Sorry for the lapse in episodes, ladies and gentlemen!! But we’re back with the rest of Dolphy and Little’s Five Spot performance. First, though, we’ll hear the tune ‘Punjab‘ off of Joe Henderson’s In-n-Out, with Kenny Durham on trumpet, McCoy Tyner (p), Richard Davis (b) and Pontiac’s own Elvin Jones on drums. Then we’ve got two more tracks from the Dolphy/Little date (or what makes up ‘volume 2′): Booker’s tune Aggression and the standard Like Someone In Love.
And, of course, what JWT would be complete without the compulsory Kenton track?!? Wrapping up the show is the tune Pegasus off of the 1976 album Journey Into Capricorn. Hope you enjoy this one!

Henderson and Kenton

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The waltz in jazz - no respect? Booker Little and his battle with uremia. How Dolphy was discovered on the west coast by Chico Hamilton, and later came to afford the expensive beard oil by playing with Coltrane — also had the same work ethic when it came to practicing (and pissing off roommates). Lester Bowie quits James Brown’s band after Brown demands Bowie throw around his only horn like a baton. What’s up with Daddy Warbucks? Punjab may have the answer…

From left to right: the waltz isn’t dead, it just smells funny; Mr. Hamilton (top) and Mr. Lancaster; the Prophet Richard Jennings; Bowie (top) and Brown; Warbucks at work

Listen now: http://jwt.ghettotronics.org/pod/talk050624.mp3
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This week we go back to 1961 with another historic recording featuring the greats Booker Little on trumpet and Eric Dolphy on alto and bass clarinet from the album ‘At The Five Spot’, recorded at the Five Spot in New York City, July 16, 1961. Also playing on this date were Mal Waldron on piano, Richard Davis on bass and the fantastic Ed Blackwell on drums who brings in some nice Ornette flavors. Booker Little was very sick at the time of the recording and died just a few months later of uremia, which was, at that time, an incurable disease — and very painful to live with.

We’ll play three tracks from this date (or what makes up ‘volume 1′): Fire Waltz written by Waldron, Bee Vamp and The Prophet, a tune written for the surrealist painter Richard Jennings who was a good friend of Dolphy’s.

Eric Dolphy and Booker Little

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Max Roach gets drawn out to California from Brooklyn, replaces Shelly Mann at the Lighthouse and changes the west coast sound. Best dressed musicians? Duke, Roy Haynes, Miles… Max Roach wins for neatness. Elvin Jones comes in last with Coltrane close behind. Also, some advice before you decide to throw your life savings into opening a jazz club.

Famous dressers - from best to not quite best

Listen now: http://jwt.ghettotronics.org/pod/talk050617.mp3
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We play tracks off the 1956 EmArcy recording ‘THE Quintet Volume 2′ featuring a clean Sonny Rollins on tenor, Richie Powell (Bud’s younger brother) on piano and George Morrow on bass. (Harold Land plays tenor on the first two tunes but he was called off the date in the middle of the session because of a family emergency. )

Listen now: http://jazzwithtiger.com/pod/music050617.mp3
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The ultimate jazz lineup almost lands him in the hospital with a nervous breakdown.

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Clifford gets discovered by Blakey in Philly; How much the skill of reading music mattered, and who thought scores looked like ‘fly sh*t on paper’; Monk’s struggle with finding a label ’til he landed at Riverside. Plus some hot talk on thick-ankled french chicks.

Listen now: http://jwt.ghettotronics.org/pod/talk050610.mp3
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The great Clifford Brown was best known for his recordings with Max Roach. In the few short years they recorded together (before Brown was killed tragically in a car accident at the age of 26), Clifford Brown cemented himself into the pantheon of great trumpet players. But before this, Brown was nabbed by Art Blakey for a set of gigs culminating in a performance at Birdland that was recorded for Blue Note — A Night At Birdland. Joining them on that record are a young Horace Silver, Lou Donaldson (alto) and Curly Russell (bass) for what is considered the first recording of hard bop, way back in 1954.

So that’s what we’ll be playing this week. The session was split into two volumes. We’ll play a little out of order starting with volume 2, with:

• Now’s The Time
• Confirmation

Then off the first volume:

• Split Kick
• Once In A While
• Quicksilver a tune by Horace
• Night In Tunisia
• Mayreh

Listen now: http://jwt.ghettotronics.org/pod/music050610.mp3
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Hear how Billie had her car repo-ed by her girlfriend’s Hampton-ite parents, and why Miles could never keep a good sax player around. Plus we go over the tunes for this week’s show with a little more historical background. With guest interviewer Amy.

Listen now: http://jwt.ghettotronics.org/pod/talk050603.mp3
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We missed last week but we’re back! This show starts off hard with Maynard Ferguson’s big band playing the tune Teanova — the cool school in its prime. Then you’ll hear some fantastic ballads from some of my favorite artists:

• Whisper Not Shelly Manne with the same group from last week
• When Love Is New Blakey’s Messengers? Who knew they could make sounds like that?! Blakey must’ve let them fly first class for this gig. The voicings are incredibly wide — 11ths and 13ths like Fats Navarro’s arrangements — and make the group sound larger than it is. Features a tear-jerking Wayne Shorter.
• Indra More Kenton. I once tried dancing to this tune and nearly broke my ankle.
• Cry Me Not Freddie Hubbard ballad recorded in 1961. You can really hear the Messenger sound in this track, although Freddie’s the only link to the group. Originally released off of ‘Hub Cap’.
• Lament For Booker Another Freddie Hubbard ballad, recorded a year later. Homage to Booker Little, great trumpeter who was slated as the next Clifford, but died just as young.
• My Lady and Lover Man Two more from Stan featuring the fantastic Lee Konitz.

Listen now: http://jwt.ghettotronics.org/pod/music050603.mp3
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