The Hard Bop Podcast

New Jazz - HBHP Podcast #6       Posted On: January 3, 2009

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For the new year it seemed apropriate to offer up some "New Jazz." While the music here hasn't necessarily been recently produced, it is fairly certain that the names are unfamiliar to most of you. Of course there are the folks I have been shamelessly promoting for years, Jake Langley and Travis Shook, but there are also several scandalously unknown artists like Stacey McGregor and Steve Luceno who really shouldn't be toiling in obscurity. The only pre-2000 ringer in the bunch is a trio track by Lalo Schifrin called "Gentle Earthquake" that, while not new, is certainly obscure enough to be "new" to most of us. We've highlighted writing, by Stacie McGregor and Steve Korn, but also terrific covers like Cedar Walton's "Ugetsu," Wayne Shorter's "Adam's Apple," and the funkiest version of "Broadway" you'll ever hear. Finally, the set ends with something utterly unique: a jazz number by bluegrass dobro great Rob Ickes. As always, Enjoy.    [Download]

Track List:

1. Broadway (Travis Shook, piano) Awake, 2005, Dead Horse. Kebbi Williams (tenor sax), Ron Westray (trombone), Jennifer Vincent (bass), Jaz Sawyer (drums).
2. Straight Up (Stacie McGregor, piano) Straight Up, 2003, G-Three. Kevin Turcotte (trumpet), Michael Stuart (tenor sax), Steve Wallace (bass), Archie Alleyne (drums).
3. Adam's Apple (Jake Langley, guitar) Doug's Garage, 2000, Radioland. Doug Riley (organ), John Fraboni (drums).
4. Get Up Blues (Steve Luceno, bass) Get Up Blues, 2002, C-Note. Dan Blunck (Alto Sax), Brian Kent (tenor sax), Ryan Burns (piano), Steven Bentley (drums).
5. Gentle Earthquake (Lalo Schifrin, piano) There's A Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On, 1968, Dot. Carol Kaye (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).
6. Jeannine (Don Lanphere, tenor sax) Like A Bird, 2000, Origin. Barney McClure (organ), Mimi Fox (guitar), Mel Brown (drums).
7. Blues For RC (Ahmad Alaadeen, tenor sax) Blues For RC, 2000, A.S.R. Danny Campbell (trumpet), Tim Perryman (trombone), Willie Matthews (guitar), Reggie Thomas (piano), Tyrone Clark (bass), Donivan Bailey (drums).
8. Ugetsu (Gary Hammon, tenor sax) Fangs, 2005, Jazz Project. Hadley Caliman (tenor sax), Nicholas Hoffman (guitar), Delvon Dumas (organ), Jud Sherwood (drums).
9. Peggy's Blue Skylight (Yoav Polachek, piano) Standards First, 1999, WAMA. Chris Litecap (bass), Daniel Friedman (drums).
10. Sit-Com Theme Song (Steve Korn, drums) Points In Time 2003, Origin. Mark Taylor (alto sax), Rob Davis (tenor sax), Marc Seales (piano), Paul Gabrielson (bass).
11. East Coast Attitude (Don Lanphere, tenor sax) Like A Bird, 2000, Origin. Barney McClure (organ), Mimi Fox (guitar), Mel Brown (drums).
12. Mr. Goodbar (Rob Ickes, dobro) What It Is, 2002, Rounder. Paul Hanson (tenor sax), John R. Burr (piano), Derek Jones (bass), Kendrick Freeman (drums).

Jingle Bell Jazz - HBHP Podcast #5       Posted On: December 6, 2008

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To celebrate the holiday season the Hard Bop Podcast digs deep into the stocking and comes up with some holiday jazz. Of course there are the classics like Dexter Gordon's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and Charlie Parker's bebop "White Christmas" but we also managed to find a few hidden gems that aren't on regular rotation in Christmas complilations. Paul Bley's trio rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" as well as the MJQ's take on the "Twelve Days Of Christmas" are just a couple. But, as always, the emphasis is on jazz. Despite the holiday changes, in the end it's all about great musicians playing great solos. Enjoy.   [Download]

Track List:

1. White Christmas (Charlie Parker, alto sax), 2. Swinging For Xmas (Gene Ammons, tenor sax), 3. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (Paul Bley, piano), 4. Greensleeves (Ray Bryant, piano), 5. The Christmas Song (Arthur Blythe, alto sax), 6. Here Comes Santa Claus (Ramsey Lewis, piano), 7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Dexter Gordon, tenor sax), 8. O Tannenbaum (Vince Guraldi, piano), 9. Jingle Bells (Jimmy Smith, organ), 10. Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem (Heath Brothers), 11. Deck The Halls (Herbie Hancock, piano), 12. Twelve Days Of Christmas (Modern Jazz Quartet), 13. Blue Christmas (Grover Washington, tenor sax), 14. O Come All Ye Faithful (Terrance Blanchard, trumpet), 15. Winter Wonderland (Wynton Marsalis, trumpet), 16. Let It Snow (Joe Pass, guitar), 17. We Wish You A Merry Christmas (The Memphis Horns).

