<title>JAZZ RESEARCH

Saturday, August 31, 2013

WAY OUT WARDELL

WAY OUT WARDELL

I am in the process of moving my work on this platform to a new home that unites all of my jazz research under one roof. Thank you for looking at my work here at google blogger. I think you will find the new home more user friendly with links and tags to all of my research. This link will take you to this research at the new site.

Record albums celebrating the artistry of Wardell Gray proliferated after his untimely death in May of 1955. The Bihari brothers had released some of Wardell Gray’s finest playing on Modern 78 rpm releases that had been recorded by Gene Norman at his “Just Jazz” concerts. The 78 releases were edited to fit within the allotted time duration that hovered around three minutes. These same edited versions were reissued on 45 rpm singles and extended play versions once that format gained popularity. It was not until the Bihari’s ventured into the long play 33 rpm format in 1950 that some longer versions of the “Just Jazz” concert recordings became available. Modern Records LP 2012 (10” LP) featured two tunes that finally presented the full concert versions.

Just You, Just Me and Sweet Georgia Brown (Bop) were recorded at a December 27, 1947 concert at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and featured Wardell Gray (ts), Vido Musso (ts), Ernie Royal (tp), Barney Kessel (g), Harry Babasin (b), Arnold Ross (p), and Don Lamond (dr).

Three other “Just Jazz” concert recordings were taken from Modern’s initial 78 rpm releases to be included on their celebration of Wardell Gray LP release: Modern 20-640, Modern 20-641 and Modern 20-642.

These 78 releases were drawn from Gene Norman’s first “Just Jazz” concert at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on April 29, 1947. Blue Lou, Parts One and Two, on Modern 20-640 A/B featured Erroll Garner (p), Wardell Gray (ts), Red Callender (b), Irving Ashby (g) and Jackie Mills (dr). One O’clock Jump on Modern 20-641 & 20-642 featured Erroll Garner (p), Wardell Gray (ts), Howard McGhee (tp), Benny Carter (as), Vic Dickenson (tb), Irving Ashby (g), Red Callender (b), and Jackie Mills (dr).

The other tune that initially appeared on the Bihari’s Wardell Gray celebration, Way Out Wardell, was a solo performance of Tenderly, Modern 20-692, by Erroll Garner that has been attributed to a studio recording, not a live “Just Jazz” concert. All five tunes were included on the first release of Way Out Wardell, Modern Records LMP-1204.

The first release of Way Out Wardell, Modern Records LMP-1204, matrix numbers MMLP-1204-1 (side one) and MMLP-1204-2 (side two) used a photograph of Wardell Gray by William Claxton on the front cover that was taken at a Teddy Charles recording session for Prestige Records on February 20, 1953. The group photo featured all members of the Charles group:

Florette Bihari used another photo from the recording session for the cover, showing Wardell having a good time between takes. Another exposure from the recording session was used on the back LP cover liner notes which shows Wardell on tenor with Frank Morgan’s alto saxophone visible on the left:

The version used in the liner notes splits the photo above in half, with Frank Morgan not visible, but his saxophone on the left side of the edited photo.

This liner note version of the photo would continue to be used on subsequent releases of Way Out Wardell with the same edited photo replacing the candid photo of Wardell on the front cover on later reissues of the LP.

The second release of Way Out Wardell had the same blue cover and photo of Wardell Gray, but it was on the Bihari’s new CROWN imprint.

The labels for this second release featured the Crown Records logo, but the matrix numbers were identical to the first Modern Records release. The Bihari’s had not created new masters for this second release.

The cover of the first LP release, LMP-1204, had a deep blue background panel on the left where the “Way Out Wardell” text was placed. The photo panel was in black and white.

The third LP reissue, shown below, used the liner note photo in sepia tones, and the color panel background on the left changed to a shade of blue/green or turquoise. The text below the title which had appeared on the back liner was now highlighted on the front:

“The Late Great Wardell Gray”

“The Effervescent Erroll Garner”

This third release of Way Out Wardell as Crown CLP 5004 had the original matrix numbers plus new Crown matrix numbers: MMLP-1204-1 and CLP-5004-1 (side one), MMLP 1204-2 and CLP-5004-4 (side two).

