LP-707

Gene Shaw Quintet - Break Through

Released 1962

Recording and Session Information

Clarence "Gene" Shaw, trumoet, arranfer; herman Morrison, tenor saxophone; James Taylor, piano; Sidney Robinson, bass; Bernard Martin, drums; unknown, latin percussion
Ter Mar, Chicago, October 11 1962

11927 It's a long way
11928 A.D.'s blues
11929 Tonight
11930 Our tune
11931 The thing
11932 Marj
11933 Six bits
11934 Autumn walk

Track Listing

Autumn Walk	James Taylor	October 11 1962
Ad's Blues	C. E. Shaw	October 11 1962
Marj	C. E. Shaw	October 11 1962
Six Bits	Carl Davis	October 11 1962
The Thing	C. E. Shaw	October 11 1962
Tonight	Leonard Bernstein	October 11 1962
Our Tune	Jack DeJohnette	October 11 1962
It's A Long Way	Carl Davis	October 11 1962

Liner Notes

AS THE FIRST ALBUM featuring Gene Shaw, this recording will serve for many as an introduction to his immense talents as trumpet artist, composer-arranger and leader. Gene is a member of the original contingent of Detroit-based jazz musicians who came into national prominence during the fifties — a remarkable group that included Thad Jones, Kenny Burrell, Pepper Adams, Donald Byrd, Tommy Flanagan, Yusef Lateef and Barry Harris — and he is far from being an unknown among the inner circle of musicians. But the release of this, his first LP for Argo, should bring him into long overdue recognition as an important contributor to the current musical scene.

Relating his musical biography, Gene began "I was born in Detroit, June 16, 1926. I started taking piano lessons — oh, When I was four years old, then switched to trombone when I was six." He reflected, then added, "I went back to classical piano for two years." He became interested in the trumpet while convalescing in an army hospital in Detroit. "I had an old beat-up cornet I bought in the Philippines. I left it laying around until I heard Hot House by Dizzy Gillespie over the radio and thought to myself, "that's gibberish. I can do better. So with the help of a friend, Allen Bryant, I learned how to make trumpet sounds. Three weeks later I had my first job at the Hut Bar in Detroit."

"Later, Skee Wilson and Barry Harris told me, and then showed me on the piano, that there were little things called chord changes and that Dizzy Gillespie was a master in the use of these and had actually extended on them. I was stunned by my ignorance and quit the job."

Following this revealing experience, Shaw enrolled in the Detroit Institute of Music to study harmony, theory, composition and arranging. After completing his course he went out among his contemporaries, playing and gradually picking up bits of knowledge about the trumpet. From these formative years, Gene recalls in particular "Little John" Wilson, a Detroit trumpeter who gave of his professional experience and guidance.

Moving on to New York, he gigged with Wardell Gray, Lester Young, Lucky Thompson and Others. During this period he met and worked with Charles Mingus, appearing on several of the controversial bassist/composer's recording sessions. Concerning Gene's work on the album Tijuana Moods, recorded in 1957 but not issued until five years later, Mingus recently remarked, "If this album had been released in 1957, Shaw would be a star today." In turn, Shaw sums up his debt to Mingus saying, "Mingus' ability to see music through the 'eyes of life' forced me into a new depth of endeavor. It is my aim to follow the path he began, as far as possible, towards its conclusion, For his teaching shall be eternally grateful.

In each of the eight selections on this LP, Gene and the Quintet have tried to project a personal feeling or message. For example, Six Bits might a portrait of a man who is literally down to his last six bits; instead of despondent or disillusioned, he tries to make the best of things with the little he's got. Avenue Walk depicts the mature years of a man's life when he counts up his accomplishments and resources as he faces the cold of the coming winter. And The Thing is the monster that lurks in each of us. The gentle and timid soul who feeds the birds and gives candy to children may explode for no apparent reason and commit some horrendous act.

ABOUT THE OTHER MUSICIANS

SHERMAN MORRISON, on tenor saxophone, may well become one of the dominant voices on his instrument in years to come. He has absorbed much from the work of such giants as John Coltrane and Hank Mobley without being absorbed by their influence. He is currently studying at the Chisago Conservatory and hopes to do some scoring for films and television.

Pianist JAMES TAYLOR came to Chicago from New York in 1959 and has been working around Chicago with various local groups, playing both piano and organ. His interest is divided equally between playing and composing. The intrguing Autumn Walk is his composition.

SIDNEY ROBINSON, whose strong bass lines are the foundation of the rhythm section, began playing bass in the army and has gigged around Chicago for the past few years. He is student of James Palacek who holds the second bass chair of the Chicago Symphony.

Chicago-born BERNARD MARTIN, like the others, has appeared with a number of groups in the Chisago area. His work on drums, tasty but never obtrusive, shows a sensitive awareness of shading and dynamics.

