Orin Keepnews chez Riverside RIP

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"Jazz producer and record label founder
Orrin Keepnews died on Sunday at the
age of 91. Keepnews was behind landmark
recordings by jazz legends like Thelonious
Monk, Bill Evans and Cannonball
Adderley." - NPR.

Just passing thro to post this and to prod fans o' very rare b/w movies that "Sweet Love, Bitter", the 1967 heavy fictionalised account of a Bird like alto player's last drug days is now in FULL on Utube. Grab it before its pulled. Great film despite all the many cliches with Dick Gregory berèt perfect as " The Eagle". Music by Mal Waldron with George Coleman, Dave Burns etc. Nice.

A bientot, les beats.

BN.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks Bluesnik!

Keep well, man.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

bon nuit El Senor

and a great contribution by Mr Keepnews

[burning dog]

bon nuit El Senor

and a great contribution by Mr Keepnews

[Ian Thumwood]

I'm currently reading Jimmy Heath's brilliant book "I walked with giants" which I would have to say is probably the best autobiography of a jazz musician I've read. The book includes a number of "interjections" by other musicians who Heath has encountered in his career and , by coincidence, I was reading about Heath's involvement with Riverside when news came through of Orrin Keepnew's death. What is fascinating is that Heath was instrumental in not only producing records for Riverside that included original material but he also composed the arrangements for other sessions by the likes of Blue Mitchell and Milt Jackson. I had no idea just how significant Jimmy Heath was and how central a role he played at Riverside. The book is a revelation in many respects including Heath's thoughts on education, other musicians and things such as Free Jazz. Blue Note had tried to sign Heath but Keepnew's was prepared to give Heath more of a free-rein with writing than Alfred Lions. I suppose Jimmy Heath played a similar role at Riverside to Duke Pearson at Blue Note.

I've got one Heath record on Riverside whiuch is called "Really big." In my opinion, this one of the best albums on the label but it with the line up of the Adderley Brothers, Clark Terry, etc there is no way that the music could sound anything other than brilliant.

[Alyn_Shipton]

Ian more from all three Heath Brothers here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00g3qj7
And, PS Joseph McLaren who edited JH's book is a very fine chap. Met him at a jazz conference in Salford two years ago

[Serial_Apologist]

Any relation to Ted? Or... Hamp's Ted?

[Ian Thumwood]

Alyn

Thanks for posting the link to the Podcast.

Ploughing on with the book, it is interesting to see how the same subjects materialize in the interview too. I didn't know that Tootie had performed with Ornette but I suppose this is no surprise when you learn that Ethan Everson is in his current trio. The book mentioned that Tootie was the more "progressive" of the brothers with Percy being far more conservative that I had imagined. Jimmy isn't too flattering regarding John Lewis and seems to be suspicious of the pianist's leanings towards Western Classical music.

One thing that I never realised was Jimmy Heath's involvement with more "contemporary" players. I'd no idea that Stanley Cowell had been a regular sideman of his in the HB ensemble and, now progressing through the chapter concerning the 1980's, an increasing number of more contemporary players seem to materialise. JH seemed to be quite thick with Clark Terry too.

Here is a link to the publication but the review of the book is wide of my perception of what is a brilliant read and insightful account of the working life of a jazz musician. I'm finding it difficult to put down. The accounts about playing the music and trying to embrace modal jazz are revealing:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Walked-Giants-Autobiography-Jimmy-Heath/dp/1439901988/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426103106&sr=8-1&keywords=jimmy+heath+I+walked+with+giants

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Alyn

Thanks for posting the link to the Podcast.

Ploughing on with the book, it is interesting to see how the same subjects materialize in the interview too. I didn't know that Tootie had performed with Ornette but I suppose this is no surprise when you learn that Ethan Everson is in his current trio. The book mentioned that Tootie was the more "progressive" of the brothers with Percy being far more conservative that I had imagined. Jimmy isn't too flattering regarding John Lewis and seems to be suspicious of the pianist's leanings towards Western Classical music.

One thing that I never realised was Jimmy Heath's involvement with more "contemporary" players. I'd no idea that Stanley Cowell had been a regular sideman of his in the HB ensemble and, now progressing through the chapter concerning the 1980's, an increasing number of more contemporary players seem to materialise. JH seemed to be quite thick with Clark Terry too.

Here is a link to the publication but the review of the book is wide of my perception of what is a brilliant read and insightful account of the working life of a jazz musician. I'm finding it difficult to put down. The accounts about playing the music and trying to embrace modal jazz are revealing:-


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Walked-Giant...ed+with+giants

Do the Math, 2009. ..

EI:But it’s interesting you had such a positive reaction to Ornette. Not every straight-ahead musician did.

