swing jazz/mainstream

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All of Me – Buck Clayton In the early sixties when I still lived in the Netherlands I bought an LP of Sidney Bechet. This was a live concert recorded at the worldexposition in Bruxelles in 1958. The exposition was held again after an absence of some 18 years as a result of WW2 and its recovering years.. Bechet played there with a number of fine musicians. Buck Clayton trumpet, Vic Dickenson trombone, George Wein piano, Arvell Shaw bass and Kansas Fields drum. This clip, after an introduction by Bechet, just features Buck Clayton (1911-1991) with the rhythm group. This was the first tune that introduced me to Mr. Clayton and he has been one of my jazz playing heroes ever since. Especially his playing in All of Me stands out as a sample of swing. Buck started with an intriguing introduction before going into the regular melody. On other records I have heard him doing this again but not with the same spirit as in this recording from Belgium.

Lover Man - Coleman Hawkins 1961 From a collection of faded 16 mm movies we see here a scene from a jazz club after hours. A club in New York, the customers have left, several of the staff stayed around to listen and the musicians just go in for a jam. They’re playng a blues, Johnny Guarnieri piano, Barry Galbraith guitar, Milt Hinton bass and Cozy Cole drums. It seems they are waiting for a guest coming in. And one does, the great Coleman Hawkins walks in. After some relaxing exchanges the Hawk unpacks and unwraps his horn and everyone is in anticipation. What’s coming? Hawk stops the music for a second and announces Lover Man in 5 flats. Off they go, it becomes another Hawkins masterpiece, nobody around to witness this except the musicians, some staff and now you from your seat behind your computer. I hope you have good sound equipment attached to your machine. It’s worth it!

Ornithology Goodman 1967 Benny Goodman, the art of improvising. In the third tune of this 4 part taped in 1967 Benny explains how many of the famous improvisers in jazz would use the chords of a certain tune and create a new melody and make that jazz wise even more famous. One of Charlie Parker's most famous compositions was a tune called ORNITHOLOGY. However if you would know how to improvise over the chords of HOW HIGH THE MOON you would be in business. Clark Terry on trumpet and flugelhorn, Zoot Sims on tenor backed up by a very good rhythm group with Hank Jones on piano

Jazz at the Philharmonic: London 1967. In a concert like this a good drum feature is always a succesful part of the evening. What better than Louie Bellson. After a drum intro there are some mighty sax solos by Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter before we go into Louie's feature. Yes, he is good, bloody good.

Sunday Eldridge Roy 1961 Part of a 1961 movie promoting to place commercials in short jazz films. In this clip Roy Eldridge just walks in a club where the band is playing just for the staff after hours. Roy joins the session in a tune called Sunday. In the band are Coleman Hawkins tenor sax, Johnny Guarnieri piano, Barry Gailbraith guitar, Milt Hinton bass and Cozy Cole drums.

Riff tune Hawkins Coleman 1945 This clip is from a 1945 movie called The Crimson Canary. “Jazz saxophone pioneer Coleman Hawkins plays in the background of this mystery in which a jazz-mad detective secures his dream assignment: investigating a murder in a jazz cabaret”. Coleman Hawkins tenor sax, Howard McGhee trumpet, Sir Charles Thompson piano, Denzil Best drums and Oscar Pettiford bass.

Sweet Lorraine Cole Nat King 1957 In this 1957 Nat King Cole TV show Nat presents Jazz at the Philharmonic. The introductions are done by Norman Granz, the JATP promotor since 1944. Here is Nat's tophit, Sweet Lorraine. With him are Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass. There is a sax solo by Hawkins

It's only a paper Moon Cole Nat King 1957 Nathaniel Adams Coles was known professionally as Nat King Cole (March 17, 1919 -- February 15, 1965) Cole was considered a leading jazz pianist, appearing, for example, in the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. His revolutionary lineup of piano, guitar and bass in the time of the big bands became a popular set up for a jazz trio. Cole was the first African American to have his own radio program. He repeated that success in the late-1950s with the first truly national television show starring an African-American Nat King Cole, a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer in February 1965 while still at the height of his singing career. On November 5, 1956, The Nat King Cole Show debuted on NBC-TV. While commentators have often hailed Cole as the first African-American to host a network television show, the Cole program was the first of its kind hosted by a star of Nat Cole's magnitude. Initially begun as a 15 minute show on Monday night, the show was expanded to a half hour in July 1957. Despite the efforts of NBC, as well as many of Cole's industry colleagues, The Nat King Cole Show was ultimately done in by a lack of national sponsorship (companies such as Rheingold Beer assumed regional sponsorship of the show, but the a national sponsor never eventuated). The last episode of The Nat King Cole Show aired December 17, 1957. Cole had survived for over a year, and it was he, not NBC, who ultimately decided to pull the plug on the show (NBC, as well as Cole himself, had been operating at an extreme financial loss). In the following 1957 clips Cole features Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic. In this clip Nat sings "It's only a paper moon" and is accompanied by the Oscar Peterson trio with Herb Ellis guitar and Ray Brown bass. A tenor solo by Flip Phillips with Jo Jones on drums

