Bill Leslie - Diggin' The Chicks
Released 1962
Recording and Session Information
Bill Leslie, tenor saxophone; saxella Tommy Flanagan, piano; Thornell Schwartz, guitar; Ben Tucker, bass; Art Taylor, drums
RVG, Englewood, New York, October 19 1962
11946 Rosetta
11947 Margie
11948 Goodnight Irene
11949 Madge
11950 Got a date with an angel
11951 Angel eyes
11952 Lonely woman
Track Listing
| Good Night Irene | H. Ledbetter | October 19 1962 |
| Angel Eyes | Matt Dennis, Earl Brent | October 19 1962 |
| Madge | Wm. Leslie | October 19 1962 |
| Margie | Robinson, Davis, Conrad | October 19 1962 |
| Lonely Woman | Ornette Coleman | October 19 1962 |
| Got A Date With An Angel | Walter, Tunbridge, Miller, Grey | October 19 1962 |
| Rosetta | Earl Hines, Wm. Woode | October 19 1962 |
Liner Notes
EVEN though this is Bill Leslie's first album as a leader, he has already gained a solid reputation among musicians as a young tenor player who has achieved a good measure of singular self-expression, i.e., he is "inta something" or "taking care of bizness," to use the easy jargon of the industry. And Leslie comes by this reputation through an admirable balance of musical attributes which combines a dazzling technical fluency with a deeply felt blues sense that colors and broadens all his music. Listening to this first album. and reflecting on the individuality and emotional maturity of Leslie's playing at this stage of the game one cannot help but wonder where he will go next, and hope to Se informed of his next move. This album really whets your appetite.Bill has sessioned in and worked around Philadelphia for years, and even though he is interested in a very contemporary expression his dues years in the various cabarets and dance halls of Philadelphia have rewarded him with a strong blues pulse which is evident in everything he plays. So that even though Leslie names such new thinkers as Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Ornette Coleman as the saxophonists he likes best, one can still hear in his playing a very cool distillation of the muscular "gutbucket" saxophones that drive rhythm bands like Bill Carney's in Philadelphia or Louis Jordan's, two of the groups that Leslie came through. This is certainly one reason why Leslie's fluency and facility with the horn never breaks down into shallowness or glibness. He can "get around" on his horn without sacrificing or forfeiting any of his emotional fervor.
Half of the rhythm section on this date, i.e., pianist, Tommy Flanagan and drummer, Arthur Taylor, are two of the most sought after sidemen on the scene; and thev have played together on countless LP's. The bands these men have gone through and the, like they say, "big names," they have played with probably form some wild catalog of what has been happening in jazz in the last ten years.
Bassist, Ben Tucker is also no new hand when it comes to cementing swinging rhythm sections together. He has worked, at various times, with Art Pepper, Roland Hanna, Carl Perkins and Warne Marsh, for a few names.
Thornel Schwartz and Bill Leslie have played together many times before, and Bill was featured on Thornel's debut as leader, as well. These two men certainly have a deep feeling for each other's music, and it is immediately apparent how expertly they can complement and comment on each other's solos (as on the indelibly lovely Lonely Woman where Thornel's almost evanescent chords ring just beneath Leslie's brooding solo, calmly enforcing his beautiful statements).
All these tunes are for or about ladies, as the title should indicate. And as I mentioned, all these tunes are for or about ladies, as the title should indicate. And as I mentioned, probably the most singularly beautiful title on the album is Ornette Coleman's severely introspeetive ballad. Lonely Woman, which Leslie plays the soprano saxophone sounding saxella. This intrument's slight piercing sound, sometimes almost pleadingly speech-like, evokes a chillinglv programmatic image of an emotion that both composer and instrumentalist seem to understand perfectly. The rhythm section is also impeccable on this tune; Tucker's firm quiet chords, and Taylor's continuous dirge-like cymbal, reinforce the total feeling of the piece quite movingly.
Got A Date With An Angel and Rosetta are both taken at about the same bright, fingerpopprng tempos, though Rosetta is just a little quicker on her feet. But both tunes show just how quick Bill Leslie can move around his horn. He has a way of sounding cool and casual even when he is starting to "go upstairs," as is the case on Rosetta, a tune last heard to good advantage when played by Red Allen and Coleman Hawkins.
Ben Tucker provides the western waltz background for the rather tongue-in-cheek version of Good Night Irene. Thornel Schwartz also contributes to the outdoorsy feeling strumming away like it was Hick Night at the Apollo. And after a time, Bill Leslie makes it pretty obvious that Irene was not completely unaware of the blues, as does Tommy Flanagan's brief but vitally bluesy solo.
Angel Eyes is the lovely lovely standard that the M.J.Q. revived a few years ago. And again. Bill Leslie shows the devastatingly introspective and tender aspect of his piayzng, backed with equal purpose by Flanagan. The two show how much feeling can be gotten out of this incredibly fragile piece of music. One of the most exacting tests of a jazz musician is how well he can play a ballad. Many musicians who can play a "jam" handily find it impossible to play a ballad meaningfully.
Leslie's original, Madge, is a "straight up" blues, taken at walking tempo. This chick is an elegantly bluesy type "soul sister" who doesn't have to raise her voice to make a point. Bill's very warm very relaxed sound, aided by Thorne! Schwartz' soft blues chords paint a very attractive portrait and demonstrate quite readily that you don't have to fall down on your back and kick your feet in the air to get that old funky blues thing going.
Margie shows that Bill Leslie can revive any tune with the freshness of his imagination, since this tune is one of the most beat up pieces since the Star Spangled Banner. Notice the way he searches for alternate and minor chords, never content merely to "run the changes." But one of the most salient characteristics of Bill Leslie's playing is that he always seems intent on finding the most expressive way to say a thing. He is never content with the stale or obvious. Let's say Leslie's trying most of all to play like himself, which is maybe a weird idea for a lot of people, but luckily for us, Bill doesn't think it's so weird. Listen to him!
LeRoi Jones
