Jack Cole Quintet - Macy's (single)

Macy's, a rockin' sax-organ combo piece by the Jack Cole Quintet, sounds very much like Plas Johnson's singles for Capitol in the 1950s. You can also hear the influence of Earl Bostic's fine sides for King.

It's not surprising that Cole (I'm assuming he's the sax player) sounds very much like Johnson. On the "A" side of this single is a cover of Sax Fifth Avenue, which Johnson took into the charts, using the pseudonym Johnny Beecher, in the spring of 1963. Both versions were released around the same time.

Sax Fifth Avenue and Macy's appear to have been the only two sides recorded by the Jack Cole Quintet.

Macy's



Neither side of this single has appeared in a digital format.

Stanley Turrentine - The Sugar Man

The Sugar Man was the last of five albums that tenor sax great Stanley Turrentine (1934-2000) released on Creed Taylor's fusion-oriented CTI label after his long tenure with Blue Note. Although the LP came out in 1975 all of the tracks had been recorded four years earlier.

Three of the five selections feature Turrentine in front of a big band arranged by either Deodato or Chico O'Farrill. The other two are with a sextet in which guitarist Kenny Burrell plays a prominent role. The Stretch is one of the small group tracks.

The Stretch



Although the bulk of Turrentine's CTI output has been released on CD and is available via download, The Sugar Man has not appeared in either form, perhaps because of its somewhat grab-bag nature.

Gibraltar comes from Sugar (1970) the sax man's first CTI album and has George Benson on guitar.

Sil Austin - Hey Eula (single)

Although the background of saxophonist Sil Austin (1929-2001) was in jazz he enjoyed most of his success in the R&B and pop fields. His big breaks came in the jazz bands of Roy Eldridge and Cootie Williams. In 1953 Austin moved into R&B when he joined Tiny Bradshaw's band.

The saxophonist signed with Mercury Records in 1956 just as rock 'n' roll was hitting its stride and enjoyed a Top 20 record with Slow Walk. It was to be his only significant pop hit, although he continued to record for Mercury for the next 12 years. Some of Austin's LPs sold well, with the most popular proving to be Sil Austin Plays Pretty for the People (1959), where he was backed by a string orchestra.

He made some easy listening albums for SSS International in Nashville in the late 1960s and early '70s, but there was only the odd recording session after that.

(For a first-rate personal reminiscence about Sil Austin go to The Funk Show website.)

Among the many Mercury singles that followed the success of Slow Walk was Hey! Eula (flip side: Rainstorm), which came out in 1958. This stompin' piece of R&B sax and guitar has a rather odd source. The tune was written by Alex North for the soundtrack of The Long Hot Summer, the 1958 Martin Ritt film that starred Paul Newman, Orson Welles and Joanne Woodward. The version on the soundtrack, played by the 20th Century Fox Orchestra, is much more jazzy. Below are both recordings.

Hey! Eula (Sil Austin)



Hey! Eula (soundtrack)



None of Sil Austin's fine recordings for Mercury seem to be available on CD at a reasonable price. All that's on offer are several expensive imports. Best bet to sample some of his Mercury tracks is the download version of the compilation Swingsation, available from Amazon and elsewhere.

The CD compilations Great Sax and Sentimental Sax provide a sampling of his later recordings for SSS, but there is some duplication of tracks. Used copies are reasonably priced.

Birthday Party, which made the R&B chart in 1957, was the followup to Austin's hit Slow Walk.

Billy Vaughn - Theme from The Sundowers

Although Billy Vaughn (1919-1991) recorded with large string orchestras at the beginning of his long stint with the Dot label, it wasn't until he developed his "twin-sax" sound around 1956 that his albums began to sell in big numbers. Titles like Sail Along Silv'ry Moon, Billy Vaughn Plays, Blue Hawaii and Golden Saxophones stayed on the charts for months.

Vaughn was often pictured on the LP covers holding a saxophone (or two). But he never actually played on the albums. The twin-sax leads were double tracked by Justin Gordon, who, like the rest of the Vaughn orchestra, received no credit at the time.

Theme from The Sundowners (1960) came in the middle of Vaughn's classic twin-sax period and followed the usual formula of covering recent movie and TV themes and pop songs. But this LP marked a return to the use of strings on many of the tracks, a fact that was pointed out by the sparse and banal cover notes.

The leadoff track was Theme from The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, a well-received 1960 dramatic film that garnered a supporting actress Oscar nomination for Shirley Knight. The movie also starred Dorothy McGuire and Robert Preston. The music was by Max Steiner.

