LP-735

Illinois Jacquet – Desert Winds

Released 1964

Recording and Session Information

Illinois Jacquet, alto, tenor saxophone; Tommy Flanagan, piano; Kenny Burrell, guitar; Wendell Marshall, bass; Ray Lucas, drums; Willie Rodriguez, percussion
RVG, Englewood, New York, February 13 1964

13006 Star eyes
13007 Blues for the early bird
13008 Canadian sunset
13009 When my dreamboat comes home
13010 Lester leaps in
13011 You're my thrill
13012 Desert winds

Track Listing

When My Dreamboat Comes Home	Dave Franklin & Cliff Friend	February 13 1964
Desert Winds	Esmond Edwards	February 13 1964
Star Eyes	Don Raye & Gene DePaul	February 13 1964
Blues For The Early Bird	Illinois Jacquet	February 13 1964
Lester Leaps In	Lester Young	February 13 1964
You're My Thrill	Ned Washington & Burton Lane	February 13 1964
Canadian Sunset	Eddie Heywood	February 13 1964

Liner Notes

I HAD never met Illinois Jacquet prior to this recording session, though I have been an admirer of his tenor saxophone sound for years. Please allow me to introduce you to the men involved in the production of this album and allow me to take you to the session with me.

You are holding the product of many years of experience in a number of different fields, all closely related, in that each is necessary for the production of record albums in general and this album in particular.

The talents of the recording engineer are very necessary in the production of the final product and Rudy Van Gelder is one of the best. Rudy's studio is located in New Jersey, just across the George Washington Bridge from New York City. The setting of the studio is suburban and from the reports of musicians, very conducive to musical creation.

Illinois Jacquet gives the first impression of being in command, of himself his music and hence, the situation at hand — the making of a record. My first impression was proven by the events of the afternoon. Illinois does all things in a relaxed, confident way, born of long experience and great ability. The experience has been gathered from working in the bands of Basie and Hampton and leading various small groups of his own. With the Hampton band, Illinois became very well known for his solos on Flyin' Home and his section work with both bands was fine. That he has benefited from all this is evident in the 1964 sound of Illinois Jacquet.

The actual recording session took a while to get going. By this I mean not the actual playing but "going" in a cooking sense. Rapport must be established between the musicians involved, because these men do not work together in a regular group. It takes some time to get the "feel" of the ideas each man wishes to contribute. The last Illinois Jacquet recording (Argo LP-722) has some of the same personnel but a change of only one man changes the complexton of the album.

Willie Rodriquez, besides being a latin percussionist, is a very funny man. Upon examining Willie's very barren head, I complained of the glare. To this Willie explained that he would have worn his toupee but it would have altered the studio accoustics.

The first tune of the album, When My Dreamboat Comes Home, was made for Illinois Jacquet or did he make the tune into his own? Upon reflection coupled with listening, I feel that the latter supposition is more valid. The tempo is sort of jog-along and Jacquet fits perfectly into the rhythmic slot provided by the rhythm section; with Ray Lucas and Wendall Marshall supplying a really sturdy beat as they do throughout the album. Kenny Burrell follows the opening Jacquet solo with one of his own. Kenny is tall and lean and plays guitar in a style befitting his stature. He sort of lopes along with long phrases and ideas. Tommy Flanagan follows, tasteful as ever.

Desert Winds opens with a theme statement by Illinois and Kenny Burrell, followed by a tenor solo, but not just any tenor solo. This one is by Illinois Jacquet and that is saying something. The slightly eastern flavor carries throughout the piece, back to the unison line and then out.

Star Eyes is taken pretty much as written and done in this manner, demonstrates yet another side of Illinois Jacquet. This is a beautiful song and the original is only enhanced by the very personal Jacquet treatment. The Tommy Flanagan solo further points out why Tommy is so much in demand for recording sessions and club work. If I needed a piano player I would hire Tommy Flanagan.

Blues For The Early Bird came about by Jacquet saying, "Blues!" and then they played it. Note that Illinois plays alto on this track — not tenor. He swings on both.

Lester Leaps In is, a tribute to "Pres", in the title and in the playing style. Illinois Jacquet leans toward Lester Young in style derivation and it is especially evident on this tune. This is a real screamer and I told Esmond Edwards thaf as soon as this one is released I would use it to lead off my show. You can hear why. It is very important to start a radio show off each night with music which will hold the interest, of the listener. This one starts strongly, builds strength in the middle and conclådes with power. Kenny Burrell plays some very polished rhythm guitar, illustrating his ability to fill other than a solo role Jacquet is all over the horn, up, down and around but not as a showboat. He is using his command of the horn to communicate his ideas to the listener. If you are reading these words while you are in a record store and have yet to sample the sound contained herein or hereon, ask the man to play Lester Leaps In for you. From this time on you will be an Illinois Jacquet admirer like so many others before you.

