Curt's Jazz Cafe

Another Baker’s Dozen of ’09 Jazz

 Hi y’all! 

Thanks for your overwhelming response to my original best jazz albums of 2009 list.  As I wrote in that post, 2009 was an unusually strong year for great jazz albums, for a variety of reasons.  When I wrote about those first 12 discs, I could never get past a gnawing feeling that the list was incomplete.  Yes, those were 12 of the most outstanding jazz releases of the year, IMHO, but there was still a lot of exceptional music that had gone unmentioned. So here’s an addendum to my first 2009 list; consisting of another 13 outstanding jazz releases from the past year. They are in alphabetical order, by album title:

• Crossfire – Jim Snidero – This alto master just keeps turning out gem after gem and still, he’s relatively unknown. I have to admit, I just first heard of him a couple of years ago.  I’ve been making up for lost time listening to his back catalog and I haven’t heard a real dud yet. This latest one, a fairly low-key set, featuring some interesting support lines from guitarist Paul Bollenback, is another winner.
• Dedicated to You – Kurt Elling – If you read some of my earlier writings in JazzImprov, you know that I haven’t always been a fan of Mr. Elling. But, he has grown on me rapidly over the last five or so years.  He stepped on to dangerous ground for me (and many other jazz fans), by doing this album, which is essentially, a tribute to one of the greatest jazz vocal albums of all time, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.  Elling walks this tightrope with the grace and skill of Philippe Petit. He manages to honor the original material, while adding enough of his own take on things, to avoid slavish recreation. His version of “It’s Easy to Remember”, which features a monologue about the meeting of Trane and Hartman, is a classic.
• Esta Plena – Miguel Zenón – If jazz is to remain relevant in the second decade of the 21^st century, there will have to be more efforts like this one; music that unabashedly experiments with fusing jazz traditions with indigenous musical styles of other cultures and generating something refreshing and new in the process. To refer to Esta Plena as simply “Latin Jazz” would be placing an unfair limitation on it. Alto saxophonist Zenón and his band mates have stretched the boundaries of both genres without breaking them and in the process, they have created an electrifying amalgam, that may stop “fusion” from being a dirty word.
• Fortuna – Roni Ben-Hur – This Israeli guitarist and student of the great jazz master, Barry Harris, has learned many good lessons from his teacher. His warm bop-based lines swing like mad and are impossible to ignore.  His band on this date includes Rufus Reid, Lewis Nash and the late pianist Ronnie Matthews, in one of his final recordings. The tunes are a nice mix of standards, originals and fabulous covers of intricate melodies that pay tribute to Ben-Hur’s heritage.  If you haven’t heard of Mr. Ben-Hur before, “attention must be paid”. 
• Merge – Chris Greene Quartet – Another artist that I first became familiar with through Twitter, saxophonist Greene, like many jazz artists of his generation wears his hip-hop influences like the comfortable part of his life experience that it is, and not like a momentary affectation.  So when he covers tunes associated with Madonna and Black Eyed Peas, right next to “All or Nothing at All” and “Out of Nowhere” it sounds as normal as a walk in the park; because for him, it is.  Greene is a very promising talent and Merge is a fun disc full of pleasantly surprising twists and turns. The jazz police may grumble, but those with an open mind will dig it.
• Monk – Peter Bernstein – In the first “best of” list, I expressed a slight preference for Bobby Broom’s Monk tribute album over this one. Again, it was a slight preference, as this one is also a noteworthy and creative tribute to Monk by a very fine guitarist.  You can’t go wrong with either choice, so why choose.  Get them both and double your pleasure.
• Mutual Admiration Society 2 – Joe Locke & David Hazeltine Quartet – Ten years after their first session together, Locke and Hazeltine do it again.  Time has not diminished their partnership in the least.  The marvelous chemistry and exciting interplay from their first set is still very much in evidence and they have written some hot new tunes, including tributes to departed friends Tony Reedus and Buddy Montgomery. Piano and vibes together on the front line is no small undertaking, but these cats make it look easy.
