I am liberating a special series of “maxi-tweets” tied to King Records‘ lesser known jazz legacy – part of 2018’s King 75th Birthday Celebration – that were otherwise buried in a PDF file attachment. The following research was conducted primarily by scanning the index of Ruppli‘s 2-volume King recording session discography for the names of jazz musicians and noting which recording sessions featured their work. For this updated piece, I have probed more deeply in order to add a few new items into the mix.
In the course of compiling this information, it dawned on me that the use of jazz musicians on popular (or “dance”) recordings by King Records was also famously done at Motown, not to mention standard operating procedure (i.e., ‘Wrecking Crew’) at the West Coast studios in and around Los Angeles. Jazz musicians bring, as has been demonstrated, a deep musicality as well as versatility to recording sessions aimed at the popular market.
[Note: streaming audio links indicated in bold blue ink]
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #1
Bassist Keter Betts – who spurred Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd to record the breakthrough 1962 ‘Jazz Samba‘ album that introduced bossa nova to America and the world – played on a handful of Earl Bostic sessions, including his big hit “Flamingo,” as well as flip side “Sleep” (all sessions in NYC except one Cincinnati session on August 2, 1949). NY Times Aug. 22, 2005 obituary for Betts acknowledges that “his first job of note was with the popular rhythm and-blues saxophonist Earl Bostic in 1949.” Link to Zero to 180’s profile of Keter Betts from 2021.
French 78 – 1954
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #2
25-year-old John Coltrane played tenor sax – on what must be among his earliest recordings – for Earl Bostic on two 1952 recording sessions in New York and Los Angeles that included such songs as “Moonglow” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (with William Keter Betts), as indicated on the UK 78 release below.
“John Coltaine” = musical misspelling
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #3
Cat Anderson, long-time trumpeter for Duke Ellington, and Connie Kay, drummer for Modern Jazz Quartet (et al.), backed Wynonie Harris on “I Feel That Old Age Coming On” paired with “Grandma Plays the Numbers” – recorded in Linden, New Jersey on Dec. 9, 1948 for King Records.
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #4
Long-time Duke Ellington bandmates, Johnny Hodges (alto sax) and Russell Procope (tenor sax) played a recording session at Cincinnati’s King Studios for Ivory Joe Hunter on July 15, 1949 – 5 songs in all, including “Please Don’t Cry Anymore” and “I Got Your Water On.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #5
Composer/arranger Neal (‘Batman’) Hefti played trumpet for the Chubby Jackson Sextet on an early King session recorded in Chicago on July 1, 1944 that yielded four songs (including “Bass Face”) released as a pair of 78s on King subsidiary label Queen and later sold as a King EP. Hefti would later arrange Elliot Lawrence and His Orchestra’s version of “Sixty Minute Man” on which Zoot Sims played tenor sax.
King EP – 1954
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #6
Jabberwockian jazzmeister and hipster supreme Slim Gaillard (& His Boogiereeners) recorded a dozen sides for King/Queen in September, 1945 in Los Angeles, including Slim’s theme song “Vout Orenee” plus “Nightmare Boogie”; “Harlem Hunch”; and “Voot Boogie.”
Rare King EP
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #7
Dexter Gordon laid down some tenor sax for Wynonie Harris at a NYC recording session for King Records on December 16, 1947 that yielded “Your Money Don’t Mean a Thing” plus three unreleased tracks.
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #8
Pianist Wynton Kelly played on a pair of Cincinnati King recording sessions in 1949 for Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson, with Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, among others = eight songs in all including “Ashes On My Pillow” and “I’m Weak But Willing.”
1959 LP – expect to pay 3 figures at auction
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #9a
Jazz drumming legend Jo Jones recorded a couple sessions for King Records, including a Cincinnati session on August 16, 1949 for Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, as part of (pre-organ) Bill Doggett Trio = two songs, “Mountain Oysters” (written by Henry Glover) and “Huckle Boogie” (ditto).
