Quiet Kenny - Kenny Dorham

McKinley (Kenny) Howard Dorham was born on August 30, 1924. He achieved fame as a trumpet player and composer during the 1950's and 1960's performing with other musicians and also as a band leader. While he usually performed in a quintet or sextet with other reed or brass players, in this case he led a quartet with himself as a the lead instrument. He had a stellar rhythm section supporting him with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums. The album was recorded on November 13, 1959 (a Friday, as it turns out) at Rudy Van Gelder's studio and was produced by Esmond Edwards. It was released on the New Jazz label, a subsidiary of Prestige Records. 

The album was received warmly, and has gone on to be very highly regarded, with the 3rd Edition of the Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD calling it "a minor masterpiece". There is a Miles Davis influence discernable both in Kenny's sound and the tempos of the songs. There are no bebop style "burners", rather there is an emphasis on melody and sound, with the supporting cast providing Kenny with lots of room to explore. His sound is rich and pure with definition in his tone. Tommy Flanagan gets an opportunity to solo on most of the songs, with Paul Chambers also getting a few chances to step out and show what an outstanding bassist he was. Art Taylor's drums are well recorded as well. Rudy Van Gelder was one of the best recording engineers when it came jazz, and he built his own studio in Englewood Cliffs New Jersey earlier in 1959, prior to the recording of this record. Of the eight tracks on the record, three were originals composed by Kenny, with the other five being well known standards that Kenny personally selected based on his preference. A very good example of the cooler style of jazz that became popular in the lay 1950's and early 1960's.     

                     Oliver Jones Trio Featuring Dave Young and Terry Clarke

                                                        Cookin' At Sweet Basil

Oliver Jones is a Canadian pianist who grew up in Montreal, Quebec. He was a contemporary of Oscar Peterson's, and studied as a young man under Oscar's sister, Daisy, a noted piano teacher. His style is similar to Oscar's as well. To quote from Richard Cook and Brian Morton's Third Edition of "The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD", Jones is "a frequently engaging soloist, filling his records with good-hearted swinging music. His ballads are glossy rather than introspective, but one listens to Jones for his generous virtuosity, not his tenderness". 

"Cookin' At Sweet Basil" is a live recording from the famous Sweet Basil Jazz Club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. The recording was made on September 3rd, 1987 during the 6th Annual Greenwich Village Jazz Festival. As indicated in the title, Oliver was accompanied by two other famous Canadian jazz musicians, Dave Young (double bass) and Terry Clarke (drums). The songs are mix of originals and standards. During the opening number, "Snuggles" (written by Oliver), we get to hear the trio open up and let loose on an uptempo song. Dave performs an particularly outstanding arco solo, and then we get to hear Terry's facility as the group "trades fours". I would also recommend the beautiful interpretation of "My Funny Valentine". While this is a song that many artists have recorded, the version here has its own unique identity. The album has seven songs all told. It was released on the Justin Time Label in LP (vinyl) format (which is the one I have) as well as CD and Cassette. Oliver has over twenty recordings to his name, with virtually all (with one exception) on the Justin Time label. If you aren't familiar with his music, he one of Canada's jazz treasures, and well worth listening to. 

   

                         

 

The Art Ellefson Trio

Art Ellefson was a Canadian jazz musician who was known for playing tenor saxophone. Although he spent much of his early career outside Canada (primarily England), he returned to his home country in 1974. During this time he seems to have based primarily in the Toronto area, and performed with several well known jazz musicians. This was the first recording released under his name. 

"The Art Ellefson Trio" was recorded in 1981 in Toronto and released by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on its record label. The record featured Art on tenor, accompanied by Dave Young on bass and Peter Leitch on guitar. Usually, this type of recording would feature a drummer (making the group a quartet), but in this case, the lack of drummer is certainly not missed. The album swings throughout, and without drums, the bass is more prominent, and when Peter is playing rhythm, you can hear the guitar. At this point I would be remiss in not pointing out that the sound on this record while adequate, is certainly nothing to write home about. There is a lack of depth in the sound, and Peter's guitar is a little too far back in the mix when he isn't soloing. The actual performances though are well worth listening to, with the renditions of Willow Weep For Me and St. Thomas being two of my favourites. Art has a classic tone, certainly reminiscent of the more prominent tenor men of the 1950's. This is the type of jazz that isn't breaking any boundaries, but if you like a style that harkens back to the golden age of decades ago, this will be your cup of tea. 

 Ruby Braff with the Ed Bickert Trio

Featuring Don Thompson and Terry Clarke

Reuben "Ruby" Braff was born on March 16, 1927 (almost 100 tears ago!) and was a renowned jazz trumpeter and cornetist. Unlike many other brass players of his generation, he was not influenced by the be-bop movement, but rather the idiom based on the playing of Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke. He had a lengthy and distinguished musical career, recording both as a leader and a sideman with many different artists.

This particular album was recorded at Puget Sound in Toronto by Bill Smith and Don Thompson on June 14, 1979.  It was released on the Sackville Records, a small Toronto label that specialized in jazz. Supporting Ruby were Ed Bickert on guitar, Don Thompson on bass and Terry Clarke on drums. All of these three gentlemen were first call studio and club musicians, well known in the jazz community.

According to the liner notes (written by John Norris), "This recording grew out of a chance association with guitarist Ed Bickert at Toronto's Bourbon Street (a well-known jazz club). On a previous occasion at the sam club Ruby had been less than happy with an ever-changing succession of pianists." At some point Ruby and Ed joined forces, and as John relates "With Ed Bickert he established a warm musical communication almost instantly. Braff, the melodist, and Bickert the master craftsman of harmony, created music that seemed to be of one mind".  

Ruby chose all of the songs to be recorded during this session. They are all jazz "standards", some perhaps better know than others. The quality of the recording is excellent; it is one of this records where the listener feels he or she is in the control room with the recording engineer. The balance between the instruments is perfect, with a quiet intensity that never overwhelms the listener, but breaths life into all of the songs. Although this is Ruby's record, Ed gets equal billing when it comes to the solos. Don also has plenty of room when he steps out, and when it is his turn, Terry acquits himself admirably. I can't peak highly enough of how the rhythm is absolutely hand-in-glove; their years of performing together in the recording studio and on stage has enabled an almost telepathic level of musical communication. An album I would have no hesitation in recommending for fans of the older style of jazz.