1948 - October 19

 James Moody And His Bop Men – October 19 1948

Pete Welding - B-6503 Liner Notes 1969 

For his first recording session as a leader, tenor saxophonist James Moody, a member of Gillespie's reed section, assembled a group of men who were, like himself, members of the first wave of musicians to whom the vocabulary of bop was a natural mode of expression. They were the first generation of post-Parker jazzmen. Comprising the octet, originally called "James Moody & His Bop Men," were trumpeters Dave Burns and Elmon Wright, alto saxophonist Ernie Henry, Moody on tenor, baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne, pianist James Foreman (also known as "Hen Gates"), bassist Nelson Boyd, and drummer Teddy Stewart. The group participated in two recording sessions during the summer of 1948. On the second of these, drummer Art Blakey replaced Stewart and Afro-Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo was added on bongo drums. Recorded at this second date were "Tropicana," "Cu-ba" and "Moody's Ali Frantic," as well as "Tin Tin Deo," not included here. 

The band's music is quite exciting and holds up remarkably well today, for which two factors are mainly responsible. First, the band members themselves spoke the language of bop with fluency and ease and brought a good deal of convincing excitement to their performances of the material. Second, the octet's material was solid and viable. This is why these performances hold interest beyond any importance they may possess as historical documents of a significant phase in jazz development. 

Responsible for the material was the formidable young arranger, Walter "Gil" Fuller. Born in Los Angeles April 14, 1920, and raised there and in Newark, N.J., Fuller was drawn to music early. While still a teenager, he was writing orchestrations for the orchestras of Nina Mae McKinney, Floyd Ray, and Tiny Bradshaw, among others. Returning to California, he was associated with the orchestra of Les Hite from 1940 through 1942, at which time he entered the Army. During the war years he was increasingly absorbed with studies of the emerging bop idiom and, on his demobilization, became one of the first and most successful arrangers to work in the new music. He was associated with the large bop-influenced orchestra singer Billy Eckstine had formed in June, 1944. Fuller wrote a number of arrangements for Eckstine's orchestra — arrangements that consolidated and extended his grasp of bop's melodic, harmonic and rhythmic resources. 

The Record Changer March 1949 Volume 8 Issue 3 

By now, enough has been written about Chano Pozo's death to make any further comment from me unnecessary. He was a strange fellow, and probably the best bongo and Congo drummer of them all, as his few records will testify, He probably contributed as much as anyone else to the permanent inclusion of Afro-Cubano rhythm in modern music, simply by being so good at it that it 'was almost irresistible. Here he's coupled with my favorite drummer, Art Blakey, and they, with Nelson Boyd's bass and Hen Gates's piano, comprise one of the most dynamic rhythm sections imaginable.  

Tropicana is more Cubano than Afro. Played at a heavy rhumbaish tempo, with powerful bongo work by Chano, and with an unusual sound being produced by the big band (9 pieces). Walter Fuller did the arranging, and I think it may grate on some ears because it's pretty intense, what I think of as a dark sound. due in part to Cecil Payne's lusty baritone, but mostly to the exceptionally close scoring. Moody, the leader, is one of the most popular tenor men around, right now, due to his work with the Gillespie band. He has a fairly economical style, compared to someone like Charlie Ventura. but everyone likes him because he can blow. This side doesn't let him really take off, but he is plenty effective. I like the flighty, delicate piano by Gates, too, but it is the fine Cubano beat that stands out. On the other side Blakey is replaced by Teddy Stewart (currently with Dizzy), who has something of the crispness of Heard and a good beat, and Chano is absent. 

The feature of this side is a weird arrangement by Fuller, with insistent dissonant figures. I still haven't made up my mind whether I like It or not. Moody has another rousing bit, which is matched by altoman Ernie Henry, and there's some clean trumpet by Dave Burns, who has been playing under the shadow of Dizzy in the big band. 