Bari Madness - HBHP Podcast #4       Posted On: November 1, 2008

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This month we go on the "down low" with some of the best--and possibly least known--bari sax cuts in the hard bop world. We've attempted to cover a wide variety here, not only featuring stalwards like Pepper Adams and Cecil Payne, but also tracks by saxophonists who rarely recorded on the big horn, like Sonny Stitt and Jimmy Heath, as well as seldom-heard players like Tate Houston and trumpeter Ira Sullivan. We begin with what has to be the greatest bari sax intro on record, the four-bar opening to Cecil Payne's "Man Of Moods" from his 1956 session Patterns Of Jazz, and we end with the late, great, Nick Brignola charging through Kenny Dorham's classic "Blue Bossa." We hope you enjoy these bottom-register rumblings by the bari greats.    [Download]

Track List:

1. Man Of Moods (Cecil Payne) Patterns Of Jazz, 1956, Savoy. Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Duke Jordan (piano), Tommy Potter (bass), Art Taylor (drums).
2. This Can't Be Love (Sonny Stitt) Kaleidoscope, 1951, Prestige. Charlie Bateman (piano), Gene Wright (bass), Art Blakey (drums).
3. Moer Blues (Bob Gordon) Moods In Jazz, 1954, Pacific Jazz. Herbie Harper (trombone), Maury Dell (piano), Don Prell (bass), George Redman (drums).
4. My Old Flame (Ira Sullivan) Blue Stroll, 1959, Delmark. Johnny Griffin (tenor sax), Jodie Christian (piano), Victor Sproles (bass), Wilbur Campbell (drums).
5. Witches Pit (John Coltrane, tenor sax) Dakar, 1957, Prestige. Cecil Payne, Pepper Adams (bari sax), Mal Waldron (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), Art Taylor (drums).
6. Low Brown (Leo Parker) Let Me Tell You About It, 1961, Blue Note. Bill Swindell (tenor sax), John Burks (trumpet), Yusef Salim (piano), Stan Conover (bass), Purnell Rice (drums).
7. Cumana (Ronnie Cuber) Cuber Libre, 1976, Xanadu. Barry Harris (piano), Sam Jones (bass), Albert Heath (drums).
8. Sketch 1 (J.J. Johnson, trombone) Emminent J.J. Vol 1, 1953, Blue Note. Clifford Brown (trumpet), Jimmy Heath (bari sax), John Lewis (piano), Percy Heath (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums).
9. Up At Teddy's Hill (Jerome Richardson) Roamin' With Richardson, 1959, Prestige. Richard Wyands (piano), George Tucker (bass), Charlie Persip (drums).
10. Raincheck (Joe Temperley) Nightingale 1992, Hep Jazz. Brian Lemon (piano), Dave Green (bass), Martin Drew (drums).
11. Skippy (Pepper Adams) Cool Sounds, 1957, Savoy. Bernard McKinney (euphonium), Hank Jones (piano), George Duvivier (bass), Elvin Jones (drums).
12. Again (Curtis Fuller, trombone) Bone & Bari 1957, Blue Note. Tate Houston (bari sax), Sonny Clark (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Art Taylor (drums).
13. Blue Bossa (Nick Brignola) L.A. Bound, 1979, Night Life. Bill Watrous (trombone), Dwight Dickerson (piano), John Heard (bass), Dick Berk (drums).

