Outside Rifftides world headquarters, we’re having the first snowfall of the season. The prediction is for three inches here tonight and an accumulation of as much as a foot in the nearby ski areas of the Cascade Mountains. The temperature is in the low twenties (Fahrenheit), but neighborhood children are in their yards laughing, shouting and building snowmen. So, what does it make sense to listen to? Why, Bill Charlap playing “Blue Skies,” of course. This was in Germany in 2002

This is the fourth anniversary of Dave Brubeck’s death at age 91. Under the heading, “Always remembered, never forgotten,” John Bolger sent a message that included this photograph of Brubeck as listeners remember him from countless occasions—fully committed.

Here he is in 1964 in Belgium with the group long known as the classic Dave Brubeck Quartet. Paul Desmond, alto saxophone; Eugene Wright, bass; Joe Morello, drums. The piece is Brubeck’s “Koto Song.”

Charlie Shoemake sent a reminder that today is the 101st anniversary of the birth of Billy Strayhorn (pictured with Duke Ellington). Strayhorn was a 16-year-old high school student in Pittsburgh when he wrote “Lush Life.” A few years later he brought his songwriting ability to Ellington’s attention. One of the songs he demonstrated that day was “Lush Life.” “Take The ‘A’ Train” followed soon after he joined Ellington. The encounter led to one of the most significant partnerships in twentieth century music. Little known to the public, Strayhorn nonetheless quickly became a jazz composer and arranger of supreme importance,. His collaboration with Ellington lasted under his death in 1967. One of his last projects for the Ellington band was arrangements for the Ellington ’66 album. The collection contained three of Henry Mancini’s songs, “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Charade” and “Moon River.” In his Strayhorn message, Charlie Shoemake wrote,

When the album came out, I sat in Jimmy Rowles’ living room listening to it with him. Jimmy said, “Can you imagine Henry Mancini’s face when he hears this?

Normally, I pay little attention to my smart phone, but today it alerted me to several social media messages pointing out that I had not posted about Paul Desmond on his 92nd birthday. Believe me, it was on my to-do list, but the list was hijacked by a succession of duties, all necessary, important and too boring to describe. I compensated as I went about my business by repeatedly whistling “Take Five.” Fortunately for me, if not for Desmond fans in earlier time zones, where I live it is still Paul’s birthday.

The photograph above is one of my favorites from a rehearsal of the all-star band for Duke Ellington’s 70th birthday celebration at the White House in 1969. We see Hank Jones at the piano, much of Milt Hinton on bass, Gerry Mulligan and his baritone saxophone and Desmond with his alto sax. Jones was the designated pianist for the all-stars, but Billy Taylor, Earl Hines and Brubeck sat in on one tune apiece. Brubeck’s guest shot was on an Ellington composition that he and Desmond often opened with during the nearly twenty years of the Brubeck Quartet. I was sitting directly behind Ellington at the concert that night. From my notes for the Blue Note album of the event:

When Desmond did a perfect Johnny Hodges impression during “Things Ain’t What They Used To Be,” Ellington sat bolt upright and looked astonished, a reaction that pleased Desmond when I described it.

Monday’s remembrance of pianist Hod O’Brien, who died over the weekend, included this:

O’Brien was married to singer Stephanie Nakasian, with whom he frequently collaborated. Their daughter, also a vocalist, performs under the name Veronica Swift.

Ms. Swift (pictured) inherited her parents’ musicality, including her mother’s vocal skill. In a video made last year at Heidi’s Jazz Club in Cocoa Beach, Florida, she sings a classic standard song by Eddie DeLange and Jimmy Van Heusen. Her accompanist and the piano soloist is Ron Teixeira, leader of the house band at Heidi’s.

Phil Norman Tentet, Then & Now (MAMA Records)

This album’s tune list could create an expectation that we’re in for just another trip down the memory lane of modern jazz classics. No, Norman’s ensemble combines gifted players and arrangers with fresh approaches to familiar music.

