IF A MAN IS TIRED OF BIG BANDS.................................

“THE MAN WHO’S TIRED OF BIG BANDS IS TIRED OF LIFE” - that’s Spike Milligan’s twist to Dr.Samuel Johnson’s famous quote about London.

 Although my real love is trios and quartets, I do get a kick at of listening to some big band. Kick being the operative word right now as I force myself to do my prescribed hip-replacement exercises. Being booted along by a swinging 16 (plus or minus) – piece ensemble makes the flesh less weak and the spirit even stronger. 

Now who are we talking about?  Of course I have to start with Ellington and Basie.

 Ellington:

-         the rich tapestry of sounds and harmonies of his 40s  band. The exotic compositions and the personal solo styles of Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, Tricky Sam Nanton and Rex Stewart. Not forgetting the bass sound of the prodigy Jimmy Blanton and the timbre of Ivy Anderson’s voice.

-         the grittier attack of the 50s and 60s ensemble, driven by Sam Woodyard’s relentless ride cymbal and hi-hats. The alluring pixie sound of Clark Terry’s trumpet peeping through. Ray Nance’s comedic violin. THE saxophone section – perfectly blending together with Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope and Harry Carney still there. Paul Gonsalves nodding off but prodded awake to take sinuous, serpentine solos with his beautiful tenor sound.

 Basie:

-         the swinging outfit that took Kansas City and then everywhere else by storm in the late 30s. The cooking rhythm section of Freddie Green. Walter Page and Jo Jones. Buck Clayton and Sweets Edison on trumpet. Mr.5-by-5 (Jimmy Rushing that is, not Martin Drew) on vocals. Herschel Evans (and later Buddy Tate) and – wait for it – LESTER YOUNG on tenor. Foot stomping all round………………………..

-         the tight, disciplined Basie band of the 50s and 60s, first driven by Gus Johnson and later lit up by the explosive, juggling showmanship of Sonny Payne on drums. When Sonny first joined, it is reputed that Freddie Green had to poke him with a stick whenever he started to speed up. The star soloist of the band for much of the time was Eddie Lockjaw Davis

 For a short time after the 2nd world war, Basie had to disband and front a smaller group. Another bandleader who could not often afford to front a big band for economic reasons is Dizzy Gillespie but his two main ventures into the big band scene have always thrilled me.

Dizzy’s late 40s be-bop big band is a marvel, It is almost surreal to hear the frantic harmonies and tempos of the be-bop revolution instantaneously re-invented for the big band. Underpinning everything is the superb drumming of Joe Harris and the innovative bass playing of Ray Brown. Exciting is an understatement when you listen to the complex and sometimes erratic brass and wind sections in full flow, grappling with arrangements by Gil Fuller and others. “Things to come” indeed – perhaps a spiritual precursor to the Sun Ra Arkestra?

-         Dizzy managed to get a big band together for a while in the mid 50s. This was much more down-the-line straight ahead stuff. Wynton Kelly on piano, the magnificent (in my view underrated) Charlie Persip on drums. Charlie’s style seems naturally to fit this big band and legend has it that the band finally folded because they couldn’t afford to replace Charlie bass drum head. (Unlikely!)  Dizzy gave space and encouragement to his young protégé Lee Morgan on trumpet and saxophone soloists included writer and arranger Benny Golson and the roaring Billy Mitchell. Check out the album “Dizzy at Newport” to get the joyous mood of this outfit.

 And now it’s time to declare that my personal favourite big band of all time is the relatively short-lived THAD JONES-MEL LEWIS ORCHESTRA.

 I haven’t researched the extraordinary phenomenon of this band in any depth but I believe it grew out of the habit of a number of top New York musicians  assembling at the Village Vanguard club on Monday nights to have a blow together! Soon came original compositions, witty and novel arrangements and a more or less fixed personnel.

 Thad Jones conducted the band and was featured on trumpet and flugelhorn on many numbers. Regular soloists included Jimmy Knepper, Jerry Dodgion, Oliver Nelson, Jerome Richardson, Pepper Adams and Eddie Daniels. (I have one video of the band where Joe Henderson can be seen sitting on the end of the reed section but all the tenor solos are taken – very ably – by Eddie Daniels!)

 The most unexpectedly magic unit is the rhythm section.

·        On piano Sir Roland Hanna – swings like the clappers, loves to take unaccompanied solos where the left hand comes into its own in passages of stride, and comps in the most hip and helpful way. Remind you of anyone? Dave Newton, I’d say!

·         On bass, the incredible Richard Davis – a progressive small group modernist better known in the company of Eric Dolphy, Jaki Byard, Booker Ervin and Andrew Hill. How does he adapt to the big band? He doesn’t. It’s still the freest of polyrhythms and beat displacements all over the instrument which seem to fit perfectly with the writing, not that he doesn’t now and then slyly choose to show that he can lay down a classic groove at least the equal of Ron Carter. His work with this orchestra is unparalleled in the anals, sorry, annals of jazz bass.

·        On drums of course the peerless MEL LEWIS  - he gets a unique sound out of his drums and cymbals (that dirty ride with 2 rivets and the full blown China). He is equally at home with all sizes of bands and the fills he uses in these tricky arrangements are delightful. As for his relaxed cymbal beat – that is a very precious gift of the gods.

·        But the most joyous miracle is the interaction of Roland, Richard and Mel. With their completely different styles, they still blend into a perfect unit.

 During my housebound recuperation from a hip operation, I have pickled myself for hours on end in the glorious recordings of the Thad Jones – Mel Lewis orchestra. I love the tunes and the arrangements. I was amused that their take on St.Louis Blues was quickly plundered for ideas by Tubby Hayes when he penned an arrangement of Basin Street Blues for his own big band of which I was a member.

 A small but significant proportion of the Jones/Lewes repertoire consisted of “funky” tunes in 8/8. We’re talking 1968-1970, the aftermath of flower power and the bizarre spectacle of previously be-suited elderly violinists turning up to the recording studios in kaftans and beads so as to look up to date when they caught the eye of the fixer!

These tunes inevitably sound dated now (like Tubby Hayes’s Song for a sad lady) but, in the hands of the Jones/Lewis band, they are executed so sharply and with so much conviction that they are still attractive.

 The band came together in 1965 and went on until 1978 when Thad Jones emigrated to Denmark. It is ironic in these uncertain days to note they had toured Russia in 1972 at the height of the cold war!

Post-script

After Thad’s departure, Mel continued to lead the “Mel Lewis jazz orchestra” pretty much up to his death in 1989. I remember a week they did at Ronnie’s (can’t remember which year). I was playing in the trio opposite the big band and it was the first and only time I ever met Mel. There didn’t seem to be any room on the stand for the big band chairs and stands and two drum kits and I approached him awkwardly about my predicament. He willingly offered to let me use his kit, precious cymbals and all, even though I was left handed and needed to swap one or two things around.

I doubt that any other top American drummer would have been so relaxed and generous. We chatted a bit and he told me how tired he was and that he had to wear a corset because of acute back pain from years of sitting on a drum stool. Not only a consummate drummer but a beautiful human being.