Saturday, January 27, 2018

Jazz in Paris

"There is never any ending to Paris and the memory of each person who has lived in it differs from that of any other. (...) Paris was always worth it and you received a return for whatever you brought to it."

Ernest Hemingway, 1960

A Moveable Feast

“Since the dawn of jazz, there's been an ongoing love affair between American jazz stars and Paris. French audiences were first to revere and treat jazz performers as great artists and many musicians preferred living, playing, and recording there. The Jazz In Paris series reissues those exceptional titles that were recorded in, and are cherished by the capital city.”

- Verve Music Group

"Jazz in Paris", a collection of 100 recordings, retraces the epic tale of the jazz musicians listened to, and cherished, by the capital throughout the past seven decades.”

Cover photo : "canal Saint Martin", 50's.

Does it get any better than Jazz and Paris? The city has such a rich history, so many beautiful venues and engaging cultural qualities including a love affair with Jazz musicians that dates back almost to the inception of the music 100 years ago.

Representative of this latter fact are the 100 recordings issued by Universal France as part of its Jazz in Paris series.

The editorial staff at JazzProfiles is by no means expert about the recordings in Jazz in Paris series but we did locate two, interesting overviews of its significance as well as a listing of the recordings that comprise it. All three are included below.

The insert notes to both of these CDs are by Alain Tercinet.

Jazz in Paris – Don Byas - Laura

“Don Byas must have kept surprising memories of his arrival in Paris in 1946. A long expedition with a group led by Don Redman had taken him through

Denmark

and

Belgium

Switzerland

and a

Germany

in ruins. The final halt in the tour — an apotheosis as it turned out — was to be a three-week booking in Paris. Woefully, as soon as the news broke, there was an outcry from most bandleaders and the Musicians' Union as well. The result of the uproar was that, in the end, Don Redman was simply banned from honoring his contract.

Of course, the economic situation at the time was hardly bright, but such a reception appeared to many to be particularly untimely — this was the first, almost exclusively black American orchestra to appear in the French capital since the Liberation. In the end, there was a compromise — the band's concerts would be limited in number, and the band wouldn't be a big band, but a smaller-sized formation.

Among the musicians who escaped the cut there was a saxophonist who made a great impression. With his elbows on the bar of one of his favourite haunts, the Beaulieu, he introduced himself: "My name is Carlos Wesley Byas. I've always lived under the sign of music, my father played seven instruments and my mother played piano; as for me, I don't know now; I think I've always played tenor." It was a little white lie, but who cared? After all, hadn't he been chosen by Count Basic himself to replace Lester Young in his band in 1941? Byas' mastery of the tenor, and its language, later caused Johnny Griffin (a connoisseur), to call him "The Tatum of the saxophone".

Like many others in Redman's orchestra, Don Byas forgot to return across the Atlantic (even Don Redman delayed his return to write arrangements for Alix Combelle's band). Byas remained permanently. After a few bookings took him first to Belgium, then Spain, he finally settled in France towards the end of 1948, and he became a familiar figure not only in Paris, in St-Germain-des-Pr6s, but also on the Riviera, where he could be seen in the port of St Tropez, sporting a mask, tuba, flippers... and an underwater spear-gun.

During his first trip to

France

, Don had recorded a few sides (under the corporate name of "Don Byas and His Re-Boppers"), for a small label called Blue Star, owned by a pianist, bandleader and unrepentant jazz-lover named Eddie Barclay. With just a trio behind him, the tenor had recorded the theme for Otto Preminger's classic movie "Laura". Don Byas breathed a softly provocative sensuality into the melody that was a perfect musical balance for the screen heroine, played by Gene Tierney. That was all it took for Don Byas to be recognized (rightly so) as the ideal ballad-player: Smoke gets in your eyes, Over the rainbow, Night and day, or

Georgia

on my mind, which became one of Ray Charles' favorites. The subtle, rare art of the ballad-player — knowing how to alternate restraint and provocation (or mix them with carefully-measured doses) — was to remain forever linked to Don Byas' name, thanks to improvisations that transcended the songs of Gershwin, Cole Porter and Jerome Kern without ever betraying them.

Alain Tercinet”

Jazz in Paris – Kenny Clarke Sextet Plays Andre’ Hodeir

“In an internal memo dated December 1957, Boris Vian informed the Philips management of the progress made since the sessions he'd produced: "One should note that the sales figures of 'Kenny Clarke Sextet plays Hodeir' are rather good here, and that in America there are words of extreme praise in the press." The "Charles Cros Academy" had awarded the album a prize of course, and it had also received the distinction of the "Jazz Hot Award", but such decorations are no guarantee of a record's commercial success, however remarkable its music. All the more so since the works of Andre Hodeir were not particularly aimed at a wide audience, and the group he led, the "Jazz Group de Paris", remained quite marginal. The deciding factor was the "patronage" of Kenny "Klook" Clarke (whose popularity was undeniable), an element that incited a number of people to listen to such reputedly difficult music — they discovered the music to be totally exciting, and the album containing it could be listened to by everybody.

Klook's first visit to Paris had been in 1944 ; at the time he was in the American Army's 13th Special Service, and he was accompanying a variety show (staged at the Madeleine theatre) called "Jive's A Poppin'", a revue sponsored by the army. He'd returned four years later with the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, and Klook had stayed a few months in the capital, just long enough to record and play with the French Be-Bop Minstrels, who learned a great deal from the inventor of modern drumming. He was back again, with the Miles Davis / Tadd Dameron Quintet, for 1949's "Salon du Jazz", and then had to wait another two years before returning to the cradle, obsessed all the while by the Old Continent's sweet way of life.

In March 1956 Michel Legrand was in New York with Maurice Chevalier, and he told Kenny Clarke of a proposal to join Jacques Helian's orchestra. No sooner said than done, and this time Kenny stayed in Paris for good, moving into suburbia with a house in Montreuil-sous-Bois. As an integral part of the European jazz scene, of which he was one of the essential figures, Klook was to be seen and heard at the Club St-Germain or the Blue Note, accompanying American and French musicians, and also playing on numerous sessions.

"Kenny Clarke plays Andre Hodeir" went into history. The meeting between the drummer and the arranger-composer dated from 1949, when the soundtrack for the film "Autour d'un recif" was being recorded. This time, Andre Hodeir had decided to go further and more deeply into the approach adopted by Miles Davis' famous Nonet: to work on integrating the solos within the body of the performance, in the context of a middle-sized group ; he even took account of the bass and drum parts in a score that included solos and duets written entirely in the style of an improvisation (Jeru, Tahiti, When Lights Are Low, 'Round About Midnight), and which attempted the transposition (Blue Serge, Swing Spring, The Squirrel, Oblique) of "classical" writing procedures within a purely jazz context (which he was careful not to evoke). On tunes such as Eronel, Bemsha Swing, On a riff and Cadenze, primacy was given to movement, and the development of the sound figures preferred to lyricism. Trumpeter Christian Bellest made this enthusiastic comment on his approach : "Andre Hodeir's music doesn't resemble anyone else's ; it doesn't belong to any school on the other side of the Atlantic, and that, with the exception of the great Django, is unique in European jazz."

