#norman granz

[arterrorist]

Whole lotta Pablo Records

This last label created by Norman Granz is a goldmine for highest quality mainstream jazz ✨

[odk-2]

Joe Williams w/ The Count Basie Orchestra - All Right, OK, You Win (1955) Mayme Watts / Sid Wyche from: "Count Basie Swings • Joe Williams Sings" (LP)

Big Band | Swing | Mainstream Jazz | Jazz Vocal

JukeHostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

Album Personnel: Joe Williams: Vocals Count Basie: Piano / Conductor

Henry Coker: Trombone Benny Powell: Trombone Bill Hughes: Trombone

Wendell Culley: Trumpet Reunald Jones: Trumpet Joe Newman: Trumpet

Thad Jones: Cornet

Frank Foster: Tenor Saxophone Charlie Fowlkes: Baritone Saxophone Bill Graham: Alto Saxophone Marshal Royal: Clarinet / Alto Saxophone Frank Wess: Flute / Tenor Saxophone

Freddie Green: Guitar

Eddie Jones: Double Bass

Sonny Payne: Drums

Edgar Sampson: Arranger Ernie Wilkins: Arranger

Produced by Norman Granz

Recorded: in New York City on July 26 and 27, 1955

1957 Release:

[strathshepard]

The Flip Phillips Quartet   (1950, Mercury 25023, 10" LP; design by David Stone Martin)

[panicinthestudio]

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - “Cheek To Cheek”, Ella and Louis, 1956 

Producer: Norman Granz 

Double Bass: Ray Brown

Guitar: Herb Ellis 

Piano: Oscar Peterson

Drums: Buddy Rich 

Recording Arranger, Conductor: Buddy Bregman 

Vocals, Trumpet: Louis Armstrong 

Vocals: Ella Fitzgerald 

Composer & Lyricist: Irving Berlin

Adapter: Hugo Cipolatti 

[famousdeaths]

Norman Granz was an American jazz record producer and concert promoter. He founded the record labels Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, and Pablo. Granz was ackno...

Link: Norman Granz

[jazzdailyblog]

Charlie Shavers: A Trumpet Virtuoso and Jazz Pioneer

Introduction: Charlie Shavers was an extraordinary trumpeter whose remarkable skill, creativity, and versatility made him a significant figure in the history of jazz. Throughout his career, Shavers played with some of the most influential bands and musicians of his time, leaving an indelible mark on the jazz world. This blog post delves into Shavers’ life, his contributions to jazz, and his…

[missellafitz]

😒 Norman Granz.

We could've had an Ella and Frank album, but he let his ego squash it. I'm not gonna argue that Sinatra couldn't be an asshole, but Norman was one too. Looks like he met his match in Frank.

On the race thing, I will say this. Ella and Basie were born and raised in the United States and knew full well when someone was racist. They were not some children who couldn't defend themselves or who were ignorant to abuse. That Ella looked forward to working with Frank and that Basie and Frank collaborated so often shows that while Frank may have been inappropriate with his humor, he wasn't racist.

[princessnamora]

How Marilyn Monroe changed Ella Fitzgerald’s life

If asked “Who played an important role in the musical career of Ella Fitzgerald?” you might respond with names like Chick Webb, Louis Armstrong, Norman Granz, and Dizzy Gillespie.

The name Marilyn Monroe (who passed away 50 years ago this August), however, might not come to mind.

While touring in the ’50s under the management of Norman Granz, Ella, like many African-American musicians at the time, faced significant adversity because of her race, especially in the Jim Crow states. Granz was a huge proponent of civil rights, and insisted that all of his musicians be treated equally at hotels and venues, regardless of race.

Despite his efforts, there were many roadblocks and hurdles put in to place, especially for some of the more popular African-American artists. Here is one story of Ella’s struggles (as written in chicagojazz.com):

Once, while in Dallas touring for the Philharmonic, a police squad irritated by Norman’s principles barged backstage to hassle the performers. They came into Ella’s dressing room, where band members Dizzy Gillespie and Illinois Jacquet were shooting dice, and arrested everyone. “They took us down,” Ella later recalled, “and then when we got there, they had the nerve to ask for an autograph.”