Albert Heath : Compared to George Russell, Ornette Coleman was Guy Lombardo! I used to live on Fifth Street between Bowery and Second Ave. Tons of musicians were on the block: Elvin Jones, Joe Farrell, John Hendricks, Ted Curson, Bobby Timmons, Lee Morgan... We used to go on theroof, get high, and have jam sessions. And around the corner on Bowery and Third was the original Five Spot, where Ornette would play every night for months. We’d walk around, smoke a couple of joints, and say, “Hey, let’s go listen to the Cold Man.” We called Coleman “the Cold Man.”At the Five Spot, everybody in the place was high, andat first, the music seemed real out. But after awhile...Billy Higgins was the one who helped me begin to understand that: “Hey, man, these guys are actually playing together. I don’t know what it is, but they’re together.” I loved it. Ornette didn’t count off anything, didn’t tell anybody any changes, he would just do it like this: “Boom!” They’d start, and be in the song, together. I was amazed by Ornette.I saw Sonny Rollins in there a lot, hiding in the phone booth, checking out the music but not wanting to be seen. Trane was down, Lewis from the MJQ. Everybody started coming down.Percy was the one that kind of got me on Ornette. Hebrought me the record that he’s on with Ornette, saying, “This is some funny stuff these guys play!”I loved some of the phrases Ornette played, they sounded like he was saying things, which he was, so I made up little sayings that went with the music. I know in that interview, Billy Hart said I made up words to whole songs, but that’s not really true, it was just some phrases.But I did love Ornette, especially with Charlie Haden and Don Cherry. Blackwell and Higgins each had their special magic.Higgins could play anybody’s drums and still sound like Higgins. It could be a huge bass drum and the wrong kind of snare, but he could sit down and start swinging right away. There was some happiness in his playing that related to his beat. He had a great ride cymbal beat that was consistent, that never stopped, no matter what else was going on"

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

I'm still on a Jimmy Heath kick. I finished the autobiography a few nights back and felt that it was extremely insightful and a good read too. It is pretty clear that JH is admired and loved by his fellow musicians. I was interested to read how strongly JH was involved in teaching and he has some salient points to make about the music losing it's black identity which I totally concur with. I think that Jimmy Heath's approach is proof that the strength of the music remains in being faithful to it's identity.

Picking up from the podcast,I'd like to pick up on Alyn's comments about JH's Riverside records. Of the three I have acquired, I agree that "Really big" probably takes the biscuit with a cracking , smallish big band recording exactly the type of jazz that would appeal both to people who want something more modern as well as offering unrelenting swing. The albums "The Thumper" and "The quota" aren't without their merits too. I would concede that perhaps Curtis Fuller and Nat Adderley might have performed better on other discs on the former and that Cedar Walton is a bit reserved on the latter with Julius Watkins being ok-ish on an instrument I'm not too fond of. That said, Freddie Hubbard is on the later disc with the ever-excellent Wynton Kelly holding down the piano chair on the former, so there is so fine soloing on offer other than JH. As good as they both are though, the albums are both really about Jimmy Heath as a stellar soloist and craftsman-like arranger.

I don't think these minpor reservations should detract from the blatantly obvious merits of the leader's wonderful tenor playing. The ballads are sensational. I'm going to be controversial here and suggest that, setting aside Coltrane and Sonny, Jimmy Heath's playing is as good as anything else recorded at the time. His tone is amazingly consistent and the solos are unleashed with confidence. I'm not too fussed by some of Coltrane's pre-"Giant Steps" work but I strongly believe that JH must have been a huge influence as well as a good friend. Heath sounds like a fully realised version of early 'Trane. The playing is exceptional and maybe a wake up call for anyone thinking that Blue Note had the monopoly on tenor titans.

The other benefit is Heath's writing. I don't think his compositions share the beauty of Tadd Dameron or maybe have the same savvy, hipness of some of Blue Note's more capable composers of that era like Sonny Clark. That said, tunes like "For minors only" should be better known. Where JH shines is the ability to make a three piece front line sound much larger. The individual parts do more than play harmonies and reading the autobiography and picking up the observations of his fellow musicians made me pay more attention to the quality of what he was composing and arranging. Although JH is nowadays celebrated for his writing for large ensembles, these two records are clear evidence that he is one of the best arrangers for small aggregations too. It is no surprise that Blue Note were keen to sign him and maybe producing records for a music fashionable label would have bought him the deserved kudos that came with working with Alfred Lions. Heath's compositions are probably more ambitious than what Blue Note was issuing in the early 60's and I am strongly of the opinion JH is very under-appreciated by the average jazz fan.

I would also add that "Tootie" Heath's drumming is something of a revelation too and far more "progressive" and aggressive that his reputation would seem to merit.