hip Ray Charles band. Bunky Green is ready, I hope you are!

—JOE SEGAL

LP-752

Rune Ofwerman's Piano With Voices - Cool

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Allan Botschinsky, trumpet; Rolf Billberg, alto saxophone; Rune Ofwerman, piano; Erik Moseholm, bass; Bert Dahlander, drums; Vocal choir, Gunnar Lunden-Welden, director
Copenhagen, Denmark, January 17 1961

Whatcha Gonna Do
Amen
Bobsled
Gospel Walk
Mellow Cool
Helen's Theme

Rune Ofwerman, piano; Jimmy Woode, bass; Art Taylor, drums
Stockholm, Sweden, February 15 1961

The Man From Potter's Crossing
King's Men

Rune Ofwerman, piano; Sture Nordin, bass; Egil Johansen, drums
Stockholm, Sweden, November 21 1961

M-83

Rune Gustaffson, guitar; Rune Ofwerman, piano; Sture Nordin, bass; Egil Johansen, drums, Bjarne Nerem, latin rhythm Stockholm, Sweden, November 12 1962

Bossa Nova Sueca
Ortego Bossa Nova

Track Listing

Whatcha Gonna Do	Nat 'King' Cole	January 17 1961
Amen	Donald Byrd	January 17 1961
Bobsled	G. Lunden-Walden/R. Ofwerman	January 17 1961
Gospel Walk	R. Ofwerman	January 17 1961
Mellow Cool	Ake Hallgren	January 17 1961
Helen's Theme	George Riedel	January 17 1961
Bossa Nova Sueca	R. Ofwerman/Kurt Mark	November 12 1962
M-83	R. Ofwerman	November 21 1961
The Man From Potter's Crossing	Jimmy Woode, Jr.	February 15 1961
Ortego Bossa Nova	R. Ofwerman	November 12 1962
King's Men	R. Ofwerman	February 15 1961

Liner Notes

ALTHOUGH jazz has been appreciated and played in Europe almost as long as it has in America, it continually amazes one to discover another kindred talent from there. In the northern European or Scandinavian section, musicians of superior worth have been on the modern jazz scene almost from the very beginning. Till now, Bengt Hallberg and Rheinhold Svensson have been the outstanding Nordic pianists With the emergence of Rune Ofwerman. the field now enlarges.

Rune is featured basically in two contexts: on side one a vocal chorus is added. Side two is all instrumental. His playing is on the bright, happy side, although his fondness for the piano's lower register sometimes gives him a more somber sound. In many places Rune shows the rhythmic influence of the late great pianist, Nat 'King' Cole. Of the eleven selections in this Rune is composer (in full or in part) of six. The chorus is conducted hy Gunnar Lundén-WeIden, and all of their arrangements, excepting George Riedel's 'Helen's Theme", are by him.

The vocal approach this small group is unique in that it does not, in this imitative day and age, try to emulate any of the going singing groups such as the Double Six Of Paris or The Swingle Singers. Rather, they revert to the lyric-less statements of chordal backgrounds which were so popular during the days of the fine groups of the swing era. Their voicings are mellow, never strained, and always in tune. Sometimes they merely state the theme, other times they'll shake you with a mighty brass-type shout.

The first two tunes of side one are American compositions, "Whatcha Gonna Do" by Nat 'King' Cole shows off the strong rhythm team of deep-walking bassist Erik Moseholm and well-known drummer Bert (Dale) Dahlander. Donald Byrd's "Amen" is the only augmented selection on the vocal side of the album, with two horns added. Rune's fine solo on this is matched with a short but sweet muted one by trumpeter Allan Botsehinsky. Lundén-WeIden and Ofwerman collaborated on the creation of "Bobsled", which has an odd, minor-sounding theme that features beautiful voice parts behind the piano. It gets a little 'Bach-ish' and gives a pictorial image of a bouncing bobsled gliding happily down the moonlit face of a friendly snow-covered mountain. Rune's "Gospel Walk" opens and closes with a rich choral statement that sets the down-home mood. In between, the rhythm swings steady and hard, while the chorus sounds mellow and happy. Rune's fleet Dizzy quote during his solo fits right into the shouting groove.