Theme from The Dark at the Top of the Stairs



Theme from The Sundowners was combined with another Billy Vaughn LP from 1960 on a two-on-one CD by the Collectables label in 2006. It is, of course, out of print and commanding the usual ridiculous prices on eBay and Amazon.

The Sundowners is also available as a download from all the major sources, but the quality is likely to be substandard. A slightly better choice would probably be the four-CD set Billy Vaughn, Vol. 2 from the Real Gone Jazz label, which specializes in releases that are out of copyright in Europe. Quality of this company's releases varies, depending largely on the source material, but the price is right. You shouldn't pay more than $10-12 for this set that includes the contents of The Sundowners and seven other Vaughn LPs. A lot of dealers have it, including this one.

Here's the title song of The Sundowners album.

Johnny Beecher - Jack Sax the City (single)

Johnny Beecher was a pseudonym that tenor saxophonist Plas Johnson used to record two albums for the Charter label in 1963. Johnson was under contract to Capitol at the time.

The title single of the first LP, Sax Fifth Ave., was a minor hit, garnering a fair amount of airplay. It originally came out on the Hollywood-based Omega label before Warner Brothers picked it up for national distribution. I believe Omega and Charter were part of the same company, but for some reason the Charter LPs were distributed in the U.S. by MGM.

The Sax Fifth Ave. single had a "B" side, Jack Sax the City, that didn't appear on either of the albums. Perhaps this stomping piece of crime jazz didn't fit the more laid back vibe of the long-players.

Jack Sax the City



The personnel on the Sax Fifth Ave. LP included organist Bert Kendrix (misspelled as Kendricks on the single but spelled correctly on the LP), Emil Richards on vibes, bassist Jimmy Bond and either Earl Palmer or Wayne Robinson on drums. All were veterans of Los Angeles recording studios.

Both Charter LPs -- the second was On the Scene -- were combined on a 2004 CD from Blue Moon Jazz, an imprint of the Spain-based Fresh Sound Records, and issued under Mr. Beecher's real name. The Warm Sound of Plas Johnson, Tenor Sax, Vol. 1: Midnight Blues can be ordered direct from the company. The single's "B" side, available above, is not on the CD.

Here's the one Johnny Beecher hit. The label shown is the original release before Warner Brothers picked it up.

Bud Shank - California Dreamin'

Alto saxophonist and flutist Bud Shank (1926-2009) helped define the "cool jazz" sound that developed on the U.S. West Coast in the 1950s. Later he was the among the musicians who introduced North American audiences to Brazilian music.

But a series of albums Shank recorded for World Pacific in the 1960s had little to with jazz and everything to do with appealing to a pop audience and garnering radio airplay. That's not to say these were bad albums -- they weren't.

But with titles like Michelle, Girl in Love, A Spoonful of Jazz and Magical Mystery listeners knew exactly what to expect -- jazz-flavored easy listening versions of current pop hits. Tracks from these LPs turned up regularly on the playlists of radio stations that featured what was then known as "good" or "beautiful music" -- in other words easy listening with a heavy emphasis on instrumentals. Jazz stations also played these albums, but mainly in the daytime.

Shank's cycle of pop-oriented albums began with California Dreamin' (1966). Interestingly he had played a flute solo on the Mamas and Papas original recording in 1965, but here Shank sticks mainly to alto although there is a brief flute interlude. Trumpeter Chet Baker contributes a few licks as well.

California Dreamin'



Shank's California Dreamin' album has appeared on CD only on a Japanese import, which goes for anywhere from $23 to $40. It's also not available as a legal download in North America though a version does appear on iTunes in the U.K. I can almost guarantee that the releasing company didn't have access to the World Pacific master recordings, so proceed with caution.

Used vinyl copies of California Dreamin' have appeared recently online for a s little as $5. And if you live near a good used record store (or two) check them out as well. You shouldn't have to pay more than the aforementioned five bucks -- and perhaps even less.

Here's another cut from Bud Shank's California Dreamin'.

The Kingpins - In the Pocket (45 single)

This 1967 single has saxophonist King Curtis recording under the name of his band, the Kingpins. In the Pocket is the "B" side of yet another cover of Ode to Billie Joe, which actually was a moderate hit for Curtis under the Kingpins name. Apparently some pressings of the single give Curtis top billing, probably after Ode to Billie Joe got a fair amount of airplay.

In the Pocket was one of the few originals recorded at a session on Aug. 24, 1967, at American Studios in Memphis. It's a real "B" side gem. Listen to the MP3 taken from the original Atco single.