Across the country, black musicians, regardless of popularity, were often limited to small nightclubs, having to enter through the back of the house. Similar treatment was common at restaurants and hotels.

Enter Marilyn Monroe

During the ’50s, one of the most popular venues was Mocambo in Hollywood. Frank Sinatra made his Los Angeles debut at Mocambo in 1943, and it was frequented by the likes of Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Lana Turner.

Ella Fitzgerald was not allowed to play at Mocambo because of her race. Then, one of Ella’s biggest fans made a telephone call that quite possibly changed the path of her career for good. Here, Ella tells the story of how Marilyn Monroe changed her life:

“I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt … she personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him – and it was true, due to Marilyn’s superstar status – that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman – a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it.”

Learning from Ella

Ella had an influence on Marilyn as well. Monroe’s singing had a tendency to be overshadowed by dress-lifting gusts of wind and the flirtatious “Happy Birthday, Mr. President,” not to mentions her movies and marriage to Joe DiMaggio. But years prior to the Mocambo phone call, Monroe was studying the recordings of Ella.

In fact, it was rumored that a vocal coach of Monroe instructed her to purchase Fitzgerald’s recordings of Gershwin music, and listen to it 100 times in a row.

Continued study of Ella actually turned Marilyn into a relatively solid singer for about a decade, but again became overlooked as her famous birthday tribute song to JFK in 1962 ends up being the vocal performance that is widely remembered.

Source: How Marilyn Monroe changed Ella Fitzgerald’s life – Groove Notes by KNKX

@hotvintagepoll

[casadabiqueira]

Charlie Parker, Norman Granz, Jam Session, LA

Esther Bubley, 1952

[odk-2]

Harry Edison - Pussy Willow (1958) Harry Edison from: "The Swinger" (LP) "The Swinger: 1958 Archive" (2009 CD Reissue)

Jazz

JukeHostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

Personnel: Harry 'Sweets' Edison: Trumpet Jimmy Forrest: Tenor Saxophone Jimmy Jones: Piano Freddie Green: Guitar Joe Benjamin: Bass Charlie Persip: Drums

Produced by Norman Granz

Recorded: @ The Nola Recording Studios in New York City, New York USA on September 18, 1958

Album Released: 1959

Verve Records

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Art Tatum :: Tenderly

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Song of the Day - “Tenderly”

70 years ago today, December 29th, 1953, the brilliant piano man Art Tatum had an impressive recording session.

Tatum, who was universally seen as a genius pianist, never seemed to have a successful career commercially. He always worked, and is cited by most every other piano player of the era as being a teacher and an inspiration. But he just never had a career commensurate with that stature.

Tatum also had a terribly unhealthy lifestyle, drinking vast quantities of beer while only exercising enough to get himself from one club to the next. By 1953, Tatum’s kidneys had started to fail.

But the smart impresario producer Norman Granz decided to do right by Tatum, by at least immortalizing him forever on record. He signed Tatum to one of his labels, Clef Records, and on December 29th, 1953, booked Tatum a studio, open-endedly, put a few cases of Pabst on ice, and told Tatum he wanted to record his entire repertoire… or really just whatever the heck Tatum felt like putting down. Tatum obliged with recording an astonishing sixty-nine acceptable tracks - by midday.

One of the tracks was this one, “Tenderly”, which was composed as a waltz by Water Gross, a pianist and a conductor at CBS Radio in the 30s and 40s. Years later, the lyricist Jack Lawrence added the lyrics. But Gross always said the song was meant as “pianistic” and that Tatum’s performance of it was/is the ultimate interpretation ever.

