My first album was Stan Kenton's "Cuban Fire." And then it was Brubeck and Chet Baker and Mingus. And then . . . and then. . . .
During the ensuing 35 years I've been able to build a decent jazz collection, mostly albums. With the introduction of cassettes and CDs, the album is going the way of the rain forest, but many of those old-timers hold a special place.Such is the case of "The Jazz Soul of Porgy and Bess," which was recorded at Webster Hall in New York City in January 1959. United Artists released it as a limited edition, and it quickly became a special record.
George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess" was introduced to mixed reviews in 1935, but it grew in popularity throughout the next 25 years. There were enough interpretations to satisfy most every taste, but it was "Jazz Soul," arranged, orchestrated and conducted by Bill Potts of Washington, D.C., that became the definitive treatment for me.
From the rousing handling of "Summertime," with Harry Edison (who'll be visiting Snowbird in late July) on muted trumpet and Al Cohn and Zoot Sims on tenor solos to the final cut, the joyous "Oh Lawd, I'm On My Way," the album was a real treasure.
But the 30 years had taken their toll. The album cover was dog-eared while, because of continuous play, there would be an anticipation of record skips, and then a flinch when the needle skidded. Despite the record racket, "Jazz Soul" would still be played but not nearly as much, almost out of respect and the hesitancy of pushing an old friend too far.
Keeping this in mind, I can be excused for gurgling like I was being garroted when I recently spotted a reissue of my dear friend "The Jazz Soul of Porgy and Bess" (CD Capitol CDP 7951322). The surprise was I had never had anyone mention the album to me in 30 years, and I had correctly heard the master tapes had been lost, not exactly a promising scenario for a reissue. A reissue of "The Best of Tiny Tim" seemed more likely.
But it's back and, even though I still instinctively flinch when I expect to hear a skip, it's a great work by extraordinary musicians. In addition to the aforementioned Edison, Cohn and Sims, there's Gene Quill and Phil Woods on alto, Sol Schlinger on baritone, with trombonists Jimmy Cleveland, Earl Swope, Bob Brookmeyer and Rod Levitt. Joining Sweets on trumpet are Art Farmer, Charlie Shavers and Markie Markowitz. Bill Evans is the pianist and Charlie Persip is on drums. Hall of Famers all.
Oh, yes, the case of the missing master tapes. Bill Potts and friends tracked down as many mint copies of this collector's item - obviously they didn't contact me - and made the transfer. I'm glad they did. No jazz collection is complete without "The Jazz Soul of Porgy and Bess."
- I CAN'T BE AS enthusiastic about another Capitol Jazz current release, "Supersax Plays Bird" (CD Capitol CDP 7 96264 2), even though it's a noble idea and works much of the time. The premise was to chart some of Charlie Parker's solos and then expand his work through instrumentation, in this case, by five saxes: Med Flory and Joe Lopes on altos, Warne Marsh and Jay Migliori on tenors and Jack Nimitz on baritone. They lead off with a real toughie, Bird's memorable "Ko-Ko," and subsequent cuts are almost as demanding. The homogeneity of the saxes is remarkable, but there were times I wished one of them would peel off the formation for a solo flight. That didn't happen, but the solos were handled nicely by veteran Conte Candoli on trumpet. Ronnell Bright, who played briefly with Bird in Chicago, is at piano, Jake Hanna on drums and Buddy Clark on bass.
- JAZZ LOST ONE of its most distinctive voices in June when Stan Getz died at age 64 in Malibu. Whenever you hear Getz's tenor sax, there's no question who's on the reed. He started playing professionally at age 15 and the next year joined Jack Teagarden. He later played with Benny Goodman, Woody Herman and Stan Kenton, but it was his quartets and quintets that earned him the label as cool. Oh, his great collaborations with Oscar Peterson could make a grown man cry. But it was his "Jazz Samba" album (which included "Desafinado") that opened him up to widespread popularity. Four of his 11 Grammys were the result of jazz and bossa nova fusion.