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Chords & Notes
Clark Terry: Live at the Village Gate
Chesky/ Music Gallery, CD, Rs. 600
CLARK TERRY (born 1920) is probably still performing at 83: he certainly was as recently as two years ago. Schooled in the two greatest big bands, those of Count Basie and Duke Ellington, he is a consummate performer of both swing and be-bop on two instruments (sometimes simultaneously!), the trumpet and its close cousin, the flugelhorn. He's also an accomplished if occasional singer, especially of scat and humorous lyrics.
On this live recording from a jazz club in 1979, one can hear ample (alas, not simultaneous) evidence of Terry's varied skills. He is ably supported by Jimmy Heath on tenor and soprano saxes, Don Friedman on piano, Marcus McLauren on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums, with the Cuban-born alto saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera popping in and out of the studio to join the band on "Silly Samba".
All seven numbers on the album are gems, from the blisteringly fast "Top and Bottom" to the medium-tempo "Pint of Bitters'". The young (he was 21) Washington's drum intros, Friedman's blinding solo on "Top and Bottom", D'Rivera's on `Silly Samba" sandwiched among others by Heath, Friedman, and Terry (on flugelhorn) and the exchanges of short solos among all four of them are just some of the highlights. The quiet "Brushes and Brass", a simple duet between Washington and Terry on trumpet with Washington doing a scat percussion vocal interlude, is outstanding. "Hey Mr Mumbles" offers a good example of Terry's light-hearted vocals, based on mimicry of an imaginary incoherent old man.
Clifford Brown: Memorial Album
Blue Note/ Virgin, CD, Rs. 400
THE RATHER slender legacy of the lovable Clifford Brown (1930-56), clean living be-bop trumpeter par excellence in an age of drug addiction, dates from between two car crashes, the second fatal. The 18 tracks here were recorded in June and August 1953, at the start of the LP era, but the collection is evidently taken from somewhat worn discs because some tracks have a fair amount of hiss on them.
Brown was unique among be-bop musicians for the very evident warmth that shone through the intricacy and virtuosity of his long, rapid-fire melody lines. He's just starting out on an independent recording career here, joined here by, among others, the alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson (on the first half) and the drummer Art Blakey (on the second half), who went on to become by-words for funk-blues jazz and hard bop, respectively.
Both of them play with verve and skill, the fledgling Donaldson especially proving a be-bopper who could rip off Charlie Parker-like solos. Good solo contributions also come from Elmo Hope on piano in the first half (especially on two versions of his composition "Carvin' the Rock"), Percy Heath on bass right through, and, on the second half, Gigi Gryce on alto sax and Charlie Rouse on tenor sax. But in the final reckoning it is Brown who dominates the album right through, especially with his long solos on "Brownie Speaks", "Brownie Eyes", "Easy Living", and two terrific versions of "Cherokee".
JAZZEBEL
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