On the second side, Rune Öfwerman is given the chance to match creative skills with two different rhythm sections. One tunes one, two and four, he has Sture Nordin (bass) and Egil Johansen (drums), with Rune Gustafsson (guitar) and Bjame Nerem (rhythm) added on the bossa novas. On these tunes Rune's affection for and ability in the modern Latin idiom is very evident. "Sueca" swings lightly, "Ortega" mightily, the latter remniscent in its general chord pattern to that of the standard song. "Out Of Nowhere". An odd Martian-type intro, and an up-tempo body make "M-83" an excellent vehicle for the fast-walking bass of Nordin, and the Blakey-like drum solo of Johansen.

Two expatriate American musicians, now permanent European residents, drummer Art Taylor and bassist Jimmy Woode. Jr., support Rune Ofwerman on the remaining two selections. Taylor one of the very best jazz percussionists and is well-known internationally, mostly for his work with such greats as Bud Powell and Rollins. Woode's most fame-garnering stint was the time he spent as part of the elegant Duke Ellington organization. He composed "The Man From Potter's Crossing", the theme and handling of which conjures a swinging man of mystery, with one of Jimmy's rare solos showcased. Rune's tune, "King's Men", which closes the album, is a bright-tempoed blues that swings all the way. His four-bar exchanges with Art Taylor, and his fadeout on an "Afterhours" kick make this cut outstanding.

All in all, just from listening to these few offerings by Rune Ofwerman, it seems as though American pianists now have a new talent with which to contend. So also do the pop composers, for Rune's bossa novas are very beautiful. and his "Bobsled" and "M-83" are unusual and interesting. Yes, talented and versatile Rune Ofwerrnan should be highly successful in the music business, for, as the tide of this album indicates, he is Very "COOL"!

—Joe Segal

Rune Ofwerman was born on Christmas Eve in 1933 in a small village outside Stockholm caned Vingåker. He strtated taking piano lessons at the age of six but lost interest after couple of years. A few years he heard some boogie-woogie records and again became interested in the piano. During his college years in Stockholm he organised a band which soon became very popular. After his school years, Rune decided to become a professional musician and his first job was with trumpeter Rolf Ericsson, who is now living in the U.S. Since then, Rune has played with many top bands in Sweden and is considered one of Sweden's top jazz pianists. In 1957 he played with American clarinetist Tony Scott at the famous "Nalen" in Stockholm. Scott made some recordings with a trio headed by Rune and the trio sounded so good that Swedish record company recorded an album with the trio alone. The next year Rune was signed to an exclusive recording contract with Gazell Record Company and at that time he also became A&R director for the company, supervising both pop and jazz recordings. During the following years, he had a tremendous success with his jazz trio and many of the trio's recordings have sold large quantities. A few of his own compositions have become jaw standards. He has made recordings with practically every important Swedish jazz soloist, as well as with guesting Americans like Herbie Mann and Tony Scott. For a long period Rune played on all recordings featuring the famous Swedish baritone sax player Lars Gullin, and he is often heard with the Harry Arnold Radio Studio Band. As a pianist, he lists the late Nat 'King' Cole and Clarence 'Pinetop' Smith among his strongest influences.

LP-751

Ahmad Jamal – The Roar Of The Greasepaint - The Smell Of The Crowd

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Ahmad Jamal, piano; Jamil Nasser, bass; Chuck Lampkin, drums
Nola Penthouse Studio, New York City, February 24+25 1965

13788 Who can I turn to?
13789 That's what it is to be young
13790 This dream
13791 The beautiful land
13792 Look at that face
13793 Where would you be without me?
13794 It isn't enough
13795 My first love song
13796 Sweet beginning
13797 A wonderful day like today
13798 Feeling good

Track Listing

Look At That Face	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965
Where Would You Be Without Me?	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965
It Isn't Enough	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965
Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965
Sweet Beginning	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965
The Dream	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965
Feeling Good	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965
My First Love Song	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965
A Wonderful Day Like Today	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965
That's What It Is To Be Young	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965
The Beautiful Land	Bricusse/Newley	February 24+25 1965

Liner Notes

BEFORE it arrived on Broadway, The Roar Of The Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd already had achieved a singular series of triumphs. Not only was it a spiraling hit on the road, but there were also more than fifty recordings of songs from the score (a pre-Broadway testament of optimism that exceeded even the welcoming trumpets that greeted Hello, Dolly! and Fiddler on the Roof), This album of Anthony Newley's and Leslie Bricusse's songs, however, is a distinctive tribute because the musical temperament and style of Ahmad Jamal are particularly suited to the Newley-Bricusse way of looking at life and reflecting what they see and hear in music.

