Shirley Scott - Queen Talk: Live at the Left Bank

Styles: Hard Bop, Soul Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 97:59
Size: 228,3 MB
Art: Front

(12:32) 1. Impressions
(10:44) 2. Never Can Say Goodbye
( 9:55) 3. Like Someone in Love
(14:45) 4. Witchcraft
( 6:37) 5. Blues By Five
( 9:08) 6. By The Time I Get To Phoenix
( 9:19) 7. Smile
( 8:04) 8. You Don't Mess Around with Jim
( 8:42) 9. Girl Talk
( 8:09) 10. Blues

Queen Talk is a fitting title for the current release from the archivist label Reel to Real Records as Hammond B-3 organist Shirley Scott had the soubriquet "Queen of the organ" at the height of her career. This limited-edition hand-numbered 180 gram 2-LP set produced by Zev Feldman and Cory Weeds presents a never-before-released live 1972 recording from the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore. Other heavyweights on this outline are tenor saxophonist George Coleman, drummer Bobby Durham and, for three tracks, vocalist Ernie Andrews.

A Philadelphia native, Scott began playing in and around the area at an early age and, at twenty-one, she was in a trio with John Coltrane, supporting a vocal group called Hildy & The Peptones. By the time of this live session, she had long established her bona fides through her association with tenor-men such as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Stanley Turrentine as well as several iterations of her own trio.

Side A opens with John Coltrane's composition "Impressions" and races along at break-neck speed. There are lots of long hot-tempered lines and squealing by Coleman, while Durham is a whirling dervish on the drum kit. Scott deftly works her way into this ring, punching above her weight. The other track is "Never Can Say Goodbye," with a slightly more infectious tempo which is more open, appealing and in control. Everyone has their say and for the most part is readily understood.

Side B features the session's longest track, "Witchcraft," the Cy Coleman composition which became a big hit for Frank Sinatra. However, instead of the finger snapping tempo favoured by Sinatra, the trio decides they want to test each other's endurance. It is unclear who the winner (or loser) is but, by the end of the track, Coleman has shown he is a soloist of fluency and speed.

Side C has three decidedly different compositional forms starting with the Red Garland number "Blues By Five" then the Jimmy Webb pop tune "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," and finally Charlie Chaplin's composition "Smile." It might have been expected that these disparate numbers would produce different tempos, but that is not the case. Up tempo swing is the order of the day and each player dives in with glee.

Side D is all vocalist Ernie Andrews on "You Don't Mess Around with Jim," "Girl Talk" and "Blues." Throughout the three numbers, Andrews shows his versatility, vocal flexibility, and ability to sustain and fortify the energy in the room with the strength of his personality. A fitting wind up to a to a blistering session.By Pierre Giroux
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/queen-talklive-at-the-left-bank-shirley-scott-reel-to-real-records

Personnel: Shirley Scott: organ, Hammond B3; George Coleman: saxophone, tenor; Bobby Durham: drums; Ernie Andrews: voice / vocals.

Queen Talk: Live at the Left Bank

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Clifford Jordan - Soul Fountain

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:16
Size: 65,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:39)  1. TNT
(3:00)  2. I've Got A Feeling For You
(3:32)  3. H.N.I.C.
(2:37)  4. I Got You
(2:07)  5. Caribbean Cruise
(5:42)  6. Senor Blues
(4:05)  7. Eeh Bah Lickey Doo
(4:31)  8. Retribution