Alain Tercinet”

“Jazz went to Paris and other places in Europe to live. That might sound funny to many of those who don't spend a lot of time listening to jazz, but it's true. Although its birthplace was elsewhere, many musicians either relocated to Europe or found a more than appreciative audience there whereas in the

they were at times perhaps shunned or at best ignored. I think it was Dizzy Gillespie who once said something to the effect that jazz was too good for the

United States

. Without wanting to get too much into the racial implications here, it is a fact that at various times in US history, black (jazz) musicians had more than their share of problems, segregation more often than not relegating them to the back entrances of places they were playing at - and that was only a small part of the problem(s).

Paris, which had developed into the jazz center of Europe already in the beginning of the 20th century, offered many of these musicians a safe haven as well as a permanent home (later, Denmark, Sweden and sometimes Germany usurped that role) and jazz thrived because of it. One can even be as bold as to state that without Paris and Europe, jazz might never have been recognized as an art form. It was in Europe that jazz had gained that kind of recognition and, as far as I recall, it was jazz critics such as Leonard Feather (

England

) and Dan Morgenstern (

Austria

), who spent their entire lifetimes promoting it as an art form in the

United States

No matter what your take on jazz history is, it remains a fact that we all owe the bigwigs at Universal for releasing this wonderful run of spectacular recordings from mostly the 1950s and 1960s. If you got with the program right from the start, you had the chance to pick up over 100 regular reissues of classic LPs/EPs, a few more that were added "out of series", as well as four absolutely beautiful boxed sets that collected the best from the previous runs on 3 CDs plus a wonderful booklet and perhaps an extra recording or two each. One had the chance to buy these reissues separately or, for a limited time, in two slip-cased editions that either collected 25 or 75 of them and, if you kept your ears close to the ground, you will have the chance starting March 2007 to complete the series with the last 15 CDs coming up. There even was a catalog CD and a DVD (not seen by me) and if you look at the grand picture, this is definitely one of the most consistent and exciting reissue series of the 21st century, bar none. Kudos to Universal France for pulling it off.

Each CD is housed in a digipack cover, carries the "Gitanes Jazz Productions" logo, was carefully re-mastered, sports a wonderful Paris photo from that time period and includes a booklet in French and English with liner notes and complete session information. The spines are quite colorful and for packaging fetishists like me, the entire run brightens up a collection considerably.”

- Volkher Hofmann

Jazz in Paris
by Kevin Whitehead www.emusic.com

Even this former Amsterdammer will admit that no European city has the same allure for American jazz musicians as Paris. It was ever so: from the moment black Army bands like James Reese Europe's brought syncopated music to

France

during World War I, jazz players have found work, appreciation, validation and refuge there. The French saw themselves in the music right away: in New Orleans' French heritage, and in the iconic use of the saxophone, which was invented on French soil (albeit by a Belgian). They may even have heard, as some linguists do, the origins of the word jazz in their verb jaser — to make idle chatter.

Expatriate musicians soaked up the inspiration that comes from living in a rich culture whose national history dwarfs the States' relatively short lifespan. (I experienced that myself, in Amsterdam, living for a time in a house that was 132 years old when the Declaration of Independence was signed.) That burnish and patina on everything can't help but find its way into the music.

To get a sense of the city's allure, look at Martin Ritt's 1961 film Paris Blues, with Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier as jazz musicians in exile, enjoying the romance of cold-water flats, exploiting their exotic status, contemplating the big question should-I-stay-or-should-I-go, eagerly jamming with a luminary from home (Louis Armstrong) and exotic locals (a Django Reinhardt knock-off). Much as I like Dexter Gordon's deft impersonation of himself as jazz expat in 1986's 'Round Midnight, French director Bertrand Tavernier didn't have Ritt's outsider's eye for the place; Paris Blues brims with unfamiliar vistas of the old city, in place of the usual postcard views or Tavernier's studio back lot.

And Ritt's black-and-white film still feels like the '50s, a period when American jazz musicians felt particularly welcome in Paris. (French musicians, feeling overrun, began to push back in the mid-'60s.) New Orleans Frenchman Sidney Bechet and pioneering bebop drummer Kenny Clarke came to stay; other Americans like Lucky Thompson or Mary Lou Williams passed through, hooking up with locals on sessions and recording dates.

For a couple of years now, we CD collectors who could find them have been scarfing up the 80-and-counting import compilations in the "Jazz in Paris" series; now they're available here, as in right here. (The bulk of the music was recorded in the '50s for the Vogue label, but a few recordings come from earlier or later, or from other French companies' vaults). Rather than attempt to survey the whole line, let me plug a few favorites.

Mary Lou Williams, in the midst of an early '50s slump, sounds temporarily reinvigorated on a 1954 trip documented on I Made You Love Paris, a round-up of trio, quartet (with singer Beryl Bryden) and quintet sides. As ever, Williams excels at multi-hued blues that split the difference between earthy and elegant: "Mary Lou's Blues" is a boogie-woogie that takes a daytrip around the bebopper's favorite chord cycle, the circle of fifths.

To hear that continental sheen that might attach itself to an American's tone, hear the wondrous sides that tenor saxophonist Don Byas cut for the Blue Star label after he moved to

France

in 1946. Byas came out of the Coleman Hawkins ballad tradition — rapturous and rhapsodic — but if anything he's even more suave; his streamlined, less fussy tone has its own luminous depths. Like Hawk he's no slouch uptempo, but slow numbers really draw him out. Byas has a lovely way of lingering over the opening notes of a melody, unaccompanied and out of tempo, so it can take a few seconds to identify what tune he's playing. Start with the compilation Laura, and then when you want more, work your way through En Ce Temps-la and his tracks on the grab-bag Jazz in Paris: Bebop.

Fellow tenor Lucky Thompson came for an extended visit in the spring of 1956, and from the recorded evidence saw much more of studios than he did the Eiffel Tower or the Champs Elysees. (He liked the vibe enough to move his family to Paris a year later.) With his pleasingly light, limpid tone and lyrical sensibility, Lucky fit right in with a couple of Parisian leaders enamored of mid-size American cool jazz bands: pianist Henri Renaud (who leads the tentet and quartet on Modern Jazz Group) and one of Paris's busiest drummers (septet and tentet on Lucky Thompson with the Dave Pochonet All-Stars).

Not long after, Thompson was among the modernists to rediscover the practically archaic soprano sax; surely that decision owes something to the enormous popularity of

France

's adopted fils Sidney Bechet. Circa 1920 Bechet was jazz's first great saxophonist. Living outside Paris in the '50s, he recorded often with a disciple's band — hear Sidney Bechet et Claude Luter. Clarinetist Luter's band is good enough — as when meticulously recreating King Oliver's 1923 "Snake Rag" with its myriad unaccompanied horn breaks — but it scarcely matters. With his vibrant, vibrato- and tremolo-laden tone, and his powerful innate swing, Bechet could have fronted the Archies for all he cared, and his electrifying sound benefits from the modern recording technology.

There were other trans-Atlantic alliances; French composer/critic André Hodeir wrote a set of contrapuntal arrangements of jazz tunes by himself, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan and others — including a witty, scale-running take on Miles Davis's proto-modal "Swing Spring." Hodeir then had the good fortune to get the ultra-swinging drummer who set the bop style to spark the mid-size band; that session is now known as Kenny Clarke's Sextet Plays André Hodeir. Again, cool jazz is a touchstone. But given cool's Americanized French-impressionist harmonies, how could les jaseurs ignore it?

