If you live in or near Portland, Oregon, this is your lucky week. I am not at all reluctant to plug Ivories Jazz Lounge or this group of elite Portland players. Here’s the announcement from Ivories.
Thursday July 12
The Two Tenors & Dave Frishberg play the music of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, with David Evans, Lee Wuthenow, tenor saxophones; Dave Frishberg, piano; Tom Wakeling, bass; Charlie Doggett, drums.
Ivories Jazz Lounge
1435 NW Flanders, Portland, OR 97219http://www.ivoriesjazz.com
Reservations: 503-241-6514
8PM – 11PM
$10 Cover
Al and Zoot in Utica NY – Autumn 1967: Afternoon concert at a college auditorium. L to R: Dave Frishberg, Al Cohn, Victor Sproles, Zoot Sims, Steve Schaeffer. Later we dined lavishly at Grimaldi’s Restaurant. (Photo and caption stolen from Frishberg’s website. Rifftides defense lawyers are standing by)
During his New York period, Frishberg worked extensively with Cohn and Sims, often at the old Half Note. The three were together on The You And Me That Used To Be (1971), the finest recording of Jimmy Rushing’s last years, with arrangements by Frishberg. In addition to Cohn, Sims and Frishberg, the players are Budd Johnson, soprano sax; Ray Nance, cornet and violin; Milt Hinton, bass; and Mel Lewis, drums. Do not ask me to explain the relevance of the video added to this track from the album. Let’s just be glad that the YouTube contributor uploaded the music.
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
Louise Sims has donated Zoot’s extensive musical memorabilia etc. to East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Thus, the Al Cohn Collection there now becomes the Al & Zoot Collection.( Details in the ESU magazine The Note, Winter/Spring issue 2012.)
They are doing another Al & Zoot fest at East Stroudsburg on October 21st. I’ll be there, and probably some of the same people who showed up last time: Phil Woods, Bob Dorough, Jesse Green, Bill Goodwin, etc., who all live nearby.