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #9b
Count Basie drummer Jo Jones would also back Mabel Scott on “Baseball Boogie,” a sly sports metaphor recorded for King in New York City on March 25, 1950.
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #10
Jazz pianist, arranger, and composer Mary Lou Williams recorded a pair of sessions for King, both in New York City, and both with drummer Denzil Best, guitarist Mundell Lowe, and bassist George Duvivier. Trumpeter Idrees Sulieman accompanied Williams at her first session on March 18, 1949 which produced four songs: “Tisherome“; “Knowledge“; “Oo-Bla-Dee” & “Shorty Boo.” Williams’ second session on January 3, 1950 yielded four more tracks: “Bye Bye Blues” and “Moonglow” (with Williams on organ); ‘Willow Weep for Me” & “I’m in the Mood for Love.”
“autographed” King EP – 1954
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #11
1951 King Jazz History Four-Way
- Jazz pioneer and long-time NPR (“Piano Jazz“) host, Marian McPartland, would have exactly one encounter with King Records: NYC session March 15, 1951, resulting in 4 songs [“Flamingo“; “It’s Delovely“; “Liebestraum No. 3“; “Four Brothers“] that enjoyed release in the US, UK, and France. In additional to two 78 releases, Federal issued the playfully-titled EP, Progressive Piano with Cello, Harp, Bass and Drums in 1954, while these same songs would be issued in the UK four years later under the title of the Cole Porter track, It’s Delovely.
1954 Federal EP
1951 French 78 – art deco lettering
- Vocalist Lee Richardson recorded a session in Linden, New Jersey for DeLuxe on February 26, 1951 that featured drummer (and future bandleader) Art Blakey on four songs, including “Just Call My Name” & “As Time Goes By.”
- Charles Mingus (bass) and Billy Taylor (piano) backed Melvin Moore (the “blues shouter“) on a NYC session for King recorded December 18, 1951 – four songs recorded, including rare 45 “Possessed” b/w “Hold Me Kiss Me Squeeze Me.” Mingus would also record under his own name for Bethlehem prior to Syd Nathan’s purchase of the label in 1960.
Someone paid $96 in 2017 for this King 45
- Trombonist J.J. Johnson played on a Fluffy Hunter session (with backing from The Jesse Powell Orchestra, including Bill Doggett) in NYC for Federal on November 3, 1951 — four songs, including “My Nach’l Man“; “Love Is a Fortune” & “The Walkin’ Blues.” 2013 would see a UK seven-inch reissue of “Walking Blues” b/w “My Natch’l Man.”
Someone paid $435 in 2013 for this Federal 45
Review – March 8, 1952 edition of Cashbox
“Walk Right In, Walk Right Out (Walking Blues)”
“Love Is a Fortune“
Fluffy Hunter
(Federal 12056)
Jesse Powell drives out a spirited arrangement of “Walk Right In, Walk Right Out,” subtitled “Walking Blues.” A fast moving jump number it is taken for an exciting spin by the Powell Orchestra, as vocalist Fluffy Hunter chants the piece in raucus style. Expressive lyrics that leave much to the imagination, do a great deal for the song. Fluffy Hunter and the ork form a great combination, and with the material they have, this should be a smash platter. This waxing will make some noise and should get lots of play in the boxes. Under portion is a change of pace as the artists deliver a slow blues jump. Fluffy gives the tune and lyrics a dramatic reading as the Jesse Powell group sets the musical mood. The topside has the necessary ingredients for a solid money maker and ops should get with this one fast.
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #12
Al Sears – saxophonist, bandleader, and Duke Ellington alumnus – recorded a single NYC session for King with his orchestra on September 21, 1951 that netted eight songs packaged into two EPs and four 78s – including “Baltimore Bounce” and “Now Ride the D Train” (not to mention the curiously-titled “Marshall Plan“).
Caution: Back cover of Sears’ second UK EP from 1958 indicates “controversy” over whether Johnny Hodges played alto sax (as Ruppli says) on these sessions. UK liner notes:
“When these titles were originally released some years ago controversy existed over the identity of the alto soloist on ‘Steady Eddie’; some critics maintained that it was Hodges himself. In fact it is the similarly-styled Charlie Holmes, a boyhood friend of Hodges and an important mainstay of the Chick Webb, Luis Russell, and Louis Armstrong bands during the nineteen-thirties.”
