Lee Morgan : Take Twelve
When writing about Lee Morgan, reference is almost always given to the influence of Clifford Brown, especially in the fast runs, bright tone and rhythmic turns, and it’s certainly the case that of all the post-Brown trumpeters, Morgan is the closest in delivery and spirit.
On this album, which originally came out on Jazzland, was later issued on Original Jazz Classics and is here presented on vinyl, he plays with great assurance and imagination – attributes that are no doubt the result of playing under Art Blakey’s close direction in the Messengers. Although still only 24 at the time of this recording, Morgan had recorded extensively and was to continue further with numerous Blue Note albums.
The emphasis here is still firmly within hard bop, although more room is given by the presence of Louis Hayes in the drum seat, and it suits Morgan. The pick of the tracks includes Ragged Ann, a fast gallop which alternates with easy 4/4 blues sections, and Lee-sure Time, another minor blues on which saxophonist Clifford Jordan carefully chooses his notes, holding some to create a smooth effect. Morgan’s solo on this is quietly built and developed with smears and unexpected vibrato, before a series of exchanges between the two horn players.
A Waltz For Fran is played with great sensitivity, Jordan’s playing in particular showing a soft, economical elegance. Barry Harris takes his solos well, especially on Take Twelve and Second’s Best, and the inclusion of an extra take of the latter makes for an interesting comparison, as does the bonus track, I’m A Fool To Want You, in which Wynton Kelly replaces Harris and drums and bass are played by Blakey and Paul Chambers. Once again, Jordan impresses with his warm ballad style and Morgan’s vocalisation is created by an effective use of mute.
Discography
(1) Ragged Ann; A Waltz For Fran; Lee-sure Time; (2) Second’s Best (alt) (27.55) – (1) Little Spain; Take Twelve; Second’s Best; I’m A Fool To Want You (25.58)
Morgan (t); Clifford Jordan (ts) with (1) Barry Harris (p); Bob Cranshaw (b); Louis Hayes (d). (2) Wynton Kelly (p); Paul Chambers (b); Art Blakey (d). NYC, 24 January 1962.
Jazz Wax Records JWR4647LP
Michel Portal: Musiques De Cinémas
February of this year saw the death, at 90 years of age, of accomplished French multi-instrumentalist and composer Michel Portal. His studies at the Paris Conservatoire took him into classical and modern contemporary music but he soon veered towards jazz and over the years collaborated with figures such as Don Cherry, Anthony Braxton, John Surman and Jack DeJohnette, as well as developing a long association with accordionist Richard Galliano.
A prolific composer, he ventured into the world of films, in which there had been a parallel evolution with that of jazz, the music often being used. There was, however, a difference between musicals and conventional soundtracks, often creating an uneasy relationship between jazz and Hollywood.
From the 1940s and 50s, a feeling of modernism arose, through jazz scores in film noir and not least by responses such as those of Miles Davis (for Louis Malle’s Lift To The Scaffold) and Duke Ellington (Anatomy Of A Murder). Composers like Portal were increasingly used to create an atmosphere which would be in accord with and even enhance the film.
Although using a wide collection of musicians, it’s often Portal himself that takes the limelight, particularly his bass clarinet as it rides on an undercurrent of movement. The visual context can be imagined – a protagonist threading this way and that through an urban landscape in Une Histoire De Vent, Francois Moutin’s bubbling bass a backdrop to Laurent Dehors’ saxophone. The harmonic unison of horns settle into a rhythmic groove on Max Mon Amour #1, Portal’s bass clarinet deep and resonant. Bass and brushes do a similar job on #2, Rita Marcotulli’s sonorous piano and Paolo Fresu’s muted trumpet creating late-night street excursions, augmented by the closing horn riffs.
Fresu later gives vent to his open horn on Champ D’Honneur, once again the soloist riding the current of the ensemble and of course, Portal’s bass clarinet. A tense, sinister element appears on Yeelan, Ralph Towner’s guitar moving between the lower darkness and abrupt, higher register sound. A highly rhythmic layer of plucked and strummed instruments provides increasing tension and paranoia, evasion tactics from the horns as the drums get ominously and threateningly close – music which has you looking over your shoulder.
The majestically dramatic tango Docteur Petiot is in the hands of Juan Jose Mosalini and his Grand Orchstra, but a brief piano solo supplies a lone voice – a reflection of unrequited love and desire? In a similar vein the final track, Yvan Ivanovitch Kossiakow, features Galliano’s accordion and registers feelings of déjà vu – Nino Rota meets Moondog.
Totally absorbing and invigorating.
Discography
Une Histoire De Vent; Max Mon Amour#1; Yeelan; Droit De Reponse; Max Mon Amour#2; Docteur Petiot; Champ D’Honneur; Yvan Ivanovitch Kossiakow (40.23)
Michel Portal (bcl, ss, pc) with Andy Emler (syn); Tony Rabeson, Aldo Romano (d); Francois Moutin, Michel Benita (b); Laurent Dehors, Guillaume Orti (s); Doudou N’Diaye Rose (tambour); Ralph Towner (g); Nguyên Lê (syn, g); Linley Marthe (elb); Mino Cinelu (pc); Rita Marcotulli (p, syn); Paolo Fresu (t); Richard Galliano (acc); Juan Jose Mosalini & Son Grand Orchestre De Tango. Amiens & New York, 1994-5.
Autre Distribution LBLC6574
Tim Richards Hextet: Telegraph Hill
On the back of his recent trio release, Four Aces (which I reviewed in February), Tim Richard’s Telegraph Hill, originally released in 2015, has reappeared. Whereas the trio album, like his much earlier The Other Side (33Jazz 037), featured reworking of standards and compositions by established names, this is a collection of originals by the band, six by Richards himself.
The pianist makes his presence felt from the off, leading his small group through a series of attractive numbers, all holding the attention through the ensemble’s shifting of tempo, rhythm and momentum, whilst always accommodating the soloist. In this he has top class players in the form of saxophonist Ed Jones and trumpeter Dick Pearce and the presence of Ralph Wyld’s vibes gives the music an atmospheric airiness.
Certain numbers stand out – for me the title track evokes the essence of the changing city of London, viewed from Telegraph Hill across to Docklands, although the vista is significantly different to the one from a late 60s bedsit in nearby Erlanger Road. Of Richards’ other compositions, it’s his melodic piano solo and Pearce’s assured trumpet that capture the attention on Shapeshifting; on Tollbridge, the storming intro, Richards’ crashing chords and emphatic direction prepare the way for the stirring tenor of Ed Jones. Spirit Walking is a slow feature for the vibes, although Wyld’s own Storebæltsbroen shows the vibist in uptempo mode.
Pearce and bassist Dominic Howles also supply material , and Jones’s Clandestine is an interesting track with a pensive, bowed intro by Howles before it adventurously opens up, drummer Peter Ibbetson supplying busy support for the soloists, as the changes are implemented.
Discography
Telegraph Hill; Joe’s Outside; Lucid Dreaming; Spirit Walking; Shapeshifting; Storebæltsbroen; Tollbridge; Discovery; Clandestine; Ease Up (58.03)
Richards (p); Dick Pearce (t); Ed Jones (ts); Ralph Wyld (vib); Domonic Howles (b); Peter Ibbetson (d). London 2014.
Track CD0215
