Carl Fontana joined the Stan Kenton trombone section in June 1955, staying exactly one year. His term of service took in the grueling tour of Great Britain and Europe (March-May l956) in which the band gave more than seventy concerts, often two-a-day. Bill Holman was commissioned to write a feature for Fontana which he titled "Carl," and it was played at almost every performance. Most Kenton fans aren't aware of the tune because it was performed only during that tour, although he continued to play it after he left the band. If Stan did have plans to record it, Carl departed before it could happen. There are four airshots known to exist: Stockholm, Mannheim, Berlin and Hamburg. Producer Dick Bank thought it too important a piece to be forgotten.
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"Carl" is the only one of the twelve tunes included here that has been written for the trombone. Andy had never heard it, liked it immediately, and was anxious to do it. The original music was not to he found, so Holman's assistance was enlisted. Dick sent Bill a Compact Disc with three versions and the composer transcribed his own composition. It makes a most impressive opening to a superb album of trombone solos, at once a startling showcase for Andy's immaculate articulation and breathing control... a veritable
tour de force. Holman's reaction when he heard it over the telephone: "That's a bitch!" This is a tribute from one exceptional trombone soloist to another; a man he admires and with whom he has recorded. Sadly, The Great Fontana has put away his horn, a victim of Alzheimer's disease. Here, then, is the first studio recording of an almost forgotten Bill Holman tune. It could not have been revived in a more outstanding fashion.Over the years the film industry has been responsible for the creation and dissemination of much fine music. Alfred Newman (born 190l) was a composer, conductor, musical director and one-time child prodigy on the piano who went to work in Hollywood in 1930 and became one of the most important figures in the history of film music. He won seven Academy Awards for his scoring and two others for the complete backgrounds. His Forties output was astonishing. Newman's arrival in the film capital coincided with when movies began to talk, and almost immediately he composed "Street Scene" for Sam Goldwyn's thriller of the same name. Too good not to be revisited, it was heard on the soundtracks of countless films in the Thirties depicting urban decay. In 1942, the prolific lyricist Harold Adamson turned it into the song "Sentimental Rhapsody" which five years later appeared in Kiss
of Death starring Victor Mature. Stan Kenton assigned Gene Roland to write an arrangement for the band in the late Fifties, featuring, among others, Archie LeCoque on trombone. Here the quartet takes the tune (which was entirely new to Andy) at slow tempo through just two choruses, creating a gem of a performance. Andy's tone is rich and full in the opening chorus while .Jan's sixteen bar solo has blues connotations. There is nothing to he added here; this is sheer perfection.When Bob Carleton wrote ".Ja-Da" in 1918, it became a hit in that last year of World War I, only to drift into obscurity. Twenty years later it had a rebirth in two 1939 motion pictures: Ba
bes in Arms starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland (it was used in a minstrel show scene) and Rose of Washington Square that featured Alice Faye. The sixteen bar tune came into the jazz world in 1954, the occasion being a Miles Davis Quintet recording session that featured Sonny Rollins. The tenor saxophonist brought along three compositions, one of which was "Doxy," based on the chord changes in Carleton's song. It quickly became a jazz standard with two great versions being recorded in 1956: in January, Shelly Manne and His Men (featuring trumpeter Stu Williamson and alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano) did it; then in May, Andy's idol Frank Rosolino included it ("Frank loved to play that tune"—Stan Levey) on his Bethlehem quartet album I Play Trombone. It has a built-in impetus, and after two theme choruses the fire is ignited and Andy is flying. He uses the cup mute throughout the performance, deriving increasingly powerful support from the rhythm section (listen to Paul's off-beat in the third trombone chorus and Andy's quick response as he slips into double-time). After Andy it is Jan's turn and he creates a three-chorus solo of almost architectural strength, logical yet irresistible with a deep obligation to the punch provided by Paul and Tom. The final note of the coda will come as a surprise!Saxophonists, at least in years gone by, had a great affection for "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes." Written by Jerry Bernier (lyric by Buddy Bernier) for a 1948 film of the same name, it starred Edward G. Robinson as a spiritualist who has the uncanny power to predict the happening of tragic events. Actually, it was background music only, making its appearance thirty-five minutes into the film. However, it caught the attention of John Coltrane, Paul Desmond, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Ronnie Scott, Zoot Sims and Sonny Stitt. Dick Bank has always been partial to the Desmond version for RCA Victor in 1964 which prompted him to suggest it to Andy. He didn't know it but liked it at once. It has unusually an A-A-B format with each section sixteen bars long. Before Andy enters to play the theme, the rhythm section sets up a gentle Latin rhythm; then the warm sound of the trombone takes over. Each note is perfectly formed and placed in position—the tone consistent throughout the instrument's range. Jan's chorus does not break the mood but complements what has gone before.