In the Pocket



In the Pocket has turned up on several King Curtis compilations and re-releases in the digital age, both on CD and as a download. On CD the one to go for is Instant Soul: The Legendary King Curtis from the well-regarded Razor & Tie label. You can get a used copy on Amazon for about $11.

The "A side of the single sounds like this.

Hank Crawford - Double Cross

Saxophonist Hank Crawford is firmly in the soul jazz camp for Double Cross (Atlantic, 1968), which is not surprising since it was released at the height of popularity of saxophone and/or organ led combos.

Crawford's alto takes the vast majority of the solo space, although tenor heavyweight David (Fathead) Newman is along to provide support as are trumpeters Joe Newman and Melvin Lastie. Guitarist Carl Lynch works in quite a few licks as well.

What better track to choose as a single than the Quincy Jones-penned theme for In the Heat of the Night, one of the biggest movie hits of 1967 and winner of five Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor (Rod Steiger).

The single, at 2:13, is about half the length of the LP track. But unlike a lot of jazz singles this one isn't merely faded out when convenient. It has actually been edited into a reasonably coherent track by cutting some of Crawford's solo. The 45 likely was designed mainly for DJ and jukebox use as I can't see many jazz fans opting for a single over the album. If you like what you hear you'll probably want the full version.

Note for trivia buffs: The piano fills on In the Heat of the Night are by Brother Jack McDuff, who's usually heard on organ.

In the Heat of the Night (45 edit)



Double Cross received a first-rate CD release in 2001, a two-on-one issue on the Collectables label that pairs it with an earlier Crawford album on Atlantic, True Blue. It's available directly from the company at Oldies.com, at a very reasonable price.

Double Cross is also available from most of the major sources as a download issued by Rhino/Atlantic.

Wrapping it up, here's another tune from the album, also taken from a 45 apparently.

Sonny Stitt - Deuces Wild

Sonny Stitt's 1967 Atlantic LP Deuces Wild found him in the familiar company of organist Don Patterson and drummer Billy James.

For the most part this is a typical tenor sax/organ date, but the participation of alto saxophonist Robin Kenyatta on the two original tunes he contributed takes the album into hard bop territory. There's also one track with Rufus Harley on bagpipes, definitely an acquired taste.

Although this album is billed as "Introducing Robin Kenyatta" this may not be his first recorded work. His discography lists earlier appearances on Atlantic LPs by pianist Valerie Capers and trombonist Roswell Rudd.

One of the Kenyatta originals on Deuces Wild is In the Bag, which was paired with the title tune on a promotional single for jazz DJs. Both tunes were severely shortened from the album versions.

Here's the version of In the Bag from the single.



Deuces Wild was released on CD in 2001 by Collectables Jazz Classics. It's still in print and available from Oldies.com at a reasonable price. The album is also easily obtained as a download from many sources.

From YouTube here's the title tune from Deuces Wild.

Tommy Wills - Funky Sax (45 single)

Saxophonist Tommy Wills had been recording in the Cincinnati area as far back as 1955. Think Ace Cannon and Boots Randolph and you'll have a pretty good idea of Wills's sound.

Wills always recorded on his own labels, beginning with Club Miami (the night spot in Hamilton, Ohio, where the sax man first gained notice), Big Bang and Terry in the 1950s. The records themselves were pressed by other companies, usually in Cincinnati. In the '60s and '70s Wills formed at least five other labels, including Airtown, which started around 1965 in Dayton, Ohio, and later moved to Richmond, Ind., still within easy driving distance of Cincinnati.

Funky Sax, a Wills original, graced the "B" side of a single that came out in 1967 or '68. The "A" side, billed as a tribute to Ray Charles, was a medley of Born to Lose and I Can't Stop Loving You, two songs that were on Charles's groundbreaking 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.

For my money, however, Funky Sax is the tune to listen to.

Funky Sax



As late as 2010 Wills -- who was well into his 80s -- was still performing the occasional gig in the Indianapolis area.

Here's a sampling of the ballad style of Tommy Wills. I'm not certain of the date of this recording.

Hank Mobley - Goin' Out of My Head (single)

This 45 was issued by Blue Note in 1968 to promote Hank Mobley's LP Reach Out. The album was the bop saxophonist's not altogether successful attempt to court a wider audience by covering a couple of R&B and pop tunes.

The LP took its name from a cover of the Four Tops hit Reach Out, I'll Be There, which was the "A" side of the Goin' Out of My Head single.

The two tracks on the single have been drastically shortened from the album cuts, so if jazz takes on R&B hits are your thing, buy the album, which is easily obtainable either on CD or via download. In the meantime, here's the shortened 45 version of Goin' Out of My Head.