• New Strides – Jeb Patton – The pianist for the Heath Brothers and student of the late Roland Hanna, turned in a surprisingly strong outing on his second disc as a leader. From the hot opener “Billy”, to unexpected up-tempo renditions of “If Ever I Would Leave You” and “Estate”, Patton is full of surprises.  Plus, he does a smoking version of one of my favorite Heath compositions, Jimmy’s “Cloak and Dagger”, with Tootie sitting in on drums (Jimmy also does a turn on soprano on another tune).  Don’t sleep on young Mr. Patton; his future is very bright.
• Oriental Express – Akiko Tsuruga – Who’da thunk it!  One of the most promising heirs to the jazz organ throne is a little lady from Osaka, Japan. Akiko swings like Holmes, burns like Earland and screams like McDuff, sometimes within the same tune.  Now based in NYC, Tsuruga commands the B-3 with striking  authority and a raw power that I’ve heard from no organist alive today, other than Joey DeFrancesco and Tony Monaco.  This is her third album and she has gotten better with each one.  
• Plays the Music of Ellington and Strayhorn – Grant Stewart – The big toned Toronto born tenor player has toiled in virtual obscurity for years. Maybe this disc will help to break him out.  The song selection is foolproof; his sidemen (Tardo Hammer, Joe Farnsworth and Paul Gill) are first-rate and Stewart is at the top of his game from start to finish.  If you love Duke and Billy or if you just love the sound of a robust, swinging tenor, this is a winner.
• Pleased to Meet You – Hank Jones and Oliver Jones – This is one of those discs that makes you wonder why it took so long for it to happen.  Though the Joneses are no relation, they are both living masters of the jazz piano in North America. Hank, now in his early nineties, is an undisputed legend in this country and the world. However, 75-year-old Oliver, has been doing outstanding work for many years in Canada, without making a much of a dent on the U.S. jazz scene. The great Canadian jazz label Justin Time, brought them together and we should all be glad they did.  A mix of duo, solo and combo (w/bass and drums) selections, this album, which both men consider a tribute to their mutual friend, Oscar Peterson, should be a revelation for jazz piano fans.
• Simply Put – Jerry Bergonzi – In tribute to the title of this disc, I will only say the following: Bergonzi, another in the ever-growing line of outstanding, but inexplicably obscure tenor sax players, leads a quartet on 10 selections, including 7 originals and blows me away, again. 
• Until I Met You – Melissa Morgan – This debut album from Ms. Morgan (not to be confused with the ‘80’s R&B singer) manages to set itself apart from the overwhelming crowd of female jazz singers. It stands out partially because of her intriguing voice, which is parts Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington and Norah Jones; and partially because of her “woman who knows” way with a song, which is remarkable for a vocalist who is not yet 30 years old.  With guest spots from other up and coming young stars, such as Christian Scott and Gerald Clayton, Until I Met You, is an auspicious debut.
• A few more that I gotta mention – Since I started writing this article, a few more 2009 releases have returned to my consciousness.  They are all fine discs, that rate much more than a casual listen.  They will remain on my personal and professional playlist well into 2010, and I think they are worth your consideration as well.  They are (alphabetically): Double Booked – Robert Glasper; Lovefool – Amy Cervini; No More, No Less – Jason Parker Quartet; Revival of the Fittest – Eric Alexander and Rise Up – Dr. Lonnie Smith

Well, that does it for me with writing about 2009 jazz.  (I need to get back to wrapping presents and making “Like Crack” Cheesecake Bars.)  The good news is that there was so much worthwhile music out there this year, that I know I will sit straight up in my bed, in the middle of one of the next few nights and recall some deserving album or albums that I inadvertently missed.  The better news is that I already have a stack of discs with 2010 street dates on my desk and a few of them show great promise for the new year/decade. You’ll hear about them soon.

