1954 - September 5

Gil Melle Quartet – September 5 1954 

 

Leonard Feather: Gil Melle Volume 3 Liner Notes – BLP 5054 

THE PROBLEM of breaking through the barrier between obscurity and recognition on the jazz scene is one that has, inevitably, confronted every musician of talent at one point in his career. For Gil Mellé, still in his early twenties, some of the bastions fell not too long after his first Blue Note releases on 5020, with the Quintet and Sextet and 5033, with a new quintet. 

Since then, Gil has grown perceptibly in stature (though not physically — after reaching 6 ft. 4 in. he decided enough was enough). His musical ideas have matured, his direction has been more firmly established. 

The format on which he settled for his newest adventure is a more compact, more permanent one than its predecessors. It is not merely a group assembled for a record session, but an organized unit of men with whom Gil has been rehearsing and preparing special material for several months. 

In his own words, "It took two years of collecting names and phone numbers of talented musicians who are deeply interested in modern jazz. The musicians on this date are the result of this search." From playing tenor on his first LP and both baritone and tenor on his second, Gil evolved to full-time devotion to the baritone saxophone. "I feel more akin to the instrument, and it compliments this unit far better than a tenor," he says. 

Concerning the unorthodox instrumentation he adds, "Years ago, I decided upon the guitar as a substitute for the piano, because it lends a light, undominating quality to a group. Besides being capable of playing piano-like changes it can also execute ensemble phrases that ordinarily would be given to a horn but certainly never a piano. 

In other words the guitar plays a dual role, fully establishing a harmonic foundation, and playing solo and ensemble parts in the capacity of a horn. For these reasons, I (have used the guitar extensively for the past two years for recordings and public performances." 

Assembled several months ago, the quartet had been experimenting continuously with ideas for the best use of its instrumentation before Gil wrote and recorded the selections heard here. 

Lou Mecca, whose role is second in importance only to Gil's, is a Passaic resident. He has been through various phases as an admirer of Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt and especially of Tal FarJow. Although essentially a jazzman, Lou has extensive classical background and particularly enjoys playing the works of Bach. In the course of earning a livelihood, he has worked with the Three Suns and Archie Bleyer. He is a long time friend of Johnny Smith. 

Bassist Billy Phillips, too, has worked with commercial bands around New Jersey and New York; Vinnie Thomas, the drummer, got out of the service some six months ago and has thus spent most of his recent civilian life with Gil's group. His work in this set is a model of discretion and quiet swing. 

The first thing that struck me, on listening to Quadrille For Moderns, the opening tune of the set, was the intriguing result of having the guitar play the role of a sort of musical aide-de-camp for the baritone sax. Though naturally pitched higher than the horn, it has the effect of a lower line in the ingenious underscoring and counterbalancing of Gil's phrases. A sense of careful preparation is also immediately evident, as is the authority and consistency of Gil's sound on baritone. 

Ballade for Guitar was written by Gil specially for Lou Mecca. The latter takes the first 16 bars accompanied only by bass, expounding the theme gently in spread chords. You will hear in Lou's work a reminder of the halcyon Spanish guitar days when the sound was that of a full-bodied, six-stringed instrument with a metallic, biting edge. Although he uses an amplified instrument, the sound is closer to that of the traditional guitar and the style a distinct departure from the conventional single lines of most contemporary plectrists. 

Lullaby of Birdland, the George Shearing opus that has grown in two years to the proportions of a full-fledged jazz standard, gets a few new twists, including some Latin-rhythm touches. Note the support given by Gil, in half notes, to Lou during his solo, and the reciprocal aid offered by the latter to Gil in his own passage. 

Newport News is not related to Ella Fitzgerald's home town in Virginia, but to Newport, R. I.; where Gil presented this same quartet at the first national jazz festival in the summer of 1954. The piece was composed especially for this event by him and performed for the first time there. The use of ten-bar phrases and other constructional deviations lend this number a special piquancy. Phillips' solo and the drum breaks share the credits with the horn and guitar here. 

Metropolitan, one of Gil's most charming melodies, starts with a downward phrase built on two Charleston beats. Lou's chorus this time flows gracefully, mostly in single-note lines in eighths. Another fine baritone chorus, a return to the theme and a last bridge in chords by Lou are the ensuing features. 

The album concludes with a sensitive sample of what can be done to refresh a much-overworked standard without losing any of its inherent qualities. The long solo by Gil that occupies the first segment of Summertime is respectful of the melody and mood of the Gershwin piece, while Lou's figurations in the background offers engaging harmonic variations. The guitar solo that follows is perhaps Lou's most outstanding contribution to the album. 

For the jazz listener seeking new instrumental combinations and ideas, this set represents another provocative offering by Gil Mellé, in a new and intriguing mold. For the 22-year-old saxophonist himself, it is a special accomplishment, for, in Gil's own words, "I think with this group I've found the format that's right for me." 

We believe you'll agree. 

Cover Photo by BILL HUGHES 

—LEONARD FEATHER ( Down Beat Magazine) 

Technical Data: The Wide Range recording characteristic includes frequencies from 20 to 18.000 cycles. Multiple microphone technique was employed, utilizing Telefunken microphones and Ampex Series 300 tape recorders. Mastering equipment included Fairchild variable pitch lathe, Grampian cutter and Thermo-Styius. 

Recording Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder. 

 

Billboard January 1 1955 

In his third LP, Melle breaks into new territory again, this time using a more compact ensemble and working with musicians with whom he appears to have more rapport than in his previous recordings. Melle is now concentrating on the baritone sax and has built this new group around it, using guitar instead of piano, and adding only bass and drums. This album exploits the possibilities of the combination of guitar and baritone sax, with Lou Mecca on the former instrument A provocative album by one of the potentially finest jazz groups on the East Coast today. (Blue Note 5054) 

Down Beat 12 January 1955 Volume 22 Issue 1 

The best by far of Gil Melle’s three LPs so far. This is the unit he has been building for two years and hopes to take on the road, and it’s a good one: guitarist Lou Mecca, bassist Billy Phillips, and drummer Vinnie Thomas. Thomas and Mecca are particularly valuable finds. Melle himself has turned to baritone full-time, and from these sides, he indicates he can give Gerry Mulligan serious competition in the modern scene. There is no piano, and as Melle explains, “The guitar plays a dual role, fully establishing a harmonic foundation (as a piano would) and playing solo and ensemble parts in the capacity of a horn.” 

The originals well thought out and intelligently developed (particularly the first two); the playing is inventive and assured. Rudy Van Gelder’s engineering is excellent, and Blue Note is to be commended for its long-time faith in Melle in the face of doubters (like myself). It’s finally paid off on records; now somebody ought to give the man some live gigs. (Blue Note BLP 5054) 

Session Information 

Gil Melle, baritone sax; Lou Mecca, guitar; Billy Phillips, bass; Vinnie Thomas, drums. 

Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, September 5, 1954 

 

tk.4, Lullaby Of Birdland 

tk.8, Ballade For Guitar 

tk.10, Metropolitan 

tk.18, Newport News 

tk.19, Quadrille For Moderns 

tk.20, Summertime 

 

All selections released on Blue Note LP 5054