The Sackville All Star Christmas Record

A genre fraught with peril is the “Christmas Album”. While there are some that are genuinely loved and have stood the test of time, the field is littered with far too many examples of anodyne versions of songs already too saccharine for their own good. Jazz musicians, however seem to approach the concept of recording an album of Christmas related music with an open mind, since being it being “jazz”, it means you can experiment with the arrangements, and maybe breath some new life into an older number.

Sackville was a Canadian record company and label that specialized in jazz. In March of 1986, they brought together a quartet to record a record of Christmas music, which was released later in the same year. The “Sackville All Star” group was a quartet consisting of Jim Galloway (soprano saxophone), Milt Hinton (bass), Gus Johnson (drums) and Ralph Sutton (piano). Jim Galloway was a leader in Canadian jazz. He was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire Scotland in 1936, and moved to Toronto in 1964. In addition to a prolific recording and performing career, Jim was also a band leader and a co-founder of the Toronto Jazz Festival. 

Side one opens with “Santa Claus Is Coming Town”, one of the best known songs in the canon of Christmas music (and before anybody might look down their nose at this selection, Bill Evans also recorded a version of this tune). The album includes three well known carols (We Three Kings, Good King Wenceslas and Silent Night), a couple of more modern well known seasonal numbers (Winter Wonderland and Let It Snow) and two other Christmas themed songs I hadn’t heard before; “At The Christmas Ball” and “Santa Claus Came In The Spring”. The final song on side two is “Old Time Religion”, which, according to the liner notes, was included because “while not exactly a Christmas song, personifies the spirituality which is so much a part of the season”. All of the songs are performed with verve and character. These were songs that all of the players would have been familiar with, and probably had played over their careers on numerous occasions. In this case, the arrangements are respectful of the nature of the song, but also inventive enough that they breathe some new life into them.  

I found my copy of this record at a used record store for 5 bucks. The original celllophane wrapping was still attached with "6.99" written in red marker across the front. It was definitely worth the original price and 5 bucks for a pristine used copy was a great deal. A nice piece of Canadian recording history, and well worth listening to over the holidays. 

Fraser MacPherson Live At The Planetarium

Fraser MacPherson is a Canadian jazz musician originally from Manitoba. He moved to British Columbia as a child, and eventually settled in Vancouver, which was to be his home. 

“Live At The Planetarium” was his first small group album as a leader. It is a trio recording, featuring guitarist Oliver Gannon and bassist Wyatt Ruther. Oliver Gannon was born in Ireland, but moved to Canada with his family in 1957 when he was 14 years old. In 1969, he moved to Vancouver, where he became a staple on the local jazz scene. In 1975, Oliver was asked to join a trio that Fraser wanted to form. The third member of the trio Wyatt Ruther was an American jazz musician who moved to Vancouver around 1973 or 74, and resided there until the mid 1980’s. During that time, he worked extensively with Fraser MacPherson (among others).

The album has an interesting history. It was originally recorded for broadcast on the French language CBC network. Fraser MacPherson then leased the master tapes, and released the performance on his own label, West End Records. Subsequent to that release, the album became known to the Concord Jazz label from California. That label was so impressed they offered to release the record themselves. According to the liner notes on the Concord release, Carl E. Jefferson, the President of Concord Jazz stated “This album by Fraser MacPherson was released in Canada with very limited distribution. It has been recorded extremely well, has superb musical quality and we are most delighted to release it on our label. If you are already a Concord Jazz fan, this will fit very nicely in your library”. High praise indeed. One technical note is that according to the fine print, this version of the record was remixed prior to Concord releasing it. 

