1946 - February 28

John Hardee's Swingtet – February 28 1946 

 

Dan Morgenstern - The Complete Forties Recordings of Ike Quebec and John Hardee Mosaic Box Set  

 

Tired serves well to introduce John Hardee's big, warm sound and tasteful, melodic style. Pearl Bailey's first hit, the tune was an original choice for instrumental interpretation. Hardee sticks to Pearl 's lazy tempo and frequent breaks (his second is worth more than one listen). This is mostly a tenor showcase, but pianist Sammy Benskin, a Blue Note discovery then still in his teens, takes a solo distinguished by two fine breaks from bassist John Simmons.  

Blue Skies goes at a nice clip, with Hardee sounding more like contemporary Hawkins than Chu Berry. Benskin gets fine support from the rhythm section. Tiny Grimes, very well represented in this collection, recorded this tune with the Cats and the Fiddle, with whom he made his debut on wax; hear Big Sid Catlett, one of the all-time best jazz drummers, on Tiny's bridge. Sid's solo break re-introduces Hardee, who otters a Webster holler during his swinging two-chorus rideout. 

Hardee's Partee, a slow blues, is heard in two takes. The tenor playing has that Texas flavor, though Webster is again in evidence. The only other soloist is Grimes, whose spot is routined with eight bars of stop time and four with straight rhythm. The head and final bars are played by tenor and guitar in unison—an attractive sound. The first (master) take is tighter in the ensembles. Hardee's solos are quite different on the two takes, with the second not as "groovy," while Tiny is marginally better on the alternate.  

Idaho, also presented in two takes, concludes Hardee's first Blue Note session. Jesse Stone's tune, with its whole notes and interesting harmonies (and four-bar bridge) was a favorite of sophisticated jazz players of the period and survived into the early bebop repertory. After the piano intro, guitar carries the melody with tenor underneath, doing Bean Stalkin', the Hawkins variant on Idaho changes (this can be heard more clearly on the master take, which also features a more settled tempo and better work by the rhythm section). The result is superior work by the leader, whose two concluding choruses on the master take are first-rate, and, incidentally, show his Berry roots more than elsewhere on this set. Benskin's solo on this take is also better. 

Hilltop News - 1946 

There are two new Bluenote albums just released both featuring Tenor Sax players. John Hardee heads one album backed by Tiny Grimes on guitar, Sammy Benskin, piano, John Simmons, bass, and Sid Catlett, drums. The album has three 10-inch records: Sweet and Lovely. What Is This Thing Called Love, Nervous From the Service, Idaho, River Edge Rock, and Hardee's Partee. 

The other album features Ike Quebec, who has Buck Clayton on trumpet, "Keg" Johnson, trombone, Roger Ramirez, piano, Tiny Grimes, guitar, Gracham Moncur, bass, and J. C. Heard on drums. This com- bination gives If I Had You, clearly a vehicle for the saxophone, a good treatment. Other tunes are: Hard Tack, Topsy, Dolores, Sweet- hearts on Parade, and Cup-Mute Clayton on which Buck Clayton shine as he improvised with a muted trumpet. Both albums are good, but as a whole I liked the Ike Quebec best for its ideas, technique, and over all blend. 

Down Beat July 15 1946 – Volume 13 Issue 15 

Backed by Tiny Grimes, Sammy Benskin, Sid Catlett, and John Simmons, Hardee’s work on this disc has started a lot of talk in NYC. There are small similarities in tone and style to Chu Berry, but mostly his stuff sounds pretty fresh, not obviously cribbed. Whoever wrote Tired came to rehearsal by way of Basin St. (Blue Note 513) 

Billboard – July 13 1946 

With the hot jazz emphasis on tenor sax sorcery, the improvisations of John Hardee are easy to get excited about. Standing out front all the way, with a rhythm section backing, Hardee displays a well-rounded tone with his musical ideas, fingering it slow and moody for "Tired," and with technical proficiency at a speed tempo for "Blue Skies." Guitar pickings of Tiny Grimes and Sam Benskin's piano pounding on par. For the hot jazz collectors. 

John Hardee, Sidney Catlett, John Simmons, Sammy Benskin, Tiny Grimes

Dan Morgenstern – Blue Note Swingtets CD Liner Notes – 1998 

It was Ike [Quebec]'s buddy, guitarist Tiny Grimes, who brought tenorman John Hardee (1918-84) to Blue Note's attention. The Texas-born musician made his mark on the New York scene while stationed near the Big Apple with an Army Airforce band, and then decided to stay, joining Grimes’ group, which can be heard on our first selections, with ex-Jimmie Lunceford trombone star Trummy Young sitting in. Pianist Marlowe Morris was a protégé of Art Tatum and had appeared in the 'famous film short Jammin' the Blues, and bassist-entertainer Jimmy Butts remained active until his death in 1998. This is good-time "jump" music, more Harlem than 52nd Street, and pointing toward the flavored jazz to come. 

Grimes is on hand for Hardee's own date, graced with the presence of master drummer Sid Catlett and his running buddy, bassist John Simmons. Teenaged Sammy Benskin rounds out the cast. Hardee's Party brings the leader's soulful, Chu Berry-inspired tenor to the fore. "Idaho," a Jesse Stone tune then very popular in jazz circles, offers fine, swinging tenor work. "River Edge Rock," from a different Hardee session, retains Big Sid and Benskin, but the guitar work is by Jimmy Shirley, a distinctive stylist often used by Lion. Hardee's in top form on this fast blues, superbly backed by Catlett. 

Screenland November 1947 Volume 52 No 1 

JOHN HARDEE: That’s the moniker of a new tenor sax discovery of Blue Note records, a cat with a highly original style and loaded with expressive ideas which pour off the grooves of the six sides of this album. There’s “What Is This Thing Called Love,’ “Hardee’s Party,’ “Nervous from the Service,” “Sweet and Lovely,” and “Riveredge Rock.” Fine backing on every shellack- ing and an auspicious début of a great new artist. (Blue Note album 101) 

Session Information 

John Hardee, tenor sax; Sammy Benskin, piano; Tiny Grimes, guitar; John Simmons, bass; Sidney Catlett, drums. 

WOR Studios, NYC, February 28, 1946 

BN280-0, Tired, Blue Note 513 

BN281-0, Blue Skies, Blue Note 513 

BN282-0, Hardee's Partee, Blue Note 514 

BN282-1, Hardee's Partee (alternate take) 

BN283-0, Idaho (alternate take) 

BN283-5, Idaho, Blue Note 514