Their previous American conquest was Stop the World—I Want To Get Off, a wry, poignant, irreverent morality play about the circular frustrations and self-evasions of a man "making it" in the 20th century jungle. The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell Of the Crowd is both a more astringent and more hopeful exploration of the game of life, At first, in an ingenious gameboard of a set, two figures are seen at the play of existence. Sir (Cyril Ritchard) represents those in power, whose basic characteristic is the over-riding desire to maintain power. Cocky (Anthony Newley) speaks for most of the rest of us — those without power or with such little power that we cannot really be in full charge of what hapens to us.

Evety time it app that Cocky may win a game, Sir changes the rules. I will not spoil your fun by detailing the rest of the plot, except to say that as new figures ppear, Cocky sees that there are other ways than his own passivity to counteract Sir. One can assert oneself; one can even refuse to play if the game is rigged. And finally, Cocky learns that he too can make his own rules so that Sir will have to learn to co-exist on equal terms rather than to dominate as if his power were a law of nature. It isn't.

The essentials of the Newley-Bricusse writing style — and of Newley's remarkably evocative skill as a performer — are disciplined simplicity, clarity of design, resiliant wit and a superb sense of timing. Without trying to make Jamal the image of them, it is nonetheless true that those same qualities describe Jamal's way of making music. Furthermore, Jamal himself is a contemplative, arching observer of the way we live now. He has strong feelings about the way things ought to be and could be and, like Newley and Bricusse, he has a firm sense of who he is and what his capacities are.

Accordingly, Jamal and this score fuse easily. Throughout, there are the immediately identifiable Jamal insignia — the plastic use of space; the lithe beat, the graceful humor and the sense of power in reserve. The propulsive force is there, as in sections of "Sweet Beginning" and "Feeling Good". He has supple sense of dynamics, and therefore, he is capable of varying gradations of climax. He swings without strain and with both subtlety and sensibility.

Tne softly glowing lyricism that is a fundamental element of Jamal's style is in evidence on every track, from the luminosity of "Where Would You Be Without Me?" to the aura of unfolding surprise he brings to "That's What It Is To Be Young". Chuck Lampkin and Jamil Nasser meanwhile provide Jamal with a crisply moving foundation on which he can play with time.

The album underlines the consistency of Jamal's firmly personal approach to music. Beginning in 1958 with his recording of a performance at Chicago's Pershing Hotel (Argo LP-628 & LPS-628), Jamal has experienced widening public delight in his work. He does not fall into any conveniently categorical "bag." He is, in sum, himself.

What Jamal has to offer musically - as in the recording — is refreshingly personal on its own terms. I mean his clarity, essentially sanguine view of life and his grace. And when you want to conjugate the possibilities of the kinds of kicks that come on a spring day, the Jamal microcosm is one place to visit. He is a singular part of today's roar of the greasepaint and smell of the crowd.

—NAT HENTOFF

LP-750

Ramsey Lewis Trio & Jean DuShon - You Better Believe Me

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Ronald Wilson, alto saxophone, flute; Ramsey Lewis, piano; Roland Faulkner, guitar; Eldee Young, bass; Redd Holt, drums; Jean DuShon, vocals
Universal Recording Studio, Chicago, December 19 1964

13637 Who can I turn to? [When nobody needs me]
13638 Night time is the right time
13639 Something you got
13640 He was too good to me
13641 Goodbye lover, hello friend
13642 You'd better believe me

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass,cello; Cleveland Eaton, bass; Redd Holt, drums
Universal Recording Studio, Chicago, January 14 1965

