JAZZ REPERTORY Revisited - by Jeffrey Sultanof

© Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.

“The phrase ‘jazz repertory’ has many definitions and dimensions. Perhaps the most basic is: the study, preservation and performance of the many diverse musical styles in jazz. In recent years, the phrase most often applies to big bands and jazz ensembles performing classic and new music written for reeds, brass, and rhythm section in various sizes and combinations.” 

- Jeffrey Sultanof,Bill Kirchner, ed., The Oxford Companion to Jazz [p.512]

I literally stumbled on this concept of Jazz Repertory while looking for a context in which to place two previous JazzProfiles blog features [1] The Raymond Scott Chesterfield arrangements commissioned and performed by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra in 1937-38 and subsequently recorded by the Metropole Orchestra with The Beau Hunks Saxtette and [2] The Beau Hunks Saxophone Soctette involving their two beautifully recorded BASTA CDs

In searching for a way to highlight this music, I came across the phrase “Jazz Repertory” as noted above by Jeffrey Sultanof from his essay of the same name that appears in Bill Kirchner, ed., The Oxford Companion to Jazz [New York: Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 512-521] and it seemed to be a perfect description for a format in which to present The Metropole Orchestra Whiteman Chesterfield arrangements and the Beau Hunks retrospectives.

Since these earlier postings, Jeffrey and I have become internet friends and we share a common interest in Jazz preservation among other things related to the music. He has been a guest author on these pages contributing a marvelous piece on composer-arranger George Handy and the blog has also put up a review of his indispensable Experiencing Big Band Jazz: A Listener’s Companion [Rowman & Littlefield, 2017].

In addition to his efforts at Jazz education, Jeffrey is a composer-arranger, conductor, writer and teacher, as well as a wonderfully caring family man.

Always on the lookout for topics of interest for the blog, I suddenly realized that while I had referenced Jeffrey’s concept of “Jazz Repertory” as a point of departure, I had never actually put up the piece on my page.

So I wrote to Bill Kirchner and to Jeffrey to ask for their copyright permission to reproduce the essay, both agreed, but Jeffrey asked me to hold off so he could revisit the original narrative, edit it where appropriate and write a new introduction for it.

Here’s what followed. Please take particular note of Jeffrey’s ongoing activities on behalf of the music and its makers. Without them, I daresay, the documented legacy of the Jazz World would be a much poorer place. 

© Copyright ® Jeffrey Sultanof; copyright protected; all rights reserved; used with permission.

JAZZ REPERTORY – AN INTRODUCTION ON ITS REPRINTING

My career as a writer for a major book publishing house began here. Before this, I wrote for various publications, particularly the Gene Lees Jazzletter, which I considered the equivalent of an M.A. in writing for clarity, accuracy of information, and finding just the right words. Steven Cerra was kind enough to reprint my article on George Handy, and re-reading it was fascinating after so many years, plus I got to make several corrections.

Bill Kirchner and I have been each other’s champions since we met, and it was an honor to contribute this article for the Oxford Companion to Jazz. When I saw the list of contributors, I was overwhelmed. It was the big time at last. 

As I’ve written previously, mine was an unusual path in music. I always wanted to arrange and conduct, and studying scores of concert music gave me the idea that the big band libraries were important music as well and warranted study. At that time, stock arrangements and miscellaneous libraries were available in one form or another, but those items were only a piece of the big puzzle. Back then the libraries of Goodman, Ellington, Basie, etc. were not available. I wrote about making this music available back in 1972, and soon discovered that hardly anyone was interested. 

While in college, I was encouraged to pursue a conducting career by Roger Nierenberg, later the conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony and the Pro Arte Chorale. But I’d also met and was mentored by Jerry Graff, who was one of the top vocal arrangers in show business, who’d worked with Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne and Nat King Cole. The final straw was an opportunity to work as an editor/arranger at Warner Bros. Publications while I was still in college. For nineteen years, I edited and arranged music of all types, often anonymously; incredibly, many of my arrangements for chamber ensembles are still in print, but I shudder to think of the errors that were never caught (this was before MIDI, and I rarely heard any of my own music). I transcribed some very big hits for sheet music and worked with many of my heroes and heroines, as well as some real jerks. During that time, I continued to push for publication of vintage music from the big bands, but my bosses didn’t think there was a market. They also let it be known that they didn’t want me to be active in professional organizations, so it was years before I met people like Loren Schoenberg, Vincent Pelote, or Dan Morgenstern.