The fourth LP reissue of Way Out Wardell was remastered with some major changes to tune order and selection. The new matrices were CLP-5004-1N and CLP-5004-2N. Side one which formerly had offered Blue Lou, Sweet Georgia Brown, and Tenderly now contained Blue Lou and Just You, Just Me. Side two which formerly offered Just You, Just Me and One O’clock Jump now contained One O‘clock Jump and Tenderly. Sweet Georgia Brown was eliminated from this third LP reissue of Way Out Wardell.

The front cover used the same sepia tone image of Wardell Gray that the previous LP reissue had used, but the color panel at the left was now a bright pink color.

There were two versions of the cover of this fourth LP release. One version did not include “The Late Great” prefix to Wardell Gray and “The Effervescent” prefix to Erroll Garner. The other version restored the text that had been on previous covers.

The fifth release of Way Out Wardell as Crown CLP-5004 featured cover graphics that emphasized “HIGH FIDELITY” with a broad text band at the bottom of the cover. The text panel on the left was in a tan/orange hue with the title text in bright yellow. The same photo of Wardell in sepia tones was on the right panel. The liner notes that had been a feature of previous releases were now replaced by a generic listing of releases on the Crown Records label.

The label graphics changed on this release as well. Previous labels had been on a black background with white text. This label had a grey background with text in black. The CROWN logo that previously curved over the label at the top was now replaced by a straight line block letter CROWN logo.

The next major change in marketing this material would occur when Crown began to issue reprocessed “stereo” versions of this music in addition to “monaural” releases which had been the only version offered (all of the original masters were monaural recordings).

The sixth LP reissue of Way Out Wardell was released as CLP 5278 (mono) and CST 278 (stereo), matrices CLP-5278-(2)-1 & CLP-5278-2 (mono versions) and CST-278-1 & CST-278-2 (stereo versions). Another major change in tune selection occurred with this reissue. Side Two which formerly offered One O‘clock Jump and Tenderly now offered three tunes with no Wardell Gray content. Although the front jacket of the LP advertised five tunes: What’s Up, Zingo, A La Mode, Hideaway and Reunion; the pressings contained only What’s Up, Hideaway and Reunion. These tunes are from a Buddy Collette session with Gerald Wiggins, Joe Comfort, and Bill Douglass.

The front jacket was changed as well, now featuring an artist’s rendering of Wardell’s image that was used on previous releases as a photo. The text above the title did note that Buddy Collette and Gerald Wiggins were among the artists on this reissue. Liner notes which had been featured on all previous versions were replaced by a listing of Crown albums in the catalogue.

The labels on the mono release listed the three tunes on side two correctly. The stereo labels listed five tunes on side two, ZINGO and A LA MODE were listed in error as there were only three tracks on the stereo version.

Previous LP releases that listed an address for Crown Records noted their headquarters at 9317 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City, California. The seventh version of Way Out Wardell altered the title of the LP to Wardell Gray Plus Erroll Garner with the tune selection and order identical to the sixth LP reissue. This release did not identify the Buddy Collette group on the front jacket although Buddy’s name is included on the labels. The address listed for Crown Records is 1435 South La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. The LP jacket back lists records available in the Crown Records catalogue, no detailed liner notes. The front jacket photo returned to the photo used on the first Modern Records release, LMP 1204. The color panel on the right used a light shade of green.

Matrix numbers for this fifth version were: CLP-5424-1 and CLP-5424-2 (mono version) and CST-424-1 and CST-424-B (stereo version).

Labels for this version were identical to the labels used for Crown Records CST-278 and CLP-5278.

The eight release of this material was on another Bihari imprint, Custom Records. The address for the firm was now listed as 5810 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, California. The album title was changed again to SHADES OF GRAY WARDELL GRAY. The tune selection restored the tunes that had been used on the fourth LP reissue: Blue Lou and Just You, Just Me on side one and One O‘clock Jump and Tenderly on side two.

