1954 - May 13/15

The Cool Britons – May 13 + 15 1954 

 

Leonard Feather: New Sounds From The Olde World Liner Notes – BLP 5052 

IN FEBRUARY 1954, after completing a European tour with my Jazz Club U.S.A. concert unit, I stopped over in England for a fast glimpse of the British jazz scene. 

Having already brought some of the better British jazz to American ears via such LPs as Blue Note's New Sounds From The Old World (LP 5019), I was not surprised to observe that still more new talent and material was available for export, and that much of it had been nurtured and encouraged through feature stories and annual polls conducted by the Melody Maker. 

This British weekly has become a prime force in fostering international interest in British jazz. Before leaving London I entrusted the Melody Maker's modern jazz editor, Mike Nevard, to assemble an all-star British band whenever the right men became available. 

Here is Mike Nevard's own account of how the recordings materialized. 

British jazzmen are potentially the best outside America (wrote Nevard). Potentially—because they develop in a world of their own; a jazz world cut off from its American sources. 

Union barriers forbid Britons from hearing American bands in the flesh. They have to travel abroad to hear them—or buy outdated records. 

In the States you rarely hear the British jazzman. You hear only the commercial bands whose records please the vast, unselective public — Geraldo, Mantovani, Chacksfield or perhaps an occasional poll-winning date. 

Mind you, it isn't easy to get good British jazz on record. Take the normal session. The record company has a studio free on Saturday. Half the musicians you want can't make it. You get subs and more subs; you end up with subs for subs. They start off cold. And they end up in a deep freeze. 

We tried a waiting game. We knew the musicians we wanted — and we waited until we could get every one of them together for the session. 

We waited three months. 

Then, one morning in May, the seven best jazzmen in Britain turned up for the session of the year. 

We took our time. We worked two sessions, and then from the lot selected the six best numbers — those you hear on these two sides. 

You've probably never heard of some of the musicians. Don Rendell, the tenor man, used to play with altoist Johnny Dankworth's combo, for years Britain's number one small group. He idolizes Lester — on records, that is — and now runs his own group.. 

Albert Hall—it's his real name — played trumpet with Tito Burns in such company as Ronnie Scott and the ubiquitous Dankworth. He now plays with Geraldo. 

Tony Kinsey

Harry Klein is the most-in-demand baritone player in London. Jazz groups, record dates, broadcasts, the lot. This was his first chance to really let go on record. He wrote Nom De Plume specially for the date. 

"King John I" conceals the identity of Britain's greatest altoist. Not everybody recognizes him as such, but just listen to his playing and see if you agree with us. 

Ralph Dollirnore, pianist on the session, is another Geraldo sideman. He was formerly with Ted Heath, and did plenty of arranging for the Heath crew. He wrote Quick Return and Crystal for our date. Johnny Hawksworth, in our eyes, is the greatest bass player anywhere. He's with the Heath band right now (remember Heath's version of Pick Yourself Up?) and he has a sense of humor that comes through on every number he plays. And as for beat.... well, he's unbeatable. And Allan Canley, who plays drums on Jazz Club U.S.A. and Quick Return, was "discovered" by Mary Lou Williams and now plays with Dankworth. 

That's the group, then; we hope you like the music. And while you're at it, think what heights the British musician could attain if he had a chance to mix with the world's great jazzmen — as do his cousins in France, Sweden, Japan and Germany... 

To Mike's comments we might add a few play-by-play details. Jazz Club U.S.A., except for the second-chorus ensemble, is entirely an alto sax workout for King John, who takes a series of medium-paced choruses that demonstrate his fine sound and unflagging inspiration. 

Epigram, a fast boppish unison theme on the "Rhythm" progression, allots two choruses each to. Rendell, Hall and Dollimore, plus one to drummer David Murray. 

Nom De Plume, a 12-bar motif, provides a most unusual and harmonically charming framework to encompass the 24-bar solos of Klein, Hall and Rendell, and the choruses in which three horns swap first four-bar, then two-bar phrases. 

"On the fast Quick Return, a new garment cloaking the hardy perennial All God's Children changes, there are two fine choruses apiece by tenor, piano, alto and trumpet, and two by Hawksworth's inimitable bass. 

Crystal, a very catchy theme in middle tempo, offers more solo moments to the swinging Klein baritone, followed by Hall, Rendell, Dollimore and Hawksworth. 

On Eggs In One Basket, a pleasant popular song of the late 1930's, Klein exposes the theme and follows it up with an ad lib chorus. Tenor, trumpet and piano solos lead to a final chorus in which all three horns trade four-bar licks with Murray's drums. 

The overall impression you get from these sides is that the top British jazzmen don't merely have the style and the ideas; they also have the sound, the jazz sonorities that are so much an ingredient of a true jazz brew. This is especially noteworthy in the work of Klein and Rendell, both of whom here meet American audiences for the first time. I hope you'll enjoy meeting them in the company of these other, equally distinguished Cool Britons. 

Cover design by ARLINE OBERMAN 

(There’s a nice article about Arline Oberman over at Pentagram here. For further information about ‘the other’ Albert Hall, look no further….) 