This is classic Art Tatum, who really may indeed “own” “Tenderly”…

The album Granz made out of this day of tracks recorded, was titled “Tenderly”… and the whole album is sublime, all standards… each one outdoing the last… On the other tracks, Granz added in sidefolk - some drums and bass… But “Tenderly” needed none…

[Thanks to Mary Elaine LeBey]

[blackfolksintime]

Jammin' the Blues is a 1944 American short film made by Gjon Mili and Norman Granz in which a number of prominent jazz musicians re-create the jam-session atmosphere of nightclubs and after-hours spots. It features Lester Young, Red Callender, Harry Edison, Marlowe Morris, Sid Catlett, Barney Kessel, Jo Jones, John Simmons, Illinois Jacquet, Marie Bryant and Archie Savage. (part 2)

[jazzandother-blog]

Bootleg of John Coltrane 4tet + Eric Dolphy in Copenhagen 1961

(English / Español)

Without a doubt, saxophonist John Coltrane's band after he left trumpeter Miles Davis in 1960 is one of the defining groups of jazz, and for the year or so during which multi- instrumentalist Eric Dolphy joined Coltrane on reeds, the band became a phrenic and frenetic powerhouse that shook jazz to its core. Between Dolphy's piercingly distinct sound and Coltrane's newly developed interest in Eastern modalities, as well as the driving force of one of the all-time great rhythm sections—pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and bassists Jimmy Garrison or Reggie Workman—this was a band to reckon with.

Recorded on November 20, 1961, mere weeks after the legendary Village Vanguard sessions that got critics' dander up, this album finds the quintet at the Falkonercenter in Copenhagen, playing the first part of a sold-out two act bill (the second act was trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's band: what a concert!). Here, Workman is still holding down the bass chair, though Jimmy Garrison had likely won himself the spot for future iterations of the Coltrane band with his performance on "Chasin' The Trane" back in New York. Previously made available on vinyl, but only just released in a complete CD form with announcements by presenter Norman Granz, this is a must-have for Coltrane or Dolphy completists.

The album boasts two curiosities that distinguish it from all the other Coltrane recordings available in the marketplace. The first, a pair of rare false starts on "My Favorite Things," prompting an apology from the ever mild-mannered Coltrane to the audience, will likely only interest the true die-hard fan. But a version of Victor Young's beautiful "Delilah," purported to be the only version of the song that Coltrane or Dolphy ever recorded, is a deluxe addition to any fan's collection.

Without a doubt, this would have been an astonishing performance to witness. While Coltrane, Dolphy and McCoy are fantastic as always, part of the pleasure of hearing this band is in the seemingly telepathic give and take between all players. Hearing Coltrane's fire with only hints of the sparks that Elvin Jones is lighting behind him isn't the complete experience. That being said, it's still a lot better than most of what's out there.

Tracks: Announcement by Norman Granz; Delilah; Every Time We Say Goodbye; Impressions; Naima; My Favorite Things (false starts); Announcement by John Coltrane; My Favorite Things.

Personnel: John Coltrane: tenor and soprano saxophones; Eric Dolphy: alto saxophone, flute, bass clarinet; McCoy Tyner: piano; Reggie Workman: bass; Elvin Jones: drums.

Extract text from: allaboutjazz.com / By Warren Allen

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Sin lugar a dudas, la banda del saxofonista John Coltrane tras su marcha del trompetista Miles Davis en 1960 es uno de los grupos que definen el jazz, y durante el año en que el multiinstrumentista Eric Dolphy se unió a Coltrane en las cañas, la banda se convirtió en una potencia frenética que sacudió el jazz hasta sus cimientos. Entre el sonido penetrantemente distintivo de Dolphy y el nuevo interés de Coltrane por las modalidades orientales, así como la fuerza motriz de una de las mejores secciones rítmicas de todos los tiempos -el pianista McCoy Tyner, el batería Elvin Jones y los bajistas Jimmy Garrison o Reggie Workman-, ésta era una banda a tener en cuenta.