Images of Wardell Gray were not used for this series which instead featured an artist’s rendering in black & white of two saxophones. The background color of the cover is white. The back jacket copy did not discuss the music, but informed (incorrectly) that the music had been recorded on an Ampex tape recorder.

Custom Records continued the mono and stereo version releases with matrices XX CM-2060-1 and XX CM-2060-2 for the mono version, CS-1060-1 and CS-1060-2 for the stereo version. The label featured a "Pac-Man" knock-off logo.

At least three more versions of Way Out Wardell were released using the title “Shades Of Gray / Wardell Gray” on United Superior Records and United Records; all using an address at 5810 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, California.

The ninth variation:

The tenth variation:

The eleventh variation:

This last release restored some liner notes and returned to the white cover graphic that had been used on the Custom Records covers. The order in which these last three variations were released is partially discernible in the matrix numbers where original matrices used for Custom Records releases are cancelled with a new US matrix entered along side it in the wax. At this point in time the Bihari’s had stopped issuing mono versions of the Wardell Gray sessions and issued the reprocessed stereo versions only.

This research originally appeared in Names & Numbers, the Dutch discography journal, No. 53, April 2010. Additional research since then has modified those original findings. A documentary film on the Bihari Brothers and their record empire, MUSIC BY THE POUND, had its premier showing at the City of Angels Guitar Show, May 25, 2013 in Pasadena.

June 22, 2014 update:

A reader has kindly pointed out that the various releases of BLUE LOU on the vinyl releases discussed above were edited versions. The full 9:20 version of BLUE LOU is preserved on the following vinyl releases:

CD reissues with the full versions include:

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

LIGHTHOUSE AT LAGUNA

LIGHTHOUSE AT LAGUNA

Jazz became a permanent fixture at the Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach when Howard Rumsey convinced the owner, John Levine, that a regular music offering would attract patrons to the bar/cafe who would linger and leave with a lighter wallet. Levine was skeptical at first but agreed to give Rumsey a trial run. The trial was held on a Sunday afternoon in May of 1949 when Howard Rumsey and his musicians packed the cafe with patrons, many wandering in from the beach and pier in their swim suits to enjoy the music, the drinks, and the Chinese food.

A variety musicians joined Rumsey on the stage at the Lighthouse over the years. Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse All-Stars did not coalesce until late 1951 when Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper, Shelly Manne, Milt Bernhart and Frank Patchen joined Howard and recorded some of their original tunes in the summer of 1952 that were released on the Lighthouse Record Company label.

Howard Rumsey signed an exclusive recording contract with Les Koenig’s Contemporary Record label in the fall of 1953 and over the next several years would record a series of albums to meet the growing demand for records featuring the All-Stars. Early on Howard decided that the All-Stars would not tour nationally as he needed to be on hand at the Lighthouse to manage the music end of the business. But this did not prevent the All-Stars from making concert appearances locally at colleges with an occasional trip as far east as Tucson to appear at the University of Arizona.

Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse All-Stars journeyed to Laguna Beach on June 20, 1955 for a concert appearance at the Irvine Bowl. The concert was organized by Euterpean Productions who made arrangements with Les Koenig at Contemporary Records to record the concert for possible release on the label. Ads were placed in the Laguna Beach Post and the South Coast News, two local newspapers that served the beach community.

In addition to the Lighthouse All-Stars the concert featured the Hampton Hawes Trio with Hampton Hawes on piano, Red Mitchell on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. Contemporary Records recording artist Barney Kessel also joined the All-Stars for several numbers. Members of the Lighthouse All-Stars appearing at the Irvine Bowl included: Bud Shank, alto sax and flute; Bob Cooper, tenor sax and oboe; Frank Rosolino, trombone; Howard Rumsey, bass; Claude Williamson, piano and Stan Levey, drums.

The concert in Laguna Beach drew a large contingent of fans from Los Angeles among the 1,200 jazz enthusiasts who filled the seats at the Irvine Bowl. One of the fans from Los Angeles was Ray Avery, a well known rare record dealer and photographer whose photographs of jazz musicians had appeared on many jazz record covers. Avery arrived early in the afternoon and took several photographs before nightfall descended and the concert began. Several of Ray Avery’s photographs of the concert would be featured on the Contemporary Records LP release of music from the concert.