The French and soloists from a few other European countries are well-represented in the series, which includes some '30s and '40s sides by that most Parisian of jazz musicians, that poet of the guitar Django Reinhardt. But the series also features two little-known successors even guitar nuts may not know. On his '50s sides Reinhardt's protégé and film composer Henri Crolla has some of Django's gypsy flair with a more modern sense of harmony, but minus the battering-ram attack. He's like Reinhardt using medium-light not heavy strings, and with a less chunky beat — enough to sound like his own man, in his own time. (My intro was the irresistibly titled Quand Refleuriront Les Lilas Blancs?, or, when will the white lilacs bloom again?)

Hungarian gypsy and electric picker Elek Bacsik claimed to be a distant Reinhardt relative, a good metaphor for their musical relationship. His stinging vibrato can't help but remind you of the master, and his similarly idiosyncratic, outsider's approach to jazz stamps every performance. But in the early '60s, as heard on Guitar Conceptions and Nuages, he mixes the fireside romance with contemporary, amplified jazz-guitar influences, and a modern repertoire: Miles' "Milestones," Nat Adderley's "Work Song" — check out Daniel Humair's drum solo, where you can hear the melody in every bar — and odd-meter tunes from Dave Brubeck's book: "Blue Rondo a la Turk," "Take Five," "Three to Get Ready." For "Milestones," "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo," Kenny Clarke's on drums to ensure everything's sweet as a raspberry croissant.

A Complete List of Items

“Note: The following single CDs were/are available. At some point, two boxed sets were available that collected most of these single CDs listed below (a 75-CD boxed set and a 25-CD boxed set). Both of these boxed sets are still available, albeit infrequently, usually from Amazon marketplace dealers.

001 - Louis Armstrong - The Best Live Concert Vol. 1
002 - Louis Armstrong - The Best Live Concert Vol. 2
003 - Miles Davis - Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud
004 - Donald Byrd - Byrd in Paris (live)
005 - Donald Byrd - Parisian Thoroughfare (live)
006 - Buck Clayton/Peanuts Holland/Charlie Singleton - Club Session
007 - Bill Coleman - From Boogie to Funk
008 - Chet Baker - Broken Wing
009 - Dizzy Gillespie - The Giant
010 - Slide Hampton - Exodus

011 - Django Reinhardt - Django et Compagnie
012 - Django Reinhardt - Swing from Paris
013 - Django Reinhardt - Swing 39
014 - Mary Lou Williams - I Made You Love Paris
015 - Elek Bacsik - Guitar Conceptions
016 - René Thomas - The Real Cat
017 - Toots Thielemans - Blues pour Flirter
018 - Buddy Banks - Jazz de Chambre/Bobby Jaspar - Quartet Barclay
019 - Les Blue Stars - Pardon My English/Henri Salvador - Plays the Blues
020 - Harold Nicholas/June Richmond/Andy Bey - Chanteurs-Chanteuses

021 - Don Byas - Laura
022 - Sidney Bechet/Claude Luter - Self-Titled
023 - Sonny Criss - Mr. Blues pour Flirter
024 - Guy Lafitte - Blue and Sentimental
025 - Henri Renaud - New sound at 'The Boeuf sur le Toit' (live)/ Zoot Sims - Quintet Barclay
026 - Barney Wilen - Jazz sur Seine
027 - Bobby Jaspar - Modern Jazz au Club Saint Germain
028 - Lucky Thompson - Modern Jazz Group
029 - Pierre Michelot - Round about a Bass
030 - Oscar Peterson ft. Stéphane Grappelli - Volume 1

031 - Oscar Peterson ft. Stéphane Grappelli - Volume 2
032 - Michel Legrand - Paris Jazz Piano
033 - Claude Bolling - Plays the Original Piano Greats
034 - Rhoda Scott/Kenny Clarke - Self Titled
035 - Eddie Louiss - Bohemia after Dark
036 - Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon - Aux Trios Mailletz
037 - Sammy Price/Lucky Thompson - Paris Blues (live)
038 - Earl Hines - Paris One Night Stand
039 - Kenny Clarke - Plays André Hodéir
040 - Art Blakey - Paris Jam Session (live)

041 - Eddie Louiss/Yvan Julien - Porgy & Bess
042 - Stéphane Grappelli - Improvisations
043 - Jean-Luc Ponty - Jazz Long Playing
044 - Lionel Hampton and his French New Sound - Vol. 1 (live)
045 - Lionel Hampton and his French New Sound - Vol. 2 (live)
046 - Lionel Hampton - Ring dem Vibes
047 - Various (Nicholas/Archey/Attenoux) - Classic Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
048 - Various (Bernard Peiffer/Bernard Zacharias) - Modern Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
049 - Barney Wilen/Alain Goraguer - Jazz & Cinéma Vol. 1
050 - Art Blakey/JatP/George Arvanitas - Jazz & Cinéma Vol. 2

051 - Louis Armstrong - And Friends
052 - Dizzy Gillespie - Cognac Blues
053 - Chet Baker - Quartet Plays Standards
054 - Hubert Rostaing/Maurice Meunier - Clarinettes à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
055 - Hubert Fol/Michel de Villers/Sonny Criss - Saxophones à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
056 - Stéphane Grappelli - Plays Cole Porter
057 - René Thomas - Meeting Mister Thomas
058 - Django Reinhardt - Swing 48
059 - Django Reinhardt - Django's Blues
060 - Henri Crolla - Notre Ami Django

061 - Art Simmons/Ronnell Bright - Piano aux Champs-Elysées
062 - Lou Bennett - Pentecostal Feeling
063 - Rhoda Scott - Live at the Olympia (live)
064 - Willie « The Lion » Smith - Music on My Mind
065 - Bernard Pfeiffer - La Vie en Rose
066 - Raymond Fol - Les 4 Saisons
067 - René Urtréger - Joue Bud Powell
068 - Lionel Hampton - Mai 1956
069 - Art Blakey - 1958 Paris Olympia (live)
070 - Le Jazz Groupe de Paris - Joue André Hodeir

071 - Gainsbourg & Goaraguer/Hodeir/Humair Soultette - Jazz & Cinéma Vol. 3
072 - Don Byas/Tyree Glenn/Howard McGhee sextet/James Moody Quintet - Bebop
073 - Lucky Thompson - With Dave Pochonet All Stars
074 - Alain Goraguer - Go-Go-Goraguer
075 - Earl Hines - In Paris
076 - Michel de Villers/Claude Bolling - Danse à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
077 - Lester Young - Le dernier message
078 - Don Byas - En ce Temps-Là
079 - Stan Getz Quartet - In Paris (live)
080 - Henri Criolla - Begin the Beguine

081 - Elek Bacsik - Nuages
082 - Stéphane Grappelli/Stuff Smith - Stuff and Steff
083 - Sarah Vaughan - Vaughan & Violins
084 - Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy Gillespie & his Operatic Strings Orchestra
085 - Bobby Jaspar - Jeux de Quartes
086 - Gerard Badini - The Swing Machine
087 - Stéphane Grappelli - Django
088 - Gus Viseur - De Clinchy à Broadway
089 - Henri Crolla - Quand Refleuriront les Lilas Blancs?
090 - Django Reinhard - Nuit de Saint-Germain-des-Prés