In 1994, Warner's moved to Florida and I joined Hal Leonard, where I continued to work with legendary creative artists in the jazz and pop world, and produced play-along CDs with a few of them. The people at that company were just as disinterested in vintage big band music. However, I was able to produce a folio of the Miles Davis Nonet music from original sources that came from Miles’ music library, as well as work with the Gil Evans estate, among others.

Hence in 1999, Bill Kirchner called me to write this article. As it turned out, I was represented twice, when James T. Maher needed help finishing his contribution. Bill asked me to work with James, and I was delighted to collaborate with him.

At the time, I was perhaps the least known of all the writers asked, and looking over the list, I’ve communicated with most of them at this point, and several of them are my friends.

When Rob DuBoff started Jazz Lines Publications, I began editing for him, and we have now issued hundreds of arrangements. Rob and I originally met back in the 1990s when I worked with him to publish a series of fake books, and he discussed his vision of making legendary big band and vocal music available. I then showed him about 200 scores that I’d edited for just that purpose. In the early 2000s, that dream became a reality, and a lot of diverse repertoire can now be played and studied. He has become one of the finest music editors I’ve worked with, immersing himself in copyright law and rights ownership, and continues to drive or fly all over the United States to gather images of manuscripts for publication. While there are other companies that publish vintage music, some of them only publish transcriptions, although Sierra Music has also obtained rights to important music and has a varied catalog. At this point, Jazz Lines is a respected company that is well known all over the world, known for accuracy, materials that are easy to read, and a wide stylistic range. Perhaps just as important, sales generate money for estates. To cite just one example, the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation has benefited from sales of classic arrangements written for this legend. Not only are we providing materials to people who want to sing to these arrangements, but money from sales is helping people. 

The essence of the article has not changed much, but some updates are necessary. I comment on the Boyd Raeburn compositions that were sold by Bill Schremp. Bruce Boyd Raeburn told me years later that Schremp never got permission from Bruce to sell Raeburn materials. Eventually it came out that Schremp had access to private libraries of music and stole quite a bit; some of it is still in boxes and is inaccessible. There are others who are making music available illegally and violating copyright laws. 

In the listing of where key libraries are, the Artie Shaw library was moved to the University of Arizona, but it may be elsewhere at this point; when I get specific information, I will update. The two institutions that should also be listed are the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian, which have acquired important and diverse libraries of big band music, particularly such important libraries as Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford and Willis Holman just to name three. There are major collections in Europe as well. 

Once again, Mr. Cerra has honored me by putting this article into wider circulation, and also plugs “The Oxford Companion to Jazz,” [Bill Kirchner, ed.] which remains an important book deserving of a wide public.” 

© Copyright ® Jeffrey Sultanof, Bill Kirchner, and Oxford University Press; copyright protected; all rights reserved; used with permission.

“The phrase jazz repertory has many definitions and dimensions. Perhaps the most basic definition is: the study, preservation, and performance of the many diverse musical styles in jazz. In recent years, the phrase most often applies to big bands arid jazz ensembles performing classic and new music written for reeds, brass, and rhythm section in various sizes and combinations.

In a sense, the small-group jazz repertoire movement began in the late 1930s. There had always been a core of traditional jazz fans and artists during the big band era, but a national focus on older styles was evident from new recordings made in the late '1930s by Jelly Roll Morton, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Sidney Bechet, et al. The rediscovery of trumpeter Bunk Johnson prompted new activity in older styles by such ensembles as those led by Lu Watters and Turk Murphy. Younger musicians such as Bob Wilber and Kenny Davern felt more sympathy with the music of an earlier era. Wilber even studied with his hero, Sidney Bechet, and became his protege.

