From Byas opinion via NME outcasts to the Sands of time

[Serial_Apologist]

Sat 9 Feb
4pm - Jazz Record Requests

http://www.alynshipton.co.uk/blog

5pm - J to Z
Kevin Le Gendre with the cream of old and new jazz today featuring a celebration of Jamaican hard-bop trumpeter Dizzy Reece.

There appears to be a mismatch with the programme link which mentions only Vijay Iyer and Camilla George - shurely shome mishtake?

12midnight - Geoffrey Smith's Jazz
Oklahoma-born saxophonist Don Byas (1912-72) found fame with Count Basie but really made his mark in the bebop band of Dizzy Gillespie, forging a stellar reputation as a soloist. But in 1946 Byas moved to Europe, where he played well but now remains rather forgotten. Geoffrey Smith restores the reputation of a formidable tenorist.

Don Byas was guesting at the old Ronnie's on my second-ever visit. He had a Mexican-style moustache, and allegedly a bit of a reputation for cantankerousness, I believe.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002h7l

Sun 10 Feb
11pm - James Collier's Music Room
2/3 Harmony. Multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier explores the role of harmony in different types of music.

Last week's programme was an interesting investigation of polyrhythms from a wide range of musical cultures, though the inclusion of a Johann Strauss waltz and Ravel's Bolero was a bit of a stretch, I thought.

Mon 11 Feb
11pm - Jazz Now
Soweto Kinch introduces a concert by Enemy, while Emma Smith has this month's selection of tracks uploaded to BBC introducing.

It's pack up your troubles in your old Kit Downes and meet the Enemy, according to the link:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002hfk

Radio 2 - Tues 12 Feb
9pm - Jamie Cullum
Essex-born swing and jazz singer/songwriter and musician Jamie Cullum with a showcase of jazz in its various forms, featuring live performances and interviews from rising stars, tonight with American jazz pianist Christian Sands discussing his recently released album Facing Dragons. He also shares his favourite music.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Don Byas came into Ronnie's just before or just after Lucky Thompson. It was one of them that, according to Stan Tracey, turned and said to him during the evening, "If YOU are going to play SHIT, at least do it QUIETLY!". One of my favourite anecdotes although I'm sure undeserved.

There's a good documentary essay on YouTube with Don, in Rotterdam or Amsterdam where he lived, and back in the States at the Vanguard with the Thad/Mel band. He may have been "difficult" but he could certainly play. And isn't he the guy that said to Albert Ayler, "I've been wanting to play like that all my life", and I think meant it.

[Serial_Apologist]

Don Byas came into Ronnie's just before or just after Lucky Thompson. It was one of them that, according to Stan Tracey, turned and said to him during the evening, "If YOU are going to play SHIT, at least do it QUIETLY!". One of my favourite anecdotes although I'm sure undeserved.

There's a good documentary essay on YouTube with Don, in Rotterdam or Amsterdam where he lived, and back in the States at the Vanguard with the Thad/Mel band. He may have been "difficult" but he could certainly play. And isn't he the guy that said to Albert Ayler, "I've been wanting to play like that all my life", and I think meant it.

Anybody who had that LP "The Greatest of Dizzy Gillespie", the one with the classic versions of "Manteca" and "Cubana Be-Cubana Bop" featuring a lovely photo portrait of Dizzy on the jacket front, eyes closed, chin on hands, dressed in a heavy pullover, would have been impressed by Don Byas's playing on the four 1946 sextet sides - a missing link between Hawk and Dexter in the swing to bop transition, as Ian will surely substantiate... as was Lucky Thompson, in his own sidling way: another of the awkward squad at Ronnie's if my memory serves.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

I had the two Don Byas live LPs that he cut in Copenhagen* at the Montmartre (on Storyville or Black Lion), which I thought were very good. Someone "borrowed" them for a week and the rest is history. And it's fascinating to listen to 1950s Benny Golson (90 this week) who (unfashionably) took a great deal from Byas and Thompson. Soon he hardened up, "modernised" and became less overtly rhapsodic, if that's the word.

*Cook/Morton as I recall were quite sniffy about the Byas Live albums. But they were about a LOT of things. Their judgements have really not aged well, there was a lot of "from the mountain top" posturing going on IMHO.

[Ian Thumwood]

I can't remember what album he is on, but I have something from late 40's where Byas is really impressive. I had not considered him in the same light as Golson and Thompson but it is a good analysis. Might be worthwhile adding Gene Ammons to that list - another "modern" player with antecedents in an earlier era. Part of the problem with these players was that the development of jazz moved so quickly at that time so that people could end up in a demi-monde between bop and swing. Got to say that I really love this period of jazz.

There is a really good Gillespie album with Golson and Gig Gryce on it which is really impressive. I liked the older Golson but he changed his tone in later years and wasn't quite as enjoyable to listen to as a consequence. I think it was Panassie who wrote a laughable book called "Le jazz Hot" where he tried to explain his enthusiasm for Golson despite being associated with modern jazz which the writer hated! It is really funny read this nowadays.

[Serial_Apologist]

Might be worthwhile adding Gene Ammons to that list - another "modern" player with antecedents in an earlier era. Part of the problem with these players was that the development of jazz moved so quickly at that time so that people could end up in a demi-monde between bop and swing. Got to say that I really love this period of jazz.