In the meantime, we are still featuring round the clock Holiday jazz from now until December 27 on Curt’s Café. After that, cuts from each of the discs mentioned in the two best of the year articles, will be featured as part of our 2009 year-end special, which will run until mid-January.  All this great jazz programming and more is on Curt’s Café WebJazz Radio; 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (www.CurtsCafeJazz.com).

I thank you all for reading and listening. Your comments as always, are welcomed and appreciated.

I want to extend my warmest and most sincere wishes to all of you and your loved ones, for a Blessed, Merry Christmas, a Joyous Kwanzaa, a Glorious Hanukkah (albeit a belated wish), a happy and prosperous New Year and a Happy “Festivus”

Until the next time, the jazz continues…

A Dozen Discs I’m Thankful For

 Well friends, it’s December again.  We’ve just finished eating leftover turkey and we’re now ready to make Nat “King” Cole work overtime for the next month. However, before we completely move into this most avaricious of seasons, I would like to stop for one more moment of thankfulness.  Looking at it retrospectively, the last year of the 21^st Century’s first decade was a relatively strong year for jazz.  This is more amazing, given that those who wish to write jazz’s epitaph seemed to be trying harder than ever to finish these post-mortems.  But jazz’s slow, but steady embrace of social media, demonstrated by events such as Howard Mandel’s nascent “Jazz Lives” movement on Twitter, and the growth of TheJazzNetworkWorldwide.com, a kind of Facebook for jazz, started by JaiJai Jackson, daughter of the late bassist Chubby Jackson, were reasons for hope. Then, there was the resurrection of JazzTimes magazine, after a brief absence; another encouraging sign that perhaps there is still life left in jazz’s battered body.  Therefore, as a jazz fan and an eternal optimist, I choose to be encouraged. Yes, the major record labels, or what passes for major labels nowadays, have abandoned jazz. The good news is that more jazz artists are taking charge of their own music; producing and recording their own albums, resulting in music that represents more of their vision than ever before.

So I’m thankful, as a radio programmer and writer/critic, for the bumper crop of great jazz that came my way this year.  Out of those, here are a “delightful dozen”; 12 discs that made me feel thankful for being a jazz fan in 2009.  They are in alphabetical order, based on album title:

