A weblog in English and Dutch about jazz and related music, record collecting and other music projects originally created by Hans Koert.|Een webblog in het Engels en het Nederlands over jazz, jazz-verwante muziek, platen verzamelen en verrassende projecten, oorspronkelijk opgezet door Hans Koert.
Bye Bye Blues is a popular standard tune performed by numerous artists and bands. It was written by Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, Bert Lown, and Chauncey Gray and published in 1925. Fred Hamm and his orchestrarecorded the initial version of the song for Victor in May 1925 as one of the label's first electrically processed recordings
Fred Hamm and his orchestra c. 1925 (YouTube still)
Fred Hamm and his Orchestra were a dance band from Chicago that was managed by Edgar Benson of Benson Orchestra fame. Hamm's Orchestra performed at the Marigold Garden in Chicago from 1923 to 1925. In 1925 Fred Hamm took over the leadership of the Benson Orchestra and recorded some sides for Victor that year. Fred Hamm recorded again in 1929 under the name of Fred Hamm and his Collegians (info from Red Hot Jazz Archive).
Sheet music front feat. Bert Lown
In July 1930 Bert Lown (co-writer of the song) recorded Bye Bye Bluesfor both Columbia and Hit of the Week as Bert Lown & His Hotel Biltmore Orchestra, below is inserted the Columbia 2258-D version recorded July 21 1930 in NYC
Frankie Trumbauer
Frankie Trumbauer and his orchestra recorded their version of Bye Bye Bluesfor Okeh September 8, 1930 in New York, vocal refrain by Smith Ballew
Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway and his orchestra recorded a great big band swing version of Bye Bye Blues in 1940 featuring solos by Chu Berry (ts), Dizzy Gillespie (tp) and Tyree Glenn (vib)
Benny Carter
In April 1946 Benny Carter (as) recorded a swinging version of Bye Bye Blues with Arnold Ross (p), Allan Reuss (g), Artie Bernstein (b) and Nick Fatool (d) for Keynote in Los Angeles
Stan Getz
The last version of Bye Bye Blues to be presented here was recorded by the Stan Getz Quartet in 1957 for the HMV album titled The Soft Swing. Personnel include Stan Getz (ts), Mose Allison (p), Addison Farmer (b) and Jerry Segal (d)
A jazz standard with reference to the present season is of course Autumn Leaves, but here I like to focus on another which may not be as well known as Joseph Kosma's tune, originally titled Les feuilles mortes in French.
The shown 'Tis Autumn was composed by Henry Nemo in 1941, and he also wrote the lyrics for the song. Henry Nemo (1909 – 1999) was a musician, songwriter and film actor, his songwriting comprised a collaboration with Irving Mills and John Redmond for the lyrics of I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart with music by Duke Ellington. Nemo himself composed the standards Don't Take Your Love From Me and the mentioned 'Tis Autumn.
Woody Herman and his orchestra
Woody Herman and his orchestra was one of the first popular jazz ensembles to record a version of 'Tis Autumn. Woody Herman recorded the tune on 13 November 1941 for Decca featuring his orchestra and vocals by the leader himself, Carolyn Grey and ensemble. This version has been uploaded at YouTube and is inserted here.
The Nat King Cole Trio had a hit with 'Tis Autumn in 1949, you can find it at YouTube by clicking here. Below I'll concentrate on some instrumental versions of the tune. - Here is Red Garland's version of the tune recorded 27 November 1958 and issued on the Prestige LP All Kinds of Weather featuring Red Garland (p) Paul Chambers (b) Art Taylor (dms)
Another instrumental version of 'Tis Autumn is the following by Stan Getz, recorded 1952
The Chet Baker Septet also recorded an instrumental version of 'Tis Autum 19 January 1959, released on the Riverside LP titled Chet. The septet comprise: Chet Baker (trumpet), Herbie Mann (flute), Pepper Adams (baritone sax), Bill Evans (piano), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Paul Chambers (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums)
'Tis Autumn is also the main title of a documentary by filmmaker Raymond De Felitta, who released 'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris' in 2007 - a filmed protrait of the jazz singer Jackie Paris.