Goin' Out of My Head



Although Reach Out was somewhat of a misfire musically, it's not the disaster painted by many jazz critics and others who view themselves as jazz purists. They would do well to remember that jazz was once popular music and to have a musician such as Mobley attempt to regain the genre's wider audience is no sin.

Finally, here's the full LP version of Reach Out, I'll Be There.

Sonny Stitt - Gimme, Gimme Good Lovin' (single)

Sonny Stitt has earned half a dozen posts so far -- and here's another one. Scroll down to the search box on the right hand side if you're interested in reading more about and listening to more of Stitt.

It's not that the saxophonist is a particular favorite. It's just that I happened to pick up a bunch of his 45s a number of years ago that I'm now revisiting.

This record isn't the jazz side of Sonny Stitt. This is a musician looking for some pop/R&B airplay by covering hits of the mid to late 1960s. Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' was a 1968 hit for Crazy Elephant while the flip side of the 45 was a version of Mendocino, which the Sir Douglas Quintet had placed on the charts in 1969. Both tracks come for Stitt's LP Come Hither (1969), on which he plays the Varitone electric sax, accompanied by guitarist Billy Butler, organist Paul Griffin and Jerome Richardson on sax and flute.

Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'



Come Hither has not received a CD or legal download release, so it's down to searching the vinyl bins if this album appeals to you.

R. Frechette - Sexy Sax

What can I tell you about R. Frechette? Not much, except that his first name was Roger, he played sax and was from Quebec. Perhaps the name is a pseudonym.

In any case there were half a dozen albums credited to R. or Roger Frechette in the 1960s and '70s. Among them were three volumes of Sexy Sax, all with cheesecake covers, issued by Franco FD Inc., a Montreal company. The first volume is pictured above. Some of the tracks had been issued earlier on LPs on the Trans-Canada Royal label.

The packaging of the LPs, and the music therein, were obviously aimed at the people who bought the seemingly never-ending series of albums by Italian saxophonists Fausto Papetti and Gil Ventura, which were quite popular in Canada, particularly in Quebec.

All that aside there's some great light jazz on the first Sexy Sax LP. Martha features some interesting guitar work and solos from both the sax and trumpet. None of the musicians are credited.

Martha



None of the Frechette tracks appear to have made it into a digital format although it's possible they may have been repackaged under another name.

Merlin & His Trio - The Swinging Hi-Fi Organ

You're probably looking at this and thinking ... Hmmm ... Is this something I really want to hear?

Don't be put off by the geeky looking cover or the wimpy title. Inside is a wonderful LP of down-to-earth organ and sax R&B grooves courtesy of Merlin and His Trio, whoever they might have been. I believe this came out in 1959 or 1960 and was probably recorded several years earlier.

Think Wild Bill Davis or Bill Doggett and you'll have a pretty good idea of what you'll hear. To whet your appetite check out the sample track.

Bluer Than Blue



The Swinging Hi-Fi Organ was issued on the bargain basement Bravo! label, put out by Pickwick Sales, a company that was originally headquartered in Freeport, Long Island, N.Y. Many of the Bravo releases -- there were about 60 of them -- were reissued several years later on Grand Prix, another Pickwick imprint, with the same catalogue numbers and identical front covers. Some of these albums, on both labels, were in mono only.

The Swinging Hi-Fi Organ still turns up in thrift stores, so grab it if you see it. However, there are several other LPs sporting the Merlin name that, unless you're a fan of roller-rink style organ music, you can safely ignore.

Sonny Stitt & Bennie Green - Flame and Frost (45 single)

This record was distributed to DJs and jukeboxes in 1964 to promote My Main Man, an LP by saxophonist Sonny Stitt and trombonist Bennie Green. The album's title song was on the flip side of the single. Both tracks were shortened for the single release, as was usually the case at the time.

Rounding out the personnel on this album were Bobby Buster on organ, guitarist Joe Diorio and drummer Dorel Anderson. Here's the single version of Flame and Frost.

Flame and Frost



In 2005 My Main Man was combined on CD with Soul in the Night, a 1966 album Stitt made with fellow saxophonist Bunky Green (no relation to Bennie). The European label Gambit issued the disc under the title Stitt Goes Green and it's available directly from the company or via the Amazon Marketplace and other online merchants.

You can also get My Main Man as a download from Amazon and elsewhere.

From YouTube comes a track from the Stitt-Bunky Green collaboration. Thanks to Groove Addict for originally posting this.

