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Obscure Trumpet Masters #3 – Eddie Henderson

Posted in Obscure Trumpet Masters with tags on February 5, 2011 by curtjazz

 Eddie Henderson

“That old adage, ‘Physician heal thyself.’ This is what heals me. Playing music. It’s what makes me well. How can I help somebody else if I’m not well?” – Eddie Henderson

Some musicians like to call each other “doctor”, simply as a term of endearment or respect for another’s musical prowess. In the case of Eddie Henderson, the appellation is appropriate on every level.

A practicing physician, psychologist and a jazz musician, who received his first trumpet lesson from Louis Armstrong, and counted Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan among family friends; Eddie Henderson’s musical career is fairly unusual in that he achieved some renown in the fusion world before garnering mainstream jazz acclaim. 

(Dr. Eddie Henderson playing Woody Shaw’s “Sweet Love of Mine”)

As Miles Davis was also a family friend (A teenaged Henderson once had the cojones to say to Miles “You don’t play correct.”), it was no surprise that the young Henderson came under Davis’ influence; and in the early ‘70’s that meant jazz-rock-funk fusion.  Henderson played with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band from 1970 – 1973 and recorded his first two discs as a leader, (Realization and Inside Out) backed by that group.  Apart from the powerful fusion of those discs, most of his output as a leader from the 70’s is commercial, albeit well-played.

(Here’s a recent clip of Dr. Henderson on “Up Jumped Spring”)

As the 1990’s brought a more hospitable climate for traditional styles of jazz, Dr. Henderson began to return to straight-ahead playing. Over the last 15+ years, he has garnered some of the critical acclaim that had eluded him in the past.  Generally, his recording group now is a quintet or sextet that includes the outstanding vibraphonist Joe Locke as a second lead voice.  Henderson’s recent music has been as warm, inviting and interesting as anything around today. 

Eddie Henderson is still going strong at age 70. He released a new quartet album late last year, with John Scofield, Doug Weiss and Billy Drummond, titled For All We Know. It’s a laid back but swinging date, highlighted by a take on his old boss Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island”.

If you don’t know Dr. Eddie Henderson yet, check these discs out. There’s a lot to like.

Recommended Recordings:

  • Anthology – Vol. 2 (Soul Brother [Import]) Features Realization and Inside Out, his first two solo albums, on one disc. Excellent Fusion! – CD in print, but pricey
  • Flight of Mind (SteepleChase [Import]) – CD in print; mp3 also available
  • Inspirations (Milestone) – CD – OOP, but fairly available;
  • Reemergence (Sharp Nine) – CD in print

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Obscure Trumpet Masters #2 – Joe Gordon

Posted in Obscure Trumpet Masters with tags on February 3, 2011 by curtjazz

Joe Gordon (1928 – 1963)

“When Brownie [Clifford Brown] had won the New Star Award in the Downbeat Magazine Critic’s Poll, he told me I should have won it…” – Joe Gordon

Such was the respect that Joe Gordon earned from his contemporaries. 

It’s ironic that Clifford Brown once considered Joe Gordon his better; for Gordon often said that two of his major influences were Dizzy Gillespie and Brown.  Like Clifford Brown, Joe Gordon was a remarkable technician, who was formally trained.  Like Brown, he won the admiration of his musical elders while still in his teens and like Brown, his life was cut tragically short at an early age, due to accidental circumstances.

(Joe Gordon with Harold Land, Wes Montgomery, et al; on the title track from Land’s West Coast Blues! album)

Joe Gordon was born in Boston in 1928. He attended the New England Conservatory and made his bones by sitting in on jam sessions between Boston and Albany, on layovers from his job as a sandwich boy on the railroad.  As jazz greats such as Lionel Hampton, Charlie Mariano, Art Blakey and Charlie Parker came through Beantown, they looked this big toned kid up.  When Clifford Brown stepped down from the trumpet chair in the original Jazz Messengers, guess who took his place? After 6 months and one recording with the Messengers, Gordon was called by Dizzy to join his big band for a tour of the Middle East in 1956. Such was Gordon’s prowess, that he was given a solo on Dizzy’s signature tune, “Night in Tunisia”.

