by Scott Yanow
It is ironic that Ronnie Scott’s, the famous London jazz nightclub, is better known than Ronnie Scott (1927-96) himself. A very good tenor-saxophonist, Scott was one of Great Britain’s most significant jazz musicians of the 1950s. He made his first recordings in 1946 with trumpeter Kenny Baker and bandleader Ted Heath, and was among England’s earliest bop soloists as he showed on records with his boptet in 1949. Scott, who mixed together aspects of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young in his playing, led many sessions in the 1950s, co-led the Jazz Couriers during 1957-59 with the other great British tenor Tubby Hayes, and then shifted his focus to running his club in the 1960s. He was a member of the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band and other all-star orchestras in the 1960s but appeared on relatively few recordings after the late-1960s and hardly any during his final two decades.
His two-CD set Four Classic Albums (available from www.amazon.com and www.avidgroup.co.uk) features Scott during 1956-57 at the head of a tentet, a quintet, a sextet, and co-leading the Jazz Couriers. The original albums were titled The Ronnie Scott Orchestra, Jazz At The Flamingo, Presenting the Ronnie Scott Sextet, and Tubby Hayes and the Jazz Couriers. Such British all-stars as Hayes, altoist Derek Humble, trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar, trombonist Ken Wray, and pianists Stan Tracey and Terry Shannon are in the supporting cast and have plenty of fine solos.
Oddly enough Scott is not featured that much on his orchestra album although he does well on “Flying Home.” Jazz At The Flamingo was not actually played live at that club but at another venue that was better suited for recording since it was next door to a studio. The band for that album was led by drummer Tony Crombie although Scott and the excellent baritonist Harry Klein are the stars with Tubby Hayes guesting on two numbers. Scott’s playing on that set is a little reminiscent at times of Lucky Thompson. The third record is probably the best overall with Jimmy Deuchar providing the arrangements, Scott being well featured on the concise performances, and the ensembles showing a strong West Coast jazz influence. The Jazz Couriers set with Tubby Hayes is partly in the same vein with Hayes switching to vibes on a few numbers including a pretty version of Tadd Dameron’s “On A Misty Night.” While one would expect heated blowouts from the two tenors and they have a worthy tradeoff on “Oh My,” it is not until the final number, an uptempo “Cheek To Cheek,” that they really set the music on fire, bringing this very good twofer to a memorable close.
Producer Zev Feldman continues to search the world for unreleased jazz treasures. He has been responsible for the jazz history books being a bit rewritten, and for collectors regularly rejoicing at his discoveries. The Resonance label (founded and run by George Klabin) recently came out with three rather notable releases of vintage performances.
New Kenny Dorham recordings are not exactly a common event. Dorham (1924-72) was a very good trumpeter who came up during the classic bebop era and in the 1950s and ‘60s was one of the top soloists in hard bop. Along the way he was a member of the Charlie Parker Quintet, the original trumpeter with the Jazz Messengers, worked with the Max Roach Quintet, and led a string of rewarding albums for Blue Note, some of which featured his discovery tenor-saxophonist Joe Henderson. Due to his declining health, Dorham made relatively few recordings after 1964.
The single-CD Blue Bossa In The Bronx is the trumpeter’s last recording as a leader, featuring a quintet that otherwise did not record. Dorham is joined by altoist Sonny Red, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Denis Charles. Dorham is in excellent form throughout, whether playing an uptempo version of his most famous original “Blue Bossa,” taking a blazing solo on “Confirmation,” or jamming a pair of blues (“Bags’ Groove” and “Blue Friday”) along with a full-length version of “The Theme.” Sonny Red, who plays with a great deal of passion here and a tone that sometimes hints at Eric Dolphy, has a lot of solo space and sometimes takes honors. The rhythm section is unbeatable with Walton and Chambers (occasionally bowed) having their share of solos. Denis Charles, best remembered for working with Cecil Taylor, shows that he was also quite comfortable playing straight ahead jazz. It is sad that three of these five players (all but Walton and Charles) did not make it to the age of 50 but they can all be heard in their prime on this valuable live set.
One of the greatest trumpeters of all time, Freddie Hubbard (1938-2008) was never absent from records for long. However the quintet that is featured during his two-CD set On Fire (which, like the Kenny Dorham release, was performed at the Blue Morocco in New York) only recorded as a group on one other occasion, two weeks later then On Fire for a CD (Fastball – Live At The Left Bank) released by the now-defunct Label M company decades later.