The Irvine Bowl as it appeared in June, 1955

John Palladino, recording engineer for Contemporary Records checking his equipment

The concert began at 8:30 and Ray Avery was active in front of the stage with his camera.

Stan Levey, Frank Rosolino, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Howard Rumsey and Barney Kessel

Shelly Manne, Hampton Hawes and Red Mitchell

Shelly Manne, Red Mitchell and Hampton Hawes

The concert was reviewed in the Laguna Beach Post in their June 23, 1955 edition.

The review as it appeared in the original Laguna Beach Post, June 23, 1955

Progressive Jazz Devotees Hear Varied, Imaginative Program as “Lighthouse All Stars” Fill Bowl

By BRADLEY CUNNINGHAM

Last Monday night the local devotees of what everyone has come to call Progressive Jazz experienced a fine chance to steep themselves in that indigenous art form when Howard Rumsey, player-manager of the Hermosa Lighthouse All Stars, gathered his journeymen musicians around him in the shell of the Irvine Bowl, and raced off at a hefty pace into the complex musical parabolas of the modern idiom.

Rumsey’s associates are a reflective lot, and at least 10 of the items presented were works composed of one or the other of these introspective young men.

IMAGINATION CAPTURED

The first original offering was a Claude Williamson composition entitled Aquarium. For this breezy excursion Bud Shank exchanged his alto sax for a flute, and Bob Cooper employed an oboe rather than his familiar tenor sax. They are both formidable switch-hitters, but it was clear that Shank’s metric and harmonic acrobatics captured the imagination of the delighted crowd of a thousand or so who thronged the bowl.

The next selection on the program was a pleasant and flighty composition of Bud Shank’s that he aptly titled Happy Town. It seems to me that the flute would be a difficult instrument for such racing improvisations, but Shank seemed to be able to do just about whatever he wanted with it.

Bob Cooper’s compositional talents were showcased by an all-star rendition of Witch Doctor. This turned out to be one of those marathon things of no particular value in which, eventually, all of the musicians get involved with some sort of percussion instrument or another. But, I must say, the audience loved it. Bob Cooper has written some wonderful things, but Monday night’s audience didn’t get a chance to hear his best work.

RECORDS MAYBE

Cooper’s finest contribution to the concert was his excellent arrangement and tenor solo of Duke Ellington’s Prelude To A Kiss. This was a soaring improvisation done in the lasting tradition of Chu Berry’s Ghost Of A Chance and Coleman Hawkins’ Body and Soul. There were rumors that the Contemporary label was recording this concert on the stage, and I hope they did because I’d like to have this record of Cooper’s.

By far the most cohesive group to make an appearance on Monday night was a mutual admiration society called the Hamp Hawes Trio.

Hampton Hawes is a Los Angeles pianist who worked with the Lighthouse All-Stars a few years ago just before he entered the Army. He was discharged recently and is now appearing at The Haig on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. His was welcome news to jazz cognoscenti there because Hamp has long been pegged by other musicians as one of the greatest.

SWING BLUES

Aided by the redoubtable Shelly Manne on drums (perhaps Manne should ideally be represented as a percussionist), and the deft bass work of “Red” Mitchell, Hamp Hawes definitely demonstrated to his audience the elusive quality of jazz that musicians call “swing.”

After a swinging version of the blues, Hawes made a change in the program and caromed What Is This Thing Called Love around the bowl for a few joyful minutes.

Ordinarily I am wary of the bass viol as a solo instrument. Because of this I have to vote for “Red” Mitchell as my personal hero of the concert. In another digression from the program, Hawes introduced Mitchell as soloist in his version of These Foolish Things. His improvisations were so inventive and witty that the number came off as quite a triumph.

SURE TOUCH

The Trio ended their portion of the concert with an up tune, The Champ, written some time ago by Dizzy Gillespie. Hampton chased this one around with an uninhibited surety in much the same manner as the fabulous “Diz” himself, and all in all the Hamp Hawes Trio seemed to be the high point of the evening.