• ¡Bien Bien! – Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet – The veteran Bay Area trombonist/arranger/producer has always been a part of the Latin Jazz scene.  This disc, the second release by his Latin Jazz group, is the finest of his long career.  It’s a mélange of Afro-Cuban styles that is a good for listening as it is for dancing.
• Doozy – Jackie Ryan – As aptly titled an album as I’ve heard all year.  In an era where double CD sets of new material are virtually unheard of, even by established artists, Ms. Ryan gambled big by releasing a 2 CD set; counting on the quality of the material to trump any potential audience trepidation.  She was right.  Backed by top-drawer sidemen, including Cyrus Chestnut, Eric Alexander and Jeremy Pelt; and buoyed by her warm, inviting contralto, Jackie’s album generated critical acclaim, which is now being matched by sales. She is “Jackie Who”, no more.
• Emergence – Roy Hargrove Big Band – I first saw Hargrove fronting a big band at a concert in Washington Square Park, a little over ten years ago.  That band was compelling, albeit a bit under-rehearsed.  It took until 2009 for that embryonic idea to grow to the point where it appeared on record.  Though I still think of him as the kid from Texas that he was 20 years ago, Hargrove has now added another powerful facet to his musical personality.  Mature arrangements, a powerful, tight, sound and great songs (including the wonderful Roberta Gambarini on vocals), make this disc a winner.
• Endurance – The Heath Brothers – To look at the cover of a Heath Brothers album and not see the lean, bearded visage of Percy smiling back at you, is a heart tugging moment.  Though the eldest Heath is missed, Jimmy and “Tootie” soldier on mightily. Jimmy’s tenor and soprano are still powerful. Tootie is a fine timekeeper and young David Wong walks admirably in some very big shoes, on bass.  Endurance is part reminiscence, part reintroduction and all outstanding.
• Kind of Brown – Christian McBride – Another “young lion” who has morphed into a mature master, seemingly overnight; Kind of Brown, returns the musically peripatetic McBride to his acoustic mainstream roots.  Dedicated to Freddie Hubbard and Cedar Walton as well as peripherally, to Ray Brown and Miles Davis, Kind of Brown, is a strong mix of originals and under heard jazz classics.
• Moody 4A – James Moody – Like Jimmy Heath, Moody’s sax mastery stretches back to the days of Diz, Bird and Bud.  And also like Heath, Moody has lost very little of his power and none of his expressiveness.  On this new disc, accompanied by Kenny Barron, Todd Coolman and Lewis Nash, Moody breaks no new ground but damned if he doesn’t make the familiar ground feel so good.
• Plays for Monk – Bobby Broom – Will someone please give this cat the attention he deserves?  Broom’s disc was the second of two fine Monk tributes by guitarists, released in 2009.  Broom’s swung a tad harder, which why he gets the nod this time over Peter Bernstein, IMHO, and why he made this list. I also loved the cool Monk tribute on the cover. 
• Prana Dance – Tom Harrell – Now in his mid-60’s, Harrell keeps getting better and better with each passing year, but instead of talking about his amazing music, all the “drive by media” seems to want to talk about is his schizophrenia.  Maybe if some of them would just stop and listen to Prana Dance, which is a good an album as Harrell has made in the last two decades, without thinking about the back-story, they would finally just talk of Harrell as one of the finest trumpet players of his generation, period.
• Relentless – Sharel Cassity – It has been tough for women in jazz, who do anything but sing or play piano, to be seen as anything but a novelty act.  However, the last few years have brought us a bevy of women who are destroying that moldy stereotype, hopefully forever, by playing all kinds of traditional “male” instruments and in some cases, blowing the boys off the stand.  Sax playing women are leading the charge, with Grace Kelly, Tia Fuller, Virginia Mayhew and Ms. Sharel Cassity as shining examples.  On this, her second disc, Ms. Cassity, concentrates on her own compositions, and adds some turns on soprano and flute to her usual alto. And she plays with the bold confidence of someone who is saying “watch out, ‘cause I’m here to stay!”
• So In Love – Roberta Gambarini – This first decade of the 21^st Century has seen Roberta Gambarini grow from being a gifted unknown, into becoming the best jazz singer of our times and this protégé of James Moody sealed the deal with So In Love.  Blessed with an outstanding voice, impeccable timing, breathless scatting ability and enough acting skill to pull us further in with every word she sings; So In Love is the tour-de-force that was hinted at when we first heard her on Easy to Love.  All hail the new queen!
• Songs Spun of Gold – Elli Fordyce – Elli’s is by far the most inspirational story in our top 12.  Elli is a new artist that I met through Twitter.  At 72, after multiple starts and stops over the years, she is finally living out her dream of being a jazz singer. “SSOG” is her second release in the last two years.  Lest you think that she is some kind of dilettante, this lady has chops for days and swings her way powerfully through 17 selections, including some memorable takes on some of the toughest to sing standards in the jazz lexicon.  With a voice that still has surprising strength and an ability to “live in a song” that singers half her age simply can’t match.  Songs Spun of Gold is a sleeper pick from an artist who has only just begun.
• Uptown – Wayne Escoffery – It’s a veritable rite of passage for mainstream tenor players to eventually have to deliver a date where they front a soulful organ trio.  Some have made it a mindless blowing session, others have approached it as a chance to try to breathe some new life into a clichéd genre.  Mr Escoffery’s Uptown is firmly in the latter category.  When Escoffery wraps his big tenor tone around the decidedly unorthodox grooves laid down by organist Gary Versace, you know that the results won’t be run-of- the-mill bar walking.  This album is never less than interesting and at times, thrilling.  I hope that Escoffery, Versace and company, hit that part of town again soon.