Earl Bostic - Exercise (single)

Alto saxophonist Earl Bostic (1913-1965) was an acknowledged technical master of his instrument, but he remains unappreciated by many jazz purists who only know him for his rhythm-and-blues hits of the late 1940s and early '50s, including the chart-topping Flamingo in 1951.

Yet Bostic's rough tone is often cited as a major influence on John Coltrane, who told Downbeat magazine in 1960 that Bostic "showed me a lot of things on my horn."

Although Bostic made some jazz recordings early in his career it wasn't until he switched to his R&B style of a simple melody backed by a strong beat that he found major commercial success. He recorded prolifically for King Records through the 1950s.

Exercise, a strong R&B tune, was on the flip side of his 1957 single She's Funny That Way. The MP3 is taken from the 45 and has a bit of distortion due to vinyl wear and tear.

Exercise



The first appearance of Exercise on an album came in 1958 on the LP Invitation to Dance with Bostic.

Since the majority of the saxophonist's King recordings have been released on CD and/or as downloads a quick search should lead you to Exercise and any other Bostic tracks that might strike your fancy.

Here's the Bostic tune most people recognize.

Sonny Stitt - Soul Girl (2nd post)

This is the second go-round on the blog for this 1973 Sonny Stitt LP that mixed soul-tinged numbers with straight ahead jazz tunes. For more on Soul Girl read the earlier blog entry.

Jeep Blues is one of the straight ahead selections, with the MP3 taken from a cassette version of the album. Listen and/or download from the links below.

Jeep Blues



Here's Sonny Stitt from his 1956 Verve LP New York Jazz with a masterful interpretation of Body and Soul.

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Lock the Fox

Tough-toned tenor saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis spent several periods with the Count Basie Orchestra, including 1964-1973. He continued to record under his own name during this time, including several releases for RCA Victor. Lock the Fox, a small group effort, came out in 1966 and was followed in '67 by The Fox and the Hounds, a big band recording.

On Lock the Fox, Davis is accompanied by guitarist Les Spann, pianist Russ Tompkins, Ray Barretto on conga, bassist Russell George and drummer Chuck Lampkin. All of the tunes are relatively short (designed for radio airplay presumably) and dominated by Davis. Although the version of Henry Mancini's Days of Wine and Roses ran only 3:21 on the LP, incredibly the tune was shortened by a further 25 seconds when it was issued on a 45 (backed with Speak Low) for DJ use.

To give you a taste of what's on the album the 45 edit is available from the link below.

Days of Wine and Roses

Lock the Fox has been issued at least twice on CD -- as a standalone disc from the high-quality Spanish label Fresh Sound and as a two-on-one package with The Fox and the Hounds from the U.S. Collectables label. The latter disc can be had quite cheaply from several sources.

To close here's Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with the Count Basie orchestra from a concert in Berlin in 1968.

Art Blakey, Dr. John & David (Fathead) Newman - Bluesiana Triangle

The primarily New Age label Windham Hill brought together Dr. John, David (Fathead) Newman and Art Blakey in 1990 for a blues-based session that was dubbed Bluesiana Triangle. Bluesiana II appeared the following year (Blakey died before that session took place) and that was the extent of the collaboration.

On the debut disc, there's plenty of Dr. John's boogie-woogie piano and raspy vocals, some soulful sax and flute from Newman and the whole thing being driven by Blakey's drums. The opening track is a fine instrumental jam on Newman's Heads Up. Get it below. The MP3 is from a cassette version of the album.

Heads Up

Neither Bluesiana CD remains in print, although used copies are plentiful (and reasonably priced) in the Amazon Marketplace. The albums aren't available as legal downloads.

Via YouTube, here's another sampling of Bluesiana Triangle.

Lou Donaldson - Light Foot

If you want a copy of this 1958 Lou Donaldson album on CD be prepared to fork out upwards of $40 for the Japanese import -- and that's for a used copy! Vinyl prices are into the stratosphere and Light Foot doesn't appear to be available as an album download (at least in North America), although all of the tracks are included in the CD box set and download compilation The Complete Blue Note Lou Donaldson Sessions 1957-60.

Light Foot was the followup to Blues Walk, considered by many to be his best album. For more on Blues Walk read this previous post.

With Light Foot the blues elements that surfaced on Blues Walk became more pronounced. Most of the tempos seemed slowed down and the solos more mellow. Take for instance the track Day Dreams, which you can access below.

Somehow Blue Note squeezed all five minutes of the album track on the "B" side of a DJ single (Hog Maw was on the "A" side) and it's from the 45 that the MP3 is taken.

Day Dreams

From YouTube here's another track from Light Foot. It was most likely sourced from a CD, judging by the excellent sound quality.