091 - Django Reinhard - Nuages
092 - Jack Diéval - Jazz au Champs-Elysées
093 - Bernard Pfeiffer - Plays Standards
094 - Blossom Dearie - The Pianist/Les Blue Stars - Les Blue Stars
095 - Sammy Price/Price & Doc Cheatham - Play George Gershwin
096 - Max Roach - Parisian Sketches
097 - André Hodeir - Jazz et Jazz
098 - Wetzel/Gorageur/de Villers/Solal - Jazz & Cinéma Vol. 4
099 - Wilson/Chittison/Polo Trio/Charlie Lewis - Harlem Piano in Montmartre
100 - Various - Jazz sous L'Occupation

101 - Joe Newman/Cootie Williams - Jazz at Midnight
102 - Django Reinhardt- Place de Brouckère
103 - Buck Clayton (with Hal Singer) - Buck Clayton and Friends
104 - Kid Ory- At the Théatre des Champs-Elysées
105 - Sonny Stitt- Sits In with the Oscar Peterson Trio
106 - Guy Lafitte - Blues
107 - Stan Getz/Michel Legrand - Communications '72
108 - Sammy Price - Good Paree
109 - George Wein - Midnight Concert at the Olympia
110 - Raymond Fol - Echoes of Harlem

111 - Maurice Vander - Piano Jazz
112 - Henri Crolla/Hubert Rostang/André Hodeir - Jazz et Cinéma Volume Vol. 5
113 - Stéphane Grapelli - The Nearness of You (See "Boxed Compilations Sets" below)

Note: Those last 10 reissues (up to No. 112) were also supposed to be the last reissues in the series. The editors stated that there was no more material in the vaults to be released. Since then, No. 113 has been added and a bunch of "out of series" double-CDs appeared. There have also been a slew of boxed sets. One could say that Universal France is milking this excellent series for what it's worth.”

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Table of Contents Introduction pp. 6-10 Prologue - Seeds in the Swing Era from Modern Jazz by Alun Morgan and Raymond Horricks pp. 11-20 Chapter 1. The Miles Davis 1948/1949 Group from Modern Jazz by Alun Morgan and Raymond Horricks, pp. 21-29 Chapter 2. The Los Angeles Jazz Scene of the 1950’s The Gerry Mulligan Quartet by Robert Gordon, pp. 30-38 Chapter 3. The West Coast Sound by Robert Gordon, pp. 39-48 Chapter 4. Two Tenor Conversation with Bill Perkins and Richie Kamuca by John Tynan, pp. 49-53 Chapter 5. Bill Perkins - The Gordon Jack Interview, pp. 54-58 Chapter 6. Richie Kamuca - The Gordon Jack Interview, pp. 59-62 Chapter 7. Bob Cooper - Quietly, Always There by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 63-68 Chapter 8. William “Buddy” Collette, 1921-2010 by Peter Jacobson and the Central Avenue Sounds Editorial Committee, pp. 69-73 Chapter 9. The Forgotten Ones - Buddy Collette - by Gordon Jack, pp. 74-77 Chapter 10. Harold Land [1928-2001]: The Hard Bop Legacy - Steven A. Cerra and John Tynan, pp. 78-82 Chapter 11. Jack Montrose by Gordon Jack, pp. 83-89 Chapter 12. Chet Baker - “The Jazz Musician Interview” by Jerome Reece, pp. 90-99 Chapter 13. Remembering Wardell Gray [1921-1955] - Part 1 - The Ira Gitler Notes, pp. 100-104 Chapter 14. Remembering Wardell Gray [1921-1955] - Part 2 - The Michael James Essay, pp. 105-111 Chapter 15. Remembering Wardell Gray [1921-1955] - Part 3 - The Herbie Butterfield Essay, pp. 112-117 Chapter 16, Remembering Wardell Gray [1921-1955] - Part 4 - The Alun Morgan Essay, pp. 118-122 Chapter 17. Funny Frank [Rosolino] by John Tynan, pp. 123-125 Chapter 18. Lou Levy - John Tynan, pp. 126-129 Chapter 19. Lou Levy - An Interview with Steve Voce, pp. 130-137 Chapter 20. Jimmy Rowles: Sprinkling Jazz by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 138-144 Chapter 21. Jimmy Rowles: The Len Lyons Interview, pp. 145-150 Chapter 22. Pete Jolly - Some Variations by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 151-163 Chapter 23. Willis and John Haley - Bill Holman Talks About Zoot Sims, pp. 164-176 Chapter 24. Bill Holman: Recollections of Fellow Musicians from The Early Years with Bill Dobbins, pp. 177-187 Chapter 25. Bob Gordon -Baritone Blues by Gordon Jack, pp. 188-193 Chapter 26. The Great Herb Geller by Gene Lees, pp. 194-203 Chapter 27. Herb Geller and Interview with Gordon Jack, pp. 204-212 Chapter28. Teddy Edwards: A Tenor Saxophonist of Importance by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 213-215 Chapter 29. The Advent of Victor Feldman by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 216-226 Chapter 30. Victor Feldman and Frank Rosolino: The “Lost Recordings” by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 227-231 Chapter 31. Nascent Lennie Niehaus by Max Harrison, pp. 232-239 Chapter 32, Bud Shank - Burning Brighter by Fran Kelley, pp. 240-242 Chapter 33. Bud Shank Parts 1 and 2 by Doug Ramsey and Gordon Jack, pp. 243-261 Chapter 34. Milt Bernhart by Gordon Jack, pp. 262-265 Chapter 35. Bob Brookmeyer: An Interview with Bill Coss, pp. 266-270 Chapter 36. Extracts From An Interview with Bob Brookmeyer by Wayne Enstice and Paul Rubin, pp. 271-278 Chapter 37. Bob Enevoldsen with Gordon Jack, pp. 279-283 Chapter 38. Marty Paich and A Band Within A Band” by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 284-293 Chapter 39. Cal Tjader - The 1957 Downbeat Interview by John Tynan, pp. 294-297 Chapter 40. Cal Tjader, Paul Horn and the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival, pp. 298-302 Chapter 41. Cal Tjader: “A Certain, Smooth Elegance” [La Onda Va Bien] by Steven. A Cerra, pp. 303-309 Chapter 42. “The Latinization of Cal Tjader - Or … what’s a nice Swedish boy like you doing in a bag like this?” by Harvey Siders, pp. 310-316 Chapter 43. College Goes to Jazz - John Graas and the Westlake College Quintet, pp. 317-321 Chapter 44. “Don Fagerquist - The Forgotten Ones” Series by Gordon Jack, pp. 322-325 Chapter 45. Bass Players: Scott LaFaro and Gary Peacock by Martin Williams, pp. 326-333 Chapter 46. California Hard 1 - Clifford Brown, Herb Geller, Hampton Hawes and Dexter Gordon by Robert Gordon, pp. 334-343 Chapter 47. California Hard II - The Curtis Counce Group, Chet Baker Quintet, Pepper Adams - Mel Lewis Quintet and Others by Robert Gordon, pp. 344-354