13667 Corcovado [Quiet nights]
13668 Tain't nobody's business if I do
13669 Let it be me
13670 It had better be tonight
13671 My coloring book
13672 I'm beginning to see the light

Track Listing

You'd Better Believe Me	Buddy Johnson	December 19 1964
Who Can I Turn To	Bricusse / Newley	December 19 1964
Night Time	Joe Bailey	December 19 1964
Something You Got	Chriss Kenner	December 19 1964
He Was Too Good To Me	Rodgers / Hart	December 19 1964
Goodbye Lover, Hello Friend	Norman Newell / Micharl Carr	December 19 1964
Corcovado (Quiet Nights)	Antonio Carlos Jobin / Gene Lees	January 14 1965
Ain't Nobody's Business	William York	January 14 1965
Let It Be Me	Becaud/Delance/Curtis	January 14 1965
It Had Better Be Tonight	Mancini/Mercer/Stasera	January 14 1965
My Coloring Book	John Kander/Fred Ebb	January 14 1965
I'm Beginning To See The Light	Hodges/George/Ellington/James	January 14 1965

Liner Notes

IF YOU want a good album, don't buy this one, because it's great — and "YOU BETTER BELIEVE ME"! The combination of the swinging Ramsey Lewis Trio and remarkable Jean DuShon — augmented on some tracks with flute, guitar aed sax — marks a departure for the Trio and a new high in listening pleasure for you.

Jean DuShon is making her second recorded appearance on ARGO. Her first album, which rapidly drew rave reviews and many plays from disc jockeys throughout the country, was recorded bast summer. This album can only help to add to the well-deserved praise and recognition that her first ARGO effort won for her.

Youngest of twelve children, whose parents died when she was only five, Jean attended the Detroit Conservatory of Music and began her professional career at the age of 15. In 1960, she made that legendary trip to New York with the Lloyd Price Band and since then has sung with the Cootie Williams group and the ever-popular Fats Domino aggregation. Finally, only a few months ago, she cut herself loose and began making solo appearances after gaining the valuable musical experience that only singing in front of a band can give a vocalist.

As for Jean's singing ability, just try on "Who Can I Turn To" size. There can be no doubt after the first few bars that Jean has an unusu depth and quality to her voice — and that she doesn't employ the gimmicks that have come to be standard equipment with almost every female vocalist singing today. Jean possesses an almost uncanny ability to get inside the lyric and project all the emotion, all the feeling, all real meaning — and more — that the composer meant it to have.

On this, her second ARGO outing, Jean also does a mose competent job of letting you know immediatelv that she can't be type-cast as just a ballad singer. She adequately proves this on the swinging "Something You Got" which is only recommended to the listener when all doors and windows are locked and the right person is there to share Jean's mood with you. "You'd Better Believe Me" certainly can't hurt you either, for that matter, and Jean's emotionally-packed "He Was Too Good To Me" pours a whole new supply of fuel into this great "torch" tune. If you've survived all of this emotionally, don't miss Jean's "Night Time" and a rather swing rendition of "Goodbye Lover, Hello Friend". Jean in the parlance of the trade, is "too much" and a most welcome addition to a world full of women who either rely on vocal tricks or who try to sound like someone they aren't and can never hope to be.

Backing up Jean on this album is the fabulous Ramsey Lewis Trio — and what words can describe them adequately. I think that Ramsey said it best himself several ARGO albums ago when he wrote that "After fourteen years of playing together, our trio is very close to achieving something that every group of musicians strives for. That is, to be able to think and play as one."

Ramsey, Red Holt on drums, and Eldee Young on bass and cello, have reached a point of perfection rarely touched by any jazz instrumental group. Having played together for so many years, their performance as a group is sometimes beyond belief. Their individual solos — be it funk, progressive or commercial jazz — continue to reach new heights of swinging excellence. Perhaps the best way to express it is for you to take your own hands and tightly intertwine your fingers — for that's the way they think, play, and perforrn, closely knit and almost as one.