On the web-radio, we are featuring round the clock Holiday jazz from now until December 27. After that, cuts from each of the above 12 discs will be featured as part of our year-end special, which will run until mid-January.  All this great jazz programming and more can be heard on Curt’s Café WebJazz Radio; 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

(12/30 – The Best Jazz of 2009 Show is now on the air;  daily from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (EST), through January 16, 2010.  Click here to listen now.)

I thank you all for reading and listening. Your comments, as always, are appreciated.

Until the next time, the jazz continues…

The Other “Dizzy”

You can’t have a conversation about the great trumpet players in jazz without the name Dizzy coming into the discussion.  Naturally, when that name is used, almost everyone will automatically assume that you’re referring to the great John Birks Gillespie.  Granted, Gillespie deserves that type of response and respect.  He was one of jazz’s truly transcendent figures; a rare jazz musician whose reach extended beyond the pages of Downbeat and into the pantheon of popular American culture. 

So while Birks inarguably belongs on the Mount Rushmore of jazz, I would like to pull your coat about a cat who should at least cause a few people to say “which one”, when we speak of a trumpet player called “Dizzy”. That cat is Alphonso Son Reece.  The son of a silent films pianist, “Dizzy” Reece was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1931.  Contrary to what you might expect, he did not get his moniker because of any similarity between himself and Birks, but his family, who noticed, as a small boy, his penchant for wandering the dangerous streets of Kingston late at night, getting into precarious situations, bestowed it upon him. 

Eventually, in an attempt to keep him out of trouble, young Alphonso was sent to Alpha Boys School, a learning institution in Kingston, run by Catholic Nuns.  Established as a school for wayward boys, Alpha developed a reputation for discipline and for turning out some fine musical talent.  In addition to Reece, its’ alumni include four members of the famed Skatalites and some of the musicians credited with developing what we now know as Reggae. Reece’s first instrument was the baritone horn; and at age 14, he switched to the trumpet.  In 1947, Reece’s mother placed him on a ship bound for England, hoping that there would be better musical opportunities for her son on the European jazz scene.  She was right. Reece worked regularly in London, Paris, Germany and Holland. He became known as much for his blistering trumpet solos as for his at times, difficult personality.  He would receive rave reviews for his playing, while being simultaneously being called such things as “the enfant terrible of British jazz”.

But this is jazz, not charm school. So while Dizzy’s exacting temperament may have occasionally ticked off a few writers and band members along the way, it did not stop him from getting the attention of visiting American jazz stars, such as Sonny Rollins, Thad Jones, Kenny Clarke and Miles Davis.  Miles was among the most vocal, telling famed writer Nat Hentoff about Reece, “there’s a great trumpeter over in England, a guy who’s got soul and originality and, above all, who’s not afraid to blow with fire”.

There was quite a bit of buzz in the jazz world about young Mr. Reece, which led to Blue Note records founder, Alfred Lion, reaching out to British jazz producer Tony Hall and asking him to produce Dizzy’s first American date, for Blue Note Records, in 1958. The resulting album, Blues in Trinity, was an auspicious debut.  It was recorded in London, with more of an international flavor than one would generally find in Blue Notes of this period.  Dizzy’s sidemen were British jazz stars Tubby Hayes on tenor and Terry Shannon on piano, Canadian bassist Lloyd Thompson and visiting Americans Art Taylor on drums and Donald Byrd as a second trumpet.  The music is high quality hard bop, typical for the period.  The eight tracks include six Reece originals, which also show off his solid writing skills.  In the liner notes, producer Hall raved, “[Dizzy Reece] is a musician of sincerity and originality, who should go to America as soon as possible. I’m convinced that in the New York environment, he could easily become one of the world’s great jazz trumpeters.”