Medley No 3 Goodman 1959 This was from a 1959 TV show This features Benny Goodman and a quartet with Andre Previn on piano, Lionel Hampton on xylophone, Jack Lesberg on bass and Shelly Manne on drums.Vocals by Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald. Benny does the narration.

Medley No 1 Goodman 1959 This was from a 1959 show called Swing in Spring # 2 This features Benny Goodman and a quartet with Andre Previn on piano, Lionel Hampton on xylophone, Jack Lesberg on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. Vocals by Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald. Benny does the narration.

Tenderly Cole Nat King 1957 In this clip we see the last tune of Nat King Cole's 1957 TV show featuring Oscar Peterson and Jazz at the Philharmonic. Nat introduces the tune about like this: It's not only a privilage to sing with the Oscar Peterson Trio, this is also the finest piano treatment of Tenderly. Not bad, when an announcemt like that comes from Net King Cole. The Orchestra of Nelson Riddle is the studio band, a wonderful Cole vocal and then Oscar swings a chorus. Sweet: yes, commercial: very much, jazz: absolutely

I want to be Happy Cole Nat King 1957 In this 1957 Nat King Cole TV show Jazz at the Philharmonic is presented. The introductions are done by Norman Granz, the JATP promotor since 1944. The show's host Nat King Cole plays some hot piano in "I want to be happy". Somewhere in my collection I have that LP recording of the 1944 concert. I remember being "flabbergasted" by Nat's piano work then, especially the exchange chorusses with Les Paul, another fabulous jazz guitarist. In this clip Nat is surrounded by Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Stan Getz on tenor, and the rhytm section of Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Jo Jones

Honeysuckle Rose Clayton 1965 Buck Clayton 1911-1991 The great swing trumpet player Buck Clayton had been a member of the Count Basie Orchestra and after playing with many of the best bands concentrated in his later career very much on guest appearances. Here he performs somewhere in 1965 in a Bern Jazz Club with the trio of Swiss pianist Henri Chaix. Although both the sound as well as the picture quality aren't the best, it still gives you an good idea of the beautiful phrasing of Buck. He also had a super range and easily finishes this tune Honeysuckle Rose on a high concert F. I met Buck Clayton once. It was in a pub in Toronto in the early 70's where he was together with his great friend tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate. Buck had lip trouble and at an engagement of Buddy Tate in Toronto Buddy encouraged for Buck to come on stage and try a few tunes. It was not easy to see this great trumpet man struggle with his chop problems. Later Buck quit playing all together I think, and concentrated on arranging and teaching.

Airmail Special Goodman 1967 Benny Goodman in the art of improvising. In the conclusion of this 1967 program Benny asked the musicians to suggest a final tune for the broadcast, and they decide on the swingy tune called Air Mail Special. They go all loose and some wonderful improvisations come out with Benny on his clarinet and Clark Terry on trumpet and flugelhorn, Zoot Sims on tenor backed up by a very good rhythm group with Hank Jones on piano

Rose Room Goodman 1967 Benny Goodman and the art of improvising. In this clip Benny explains that often two different melodies can be played over the same set of chords. He suggests Rose Room and In a Mellowtone. Funny, maybe I have heard and seen this Benny clip before, but lately I have been doing this as well with my Kelowna band. We do this in Ab, and yes...Benny does that as well. Of course Ab is more or less the standard key for Rose Room, so...it all make sense Clark Terry on trumpet and flugelhorn, Zoot Sims on tenor backed up by a very good rhythm group with Hank Jones on piano, Gene Bertoncini on Guitar, Ed Shaughnessy on Drums and Milt Hinton on bass.