Earl Hines – Harlem Lament
Again from the 1933 band we hear how brilliant and original Earl Hines was as a pianist. In The Swing Era, a musically and historically thorough document by Gunther Schuller, the master take of “Harlem Lament” is dissected in great detail. Schuller writes, “…(“Harlem Lament”) is remarkable for one of Hines’ most spectacular solos from this period and for Quinn Wilson’s exceptional arrangement. Spare and lightly scored in the first part, Wilson contrasts this with an unusually compact, tightly voiced full ensemble in the final chorus, where the admixture of trumpets, trombones and saxophones is so well blended that one can barely distinguish the various choirs”.
As for the Hines piano, he continues “Hines compresses more ideas into a 32-bar solo than most pianists can manage in an entire evening. As in a perfectly trained race horse, Hines’ capacities are at all times working at maximum speed, double that of most musicians of his generation”. One has to consider, without belittling the complexities of let’s say a brass or reed instrument where you play one note with two hands, that Hines singular style is so striking on a piano where you can play four notes with two hands. To further observe this statement, Schuller writes, “Hines is constantly engaging both hands in competitive exchanges or various dialogues. His mind (and figures) are continually driven towards complexity – rhythmic and contrapuntal complexity”.
Hines serves not only a memorable piano solo but in his obbligato to trumpeter Charlie Allen’s statement of the second half of the theme. It’s an essential component of an accompanist to know just how much to lay a musical bed for a soloist without having it sound like the springs are getting in the way. Here the trumpet solo is quite simple and Earl knows how to get the right amount of ideas across in his conversation with “straight man” Allen.
If you want to hear more of this, a previously unissued alternate take is offered on our Mosaic set, although as Brian Priestley writes in the notes for our set, the alternate has a “slightly less florid piano work, (but) is an unexpected bonus.
-Scott Wenzel
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Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers: Class of ’57
Well, well, it’s nice to see the Night Lights site paying homage to a wonderful, overlooked edition of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers with Jackie McLean, Bill Hardman, Sam Dockery and Spanky De Brest. It was a gem of a band and recorded frequently during its short existence. When we started our Mosaic Singles series, one of the first project I targeted as this band’s HARD BOP LP on Columbia (MCD-1005). There was actually another half of album of material used on DRUM SUITE, so I combined it all and was lucky enough to discover stereo session reels and make it available in that format for the first time.
-Michael Cuscuna
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Dave Brubeck: Blue Rondo A La Turk
The always affable and humble Dave Brubeck tells the fascinating origin of his most famous composition “Blue Rondo A La Turk.” The quartet mastered that unique rhythm pattern in 9/8 and played it with such comfort.
-Michael Cuscuna
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Pepper Adams Revisits Thelonious Monk at Town Hall
This audio clip from the website pepperadams.com is an excerpt of an interview Ben Sidran conducted with baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, focusing on the famous 1959 Thelonious Monk Orchestra concert at Town Hall. The entire performance of Little Rootie Tootie starts the clip; Pepper Adams plays the opening solo. Then Adams offers his urbane comments about the Town Hall concert and the public reaction.
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Stan Getz Chats
Here is a tantalizing dip into the Canadian Jazz Archives with three short clips from a 1977 interview that finds Stan Getz affable, thoughtful and talkative. Give us more!!!!!
-Michael Cuscuna
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Cannes 1958 – Tenor Sax Greats
Marc Myers has unearthed this little tenor sax treasure from the 1958 Cannes Jazz Festival with Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Guy LaFitte and Barney Wilen. Getz and Byas are the standouts but everyone plays beautifully. This cast is likely part of a Jazz At The Philharmonic tour.
-Michael Cuscuna
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Frankie Dunlop on Thelonious Monk
When the dust clears, Frankie Dunlop emerges as one of my all-time favorite drummers with Thelonious Monk. His swing and melodic instinct served as a fascinating and winning backdrop for Monk. In this interview with Todd Bishop, on the blog Cruise Ship Drummer!, Dunlop’s insights on Monk fly fast and furious.
-Nick Moy
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When FaceBook Was Face To Face
Tom Cole remembers his first retail store jazz mentor and the five albums that he recommended to get started on serious jazz listening. Amazing that this whole ecosystem of spreading the word on music and getting that music into people’s hands doesn’t exist anymore. Human contact, eye-to-eye and ear-to-ear connections doesn’t translate to the web. I could quibble with TP’s list; there are far better Monks to choose for example, but I absolutely love that he included the Art Ensemble of Chicago’s “Les Stances A Sophie” a wonderfully hip and obscure record.
-Michael Cuscuna
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Read MoreHarry “Sweets” Edison Interview
In this brief audio clip from an interview with WKCR’s Phil Schaap, Harry “Sweets” Edison recalls how being a new man in a band can be a blessing but also can have its share of confusing moments.
-Scott Wenzel
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View VideoThe Instantly Recognizable Alto Sound of Jackie McLean
Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean is on fire for this 1988 version of Quadrangle, which he originally recorded in 1959 for “JACKIE’S BAG” (Blue Note). The rest of the band on this Mt. Fuji Blue Note Festival is Wallace Roney, Horace Parlan, Peter Washington and Kenny Washington.
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