Bird Lives! - HBHP Podcast #3       Posted On: October 4, 2008

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In this month's Podcast we salute the father of bebop: Charlie Parker. Though bebop as a musical entity unto itself found fewer and fewer followers after Parker's death, the language of bop has continued to this day. So we have devoted this month to songs written by Bird, with a little bit of everything. Tracks by Phil Woods and Charles McPherson feature fairly conventional bebop quintets, but we also have some interesting reworkings of Parker tunes by Grant Green and Junior Cook, as well as modern takes by Ray Brown, Christopher Hollyday, and Joey DeFrancesco. To finish off the set is a terrific all-star date with Jackie McLean, Johnny Griffin, and Cecil Payne.    [Download]

Track List:

1. Au Privave (Phil Woods, alto sax) Sugan, 1957, Prestige. Ray Copeland (trumpet), Red Garland (piano), Teddy Kotick (bass), Nick Stabulas (drums).
2. Cool Blues (Grant Green, guitar) Born To Be Blue, 1962, Blue Note. Ike Quebec (tenor sax), Sonny Clark (piano), Sam Jones (bass), Louis Hayes (drums).
3. Bloomdido (Christopher Hollyday, alto sax) Christopher Hollyday, 1989, Novus. Wallace Roney (trumpet), Cedar Walton (piano), David Williams (bass), Billy Higgins (drums).
4. Crazeology (Hampton Hawes, piano) For Real!, 1958, Contemporary. Harold Land (tenor sax), Scott LaFaro (bass), Frank Butler (drums).
5. Donna Lee (Joey DeFrancesco, organ) All About My Girl, 1994, Muse. Paul Bollenback (guitar), Byron Landham (drums).
6. Passport (Charles McPherson, alto sax) Bebop Revisited, 1964, Prestige. Carmell Jones (trumpet), Barry Harris (piano), Nelson Boyd (bass), Albert Heath (drums).
7. Relaxin' At Camarillo (Cecil Payne, bari sax) Charlie Parker Music 1963, C.P. Records. Clark Terry (trumpet), Duke Jordan (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Charlie Persip (drums).
8. Quasimodo (Ray Brown, bass) Moore Makes Four, 1990, Concord. Ralph Moore (tenor sax), Gene Harris (piano), Jeff Hamilton (drums).
9. Perhaps (Teddy Edwards, tenor sax) Together Again, 1961, Contemporary. Howard McGhee (trumpet), Phineas Newborn (piano), Ray Brown (bass), Ed Thigpen (drums).
10. Yardbird Suite (Junior Cook, tenor sax) Pressure Cooker, 1977, Affinity. Mickey Tucker (piano), Cecil McBee (bass), Leroy Williams (drums).
11. Big Foot (Don Sickler, trumpet) Birdology, 1989, Dreyfus. Jackie McLean (alto sax), Johnny Griffin (tenor sax), Cecil Payne (bari sax), Duke Jordan (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Roy Haynes (drums).

Silver Celebration - HBHP Podcast #2       Posted On: September 2, 2008

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With our Podcast this month we pay a birthday tribute to the man who made the Hard Bop Homepage possible, the Hardbop Grandpop himself, Horace Silver, 80 years old today. We've decided to do something a little different than the usual hits, and have assembled tunes that Silver composed and played on for other leaders as well as some of his lesser-known cuts as a leader. Book-ending our set is the spoken introduction and conclusion from his independently-produced Music To Ease Your Disease, the first of which leads into his best album during the Silveto years, Spiritualizing The Senses featuring Eddie Harris and Ralph Moore. The two cuts without Silver himself are piano-less groups led by Hank Crawford and Jake Langley. The rest feature Horace as a sideman for Stan Getz, Milt Jackson, and hard bop greats like Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, and Kenny Burrell. Happy Birthday Horace! We couldn't have done it without you.    [Download]

Track List:

1. Prologue (Horace Silver) Music To Ease Your Disease, 1988, Silveto.
2. Smelling Our Attitude (Horace Silver, piano) Spiritualizing The Senses, 1983, Silveto. Bobby Shew (trumpet), Eddie Harris, Ralph Moore (tenor sax), Bob Maize (bass), Carl Burnette (drums).
3. Potter's Luck (Stan Getz, tenor sax) Complete Roost Recordings, 1951, Roost. Horace Silver (piano), Jimmy Raney (guitar), Leonard Gaskin (bass), Roy Haynes (drums).
4. Ecaroh (Art Blakey, drums) The Jazz Messengers, 1956, Columbia. Donald Byrd (trumpet), Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Horace Silver (piano), Doug Watkins (bass).
5. Opus de Funk (Milt Jackson, vibes) Milt Jackson Quartet/Quintet, 1954, Prestige. Henry Boozier (trumpet), Horace Silver (piano), Percy Heath (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums).
6. Roccus (Lee Morgan, trumpet) Indeed!, 1956, Blue Note. Clarence Sharpe (alto sax), Horace Silver (piano), Wilbur Ware (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums).
7. Everywhere (Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore, tenor sax) Blowing In From Chicago, 1957, Blue Note. Horace Silver (piano), Curly Russell (bass), Art Blakey (drums).
8. Split Kick (Art Blakey, drums) A Night At Birdland, 1954, Blue Note. Clifford Brown (trumpet), Lou Donaldson (alto sax), Horace Silver (piano), Curly Russell (bass).
9. Sister Sadie (Hank Crawford, alto sax) More Soul 1961, Atlantic. Philip Guilbeau, John Hunt (trumpet), David "Fathead" Newman (tenor sax), Leroy Cooper (bari sax), Edgar Willis (bass), Milt Turner (drums).
10. Speculation (Gigi Gryce, alto sax) Nica's Tempo, 1955, Savoy. Art Farmer (trumpet), Cecil Payne (bari sax), Eddie Bert (trombone), Julius Watkins (french horn), Horace Silver (piano), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Art Blakey (drums).
11. Sweet Juice (Lou Donaldson, alto sax) Quartet/Quintet/Sextet, 1954, Blue Note. Horace Silver (piano), Gene Ramey (bass), Art Taylor (drums).
12. Nica's Dream (Kenny Burrell, guitar) K.B. Blues 1957, Blue Note. Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Horace Silver (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), Louis Hayes (drums).
13. The Jody Grind (Jake Langley, guitar) Doug's Garage, 1999, Radioland. Doug Riley (organ), John Fraboni (drums).
14. Lavender Love (Horace Silver, piano) Rockin' With Rachmaninoff, 1991, Bop City. Bob Summers (trumpet), Rickey Woodard, Doug Webb (tenor sax), Andy Martin, Bob McChesney (trombone), Bob Maize (bass), Carl Burnett (drums).
15. Conclusion (Horace Silver) Music To Ease Your Disease, 1988, Silveto.

The Two Tenors - HBHP Podcast #1       Posted On: August 10, 2008

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For our first Podcast we wanted to start out with a real crowd-pleaser: the two-tenor front line. Almost since bebop began in the 1940s there have been classic tenor battles beginning with Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray on "The Chase" and "The Hunt." But the two-tenor format was also popular during the hard bop era, most notably with John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. While there have been numerous great albums with the addition of other horns, Johnny Griffin's A Blowing Session with Lee Morgan, or Dizzy Gillespie's Sonny Side Up with Rollins and Sonny Stitt, we've elected to stick with just the two horns--or four in the case of the Hank Mobley selection. But the undisputed king of the tenor battle has to be Sonny Stitt, who is represented by four tracks with fellow tenor giants.    [Download]

Track List:

1. The Chase Is On (Charlie Rouse & Paul Quinichette) The Chase Is On, 1957, Bethlehem. Hank Jones (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Wendell Marshall (bass), Ed Thigpen (drums).
2. Magna-Tism (Pete Christlieb & Warne Marsh) Apogee, 1978, Warner Bros. Lou Levy (piano), Jim Hughart (bass), Nick Ceroli (drums).
3. The Chase (Dexter Gordon & Wardell Gray) Dexter's Mood, 1947, Cool & Blue. Jimmy Bunn (piano), Red Callender (bass), Chuck Thompson (drums).
4. Salt and Pepper (Sonny Stitt & Paul Gonsalves) Salt and Pepper, 1963, Impulse. Hank Jones (piano), Milt Hinton (bass), Osie Johnson (drums).
5. Blue Lights (Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore) Blowing In From Chicago, 1957, Blue Note. Horace Silver (piano), Curly Russell (bass), Art Blakey (drums).
6. Soul People (Sonny Stitt & Booker Ervin) The Soul People, 1964, Prestige. Don Patterson (organ), Billy James (drums).
7. Expense Account (Al Cohn & Zoot Sims) Easy as Pie 1968, Label M. Dave Frishberg (piano), Victor Sproles (bass), Donald McDonald (drums).
8. Forecast: Sonny & Red (Sonny Stitt & Red Holloway) Forecast: Sonny & Red, 1976, Catalyst. Art Hillary (piano), Larry Gales (bass), Clarence Johnston (drums).
9. Bob's Boys (Hank Mobley, John Coltrane, Al Cohn & Zoot Sims) Tenor Conclave, 1956, Prestige. Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Art Taylor (drums).
10. There Is No Greater Love (Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt) Boss Tenors, 1961, Verve. John Houston (piano), Buster Williams (bass), George Brown (drums).
11. Cousin Esau (Don Braden & David Newman) Organic, 1994, Sony. Jack McDuff (organ), Russell Malone (guitar), Windard Harper (drums).