Further interest in older styles of jazz was prompted by the publication of They All Played Ragtime, written by Rudi Blesh and Harriet Janis. Blesh's own record label, Circle, concentrated on ragtime and older jazz styles. Admittedly, much of the interest and recordings of these styles was centered more on its novelty value (Lou Busch and Knuckles O'Toole [Dick Hyman]), but many worthwhile recordings by such artists as Dick Cary, Dick Wellstood, and Ralph Sutton gave new life to early jazz styles.

The late '50s saw the first small ensemble to perform music encompassing the earliest to the most contemporary styles of jazz: the Bobby Hackett ensemble, a band that could play dixieland classics and more up-to-date (for the period) jazz tunes. Given the fact that most ensembles still specialize in one particular era of music, it is rather amazing that this ensemble remains so little known.

Study and performance of more traditional styles of jazz can be found in the activities of such musicians as Bob Wilber, James Dapogny, Dan Barrett, and Randy Sandke. Sandke and Dapogny in particular have made major strides in this area. Dapogny edited an edition of Jelly Roll Morton compositions (G. Schirrner). Sandke has rediscovered and performed Louis Armstrong compositions the master never recorded himself. Even though many of the musicians listed above specialize in the music of particular eras, Hyman and Sandke have shown that they can play many different musical styles, from dixieland to modal and aleatoric jazz. [Aleatoric music is a music in which some element of the music is left to chance and/or some primary element  of a composed work’s realization is left to the determination of the performer/s.]

With regard to more modern styles, small groups that have been assembled to re-create and celebrate the music of particular innovators are Supersax (the music and solos of Charlie Parker - five saxophones and rhythm), Dave Pell's Prez Conference (the music and solos of Lester Young—four saxophones and rhythm), and the Tony Rizzi Ensemble (the music and solos of Charlie Christian—five guitars and rhythm). Other notable repertory small groups include Marty Grosz's Sounds of Swing, Bob Wilber and Kenny Davern's Soprano Summit, and Wilber's Bechet Legacy.

Excluding so-called ghost bands, which exist to perpetuate the music of a leader who has passed away, the first real jazz repertory big band was the Bob Crosby Orchestra of the late '30s. With musical directors Bob Haggart, Matty Matlock, and Deane Kincaide, the band featured an older, more New Orleans style of jazz, playing and recording such evergreens as "Muskrat Ramble," "Beale Street Blues," "Sugar Foot Strut," and "Panama." It also played the pop hits of the day in a two-beat style. The full orchestra and the Bobcats, the small group within the band, had a strong following and recorded prolifically for Decca Records. Crosby's postwar forays into bandleading were more modern in nature, but the Bobcats remained a New Orleans—style group.

The idea of studying and re-creating the music of vintage big bands began to take shape in the late 1960s. This writer wrote an article in 1972 (never published) about playing this music in concert and wondered if the music existed and where it was. The repertory band movement caught fire soon after, with several ensembles appearing and individuals actively transcribing, studying, and performing music from many periods of the big band. The New McKinney's Cotton Pickers began in 1972, when Dave Hutson, an alto saxophonist and disc jockey from Detroit, interviewed the original McKinney banjoist, Dave Wilborn, on the radio. That interview led to Wilborn's active participation in the new orchestra, which went on to record three LPs and tour Europe.

In 1973 two important ensembles were created in New York. Chuck Israels, former bassist with Bill Evans and teaching at Brooklyn College at the time, believed that an ensemble should be created that would not only perform the big band music of the past but also commission and play new music. He received grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. The National Jazz Ensemble gave its first concert in July of 1973. In its four-year existence, it gave many concerts in New York and other parts of the United States and made two albums. Its repertoire ranged from Duke Ellington transcriptions by David Berger to arrangements written by Israels of pieces by Bix Beiderbecke and Charles Mingus to new music by several writers.