Lion was impressed enough with Blues in Trinity, to ask Reece to come to New York, which he did.  Two more Blue Note dates soon followed: Star Bright, with Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers; and Soundin’ Off with Walter Bishop and Doug Watkins.  A final set of tunes were recorded for Blue Note in 1960, with Stanley Turrentine, Bobby Timmons, Duke Jordan, Sam Jones and Art Blakey, but those sides inexplicably remained in the vaults until they were released in 1999 as Comin’ On.

Yet, in spite of the hype and the fine recordings, Dizzy Reece did not become a star.  Perhaps it’s because the musical and social environment of New York in the early ‘60’s was extremely competitive and volatile.  Reece ran into discrimination of multiple kinds.  He was married, with a daughter when he emigrated. His wife happened to be White, which caused myriad problems, even in the allegedly open and accepting New York scene of time.  Within in a short time, his family life crumbled under the pressures. His wife, and now two daughters, returned to England.  The other problems came from, according to Reece, some Black American musicians,.  Though many New York jazzmen, such as Rollins, Kelly and Randy Weston, shared a Caribbean heritage, Reece, was not able to find full acceptance.  He remained in New York, where he lives to this day, but he has been woefully under-recorded. 

His four Blue Note dates are now available as part of a fine eponymous Mosaic Select set (which as of this writing, is on Mosaic’s “Last Call” list).  His one album for Prestige, 1962’s Asia Minor, an excellent date with Cecil Payne, Hank Jones and Ron Carter, also remains in print.  After Asia Minor, Dizzy Reece would not lead another session until 1970 and he has only recorded three more since then. His appearances as a sideman are also rare. The most notable ones are on Hank Mobley’s penultimate session, The Flip and on a rare Andrew Hill recording, Passing Ships; both from 1969.  His most recent release, Nirvana in 2006, is as its title suggests, a rather mystical affair, steeped in Eastern musical styles.

As far as I have been able to determine, Dizzy Reece is still healthy and potentially active.  The release of the aforementioned Mosaic Select set in 2004, sparked some renewed attention, there was an interesting interview/article, about four years ago in JazzTimes and there have been other posts on All About Jazz and other sites.  Dizzy Reece also has a blog spot (www.DizzyReece.com) and a MySpace page (www.MySpace.com/DizzyReece), though neither has been updated in about two years.

For whatever the reason it happened, Dizzy Reece’s musical obscurity is undeserved.  His Blue Note and Prestige recordings are definitely worth exploring, if you are interested, as I am, in the music of overlooked artists.  Again, the Mosaic set will be disappearing soon and at $44, it is a good investment (www.mosaicrecords.com).  The Blue Note albums can be found individually as pricey Japanese imports CDs.  The only two available individually as domestic release CDs, were Blues in Trinity and Comin’ On, which were both a part of Blue Note’s fascinating and frustrating “Connoisseur Series”, and they are now out-of-print. 

I am blessed, in that I currently own both the Mosaic set and a Connoisseur Series CD of Blues in Trinity, which I picked up, while browsing the bins at Manifest Records about a year ago.  It is time for me to share the wealth again.  I am offering my copy of Dizzy Reece’s Blue Note debut, Blues in Trinity, free of charge, to the first person who either DMs me on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/curtjazz) or sends me an email curtis@curtscafejazz.com.  The CD, which is in very good condition, includes a new jewel case and all inserts.  It will be sent to you in a padded envelope that will protect it during shipping. The email should include your name and full mailing address.  As with my previous offer of this kind, I give you my word as a gentleman and as an ordained minister, that I will not use your address information to contact you at any time in the future for any other purpose.

I give this disc away, in the hope that it will help to increase someone’s awareness of an underappreciated living artist and because I am nauseated by the greed perpetrated on the jazz public by some “collectors” who try to take advantage of us with outrageous price gouging on out-of-print works.  Slapping a $50 plus price tag on a used LP or CD during these economic times is a disgrace; shame on those who do it.

Thanks to all of you for reading, sorry for taking so long between posts, the music of Dizzy Reece and others can be heard on Curt’s Café WebJazz Radio; 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (www.CurtsCafeJazz.com).

