The jazz scene

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The jazz scene
Studio album by various artists

Publication
(s)

1949

Label (s) Mercury , Clef , Verve , Universal

Format (s)

78 album, LP, CD

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

12 (LP) / 38 (CD)

occupation see article

production

Norman Granz

Norman Granz, around November 1947.
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb .

The Jazz Scene is a jazz compilation edited by Norman Granz . Contributing musicians were u. a. Ralph Burns , Duke Ellington , George Handy , Coleman Hawkins , Neal Hefti , Machito , Charlie Parker , Flip Phillips , Bud Powell , Willie Smith , Billy Strayhorn and Lester Young , recorded in Los Angeles and New York City from 1946 to 1949 and published in December 1949 on Mercury and Clef Records . After various reissues in 10-inch and 12-inch format, the album was re-released by Richard Seidel in a remastered form and expanded by numerous previously unreleased pieces as a double CD The Complete Jazz Scene 1994 ( Universal Records ) .

The album

After the young impresario Norman Granz organized his first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in early July 1944 , he began recording well-known musicians of the era for his Clef label . From the material he published the album The Jazz Scene in 1949 , which is considered to be one of the first albums ( box sets ) in jazz: on 12 pages he presented the then current scene of modern jazz ; best-known names were artists such as Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Duke Ellington and Bud Powell.

The album thus showed stylistic diversity; it included mainstream jazz by Lester Young's trio (with pianist Nat Cole , who was under contract as Auy Guy ) and the Willie Smith quintet, as well as two pieces by a small combo around Duke Ellington, accompanied by strings, Neal Hefti's large orchestra with the subsequently installed Charlie Parker solo part (“Repetition”), Coleman Hawkins' famous tenor solo (“Picasso”, 1948), Machito's Latin ensemble; a 1949 Charlie Parker's quartet session, the Bud Powell Trio, and big band recordings conducted by Ralph Burns and George Handy.

Granz released the current pieces by these musicians, some of which were recorded especially for this edition, on six 78 records , accompanied by a set of photographs of the musicians by Gjon Mili , and liner notes for each part of the edition. The box was equipped with a cover illustration by David Stone Martin . In the introduction, in which he made it clear that he had given the musicians complete artistic freedom, Granz wrote:

"This is our attempt to present today's jazz scene in terms of the visual, the written word, and the auditory."
"This is our attempt to present the current jazz scene visually, in the written word and audibly."

The set was in a limited edition, numbered and signed by Granz, of only 5,000 copies sold for $ 25.

reception

The Downbeat magazine wrote at the time about this album:

" The Jazz Scene, probably the most remarkable record album ever issued ....... the slighly delayed love child of JATP promoter Norman Granz ".

In Allmusic Scott Yanow praised the 1994 edition The Complete Jazz Scene "as one of the most important releases of the year" and emphasized "the great equipment of the box with the photographs by Gjon Mili and the detailed liner notes"; "The edition is essential for all serious jazz collections". Even with the original edition from 1949, producer Norman Granz released "a remarkable album that perfectly represented the modern jazz scene of the time". He particularly highlighted Coleman Hawkins' pioneering achievement of the unaccompanied tenor saxophone solo ("Picasso").

The pieces on the album and their line-up

  • The Jazz Scene - Clef MGC 4007, MGC 674; Verve MGV 8060; ARS G 419.

Original box (1949)

  1. Sono - Duke Ellington, Harry Carney , Billy Strayhorn, Fred Guy , Oscar Pettiford , Sonny Greer
  2. Frustration - Duke Ellington, Harry Carney, Billy Strayhorn, Fred Guy, Oscar Pettiford, Sonny Greer
  3. Rhumbacito - Neal Hefti Orchestra
  4. Repetition - Neal Hefti Orchestra with Charlie Parker
  5. I Want To Be Happy - Lester Young / Nat King Cole , Buddy Rich
  6. Picasso - Coleman Hawkins
  7. Introspection - Ralph Burns Orchestra
  8. The Bloos - George Handy Orchestra
  9. The Bird - Charlie Parker with Hank Jones , Ray Brown , Shelly Manne
  10. Sophisticated Lady - Willie Smith Quintet with Dodo Marmarosa , Barney Kessel , Red Callender , Jo Jones
  11. Tanga - Machito Orchestra
  12. Cherokee - Bud Powell with Ray Brown and Max Roach

CD edition (1994)

