While rock and roll was taking over America, jazz still had a safe haven in Europe. Here are a few albums (in cd and vinyl format) that capture some vintage jazz across the pond.
Just before becoming a major star with a slew of Bossa Nova albums that struck gold, Stan Getz, while living in Denmark at the time, is in classic California Cool form in Germany with Jan Johansson/p and Oscar Peterson alumni Ray Brown/b and Ed Thigpen/dr. Getz blows smoke rings on “Out of Nowhere” and gets deeply blue on a misty “The Thrill Is Gone” while the team urgently sears through “Woody ‘N You”. Getz’s horn is richly dark, grey around the edges, just waiting for a Brazilian samba. A clean breeze.
Just one year after his classic Time Out album, Dave Brubeck tours with his long standing team of Gene Wright/b, Joe Morello/dr and the mellifluous Paul Desmond/as. Morello gets a workout with the leader on a jamming “Sounds Of The Loop” , and the team gets lyrical on an “Unknown Song” with Desmond in glistening form. Brubeck strides right on a swinging “St. Louis Blues” and the team sounds light years ahead of the listening world on the Mozartian classic “Blue Rondo A La Turk”. Timeless Time In and Out.
At 70 years old, Duke Ellington was in a renaissance of sorts, having released a couple sacred concerts, his classic And His Mother Called Him Bill, and was about to put out some exotic concept albums like The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse. He’s got a formidable team with Cat Anderson/tp, Cootie Williams/tp, Lawrence Brown/tb, Johnny Hodges/as, Russel Procope/as, Paul Gonsalves/ts, Harry Carney/bari and Wild Bill Davis/org, just for good measure. Anderson hits the ozone layer on “El Gato”, Gonsalves grooves hard on ” Up Jump” and with drummer Rufus Jones on a rollicking “Diminuendo And Crescendo In Blue”, and Procope glows on a moody “Mood Indigo” while wailing on the mysterious “4:30 Blues” The team sounds fresh on chestnuts like “Take The ‘A’ Train” (featuring a bold and beautiful Cootie Williams) and “Sophisticated Lady”, as Ellington pulls out a couple ringers like having Davis jump start the usually gentle “Satin Doll” and turn it into an extroverted groover, while letting Davis give a tip of the cap to Count Basie on “April In Paris”. A time capsule of a world that begs to be re-appreciated. Like Rome before the fall.
John Coltrane was just starting to break free from Miles Davis’ grip, having just released the gauntlet of Giant Steps the previous year in 1959, while still fulfilling a touring obligation to his trumpet/employer. He had a night off with Davis’ rhythm section of Wynton Kelly/p, Jimmy Cobb/dr and Paul Chambers/b, and he glides through a gorgeously pulsed “On Green Dolphin Street” and digs in with a bowed Chambers on “Walking'”. Kelly simmers on “The Theme”, just before ex-pat Stan Getz, living in Scandinavia at the time joins the band in this Duesseldorf recording, floating in “Moonlight In Vermont” during the “Ballad Medley”, which has a precursor of Ballads ‘Trane in a lovely “What’s New”. Oscar Peterson sits in and teams up with Coltrane and Getz for a gentlemanly bopping read of “Rifftide” that has the two tenors sounding like musical Salt Water Taffy. Delicious.