When Jacquet recorded You're My Thrill, he stopped the show. Everyone in the studio went over to congratulate him on his poignant, sensitive rendition of the lovely old tune. A lot of people have forgotten how lyrical this man can be with his horn.

Eddie Heywood's Canadian Sunset never had it so good. The same beat is present that propelled the first tune on side one. We started this way and we end this way — all the way around then back home.

So from a Canadian Sunset to a New York one, the session ended. I bade adieu to all the musicians, to Esmond Edwards and to Rudy Van Gelder. I lingered with Illinois to invite him to the show for an interview. Possibly the word "interview" is not quite the proper word choice. I think it could better be called a "talk". I feel I can say this because I now know the man and his music much better than I did before this recording session. You know him better also.

Willie Rodriquez yolunteered to drive me back to Manhattan and we recrossed the Hudson. I enjoyed the day and you will surely be pleased with the product Of this day. Enjoy yourself!

R. D. HARLAN
Radio Station WNCN—FM
New York City

LP-734

Lou Donaldson – Possum Head

Released 1964

Recording and Session Information

Bill Hardman, trumpet; Lou Donaldson, alto saxophone; John Patton, organ; Ray Crawford, guitar; Ben Dixon, drums; Cleopas "Mopedido" Morris, conga
United Recording Studio, Los Angeles, January 28 1964

12963 Possum head
12964 Secret love
12965 Frenesi
12966 Man with a horn
12967 Persimmon tree
12968 Midnight soul
12969 Bye bye, blackbird
12970 Laura

Track Listing

Possum Head	Lou Donaldson	January 28 1964
Secret Love	Fain & Webster	January 28 1964
Midnight Soul	Lou Donaldson	January 28 1964
Bye Bye Blackbird	Henderson & Dixon	January 28 1964
Laura	D. Raskin	January 28 1964
Persimmon Tree	Lou Donaldson	January 28 1964
Frenesi	A. Dominguez & L. Whitcup	January 28 1964
Man With A Horn	DeLange & Lake	January 28 1964

Liner Notes

ACCORDING to Doctor Alyce Gullatte, "The possum's growth is a mysterious saga of development. There is no animal to whom wit and cunning have been more attributed than to the opossum, more affectionately known as the possum. From the very beginning his existence and survival have been dependent upon his making the right move. in the right direction. at the right time. It is small wonder then that the term 'to play possum' implies the utilization of survival techniques that have become a part of the 'possum personality', such as cunning, finesse and possum sense".

Lou Donaldson is affectionately called "Possum Head" because of his musical cunning, finesse, possum sense and according to some — a physical resemblance. "Playing Possum", however, means to play dead and where Lou is concerned, nothing could be further from reality. By his "musical cunning" and "possum sense", Lou has managed to look and keep very much alive in the fiercely competitive jazz jungle for about fifteen years.

With the exception of guest artists Ray Crawford and "Mopedido" the personnel on this album represents the group that Lou Donaldson has kept working on a very regular basis for the past two years. They work because they play a "commercial" brand of jazz that their audiences find easy to relate to and enjoy.

The music in this album is indicative of the music that Lou plays for his audiences in clubs throughout the country. He can excite a crowd to spontaneous shouts with a heavily rhythm-and-blues flavored number and then lull them into reverie with the likes of the tender ballad Laura.

Throughout this album there is a high level of individual performance. Lou plays with even more than his usual dexterity and assurance and Bill Hardman, Ray Crawford and John Patton contribute excellent solos and ensemble support. Ben Dixon gives a rock steady foundation to the rhythm and conga drummer, "Mopedido" gives an extra lilt to things without being obstrusive.

When we received our advance copy of POSSUM HEAD we put it on the turntable with real anticipation, because a new Lou Donaldson, album is always a pleasant listening event. We weren't disappointed and you won't be either.

—AL CLARKE
Radio Station WOOK
Washington, D. C.