Until the next time, the jazz continues…

It’s for good reason that my Jazz Inside column is called “Browsing the Bins”. Rummaging through the bins of used CD and record stores in search of “buried treasures” is one of the things that provide me with a little R & R, wherever I am.  On business trips, I’ve been known to scour online resources, in cities across the country, in search of the local grimy music store.  So it was not out of the ordinary yesterday, that I grabbed a quick lunch and headed to Manifest; a converted supermarket that now serves as Charlotte’s largest used music store.  I wasn’t looking for anything particular, just something different. However, when your collection is as large as mine and you have about 30 minutes, finding that “different” thing is no small task.

However, in the immortal words of Tennessee Williams”Sometimes, there’s God, so quickly”.  As I ambled towards my usual starting place in the Used Jazz section, I walked through the New Jazz section and discovered something different.  A 3 CD anthology from Polygram Canada, called Jazz ‘Round the Clock; a compilation of great Verve tracks, some of which I’d never heard before, broken down into “Morning”, “Noon” and “Night”. The price was $9.99, so I couldn’t resist it.

Next, I came across this large rack of used discs, “5 for $5” read the sign above it.  I thought I would give it a passing glance, but I was struck by the eclectic collection of discs, all in good condition and shrink wrapped. One disc that stood out among the rest was A Love Song by Percy Heath.

For those of you unfamiliar with him, Percy Heath was the oldest of the Heath Brothers, the longtime bassist of the Modern Jazz Quartet and one of jazz’s legendary artisans on his instrument.  He was also as warm and self-effacing a man as you would ever meet.  So much so, that among his countless recordings, A Love Song was his only one as a leader, recorded when he was 79, a little less than two years before his death in 2005. The timing made A Love Song both a welcome introduction and a touching valedictory.

The music on A Love Song is like Percy himself was; understated and unassuming yet utterly brilliant.  The selections include two of his compositions from his Heath Brothers days, “No More Weary Blues” and “Watergate Blues”.  It also includes one of the most familiar tunes in the MJQ catalog, John Lewis’ “Django” and a wonderful suite that Percy composed as a tribute to his father.  The instrumentation is unusual but appropriate.  It’s a quartet that consists of Jeb Patton, the gifted young Heath Brothers pianist, Percy’s brother, Tootie on drums and the fine bassist, Peter Washington.  Percy’s bass and pizzicato cello are out front, handling most of the lead lines, soloing often and effortlessly.  It’s impressive to hear the two gifted bassists work together and not only stay out of each other’s way, but actually feed off of each other and thrive.

I know so much about this disc because I already own a copy, having purchased it not too long after its release.  The record label, Daddy Jazz Records is as far as I know, out of business and the disc is out of print. Stray new copies can be had from online outlets, at full price. Often, all of these conditions will combine to drive the price of a disc sky high.  But there I was standing in Manifest, holding a copy of this now rare disc, that I had just plucked from the “5 for $5” rack. 

Of course, I have no need for another copy but for some reason, I could not leave this disc there.  I felt that I needed to share this music with someone. Perhaps I should buy it and give it to a friend.  So that’s exactly what I plan to do.  I bought that copy of A Love Song and I’m going to give it to one of my friends who reads my blog and would appreciate the music of Percy Heath. 

If you think that you may be that person, here’s what you need to do. Simply leave me a Direct Message on Twitter www.twitter.com/curtjazz letting me know that you want the Percy Heath CD and your mailing address.  The first person to do this, will get the disc for free. I will send it to you via first class mail, in a padded envelope to protect it during shipping.  There will be no charge to you; consider it my gift to you as a thanks for reading my ramblings. 

Please note that in order to leave me a DM, you have to be a Twitter follower of mine and vice versa, so if you don’t currently follow me, you may want to do so.  I give you my word that I will not use your address information for any further requests or solicitations of any kind.  In fact, I will erase it from my memory bank immediately after I ship the disc to you. 

Thanks for reading. Until the next time, as always, the jazz continues…