"In the 1950s and '60s, Jackie Paris was one of the most celebrated jazz vocalists of his generation; he collaborated with such giants as Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, and Dizzy Gillespie, he was a favorite of leading music critics, and recorded for such top jazz labels as Impulse and East-West. But ten years on, Paris had fallen so far off the radar that a major jazz reference work reported that Paris had died in 1977, even though he was still around and occasionally performing at the time. In the 1990s, filmmaker Raymond De Felitta heard some of Paris' recordings and became an instant fan, and was deeply curious about Paris' life and career, and how an artist with such gifts had become little more than a footnote in music history. De Felitta's search eventually led him to Paris himself, and a fascinating story of bad luck, a wildly dysfunctional family, dangerous pride, a hair-trigger temper, and a remarkable voice that somehow survived it all, even if his career did not. 'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris is a documentary which chronicles De Felitta's search for the elusive singer."
Jackie Paris
The documentary was well received by the critics and the public, as the theme of the story transcends the individual fate of the protagonist:
"‘Tis Autumn – The Search For Jackie Paris is not just a documentary about a great but unheralded jazz singer. It’s a film that explores the very nature of what it is to live the life of an artist–any artist. Filmmaker Raymond De Felitta examines the life of cult favorite jazz singer Jackie Paris, but at the same time he might as well be exploring the life of any artist in any discipline, too many of whom share the same fate that Paris did; the explosive debut followed by the years of ups and downs, the constant hope that success, though out of reach, is around the corner, the private tragedies that grow out of artistic frustration, and the final, self-inflicted wounds which all too often cause the once promising to descend into bitterness and chaos, a prelude to vanishing completely." (qouted from this source).
To end this, here is Jackie Paris in his last public performance in 2004 singing 'Tis Autumn from the documentary by Raymond De Felitta
One of the most talked-about Dutch concerts of Miles Davis released. John Coltrane's Dutch debut Hans Koert It was, even in the 1960s, remarkable, that a Dutch radio station stick its neck out by scheduling a Jazz-week – seven days filled with jazz music – a programming featuring live concerts with great names like the Oscar Peterson Trio, the Stan Getz Quartet and the Miles Davis Quintet at the Scheveningen het Kurhaus. Miles Davis: Tweemaal in het Concertgebouw (1960) (Nederlands) | Miles Davis: The Complete 1960 Amsterdam Concertgebouw Concert ( English) Even in The Netherlands such a jazz-week was a sensation. The VARA- radio station brought a two hours live radio program with the Miles Davis Sextet (sic) (vibist Buddy Montgomery was originally part of Miles Davis JATP group) , playing at the Kurhaus in Scheveningen ( 9.30 p.m. – 10.30 p.m.) and the Oscar Peterson Trio ( live from the Concertgebouw). ( 0.00 – 1.00 a.m.). It was a pity, according Anton Kop from the Dutch Rhythme magazine, that Peterson’s concert did overrun its time, so there was no time enough to broadcast Stan Getz concert on Dutch radio. The Miles Davis Quintet was scheduled as last comer.
Anouncement in Rhythme (1960)
Both the Miles Davis Kurhaus as the Concertgebouw concert are now available on cd. A few years ago the Miles Davis Quintet – Live in Den Haag recordings were reissued by Lonehilljazz(LHJ10206) – finally also the 1960 Amsterdam recordings by the Miles Davis Quintet have been issued by theDutch Jazz Archive in its award-winning series Jazz at the Concertgebouw: Miles Davis - So What( NJA 1301) (2cd)
Article announcing the concerts (source Vrije volk ( 9th of April 1960))
The concerts were part of a JATP tour organized by Norman Granz. Miles Davis Quintet, featuring Miles Davis on trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Wynton Kelly at the piano, Paul Chambers bass and Jimmy Cobb drums, had performed in Zurich the day before the Dutch concerts were scheduled. It had missed the airplane that should bring the musicians in time in Scheveningen. It had a three hours delay. Ruud Jacobs, Dutch bass player, told me that Paul Chambers instrument had been damaged during the flight and needed a replacement ...... He used Ruud's bass during both concerts. They played one set at the Kurhaus, which was broadcasted live by Vara-radio. The audience had delighted with this Miles Davis concert, organized by Dutch impresario Lou Van Rees, the third appearance of Miles in our country, but were shocked by the sound of John Coltrane.