 

Down Beat 29 December 1954 Volume 21 Issue 26 

Mike Nevard of the Melody Maker assembled what he terms “the seven best jazzmen in Britain” for this date. The seven are Albert Hall, trumpeter King John I (Johnny Dankworth), alto; Don Rendell, tenor; Harry Klein, baritone; Ralph Dollimore, piano, Johnny Hawksworth, bass; David Murray, Allan Ganley, drums. all fairness to British jazz, may I ask where Dill Jones, Jimmy Deuchar, Tommy Whittle, and Joe Harriott were when these “seven best” were assembled? 

Allan Ganley

Anyway, the results are less than distinguished. The rhythm section, to begin with, is one of the least swinging on recent records, and Mr. Hawksworth, while possessed of a good (and loud) sound, is hardly “the greatest bass player anywhere” as the notes chauvinistically proclaim. The horns are also disappointing. Hall has barely enough control of tone and technique to merit being called a jazz professional by American standards, and his conception, like that of his colleagues, is far from freshly individual. Dankworth is undeniably professional and skilled but is quite a distance from the stature of Bird or any of the top younger American alto second liners. Klein has a real jazz sound (though sometimes too rough) and feel, but his conception is weak. Rendell comes off best in beat and sound, but he, too plays nothing of particular distinction conceptually. 

The session is clearly recorded but it’s rather shrill in sound and the drums are overbalanced. The notes also err in stating that this is Rendell’s introduction to American audiences. He’s been heard on three previous LPs, one on Blue Note and two on Discovery. (Blue Note BLP 5052) 

Billboard 4 December 1954 

Mike Nevard’s Melody Maker All Stars 

One of the exciting things that this jazz label has done over the past few years has been to introduce many of Europe’s to their counterparts in the United States. On this new set some of the top British jazzmen get a chance to show their wares on a group of original selections. The musicians, all of whom are top men in Britain, include Albert Hall on trumpet, Ron Rendell on tenor, Harry Klein on bary, Ralph Dollimore on piano, Johnny Hanksworth on bass, David Murray and Allan Ganley on drums, plus one of Britain’s top altoists, under the pseudonym “King John I.” Tho the jazz here is not especially distinguished, the musicians stand out now and then, especially Harry Klein on bary, Rendell on tenor, Dollimore on piano and “King John I” on alto. 

Leonard Feather Presents Cool Europe MGM Label Liner Notes 1955 

Not many years ago, just about all the good jazz available on records could be categorized in terms of what part of America it came from. We had New Orleans jazz, Chicago jazz, Kansas City jazz. The music that from overseas was just an occasional oddity that usually tried, with indifferent success, to emulate one of these forms.  

Since then, the walls have come tumbling down. With our American music solidly established as not merely a regional even a national phenomenon, the interchange of ideas has had a salutary effect on the quality of the music produced both here and abroad.  

A few years ago it was the Swedish jazzmen who surprised us with their effective assimilation of the modern jazz idiom. More recently, England and Germany have produced a little network of gifted musicians capable of the advanced and inspired brand of modern jazz improvisation. 

During a visit to London early in 1954, this writer assigned Mike Nevard, modern jazz editor of the Melody Maker, the world's largest music weekly, the job of organizing some special recordings to bring to and American audience the very best in British jazz. The musicians Mike selected were not all necessarily winners of the Melody Makers poll. They are simply the best men in the country, regardless of whether not they happen to have been recognized by the public. 

On two of the tunes, Deep Purple and Rhumblues, you will hear King John l, a superb alto man and perhaps the greatest improvising soloist England has produced: Don Rendell, a Lester Young fan who now leads his own small combo in London and plays the coolest tenor in town; and Albert Hall, a trumpet player whose work has been heard in the bands of Tito Burns and Geraldo, but never, to the best of our knowledge, in the concert hall of the same name. Backing up those men are pianist-arranger Ralph Dollimore, a Ted Heath alumni; drummer Alan Ganley, who was discovered by Mary Lou Williams; and the famous bassist of the Ted Heath band, Johnny Hawksworth. I’ll Remember April features Hall, Dollimore, Hawksworth and Murray, and a fine baritone sax man named Harry Klein. Amalgam also has some first class solo work by Don Rendell. 

 

 

Session Information 

Albert Hall, trumpet; Johnny Dankworth, alto saxophone; Don Rendell, tenor saxophone; Ralph Dollimore, piano; Johnny Hawksworth, bass; Allan Ganley, drums 

London, May 13, 1954 

 

Quick Return, Blue Note BLP 5052 

Deep Purple 

Jazz Club U.S.A., Blue Note BLP 5052 

Rhumblues 

 

Albert Hall, trumpet; Johnny Dankworth, alto saxophone; Harry Klein, baritone saxophone; Ralph Dollimore, piano; Johnny Hawksworth, bass; Tony Kinsey, drums 

London, May 15, 1954 

 

Crystal, Blue Note BLP 5052 

I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket, Blue Note BLP 5052 

Nom de Plume, Blue Note BLP 5052 

Epigram, Blue Note BLP 5052 

Amalgam 

Two Sleepy People 

I'll Remember April