Kenny Davern, Dick Wellstood - Live at Vineyard: Never in a Million Years...

Styles: Clarinet And Piano Jazz, Swing
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:23
Size: 146,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:59) 1. Oh, Lady Be Good
(6:27) 2. Travelin' All Alone
(7:03) 3. Don't Get Around Much Any More
(1:15) 4. Wellstood Remarks
(4:53) 5. If Dreams Come True
(7:17) 6. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
(1:07) 7. Davern Remarks
(3:47) 8. Mood Indigo
(6:26) 9. On the Sunny Side of the Street
(1:11) 10. Wellstood Remarks - Part 2
(6:45) 11. The Mooche, Birmingham Breakdown
(6:44) 12. Summertime
(5:22) 13. Rosetta

When risk-takers like Chick Corea and Pat Metheny fearlessly hurl themselves into a variety of musical situations, one cannot help but admire their sense of adventure. But at the same time, there is a lot to be said for playing with someone you have long enjoyed a strong rapport with -- and Kenny Davern certainly enjoyed a strong rapport with the late pianist Dick Wellstood. Recorded live at New York's Vineyard Theater in January 1984 only three years before Wellstood's death Never in a Million Years finds the improvisers joining forces for a concert of mostly clarinet/piano duets. This time, Davern sticks to the clarinet and doesn't play any soprano sax at all. Not many surprises occur, but the performances are predictably excellent and Davern and Wellstood are very much in sync on the usual swing repertoire (which includes "On the Sunny Side of the Street," Benny Goodman's "If Dreams Come True," and Earl Hines' "Rosetta").

Although this concert was recorded in the '80s, the performances recall the swing era of the '30s and early '40s Davern and Wellstood were never innovative, but they were always great at what they did. On a few occasions, one of the improvisers will lay out and give the other a chance to play by himself. That would be risky for lesser musicians, but for players of Davern and Wellstood's caliber, being occasionally unaccompanied is a good thing. Davern is triumphant when he delivers an unaccompanied clarinet solo on Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," and Wellstood is equally successful when he plays by himself on a six-minute Ellington medley that unites "The Mooche" with "Birmingham Breakdown."But most of the time, Davern and Wellstood play together on this fine Dutch release.~Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/never-in-a-million-years-mw0000171928

Personnel: Clarinet – Kenny Davern; Piano – Dick Wellstood

Live at Vineyard: Never in a Million Years...

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VA - The Soprano Summit In 1975 And More

Size: 150,3+183,9 MB
Time: 64:27+78:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay - Swing Parade ( 3:09)
02. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay - The Mooche ( 6:41)
03. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay - Oh Sister Ain't That Hot ( 6:11)
04. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay - Steal Away ( 7:35)
05. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay - Linger Awhile (10:50)
06. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay - Panama ( 8:38)
07. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay - Songs Of Songs ( 5:41)
08. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay - Swing Thirty Nine ( 4:27)
09. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay - Egyptian Fantasy ( 3:57)
10. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay - The Fish Vendor ( 7:14)

CD 2:
01. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay, Dick Hyman - Kansas City Stomp ( 3:22)
02. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay, Dick Hyman - Original Jell Roll Blues ( 3:41)
03. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay, Dick Hyman - Froggie Moore ( 3:41)
04. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay, Dick Hyman - Shreveport Stomp ( 3:21)
05. Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, George Duvivier, Connie Kay, Dick Hyman - Sidewalk Blues ( 3:12)
06. Kenny Davern, Dick Wellstood, Bob Rosengarden - C.C. Rider ( 5:40)
07. Kenny Davern, Dick Wellstood, Bob Rosengarden - Fidgety Feet ( 4:58)
08. Kenny Davern, Dick Wellstood, Bob Rosengarden - Sweet Substitute ( 6:37)
09. Kenny Davern, Dick Wellstood, Bob Rosengarden - Shim-Me-Sha Wabble ( 6:16)
10. Ruby Braff, Bob Wilber, Wayne Wright, George Duvivier, Fred Stoll - Sugar ( 5:11)
11. Ruby Braff, Bob Wilber, Wayne Wright, George Duvivier, Fred Stoll - When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) ( 6:01)
12. Ruby Braff, Bob Wilber, Wayne Wright, George Duvivier, Fred Stoll - These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You) ( 6:14)
13. Ruby Braff, Bob Wilber, Wayne Wright, George Duvivier, Fred Stoll - All Of Me ( 9:17)
14. Ruby Braff, Bob Wilber, Wayne Wright, George Duvivier, Fred Stoll - Fine And Mellow (10:58)

While clarinetist/soprano saxophonists Kenny Davern and Bob Wilber are of the generation that produced the first wave of bebop and hard bop players, both favor earlier jazz modes of small-group swing and New Orleans-inspired hot jazz. From 1972 to 1979, Davern and Wilbur co-led Soprano Summit, a hard-swinging quintet dedicated to pre-bop styles. Recorded live in 1975 and backed by simpatico fellow travelers Marty Grosz (acoustic guitar) and George Duvivier (bass) plus inspired guest Connie Kay (drummer for the MJQ), this Summit combo goes to town on New Orleans standards and Jelly Roll Morton gems. To fill out this double-disc set, there are fine live tracks by other small groups featuring Davern and Wilber (along with trombonist Dick Wellstood and cornetist Ruby Braff, no less). ~by Mark Keresman

The Soprano Summit In 1975 And More CD 1
The Soprano Summit In 1975 And More CD 2

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Bob Wilber Quintet Feat Clark Terry - Blowin' The Blues Away

Styles: Clarinet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:21
Size: 85,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. After Midnight
(2:53)  2. Please Blues Go On Away From Here
(3:09)  3. Soulful Serenade
(4:34)  4. Basie Eyes
(3:41)  5. The Maryland Farmer
(4:18)  6. Baptist Blues
(5:39)  7. Where Will I Go
(4:25)  8. La Valse Bleue (The Blue Waltz)
(3:14)  9. Blue Rhumba

This quintet date matches together Bob Wilber (doubling on clarinet and tenor) with flugelhornist Clark Terry, pianist Dick Wellstood, bassist George Duvivier and drummer Panama Francis. Wilber's last album as a leader until 1969 consists of nine blues-oriented originals and was also issued (with the horn solos cut out) in the Music Minus One series. This Lp (if it can be found) is worth picking up but since Wilber was suffering a bit of an identity crisis at the time, the music is not really all that essential. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/blowin-the-blues-away-mw0000906886

Personnel:  Bob Wilber (clarinet and saxophone); Clark Terry (flugelhornist);  Dick Wellstood (piano);  George Duvivier (bass); Panama Francis (drums).

Blowin' The Blues Away

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Doc Cheatham - The Fabulous Doc Cheatham

Styles: Trumpet Jazz

Year: 1983

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 42:27

Size: 97,8 MB

Art: Front

(5:08)  1. Big Butter & Egg Man

(4:28)  2. Deed I Do

(6:13)  3. Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)

(5:11)  4. The Man I Love

(2:31)  5. Swing That Music

(5:25)  6. 'Round Midnight

(5:08)  7. Jeepers Creepers

(3:35)  8. I Double Dare You

(4:44)  9. Flee As A Bird / St. James Infirmary

One of the very last survivors of the early days of jazz, trumpeter Adolphus “Doc” Cheatham attracted attention from the historically- inclined right up to his death in 1997 at the age of 91. His career recapitulated much of the history of jazz as a whole: he came of age hearing and playing with the New Orleans masters of the music's classic period; he participated in the big band movement that defined jazz in the 1930s; after the Second World War he affiliated himself with popular Latin dance orchestras on one hand and appeared with select, connoisseur-oriented small-group jazz combos on the other. As if defying time, his later recordings and performances were his best, and it was toward the end of his life that he allowed himself more often to step into the spotlight as a soloist.

Doc Cheatham was born in Nashville on June 13, 1905. Cheatham took up the cornet and soon after the trumpet as a teenager, taking lessons from two itinerant circus trumpeter brothers named Professor N. C. Davis and Professor C. M. Davis. He landed a job in the pit orchestra at Nashville's Bijou theatre, which played host to great performers of the black touring circuit of the 1920s such as Bessie Smith. He also played in a small band based at Nashville's historically black Meharry Medical College, acquiring the nickname “Doc” as a result. His parents hoped that he would indeed become a doctor, but instead Cheatham headed for Chicago, a city that was just coming into its own as a jazz mecca when he arrived in 1925. Rubbing elbows with already-legendary trumpeters like Louis Armstrong, Freddie Keppard, and “King” Oliver, he took another crucial step forward musically when he learned to read musical notation. “I was in {pianist} Charlie Johnson's band only one night,” he recalled in a Down Beat interview. I was fired that same night. . . .I couldn't read the show music. So that's when I got busy down there. I found a teacher, Viola something.” In 1927 Cheatham made his first recording.

Cheatham moved to the East Coast in 1927 and did stints with several celebrated bands, including McKinney's Cotton Pickers. Stable employment came during an eight-year tenure with bandleader Cab Calloway, from 1932 to 1940. Cheatham had been recommended by jazz musician Benny Carter. Calloway's band, often performing at New York's renowned Cotton Club, was one of the most successful of the era. The rigors of life on the road took a toll on Cheatham's health, and in 1939 he was hospitalized for nine weeks suffering from anemia and exhaustion, this lead to a hiatus and turning point in Cheatham's career. During World War II he essentially put his performing career on hold, opening a teaching studio in New York and taking a job with the U.S. post office. But he would reenter the music world again.

Joining a band led by Eddie Heywood Jr. Cheatham backed vocalist Billie Holiday in performances at the Cafe Society club, and took solos that showed some of the directions in which he would later develop. New popular musical forms also proved suited to his talents; Cheatham found ready employment after the war when trumpet-oriented Latin dance bands began to gain popularity. For a time, Cheatham played in the orchestra of the incredible Cuban-born bandleader Perez Prado. He continued making jazz appearances as well, and backed Holiday again on a widely viewed 1957 CBS television broadcast called “The Sound of Jazz.” Cheatham's big break came at the age of 60, early in 1966, when he was asked by clarinetist Benny Goodman to join his quintet for a series of performances at the Rainbow Room club. “I was honored to play on the same bandstand as him, whether I played good or not,” Cheatham told Down Beat. Later that year Cheatham toured Europe with a Goodman ensemble. The performances ushered in a astonishing period of late-life creativity.

Cheatham embarked on a seven-year regimen of practice and study, aiming to transform himself into a great soloist. Even in 1993 he told Time that “I study my jazz all the time, trying to improve myself.” From the late 1970s onward, he was a fixture of New York's live jazz scene, and recording opportunities often flowed his way. There was “Swingin’ Way Down in New Orleans,” in ’95 where he plays traditional standards brilliantly.He joined 23-year-old Nicholas Payton for a series of duets on his final recording, 1997's “Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton.” Doc performed right up until the end of his long and productive life, and left us an inspiring legacy. Cheatham was influenced by legends like Armstrong, but created a style uniquely his own. This courtly, restrained musician lived nearly the entire history of jazz, and ended up being accorded his own chapter in that history. http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/doccheatham

Personnel:  Bass – Bill Pemberton;  Drums – Jackie Williams;  Piano – Dick Wellstood;  Trumpet, Vocals – Doc Cheatham

The Fabulous Doc Cheatham

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Kenny Davern - Stretchin' Out

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:34
Size: 106,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:33)  1. The Man I Love
(7:10)  2. Summertime
(5:40)  3. Lover, Come Back To Me
(6:07)  4. Love Me Or Leave me
(8:06)  5. (There Is) No Greater Love
(6:55)  6. Chicago Rhythm

This CD reissue is as successful as one would expect from a trio date matching clarinetist Kenny Davern, pianist Dick Wellstood (less than four years before his premature death) and drummer Chuck Riggs. 

Rather than playing tunes from the 1920s or Dixieland standards, the trio jams on five superior standards from the 1930s (including "The Man I Love," "Lover Come Back to Me" and "There Is No Greater Love"), plus the hot 1929 number "Chicago Rhythm." Wellstood's stride piano and Davern's distinctive clarinet always worked well together. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/stretchin-out-mw0000613619

Personnel: Kenny Davern (clarinet); Dick Wellstood (piano); Chuck Riggs (drums).

Stretchin' Out

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