Geoff Stradling adds a bridge section in his arrangement of “Johnny’s Theme,” the Tonight Show’s introductory and closing music. This may be more of a show business classic than a jazz classic, but he expands the piece’s musical content and, therefore, its possibilities for improvisation. In their solos, trumpeter Ron Stout, alto saxophonist Rusty Higgins and guitarist Larry Koonse take advantage of the meaty harmonies, with Stout’s fluidity increasing as he moves through the changes. Stradling inserts a mildly disruptive “shave and a haircut six bits” fillip near the end, possibly in tribute to Johnny Carson’s humor—or Tonight Show bandleader Doc Severinsen’s.

From “Take Five” to “Poinciana” to “Line For Lyons” through a dozen classic compositions, the arrangers evoke the original recordings while personalizing them with new instrumental textures and, in some cases, rhythmic departures. There’s no doubt that in “Lullaby of Birdland” it’s the George Shearing Quintet you’re hearing in the first chorus. Then, arranger Scott Whitfield expands the ensemble to set up solos by pianist Christian Jacob, Higgins on alto, Whitfield on trombone, guitarist Koonse, and Brad Dutz on vibes. Whitfield closes with what he calls “George’s original ‘shout chorus’” and tags the piece with his own shout chorus that incorporates the contrast of a three-chord piano tag, summoning thoughts of Count Basie.

In “Concorde,” Joey Sellers arranges one of John Lewis’s most evocative Modern Jazz Quartet compositions. His use of the inner harmonic tensions of the piece inspires splendid solos from Jacob, Dutz, bassist Kevin Axt, Stout, Higgins on flute and Roger Neumann on bass clarinet. The bass clarinet gives the ensemble color, fiber and intriguing movement in the lines Sellers wrote for Neumann.

Neumann arranged “Line For Lyons,” a staple of Gerry Mulligan’s early 1950s quartet with trumpeter Chet Baker. He harmonized Mulligan’s and Baker’s original solos with additional horns before providing space for new solos by Neumann on baritone sax and Stout on trumpet. It is one of the most affecting tracks on the album.

Stout and his frequent trumpet colleague Carl Saunders have exemplary solos on Dizzy Gillespie’s “Manteca” and team up for a closing statement that would have earned smiles from Gillespie if he had heard it. Saunders is fleet, lyrical and rangy in his solo on “Poinciana,” arranged by Jacob to reflect but not imitate the famous Ahmad Jamal version. Higgins and Koonse also solo.

There is a wide variety of textures in Jacob’s arrangement of Paul Desmond’s “Take Five,” with Rusty Higgins including in his first solo an approximation of one of Desmond’s trips into the stratosphere of the alto saxophone and in his second an inkling of Desmond’s humor. Jacob begins and ends the arrangement with echoes of the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s celebrated recording of the piece.

The other pieces are Whitfield’s arrangement of Benny Golson’s “Killer Joe;” Kim Richmond’s chart on Miles Davis’s “So What; Francisco Torres’ on “Chano Pozo’s and Dizzy Gillespie’s “Soul Sauce” (made famous by Cal Tjader); and Jacob’s of Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus & Lucy.”

The Phil Norman Tentet is in fact an eleventet, if there is such a word. Norman plays tenor saxophone and clarinet. His only solo here is on tenor sax in Henry Mancini’s theme from The Pink Panther,” which has the baritone sax of the arranger, Neumann, in interplay (emphasis on “play”) with Norman. It’s great fun.

Personnel: Phil Norman, tenor sax, clarinet, leader; Carl Saunders, Ron Stout, trumpet; Scott Whitfield, trombone; Rusty Higgins, alto and soprano sax, flute; Roger Neumann, baritone sax, bass clarinet, flute; Christian Jacob, piano; Larry Koonse, guitar; Kevin Axt, bass; Dick Weller, drums; Brad Dutz, percussion, vibes.

A note for those who like information about what they’re hearing. The program booklet for this album goes against the record industry trend toward vacuousness. It includes biographies of the composers, bios and photos of the musicians, and notes by the arrangers about how and why they wrote their charts. It also has solo credits for the twelve tracks. Hooray for MAMA.