"Flip" Phillips was another of those transitional players worthy of mention. Phases of transition are always fascinating - not just in jazz: in the classical tradition, the changes from High Renaissance modally-driven polyphony (Palestrina, Tallis) to more chords-based diatonicism (Monteverdi, Schutz) around 1600; from the High Baroque (JS Bach) to the start of sonata-form based narrative (CPE Bach) around 1750; from Classicism (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven) to Romanticism (Schubert, Berlioz) around 1820; from Late Romantic extravagence (Strauss, Mahler) to the beginnings of C20 Modernism (Debussy, Schoenberg). After Modernism ca. 1975 the Euroclassical path seems to become less interesting per se; maybe it will never again re-position European-based or derived culture at the forefront of artistic advance: in the face of globalism of any kind, capitalist, post-capitalist etc, perhaps that conceit [sic] is now left to science? Discuss.

[Alyn_Shipton]

Was lucky enough to hear Flip Phillips playing in Boston when I was working there in the late 80s. Fabulous player who completely roasted Scott Hamilton. And for those who are new to Don Byas, nothing competes with this compilation to get a sense of his work: https://www.fremeaux.com/index.php?p...com_virtuemart

[Serial_Apologist]

Was lucky enough to hear Flip Phillips playing in Boston when I was working there in the late 80s. Fabulous player who completely roasted Scott Hamilton. And for those who are new to Don Byas, nothing competes with this compilation to get a sense of his work: https://www.fremeaux.com/index.php?p...com_virtuemart

OMG!!! In my case, only time competes with it!

[Jazzrook]

I had the two Don Byas live LPs that he cut in Copenhagen* at the Montmartre (on Storyville or Black Lion), which I thought were very good. Someone "borrowed" them for a week and the rest is history. And it's fascinating to listen to 1950s Benny Golson (90 this week) who (unfashionably) took a great deal from Byas and Thompson. Soon he hardened up, "modernised" and became less overtly rhapsodic, if that's the word.

*Cook/Morton as I recall were quite sniffy about the Byas Live albums. But they were about a LOT of things. Their judgements have really not aged well, there was a lot of "from the mountain top" posturing going on IMHO.

Looking forward to GSJ with Don Byas tonight.

Here's Byas with Lou Levy(piano); Rene Goldstein(bass) & J.C. Heard(drums) in Cannes, 1958:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFP9FWQiVSk

JR

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Chris Albertson on Organissimo...."Don Byas, my man, reminds of one unforgettable night in Montmartre here in Copenhagen, Dex had the gig and Byas and Paul Gonsalves sat in, they were battling until 4 in morning, Byas with no shirt on in the end, it was a really cutting contest, I have never before or later seen anything like that, three top class tenors trying to cut each other. I have been together with Byas in private, he was small but so strong with a temper and he would always challenge to you to a game of checkers, he was a master of that board game. Oh those long gone days."

BN

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Really great set of tenor ballad on JRR, that Booker Ervin track is a long time favourite, and Barney Wilen on Michel Legrand (blush) and Ben Webster and AT (almost a ballad). Great stuff and MANY thanks again Alyn. (I've always thought Wilen was pronounced with the "W" sounding, now I know it's a "V" sound. Well, until Brexit, after that ...)

BN.

[Serial_Apologist]

Here's the link to today's J to Z, which I omitted: it turned out to be correct:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000d2w

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

That Randy Weston track was wonderful. Thought for a minute it was Ellington.

[Serial_Apologist]

I missed all of JRR, and most of J to Z today, because something was making my CD player not track on any of my CDs, and I spent the whole time trying to figure out what. Eventually I decided the problem might be that I'd positioned the player on top of the radio, so I moved it down to the shelf alongside it, and after a couple of tries the two CDs that hadn't been working were OK! I'm one of those people for whom, if something goes awry with my hi fi equipment, I just have to try and sort it out, or I'm in a state of distress until I do so. Which can even mean sleepless nights. Anyway, I shall devote tomorrow afternoon to today, if you get my meaning.

Back to my Pistaccios!

[Ian Thumwood]

That Randy Weston track was wonderful. Thought for a minute it was Ellington.

O agree. I have the lead sheet for this cpmposition in an anthology of Hard Bop piano. I will have to dig it out although O haven't played the piano in over 12 months! Might be an incentive to start playing again.

It is quite interesting listening to the younger, black English jazz musicians on J-Z and discovering that there is a whole community of jazz musicians out there I had not been aware of. I must preferred the recently featured band to the rather chilly Phronesis track which seems to owe more to Classical music than jazz.
I liked the SEED ensemble the other week too and this stuff seems a perfect antidote to some of the more academic and soulless jazz that the UK has put out in the 2000's. Hopefully this new stuff will push away the rather modish stuff like Neil Cowley trio which holds no appeal to me.


The new album by the trumpet player from Manchester seemed indicative to me of a lot of the things in jazz which I feel lacks interest. There is an obsession with mixing up meters as opposed to writing strong melodies or themes. I also felt the record seemed really over-produced in a way to compensate for the lack of clout with the solos. I did not hear the Iyer interview and switched the radio off when I got home after being depressed with the utter crap served up by Southampton at St Mary's this afternoon - absolutely woeful.