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Table of Contents Introduction: The Jazz West Coast Style of Music by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 6-9 Prologue - West Coast Sounds by John Dutton, pp. 10-16 Chapter 1. Central Avenue Sounds by Bob Gordon, 17-32 Chapter 2. Shorty Rogers and His Giants - by Bob Gordon, 33-44 Chapter 3. Shorty Rogers and the Development of the West Coast Style of Jazz by John Graas, pp. 45-48 Chapter 4. Shorty Rogers - The Gentle Giant by Howard Lucraft, pp. 49-53 Chapter 5. Shorty Rogers The Steve Voce Interview, pp. 54-58 Chapter 6. Shelly Manne - The Lighthouse and Shorty Rogers - Steven A. Cerra, pp. 59-73 Chapter 7. The Lighthouse Café as an Incubator for West Coast Jazz by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 74-77 Chapter 8. Jim Giuffre Musician by Nat Hentoff - Jim Giuffre Composer As Told to Downbeat [John Tynan], pp. 78-81 Chapter 9. The Passionate Conviction: An Interview with Jimmy Giuffre by Lorin Stephens, pp. 82-90. Chapter 10. Jimmy Giuffre in the Jazz Literature : Jordi Pujol, Will McFarland and Francis Davis, pp. 91-101 Chapter 11. Jimmy Giuffre - The Pastoral Man by Ed Michel, pp. 102-112 Chapter 12. Peter Welding - Booklet Notes to The Complete Pacific Jazz and Capitol Recordings of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and Tentette with Chet Baker [Mosaic MR 5-102], pp. 113-118 Chapter 13. Gerry Mulligan: The Gordon Jack Interview, pp. 119-125 Chapter 14. The West Coast School Of White Musicians And Its Soloists - from "Modern Jazz" by Morgan and Horricks, pp. 126-134 Chapter 15. The Composers of the West Coast School - from "Modern Jazz" by Morgan and Horricks, pp. 135-142 Chapter 16. Shelly Redux – More Thoughts From and About The Manne by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 143-153 Chapter 17. Shelly Manne & His Men at The Blackhawk: A Review of the Jazz Literature by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 154-169 Chapter 18. Shelly Manne and His Men Play Peter Gunn by Lester Koenig, pp. 170-172 Chapter 19. Hank Mancini - Jazz Musician by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 173-175 Chapter 20. Stan Getz - East of the Sun: The West Coast Sessions - The Ted Gioia Notes, pp. 176-181 Chapter 21. STAN AND GERRY - Occasional Collaborators" by Gordon Jack, pp. 182-185 Chapter 22. Shelly Manne: “Portrait of a Jazz Success” by John Tynan, pp.186-193 Chapter 23. Art Pepper - "The Whiteness of the Wail" by Gary Giddins, pp. 194-197 Chapter 24. Art Pepper-Marty Paich Inc. by Alun Morgan, pp. 198-203 Chapter 25. Art Pepper Plus Eleven by Marty Paich, pp. 204-207 Chapter 26. "Straight Life - The Story of Art Pepper" by Gary Giddins, pp. 208-212 Chapter 27. Art Pepper by Larry Kart, pp. 213-217 Chapter 28. Stan Levey - The Alun Morgan Interview, pp.218-222 Chapter 29. Stan Levey: From Left to Right - The JazzProfiles Interview by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 223-231 Chapter 30. Stan Levey - The Gordon Jack Interview, pp. 232-236 Chapter 31. Mel Lewis in the Jazz Literature - Steven A. Cerra, Ed.. pp. 237-247 Chapter 32. Mel Lewis – Life in Los Angeles - Chris Smith, pp. 248-253 Chapter 33. Mel Lewis, Terry Gibbs and The Dream Band by Terry Gibbs and Chris Smith, pp. 254-258 Chapter 34. Larry Bunker - Portrait of a Jazz Drummer and Studio Musician - The Gordon Jack Interview, pp. 259-263 Chapter 35. Larry Bunker - Modern Drummer Interview with David Levine and the Steve Voce Obituary for the Independent, pp. 264-269 Chapter 36. Whatever Happened to Larry Bunker? by Mal Sands, pp. 270-277 Chapter 37. JazzLife - Hollywood and Los Angeles by William Claxton, pp. 278-284 Chapter 38. Dave Pell by Gordon Jack, pp. 285-288 Chapter 39. Dave Pell - The Complete Trend and Kapp Recordings 1953-1956 by Steven A. Cerra and Jordi Pujol, pp. 289-296 Chapter 40. The Case for Dave Pell - The Octets and Beyond by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 297-302 Chapter 41. Chico Hamilton Quintet - The Robert Gordon/Mosaic Records Notes, pp. 303-307 Chapter 42. The Chico Hamilton Quintet by Gordon Jack, pp. 308-312 Chapter 43. Terry Gibbs' Big Band - "Vamp 'Till Ready" by John Tynan, pp. 313-318 Chapter 44. Part 1 - The Terry Gibbs Dream Band from “Terry Gibbs Good Vibes - A Life in Jazz,” pp. 319-326 Chapter 45. Part 2 -The Terry Gibbs Dream Band from “Terry Gibbs Good Vibes - A Life in Jazz,” pp. 327-334 Chapter 46. Part 3 -The Terry Gibbs Dream Band from “Terry Gibbs Good Vibes - A Life in Jazz,” pp. 335-344 Epilogue: Jazz on the West Coast - “Preface” by Robert Gordon, pp. 345-347

This is now available as both an eBook and paperback exclusively through Amazon.com.

Should you like to purchase a copy, here’s the Table of Contents for - A Dave Brubeck Reader, Volume 1 - 1948 to 1972 which is now available as a paperback and an eBook exclusively on Amazon.com. Once the cost of publication has been met, I am donating half of my royalties to the local school district for use toward the purchase of musical instruments for individual students. Introduction, pp. 7-9 Prologue - Dave Brubeck: A Life in American Music by Doug Ramsey, pp. 10-35 Chapter 1 - “Time to Begin” by Fred M. Hall, pp. 36-43 Chapter 2. The Dave Brubeck Octet by Dave Brubeck and Dr. Frank Tirro, pp. 44-51 Chapter 3. The Dave Brubeck Octet: A Formula and A Dilemma by Raymond Horricks, pp. 52-57 Chapter 4. The Dave Brubeck Octet by Philip Clark, pp. 58-70 Chapter 5. Cal Tjader and The Dave Brubeck Octet and Trio by S. Duncan Reid, pp. 71-78 Chapter 6. The Complete Storyville Broadcasts - Jason Yale, pp. 79-83 Chapter 7. The Formative Years of the Dave Brubeck Quartet by Philip Elwood, pp. 84-94 Chapter 8. Brubeck at Oberlin, A Review of the Jazz Literature by Steven A. Cerra, pp. 95-104. Chapter 9. 1954 Jazz at College of the Pacific and Jazz Goes to College - Wayne Morrill, Katie Neubauer and George Avakian, pp. 105-114 Chapter 10. The Early Years at Columbia Records and Brubeck Time by Stephen Crist, pp. 115-120 Chapter 11. Dave Brubeck Answers His Critics - Don Freeman DB 8.10.1955, pp. 121-123 Chapter 12. Ralph J. Gleason - “Dave Brubeck: What Makes Him Tick,” DB 7.25.1957, pp. 124-130 Chapter 13. Ralph J. Gleason - Dave Brubeck: 'They Said I Was Too Far Out' DB 8. 8. 1957, pp. 131-137 Chapter 14. Ralph J. Gleason - Dave Brubeck: First Things First, DB 9.5.1957, pp. 138-145 Chapter 15. The Quartet from These Jazzmen of Our Times by Raymond Horricks, pp. 146-152 Chapter 16. Jazz Impressions of the U.S.A. and Dave Digs Disney by Philip Clark, pp. 153-159 Chapter 17. Jazz Impressions of Dave Brubeck by Steven A. Cerra and Howard Mandel, 160-166 Chapter 18. Digging Dave Brubeck and Time Out - Alan Goldscher, pp. 167-182 Chapter 19. Metrical Experimentation from "Dave Brubeck's Time Out" by Stephen Crist, pp. 183-189 Chapter 20. Dave Brubeck’s Time Out: Why It’s So Great - Kile Smith, pp. 190-192 Chapter 21. Dave Brubeck - Beyond Take Five - John Edward Hasse, pp. 193-196 Chapter 22. Dave Brubeck and Stan Kenton: Alike and Unalike by Harry Frost, pp. 197-200 Chapter 23. Pops - Dave and Iola Brubeck - The Real Ambassadors by Steven A. Cerra and Ricky Riccardi, pp. 201-210 Chapter 24. The Real Ambassadors by Penny M. von Eschen, pp. 211-218 Chapter 25. The Real Ambassadors by Keith Hatschek, pp. 219-225 Chapter 26. Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Glasser - Gary Giddins, pp. 226-228 Chapter 27. Beyond Time Out - The Undiscovered Dave Brubeck by Steven A. Cerra, 229-237 Chapter 28. Dave Brubeck, Composer, by Leonard Feather, pp. 238-244 Chapter 29. A Quartet of Five (Dave Brubeck) by Gary Giddins, pp. 245-249 Chapter 30. Dave Brubeck: The Man on the Buffalo Nickel - Gene Lees, pp. 250-268 Chapter 31. Compadres with Brubeck and Mulligan - Jerome Klinkowitz, pp. 269-278 Chapter 32. “A Quarter Century Young: The Dave Brubeck Quartet,” Arnold J. Smith, DB March 25,1976, pp. 279-288 Epilogue - Dave Brubeck: The Smithsonian Oral History Program NEA Jazz Masters Interviews, pp. 289-352 Bibliography, pp. 353-360 Discography, pp. 361-364

