Classic Vanguard Jazz Piano Sessions – Limited Edition Box Set
As was the case with our first set, each track in our six-CD “Classic Vanguard Jazz Piano Sessions” set was recorded under the exacting eye of legendary producer John Hammond. Sometimes criticized for micro-managing sessions he supervised, Hammond allowed musicians on these sets to take advantage of newer recording technology that permitted up to 15 minutes of music on a 10-inch side, giving them free-rein to express themselves. Many of the songs in the repertoire were well-known favorites, finally recorded the way they might have been heard live.
But if Hammond was determined to give musicians the freedom new innovations allowed, he was intrigued by Vanguard’s devotion to what was, in some ways, an older approach. Originally signing with Vanguard to supervise classical recordings, Hammond became fascinated by the results the label achieved in the way they used the studio. At a time when studio recording advancements made it possible to individually mic instruments, Vanguard was committed to achieving the perfect sound by strategically positioning musicians in the room and capturing — with a solitary microphone, suspended 30 feet above the musicians — the natural blend and reverb that the environment produced. For the most part, the Jazz Showcase series followed that plan.
It didn’t hurt that Vanguard was using the Brooklyn Masonic Temple (and sometimes the Pythian Temple in Manhattan) as its studio. An historic structure dating back to 1907, still intact today and in use as a vibrant event space, the Temple featured a 35-foot ceiling, wooden floors, and wooden walls, creating an unmatchable natural reverb. In its day, the sound was glorious. Newly-remastered by Mosaic, “these recordings have never sounded better,” one critic wrote.
For the Vanguard recordings Hammond assembled musicians who, at the time, were “caught in a no-man’s-land,” according to critic Nat Hentoff (who also had a hand in bringing this music to life). With post-War tastes leading to a flurry of enthusiasm for bebop, followed by cool jazz and hard bop, Hammond used musicians who may have evolved with the times but could still strike fire in a mainstream jazz setting. This new set focuses on pianists who could swing with the best of them — included Ray Bryant with the Jo Jones Trio, Sir Charles Thompson, Bobby Henderson, Mel Powell, and Ellis Larkins.
Veterans, even in youth
When he made these recordings in 1958, Ray Bryant had just moved to New York from Philadelphia where he had spent a few years as house pianist at the Blue Note club. As a fixture in that venue, he worked alongside everybody. He was already a veteran at 27 — after all, he began his professional career at the age of 14. His gifts made him comfortable in every style from stride to hard bop. Along with his older brother Tommy on bass and Jones on drums, the trio was seasoned and ready after touring earlier in the year. They recorded their entire date in one 42-minute session. These recordings of stalwarts such as “Sweet Lorraine,” “Satin Doll,” “Ol’ Man River,” and others, plus signature originals by Bryant including “Spider Kelly’s Blues” and his masterful “Cubano Chant,” are relaxed and secure, despite what were often upbeat tempos that demanded Bryant unleash a flurry of notes.
Sir Charles Thompson was more than a decade older than Bryant at the time of his Vanguard sessions but had also started young, playing professionally from the age of 15. He got a significant break when William Basie, pianist with Bennie Moten (and not yet a Count), invited him to sit in. On one of his Vanguard sessions, Thompson teams with the Basie rhythm section (Freddie Green, Walter Page, and Jo Jones) and on the other, with Skeeter Best (guitar) and Aaron Bell (bass). Thompson was well-acquainted with bebop, having performed regularly on 52nd Street with such notable innovators as Charles Parker, but on these later recordings he shows that his range extended across musical styles. He played in a focused, spare and bluesy mode, with great wit.
His second set from 1955 was Vanguard’s last LP in the ten-inch format. The following year, the entire industry went to 12-inch vinyl, rendering this set a virtual orphan in the market. The only re-issues in the U.S. have been incomplete, and Mosaic is proud to offer the set as it was originally recorded.
Journey into the composer’s mind
Mel Powell was well-known to Hammond from his time with Benny Goodman. But he was a musician who simply would not be categorized, working as a studio and TV network pianist and arranger, a composer of significant classical works, and an arranger for small groups and big bands. In the early 1950s he was working as a music educator, but he returned to performing to be with Goodman and to lead sessions such as these featuring trios, quintets, and septets. Powell’s work in jazz was uplifting and sprite. He kept the music moving on such highly appreciated tunes as “Ain’t She Sweet,” “Stompin’ At The Savoy” and “Three Little Words.” His performance on “Pennies From Heaven” is a tour de force of pianism, a wondrous display of his composer’s mind as he journeys through tempos, harmonies, and different artistic feels. “Gone With the Wind” is another peek into his approach, matching structure with improvised exploration.
Bobby Henderson became part of the Vanguard roster on a chance encounter Hammond had with a pianist in Albany using the name Jody Bolden. Hammond quickly realized the pianist he was hearing was Henderson, a friend from decades earlier who had been greatly influenced by Fats Waller, as his two-fisted approach reveals. Handful of Keys — his LP-length tribute to Waller — is aptly named. The title tune is a workout and a showcase for Henderson’s unaccompanied piano. We don’t have as much Henderson on record as his talent should have demanded, and he is largely remembered for his Vanguard discs, here in their entirety.
The Classic Larkins-Braff duets
Hammond’s ingenious pairing of trumpeter Ruby Braff with pianist Ellis Larkins makes one wonder why this format — horn and piano — wasn’t attempted more often. Larkins’ dynamics generally stayed in a range from quiet-to-a-whisper, which benefited his highly-prized talent as an accompanist to singers. He was known as one of the finest accompanists ever and Braff, his collaborator on these sessions, praised his playing for being “a complete orchestra by itself.” In this set, he not only solos emotionally but provides a gentle bed for Braff’s lovely sense of melody. These duets have been more dutifully released than some of the other Vanguard sessions, but their brilliance deserves a re-newed interest. As critic Whitney Balliet wrote at the time, “For sheer inspiration and first-rate creativity, these should find a permanent place among the greater efforts of recorded jazz.”
On six CDs, “Classic Vanguard Jazz Piano Sessions” contains 88 compositions, many of which will be new to jazz listeners who weren’t around in the days on 10-inch vinyl. Our deluxe set includes an updated and corrected discography and one of our famous booklets featuring many vintage photos and a track-by-track appreciation by noted jazz historian Thomas Cunniffe.
It’s a shame that the bulk of these recordings have been unavailable for so long. We encourage you to snap up a set before our collection — extremely limited — disappears as well.