L to R - Joe Gordon, E.V. Perry, Dizzy Gillespie, Carl Warwick, Quincy Jones (photo by Herman Leonard (1955))

After the tour with Diz ended, Gordon moved west to Los Angeles and found that the west coast cats dug him just as much as they had in the east.  He played and recorded on the left coast with Harold Land, Dexter Gordon, Benny Carter, Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne and Thelonious Monk. He also recorded his second and final album as a leader, 1961’s Lookin’ Good!, for Contemporary Records, featuring Jimmy Woods on alto and Dick Whittington on piano, in their recording debuts.  Lookin’ Good! is a strong album. Gordon and Woods are in top form and the tunes, all penned by Gordon, range from very good to the minor classic (“Terra Firma Irma”).  This disc was a promise of many great things to come.

Sadly, it was not to be, as Joe Gordon died in Santa Monica, CA on November 4, 1963, from injuries he sustained in a house fire. The fire was said to be caused by a lit cigarette, which Gordon had dropped on his bed.  He was 35 years old.

Recommended Recordings:

 Lookin’ Good! (Contemporary/OJC) – CD is OOP; mp3 version available from Amazon.com and various sources.

Because Gordon’s discography as a leader consisted of only two albums, the remaining recommendations are, for the most part, from dates he appeared on as a sideman:

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Obscure Trumpet Masters #1 – Johnny Coles

Posted in Obscure Trumpet Masters with tags on January 31, 2011 by curtjazz

As I’ve mentioned previously in this space, I derive great pleasure from finding musical buried treasure.

The release of Brian Lynch’s brilliant Unsung Heroes, has caused me to spend a bit of time thinking about and researching outstanding trumpet players who have not garnered the recognition that they deserve.  The reasons for their obscurity range from bad temperament, to bad management, to just plain old bad luck. 

So I’ve decided to devote several blog posts to honoring a few obscure trumpet masters. Some are also lauded on Mr. Lynch’s album and some are not. Some are still working and some unfortunately, are no longer with us; but they are all worth the time and ear of the discriminating jazz fan. 

They will be listed in alphabetical order, one per post.

Johnny Coles (1926 – 1997)

 

Though he was a very solid technician, Coles wasn’t a flashy high note artist, which may have contributed to his relative obscurity.  He only recorded four albums under his own name during his lifetime but he never lacked for work.  He cut his teeth in the early ‘50’s with the R&B groups of Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Earl Bostic and others.  He then worked with James Moody for a couple of years, before catching on with Gil Evans in 1958, around the time the Evans/Miles Davis partnership was hitting its stride.  Coles can be heard on Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain, and Evans masterwork Out of the Cool.  Evans valued Coles in recording and in concert because his sound was very similar to that of Miles.

Here’s a clip of Coles during his brief time with Mingus, along with Jaki Byard and Eric Dolphy, on “Take the A Train”

Coles left Evans in 1964, when he was recruited by Charles Mingus, to be a part of the band for his European Tour, along with Eric Dolphy, Clifford Jordan and Jaki Byard.  However, he fell ill early in the tour and had to return home, never to rejoin Mingus. He continued to work though, landing gigs over the years with Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Mingus Dynasty and the Basie ghost band, under the leadership of Thad Jones.

He made his debut as a leader, The Warm Sound, in 1961. It was a well-received quartet date with Kenny Drew, Randy Weston, Peck Morrison and Charlie Persip.  His most well-known record, Little Johnny C, was recorded for Blue Note in 1964, featuring Leo Wright, Joe Henderson, Duke Pearson and other notables.  He was still in fine form on his last disc as a leader, 1982’s New Morning, on Criss Cross.

Johnny Coles died of cancer in 1997.

Recommended Recordings: Little Johnny C (Blue Note) – CD is OOP; mp3 version available from Amazon.com and other sources.   The Warm Sound (Jazz Collectors) – CD is available as an import only; mp3 version is available from Amazon and other sources.

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