Our Thanks to Alan Parr for this review on Amazon.UK.

The very title makes it clear that this is not a biography in the conventional sense. However, in many ways it works better than a normal biography. The author has identified six phases of Gerry Mulligan's career and illustrated each with several suitable pieces of writing - not his own, but drawn from a vast array of sources - including both contemporary and retrospective pieces such as comprehensive sleeve notes, magazine articles, and interviews. I realised that there are considerable advantages to this approach. A conventional biographer will form a picture of his subject and this view will tend to shape everything he writes. The use of pieces from several dozen writers helps us get a much more rounded picture of the subject - and it is clear that Gerry Mulligan did indeed have several sides to his personality. True there are a number of episodes and anecdotes which get repeated several times but I did not find this obtrusive; rather, seeing the same story from different sources helped me form a more balanced picture. Biography or not Steve Cerra has arranged the materials to enlighten us about each stage of Gerry's career. It all works beautifully, with important recordings illustrated with the original sleeve notes and contemporary reviews, and for each self-contained section it is natural to return to listen once more to the recordings themselves. This isn't one of those books where you say 'I couldn't put it down' and I suspect the author would be rather disappointed if anyone did. I'm pleased to say it took me six weeks to read. I've enjoyed Mulligan's music for more than sixty years - we called our first cat Mulligan - but I learned a great deal. It's not just the book list that is extensive; the author's knowledge of Mulligan's music and across the jazz scene as a whole is encyclopedic. I enjoyed the book immensely and was happy to take my time to enjoy each section and its associated music. I unreservedly recommend A Gerry Mulligan Reader.

Many thanks to Jeffrey Sultanof for these reviews.

“I salute Steven Cerra, drummer and writer, who has self-published two extraordinary volumes on Gerry Mulligan and Bill Evans. Cerra, who continues publishing a blog called Jazz Profiles, also writes a column right here for Substack. His Substack column reprints articles that in many cases are hard to find. That’s what he has done with his readers. He has gathered liner notes and often hard-to-find articles and interviews of said artists. Reading them for the first time or re-reading them after many years is fun and enlightening, and puts them into active circulation. Previously, you would have to go to specialist libraries or private collections to find them. Having them easily accessible is a boon to historians like myself for obvious reasons - the information is at my fingertips (literally) and it is easier to find sources of quotes for accurate footnoting. These are also the sorts of books that you can’t put down once you start reading. I urge you to check them out. [They are available exclusively on Amazon both as paperbacks and eBooks. Just type in Steven A. Cerra in the Books section on Amazon’s site to search for them.] Kindle prices are $9.99 each - a bargain!!!”

Ricardo Pinheiro's Latest - TONE STORIES - Coming from Fresh Sound on April 19th

Ricardo Pinheiro completed a Degree in Music at Berklee College of Music, Boston; Degree in Psychology Sciences at the Universidade de Lisboa; and a PhD in Musicology (Ethnomusicology) at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He studied with Mick Goodrick, George Garzone, Ed Tomassi, Ken Pullig, Wayne Krantz, Ken Cervenka, Chris Washburne and Salwa Castelo-Branco. He played/recorded with Peter Erskine, David Liebman, Chris Cheek, Mário Laginha, Eric Ineke, Perico Sambeat, Stephan Astbury, João Paulo Esteves da Silva, Remix Ensemble, Matt Renzi, Jon Irabagon, John Gunther, Mike Del Ferro, André Charlier, Benoît Sourisse, among many others. He teaches at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, and is the Director of its Masters in Music Program. He played and participated in conferences and meetings in Austria, Greece, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Germany, U.S.A., Denmark, Italy, South Africa, among other countries, and published articles in journals such as Acta Musicologica of the International Musicological Society, the Jazz Research Journal, or the International Review for The Aesthetics and Sociology of Music. https://www.ricardopinheiro.com/bio

My thanks to Dr. James Williams for this 5 Star Amazon Review

A Gerry Mulligan Reader - Our Thanks to Kevin Goss

When I heard that Steven was writing this book, I couldn't wait to receive it because I have enjoyed his jazz writing for some time, and I have been a Mulligan disciple for over 40 years. The first surprise when it arrived is the size of this book. I was expecting it to be the standard paperback size, but this book is large. Given that the print size is standard, that was when I realized how comprehensive the book was going to be. Cerra covers Mulligan's music from his beginnings as a teenager to his final output while also paying attention to the legacy Jeru left behind. Using a combination of full articles, excerpts, and personal observations it's clear that this is a labour of love. I highly recommend this book for any fan of Gerry Mulligan, but also for any fan of jazz. Mulligan is in the pantheon of great jazz innovators and his legacy is given the justice it deserve's in Cerra's tome. Read this book and buy Gerry's music. You'll regret neither.

Our thanks to Jim Harrod at Jazz Research

At last, a resource of critical writings gathered in one place covering the career of one of the most influential jazz artists of the 20th century. The large format, 8.5 x 11 inches, enables a decent font size to read this collection that includes liner notes from many Mulligan CD releases where the text was often so small that a magnifying glass was needed. Cerra’s choice includes many hard-to-find items like a chapter from the now out-of-print and pricey Ruddick biography of Chet Baker discussing the formation of the Gerry Mulligan quartet.

