If you read my blogs, you know by now that for 20 or so years, I've been in love with the Blue Note reissues -- first on vinyl, then on early CDs and now in sleeker packaging with Rudy Van Gelder remastering and new liner notes.
I've fallen slightly behind, but recently checked out the latest batch, which arrived in late September. I was thrilled to find some of my favorites among them.
Those would be "Midnight Special" and "Back at the Chicken Shack" by Jimmy Smith, Paul Chambers' "Bass On Top" and Lee Morgan's "Volume Three." I already had all of these on CD, but the new versions have led me to check them out anew.
The first three are great sessions featuring guitarist Kenny Burrell adding warmth to swinging soul jazz sessions (in the case of Smith) and a quirky outing from bassist Chambers, which opens with a mellow bowed selection before heading into bouncier territory.
The "take no heroes" British music journalist of yore, X Moore, once said that you knew who the cool people in London were at the start of the ‘80s because they had a copy of "Midnight Special" tucked under their arms. I'd say the same for Milwaukee a few years later and add that they had "Chicken Shack" tucked under the other arm!
Burrell also appears -- albeit briefly (and on a bonus track not included on the original 1956 LP) -- on "The Magnificent Thad Jones," by trumpeter Jones, a Detroiter like Burrell.
Morgan's "Volume Three" features compositions and arrangements by Benny Golson and a crack team of Golson on tenor, Gigi Gryce on alto, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Chambers and drummer Charlie Persip. The result is a tight, brassy ensemble that recalls the best work of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (of which many of these guys were members at some point).
This set of reissues also includes three other early-ish Morgan outings: 1956's "Indeed" with Horace Silver (another erstwhile Messenger) on piano and the seldom-heard Clarence Sharpe on tenor; "Volume 2: Sextet," recorded in '57 and featuring Hank Mobley (yet another Jazz Messenger) on tenor and Kenny Rodgers on alto in the front line alongside trumpeter Morgan; and "Candy," a quartet session recorded in '58.
Moving back into the ‘60s -- the decade that saw the release of the abovementioned Smith sessions -- we have pianist Duke Jordan's "Flight to Jordan" featuring Jamaican trumpeter Dizzy Reece. The 1960 session was recorded at a time of great Blue Note activity for Jordan who also recorded sets with Reece and saxman Tina Brooks around the same time. On this session, however, Reece shares the front line with tenor man Stanley Turrentine, whose soulful sound is heavily featured.
Last but not least, guitarist Grant Green appeared to be recording for Blue Note non-stop in the 1960s and doing a lot of themed sessions, like the one for "The Latin Bit," in 1962 with drummer Willie Bobo, conga player Potato Valdez and pianist Johnny Acea, among others. As you might expect, this is a latin-tinged soul jazz outing with rolling readings of "Besame Mucho" and similar material.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