If you've been hiding in a cave or for some reason havcn't heard this group before, treat yourself to the Trio's fresh approach to "Quiet Nights". Their rendition of this current favorite gives the tune a whole new flavor, a brand new feeling. Then there is the swinging romp through "It Had Better Be Tonight" which can only leave you breathless at best. When you hear "My Coloring Book", "Let It Be Me", or "Ain't Nobody's Business", you know that Ramsey, Red and Eldee are not only performing great music — they are enjoying themselves to the fullest.

Finally, you are again treated to another of those unique musical experiences as Eldee Young embraces his cello for a revival of that great oldie, "I'm Beginning To see The Light".

If vou haven't seen "the light" by the time you've reached this point with the Ramsey Lewis Trio, you're in big trouble. Ramsey, Red, Eldee and something new and great called Jean DuShon have said it all right here in this album. I think you'll their message.

-CHUCK TAYLOR

LP-749

Baby-Face Willette - Behind The 8 Ball

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Gene Barge, alto saxophone; Baby Face Willette, organ; Ben White, guitar; Jerrold Donovan, drums
Ter Mar, Chicago, November 30 1964

13576 Behind the 8-Ball
13577 Song of the universe
13578 Just a closer walk
13579 Roll 'em Pete
13580 St. James infirmary
13581 Amen
13582 Sinnin' Sam
13583 Tacos Joe

Track Listing

Behind The 8 Ball	Roosevelt Willette	November 30 1964
Song Of The Universe	Roosevelt Willette	November 30 1964
Amen	Roosevelt Willette, arr	November 30 1964
Tacos Joe	Bennie White	November 30 1964
Roll 'Em Pete	Pete Johnson, Joe Turner	November 30 1964
Just A Closer Walk	Roosevelt Willette, arr	November 30 1964
St. James Infirmary	Joe Primrose	November 30 1964
Sinnin' Sam	Nesbitt Hooper	November 30 1964

Liner Notes

IN ALL FAIRNESS to potential buyers of this new album by Baby-Face Willette, BEHIND THE 8 BALL, it should be stated that this critic is partial to jazz organists and jazz pianists. But that very partiality tends to make me far more critical in evaluations of performances or albums by artists in those two fields.

Artists in both the aforementioned categories tend to be (if you'll pardon the over-used expression) a dime-a-dozen. During my years of affiliation with show biz, daresay I've heard literally hundreds of jazz organists, ranging from the nationally known 'name' artists to the average run-of-the-mill cocktail lounge entertainer. In far too many instances, there is such a sameness of technique it is virtually impossible to distinguish one from the other, and I frankly confess I would hate to be subjected to the blindfold test that is sometimes applied to cigaret or wine sampling.

Such, I am happy to report, is not the case With Baby-Fare Willette's playing.

In fact, to be candid, this album could be summed up in three words:
It has SOUL!

To most jazz fans and record collectors such a summation is enough and they know exactly what I mean. But to less knowledgeable or new record buyers, I might use other words which would be more readily understandable. Such as — It's groovey — It swings — It has toe-tapping rhythm. Call it 'instant' rhythm reaction if you like. Or (tho it's somewhat dated by now what with the Frug, the Jerk, et cetera), I could say it has Twistin' rhythm. But however one puts it, it all boils down to one summation and that simply is that Willette is an extraordinarily gifted jazz organist. So fine that one can almost SEE his footwork on the organ while listening to this album. Even more remarkable, tho, is the 'strumming' technique that is peculiarly Willette's own. He does not hold or pound a note or chord as do so many jazz organists today.

BEHIND THE 8 BALL is Willette's second album on the ARGO label and to me, it is a distinct improvement Over his first. That's saying something! On this album he has kept Ben White on guitar and now has Jerold Donavon on drums.

Willette kicks off this album on Side 1 with the title tune, a fairly brief number, and then swings into the lengthier "Song Of the Universe". Third track is a truly swinging version of "Amen", a popular number which is bound to bring instantaneous rhythmic reaction from listeners. Guest artist Gene Barge takes a fine solo on this, the only tune on which he appears. Baby-Face concludes with an especially fine version of "Tacos Joe".

On Side 2, Willette comes on strong with "Roll 'Em Pete" and immediately gives way to some fine guitar by White. So excellent is Willette's aforementioned 'strumming' technique that at times it is almost impossible to tell whether one is hearing Willette or White; each complements the other so effectively that it is a perfect blend. Many of the passages in "Roll'Em Pete" strike me as a complete give and take, back and forth affair between Willette and White with Donavon's drum supplying perfect rhythm.