Grabado el 20 de noviembre de 1961, pocas semanas después de las legendarias sesiones del Village Vanguard que levantaron la polvareda de la crítica, este álbum presenta al quinteto en el Falkonercenter de Copenhague, tocando la primera parte de un programa de dos actos con las entradas agotadas (el segundo acto fue la banda del trompetista Dizzy Gillespie: ¡menudo concierto!). Aquí, Workman sigue ocupando la silla del bajo, aunque Jimmy Garrison probablemente se había ganado el puesto para futuras iteraciones de la banda de Coltrane con su actuación en "Chasin' The Trane" en Nueva York. Anteriormente disponible en vinilo, pero recién editado en CD completo con anuncios del presentador Norman Granz, es un disco imprescindible para los completistas de Coltrane o Dolphy.

El álbum cuenta con dos curiosidades que lo distinguen de todas las demás grabaciones de Coltrane disponibles en el mercado. La primera, un par de raras salidas en falso en "My Favorite Things", que provocaron una disculpa del siempre apacible Coltrane al público, probablemente sólo interesará a los verdaderos fans acérrimos. Pero una versión de la hermosa "Delilah" de Victor Young, que se supone que es la única versión de la canción que Coltrane o Dolphy grabaron jamás, es una adición de lujo a la colección de cualquier fan.

Sin duda, habría sido una actuación asombrosa. Aunque Coltrane, Dolphy y McCoy están fantásticos como siempre, parte del placer de escuchar a esta banda está en el toma y daca aparentemente telepático entre todos los músicos. Escuchar el fuego de Coltrane con sólo indicios de las chispas que Elvin Jones enciende tras él no es la experiencia completa. Dicho esto, sigue siendo mucho mejor que la mayoría de lo que hay en el mercado.

[projazznet]

Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra 1951-1952

Between January 1951 and August 1955, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges took an extended vacation from Duke Ellington and led his own ensembles in a remarkably fruitful series of recording sessions produced by Norman Granz. Volume three in the Classics Johnny Hodges chronology opens with four outstanding tracks cut on February 28, 1951. Since Hodges was still drawing a salary from Ellington during the session that took place on January 15, these are the first recordings he made as an independent artist after severing the professional umbilicus that had tethered him to Duke’s orchestra since the late ’20s. Johnny Hodges was one of Ellington’s cardinal voices, and musically, they more or less grew up together; even when technically separated, both men continued to make music that reflected a glowing spectrum of shared sensibilities. Most of the Hodges/Granz bands were peppered with Ellingtonians, and several are in evidence here; trombonist Lawrence Brown, drummer Sonny Greer, Billy Strayhorn sitting in at the piano on “Globe Trotter” and tenor man Al Sears serving as “musical director” and booking agent. The session of March 3, 1951 opened with “Castle Rock,” Searsy’s gutsy self-portrait in R&B that made it onto entertainment industry charts and into jukeboxes for a little while as a “hit.” The rest of these recordings were fated to exist as they do today — as excellent music suspended in an amorphous category stamped with the word “jazz”; marginalized by a mainstream pop culture obsessed with star vocalists, specious spectacle and anything pasted over with the meaningless word “new.” These recordings made by a series of septets under the leadership of Johnny Hodges in New York and San Francisco during 1951 and 1952, feature (in addition to the artists already mentioned) such able practitioners as trumpeter Emmett Berry, saxophonist Flip Phillips, bassist Red Callender, drummer J.C. Heard and Ellington vocalist Al Hibbler — and these timeless performances still await wider recognition. (arwulf arwulf/AllMUsic).

[jazzdailyblog]

Hank Jones: A Lifetime of Jazz Excellence

Introduction: Hank Jones, born one hundred and six years ago today on July 31, 1918, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, was a prolific American jazz pianist and bandleader whose career spanned over seven decades. Known for his elegant playing style, impeccable technique, and versatility, Jones left an indelible mark on the world of jazz. This blog post delves into his life, career, and legacy,…