After the intermission guitarist Barney Kessel charmed everyone with a display of technical finesse in his own arrangement of the late Charlie Christian’s Solo Flight. His most moving contribution was the manner in which he handled ‘Round About Midnight. This song, written by Thelonious Monk perhaps nine years ago, represents everything that is good in a jazz ballad, and is comparable in artistic content to Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life. Barney Kessel and the Lighthouse All-Stars did this beautifully, and there is another record I’d scurry down to the record shop for.

With the exception of Bud Shank’s Danseuse, drummer Stan Levy’s Stan Still, and the signature number, Topsy, the last portion of the concert was uneventful. Perhaps it was a case of too much of a good thing. In addition, a chill breeze numbed the ears (all due respect to the Chamber of Commerce), as interest flagged slightly. Nevertheless it was clear that this concert was manned by some of the most knowledgeable and talented musicians in the land, and it was a pleasure to be there.

Les Koenig did proceed with a release of some of the music from the concert as Contemporary Records C3509 - LIGHTHOUSE AT LAGUNA. Koenig wrote the liner notes and forewarned that there were defects that normally would not be included on a commercial release, but that these were offset by the high energy of the live performance before a very appreciative audience.

LAGUNA BEACH is a lovely, relaxed town on the Pacific two hours drive south of Los Angeles. On Monday night, June 20th, 1955, it became the center of modern jazz on the West Coast as Howard Rumsey brought his Lighthouse All Stars, Barney Kessel, and The Hampton Hawes Trio to the Irvine Bowl, an outdoor amphitheater, for an impressive concert before an impressed audience.

Rumsey and The All-Stars during 1955 found time to increase their influence by numerous concerts away from home base, The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California. They played for schools and colleges throughout Southern California and Arizona, and succeeded in winning friends and influencing people wherever they went. Laguna was no exception; for the 1200 who turned out the concert was a highlight of the jazz year.

Jazz concert performances often lack the polish of those in the recording studio, but more often this is offset by a freer, more spontaneous, creative, and swinging feeling, generated in part by the interaction of audience and performers. So while there are defects in these forty-five of the best minutes of the night's music, defects which both the musicians and the recording engineer would have liked to remedy, there are moments of excitement here that cannot be duplicated.

Five of the eight performances in this set are by The All-Stars. During the five years Rumsey has held forth at The Lighthouse his groups have always included the very best musicians, and the present group is no exception. Each man is a prominent recording artist in his own right, and each finishes high in the annual polls conducted by the leading jazz magazines. The concert presentation put each man in the solo spotlight and there are many fine solos by Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Frank Rosolino and Claude Williamson. Of course, equally important is the fact they work well together to create a swinging, balanced ensemble sound.

Though a studio performance of Witch Doctor was issued by Contemporary in 1954 (C2506) the concert version which starts Side I is included because of several changes in the personnel, and because of Bud Shank's flute solo which was not part of the original conception. It was added early in 1955 after the success of the "oboe-flute" album (C2510) made the flute a fixture at The Lighthouse.

Barney Kessel, one of the greatest of jazz guitarists, was accompanied by The All-Stars for his portion of the program. His sensitive arrangement and performance of Thelonious Monk's modern classic 'Round About Midnight was one of the best received of the evening. In Barney’s hands it became a lovely concerto for guitar and orchestra. Of Barney's latest Contemporary album (C3513) critic Ralph Gleason wrote, "He breaks down all the barriers, psychological and musicological that have been built up over the years. Jazz fans, no matter what their background, years of collecting King Oliver and Johnny Dodds, or a frantic race to keep up with the jazz of the Fifties, can all appreciate Barney Kessel."

Mood for Lighthouse is a new Bob Cooper original, written for the All-Stars shortly before the concert. Walkin', which concludes Side 1, is by The Hampton Hawes Trio. At the time, Hamp's first and extremely successful Contemporary album (C3505) had not been recorded, and he was virtually unknown. The audience reaction, however, was wildly enthusiastic and completely justified Howard Rumsey's faith in Hawes' new group. Hamp had worked at The Lighthouse before a two year stint in the army, and had only been back in Los Angeles a short time before the concert. Hamp is accompanied here by his regular bassist, the formidable Red Mitchell, a first-rate rhythm man and an extraordinary soloist. For this concert the trio was fortunate in having Shelly Manne, that most musical and inventive of drummers. In the widespread appreciation for his leading role in West Coast jazz innovation and experimentation there is a tendency to minimize his basic quality; he is first and foremost a swinging jazzman, a fact which is quite evident in his two performances with Hamp.