In the second number, "Just A Closer Walk", Willette offers more concrete proof (if such is needed) of the relationship between the so-called church gospels and modern jazz. For 'Just A Closer Walk" is indeed a jazz version of that well-known church hymn. But before you label that sacrilegious, let me hasten to add that Willette's talent and jazz interpretation gives it the clasp-hands-and-sway rhythm that was always basically in this beautiful tune, proving again the undeniable affinity between gospels and jazz. Other organists have attempted this demonstration but none has shown the evolution quite so strikingly as has Willette in this particular number.

BEHIND THE 8 BALL is an album I would wholeheartedly recommend you add to your collection. Also would I recommend to some of the fine jazz spots in San Francisco (certainly a jazz-orientated city) that they give serious thought to booking Baby-Face Willette and his group in this city in the near future.

—GENE ROBERTSON
"On The Beam"
SAN FRANCISCO SUN REPORTER

LP-748

Budd Johnson with Joe Newman - Off The Wall

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Joe Newman, trumpet; Budd Johnson, tenor saxophone; Albert Dailey, piano; Richard Davis, bass; Grady Tate, drums
RCA Recording Studios, New York, December 3 1964

13602 Off the wall
13603 Ill wind
13604 The folks who live on the hill
13605 Playing my hunch

Joe Newman, trumpet; Budd Johnson, tenor saxophone; Albert Dailey, piano; George Duvivier, bass; Grady Tate, drums

13606 Strange music
13607 Love is the sweetest thing
13608 Baubles, bangles and beads

Track Listing

Off The Wall	Budd Johnson	December 3 1964
The Folks Who Live On The Hill	Jerome Kern / Oscar Hammerstein II	December 3 1964
Love Is The Sweetest Thing	Ray Noble	December 3 1964
Strange Music	Robert Wright / George Forrest	December 3 1964
Baubles, Bangles And Beads	Borodine/Forrest/Wright	December 3 1964
Ill Wind	Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler	December 3 1964
Playin' My Hunch	Budd Johsnson	December 3 1964

Liner Notes

JAZZ, native American Music not quite seventy years old in any Of the forms familiar to our ears, has developed fairly rapidly and in many diverse styles during its relatively short existence. Because of the short time it took to develop today's Jazz Music, there are still with us a great number of players representing all the various styles involved.

One of the more durable of these master musicians is Albert "Budd" Johnson from Dallas, Texas. Although Budd doesn't go back quite as far as Jazz' beginnings (he's only 55), he has, and still does encompass, all of the fully-developed styles. His experience has covered New Orleans, Swing, BeBop, and the contemporary amalgamation of these forms which is called many things: post-Bop, Mainstream, Modern Jazz, etc. Whatever you may call it, and however you may prefer it, Budd Johnson can play it. In one of his previous ARGO albums, "Ya! Ya (Argo LP-736), he even successfully ventured into the musical world of the "free form" with a tune aptly titled "The Revolution"

A listing of some of Budd's bosses and fellow sidemen throughout the years makes for impressive reading: Teddy Wilson, Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Quincy Jones, all with varied approaches to Jazz, and all who featured Budd's tenor saxophone and arranging talents. Yes, Budd Johnson is a prolific composer and arranger, and it was mainly he who shaped the sound of the "new" Earl Hines big band in the early '40s that gave rise to the fabulous Billy Eckstine all-star aggregation and later the original Dizzy Gillespie big band of the middle and late '40s. It was Budd who arranged for Charlie Parker to take his 'tenor chair' when he left Hines and he was largely responsible for bringing into the band such luminaries as trombonist Bennie Green and trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Bennie Harris and Gail Brockman. His personal style is closely related to that of the late great Lester Young. Budd's approach, however, is harder with more pronounced vibrato, and at times the tenor world's other great influence, Coleman Hawkins, shows through.