It may be invidious to single out individual tracks from such a consistently excellent album as this ("there isn't a single throw-away here—just winners!" Bank told me enthusiastically) but attention should he given to "From This Moment On." Cole Porter originally wrote this for his 1950 stage show Out of This World but it was dropped when the actor responsible (William Eythe) had difficulty in singing the song. It was resurrected three years later and was one of the hit tunes from Porter's Kiss Me Kat
e. Its inclusion on the final list of tunes for this album was inspired to a large extent by the Chris Connor recording. Made in 1955, she received the support of trombonists J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding at the beginning of their joint careers as a duo. The tempo is fast and the quartet plunges straight into the theme chorus. Andy demonstrates the apparent ease with which he can move through the range of the trombone and revels in that arpeggio-like opening figure. In his two improvised choruses he takes command with powerful, short, stabbing phrases, then comes a remarkable chorus from Jan, who makes resourceful use of the entire keyboard. A round of eights featuring trombone, piano and drums, a final recapitulation of the theme, a vamp coda . . . and then the listener is allowed to relax!"Flamingo" is the antithesis of the previous track. Tom and Paul sit this one out while Jan opens the proceedings with what may be a new experience for many. When the original sheet music was obtained for the session, it was discovered that Ted Grouya (with a lyric by Ed Anderson) had written a verse which has been largely ignored by artistes who have recorded this song (assuming they knew there was one) since Herb Jeffries first put it on the map with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in December 1940. (Even Herb dispensed with the verse in all his known recordings of the song. It is possible that it was left off the original version simply because it ran three minutes, twenty-one seconds—about as much as could be crammed onto a 78 rpm record.) Andy is tightly muted here as he plays the theme over Jan's helpful piano backing. The trombone pitching in the upper register is a thing to behold with all the notes given their correct value. A half chorus of piano gives Andy a brief breathing space before he returns to play the last sixteen bars of theme. It is no coincidence that the late Frank Rosolino also included it in his I Play Trombone album. Like Andy, he elected to play the .song at a slow tempo in order to bring out fully the beauty of the melody—some may say as an antidote to Karl Bostic's 1951 version which sold more than a million copies.
Jazz musicians have learned that shifting a tune from major to minor can be refreshing and intriguing. Those looking lor a challenge will find that favorite phrases which fell comfortably under the fingerss will no longer fit the altered harmonies. Tenor saxist Warne Marsh once recorded Ronnie Ball's tune "Ad Libido", which itself was based on the chords to "Long Ago and Far Away" but transposed into minor. At the end of 1955, Stan Getz was in Sweden recuperating from pneumonia. After a number of months of inactivity, he did a session for Norman Granz (Stan Getz in Stockholm) though not in top form. One of the tunes was Harold Arlen's first hit, the 1930 "Get Happy" (words provided by Ted Koehler) which he evidently felt more comfortable with in minor, playing it that way often after Ian Johansson became his pianist in 1958. But on this album, it was the equally brilliant Bengt Hallberg at the keyboard. Stan must have been confident that he would have no difficulty with the change. Andy Martin felt the same when he, too, had the support of another hugely talented Swedish pianist for his interpretation. After the theme by the quartet come two choruses of eights between, Jan and Andy; it is truly amazing how much invention these two can get into relatively short passages. There are obviously no problems for either Jan or Andy in the ensuing choruses nor in Tom Warrington's fine bass solo. There is one more surprise for the listener right at the end of the last chorus as the quartet unexpectedly modulates, changing the key for that final flourish.