All in all, this is a pretty interesting record—I don't think it's great, but it's almost another new direction. The more the merrier. (Blue Note 553) (P.B. [Paul Bacon])  

Dave Burns and James Moody

Richard Cook - Blue Note Records: The Biography – Secker and Warburg 2001

Saxophonist Moody's two sessions, by James Moody And His Bop Men, were a mixture of assembly-line bop of the order of 'Moodamorphosis' and a nod towards the Afro-Cuban tinge then under way in the work of Dizzy Gillespie (Moody was at the time a regular Gillespie sideman). For the second, they even imported Gillespie's excitable percussionist-vocalist Chano Pozo for the band favourite 'Tin Tin Deo'. 

Michael Cuscuna – 1991 CD (CDP 7 84436 2) Reissue Liner Notes 

Dizzy Gillespie's second big band (mid 1946 through 1949) not only proved that bebop could be successfully translated into the big band setting, but also brought to prominence an array of first rate soloists such as James Moody, Cecil Payne and Ernie Henry, figured prominently in the development of Afro-Cuban jazz with the presence of Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo and the introduction of such pieces as "Manteca" and George Russell's "Cubano Be/Cubano Bop" and expanded jazz composition with the introduction of an unusually consistent book of brilliant compositions and arrangements, many by the bands resident arranger Walter 'Gil' Fuller. 

The first Moody date for Blue Note on October 19, 1948 consists of Moody on tenor, Cecil Payne on baritone sax, Ernie Henry on alto, Dave Burns and Elmon Wright on trumpets, James 'Hen Gates' Forman on piano, Nelson Boyd on bass and Teddy Stewart on drums with arrangements by Fuller, all of whom were members of the Gillespie band at that time. The second session on October 25 added Chano Pozo on bongos and replaced Stewart with Art Blakey. 

Fuller established himself with Gillespie as an inventive and exciting arranger who easily projected the modern harmony, rhythm and phraseology of bebop to the big band format with no concessions to the swing era conventions. Moreover, his use of voicings, moving parts and sectional independence on his eight charts for Moody's octet miraculously make this instrumentation sound as expansive as a big band. With the exception of Cecil Payne's "Cu-Ba", Fuller wrote or co-wrote all of the tunes introduced on these two sessions. 

In fact, several of these tunes have found a recurring place in jazz history. In 1949, Fuller rearranged "Cu-Ba" and "Oh Henry" for a Charlie Barnet session. Cecil Payne recorded his tune twice with Duke Jordan, first in 1955 with Art Blakey present again and then in 1973. Kenny Burrell, a man with a taste for fine bebop tunes, recorded "Oh Henry" in 1964. 

Also in 1949, Gil got the opportunity to cut four sides with a big band under his own leadership, two of which were "Tropicana" and "Workshop", which he retitled "Blues To A Debutante". Surprisingly, Gil's only other opportunity to record as a leader came from Pacific Jazz in 1966. Moody was guest soloist, and "Tin Tin Deo" and "Blues To A Debutante" were resurrected. 

Down Beat 14 January 1949 Volume 16 Issue 1 

With a two-trumpet (Dave Burns, Elmon Wright), tenor (Moody), alto (Ernie Henry), and baritone (Cecil  
Payne) plus rhythm combination, Fuller is a better title than it is bop. It's a blues with only fair tenor, trumpet, and alto solos and not much kick.  

Tropicana, however, with the addition of Dizzy's favorite rhythm man, Chano Pozo on bongos, is a very interesting Afro-Cuban bopper with a beat and listenable, nonfrenetic tenor, piano, and trumpet. Reproduction on both sides is not good. (Blue Note 553.) 

 

Session Information 

Dave Burns, Elmon Wright, trumpet; Ernie Henry, alto sax; James Moody, tenor sax; Cecil Payne, baritone sax; Hen Gates, piano; Nelson Boyd, bass; Teddy Stewart, drums; "Gil" Fuller, arranger. 

Apex Studios, NYC, October 19, 1948 

BN340-0, The Fuller Bop Man (alternate take) 

BN340-4, The Fuller Bop Man, Blue Note 553, BLP 5006, B-6503 

BN341-0, Workshop, Blue Note 556, BLP 5006 

BN342-2, Oh Henry!, Blue Note 555, BLP 5006, B-6503 

BN343-2, Mooda-Morphosis, Blue Note 554, BLP 5006, B-6503