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Three Rare Chicago Jazz Recordings
Three Rare Chicago Jazz Recordings
Date Posted: November 02 2011
Written By: Randy Freedman
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The dictionary offers several definitions for the word rare, including “unusual,” “uncommon,” “thinly distributed over an area,” “unusually great,” and “unusually excellent.” Here are three jazz recordings––all having Chicago links––that truly cover the various definitions of rare and would make a fine addition to the collection of any jazz fan that does not already own them.
The London House Sessions––The Oscar Peterson Trio (Verve)––was recorded live in Chicago from July 11 to August 8, 1961, during their engagement at the London House, and combines previously released tracks from other albums with twenty-two tracks un-issued at the time of this album’s release. Covering nearly 10 hours, the album was originally released as a four LP set and reissued in 1996 as a five-disc CD set, and is currently out of print. Peterson, who was known to be a harsh self-critic considered The London House Sessions to be among his finest recorded work.
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson is one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. His 60-plus year career produced over 200 recordings, seven Grammy awards and thousands of live concerts worldwide. Duke Ellington named him the “Maharaja of the Keyboard.” The other members of the trio (legends in their own right) are bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen. The ensemble had been together for about two years at the time of this recording.
Highlights include––but on a set like this cannot possibly be limited to––the quietly evocative “Sophisticated Lady” (Ellington), Peterson’s own “The Lonesome One,” with outstanding bow and brush work respectively from Brown and Thigpen, a surprisingly bluesy “Sometimes I’m Happy” (Youthans-Caesar), the bebop classic “Scrapple From The Apple” (Parker) and “Thags’ Dance,” a Peterson-written showcase for the considerable talents of Thigpen.
Four Sides Of Love––Danny Long (double LP 1973; double CD––reissued by Riverman, Korea 2011) came very highly recommended to me by the talented Chicago pianist Brian O’Hern. While I had met, heard, written about, and been highly impressed by former Chicago and now Phoenix vocalist/pianist Danny Long during a brief Chicago appearance in 2010, I was totally unaware of this recording and for good reason––it had been long out of print until a Korean label reissued it just this year.
Long’s vocals offer the total package of versatility, whether crooning a ballad or injecting some old-school Rat Pack-like cool into a song he is swinging––it is easy to inadvertently overlook his great piano play. But while sitting on my front porch listening to this disc for the first time with headphones, on the instrumental “Nica’s Dream” (Silver) I was so entranced by Long and the rest of his trio (Chicago veterans, bassist Nick Schneider and drummer Rusty Jones), that I unconsciously yelled “Wow!” to no one in particular at the song’s end, drawing an “I always knew he was crazy” look from my next-door neighbor.
Other highlights include the breezy pair of “Ain’t Misbehavin’/Honeysuckle Rose” (Waller), a “Porgy and Bess Medley” (G. and I. Gershwin), including the difficult to sing “Summertime” that Long makes seem easy, the sad and touching “Guess Who I Saw Today” (Grand and Boyd) and my personal favorite, “Four” (Davis-Hendricks).
High Standards––Nicole Kestler (2003 CD––Skyscraper Souls Records)––is a vehicle for the under publicized, yet highly talented and appealing vocalist Kestler. On it, she shows off her impressive musical skills (not only as vocalist but as arranger as well) alongside some of Chicago’s best musicians starting with the late iconic violinist Johnny Frigo, guitarist Alfonso Ponticelli, guitarist Joel Patterson, pianist Brian O’Hern, Jon Novi on sax, flute and clarinet, bassist Lou Marini and drummer Joe Adamik.
Kestler has chosen songs wisely here, with heavy doses of Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer, both of whom she obviously possesses a true affinity for. Instinctively, Kestler allows these choices to flatter her while she is flattering them with interpretations that sound and feel correct and natural. Often described (quite correctly) as sultry and sexy, Kestler’s vocals can give you all of that and yet still evoke a sense of optimistic youth.
Highlights include Kestler’s haunting arrangement of “Charade” (Mancini-Mercer), with Kestler getting terrific mood-setting support from O’Hern and Ponticelli, a big band-like effect on “Let Yourself Go” (Berlin), the saucy violin of Frigo on “San Fernando Valley” (Jenkins) and perhaps Kestler’s defining moments on “Skylark” and “How Little We Know” (Carmichael-Mercer).
Support local business in Chicago by searching for these discs first at your favorite music store. If that fails you can move on to Amazon and eBay for all three, and CDBaby for “High Standards”––or buy it directly from Nicole Kestler when you attend one of her live performances at venues like Katerina’s.
For more information contact: nicolekestler.com.
CJM
Chicago freelance writer Randy Freedman is a jazz connoisseur, photographer, food critic, humorist, and devoted music fan. He is a regular contributor to Chicago Jazz Magazine.
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