Alfred W. Bowman

LP-706

The Mike Mainieri Quartet – Blues On The Other Side

Released 1962

Recording and Session Information

Mike Mainieri, vibraphone; Bruce Martin, piano; Julius Ruggiero, bass; Joe Porcaro, drums
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, September 5 1962

11875 B.R. blues
11876 Blues on the other side
11877 When I fall in love
11878 Waltzin' in and out
11879 When I grow too old to dream (unissued)
11880 If I were a bell
11881 Tenderly

Track Listing

Blues On The Other Side	Mike Mainieri	September 5 1962
If I Were A Bell	Frank Loesser	September 5 1962
Tenderly	Walter Gross	September 5 1962
B. R. Blues	Mike Mainieri	September 5 1962
When I Fall In Love	Victor Young	September 5 1962
Waltzin' In And Out	Mike Mainieri	September 5 1962

Liner Notes

THE REALITIES of commerce and the artistic temperament both being What they are, it is likely that the careers of many jazzmen have been stunted by an idealistic refusal to admit that they are in show business. This refusal can manifest itself in attitude the audience, or in an attempt to remove the element of entertainment from their music. Whatever size the career of vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, whose first LP as a leader is contained in this LP as a leader is contained in this jacket eventually assumes, such attitudes will have little to do with it. He has been of show business for as long as he can remember. Both his parents are veterans of vaudeville...his father was a tap dancer...and so he is thoroughly versed in the discplines of entertainment. His first professional appearances were spent performing a vibraphone display-piece that had been transcribed from Flight Of The Bumblebee. When he was fifteen, he had formed a trio that was appearing on a Paul Whiteman radio show. Not Bumblebee, though, He had already become aware of Lionel Hampton and Red Norvo, and was playing jazz.

Today, less than a decade later. his career had already undergone enough twists and turns to make up a full life for someone twice his age. A drummer friend of Mainieri's, Pete Voulo, was also a friend Buddy Rich. Rich had, a years back, retired from the big band scene because of illness, and was now seeking to return to active life via a small group. Rich's unit was playing at New York's Village Gate one night when Voulo brought Mainieri down to sit in. The vibraphonist looks even younger than he is, and Rich, fearful of what might happen, made him stay until the club had begun to empty before allowing him to play. It is sufficient to say, minus the star-is-born details, that when the evening ended, Mainieri had a job in the Rich group, and had signed a personal management contract with the drummer. He stayed with Buddy for two years, and feels today that any jazz notoriety he has came about as a result of Rich's attention, concern and promotion.

One tangible result of the association was the New Star vibraphone award which Mainieri won in the Down Beat Critics' Poll in 1961. Fittingly enough, an original on this LP as a leader is titled, in thanks, B. R. Blues.

Such recognition, coming as it did before he had any albums of his own released (and only two with Rich), might have seemed to the beginning of an unstoppable career. But things were not to work out that way. In 1961, Mainieri went on a State tour lasting six months. That in itself is enough to take one out of the viciously competitive and short-memoried jazz limelight, but on his return he came with an ailment contracted overseas. Hospitalized for three months, he was unable to play for two more. Other new musicians have come to notice in that time, so this album, made soon after Mainieri was able to play again, represents, in a very real sense, the comeback of a twenty-four year old musician.

What all this amounts to, in a sense is the strange opposite of the Sonny Rollins sabbatical; a promising musician absent from the scene through no fault of his own, unattended by publicity. But in another sense, it is similar, in that Mainieri will startle no-one with an all-new, all-different style. He plays much the same sort of music that brought him to his recent attention, plays it with more authority because he is more mature, and plays it better.

The musicians who play With him on this album were the ones he had worked with around his home in Yonkers, New York, after his release from the hospital. Drummer Joseph Porcaro Jr., has played with different bands, most notably one led by Bobby Hackett. Bassist Julie Ruggiero was a member of the trio that played on the Whiteman show, and is currently a member of the Tonight Show band led by Skitch Henderson. Mainieri, in speaking of the album, dwells very little on his own work, but stresses that of the pianist, Bruce Martin. Martin studied for two years with Oscar Peterson ("You can hear some of, Mainieri says), and was working with trumpeter Charlie Shavers at the Metropole in New York when Mainieri heard him. Mike strongly believes the pianist to a future star, and succintly sums up the rapport he feels when working with him: "We've kind of got our own little bag."

Out of that bag comes some of the pleasant, unassuming yet thoroughly musicianly albums in quite a while. Three of the tunes are well-known standards: Temderly, If I Were A Bell, and When I Fall In Love. The latter two are closely associated with Miles Davis, but their inclusion is sheer coincidence. They are played "because the piano player and I like them," not because of an influence. Mainieri, who professes not to listen to other vibraphonists very much, names the same two musicians when asked the inevitable question: Clifford Brown and Charlie Parker in that order.