Clifford Jordan's Soul Fountain was recorded for Atlantic in 1966 and produced by no less a talent than Arif Mardin. It was not released until 1968 and then reissued properly in 1970 on the Vortex imprint, by which time Jordan had become an American expatriate living in Europe as so many other jazzmen had. The bottom line is that there was no good reason for any of it. This may be, like Jordan's Plays Leadbelly album, a recording of deep roots music in this case soul but as a jazz album with big fat grooves, stellar playing, and arrangements, it's a monster. The bands (a bit different on sides one and two) tell a big part of the story of the album. The first five tracks the front side feature Jordan on tenor and piano, Jimmy Owens on trumpet and flugelhorn, Julian Priester on trombone, Frank Owens playing both piano and B-3, Ben Tucker on upright bass, Bob Cranshaw on upright and Fender electric bass, drummer Bob Durham, and percussionists Orestes Vilató and Joe Wohletz. The music on side one includes the smoking Ben Tucker jams "T.N.T." and "H.N.I.C.," the first of which is a complete soul-jazz groover with big-boned tenor work by Jordan knotted up in the best Blue Note early three-horn front-line '60s fashion: it's where hard bop met the extrapolated sounds of Latin boogaloo and Ray Charles-styled big-band soul. Tucker's grooves were scorching. The latter tune, written in a minor key, offers more Latin grooves with the same front-line 12-bar blues set up with beautiful call and response, a knotty chorus, and wonderfully seamless harmonies among the horns. Jordan contributes a pair of originals to the side (and three overall). The first is "I've Got a Feeling for You," coming right out of the groove territory with those hand drums popping in and around the piano played by Cliff, and a snarling B-3 workout in the fills by Frank Owens. It's suave, spunky, and swaggering with great trumpet work by Jimmy Owens. Jordan's latter tune on the side is a too-brief little calypso fueled hard bop number. The kit work by Durham is hot and the Jordan solo swings hard and in the pocket. The other tune on the side is a burning funky workout on James Brown's "I Feel Good" with amazing trombone work by Priester, who could have been a part of the '70s J.B.'s in a heartbeat, as his sense of propulsion and rhythm is infectious and Durham's breaks are smoking and in the pocket. Side two offers a bit of a change: Big John Patton plays organ, Billy Higgins plays drums, and Ray Barretto replaces Vilató on congas! Three tunes make up the side: one is a reading of Horace Silver's "Senor Blues" that is so full of Latin groove that it drips. Jordan's interplay with the drummers and Patton is rich, wrangling, his best Sonny Rollins in the role and taking it outside slightly via Coltrane. 

The breezy "Eeh Bah Lickey Doo," by the saxophonist is a shimmering, lightly funky riff-based blues with Jordan playing flute to change things up the tonal contrast between his little woodwind and Patton's B-3 simmering is very hip especially when Big John takes his solo. The final track, written by Priester and Abbey Lincoln is called "Retribution." It's the most complex tune here rhythmically, juxtaposing an intensely clave rhythm against a straight cut time and the front-line playing right in between the two signatures. Priester's lyric sense is complex but utterly accessible, and when Jordan takes his solo following that fat downbeat where it all comes together, he can walk between both poles effortlessly. Patton just pushes from the inside out and finds the horn in the corners. Barretto even at this point was offering a dimension on other people's recordings that was singular. He sounded like no one else and his manner of reading the hard bop accents and angles through boogaloo added a hip factor of ten to the side. Priester's solo is brief, followed by Jimmy Owens' before they bring it all back to that melody, closing it out on a very high point indeed.  Certainly, Jordan's great accomplishments as a leader the two Glass Bead Games volumes and In the World on Strata East, as well as Night of the Mark 7 from the '70s are regarded as high marks in his career, but this side should not be counted out by any stretch of the imagination. Mardin's production work adds the right amount of warmth and Jordan is clearly relaxed and in control, walking the razor's edge between the hard bop past, the present-day soul, and the future openness that he would embrace wholesale a couple of years later. This is a fine set and well worth pursuing whether on wax or via the Wounded Bird reissue (it needs to be said that the latter's program of reissuing Atlantic and Warner jazz from the early '70s is really special in that it highlights work that has been forgotten or was entirely ignored). ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-fountain-mw0000582716

Personnel: Clifford Jordan — tenor saxophone, flute, piano; Jimmy Owens - trumpet, flugelhorn; Julian Priester - trombone; John Patton - organ (tracks 6-8); Frank Owens - piano, organ (tracks 1-5); Ben Tucker - bass (tracks 1-5); Bob Cranshaw - bass, electric bass (tracks 1-5); Bobby Durham (tracks 1-5), Billy Higgins (tracks 6-8) - drums; Ray Barretto - congas (tracks 6-8); Joe Wohletz - bongos, percussion; Orestes Vilato - percussion (tracks 1-5)

Soul Fountain

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Oscar Peterson Trio - Saturday Night At The Blue Note

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:37
Size: 153,8 MB
Art: Front

(12:12)  1. Kelly's Blues
(10:12)  2. Nighttime
(11:00)  3. Medley: Love Ballade / If You Only Knew
( 6:41)  4. You Look Good To Me
( 6:48)  5. Old Folks
( 7:27)  6. Reunion Blues
(12:14)  7. Song to Elitha

Oscar Peterson reunited with guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown for this well-recorded engagement, which has resulted in four CDs being released by Telarc. The inclusion of drummer Bobby Durham did make the music a bit safer, and rather than revisit their classic complex arrangements, the ensemble jammed on the songs, so one does not hear the startling octaves that were present in the Oscar Peterson Trio's work of the late '50s. However, the repertoire on Saturday Night at the Blue Note (which includes two standards, Milt Jackson's "Reunion Blues," and five of Peterson's originals) is fresh and fairly challenging. Enjoyable music, it's recommended to the pianist's fans. 

~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/saturday-night-at-the-blue-note-mw0000265663

Personnel:  Piano – Oscar Peterson; Bass – Ray Brown; Drums – Bobby Durham; Guitar – Herb Ellis

Saturday Night At The Blue Note

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The Oscar Peterson Trio - Tristeza On Piano

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:42
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:12)  1. Tristeza
(6:45)  2. Nightingale
(6:13)  3. Porgy
(5:21)  4. Triste
(3:33)  5. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(6:11)  6. Watch What Happens
(8:49)  7. Down Here On The Ground
(4:37)  8. Fly Me To The Moon

At the beginning of this set Oscar Peterson so overwhelms the normally gentle "Tristeza" that it almost becomes a parody. Fortunately, the remainder of the bossa nova-flavored LP is more tasteful. Even if Peterson is overly hyper in spots, he is able to bring out the beauty of such songs as George Gershwin's "Porgy," Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Trieste," and "Watch What Happens," in addition to stomping through the straight-ahead "You Stepped out of a Dream." ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/tristeza-on-piano-mw0000188657

Personnel:  Oscar Peterson – Piano; Sam Jones – Double bass; Bobby Durham – drums

Tristeza On Piano

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Oscar Peterson - Motions And Emotions (Remastered Anniversary Edition)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:32
Size: 83.7 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1969/2014
Art: Front

[3:08] 1. Sally's Tomato
[3:29] 2. Sunny
[4:22] 3. By The Time I Get To Phoenix
[2:54] 4. Wandering
[3:46] 5. This Guy's In Love With You
[6:03] 6. Wave
[2:58] 7. Dreamsville
[4:03] 8. Yesterday
[3:05] 9. Eleanor Rigby
[2:39] 10. Ode To Billy Joe

Bass – Sam Jones; Drums – Bobby Durham; Guitar – Bucky Pizzarelli; Piano – Oscar Peterson.

Recorded in 1969, Motions & Emotions from Oscar Peterson is a bit of a departure from what the famed pianist was doing back in those days. Featuring lush orchestral arrangements by Claus Ogerman, known for his work with Frank Sinatra and more recently, Diana Krall, the album shows off Peterson and his trio members Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar and Bobby Durham on drums performing a wide range of cover songs, from the Beatles to Bacharach, Bobby Gentry to bossa nova.

Motions And Emotions (Remastered Anniversary Edition) mc
Motions And Emotions (Remastered Anniversary Edition) zippy

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Monty Alexander - Perception

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:20
Size: 99,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:17)  1. Concerto d'Aranjuez
(6:46)  2. Ben
(5:00)  3. Battle Hymn Of The Republic
(5:28)  4. Carnival In Jamaica
(6:59)  5. For All We Know
(3:29)  6. Rude Old Man
(8:18)  7. Shaft

Jamaican-born pianist Monty Alexander is a sophisticated, prolific performer with an urbane, swinging style informed by the bop tradition, as well as the reggae and Caribbean folk he grew up with. Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1944, Alexander first started playing piano around age four and took classical lessons from age six. By his teens, however, he had discovered jazz and was already performing in nightclubs. Although his early career found him covering pop and rock hits of the day, it was his love of jazz-oriented artists like Oscar Peterson, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole that brought him the most inspiration.  In 1961, he moved with his family to Miami, Florida to better pursue his musical ambitions. It was there that Alexander met restaurateur and Frank Sinatra associate Jilly Rizzo, who eventually hired him as the house pianist at his New York nightclub, Jilly's. For the next several years, Alexander lived in New York and worked at Jilly's, where had the opportunity to befriend and perform with a bevy of stars including Sinatra, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, and others. Buoyed by this success, in 1964 he traveled to Los Angeles, where he recorded several well-received albums for the Pacific Jazz label, including Alexander the Great and Spunky. A handful of additional efforts followed, including 1967's Zing! on RCA and 1969's This Is Monty Alexander on Verve. In 1969 he also appeared on vibraphonist Milt Jackson's That's the Way It Is.

In the 1970s, Alexander built a long-lasting relationship with Germany's MPS (Musik Produktion Schwarzwald) label and released a steady stream of albums, including 1971's Here Comes the Sun, 1974's Perception!, and 1977's Cobilimbo with longtime friend and collaborator Ernest Ranglin. These albums found Alexander pushing his sound in new directions and often combining jazz with elements of the Caribbean musical traditions of his youth. During this period he formed working relationships with bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton. As a trio, they debuted to much acclaim on 1976's Live! Montreux Alexander, and would continue to work together in various configurations over the next several decades. The pianist also continued to record with Milt Jackson, and made appearances on albums by Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Phyllis Hyman, and others. The '80s were also a fruitful period for Alexander, who continued to combine his love of straight-ahead jazz and Caribbean music with the release of such albums as 1983's The Duke Ellington Songbook, 1985's The River, and 1986's Li'l Darlin'. He also reunited with Clayton and Hamilton on 1983's Reunion in Europe and paired with bassist Ray Brown for several dates, including 1985's Full Steam Ahead and 1987's The Red Hot Ray Brown Trio. More albums followed, including 1994's Live at Maybeck and 1995's reggae-inflected Yard Movement. He rounded out the decade with 1997's Frank Sinatra-inspired Echoes of Jilly's and 1999's Stir It Up: The Music of Bob Marley. In 2000, Alexander's artistic achievements were recognized by the Jamaican government with his designation as a worldwide music ambassador and as Commander in the Order of Distinction for outstanding services to Jamaica. That same year, he collaborated with reggae giants Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare on Monty Meets Sly & Robbie, followed in 2001 by Caribbean Duet with pianist Michel Sardaby. He then paired again with Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis for 2002's Triple Scoop and 2003's Straight Ahead. Two tribute sessions followed with 2008's The Good Life: Monty Alexander Plays the Songs of Tony Bennett and 2009's Calypso Blues: The Songs of Nat King Cole. Alexander then highlighted his fusion of reggae, ska, R&B, and jazz on 2011's Harlem-Kingston Express and 2014's Harlem-Kingston Express, Vol. 2: River Rolls On, both recorded at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Lincoln Center. ~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/artist/monty-alexander-mn0000589256/biography

Personnel:  Piano – Monty Alexander;  Bass – Eugene Wright;  Drums – Bobby Durham.

Perception

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Junior Mance - Softly as in a Morning Sunrise

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:15
Size: 158,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:47)  1. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
(6:35)  2. The Man from Potters Crossing
(5:52)  3. Sunset and the Mocking Bird
(4:45)  4. Broadway
(7:34)  5. Deli - Blues for Blakey
(6:09)  6. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You
(9:12)  7. Lady Bird
(3:49)  8. Wee
(6:48)  9. Sunday Go to Meetin'
(4:38) 10. Inside Out
(6:00) 11. C.C. Rider

This 1994 CD gives listeners an excellent example of pianist Junior Mance's playing. Featured in a trio with bassist Jimmy Woode and drummer Bobby Durham, Mance performs a wide-ranging set that includes a few originals, blues, and standards (including "Broadway," "Lady Bird" and the title cut) that he practically turns into the blues. Mance's style, which mixes bop, R&B and soul-jazz, is quite appealing and is heard in its prime throughout this splendid session.~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise-mw0000124047

Personnel:  Junior Mance (piano); Jimmy Woode (bass); Bobby Durham (drums).

Softly as in a Morning Sunrise

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Bobby Durham, Massimo Farao, Lorenzo Conte - Fascinating

Styles: Jazz, Mainstream Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:22
Size: 180,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Aranjuez Mon Amour (J.Rodrigo)
(4:43)  2. Recuerdos de Alhambra (F.Tarrega)
(3:13)  3. Romance (Jeux inter dits) (Trad.)
(6:26)  4. Adriana
(4:11)  5. Toccata (G.Rolland)
(5:25)  6. This masquerade (L.Russel)
(2:42)  7. Scarborought Fair (P.Simon-Garfunkel)
(6:04)  8. Badahmbe
(4:46)  9. Estrellita (P.Ponce)
(5:27) 10. Gelsomina (M.Galdieri-N.Rota)
(6:34) 11. Brutus Is Gone
(4:26) 12. Never on Sunday (M.Hadjdakis-B.Towne)
(4:21) 13. The Third Man Theme (A.Karas)
(5:34) 14. My funny Valentine (R.Rodgers)
(2:51) 15. Washington square (B.Goldtsein)
(5:07) 16. The Duck

Bobby Durham (February 3, 1937 – July 6, 2008) was an American jazz drummer. Durham was born in Philadelphia and learned to play drums while a child. He played with The Orioles at age 16, and was in a military band between 1956 and 1959. After his discharge he played with King James and Stan Hunter. In 1960 he moved to New York City, where he played with Lloyd Price, Wild Bill Davis, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Slide Hampton, Grant Green, Sweets Edison, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Rowles, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, in which he played for five years. While working with Basie he met Al Grey, and was a member of several of Grey's small ensembles. 

He accompanied Ella Fitzgerald for more than a decade, and worked with Oscar Peterson in a trio setting. Durham also played in trios with organists such as Charles Earland and Shirley Scott, and there was a resurgence in interest in Durham's work during the acid jazz upswing in the 1990s. Many of Durham's projects, both as sideman and as leader, have come due to his association with producer Norman Granz, who had him work with Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Harry Edison, Flanagan, and Joe Pass. Durham has led his own combos as well; he is noted for scat singing along with his drum solos. Durham has also performed often with pop and soul musicians such as Frank Sinatra, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Marvin Gaye. He died in Genoa, Italy, aged 71. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Durham_%28jazz_musician%29

Fascinating

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Charles Earland - Organomically Correct

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 73:56

Size: 169.3 MB

Styles: Organ jazz

Year: 2009

Art: Front

[ 3:43] 1. The Dozens

[ 4:41] 2. Red, Green And Black Blues

[ 7:36] 3. Undecided

[ 5:22] 4. Old Folks

[ 3:45] 5. A Prayer

[ 7:24] 6. Organic Blues

[ 6:13] 7. Three Blind Mice

[ 5:03] 8. We Are Not Alone

[11:47] 9. Blues For Rudy

[ 7:09] 10. The Thang

[ 6:15] 11. Infant Eyes

[ 4:53] 12. Is It Necessary

Organist Charles Earland recorded nine albums for the Muse label between 1977 and 1995. None stand out particularly, but each had its share of solid, organ-combo swing and programs of mostly blues and ballads. Organomically Correct compiles some of the early highlights in Earland's Muse output: four of the six tracks from Mama Roots (1977), three of the five tracks from Pleasant Afternoon (1978) and all five tracks from Infant Eyes (1978). This music was all recorded between Earland's more commercial (and less memorable) outings on Mercury and Columbia and catch the organ grinder in a kind of Jimmy Smith bag (reinforced even more when paired with Wes-like guitarist Jimmy Ponder on half of the CD's tracks). While the funk and the fire in Earland's playing had been missing since at least his last Prestige record (1974), there's an insistently melodic and appealing groove throughout this set. Another advantage is that two thirds of the tunes here are Earland originals: slow burners that really let the organist cook nicely on a low flame. There are several nice features for George Coleman on tenor sax and Frank Wess on flute too. A surprisingly cohesive set with an enjoyable after-hours feel. ~Douglas Payne

Charles Earland: organ; George Coleman, Houston Person, Mack Goldsbury: tenor sax; Frank Wess: flute and tenor sax; Bill Hardman: trumpet; Jimmy Ponder, Melvin Sparks: guitar; Walter Perkins, Bobby Durham, Grady Tate: drums; Ralph Dorsey, Lawrence Killian: percussion.

Organomically Correct

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Bobby Durham's Trio - Tribute To My Friend Bobby Timmons

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:53
Size: 73.0 MB
Styles: Mainstream jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[6:32] 1. Dat Dere
[4:36] 2. Gettin' Togheter
[5:24] 3. Popsy
[3:26] 4. Blues For Evelyn
[5:00] 5. This Here
[6:53] 6. Moanin'

Part of the enormous Philadelphia family tree of jazz players, Bobby Durham has amassed a long list of impressive jazz credits while alternating residencies between Italy and his hometown. He is perhaps best known as a member of several of the virtuoso pianist Oscar Peterson's classic trios from the '50s and as one of the great jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald's most sensitive accompanists, although jazz fans that are into the smoking organ trio sound will know Durham from his associations with the likes of turbaned Charles Earland or the innovative organist Shirley Scott. Durham is a personal favorite of jazz producer Norman Granz, who has turned to Durham again and again for help with his projects involving the likes of Fitzgerald and Basie as well as using Durham as the rhythm section drummer for jam session encounters with the likes of pianist Tommy Flanagan, guitarist Joe Pass, and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, among many. ~Eugene Chadbourne

Tribute To My Friend Bobby Timmons

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Bobby Durham - Domani's Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 57:34
Size: 131.8 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[5:52] 1. Blueberry Hill
[3:48] 2. Domani's Blues
[4:52] 3. Embraceable You
[5:42] 4. Solar
[4:58] 5. I Should Care
[6:25] 6. Moanin'
[7:17] 7. A Nasty Dirty Blues
[6:43] 8. That Lucky Old Sun
[3:58] 9. My Babe
[5:30] 10. I'm Glad There's You
[2:23] 11. Cry

(February 3, 1937, in Philadelphia – July 6, 2008, in Genoa), was an American jazz drummer.

Durham was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and learned to play drums while a child. He played with The Orioles at age 16, and was in a military band between 1956 and 1959. After his discharge he played with King James and Stan Hunter. In 1960 he moved to New York City, where he played with Lloyd Price, Wild Bill Davis, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Slide Hampton, Grant Green, Sweets Edison, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Rowles, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, in which he played for five years. While working with Basie he met Al Grey, and was a member of several of Grey's small ensembles. He accompanied Ella Fitzgerald for more than a decade, and worked with Oscar Peterson in a trio setting.

Durham also played in trios with organists such as Charles Earland and Shirley Scott, and there was a resurgence in interest in Durham's work during the acid jazz upswing in the 1990s. Many of Durham's projects, both as sideman and as leader, have come due to his association with producer Norman Granz, who had him work with Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Harry Edison, Flanagan, and Joe Pass. Durham has led his own combos as well; he is noted for scat singing along with his drum solos. Durham has also performed often with pop and soul musicians such as Frank Sinatra, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Marvin Gaye.

Domani's Blues

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Bobby Durham Trio - We Three Plus Friends

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 73:48
Size: 169.0 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[0:12] 1. Planet Max
[8:48] 2. Planet Max
[8:30] 3. Almost Like Being In Love
[4:26] 4. Secret Love
[6:43] 5. Sack Of Woe
[3:37] 6. Ducky Is In Town
[5:17] 7. Azule Serape
[6:03] 8. Estate
[5:26] 9. Una Lunga Storia D'amore
[5:46] 10. The Very Thought Of You
[6:29] 11. Isn't She Lovely
[5:34] 12. Cherokee
[6:53] 13. Stompin' At The Savoy

Part of the enormous Philadelphia family tree of jazz players, Bobby Durham has amassed a long list of impressive jazz credits while alternating residencies between Italy and his hometown. He is perhaps best known as a member of several of the virtuoso pianist Oscar Peterson's classic trios from the '50s and as one of the great jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald's most sensitive accompanists, although jazz fans that are into the smoking organ trio sound will know Durham from his associations with the likes of turbaned Charles Earland or the innovative organist Shirley Scott. Durham is a personal favorite of jazz producer Norman Granz, who has turned to Durham again and again for help with his projects involving the likes of Fitzgerald and Basie as well as using Durham as the rhythm section drummer for jam session encounters with the likes of pianist Tommy Flanagan, guitarist Joe Pass, and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, among many.

