Bill Evans - Green Dolphin Street

It has been alleged that when President Richard Nixon made his famous trip to China in 1972, he asked the Chinese premier Chou En Lai what Chou thought of the effect of the French Revolution on history. Chou's enigmatic reply is said to have been "It is too soon to tell". Although this story may in fact be an exaggeration, or nothing more than an offhand comment, one wonders if perhaps the impact of Bill Evans on jazz piano could not also be considered in the same light.

Bill Evans was never noted as a great composer or soloist, yet his influence and standing in jazz since his untimely passing in 1980 has been pervasive. Many of the younger jazz pianists recording over the last twenty years seem to have assimilated much of his style in their approach to the instrument. Not unlike John Coltrane, who also passed away at a young age, Bill Evan's musical contributions to the jazz art form are still highly regarded. Bill Evans' recordings are still being released and played, and a recent discovery of an unreleased recording from 1968 generated intense interest when it was located and subsequently released.

Which brings us to one of Bill Evan's lesser known releases, and the subject of today's post, Green Dolphin Street. Recorded in 1959, but not released until almost 20 years later, the trio tracks that make up most the album include Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. The story goes that Bill Evans along with Paul Chamber and Philly Joe Jones were the rhythm section on a Chet Baker recording date in New York. Orrin Keepnews, the famed producer and part owner of Riverside Records, was overseeing the date, and after the sessions with Baker were over, he asked the trio to stay and record some material. It was a spontaneous date, and while the three players had been playing with Miles Davis and were familiar with each other, they did not normally work together as a trio. However, they decided to record at least six songs.  The decision was made that this would be considered a Bill Evans date, and he specifically requested that the tapes not be released until he had a chance to listen to them later.

It was not until the mid 1970's that both Bill Evans and Orrin Keepnews returned to the recording, which, as Orrin Keepenews states in the album's liner notes, miraculously had remained untouched and in storage for at least 15 years. Upon listening to it again Bill Evans agreed the session could be released, and in 1977 it was. It should be noted that Orrin Keepnews agreed completely with Bill Evan's decision.

While the session that produced the trio tracks had not been previously planned, it would be inaccurate to think of it as nothing more than a throwaway. Bill Evans had a meticulous approach to a song, and the trio decided upon songs that they were already playing with Miles Davis, as well as some mutually familiar standards. The result was a wonderful piece of music, featuring three artists familiar with each other and capable of performing at the highest levels of proficiency on their respective instruments.  There is no particular standout in my opinion, but the title track is a great extended reading with lots of room for solos.

This particular version of Green Dolphin Street is a vinyl release on Waxtime, a European label specializing in reissues.  Although there is some degree of uncertainty (or perhaps controversy) concerning the sources used to make these records, my version has a clean, pristine and warm sound. No complaints.

Bill Evans' influence on jazz will continue to be felt for many years to come. Perhaps it is too early to attempt to quantify how significant that influence will be, but it is unquestionable that it is profound

     

Dusty In Memphis

Dusty Springfield was a British singer who became popular in her home country around the same time as the Beatles started their trajectory towards becoming the greatest band in the history of popular music. While the Beatles are still well known and revered, the name Dusty Springfield does not trigger the same recognition. But she was one of the great pop music singers of her era, and has been responsible for at least one of its best records. She was blessed with a beautiful voice, and although she sang in a somewhat understated manner, she was able to convey a tremendous amount of emotional content into the songs she performed. 

She enjoyed great success in her home country in the early and mid 1960’s, as well as some significant sales in the United States. By 1968 her career had started to wane however. She decided to enter into a contract with the R&B giant Atlantic Records, and come to America to record her next album, in hopes of reclaiming her popularity. It was an inspired choice, as the powers that be at Atlantic held her in high regard and were determined to pull out all the stops when it came to making a record with her. Jerry Wexler, at that time a partner in Atlantic and their top producer, would co-produce the album with Atlantic’s top recording engineer, Tom Dowd. Jerry also had Arif Mardin write the arrangements for the record. All that was left was to pick the recording studio. Jerry originally wanted to use the Muscle Shoals studio, but it was unavailable, so they went with American Sound Studio, in Memphis, Tennessee. Atlantic was familiar with the studio, and held it and its owner in high regard. Other classic sides had been cut there, so Jerry knew that for the kind of record Dusty wanted to make, Memphis was the place to go. From the beginning, this was going to be an album with plenty of soul, and a real R&B feel. In hindsight, the studio musicians (house players at American Sound) were the perfect fit for the project. The music grooved, but the players were polished enough to ensure that they could provide whatever level of musicianship the songs needed. 

While Jerry was the ideal producer and project manager, that didn't mean that he and Dusty always agreed on how to conduct the sessions. Prior to the project, he had spent a considerable amount of time reviewing songs he felt would be suitable for her. She turned down the majority of them. Although Dusty was in Memphis for the project, she declined to put any vocal tracks down at the time. Despite Jerry’s desire to record her in Memphis, Dusty said she was too intimidated by the musicians, and the other artists that had recorded there, and felt insecure about her singing. Whether or not that’s true, she recorded the vocals for the album in New York. So although the majority of the songs were recorded in Memphis, her vocals weren’t. While overdubbing the vocals in New York, she and Jerry also clashed on how she would sing her vocal tracks. Although Jerry wanted them recorded a certain way, Dusty insisted in doing it her way. To his credit, Jerry has since said she was right, and she completed her vocal parts with “perfect intonation, every note correct, gorgeous tone production and her own trademark individual phrasing”. 

Dusty said that her favourite singer was Aretha Franklin, and I am sure that played a part in decision to come to America, and to try her hand at recording an album of the type of music that Aretha was having so much success with. Atlantic was also Aretha’s label, and they had certainly made her a superstar, which again must have been something Dusty considered. Although the album is considered today a “blue eyed soul” classic, and Dusty’s finest moment, it was not a big seller at the time. The one song that was a hit as a single, and the one that most people have heard, was “Son Of A Preacher Man”. The song has all the ingredients to be considered as a classic in the R&B genre. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics, a slinky (though funky) groove, tasty horn section and of course, the Sweet Inspirations providing backing vocals. 

As indicated earlier, the album did not sell particularly well, and was a disappointment commercially. Ironically, it has subsequently achieved legendary status and is considered a landmark recording. It has been through several re-issues on compact disc. The original Atlantic release was catalogue number SD 8214. Since the album only sold around 100,000 copies originally, and has since with the passage of time been declared a masterpiece, finding a copy (that hasn’t been played to death or just abused) can be difficult and costly. It is readily available in other formats though, and is well worth having. Dusty In Memphis is an example of an artist in her prime, with the perfect cast of supporting musicians, classic song material and excellent production.