Tiny Grimes' Swingtet – August 14 1946
Dan Morgenstern – The Complete Blue Note Forties Recordings of Ike Quebec and John Hardee
Our final session with John Hardee was under Tiny Grimes' leadership and was a working band. The other horn is Trummy Young's robust trombone; the erstwhile Earl Hines and Jimmie Lunceford star had been working with Benny Goodman, done some radio staff work, and freelanced in New York, recording with, among others, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. His subsequent 12 years with Louis Amrstrong's All Stars has made some people forget that he was a great modern trombone stylist; his infrequent visits to the mainland from his Hawaii home show that he can still play with the best, and it's a pity he's not been recorded more during the past two decades. Pianist Marlowe Morris was a Tatum protege and disciple who often worked (and recorded) with Ben appeared in the famous film short Jammin’ the Blues, and later became a first-rate organist, with long residencies in Harlem bars. Bassist Jimmy Butts was with Tiny on the Savoy date featuring Charlie Parker and had gigged with Art Hodes, whose magazine, Jazz Record, he wrote for. Still active, he's worked the lounge circuit for decades. Drummer Eddie Nicholson worked and recorded with his fellow Brooklynite, the great altoist Pete Brown. The music offered by this band was sometimes heard on 52nd Street but is really uptown jump stuff, pointing the way to the jazz-flavored r&b to come - such as Tiny Grimes' own Harlem Highlanders (who performed in kilts).
C-Jam Blues adheres to the Ellington tradition in one respect: each soloist launches himself with a break. After a drum intro, the horns state the theme with guitar fills. Solos in turn are by Trummy, Hardee, Morris (whose second break is from Tatum), each taking two choruses and two breaks. Then ensemble riffing takes over and out. A stomper.
Flying Home took up two sides of a 10-inch 78 and generates a lot of excitement in the best Hampton-Jacquet tradition. Tiny introduces the flight, Hardee leads the ensemble (the bridge is a new variant), and the solo order leads off with two from Trummy (who at this breakneck tempo goes in for simple but swinging riffing a la J.C. Higginbotham). Then Hardee takes two, encouraged by Tiny's "Blow, John, blow," and getting into some Oriental stuff in his second. Marlowe's first is backed by the rhythm section only, his second by horns as well. He could play. Tiny kicks off part two, and the tempo seems to have accelerated a bit. After his two choruses comes an ensemble passage with guitar fills (Tiny leading on the bridge) and then Illinois' famous solo played by the ensemble, Trummy leading. Further riffing, a guitar break, more riffs, Trummy briefly emerging over the ensemble, and finally eight bars of the Hampton out-chorus riff. Toe-tapping sounds, meant for dancing but kicks for listening; no profundity but plenty of swing.
Tiny's Boogie Woogie is another two-take item; the first is the previously unissued alternate, 34 seconds longer. On both takes, Tiny opens with a boogie figure, then leads the ensemble and takes two solo choruses. Hardee follows, taking three on the first outing, two on the second. Tiny comes back for more: four on the first, three on the second, both with vocal interjections from the band. Then he winds it up with two choruses of call-and-response exchanges with the ensemble. Basic stuff, in an r&b groove.
Down Beat January 1 1947 Volume 14 Issue 1
This cuts Hampton—certainly for speed. These guys are playing so fast my hands get tired beating half time. Special mention to Eddie Nicholson (drums) and Jimmy Butts (bass) for staying with the beat. Trummie Young quarter-times a couple of choruses, after which John Hardee blows his head off on tenor. Cleanest jazz on the side is played by Marlowe Morris (piano) who incidently keeps a full beat left hand going, a small trick I would like to know myself at those prices. Grimes cuts loose himself on Part II, after which some riffs are casually tossed off. Maybe at half time it would swing better though—hunh?
Hardee makes more sense on Boogie, getting some of the Chuvian roll into his notations. C Jam is at ye wilde pacee again, but slow enough so that Trummie Young gets onto his best solo of the four sides
Billboard – November 30 1946
The exciting guitar pickings of Tiny Grimes, grooving with the torrid tenoring of John Hardee and the sliding sorcery of Trummie Young's trombone, make for a flow of Jam juice flooding four sides that are something to occupy the attention of the hot Jam diskophiles. Rounding out a sextet arc Marlowe Morris at the 88, Jimmy Butts at bass and the driving drum beats and cymbal crashes of Eddie Nicholson to make it peppery for the rhythmic, beats. It's a jam session that Jumps for joy as the sextet spins it in speed tempo over both sides /or Lionel Hampton's "Plying Home." And it's great guns as well for "Tiny's Boogie Woogie." which showcases the gait man both In solo flashes and in picking the strings for the eight -note pattern to the bar. On Ps, and just as Jam potent Is the terrific drive disked in their improvisings for Duke Ellington's "'O' Jam Blues," Whining at a fire -engine tempo. For the hot jazz fans.
Session Information
"Trummy" Young, trombone; John Hardee, tenor sax; Marlowe Morris, piano; Tiny Grimes, guitar; Jimmy Butts, bass; Eddie Nicholson, drums.