  • The Complete Jazz Scene - Verve 314521661-2
Disc One
  1. The Duke Ellington Sides: Sono, Frustration
  2. The Neal Hefti Sides: Rhumbacito, Repetition
  3. The Lester Young Side: I Want to Be Happy
  4. The Coleman Hawkins Side: Picasso
  5. The Ralph Burns Side: Introspection
  6. The George Handy Side: The Bloos
  7. The Charlie Parker Side: The Bird
  8. The Willie Smith Side: Sophisticated Lady
  9. The Machito Side: thong
  10. The Bud Powell Side: Cherokee
  11. Alternate takes: Sono, Introspection, The Bloos, Tanga, Tanga
Disc Two
  1. The Billy Strayhorn Sides: Halfway To Dawn, Tailspin, Halfway To Dawn (2nd take)
  2. Another Lester Young Side: Back To The Land
  3. More Willie Smith Sides: Tea for Two (+ 2nd take), Not So Bop Blues (+ 2nd take)
  4. More Coleman Hawkins Sides: The Big Head, Skippy (+ 2nd take), Platinum Love (+ 2nd take), There's A Small Hotel
  5. The Flip Phillips Sides: Swingin 'For Julie & Brownie (+ 2nd take), Lazy River, Flip's Idea
  6. More Ralph Burns Sides: Spring In Naples, Music For A Stripteaser, Sprang

Web links

Notes and individual references

  1. ↑ In 1953/54 Clef released the recordings as 10-inch EPs in a double album box as well as in single editions, for the English market with Columbia Records and for the French with Blue Star . In the mid-1950s, Granz's new label Verve released the recordings on a 12-inch LP (Verve V8060).
  2. ↑ Granz portrait at npr.org
  3. ↑ Microgroove
  4. ↑ a b indianapublicmedia.org
  5. ^ Information from Jazzman Records
  6. ↑ Review of Scott Yanow's album, quoted by Verve Music Group
  7. ^ Jazzdisco.org - Clef 700, JATP, 1000, 4000, 2000 series
  8. ↑ Recorded in New York City, 1949. Unknown strings.
  9. ↑ Cast: Doug Mettome , Al Porcino , Ray Wetzel (tp), Bill Harris, Bart Varsalona (tb), Vincent Jacobs (frh), John LaPorta (cl), Sonny Salad, Murray Williams (as) Charlie Parker (as, repetition ) Pete Mondello, Flip Phillips (ts), Manny Albam (bars). Manny Fidler, Sid Harris, Sam Kaplan, Harry Katzman, Gene Orloff, Ziggy Smirnoff (from left), Nat Nathanson, Fred Ruzilla (from left), Joe Benaventi (from left), Tony Aless (p), Curly Russell (b), Shelly Manne (dr), Diego Iborra (cga, bgo), Neal Hefti (arr, cond). New York City, December 1947, Fall 1948.
  10. ↑ Cast: Sonny Berman , Conrad Gozzo (tp) Bill Harris , Ollie Wilson (tb) Vincent De Rosa (frh) Harry Klee, Hal McKusick (as, cl, fl) Herbie Steward , Lucky Thompson (ts), Chuck Gentry (bars ), Dodo Marmarosa (p), Arvin Garrison (git), Red Callender (b) Don Lamond (dr), Ralph Burns (arr, dir). Los Angeles, October 1946. See Jazzdisco.org
  11. ↑ Cast: Sonny Berman, Pete Candoli , Conrad Gozzo, Al Killian , Dale Pearce (tp) Bill Harris, Ed Kusby, Ollie Wilson (tb), Vincent De Rosa, Evan Hall (frh), Harry Klee (fl, cl, as ), Julius Jacobs (ob), Robert Swanson (basn), Arthur Fleming (cbasn), Hal McKusick (as), Herbie Steward, Lucky Thompson (ts), Chuck Gentry (bars, bcl), Harry Bluestone, Robert Jamison, Carl Walker (from left), Arthur Krafton (from left), Dodo Marmarosa (p), Arvin Garrison (git), Red Callender (b), Don Lamond (dr), Jackie Mills, Jimmy Pratt (per), George Handy (arr, dir ). Los Angeles, October 1946. See Jazzdisco.org
  12. ↑ Recorded in New York City, February 10, 1949.
  13. ↑ Recorded in Los Angeles, circa November 1947. See Jazzdisco.org.
  14. ↑ Cast: Mario Bauzá , Frank “Paquito” Davilla, Bob Woodlen (tp), Gene Johnson, Fred Skerritt (as), Jose Madera, Flip Phillips (ts), Leslie Johnakins (bars), Rene Hernandez (p), Roberto Rodriguez (b), Luis Miranda (cga), Jose Mangual (bgo), Ubaldo Nieto (tim), Machito (arr, cond). New York City, January 1949. See Jazzdisco.org.
  15. ↑ Taken in New York City, circa February 1949.