THAD JONES / MEL LEWIS ORCHESTRA - All My Yesterdays: The Debut 1966 Recordings at the Village Vanguard
Resonance HCD-2023 (2-CD + 87-page booklet)
Thad Jones (tp, flh, arr, con); Jimmy Nottingham, Snooky Young*, Jimmy Owens, Bill Berry, Danny Stiles** (tp);
Bob Brookmeyer* (v-tb); Garnett Brown, Jack Rains, Tom McIntosh** (tb); Cliff Heather (b-tb);
Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion (as, cl, f); Joe Farrell (ts, cl, f); Eddie Daniels (ts, cl);
Marv “Doc” Holliday*, Pepper Adams** (bar-s);
Hank Jones (p); Sam Herman (g, perc); Richard Davis (b); Mel Lewis (d).
Recorded on February 7, and March 21 1966.
The story behind this album is intriguing. George Klabin now the president of Resonance Records was 19 in 1966 when he was asked to record the first performance of the new Thad Jones Mel Lewis band at the Village Vanguard. He did. The tapes were meant to be sent to DJs to gain air time for the new band. They then disappeared into the vaults.
The band did not disappear and, though the band did not gain the fame of Basie or Ellington Herman or Kenton, it sculpted its own individual path: The music is indeed distinctive: relaxed, swinging, controlled dynamics and with major soloists. One glance at the personnel shows a roster of the cream of New York freelances most with experience of playing with big bands.
Thad Jones was from the gifted Jones family that produced drummer Elvin and pianist Hank who incidentally plays on the album. Jones worked with Count Basie for eight years and learnt a great deal about playing in and arranging for ig bands. Mel Lewis was already recognised as one of the most important drummers. He worked with the Stan Kenton in the mid 50s and drove the best band that Kenton ever had.
Hiding in the trombone section was Bob Brookmeyer with his valve trombone. Brookmeyer had worked with Gerry Mulligan where he supplied not just solos but many arrangements and compositions. He did the same for this band.
The recording, now fifty years old, is an extraordinary detailed, atmospheric recording that captures the joy and spontaneity. Everyone seems to enjoy the music. In “Once Around”, Mel Lewis drops out only to be replaced by fingers snapping, Bassist Richard
Davis carries on with the rhythm, and after a while the whole band returns. The dynamics, rather like Basie, means that the band can go from a whisper to a full throated roar within a few bars.
This is an extraordinary album. Extraordinary because of the music, the documentation, an eighty page book,and the lively recording, Above everything it is enjoyable. I have heard a number of albums by this band but nothing that captures the unique qualities in the way that the young Klabin did. This is not a band that changed the jazz world; it just did whatever it attempted superbly well. It is an album that will be slotted onto the CD drive frequently whenever you want to experience gifted musicians playing at their spirited best.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
Resonance HCD-2023 (2-CD + 87-page booklet)
Thad Jones (tp, flh, arr, con); Jimmy Nottingham, Snooky Young*, Jimmy Owens, Bill Berry, Danny Stiles** (tp);
Bob Brookmeyer* (v-tb); Garnett Brown, Jack Rains, Tom McIntosh** (tb); Cliff Heather (b-tb);
Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion (as, cl, f); Joe Farrell (ts, cl, f); Eddie Daniels (ts, cl);
Marv “Doc” Holliday*, Pepper Adams** (bar-s);
Hank Jones (p); Sam Herman (g, perc); Richard Davis (b); Mel Lewis (d).
Recorded on February 7, and March 21 1966.
The story behind this album is intriguing. George Klabin now the president of Resonance Records was 19 in 1966 when he was asked to record the first performance of the new Thad Jones Mel Lewis band at the Village Vanguard. He did. The tapes were meant to be sent to DJs to gain air time for the new band. They then disappeared into the vaults.
The band did not disappear and, though the band did not gain the fame of Basie or Ellington Herman or Kenton, it sculpted its own individual path: The music is indeed distinctive: relaxed, swinging, controlled dynamics and with major soloists. One glance at the personnel shows a roster of the cream of New York freelances most with experience of playing with big bands.
Thad Jones was from the gifted Jones family that produced drummer Elvin and pianist Hank who incidentally plays on the album. Jones worked with Count Basie for eight years and learnt a great deal about playing in and arranging for ig bands. Mel Lewis was already recognised as one of the most important drummers. He worked with the Stan Kenton in the mid 50s and drove the best band that Kenton ever had.
Hiding in the trombone section was Bob Brookmeyer with his valve trombone. Brookmeyer had worked with Gerry Mulligan where he supplied not just solos but many arrangements and compositions. He did the same for this band.
The recording, now fifty years old, is an extraordinary detailed, atmospheric recording that captures the joy and spontaneity. Everyone seems to enjoy the music. In “Once Around”, Mel Lewis drops out only to be replaced by fingers snapping, Bassist Richard
Davis carries on with the rhythm, and after a while the whole band returns. The dynamics, rather like Basie, means that the band can go from a whisper to a full throated roar within a few bars.
This is an extraordinary album. Extraordinary because of the music, the documentation, an eighty page book,and the lively recording, Above everything it is enjoyable. I have heard a number of albums by this band but nothing that captures the unique qualities in the way that the young Klabin did. This is not a band that changed the jazz world; it just did whatever it attempted superbly well. It is an album that will be slotted onto the CD drive frequently whenever you want to experience gifted musicians playing at their spirited best.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