Recorded on April 10, 1967, this twofer features Hubbard (who had turned 29 three days earlier) at the peak of his powers where he would reside for the next 20 years. Joined by tenor-saxophonist Bennie Maupin, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Herbie Lewis, and drummer Freddie Waits, the trumpeter and his group really stretch out throughout the release. Other than a seven-minute version of “Breaking Point,” the performances clock in between 13:32 and a version of “Bye Bye Blackbird” that is almost 24 minutes long. Hubbard’s playing is brilliant throughout and he clearly inspires Maupin and the other musicians to improvise at their highest level. They explore “Crisis,” “Up Jumped Spring,” “Echoes Of Blue,” and “True Colors” plus “Summertime” at length without ever running out of steam or creativity.
Charles Mingus (1922-79) is heard near the end of his playing career on the two-CD set The Buenos Aires Concerts. He was having physical problems at the time of these concerts from June 2-3, 1977. Mingus was rushed to the hospital shortly after the June 3 concert, briefly recovering but being diagnosed with ALS six months later. Other than some bootlegs with this group, his only remaining recording session where he played bass was with Lionel Hampton in November although he supervised three other albums including one with Joni Mitchell before his death.
While Mingus only takes a few short solos on the Resonance release, he sounds fine and typically pushes the other players in his quintet. This was his final regularly working unit and a pretty strong combo at that with trumpeter Jack Walrath, tenor-saxophonist Ricky Ford, pianist Robert Neloms, and the bassist’s longtime drummer Dannie Richmond. Walrath and Ford were both (and still are) versatile soloists able to play inside or engage in intense sound explorations. Neloms’ career has always been a bit of a mystery. A worthy successor to Jaki Byard, the pianist was clearly able to draw upon earlier styles while pointing towards the future. But although he lived until 2020, his last recording was in 1985. Neloms, who is in excellent form throughout these concerts, is quite obscure despite his talents.
The program begins with two ballads. Rather than treat “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” as a sacred piece as so many musicians have in the years since, Mingus and his men really dig into the piece and take adventurous solos. After “Duke Ellington’s Sound Of Love,” they perform some lowdown blues on “Noddin’ Yo Head Blues.” Things really wake up on “Three Or Four Shades Of Blue,” an episodic piece that is full of surprises including changes of tempos and moods. Also on the first disc is a very brief throwaway version of “Koko/Cherokee,” the exotic “For Harry Carney,” and a 22-minute version of “Cumbia & Jazz Fusion” which was originally written as a soundtrack. Mingus concludes this CD (and the second disc) on piano, playing a brief improvisation that hints at Duke Ellington.
The second disc, which clocks in around 33 minutes, is highlighted by an outstanding version of “Sue’s Changes” which has Ford taking a long unaccompanied solo and then getting pretty wild (a la George Adams) including during some furious group improvising with Walrath. Also on the disc is “Fables Of Faubus,” another brief “Koko,” and Mingus ending the collection on piano.
Each of the Resonance collections adds a lost chapter to jazz history, one that is fully outlined in their very informative booklets. Fans of Kenny Dorham, Freddie Hubbard and Charles Mingus can consider these releases to be essential.
There are five upcoming concerts that should not be missed by anyone who loves jazz. Pianist Emmett Cohen’s Trio will be at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage on Friday April 4. Catalina Bar & Grill will be presenting a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie that is subtitled Salsa Meets Jazz on Friday April 25 and Saturday April 26 with the special guest being the remarkable trumpeter Jon Faddis.
The other three concerts are presented by Ruth Price and the Jazz Bakery at the Moss Theater. Singer Carmen Lundy will be performing on Saturday April 5 and altoist Miguel Zenon will be playing on Saturday April 13. A bit in the future but definitely one not to miss is the combination of guitarist Diego Figueiredo with clarinetist and tenor-saxophonist Ken Peplowski on Saturday May 24. Every jazz musician needs a well-written press biography, every CD (and even downloads) deserves informative liner notes, and important events benefit from press releases. I write all of these and more at reasonable rates. Please contact me at 661-678-3542 or at scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com for further information about my services. My latest book, Jazz Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist (My Jazz Memoirs) is available at www.amazon.com.
Every jazz musician needs a well-written press biography, every CD (and even downloads) deserves informative liner notes, and important events benefit from press releases. I write all of these and more at reasonable rates. Please contact me at 661-678-3542 or at scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com for further information about my services. My latest book, Jazz Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist (My Jazz Memoirs) is available at www.amazon.com