Jazz Ballads and Blues

A new issue of middle-of-the-road jazz uses the name of a celebrated series of 1950s jazz concerts for part of its title ("Jazz At The Philharmonic 1983", Pablo 2310 882) but is really rather tame stuff. It is a studio session involving Harry Edison (trumpet), Al Grey (trombone) and "Lockjaw" Davis (tenor saxophone) with an impeccable house rhythm section in a programme of slow and medium swingers (I may be wrong, Smoke gets in your eyes, etc.), all nicely played and pleasantly inventive but altogether too sedate. The old JATP sessions had their downs and their ups, yet rarely lacked excitement; on this release only the occasional convoluted phrase from Lockjaw recalls the rough adventurousness of the LP's predecessors. Worth hearing, though, for the consummate musicianship of the principals. I tend to like a rough edge to my jazz, which is perhaps why I find "Count Basie: Kansas City 6" (Pablo 2310 871) more rewarding. It echoes Basie's famous K.C.6 of 1944 but has, as well as Basie himself, Wille Cook (trumpet), "Cleanhead" Vinson (alto saxophone and occasional vocals), Niels Orsted- Pedersen (bass), Joe Pass (guitar) and Louis Bell- son (drums)—a marvellous rhythm section. Who is Willie Cook you ask? He is a very good trumpeter in the Roy Eldridge/Emmett Berry ballpark, who had a brief flash of glory with Duke Ellington in the 1950s and then all but vanished from the scene (although he played with Basie not so long ago and did a brief tour of the UK last year). Anyway, Cook and Vinson (who is not always the most inspiring of jazz alto players) rise above themselves, sparked no doubt by the delightful beat in the background. With one curious exception—a 32-bar called Blues for Little Jazz—all the numbers are blues (apparently this was Basie's wish) but the rhythmic and melodic variety within this framework are impressive: hear the blues swing on Scooter and realize that the same harmonies underlie the almost dreamy re-working of St Louis blues by guitar and piano. It takes genuine masters to say something new on so old a theme.

JOHN POSTGATE.