Richie Kamuca & Lee Konitz, Live at Donte’s 1974 (Cellar Door)
It’s a hoot to hear the saxophonists channel their hero Lester Young in this recently discovered session recorded at the lamented Los Angeles club. “Lester Leaps In” begins and ends as a unison duet, complete with stop-time breaks, 
reproducing Young’s 1939 solo on the master take of the piece with Count Basie’s Kansas City Seven. In their own solos, Kamuca and Konitz leave no doubt about where they came from. Kamuca, the tenor player, is clearest in his fealty to Young. Konitz, on alto, is more abstract in his Prezcience, but it has always been a major element in his work. The other tunes are standards in the gig books of musicians of Kamuca’s (1930-1977) and Konitz’s (1927- ) generation—”Just Friends,” “Star Eyes,” “All The Things You Are” and Bobby Troup’s “Baby, Baby All The Time.” Solos are long and exploratory; the shortest track is 7:41. The set has the exhilaration, rough edges, chance-taking and surprises that make for satisfying live performance.
Support for the two Ks is by the solid L.A. rhythm section of pianist Dolo Coker, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Jake Hanna, all of whom solo to great effect. Vinnegar goes beyond his customary walking bass for a couple of bowed solos and a bit of unexpected wildness in his “Lester Leaps In” solo, to the evident amusement of his colleagues and the audience. Coker, an under-recognized high achiever among Bud Powell admirers, has impressive moments throughout. Hanna cooks along, fueling the swing. Toward the end of the last track, “Lester,” he finally takes a solo. What he saved up is worth the wait. The sound of this session, exhumed from reel-to-reel tapes, won’t turn Rudy Van Gelder green with envy, but it’s perfectly acceptable; you can plainly hear what everyone is doing. Unearthing and releasing it is a feather in the cap of Cellar Door’s Bill Reed. On the CD box, it says, “Limited Edition.” The 300 copies probably won’t last long because there is nothing limited about the music.
Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...
Doug, Thanks for letting us know about this release. To me, Richie was one of the all-time tenor greats. His memory has (unfortunately) faded somewhat among a newer jazz audience since his untimely passing, but those of us who were privileged to hear him in person or on his many recordings in a variety of settings–big band, small group, etc.–still remember him well. Hopefully this CD will help to bring him the attention he greatly deserves.
Does anyone know whether a discography on Richie K has ever been put together? I for one would be interested…
(Below is the address of an online Kamuca discography. It is woefully incomplete and undetailed, but it’s a start. —DR)
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Richie+Kamuca
Doug’s comprehensive description of what went on that evening will be welcomed especially by Donte’s alumni. He evokes for me the customarily happy atmosphere in the club, all of us wishing most evenings that the music would never end. The most rewarding track on this CD for me is “Just Friends.” Here Richie makes a preliminary sketch for a stunning sound portrait that he painted on another Donte’s evening, with the Bill Berry LA Big Band — in a Roger Pemberton arrangement. For that version, everybody in the all-star Berry bunch soloed (e.g. the five-trumpet section, in 8s and 4s and 2s). Then Richie stood up and took charge, with with four or five lyrical, flowing yet hard-swinging, magisterial choruses. You had to be there. I was. I got it on cassette tape!
Here are some more albums:
Kamuca,Richie West Coast Jazz in HiFi HiFi(OJC) 609
Kamuca,Richie Jazz Erotica HiFiRecord(FS) 500
Kamuca,Richie The Richie Kamuca Quartet 1957 Mode 102
Kamuca,Richie Richie Kamuca Quartet 1976 Jazzz 104
Great post, I would definitely like to hear this recording. I spent many, many nights at Donte’s hearing the best of L.A.’s jazz musicians come blow off steam after a day taping sessions for commercials or local TV shows with live bands (Tonight Show, Merv Griffin, etc.). What a great club. I particularly enjoyed catching Supersax there, where the horn section could accommodate substitute players when the regulars coudn’t make it — Marsh, Migliori, Menza, Christlieb, etc. Med Flory with his dry humor between songs, razzing Conte Candoli or Lou Levy or Jake Hanna (or Nick Ceroli!)…..okay, enough nostalgia for today. Thanks, Doug!