Stan Kenton’s Artistry In Rhythm was first recorded and released in 1944. It is one of several songs closely associated with this prolific composer, arranger, bandleader and very underrated pianist.
Like Artistry, Tiare features the high powered Kenton Orchestra and is part of a 1972 London concert. Kenton preferred his bands to not swing, instead employing elements of the popular ballroom and classical concert hall.
This 1994 version of Down By The Riverside features Jimmy Smith together with Kenny Burrell and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. It is a live performance of his 1966 rendition on the album “Dynamic Duo” with Wes Montgomery doing the guitar chores.
“Peter And The Wolf” has always been one of my favorite Jimmy Smith Albums … and the Finale – Parade and Peter Plays Some Blues, for me, captures the essence of the other 5 movements. The album only recently made it to CD and download. I tried for several years to, at least, obtain the vinyl and finally discovered a single used copy in a little record shop in Detroit for the unheard of price of $3.72! I had even called Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey only to learn that the session tapes had been lost. I’m glad they found them!
Mary Lou Williams was one of the few female jazz pianists to achieve fame during the middle of the 20th Century. She was also a much sought after composer, arranger and mentor. Mary Lou wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements, and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, and LP versions). Williams wrote and arranged for such bandleaders as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and she was friend, mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. Three of her compositions were scored for a Carnegie Hall concert played by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1946!
The top video, Willow Weep For Me, is a popular 1932 standard from The Mary Lou Williams Collection 1927-59 and features her trio. The bottom two offerings, The Man I Love (1978) on the left and Mary Lou Plays Some Blues (1980) on the right are live solo performances recorded toward the end of her fabulous career..
Late Lament has become something of a standard that was first popularized by Paul Desmond. The Jarret rendition isn’t quite as mellow as Desmond’s and features the gold standard of trios, with each member in clear communication with the other. Keith Jarret is probably the most ‘athletic’ piano player ever to caress a keyboard. He gets a real workout with Rider, which also features Gary Peacock on bass and Jack Dejohnette on drums. Sometimes I wonder how Keith can make so many moves and still maintain contact with the piano!
Chet Baker and Paul Desmond are not a pairing you hear everyday, which is why I wanted to share them here even though the audio-video synchronization seems a bit off. The addition of Bob James on keyboards, Ron Carter playing contrabass and Steve Gadd’s drums round out a combo with a sound that swirls the Autumn leaves to new heights … and is irresistible if your toes or fingers tend to tap!
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