LP-733

Ahmad Jamal – Naked City Theme

Released 1964

Recording and Session Information

Ahmad Jamal, piano; Jamil Sulieman (Nasser), bass; Chuck Lampkin, drums
Jazz Workshop, San Francisco, 1963-1964

12880 Whisper not
12881 Naked City theme
12882 One for Miles
12883 Haitian market place
12981 Beautiful love
12982 Surrealism
12983 Minor adjustment
12984 Johnny one note
12985 Have you met Miss Jones?
12986 I believe in you
13301 Minor moods
13302 Keep on keepin' on
13303 Stolen moments
13563 Lollipops and roses

Track Listing

Naked City Theme	B. May & M. Raskin	December 10 1963
Minor Moods	A. Jamal	June 26-28 1964
Haitian Market Place	R. Evans	December 10 1963
Beautiful Love	V. Youing & W. King	Early 1964
One For Miles	A. Jamal	December 10 1963
Lollipops And Roses	T. Velona	June 26-28 1964

Liner Notes

THIS IS AHMAD JAMAL'S first new album in two years. It was recorded live, last June, at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco — that West Coast city which seems to generate so much excellent jazz nowadays. Most musicians will agree that the jazz experience is heightened by playing to real people. Real San Francisco people seem to be even better, as other jazz musicians who have played there will attest.

The Jamal story is heart-warming. Only a handful of modern jazzmen have achieved the genuine commercial success that he has. That kind of success (enormous record sales and sellout personal appearances) must have surprised him, since he had not consciously sought it. Only rarely would he leave his Chicago workshop, where he had numerous local admirers. Jamal was, and is, essentially, a first-rate pianist — a fact known to fellow jazz musicians who heard him in Chicago long ago, before he gained widespread recognition.

Now, of course, everyone knows Ahmad Jamal's celebrated style. On its surface, his playing is gentle, warm and lyrical, and charms even a non-jazz audience. Yet everyone listening must have felt the relentless beat, because it was always there — rolling along like ocean waves.

Although Jamal seems to prefer subtlety and indirection, in reality he is strongly percussive and places accents much like a drummer. On this album, his percussiveness is strongly evidenced. Earlier records, however, had the interplay of rhythmic accents between him and the other musicians more subdued — now it constantly erupts!

Not that there is a "new" Jamal — all that was so attractive before is still here — only the emphasis has shifted. This shift is due, in no small part, to his new sidemen: drummer Chuck Lampkin and bassist Jamil Sulieman. Lampkin, formerly with Dizzy Gillespie, has a crisp sound and a hard-swinging beat. Sulieman's sound, deeply vibrant, is cleanly articulated and he has that "walking" beat. Both men are capable of producing the varying dynamics and shadings that Ahmad's conception demands.

One thing more! Here is a tightly-knit group. Each tune, subjected to any number of possible attacks, is spun out with increasing ingenuity and excitement. Within this diversity. always there is thc unity of a trio performance, rather than simple piano-with-rhythm backing.

The six compositions selected for this album were chosen from numerous inspired performances given the nights of June 26, 27, and 28, 1964.

NAKED CITY THEME: The title song of this album, written by Billy May, is a pretty melody languidly played in the first chorus by Ahmad, over an ever-rolling tom-tom beat. Clanging cymbals and hammered chords from the piano are then added in increasing volume and intensity, and a striking alteration to the interior pulse occurs toward the end of the piece.

MINOR MOODS: Here is Ahmad as composer; this time with an attractive jazz waltz. Following some warm chord progressions by the leader, dig Sulieman's bass solo! After which a crackling solo by Lampkin is heard — but note also his crisp drumming throughout.

HATTIAN MARKET PLACE: From the pen of Richard Evans, (a former bassist with the trio) exotic styling by Jamal is here evidenced. Caribbean rhythms are now the basic pattern, but the feeling is sizzling, hot jazz. Hard to keep still while listening to this one!

BEAUTIFUL LOVE: Victor Young's writing, and here is the romantic mood of Ahmad, beautifully played. You will note though, that beat is always there.

ONE FOR MILES (guess who?): Ahmad, the composer, again. This one is straight-ahead, hard-swinging jazz! Brilliant solos by Ahmad and Sulieman, big-band drum accents by Lampkin, and sly, witty touches from one and all are contained here. Swings for days!

LOLLIPOPS AND ROSES: Penned by Tony Velona; here is a lovely song played tenderly for the most part, with that shimmering piano tone that is Jamal's hallmark. Still, before the climax, the trio examines the piece in some other lights that are more direct, consequently, a few sparks fly!

Norval Perkins
Former jazz columnist for the Washington Afro-American