The other ensemble was masterminded by Newport Jazz Festival creator George Wein. Entitled the New York Jazz Repertory Ensemble, this ambitious undertaking was announced to the press on July 2, 1973. There were several concerts in the first year, spearheaded by four musical directors representing jazz past and present: Stanley Cowell, Gil Evans, Sy Oliver, and Billy Taylor. This ensemble was also funded by the New York State Council on the Arts, as well as the NEA and the Carnegie Hall Corporation. The first year of the ensemble's existence was only partially successful, with losses of over forty thousand dollars. The key problem was that individual concerts were made up of both older and newer styles of jazz; most often the newer music was programmed after intermission, and members of the audience did not return after the break. Having four musical directors was abandoned in 1974. For the second year, only one style or theme would be presented per concert, and a planning committee made up of Stanley Dance, Dick Hyman, Joe Newman, Jimmy Owens, and Bob Wilber designed the concert series. This plan existed until the ensemble played its last concert in 1975.

Even though its life was short, the New York Jazz Repertory Ensemble pointed the way to later, more successful jazz repertory orchestras. Its concert programming included the small ensemble music of King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton, the big bands of Jimmie Lunceford and Count Basie, the small-group and big band music of George Russell, the music of Bix Beiderbecke, musically directed by Richard Sudhalter, a concert of the music of John Coltrane, musically directed by tenor saxophonist and Coltrane scholar Andrew White, and commissioned works by such composers as Charles Tolliver. Perhaps the high point of the ensemble's existence, however, was Dick Hyman's presentation of the music of Louis Armstrong. This presentation toured the world and was recorded and issued by Atlantic on LP.

Writer-historian Martin Williams produced a series of historical jazz concerts at the Smithsonian in the mid-'70s, which included an Ellington concert featuring Symphony in Black.

Another important leader of vintage big band music in the 1970s was bass saxophonist — bassist Vince Giordano. Giordano had been a student of the legendary Jean Goldkette/Paul Whiteman arranger Bill Challis, and met and played with many of the musicians active in the '20s jazz scene. He collected published arrangements from the '20s and '30s and organized his own bands by 1976. More often than not, Giordano's bands were made up of both young and older musicians who had an interest in playing these styles. By 1981 Vince Giordano's New Orleans Nighthawks had a regular engagement at the Red Blazer Too in New York City and also played at the swank Cafe Carlyle, as well as parties and dances. The library contained over thirty thousand arrangements. The band was inactive for a number of years until Giordano re-formed it in 1999.

Starting in this era, ensembles were organized to focus on particular big band styles or books. The bands most often featured were those of Count Basie (the music of Thad Jones, Frank Foster, Neal Hefti, Sam Nestico), Stan Kenton (the Kenton book was the first important library to be made available to musicians and educators; new editions of compositions and arrangements are available from Bob Curnow's company, Sierra Music), Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, and Woody Herman. Many of the pieces from the books of these bands were being published by such companies as Kendor Music, Hal Leonard, Lifeline Press, Jenson Publications, and Warner Bros. Publications. Other music circulated among collectors. In 1979 and 1980, the Mike Crotty band, based in Washington, D.C., gave two concerts of the music of the Boyd Raeburn ensemble of 1944— 48. The book was rediscovered by Crotty band manager Bill Schremp in a basement in Long Island. In its time, the music was considered quite advanced, but the modern performances of this still provocative-sounding music by George Williams, Johnny Mandel, Milt Kleeb, Ed Finckel, Johnny Richards, and particularly George Handy were well received. Schremp marketed some of this music, but few copies of the publications were sold.

One important band formed to perform the music of a single big band book was the ensemble begun by Harvey Estrin in 1976 playing the music of the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra. Estrin's orchestra was made up of the best of the younger generation of instrumentalists just starting as professional musicians in the New York area, most of whom had never even heard of the band, let alone heard the music. The book was eagerly embraced by the musicians and audiences alike; after twenty-odd years, the music was still fresh and challenging, one of the unique big band libraries of any era. Both Eddie Sauter and Bill Finegan attended rehearsals, coached, advised, and generally had a wonderful time. The ensemble was active for several years. Alas, it never recorded professionally.