Miles Davis - So What (2cd)( NJA 1301) The critics were very harsh in their judgements: Het plezier ……werd volledig vergald door John Coltrane, de man die de tenorsax vasthield (!) ( = John Coltrane, the man with the tenor sax in his hands (!) spoiled the audience’s pleasure) …. ergerlijke melodische armoede (John Coltrane) ( = Annoying melodic poverty) – De verschrikkingen die de figuur Coltrane produceerde. ( = The terror produced by the man named Coltrane).
Kritiek van Anton Kop. bron: Rhythme mei 1960
Ruud Niemans wrote in Rhythme: Het is een betreurenswaardig feit, dat de Vara-jazzweek .. een vals slotakkoord kreeg vanuit het Kurhaus. ( = It’s a sad fact that the VARA's-radio Jazz week final chord, was out of tune! ). Some hours later, in Amsterdam, Miles was scheduled again, at the Concertgebouw night concert ….. The audience must have heard the Kurhaus concert and had heard Coltrane playing…. Sommige Amsterdamse nachtbrakers wisten vooruit, welke orgie hen te wachten stond ( = Some Amsterdam night-revellers knew, what orgy they could expect). Although Coltrane hold in, it seems that a lot jazz fans left the concert during the Miles Davis performance at the Concertgebouw ….
Vara's Jazzweek with the Miles Davis concert as one of its highlights, but the critics wereafter the concert as hard as nails. (Source: Friese Courier (9th of April 1960)) It is hard to believe, when you listen to the music with 2013 ears, that the critics panned this concert - Now we know that Miles Davis played one of his best concerts of that year .....
Wynton Kelly - Miles Davis - Paul Chambers (Kurhaus: 15th of October 1960)(source: Rhythme 134 )(photo courtesy: Pieter Mazel)
The 2cd album Jazz at the Concertgebouw: Miles Davis - So What( NJA 1301) also features the October 1960 concert by the Miles Davis Quintet at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.
Sonny Stitt (Kurhaus) (foto Pieter Mazel)
John Coltranehad left the group and Miles had found a replacement: alto saxophone player Sonny Stitt. When Coltrane left, Jimmy Heath, who just had left prison (due to drug abuse), took his place, but had to stay within a sixty-mile radius of Philadelphia, so couldn’t join Miles Davis group on tours … Wayne Shorter, who could be a candidate, played in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers ….. Finally Sonny Stitt joined the quintet. The tour started in England (London, Manchester(Free Trade Hall)), Paris (Olympia), the Koncerthuset in Stockholm and on the 15th, like in April, a concert at the Kurhaus in The Hague and a night concert at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. This concert appealed to the jazz critics and the audience enjoyed Miles Davis, who was labeled by Paul ten Have as één der grootsten uit de jazz (= One of the greatest in jazz ….) – the only minor point was Sonny Stitt’s conservative, rather predictable playing … The concert was fabuleus ….. een hoogtepunt, dat moeilijk overtroffen zal kunnen worden. ( = a highlight, hard to exceed). This concert has been released now too at this great Miles Davis – So What 2cd album …….
The tracklist The Jazz at the Concertgebouw series contains more remarkable concerts live from the famous Amsterdam music theatre, like concerts with Chet Baker (1955) – Gerry Mulligan (1956) – J.J. Johnson (1957) – Sarah Vaughan (1958) – Misha Mengelberg-Piet Noordijk Quartet (1966) and Jazz from Carnegie Hall featuring Lee Konitz, Zoot Soms, Phineas Newborn, Red Garland, Oscar Pettiford and Kenny Clarke (1958)
This album can be ordered at info@jazzarchief.nl Hans Koert keepswinging@live.nl Follow the Keep (it) Swinging blog af Facebook or ask its free newsletter.
When critics are quoted about your concert as ... ergerlijke melodische armoede (annoying melodic poverty) – Het plezier werd volledig vergald ( they spoiled the listeners pleasure), I guess you better decide to stop your career in music .... But not for John Coltrane. His debut in The Netherlands didn't pass by unnoticed. The Dutch Jazz archive released in its award-winning series Jazz at the Concergebouw two talked-about 1960 concerts by the Miles Davis Quintet.
Retrospect
Keep Swinging (old)
Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Friends of the Keep Swinging blog Keep Swinging Contributions