Budd's team-mate on this relaxed outing, Joe Newman, is a trumpeter of great taste whose style also fits into most any category you would care to hear. Since leaving the big Count Basie band, Joe has concentrated on small combo gigs in and around New York, with much studio and recording work as a supplement. He obviously prefers small band work, and it is in that context that he first became well-known to the Jazz world. Joe worked with Illinois Jacquet's fine band of the mid '40s, which featured Russell Jacquet on trumpet also, as well as such fine innovators as J. J. Johnson and Leo Parker. Joe's style has influenced a number of trumpeters, including Leonard Hawkins (who was heard with Dexter Gordon), Jesse Drakes (who played with Lester young), and the very fine musician who passed away recently, Nick Travis.

The two bass players who split this album are the same Budd used on the "Ya! Ya!" album: Richard Davis and George Duvivier. Grady Tate is the drummer. Throughout, they all display a creative professionalism that is joyful to hear, and which undoubtedly was a determining factor in their selection as rhythm accompanists, Pianist Al Dailey, Jr. is a new name to me, but acquits himself with the same aplomb as his cohorts.

Although the selections in this album are varied, there is a similarity of approach that makes them palatable for listening or dancing — that lost art among Jazz enthusiasts. The rhythmical accents and beats as used to propel the album's opener, "Off The Wall" indicate the origins of what is today known as the Twist. The neglected ballad, "The Folks Who Live On The Hill". follows, with Budd's "Prez-ishness" building to beautiful heights and an intense swing, without getting loud or screechy. Budd's arranging ability shines on "Love Is The Sweetest Thing" with his immense talent making five pieces sound an entire band through his use of harmonics and space. There is always a shape and a form to things musical when Budd Johnson puts his hand to them, as this cut demonstrates.

"Strange Music" is bossa nova'd in with trumpet and tenor reversing top positions on the bndge. Joe plays one of his few open trumpet solos here and Budd's tenor gives an urgent but unstrained feeling. Pianist Dailey plays a very pretty solo. "Baubles", I suppose, has been played more ways than most any other tune. Budd's arrangement gives it a strong, muscular feeling by use of alternating rhythms during the theme statement and behind the solos. His tenor solo does get loud on this one, and really is exciting. Newman elicits memories of the famous trumpet break on Basie's "April In Paris" and with tongue in cheek, the Count is again referred to with his famous three note ending. Why more musicians don't record or even play the beautiful "Ill Wind" is beyond me. It certainly lends itself to Jazz very well. Budd and friends evoke the feeling of a cozy night by an embered fireplace with the lightly played bossa nova rhythm matching perfectly the unhurried horn solos. Dig the lovely bass notes behind the piano solo and on into the out-chorus and fade-away.

"Playin' My Hunch" is as hard a swinger as five pieces can play. Evidently Budd's hunch was that a real 'down", swinging blues would be a good way to close this set of interpretations. Here comes that dance beat again with both horns roaring open and bright. Joe tells his tale in "wa-wa" fashion for two hip choruses, then Budd jumps in playing some hard harmonics with all Of the vigor and authority he can muster. Joe riffs behind Budd urging him on and after a short bass solo, the entire band shouts out the end of Budd's hunch, and the album.

Budd Johnson is one of my favorite tenor men, and if you're a reader of liner notes, I hope you'll let these influence you to become a Budd Johnson fan. If you've listened to the music already, my words are not needed to convince you, for the performances speak for themselves! Pick up on Budd Johnson for listening or dancing, or just plain relaxing. He'll fit your every mood with tasteful current sounds that excite but never bore or offend.

- Joe Segal

LP-747

Lou Donaldson - Cole Slaw

Released 1965

Recording and Session Information

Lou Donaldson, alto saxophone; Herman Foster, piano; Earl May, bass; Bruno Carr, drums; Ray Barretto, conga
RCA Recording Studios, New York, June 19 1964

13287 O sole mio
13288 Cole slaw
13289 Poinciana
13290 Soul gumbo
13291 There is no greater love
13292 People will say we're in love
13293 Li'l miss Fine
13294 Skylark

