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| 4.401 Ft
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| 1. | Empty Bdlroom Blues
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| 2. | Duke's Place
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| 3. | Echoes Of Harlem
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| 4. | Disillusion Blues
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| 5. | Yearing
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| 6. | Welcome To New York
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| 7. | Black, Brown And Beautiful
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| 8. | Rockin' In Rhythm
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| 9. | Creole Love Call
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| 10. | It's Glory
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Jazz / Swing
Recorded: March 17 & 19, 1970
Johnny Hodges - Sax (Alto)
Al Grey (Trombone)
Bob Ashton (Saxophone)
Danny Bank (Saxophone)
David Spinozza (Guitar)
Earl Hines (Piano)
Ernie Royal (Trumpet)
Frank Wess (Saxophone)
Gamett Brown (Trombone)
Grady Tate (Drums)
Hank Jones (Piano)
Jerome Richardson (Saxophone)
Jerry Dodgion (Saxophone)
Joe Farrell (Saxophone)
Marvin Stamm (Trumpet)
Quentin Jackson (Trombone)
Randy Brecker (Trumpet)
Ron Carter (Bass)
Snooky Young (Trumpet)
Thomas Mitches (Trombone)
Infallibility is not a quality one readily associates with jazz musicians. Yet Johnny Hodges, whether encountered on record or in the flesh, always seemed to evade the goofs and imperfections which trouble most other men. So effortless, so relaxed was his playing that he often gave an impression of casualness, his eyes roving round the auditorium or peeking at his wrist-watch while he fashioned the most felicitous of solos. This self-assurance permeated the actual music. No tempo seemed too dizzy for him, no chord progression too dense. He floated majestically, rather like a law of nature. Which made his death - on May 11, 1970 -seem curiously unbelievable, almost a contradiction in terms.
Except for a short period in the early 1950's when he led his own little band, Hodges spent most of his career with the Duke Elington orchestra. Indeed, history virtually parallels that of Ellington's musical development. He had been born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 25, 1906 and played drums and piano as a boy. When Sidney Bechet started courting his sister, the 14-year-old youth was given lessons -and a saxophone - by the great soprano player, an event which shaped his musical identity. Hodges worked with Bechet at the Club Basha, played in Chick Webb's Orchestra, then joined Duke Ellington's band in May, 1928, five months after it had opened at the Cotton Club. This LP is not Hodges' last recording - he made some sessions with the Ellington band afterwards - but it does represent his last LP as a leader. Understandably enough, it was not planned with any commemorative intention, yet hindsight can now perceive that the inclusion of no fewer than six Ellington numbers gives the LP a significant alignment with Hodges' career. Oliver Nelson, always an aficionado of Ellington's music, wrote the 'arrangements and contributed a couple of his own originals, while three tracks feature Leon Thomas, certainly one of the most original jazz singers to emerge in recent years.
The earliest of the Ellington compositions Creole love call, was first recorded in 1927. Oliver Nelson's arrangements retains ther dialogue between clarinets and brasses, Al Grey contributes a growling trombone solo and Ron Carter is at his best behind Hodges. Rockin' in Rhythm dating from 1930, gives Hodges the chance to demonstrate how a great jazz musician stays poised however hectic the pace. Ellington recorded It's Glory (sometimes known as It's a Glory) for the first and only time in 1931; Earl Hines plays the piano solo on this track. Echoes of Harlem, from 1936, was originally entitled Cootie's Concerto and built around the talents of trumpeter Cootie Williams, while Empty Ballroom Blues was first recorded two years later, at one of the earliest sessions Hodges made under his own name. The piano and trumpet solos on the latter track are by Hank Jones and Randy Brecker. Duke's Place - really C Barn Blues with words added - is 1950s Ellington and has Leon Thomas singing the lyric, then scatting in his own unique style.
Two of the remaining pieces -Disillusioned Blues and Welcome to New York (with more of Al Grey's trombone) - are straightforward blues by Leon Thomas. Yearning, yet another twelve-bar blues, is an Oliver Nelson composition and includes a flugel horn solo by Marvin Stamm. Black, Brown and Beautiful ("The way I feel about my people, all of them, "says Nelson) has more than a hint of Billy Strayhorn's manner, making it an excellent vehicle for Hodges'playing.
There is a sense in which no jazz musician really dies while his music goes on being listened to. It is likely to be true of Johnny Hodges for a long time to come. Although he was nicknamed "Rabbit", his music was far from timid - at its best, in fact, decidedly tough. A great melodist, a graceful improviser who never sacrificed purity of tone or line for instant emotion effect, Hodges was, paradoxally, one of the most genuinely passionate players in jazz. Above all, perhaps, he was a great blues player, a fact borne out by several tracks on the LP. He arrived early at maturity, achieving a style that allowed him express everything he needed to say, and spent the next forty years or so refining and deepening it. For as well as being a major jazz artist, Johnny Hodges was also a superb craftsman, a musician who somehow contrived to stay adventurous and yet never to put a finger wrong.
---Charles Fox (original liner notes, 1970)
Johnny Hodges
Active Decades: '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s
Born: Jul 25, 1907 in Cambridge, MA
Died: May 11, 1970 in New York, NY
Genre: Jazz
Possessor of the most beautiful tone ever heard in jazz, altoist Johnny Hodges formed his style early on and had little reason to change it through the decades. Although he could stomp with the best swing players and was masterful on the blues, Hodges' luscious playing on ballads has never been topped. He played drums and piano early on before switching to soprano sax when he was 14. Hodges was taught and inspired by Sidney Bechet, although he soon used alto as his main ax; he would regretfully drop soprano altogether after 1940. His early experiences included playing with Lloyd Scott, Chick Webb, Luckey Roberts, and Willie "The Lion" Smith (1924), and he also had the opportunity to work with Bechet. However, Johnny Hodges' real career began in 1928 when he joined Duke Ellington's orchestra. He quickly became one of the most important solo stars in the band and a real pacesetter on alto; Benny Carter was his only close competition in the 1930s. Hodges was featured on a countless number of performances with Ellington and also had many chances to lead recording dates with Ellington's sidemen. Whether it was "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," "Come Sunday," or "Passion Flower," Hodges was an indispensable member of Ellington's orchestra in the 1930s and '40s. It was therefore a shock, in 1951, when he decided to leave Duke Ellington and lead a band of his own. Hodges had a quick hit in "Castle Rock" (which ironically showcased Al Sears' tenor and had no real contribution by the altoist), but his combo ended up struggling and breaking up in 1955. Hodges' return to Duke Ellington was a joyous occasion and he never really left again. In the 1960s, Hodges teamed up with organist Wild Bill Davis on some sessions, leading to Davis joining Ellington for a time in 1969. Johnny Hodges, whose unchanging style always managed to sound fresh, was still with Duke Ellington when he suddenly died in 1970.
--- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
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