Side 2 begins with Claude Williamson's Blind Man's Bluff. Claude also arranged it. The structure of this original is unusual: a sixteen bar phrase followed by a twenty bar phrase. The soloists, Coop, Shank on alto, Rosolino and Claude enjoyed blowing the progressions and the piece swings from start to finish. Lady Jean is Frank Rosolino's own tune, and features his trombone. It reveals him as a warm and feeling musician as well as a remarkably facile and technically skilled one. Lady Jean is followed by The Hampton Hawes Trio's exciting, wailing version of Dizzy Gillespie's The Champ, and then the All-Stars wind up things with Shorty Rogers' Casa de Luz (Spanish for Lighthouse), a tune Shorty wrote in 1953 when he was a regular member of Rumsey's group,

As the weekly Laguna Beach Post reported June 23rd, the Thursday following: “. . . it was clear that this concert was manned by some of the most knowledgeable and talented musicians in the land and it was a pleasure to be there.”

By LESTER KOENIG

December 6, 1955

Bradley Cunningham’s review in the Laguna Beach Post reveals several interesting details regarding the concert. He repeatedly notes that there were deviations in the program, in other words, a printed program was distributed to the audience so that they would know the name and order of the tunes to be performed by the artists appearing at the concert.

Cunningham also identifies several tunes that merited mention in his review. This enumeration allows us to tabulate tunes that were performed but not released on LIGHTHOUSE AT LAGUNA:

LIGHTHOUSE ALL-STARS

AQUARIUM

HAPPY TOWN

PRELUDE TO A KISS

DANSEUSE

STAN STILL

TOPSY

BARNEY KESSEL

SOLO FLIGHT

HAMPTON HAWES TRIO

BLUES

WHAT IS THING THING CALLED LOVE

THESE FOOLISH THINGS

Of course there could have been other tunes performed that Cunningham did not mention in his review. LIGHTHOUSE AT LAGUNA was issued in CD format, Contemporary OJCCD-406-2 (C-3509) by Fantasy in their Original Jazz Classics series. The original LP with eight tunes had a total timing of just over forty-five minutes. It is a pity that Fantasy did not revisit the original concert tapes and include additional performances that might have had some defects, but again were worthy based on the high energy of the live performance before an enthusiastic audience.

Howard Rumsey placed his extensive archive of jazz manuscripts, photographs and memorabilia with Ken Poston at the Los Angeles Jazz Institute. One of the mission statements for LAJI is the keep the music alive and exposed to future generations. This is achieved via a busy schedule of outreach activities including the presentation of festivals and concerts like the special event that Ken Poston staged at the Irvine Bowl in Laguna Beach to celebrate the 1955 concert by the Lighthouse All Stars and the creation of "The Howard Rumsey Collection" at the LAJI. It was a very special evening for the author as he was seated in row A seat 1 next to Howard Rumsey.

Readers can learn more about the Los Angeles Jazz Institute at their website.

Santa Cruz film maker Ken Koenig (no relation to Les Koenig) created a documentary that chronicled the history of the Lighthouse Cafe and Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars. A DVD of the film can be purchased or streamed at Amazon. Here is the trailer for the film:

The author would like to thank Librarian Nelda Stone at the Laguna Beach branch of The Orange County Public Library for her assistance in retrieving microfilm copies of the articles in the South Coast News and Laguna Beach Post.

The photos that greatly enhance this presentation have been provided courtesy of the Ray Avery Estate. The author would like to extend a most heartfelt thanks to Cynthia Sesso, Licensing Administrator of the Ray Avery Photo Archives. Please note that these photos remain the property of the Ray Avery Estate and are used here with permission. Any inquiries regarding their use, commercial or otherwise, should be directed to: Cynthia Sesso at CTSIMAGES.