WOR Studios, NYC, August 14, 1946
BN288-3 "C" Jam Blues, Blue Note 525
BN289-1 Flying Home Part 1, Blue Note 524
BN290-1 Flying Home Part 2, Blue Note 524
BN291-1 Tiny's Boogie Woogie, (alternate take)
BN291-2 Tiny's Boogie Woogie, Blue Note 525
Tiny Grimes' Swingtet – August 14 1946
Dan Morgenstern – The Complete Blue Note Forties Recordings of Ike Quebec and John Hardee
Our final session with John Hardee was under Tiny Grimes' leadership and was a working band. The other horn is Trummy Young's robust trombone; the erstwhile Earl Hines and Jimmie Lunceford star had been working with Benny Goodman, done some radio staff work, and freelanced in New York, recording with, among others, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. His subsequent 12 years with Louis Amrstrong's All Stars has made some people forget that he was a great modern trombone stylist; his infrequent visits to the mainland from his Hawaii home show that he can still play with the best, and it's a pity he's not been recorded more during the past two decades. Pianist Marlowe Morris was a Tatum protege and disciple who often worked (and recorded) with Ben appeared in the famous film short Jammin’ the Blues, and later became a first-rate organist, with long residencies in Harlem bars. Bassist Jimmy Butts was with Tiny on the Savoy date featuring Charlie Parker and had gigged with Art Hodes, whose magazine, Jazz Record, he wrote for. Still active, he's worked the lounge circuit for decades. Drummer Eddie Nicholson worked and recorded with his fellow Brooklynite, the great altoist Pete Brown. The music offered by this band was sometimes heard on 52nd Street but is really uptown jump stuff, pointing the way to the jazz-flavored r&b to come - such as Tiny Grimes' own Harlem Highlanders (who performed in kilts).
C-Jam Blues adheres to the Ellington tradition in one respect: each soloist launches himself with a break. After a drum intro, the horns state the theme with guitar fills. Solos in turn are by Trummy, Hardee, Morris (whose second break is from Tatum), each taking two choruses and two breaks. Then ensemble riffing takes over and out. A stomper.
Flying Home took up two sides of a 10-inch 78 and generates a lot of excitement in the best Hampton-Jacquet tradition. Tiny introduces the flight, Hardee leads the ensemble (the bridge is a new variant), and the solo order leads off with two from Trummy (who at this breakneck tempo goes in for simple but swinging riffing a la J.C. Higginbotham). Then Hardee takes two, encouraged by Tiny's "Blow, John, blow," and getting into some Oriental stuff in his second. Marlowe's first is backed by the rhythm section only, his second by horns as well. He could play. Tiny kicks off part two, and the tempo seems to have accelerated a bit. After his two choruses comes an ensemble passage with guitar fills (Tiny leading on the bridge) and then Illinois' famous solo played by the ensemble, Trummy leading. Further riffing, a guitar break, more riffs, Trummy briefly emerging over the ensemble, and finally eight bars of the Hampton out-chorus riff. Toe-tapping sounds, meant for dancing but kicks for listening; no profundity but plenty of swing.
Tiny's Boogie Woogie is another two-take item; the first is the previously unissued alternate, 34 seconds longer. On both takes, Tiny opens with a boogie figure, then leads the ensemble and takes two solo choruses. Hardee follows, taking three on the first outing, two on the second. Tiny comes back for more: four on the first, three on the second, both with vocal interjections from the band. Then he winds it up with two choruses of call-and-response exchanges with the ensemble. Basic stuff, in an r&b groove.
Down Beat January 1 1947 Volume 14 Issue 1
This cuts Hampton—certainly for speed. These guys are playing so fast my hands get tired beating half time. Special mention to Eddie Nicholson (drums) and Jimmy Butts (bass) for staying with the beat. Trummie Young quarter-times a couple of choruses, after which John Hardee blows his head off on tenor. Cleanest jazz on the side is played by Marlowe Morris (piano) who incidently keeps a full beat left hand going, a small trick I would like to know myself at those prices. Grimes cuts loose himself on Part II, after which some riffs are casually tossed off. Maybe at half time it would swing better though—hunh?
Hardee makes more sense on Boogie, getting some of the Chuvian roll into his notations. C Jam is at ye wilde pacee again, but slow enough so that Trummie Young gets onto his best solo of the four sides
Billboard – November 30 1946
The exciting guitar pickings of Tiny Grimes, grooving with the torrid tenoring of John Hardee and the sliding sorcery of Trummie Young's trombone, make for a flow of Jam juice flooding four sides that are something to occupy the attention of the hot Jam diskophiles. Rounding out a sextet arc Marlowe Morris at the 88, Jimmy Butts at bass and the driving drum beats and cymbal crashes of Eddie Nicholson to make it peppery for the rhythmic, beats. It's a jam session that Jumps for joy as the sextet spins it in speed tempo over both sides /or Lionel Hampton's "Plying Home." And it's great guns as well for "Tiny's Boogie Woogie." which showcases the gait man both In solo flashes and in picking the strings for the eight -note pattern to the bar. On Ps, and just as Jam potent Is the terrific drive disked in their improvisings for Duke Ellington's "'O' Jam Blues," Whining at a fire -engine tempo. For the hot jazz fans.
Session Information
"Trummy" Young, trombone; John Hardee, tenor sax; Marlowe Morris, piano; Tiny Grimes, guitar; Jimmy Butts, bass; Eddie Nicholson, drums.
WOR Studios, NYC, August 14, 1946
BN288-3 "C" Jam Blues, Blue Note 525
BN289-1 Flying Home Part 1, Blue Note 524
BN290-1 Flying Home Part 2, Blue Note 524
BN291-1 Tiny's Boogie Woogie, (alternate take)
BN291-2 Tiny's Boogie Woogie, Blue Note 525
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