Track Listing

There Is No Greater Love	Isham Jones/Matty Symes	June 19 1964
Poinciana	Nat Simon/Buddy Bernier	June 19 1964
Cole Slaw	Jessie Stone	June 19 1964
People Will Say We'Re In Love	Rodgers/Hammerstein II	June 19 1964
Li'L Miss Fine	Lou Donaldson	June 19 1964
O Sole Mio	Arr. Lou Donaldson	June 19 1964
Skylark	Hoagy Carmichael/John H. Mercer	June 19 1964
Soul Gumbo	Lou Donaldson	June 19 1964

Liner Notes

THE ALTO SAXOPHONE, until Charlie Parker came along, was considered to be the exclusive property of Johnny Hodges. Ever since the era of Bird, however, more and more practitioners have sought to make this difficult instrument the one on which they've tried to express their musical opinions. There are as many styles as there are musicians, but only a handful have really stuck to the line that the genius of modern music laid down. Of that handful, two major artists have survived the many musical changes that have befuddled the lesser talents, One of them is Sonny Stitt. The other is the featured artist of this album, Lou Donaldson!

Lou Donaldson first burst upon the recorded scene in the late '40's as featured hornman with Milt Jackson on some Blue Note 78's, including the memorable "Bag's Groove". With were some very top flight musicians — John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarkc — indeed, the first version of the reknowned Modern Jazz Quartet. Those recordings made a lasting impression, and signalled the jazz world that Lou Donaldson was here te stay. Lou has made many fine albums on his own since that time, including his two Argo releases, "SIGNIFYIN'" #724, and "POSSUM HEAD' #734. I'm of the opinion that this one is the swinginest and most musical of them all. For Lou exhibits herein his particular talent of getting right to the meat and marrow of the selections plaed. This talent, quiet as it's kept, has permitted Lou Donaldson to be one of the musicians around. Because of this highly rhythmical and straightforward approach to Jazz, Lou has been able to reach and satisfy a much wider audience than most of his contemporaries who are more likely than not chained to a particular hit tune, gimmic sound, or far-out style. His travelling group usually includes organist John Patton and the excellent trumpeter Bill Hardman. For this album, however, Lou is accompanied and wonderfully aided by a really fine rhythm section, headed by pianist Herman Foster. Herman's comping and solo work is very outstanding, and his locked-hands style is perfect for the kind of groove laid down for this session. Bassist is Earl May, who unobtrusively but firmly keeps the melodic beat where it should be and walks mightily on several numbers. Bruno Carr proves to be a drummer of exquisite taste, regardless of the tempo or style being used. Congero Ray Barretto is added for the latin touches.

Side one opens with a tune that's great to blow — the standard "THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE". A bongo-type beat sets the groove for Lou who sings out the pretty theme, after which Foster's piano lays into the beat with May's bass walking along and really digging in behind Lou's solo. It's a real head shaker!

"POINCIANA" is latinized all the way, with the piano solo coming on in true south-of-the-border style.

"COLE SLAW", the album's title tune, was known as "Sourghum Switch" during the "swing era", and later recorded by Louis Jordan as "COLE SLAW'". Its rhythmic pattern is back-beat-ish and it has a happy dance tune feel to it.

"PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE IN LOVE" is in medium-up tempo with Lou jumping right into the melody with another outstanding solo, followed by a delightful piano offering with May's pulsating throughout the happy proceedings.

"L'IL MISS FINE" opens side two in the traditional Kansas City blues style that first made Charlie Parker a musician. On the second chorus Lou really gets to stomping, after which Foster gets to rockin', and the rhythm section goes right with him. Earl May's only bass solo of the set one wonderful structure and great taste.

Neapolitan nighs are not particularly brought to light with Lou's treatment of the older-than-old "O SOLE MIO", but the tune does lend itself to produce one of the finest solos he's ever recorded.

"SKYLARK", played nearly straight, exhibits the singing, straight-forward style previously mentioned as being one of Lou's oustanding assets.

And the final tune, "SOUL GUMBO", is a stompy little riff-type item that's almost "twisty".

With albums of this swinging quality, and his audience-pleasing, in-person appearances throughout the country leading the way, it fairly certain that LOU DONALDSON, as the title on another of those early 78's states, definitely remain "On The Scene" for a long time to come. His music is ageless!

Joe Segal