Many thanks to Bill Crow for the following -

Steven Cerra sent me a copy of his new book, “Gerry Mulligan, Writings on a Jazz Original,” a fine collection of writings about Gerry, including some of mine, plus some interviews. Steven writes: “The purpose of this book is to provide the reader with a sequential and thematic account of the life and music of Gerry Mulligan (April 5, 1927-January 20,1996.) I’ve been enjoying reading it. Steven Included an anecdote from one of my books: …Gerry continued to work with his quartet: Brookmeyer, Mel Lewis and me. We appeared on Mike Wallace’s television show during the time that Wallace was in the process of building a reputation as an investigative reporter. Wallace’s TV interviews were popular partly because of his prosecutorial style. At the rehearsal, Wallace was courteous and low-key. He asked questions that had been prepared by his staff, and Gerry answered frankly about his career, his experiences with drugs and the law, and other aspects of his life. On the air, Wallace’s tone became more contentious, and instead of asking the questions he had asked at rehearsal, he said accusingly, “I understand you were involved with drugs, and did some time because of it!” This left Gerry with little more to say than “yes.” Though Wallace was using the information Gerry had given him at the rehearsal, he gave his audience the impression that he was confronting Gerry with the results of his own private investigations. Gerry managed to field Wallace’s questions with his usual aplomb, but he found himself at a loss when Wallace asked him, “I notice there are no black musicians in your group. Is this accidental, or by design?” Actually, it was the first time in years that, by happenstance, there were no black musicians in Gerry’s quartet, but any short answer to that question would have sounded lame. As Gerry considered how best to respond, Bob Brookmeyer glared at Wallace, jerked a thumb at Mel Lewis, and said frostily, “We’ve got a Jewish drummer. Will that help?” Wallace dropped the subject.

Our thanks to Pierre Giroux writing in the Jan. 2024 Ed. of The New York City Jazz Record

“Gerry Mulligan: Writings on a Jazz Original, by jazz historian Steven Cerra, delves into the life and work of the groundbreaking baritone saxophonist, composer, arranger and bandleader. The book is a reader, and its seven discrete chapters cover specific periods in the musician’s musical life, each chapter presenting selections from essays, articles, interviews and liner notes by various hands and providing insights into Mulligan’s unique style, contributions and impact on the jazz genre. Throughout a nearly 50-year career (this month marks the baritone saxophonist’s 28-year deathaversary), Mulligan was at the inflection point of many changes in jazz. In 1944, at the age of 17, he started out in big bands and his musical career from then until the early ’70s represents his most productive and innovative period. This fact is reflected in the compelling written material sourced by Cerra, which comprises the book’s first three chapters and represents over two-thirds of the book’s pages. Among the many highlights, we learn of the impact he made arranging and composing for the big bands of Gene Krupa, Claude Thornhill and Elliot Lawrence in the mid to late ’40s, his captivating contributions to the Miles Davis Nonet Birth of the Cool sessions (1949) and the formation of the groundbreaking pianoless quartet with trumpeter Chet Baker in the early ‘50s, which foreshadowed the West Coast jazz movement. For the balance of the ’50s all the way into the early ’70s, Mulligan burnished his reputation with various iterations of the quartet, which included trombonist Bob Brookmeyer and trumpeter Art Farmer. He also led an influential sextet that included Brookmeyer, saxophonist Zoot Sims and trumpeter Jon Eardley, led his own twelve-piece Concert Jazz Band from 1960-64 and joined Dave Brubeck’s group from 1968-72. This is not meant to be an exhaustive recounting of Mulligan’s activities but rather to demonstrate the richness of his endeavors. Readers will additionally gain valuable insights into Mulligan’s musical influences, collaborations and partnerships, which affected the evolution of his distinctive sound. Contributors to the book include George T. Simon, Ira Gitler, Michael Cuscuna, Jack Gordon, Nat Hentoff and Leonard Feather, among others. Mulligan died on January 20, 1996, at what would be considered a still youthful 68. Cerra has provided a comprehensive and insightful exploration of his contribution to jazz, offering a profound exploration of Gerry Mulligan’s musical legacy as well as his enduring impact.”

Our Thanks to Gordon Jack.

Here’s another unabashed plug, this time by Gordon Jack, who is a frequent contributor to JazzJournal where this review is currently appearing. What is omitted from his summary for ethical reasons is the fact that Gordon Jack has contributed a number of his fine essays on Gerry to the Mulligan Reader. The book is available as both an eBook and a paperback exclusively on Amazon.com. With the holidays coming up, why not consider purchasing a copy for the Jazz fan in your family? Gerry Mulligan: Writings On A Jazz Original by Gordon Jack “Steven Cerra studied drums with Victor Feldman and Larry Bunker before going on the road with Bobby Troup, Anita O’Day and Juliet Prowse during the sixties. He eventually left the music scene in 1970 to pursue work in other fields. His interest in Gerry Mulligan began when he first heard the Mulligan sextet’s famous 1954 San Diego concert which featured Jon Eardley, Bob Brookmeyer, Zoot Sims, Red Mitchell and Larry Bunker. That album began a life-long interest in Mulligan’s music. This is the third book published this year devoted to one of the most innovative performers of the post-war jazz scene. The Gerry Mulligan 1950s Quartets by Alyn Shipton is a forensically detailed look at one of one of the genre’s most unique small groups. Being Gerry Mulligan: My Life In Music comes from a collection of audio tapes he left behind which have been lovingly reconstructed as an autobiography by Ken Poston. Back in 1986 Raymond Horricks wrote a brief appreciation which he expanded in 2003 to include a discography of commercial and bootleg material (Gerry Mulligan’s Ark). Jerome Klinkowitz’s 1991 Listen: Gerry Mulligan is a useful reference but Jeru’s Journey by Sanford Josephson published in 2015 is a disappointing attempt at a biography revealing little that is new. Just like the Miles Davis Reader and the Duke Ellington Reader, Writings On A Jazz Original offers something a little different. The fifty-two articles, interviews and liner-notes by major jazz writers here reveal a fascinating anthology of his activities over the years: George T. Simon (Insert notes to Elliot Lawrence Plays Gerry Mulligan), Peter Welding (Insert Notes to Birth of the Cool), Peter Welding (Insert Notes to The Complete Pacific Jazz and Capitol Recordings of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and Tentette with Chet Baker), Steven Cerra (Gerry Mulligan and Stan Kenton), Alun Morgan (Insert Notes to The Fabulous Gerry Mulligan Sextet), Nat Hentoff (Gerry Mulligan-The White Mainstreamer), Leonard Feather (Before and After), Bill Crow (From Birdland to Broadway), Bill Kirchner (Booklet Notes to The Complete Verve Gerry Mulligan Concert Band Sessions), Michael Cuscuna (Booklet Notes to The Age of Steam), Gene Lees (Meet Me at Jim & Andy’s), Ira Gitler (Swing to Bop) and Mathew Ruddick (The Life And Times of Chet Baker). There are three Downbeat Blindfold Tests that Mulligan undertook including one with Harry Carney. Cerra also includes interviews with Gerry’s two wives Arlyne Brown Mulligan and Franca Rota Mulligan. Writings On A Jazz Original is a most welcome addition to the extensive literature already devoted to one of the giants of the music. When the definitive Gerry Mulligan biography is finally written, Steven Cerra’s book will be an essential source. Gerry Mulligan: Writings On A Jazz Original By Steven A Cerra. Self Published. 355 pp. Gordon Jack