The remaining three are Mainieri originals. Two of them are blues: the slow, moody Blues On The Other Side and the faster, previously mentioned tribute to Buddy Rich. For this listener's tastes, the most distinguished track is the final Waltzin' In And Out, which manages to bring a fresh inventiveness to funk at this late date. But the entire set, from the joyous Bell to the Tenderly played with perfect attention to the title, is enough to make Mike Mainieri's return so welcome that many will wonder why they didn't know he was away,

Joe Goldberg

LP-705

The Ramsey Lewis Trio - Bossa Nova

Released 1962

Recording and Session Information

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Jose Paulo ,guitar, pandeiro; Eldee Young, bass; Redd Holt, drums; Carmen Costa, cabaca,vocals
Yamaha Studio, San Francisco, California, September 22 and 25 1962

11903 O pato
11904 Manha de carnaval
11905 As criancinhas
11906 A noite de meu bem
11907 Roda moinho
11908 Canacao para Geralda
11909 Samba de Orfeu
11910 A felicidade
11911 Care de Palhaco
Generique

Track Listing

Samba De Orpheus	Jobin, Bonfa	September 22 + 25 1962
Maha De Carnaval (The Morning Of The Carnaval)	Jobin, Bonfa	September 22 + 25 1962
A Criancinhas (The Children)	Eldee Young	September 22 + 25 1962
A Noite Do Meu Bem (The Night Of My Love)	D. Duran	September 22 + 25 1962
O Pato (The Duck)	J. Silva	September 22 + 25 1962
Generique (Happiness)	Ramsey Lewis	September 22 + 25 1962
Roda Moinho (Whirlpool)	V. Guaraldi	September 22 + 25 1962
Cara De Palhaco (The Face Of The Clown)		September 22 + 25 1962
Canacao Para Geralda (A Song For Geraldine)	R. Lewis	September 22 + 25 1962

Liner Notes

ONCE IN A LONG, long while there comes along a musician who seems to have the knack of keeping his ear and his music in tune with the broad taste of thc public. He struggles along unheeded by the teeming throng, he may become recognized as a great neglectcd artist. If he is quickly and painlessly accepted and is financially successful, more than likely he will be classified as quote "commercial" unquote. For some logic-defying reason, money and acceptance in jazz can become the kiss of death.

The Ramsey Lewis Trio has been, since its inception, a "winner." The group suffered through no "dues paying" period per se. The three healthy, normal, well adjusted family men got together in Chicago, rehearsed, worked local clubs, recorded and became a popular attraction without ever leaving home. More than five years later the original musicians still with the trio as normal, well adjused family men - (same families). Commercially, the trio is the one shining exception to Chicago's traditional indefference to homegrown talent. Lewis & Company is an ovcrwhelming favorite in the Windy City. This album is a good indication of why.

For the past eighteen months, jazz has been floundering in the dregs of the waning "soul" movement. Writers, listeners, and music fringe craftsmen have been groping feebly for new, fresh ways of saying "It's the same old groove: badly mutilated and overdone." Meanwhile the serious jazz musician has been experimenting with a new idea. The perfected product is now bombarding the airwaves under the grandiose title of Bossi Nova.

In the past, American jazzmen have drawn on the latin culture for rhythmic variation; flavor and excitement in music. In the main, however, the latin harmonic limitations were not conducive to jazz improvisation. Melodies were undistinguished and almost horizontal in structure. There few challenging chord progressions or variations. The emphasis was strictly on rhythmic development.

In the late fifties, a new musical concept was becoming prominent in certain areas of Latin America. Primarily based in Brazil, a style was emerging which still employed the latin rhythms; but displayed more extensive harmonic breadth. Gradually, the melody began to stand out with an identity of its own. With this change, the latin music of Brazil began to lend itself more readily to jazz adaptation. There were fundamental compromises to be made before jazz and the Brazilian music were to fuse into a new "school."

The latin music was still basically a percussion orientated one; while in jazz, the piano is the only prominent percussion instrument and it is employed in a melodic or harmonic capacity as well as a rhythmic one. Often jazz musicians, accustomed to playing primarily in flat keys found themselves faced with the dilemma of either transposing this music and possibly losing some of its subtle connotation or playing it in the unfamiliar, sharp keys. There were infinite variations in instrumentation to be adjuested to.

It was Ramsey's task to make these adjustments within matter of days. Having become acquainted with the music as a listener and admirer, he set about learning the technical fundamentals of the form. He was fortunate in having Josef Paulo and Carmen Costa to woodshed with the trio. These artists are two of the most sought after performers in the Bossa Nova rage. So thoroughly did the trio become entrenched in their music, that both Lewis and Eldee actually contributed original tune to this date.

By this time, "Bossa Nova" is the big thing in jazz and everyone should have become familiar with the term. For those who may not have heard yet, "nova" means new and there is no literal English translation for "bossa." Very, very loosely, it represents the equivalent of our slang "bag" or "thing." Ironically, there is a similar Russian pronunciation which means "barefoot"; that should result in an International definition "new barefoot" music. Somehow, the term seems appropriate for the Ramsey Lewis Trio whose music has always been synonymous with that which is and "of the people."

Again this unit has responded to the music of the hour. Today, the listening public is halfway between the emotional outpourings of the "soul" school and the exciting rhythmic beckoning of Bossa Nova. This album is a happy balance embodyipg both.

Barbara J. Gardner