Thanks to Seattle bassist Bren Plummer for calling our attention to a short video of trumpeter Jon Faddis getting acquainted with Bix Beiderbecke’s horn. Beiderbecke (1903-1931) was second only to his friend Louis Armstrong as an influence on the development of jazz trumpet style in the 1920s and 1930s. Three years ago, Faddis was a guest artist of Quad City Arts in Rock Island, Illinois. The staff removed Bix’s horn from a display and handed it to Faddis.

Let’s listen to Beiderbecke on cornet in “I’m Coming Virginia” from 1927. Following his glorious solo, Bix’s tag ending is one of the most quoted phrases in jazz.

Give the sidemen some. They were Bill Rank, trombone; Don Murray, tenor saxophone and arranger; Frankie Trumbauer, C-melody saxophone; Irving “Itzy” Riskin, piano; Howdy Quicksell, banjo; Chauncey Morehouse, drums. The performance is included in this album.

Mose Allison has died at the age of 89. A Mississippi pianist, singer, composer, songwriter and sometime trumpeter, Allison made his New York debut in the 1950s as a bebop pianist. He worked with Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan and a variety of other post-bop musicians, but came to fame employing his Mississippi folksiness and command of the blues idiom. He led trios in that genre for most of his career. His work had a powerful effect on such emerging British R&B and rock performers as John Mayall and Georgie Fame, but Allison avoided rock and its offshoots. He attracted an audience devoted to his blues feeling and the wryness and irony of his lyrics. “Your Mind Is On Vacation” was one of his great successes. Here, he sings it in a 1975 PBS television broadcast, with bassist Jack Hannah and drummer Jerry Granelli. Sorry about a few unavoidable audio dropouts; they are part of the YouTube package.

Pianist, composer and bandleader Chick Corea (born June 12, 1941) continues the long celebration of his 75th birthday, currently at his frequent New York headquarters the Blue Note.  Corea’s career has brought him together with virtually every major figure in modern jazz. We congratulate him and wish him many more years of the creativity, daring and joyous expression that have made his work an inspiration for musicians and a source of deep satisfaction for listeners. Let’s listen to “Matrix” from his 1968 album Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, with bassist Miroslav Vitrous and drummer Roy Haynes.

Vibraphonist, arranger, bandleader and master transcriber Charlie Shoemake lives on the
California coast halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. As a performer who also teaches, he is known in the jazz community for the accuracy and detail of the solos that he transcribes. He trains his students to transcribe recorded solos  as a means of ear training and harmonic development. Those who have studied with him include saxophonist Ted Nash, trombonist Andy Martin and pianist-bandleader Cecilia Coleman. He sent the following message yesterday on Billy May’s birthday:

We’re having an Indian Summer here in Cambria and since today is the birthdate of the great Billy May, I thought I would share this with you. I recently purchased a book called Sessions With Sinatra by Charles L. Granata. The author stated that though the 1967 recording that Sinatra made with the Duke Ellington band had a few problems (due to the bands laissez faire attitude toward intonation, reading and rehearsing). He also emphasized that it produced one true classic. It was Billy May’s fantastic arrangement of “Indian Summer,” complete with stunning performances by Sinatra and Johnny Hodges. Don’t know if you have the recording but here it is. I even transcribed Billy’s intro as it really knocked me out. The harmonies he came up with are from another planet.

Today is the 241st birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Hard-core Marines (is there another kind?) might consider it heresy to create a jazz version of the Marine Corps Hymn. They would be wrong. A few years ago during a six-hour bus ride to a performance by the Marine Corps All-Star Jazz Band, Staff Sergeant Ken Ebo, the lead trombonist, wrote an arrangement of the  Marine Corps hymn. The band is made up of the 18 best Marine jazz musicians. When they arrived to rehearse for their concert in Marquette, Michigan, they sight-read Sgt. Ebo’s brand new chart.

I hope that someday we can hear the extended version. The band’s tours are designed to increase awareness of the Marine Corps. They probably don’t need to tour Afghanistan.

For a memory of a special Marine friend, go to this Rifftides archive post.

Tomorrow is Veterans Day in the US. Best wishes and gratitude to all members of the military, past and present, who have kept the United State of America safe.