My thanks to Michael Steinman at Jazz Lives

“GERRY MULLIGAN: WRITINGS ON A JAZZ ORIGINAL,” by STEVEN A. CERRA (Amazon, 2023) www.jazzlives.wordpress.com Posted on November 9, 2023 | 4 comments “Forgive the culinary metaphor, but some books are snacks, some are satisfying dinners. Steve Cerra's new book on Gerry Mulligan is a delightfully overwhelming banquet. When I first received a copy, I found it engrossing but I also thought, "I might need a few weeks to do this book justice." So this admiring review comes with the caveat that I, the admiring reviewer, have read here and there in the book. But I think it is such a valuable compilation that it should get heralded right now. To me, Mulligan is in the odd position of being simultaneously celebrated and viewed at a curious distance. He had a nearly fifty-year career as a jazz luminary, a deep influence as a singular player of a sometimes-underestimated instrument, the baritone saxophone. For some, he would have been slightly behind Ellington's majestic Harry Carney; for others, he would have outstripped Carney as an innovator and creative thinker. Mulligan appeared to "move with the times," but in reality he stubbornly chose to be himself, no matter what the context: his piano-less quartet, his Concert Jazz Band, the "Birth of the Cool" group; his later recordings that each seem to be jubilant explorations of new landscapes. To understand him, one has only to make a quick mental list of the people he played with and chose to work with: Bill Crow, Miles Davis, Brew Moore, Charlie Parker, Bob Brookmeyer, Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck, Jimmie Rowles, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Jack Teagarden, Tony Fruscella, Bill Charlap, Zoot Sims, Johnny Hodges, Teddy Wilson, Thelonious Monk, Art Farmer, Ben Webster, Phil Woods, Elliot Lawrence, Joe Sullivan, Gene Krupa, Annie Ross, Billie Holiday, Clark Terry, Stan Getz, Paul Desmond, Lee Konitz, Chubby Jackson, Charles Mingus, Mel Torme, Shorty Rogers, Zoot Sims, Lionel Hampton, Cleo Laine . . . and that is not including his arrangements for Lawrence, Krupa, Claude Thornhill, Stan Kenton, and his own groups. He has been categorized as part of the "cool jazz" or "West Coast jazz" school, but those schools are merely names journalists give to groups of musicians when they need a quick and often inaccurate classifier. Cerra's book is not the only one on Mulligan: Sanford Josephson's biography, JERU'S JOURNEY: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF GERRY MULLIGAN, appeared in 2015, and two oral histories appeared earlier. But Cerra's book, an appealing collection, does not duplicate the previous works. It is a Reader, or a collection of articles, interviews, and liner notes to recordings. As such, it is not only a shifting multi-layered portrait of Mulligan, person and artist, it is also a cross-section of journalistic and essayistic jazz history. Consider, if you will, a book of reviews of Ulysses: a reader would learn not only about the subject, Joyce's work, but how it was regarded, decade after decade. Thus, Cerra's large-format book (with illustrations) is fifty-plus perspectives on the artist, his groups, his colleagues, and his reputation as the times shift. Cerra himself doesn't demand center stage, but his writing is clear and unfussy, a pleasure. Let us assume, even if it's heresy, that the imagined reader isn't terribly fascinated by Jeru in all his many selves. The book is still an arresting collection of stories (I was reading it last night, or this morning, at 2 AM). I didn't know that George Duvivier had been invited by Duke to join the band at the same time Duke found Jimmie Blanton, and why Duvivier said no; I hadn't known how Al Cohn had lost one eye; his tumultuous relationship with Chet Baker, his working relationships with Miles Davis, Gil Evans, and much more. For those who thrive on darkness, there's heroin, cancer, imprisonment, broken hearts as well. I won't describe the book more, because I don't want to take away the serendipitous joys of finding a new story, a new insight, musicians seen from multiple perspectives. At first, I was disconcerted that the book lacked an index (possibly a financial decision) but rambling through its pages, I have welcomed the opportunity to find surprises without arrows pointing to them. One of the most charming aspects of Mulligan is that he understood, and loved, the whole history of the music. Had there been a jazz festival with Leon Roppolo and Ornette Coleman on sequential stages, Gerry would have sat in with both of them and made everyone feel at home with his presence. And, in turn, he was loved and respected by Coleman Hawkins and Rex Stewart, among other "elders." This leads me to the filmed evidence (December 1957) of the magic moment when I first saw and heard him live. You'll recognize the sublimely glittering crew, and please marvel once again at how Jeru not only gets comfortable but lifts the music: After Jimmy Rushing walks to one side, there's the Basie rhythm section (without Walter Page, who was ill): Basie, piano; Eddie Jones, double bass; Freddie Green, guitar; Jo Jones, drums. Then Ben Webster, tenor saxophone; Bennie Morton, trombone; Joe Wilder, trumpet -- then Gerry, soaring, lyrical and down-to-earth; Vic Dickenson, trombone; Roy Eldridge, trumpet; Emmett Berry, trumpet; Coleman Hawkins, tenor saxophone; Dickie Wells, trombone; Joe Newman, trumpet; Basie and the ensemble, cheered on by Billie Holiday. Of course there are thousands of hours of Gerry on record and film to savor. But this book will add to the enjoyment, and I salute its diligent author-editor. It's available as a large-format paperback or ebook here, and Cerra says in his acknowledgments that after publishing costs have been met, half the proceeds will go to the Gerry Mulligan Foundation "to support school music programs and acquiring instruments for students," commendable indeed. Make room on your shelves.”

With gratitude to Gary Giddins

Some Early Reviews

WELL DONE STEVE! Just received your handsome Reader. Although I'm familiar with it from your emails over the years, I intend to start re-reading now it's in book form. It's been a long struggle, but your book provides essential information to the ongoing Mulligan research which hopefully will one day result in a full-blown biography. Steve WONDERFUL. I have only read the introduction thus far, but I wanted to tell you, that I can see that this book is just what I was expecting, and I believe that it will fill a huge void in understanding - and appreciating - Gerry Mulligan. Whilst I have enjoyed (to a degree) all the books previously published about Gerry, I do not believe that any of them, bar perhaps Alyn Shipton's recent publication, have come anywhere near addressing Mulligan's real significance in jazz history. I think you have achieved something special in pulling this together. I thank you. I hope you make a fortune - both for the Foundation and for yourself. (I have already persuaded a good friend to purchase this book and will try with others I know). Congratulations, and above all thanks. I now look forward to months of careful reading (probably with Mulligan playing in the background....) Hi Steve, Well, I've read enough of your book to allow me to think that I can comment intelligently on it. First off, it's great! I love your idea of telling the story by way of excerpts from the writing of various authors. I do think that it gives a more well-rounded picture of Jeru than any single author could offer.I was familiar with many of the pieces, of course, but reading them again--the excerpts surrounded by other essays/articles that focus on the same period--helps me, at least, get a firmer idea of the author's point of view on that subject. And there were/are various excerpts in your book that I hadn't seen before. I was especially happy to find the piece by Matthew Ruddick from his book on Chet Baker. I think it's the best summation of the beginnings & contributions of the original Quartet that I've ever read. I'll have to get Ruddick's book. I do love the book and appreciate the time and effort that you've put into it. It's a worthy addition to the jazz canon, and I'd unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone. And, print format or not, I'm really enjoying reading it.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Jazz in Paris

Jazz in Paris by Kevin Whitehead www.emusic.com

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