The music of Latin America is no stranger to jazz musicians. "Nightingale" is a case in point. Written in 1942 by the well-known band leader Xavier Cugat (who was born the first day of 1900 in Barcelona and raised in Cuba) and George Rosner, it has a slightly mysterious quality. It was the theme, but with a different lyric, for a 1954 film, The Americano, starring Glenn Ford. This, possibly, is how it caught Stan Kenton's attention when it went into the dance music book in 1957. Arranged by Joe Coccia, a Cranston, Rhode Island, high school teacher, it became a feature for trombonist Archie LeCoque. A greatly underrated player, the San Francisco native joined in May 1957, staying until February 1960 as the jazz soloist; he also split the lead book with Kent Larsen. Evidently the tune was dropped from the repertoire when LeCoque departed as it was never done commercially. Two excellent treatments were recorded at that time: one by Shelly Manne and His Men, and a rare vocal version by Ann Richards (then Mrs. Stan Kenton), both in 1959. Here the atmosphere is heightened at the onset by the Latin heat and Andy's mood-provoking introduction. After the theme statement, trombone and piano take two choruses each and in both solos a Latin American rhythm underlies the first chorus before reverting to a straight, swinging, four-four for the second. Paul Kreibich is prominent in the penultimate chorus as his drums come to the fore, backed by Tom and Jan.
Twentieth-Century Fox released On
The Avenue in February 1937, a film which starred Dick Powell and Madeleine Carroll using the well-tried plot of the backstage machinations behind the launch of a Broadway show. But the real star was Alice Faye, who sang some glorious new Irving Berlin songs, including "This Year's Kisses," "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," "Slumming on Park Avenue," and "He Ain't Got Rhythm", which was performed with the wacky Ritz Brothers—Al, Harry, and Jimmy. Five weeks before the opening of the film, Benny Goodman and his band recorded "He Ain't got Rhythm" (a splendid Jimmy Mundy arrangement with an unforgettable Jimmy Rushing vocal). Four weeks later, Benny as "John Jackson" for contractual reasons, recorded it once more with a small group backing Billie Holiday. It didn't get much attention again until December 1954 when Bob Brookmeyer, in a session for Norman Granz's Clef label, gave it a valve trombone treatment backed by a dynamic rhythm section of Jimmy Rowles, Buddy Clark and Mel Lewis. Andy produces a marvelous new interpretation using slide trombone with the skill and expertise of a true master. The slightly unusual structure of the piece leads to fresh avenues of exploration for Andy and Jan (who contributes a very sensitive solo) while the closing cadenza brings this to a magnificent conclusion.Another Twentieth-Century Fox musical starring Alice Faye, this one from l935, was the source of "I'm Shooting High," music by Jimmy McHugh and lyric by Ted Koehler. It was King of Burlesque which also featured Warner Baxter and Jack Oakie. Jazz enthusiasts will recall the film because of Fats Waller's presence (in white tie and tails) singing "I've Got My Fingers Crossed" while trumpeter Teddy Buckner mimed on trombone. The tune has a couple of other trombone connections. It was recorded by Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra (one of six in the last five weeks of 1935), then in 1963 Georgie Auld's quintet including Frank Rosolino did it on the Philips recording Plays the Winners. As Andy and the trio demonstrate, it is a splendid tune for improvisation, opening with a bass clef unison intro that the leader himself composed before he plays the theme, followed by two inspired choruses. Note Jan's fluid right hand in his choruses and Tom Warrington's unshakable time in his solo. Trombone and piano share two choruses of fours with Paul Kreibich before the recapitulation of the theme, the bass clef unison intro now serving as the coda. And note, also, that Andy cuts the time in the middle-eight of the opening and closing theme choruses. This is yet another neglected or overlooked song but Dick Bank has never forgotten it since he heard Ann Richards sing it in the late Fifties.