The United Kingdom was also full of activity in the '70s. One of the most important ensembles was led by cornetist-trumpeter-author Richard Sudhalter. He obtained over two hundred arrangements from the Paul Whiteman library housed at Williams College in Massachusetts and organized the New Paul Whiteman Orchestra. The orchestra featured Sudhalter playing the parts originally written for Bix Beiderbecke, while saxophonist — sound engineer John R. T. Davies played the Frank Trumbauer parts. The band gave several well-received concerts during 1974—75, broadcast over BBC radio, and was profiled on BBC television. One of the concerts was recorded by the band's bassist, Peter Ind, and was later issued on his Wave label in England and on Monmouth Evergreen in the United States. One of the members of this ensemble, Keith Nichols, later formed the Midnight Follies Orchestra.

The '80s brought several new ensembles. On May 12, 1986, the American Jazz Orchestra, masterminded by writer-historian Gary Giddins and pianist-composer John Lewis, gave its first concert in the Great Hall of Cooper Union in New York. Tenor saxophonist Loren Schoenberg later became co—musical director. The ensemble had an extensive board of trustees, including Benny Goodman, Benny Carter, Thad Jones, Muhal Richard Abrams, Albert Murray, and George Wein. The AJO performed both music from the past and scores especially commissioned from Abrams, Carter, Bob Brookmeyer, Sy Oliver, Henry Threadgill, Gerald Wilson, and David Murray. It was forced to cease operation in 1992.

The ensembles discussed below are still going strong at this writing [circa 2000]. Formed in 1988, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra has been quite successful under the direction of Wynton Marsalis. Even though the ensemble plays a wide range of classic and new music, it is mainly known for its performances of the music of Duke Ellington (most often transcribed by David Berger) and of Marsalis himself. The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra began giving concerts in 1991 under the direction of its musical directors Gunther Schuller and David Baker. (When Schuller was affiliated with the New England Conservatory of Music, he organized and conducted ensembles devoted to The Red Back Book of Scott Joplin and his own transcriptions of the music of Duke Ellington.) The U.S. government gave the Smithsonian $242,000 to found the orchestra and to fund transcription and preservation of the classic jazz repertoire. The ensemble has given many free concerts at its home base in Washington, D.C. The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, directed by trumpeter Jon Faddis, is the brainchild of George Wein. Founded in December of 1991, the ensemble's purpose is to "[showcase] classic tunes in refreshingly novel forms as well as many new works." All of these ensembles have toured widely and recorded CDs.

On the West Coast, Mark Masters has led his Jazz Composers Orchestra since the early '80s. While he concentrates on the repertoire and arrangers of the Stan Kenton band, he has also performed the music of other composers such as Ornette Coleman and Jimmy Knepper. Masters is known particularly for giving outstanding concerts of the difficult music of Robert Graettinger. The ensemble has recorded three CDs.

The Chicago Jazz Ensemble, with distinguished composer William Russo as its musical director, was founded in 1965 to perform Russo's compositions, although it also gave performances of Duke Ellington's First Concert of Sacred Music; this ensemble disbanded in 1968. Upon its reorganization in 1991, the ensemble gave concerts featuring the music of Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, and music from the books of Stan Kenton and Count Basie. In 1995 it gave the first complete live performance of Gil Evans's Sketches of Spain, originally written for Miles Davis. The ensemble is in residence at Columbia College and has recorded two CDs.

In Holland, the Ebony Band specializes in "concert jazz," performing the music of the Stan Kenton Innovations Orchestra, John Carisi, and George Handy. They have recorded two CDs.

On another level, conductor-historian Maurice Peress has presented re-creations of two important concerts involving large ensembles and jazz. In 1988 he toured widely with the original 1924 Paul Whiteman Aeolian Hall concert, which introduced George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, and in 1989 he researched and musical-directed a re-creation of the 1912 concert of James Reese Europe's Clef Club Orchestra. Both concerts were critically well received.

From the very beginning of the jazz repertory movement, several issues arose with regard to source material and performance issues. Some leaders feel that compositions and arrangements should be performed exactly as recorded, and recorded solos should be reproduced in concert. Others feel that older big band music should not be locked in a time capsule and that solos should be original. This difference in attitude and philosophy is also reflected in the publication of this music. The Classic Edition publications of David Berger's Ellington transcriptions have rhythm parts that are basically guides, as are Walter van de Leur's editions of Billy Strayhorn's compositions; the Smithsonian's own publications have all solos and rhythm parts totally written out.

It has been noted that many of the important works of the big band era exist in stock arrangements. The term stock arrangement was first used in music publishing circles as early as the nineteenth century. During the big band era, stock arrangements were, more often than not, issued by publishers and provided free to bandleaders so the publisher's songs would be played. In the cases where stock arrangements were issued that reflected a hit record by a particular band, often the arrangement was orchestrationally altered or musically simplified to make it playable by most bands. The stock arrangement of Artie Shaw's hit version of "Begin the Beguine," for example, has saxophone parts that are different from the original so that Artie Shaw's clarinet solo could be incorporated into the section proper. In addition, the recorded arrangement is in the key of D; the stock arrangement is in the key of C. For this reason, stock arrangements must be carefully scrutinized before they can be deemed authentic. Many need extensive audio checking and major surgery before they are ready for use. A full score must be prepared, not only to do this work more effectively but to root out note, rhythmic, and dynamic errors.

One of the most important pieces of advice is also the most obvious:

try as much as possible to ascertain whether the original arrangement exists in a collection or library. There are at least three known transcriptions of "King Porter Stomp" where the original score and parts are now housed, at the Benny Goodman Collection at Yale University. Yale even has a complete listing of the collection that is available for purchase.

The Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress continue to acquire important collections; among the most notable libraries these organizations now house are those of Duke Ellington, Charlie Barnet, Gerald Wilson, and Gerry Mulligan. In addition, both are dedicated to making the music available to those organizations who wish to perform it. In many other cases, however, the music is spread far and wide. A partial list of such collections follows:

Louis Armstrong: Queens College, Flushing, New York

Les Brown, Larry Clinton, Bob Crosby: University of Wyoming, Laramie 

Benny Goodman: New York Public Library; Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Harry James: University of Wyoming, Laramie 

Stan Kenton: University of North Texas, Denton 

Red Nichols: University of Oregon, Eugene 

Red Norvo: Yale University Boyd Raeburn:  Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey; Tulane University, New Orleans 

Artie Shaw: Mugar Memorial Library, Boston University

Composer-historian Andrew Homzy has been assembling a master list of compositions, arrangements, and transcriptions of such big band material. Over a thousand pages in length, it is still quite a few years away from completion at this writing, particularly due to new donations of such material in the recent past.

In essence, the chances of obtaining usable material for a wide-ranging concert of big band music are erratic at best. With further research and the efforts of current and future historians of the jazz ensemble past and present, this will most certainly change in the years to come. However, as with film, much material is still in private hands and has not gotten into active circulation. Given the nature of the paper the music is written on (much of this paper, manufactured and printed during World War II, is highly acidic and unstable), it is essential to photocopy, recopy by hand or computer, and otherwise preserve what remains of the known big band libraries and published arrangements before it is too late.

The state of the jazz repertory movement is also dependent on the current audience for such music. This is best illustrated by the experiences of the New York Jazz Repertory Company and the American Jazz Orchestra. One of the main reasons for the dissolution of these ensembles may be seen in the great popularity of the Basie, Ellington, Goodman, and Lunceford concerts and the lack of interest in the concerts featuring more modern big band music. Jazz repertory, in the main, is still supported by audiences sixty and older, who listen to this music as a nostalgic experience. Perhaps it is true that a well-rounded jazz repertory, representing music from all eras of the jazz ensemble, is several years away from full acceptance. We must remember that there was relatively little interest in the music of Bach after his death until Felix Mendelssohn began performing it in the mid-nineteenth century.

Jazz repertory represents an important direction and challenge for the future: to acknowledge the creative gifts of the men and women who created ensemble music for listening and dancing, and to prepare usable performance materials so that ensembles can easily play and study it. Just imagine if materials from the baroque and classical eras of music had been allowed to collect dust in attics or languish in special collections in colleges and archives without editing and publication; by this time, they would probably have ceased to exist. We are only now accepting that the music of the big band is unique and warrants saving, not just in terms of American cultural history but of world music as well. It is imperative that this work continue for the sake of indigenous American music. Perhaps wide interest in thismusic is still several years away; yet the time to save it is now.”