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Track List

1 Jam Blues 14:41
    by Norman Shrdlu (name for collective composition, made up by Norman Granz)
2 What Is This Thing Called Love 15:52
    by Cole Porter (Harms, Inc.)
3 Ballad Medley: All The Things You Are, Dearly Beloved, The Nearness Of You, I'll Get By, Everything Happens to Me, 17:23
    by Kern, Hammerstein II; Kern, Mercer; Carmichael, Washington; Ahlert, Turk; Dennis; (Harms Inc.; Chappell & Co., Inc.; Famous Music Corp.; F. Ahlert Music Corp., Cromwell Music, Inc.; Embassy Music Corp.;)
3 The Man I Love, What's New, Someone to Watch over Me, Isn't It Romantic
    by Gershwin; Haggart, Burke; Gershwin; Rodgers, Hart (Harms, Inc.; M. Witmark & Sons; Harms, Inc.; Famous Music Corporation)
4 Funky Blues 13:28
    by Johnny Hodges

Total Time: 61:24

About Funky Blues

In the summer of 1952, producer and impresario Norman Granz brought together an extraordinary group of jazz musicians at Radio Recorders in Hollywood for one of the most remarkable studio jam sessions of the era.

The lineup was extraordinary: Charlie Parker, Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges on alto saxophones; Ben Webster and Flip Phillips on tenor saxophones; Charlie Shavers on trumpet; Oscar Peterson on piano; Barney Kessel on guitar; Ray Brown on bass; and J. C. Heard on drums.

Rather than assembling a conventional working band, Granz drew on the circle of musicians associated with his Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. These players were already accustomed to the long, spontaneous exchanges and friendly competition that characterized JATP. The studio therefore became, in effect, an extension of the concert stage — a place where some of the leading improvisers of the period could meet without the restrictions of a conventional band format.

The session was produced and supervised by Norman Granz, whose central idea was simple: put outstanding musicians together, give them familiar material, and let them play. The result was music that combines the freedom of a jam session with the precision of a carefully recorded studio performance.

The opening number, “Jam Blues,” is credited to the fictitious Norman Shrdlu, a name Granz used for collectively created blues performances. It is less a conventional composition than a framework for the musicians to improvise and interact. The extended performance provides a succession of individual statements from the participants, while maintaining the momentum of a single, continuous jam.

“What Is This Thing Called Love?” by Cole Porter follows a similar principle. The musicians take turns in an extended sequence of solos, culminating in exchanges between the saxophones and trumpet. The performance demonstrates not only the individual personalities of the players but also their ability to listen and respond to one another.

The centerpiece is the remarkable ballad medley. Each musician is given a personal moment through a different standard: Barney Kessel begins with “All the Things You Are”; Charlie Parker follows with “Dearly Beloved”; Ben Webster plays “The Nearness of You”; Johnny Hodges contributes “I'll Get By”; Oscar Peterson takes “Everything Happens to Me”; Ray Brown interprets “The Man I Love”; Flip Phillips plays “What's New?”; Charlie Shavers takes “Someone to Watch Over Me”; and Benny Carter brings the medley to its conclusion with “Isn't It Romantic?”

The sequence is more than a collection of ballads. It is a portrait of nine individual musical personalities. Each player approaches the melody and harmony in his own way, and the contrast between their voices is precisely what makes the medley so compelling.

“Funky Blues,” composed by Johnny Hodges, closes the session. Here the three alto saxophonists — Hodges, Parker and Carter — provide one of the most fascinating encounters in the entire recording. Their approaches could hardly be more individual: Hodges with his unmistakable lyrical tone and relaxed phrasing, Parker with his extraordinary harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary, and Carter with his remarkable combination of swing, elegance and melodic invention.

The session is therefore much more than a collection of famous names. It documents a particular moment in jazz history, when the swing tradition represented by musicians such as Hodges, Carter and Webster could meet Parker's revolutionary bebop language within the same informal setting.

Norman Granz's achievement was to create the circumstances in which this meeting could take place — and then let the musicians speak for themselves.

EU Public Domain Notice
The historical sound recordings included in this release are in the public domain in the European Union. Blue Music Group has created a new digital restoration and mastering of these historical recordings. The digital restoration and mastering by Blue Music Group are protected by applicable copyright and related rights. Rights may differ in other territories, including the United States. This release is not intended for distribution in the United States.

Cover artwork: The original photographic image has been legally assessed as being in the public domain in the EU following the expiry of the applicable 50-year term under Section 49a. The image has been restored, enhanced and colourized by Blue Music Group. © Blue Music Group. All rights reserved.

Credits

Charlie Shavers — trumpet
Benny Carter — alto sax
Johnny Hodges — alto sax
Charlie Parker — alto sax
Flip Phillips — tenor sax
Ben Webster — tenor sax
Oscar Peterson — piano
Barney Kessel — guitar
Ray Brown — bass
J. C. Heard — drums

Recorded in June or July 1952, Radio Recorders, Hollywood, CA

Solos on Track 3 (Ballad Medley):
Barney Kessel – All the Things You Are
Charlie Parker – Dearly Beloved
Ben Webster – The Nearness of You
Johnny Hodges – I'll Get By
Oscar Peterson – Everything Happens to Me
Ray Brown – The Man I Love
Flip Phillips – What's New?
Charlie Shavers – Someone to Watch Over Me
Benny Carter – Isn't It Romantic?