Frankie Laine had the first hit version of "We'll Be Together Again" in 1945. He wrote the lyric to the music by his pianist/musical director Carl Fischer. Later, it was included by Frank Sinatra in his classic Songs for Swinging Lovers album, but the real inspiration here was an early J.J. Johnson-Kai Winding recording made for the Prestige label in 1954. The beauty of the song is enhanced right at the outset by Jan, who plays the seldom heard verse (another example of why the original sheet music is so important; no fake books here!) before Andy joins in to delineate the theme statement with great care, underlined by Paul's sensitive brushwork. Andy nuzzles his way into a half chorus of improvisation which is followed by a half chorus from Jan. The performance is completed with a half chorus of theme. There was no need to elaborate further, the strong melody and the care taken to give each note its correct value is manifest from beginning to end. This is a version to add to such interpretations as the J.J. Johnson-Joe Pass and the 1954 Stan Getz Quintet.
Albert von Tilzer wrote "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in 1908 and its popularity has lasted for nearly a century. And why not? Sung untold thousands of times each baseball season with Jack Norworth's lyric, it should go on forever. In 1949 it became the title song in a musical about baseball starring Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Esther Williams. While the game itself has kept the song popular, it has intrinsic qualities of its own which seem to impart a true feeling of well-being. The late Frank Rosolino found it very much to his liking, so much so that he included it on the first record date he ever did as a leader (for Dizzy Gillespie's DeeGee label in 1952). The song has a special meaning for Andy, a fine baseball player himself as a youth who at one time was torn between a career in the game or that of a professional musician. Fortunately, music won out. He recalls hearing it once on the radio, recognizing Rosolino immediately, and was knocked out. When the tunes were being discussed for this album, it came up. Dick Bank had the recording, Andy was eager to do it, and the producer agreed it would he a perfect closer. Here a drum intro leads into the tune which is taken at a bright up tempo. The two choruses of trombone improvisation point to Andy's inspiration for this is truly great playing. Jan follows and maintains the high level for two more choruses, then it is the turn of Andy and Paul to exchange four bar phrases for two more. The quartet is still at the top of its game when the theme is repeated and Andy's final "ool-ya-koo" is the only possible termination.
It has been a distinct pleasure and a privilege for me to he involved, however peripherally, in the putting together of this recorded package. Music of this caliber is rare indeed, and you will have to go a very long way before finding four musicians the equal of Andy, Jan, Tom and Paul. Gentlemen: you have my heartfelt thanks for this wonderful music.
Alun Morgan has been one of the most respected journalists in jazz lor almost fifty years and today retains the keen interest and enthusiasm he demonstrated when it all began for him. An architect by profession (he retired in 1991) he became interested in jazz during World War II, the recordings of Bunny Berigan, Jelly Roll Morton and Muggsy Spanier having attracted him to the idiom. He commenced broadcasting on jazz for the BBC in 1954—the year he wrote his first liner notes for the British Vogue label. Two years later (with Raymond Horricks), he co-authored the book M
odern Jazz, which was to have a profound influence on those in Britain who were just discovering jazz as well as those who were already "hooked." A contributor to Jazz Monthly throughout its entire existence (1955-1971), Alun's considerable knowledge of the history of jazz has prepared him well for the more than twenty-five hundred liner notes he has written for dozens of British, European and American labels. He was born February 24, 1928 in Pontypridd, Wales, moved to England in 1951, emigrated to Australia in November 2000, and is now resident in Tingalpa, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane.