Jazz for aficionados

The drummers on all three albums I presented, Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobb, and Art Blakey represent three of the greatest drummers in jazz history.

The same could be said about the bass players, Paul Chambers on the Miles Davis sessions, and Sam Jones on Cannaonball’s.

All four pianists as well represent the greatest in jazz, Red Garland on Milestones, Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly (1 track, Freddie Freeloader ) on KOB, and Hank Jones on Somethin’ Else.

This song, from the album Milestones, features just the rhythm section as Miles and Cannonball "laid out" making this 1 track a trio recording. IMHO, it is one of the greatest trio recordings ever made. I love the exchanges between pianist Red Garland and bassist Paul Chambers starting at the 2:50 mark, followed by Garland and drummer Philly Joe exchanges for the remainder of the song.

Lastly, as time marched on many of the supposedly “obscure” players posted weren’t that obscure at all.

This drummer fits into this quoted category. A drummer, Louis Hayes, 86 years old and still with us, that is obscure to most but not us jazz aficionados. Hayes played on many of the great Cannonball Adderley session throughout the 60s.

From a Cannonball 1960 live recording titled The Cannonball Adderley Quintet Live in San Francisco we can hear how talented Hayes, then just 23 years old, was on the kit.

Cannonball’s intro announcement for the song Bohemia After Dark,

"Now we’re gonna give our drummer, Louis Hayes, a spotlight in a tune by Oscar Pettiford called Bohemia After Dark"

lets us know the treat we’re going to get by Louis Hayes’s drum exchanges and solo in the tune. From the album and also 2 awesome live videos of the same tune.

I have been enjoying my "jazz on Sunday mornings" for over 3 hours now.

Louis Hayes also plays drums on this great Horace Silver album, of which the 9th edition of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings

places the album among its suggested "Core Collection" of essential recordings, saying that it exemplifies Silver’s "virtues as pianist, composer and leader".

Still going strong on Sunday morning.....

Another Red Garland / Philly Joe Jones trio with Ron Carter on bass instead of Paul Chambers. The telepathy between Garland and Jones is still evident over 20 years after their middle/late 50s recording sessions.

Fast forward to the 15:50 mark for some excellent Red & Philly Joe exchanges!