The songs on this record are all well known jazz standards. There are seven tracks altogether, with three on side one and four on side two. Side one opens up with “Tangerine”, an established tune from 1941. This track is followed by “ I Cried For You (Now It’s Your Turn To Cry Over Me)", another chestnut, probably best known from the version recorded by Billie Holiday. The last song on side one is the Modern Jazz Quartet number “Django” (written by their pianist John Lewis in tribute to the legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt). The trio takes it a relaxed tempo, leaving plenty of room for Oliver to solo. Side two features “I’m Gettin’ Sentimental Over You”, “L’il Darlin’”, “Lush Life” and “My Funny Valentine”. “Lush Life”, written by Billy Strayhorn is a beautiful ballad and without a doubt is the standout track on this side. Throughout the album, the trio play with taste and restraint, leaving space that accentuates the high quality of the musicianship on display. As indicated earlier, Concord felt so strongly about the excellence of this recording that they re-released it on their own imprint. Fraser MacPherson’s playing is relaxed and to these ears has a “West Coast” feel to it (not a surprise considering he was a Vancouverite). It would appear this was only ever released on vinyl, and there doesn't seem to be a no compact disc version. As I like to say, highly recommended.  

                         Rob McConnell & the Boss Brass

                                                                    Atras da Porta     

                                           

"Atras da Porta" was the 16th release by The Boss Brass. It was issued on the Canadian Innovation label. The album contained eight tracks in total. In addition to the high level of musicianship displayed by the 22 piece orchestra, this release is a bit unique in that five of the songs are from Latin American composers. The album was produced by Argentinian composer and producer Fernando Gelbard, who contributed his compositions “Flowers”, “Jo Jo’s Dance” and “Didi”. As far as arrangements are concerned, Rob McConnell arranged five of the tracks; “Easy To Love”, “Flowers”, “Autumn In New York”, “Didi” and “Bye Bye Blues”, two were arranged by Jorge Callandrelli; “Jo Jo’s Dance” and the title track “Atras da Porta” and Rick Wilkins arranged “Amor Ate O Fim”. As one would expect, all of the songs feature innovative and sophisticated arrangements, outstanding soloists (including Moe Koffman on alto sax, guitarist Ed Bickert, Guido Basso on flugelhorn and Eugene Amaro on tenor sax) and top flight ensemble playing. The opening track on the album is an outstanding version of Cole Porter’s “Easy To Love”, which is a real barn-burner featuring solos by Moe Koffman and Steve Wallace. In a catalogue of consistent excellence, it is hard to select one recording that stands out above the others. This one is certainly up there though. Highly recommended.   

 Cal Collins

 

Cincinnati To L.A.

 

While browsing through the local record store recently, I came across an album on the Concord label featuring a musician I didn’t immediately recognize. The artist was jazz guitarist Cal Collins, and the title of the record was “Cincinnati To L.A.” The recording was trio session with Monty Budwig on double bass and Jake Hanna on drums. I prefer smaller groups, and a trio setting with bass and drums is one of my favourites. I picked up the album, and put it on after I got home. I wasn’t disappointed. According to the album liner notes, which were written by Leonard Feather, Cal, who was born on May 5, 1933 grew up in what Cal described as a country and bluegrass atmosphere, in a household with mandolins, banjos and guitars. As a child, Cal played the mandolin. A little later on, he was exposed to Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian, and focused on jazz. After a stint in the Army, he decided to take on the challenge of making his living as a professional musician. He paid his dues, mainly working around Cincinnati, until in 1976, after a recommendation, he auditioned for Benny Goodman and was selected to become the guitarist in Benny’s group. While performing in California with Benny, he was offered an opportunity to record with Concord Records. 

“Cincinnati To L.A.” was Cal’s second record on Concord. The album has ten tracks, all of them jazz standards. The songs provide a variety of settings for the trio to shine, and of course lots of room to hear Cal’s very talented playing. The years of working in lounges I’m sure provided Cal with an impressive repertoire of material to work with, and on this record, we get to hear him in different settings. Of note, he is featured as the solo instrument on “If I Had You”. The group’s performance of “Willow Weep For Me” is also a highlight, emphasizing the bluesy aspect of the song. One of the things I found interesting about Cal was his choice of guitar; a Gretsch 6120 hollow-body, an instrument not normally associated with jazz. 

Unfortunately, very little of Cal Collin’s excellent recordings made the transition to compact disc, although there are some videos on YouTube. The album “Cincinnati To L.A.” was produced by Carl Jefferson of Concord Jazz, and was recorded in California. The catalogue number is CJ-59. I should mention that in his discography, Cal is noted as being a popular sideman, appearing on a variety of other Concord albums. As I like to say, highly recommended.