THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | March 2013 21

Here are two excellent reissues to delight Basie fans, both those who love the big band and those with a taste for the winning style of small-group mainstream swing that his sidemen served up through the ‘50s and early ‘60s. And you needn’t be a specialist to enjoy these releases; having ears that work properly is the only prerequisite for that reaction. No pairing of LPs could be more logical than Kansas City Suite and The Legend, the 1960 and 1961 sessions arranged by Benny Carter for a Basie band that had, in the opinion of many, hit its postwar peak with The Atomic Mr. Basie in 1958. There were only a couple of personnel changes between the Atomic and Kansas City sessions. Eddie Lockjaw Davis was replaced by Billy Mitchell on tenor saxophone, but Frank Foster and Frank Wess remained, as did trumpet stars Joe Newman, Thad Jones and Snooky Young and trombonists Al Grey, Seldon Powell and Henry Coker. The section playing was still sensational and of course the rhythm section of Basie, guitarist Freddie Green, bassist Eddie Jones and drummer Sonny Payne was nonpareil. By the time The Legend was recorded, Newman and Grey had left, Budd Johnson had replaced Billy Mitchell and Sam Herman was subbing for Green. The soloists throughout are great, with Foster and Jones making, perhaps, the strongest impressions. Several of these tunes became standards and “Katy Do” is in the band’s book to this day, but there’s no sane way to single out individual tracks when every one is a classic. Carter ’s writing is wonderful and draws things out of the band that Basie’s regular arrangers didn’t, especially from the sax and trombone sections. Carter did lead a good few dates during this period, but the only one that found him leading a big band was the magnificent Aspects (1958) and the similarity to the writing here is immediately apparent. The Frank Wess date Opus De Blues was recorded in 1959 but remained unissued, somehow, until 1991. The Thad Jones tracks were originally part of an unwieldy two-LP set called The Birdland Story, so the packaging of these two slightly out-of-the-way sessions

is again good thinking, especially as seven of the nine tracks are Jones originals. The first session features fellow Basie hand Charlie Fowlkes on baritone sax and Curtis Fuller on trombone, with Hank Jones heading a three-piece rhythm section that manages the right swing feel while adding a few modern flourishes. Hank’s soloing is particularly tasty and his sense of humor is in evidence, the sly quote of “Star Eyes” at the beginning of his solo on “Boop De Doop” a noteworthy example. Though he’s listed as playing tenor and flute, Wess also plays alto on the opening “I Hear Ya Talkin’”. On the Birdland date (not sure what the reasoning behind that title was, since it was mostly a collection of unrelated studio sessions), our two protagonists are joined by Al Grey and Billy Mitchell. Is the cast sounding familiar yet? They certainly sound familiar to one another, making Thad’s charts sound as easy to play as they are to listen to, which is easy indeed! Brother Hank returns with more great piano comping and soloing and we get another rare chance to hear Wess’ alto, on “Friday the 13th”. Fans of his fine flute work and fluid tenor will find lots to like throughout the two sessions as well, of course. Opus De Blues is certainly a worthwhile addition to any collection but the Carter/Basie collaborations rank among the very greatest postwar big band records. You’ll like the former and you need the latter.

For more information, visit freshsoundrecords.com. Wess is at Jazz at Kitano Mar. 2nd, Saint Peter’s Mar. 3rd as part of Prez Fest and Smoke Mar. 29th-30th. See Calendar.

This version of Ornette’s classic composition blossoms into one of the best ever. Recorded in Basel, Switzerland in 1981 with some of European improvisation’s leading lights, it’s a wonder that the lonely 13-minute track is only seeing the light of day for the first time. Bassist François Méchali’s solo is indicative, gaining in momentum before settling down to a drone similar to Coleman’s 1959 version. Michael Overhage’s cello and Raymond Boni’s guitar emerge from the drone, providing a timbral and harmonic cushion where Coleman emphasizes the melody’s starkness. As in late-period Coltrane, there is a transparent layer of percussion, courtesy of bells and cymbals from Pierre Favre. While some room is provided midway for solos, notably a scorcher from trombonist Radu Malfatti, much of this music is collective in nature. It is as if Joe McPhee, or whoever was responsible for the lush and constantly morphing arrangement, realized Coleman’s harmolodic implications, bringing the music to the next level. Parts of the head are non-contiguously juxtaposed with others, giving the form the same freedom that meter and solos enjoyed in the original. Despite the present transfer obviously coming from a fairly high-generation copy, the recording is superb. Each detail is audible while not necessarily being realistically presented. Witness the hazy echo on certain saxophone passages as contrasted with the forward positioning of cymbals and Irène Schweizer’s piano. McPhee fans needn’t hesitate.

For more information, visit corbettvsdempsey.com. McPhee is at Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center Mar. 2nd. See Calendar.

The Loneliest Woman

Joe McPhee Po Music (Corbett vs. Dempsey)by Marc Medwin

Play the music of Benny CarterCount Basie

(Roulette-Fresh Sound)

Opus De Blues Frank Wess & Thad Jones Septets (Savoy/Roulette -

Fresh Sound)

by Duck Baker

M A R 8 – 97:30 PM & 9 :3 0 PM

D I Z Z Y & B I R D F E S T I V A L

P A Q U I T O D ’ R I V E R A ’ S ‘ C H A R L I E P A R K E R W I T H S T R I N G S ’D’Rivera honors the work of Charlie Parker, imparting a Latin twist to the familiar standardFree pre-concert festival, 6:30pm

M A R 8 – 98 PM

D I Z Z Y & B I R D F E S T I V A L

C E L E B R A T I N G D I Z Z Y G I L L E S P I EMaster trumpeter Jon Faddis leads The Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra of New York through new transcriptions of Dizzy Gillespie repertoireFree pre-concert festival, 6:30pm

M A R 2 2–2 37:30 PM

& 9:30 PM

M A D E L E I N E P E Y R O U XVocalist and guitarist Madeleine Peyroux reprises originals and classics from artists such as Bessie Smith, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and more

M A R 1 5 – 1 67:30 PM

& 9:30 PM

C H A R L I E M U S S E L W H I T EBlues master Charlie Musselwhite brings his bourbon-smooth tenor voice and masterful harmonica commen-tary to The Allen Room

charlie parker & dizzy gillespie Photo courtesy of the Frank Driggs Collection

B O X O F F I C E B R O A D W A Y A T 6 0 T H

C E N T E R C H A R G E 2 1 2 - 7 2 1 - 6 5 0 0

M A R

J A Z Z A T L I N C O L N C E N T E R2 5 Y E A R S O F J A Z Z

Lead Corporate Sponsor

J A L C . O R G

Preferred Card of Jazz at Lincoln CenterAvailable now: pugsandcrows.com

Pugs & Crows - Fantastic Pictures“This is music of great strength and beauty.”

- Alexander Varty, The Georgia Straight (Vancouver, B.C)

Meredith Bates - violin / Cat Toren - piano / Cole Schmidt - guitar Russell Sholberg - bass / Ben Brown - drums

recipient of Galaxie Rising Star Award at 2010 Vancouver Jazz Festival