Durham got into music young, starting out dancing and singing before beginning drums well before his teen years. He was a professional musician by the time he was 16 with the group the Orioles. From 1956 to 1959 he served in a United States military band, then began working with the band of King James and the Stan Hunter trio upon getting out of the services. In 1960 his career really took off when he moved to New York and began working with a who's who of mainstream jazz greats that includes Lloyd Price, Wild Bill Davis, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Slide Hampton, Grant Green, Hary Edison, Tommy Flanagan, and Jimmy Rowles. He met the fine trombonist Al Grey in the Basie band and was later a part of Grey's own combos. In these small groups, Durham was often given ample solo space, and several recordings by these groups represent the best examples of Durham's jazz drumming that are available. Then again, the upsurge in interest in hard-driving organ trio jazz that came along with the acid jazz scene in the late '90s has sparked an interest in groups such as the trio led by organist Earland, featuring Durham and the impressive guitarist Pat Martino. Durham worked with Fitzgerald for a decade, for an equal length of time with Peterson, and with the big band of Duke Ellington for five years. A tasteful and restrained drummer with great control, Durham has also been called in to help perform and record with top pop and soul vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Marvin Gaye. He has performed on many television shows including the Tonight show hosted by Johnny Carson and with Fitzgerald on the Ed Sullivan Show. Perhaps Fitzgerald is where Durham picked up his flair for scat singing on his own, a talent which he has put to great use in a variety of settings but particularly when leading his own trios. European concert listeners have remarked on the entertaining number entitled the "Airplane Song," supposedly based on the printed safety instructions handed out to passengers. Durham certainly would have had plenty of time to study up on such material through his frequent touring, but has yet to record the number. Perhaps he might want to consider a full-length opera based on the idea, adding in all the new airline safety regulations added after September 11, 2001. During his long European residencies, much of them based out of Italy, Durham has formed trios with support from Italian and Scanadanivian musicians. These players include Aldo Zunino, Andrea Zonzaterra, and Massimo Farao. ~bio by Eugene Chadbourne

We Three Plus Friends

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Andy Reiss, Ranger Doug & Bobby Durham - The Art Of The Archtop

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 45:51
Size: 105.0 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[2:44] 1. Blue Lou
[4:33] 2. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
[2:27] 3. Love Me Or Leave Me
[5:06] 4. Besame Mucho
[5:01] 5. The Nearness Of You
[3:38] 6. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
[2:39] 7. Usted
[3:31] 8. You Took Advantage Of Me
[4:00] 9. I'm Confessin' That I Love You
[4:21] 10. Stompin' At The Savoy
[3:50] 11. Skylark
[3:54] 12. Exactly Like You

If you’re a fan of classic archtop guitar, you’ll be delighted with this beautifully recorded and relentlessly swinging set of tunes celebrating the f-hole sound. Backed by Bobby Durham on upright bass (and sousaphone on one track), Andy Reiss and Ranger Doug perform timeless music on a collection of vintage D’Angelico and Stromberg 6-strings. Here’s the kicker: There are no amps involved. This is strictly an acoustic outing, so the sonic quality of these priceless carved-top instruments comes through loud and clear, colored only by the room and a few high-end mics.

These gifted musicians tracked their parts live, with Reiss handling all the lead work and Doug strumming the changes in a two-chord-per-bar style à la Freddie Green. Both guitarists play in the Time Jumpers—a Grammy-nominated, Nashville-based Western swing band— which means they’ve spent thousands of hours exploring this repertoire together. And it shows. As Reiss snakes up and down the fretboard, juggling chromatic approach tones, sly bends, slurs, and double- stops, Doug holds steady, chonking out crisp three- and four-note voicings that define the harmony and drive the beat. The guitarists’ musical empathy is palpable and they play as if joined at the hip.

The primarily instrumental The Art of the Archtop consists of standards—including Duke Ellington’s “Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me,” Benny Goodman’s “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” and Hoagy Carmichael’s “The Nearness of You”—augmented by the occasional vocal from Doug, Durham, or a guest singer. We’re so conditioned to think of the archtop jazzbox as a dark-sounding instrument— after all, that’s the way we typically hear it when it’s amplified—it’s a revelation to experience the crisp, woody snap of these carved-top guitars au naturel. What a treat. ~Andy Ellis

The Art Of The Archtop

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