This other UK EP, also from 1958, alternately characterizes the situation thusly —
“It is this band, with alto saxist Charlie Holmes substituting for the contractually debarred Hodges, which may be heard on the enclosed record.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #13
Drummer Philly Joe Jones – three years before joining Miles Davis for a series of albums – would back (Bull) Moose Jackson on a NYC session for King on Feb. 6, 1952 = four songs including “Nosey Joe”; “Bearcat Blues” & “Sad.”
Imagine that = Leiber & Stoller wrote “Nosey Joe”!
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #14
Drummer (and future bandleader) Chico Hamilton played on a total of four recording sessions in Los Angeles for King/Federal: (1) Russell Jacquet & His Bopper Band [“Bongo Blues”] on Mar. 18, 1949; Marion Abernathy [“Ee-Tid-Ee-Dee”] on Mar. 26, 1949; Red Callender Sextet [“Poinciana”] c. 1950; and The Platters on Sept. 28, 1954 [“Voo-Vee-Ah-Bee”].
UK EP – 1955
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #15
Count Basie vocalist Jimmy “Mr. Five by Five” Rushing recorded two sessions in NYC for King: Oct. 5, 1951 (four songs, including “Hi-O-Sylvester”) and Sept. 25, 1952 (four songs, including “Where Were You”). These recordings would be released in the UK on Ember & Parlophone, and in France on Vogue.
UK EP – 1958
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #16
Trumpeter and orchestra leader Erskine Hawkins recorded three sessions for King = (a) four songs in NYC on December 6, 1951, including “Down Home Jump” plus Henry Glover’s “Lost Time,” as well as steel guitar classic “Steel Guitar Rag“; (b) four more in NYC on September 25, 1952, including “Fair Weather Friend” and “New Gin Mill Special“; and (c) one final Cincinnati session on September 17, 1953 that yielded four tracks, including “Function at the Junction” and “My Baby Please.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #17
Earl “Fatha” Hines (piano) and His Orchestra (with Bennie Green, trombone) recorded a 1953 King session in New York City for Sugar Ray Robinson that was produced by Henry Glover = three songs including “Knock Him Down Whiskey.” Two of these songs, by the way, would be included on a French EP that also featured a pair of tracks from none other than Mickey Rooney (“Alimony Blues“)!
Without any further adieu, 1958 French EP
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #18
Cecil Young and His Progressive Quartet (previously celebrated here) recorded two separate sessions plus three live performances for King between 1951-1953 (including one King Studios visit on December 7, 1953) — audio links to “Who Parked the Car“; “That Old Black Magic” & “Yes Sir! That’s My Baby.”
1956 King LP – reissued in 1959 on Audio Lab
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #19
Gerald Wilson Orchestra’s early 1954 Los Angeles sessions for Federal and King – including “Mambo Mexicana” – would be reissued five years later on an Audio Lab LP entitled Big Band Modern, a reminder of the mambo mania that had gripped the nation at the time this song was released. Based on available discographical information, these 1954 recordings appear to be among the earliest in a career that would span well into the new century, as NPR’s 2011 piece “The Gerald Wilson Orchestra: A Living Legacy” affirms. Wilson, as it turns out, is one of many famous jazz musicians who “did time” in Earl Bostic’s band — in this case, one of four trumpeters who played on a December 4, 1958 Los Angeles recording session (six tracks, including “My Reverie” and “All the Things You Are“).
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #20
Noble “Thin Man” Watts – hailed by Alligator Records as “one of the early rock superstars” and one of the “greatest exponents of that honking tenor style” – recorded a session at Cincinnati’s King Studios with Tiny Bradshaw’s Orchestra on Sept. 1, 1954, joined by Rufus Gore, also on tenor sax, and “Fas’ Foot” Philip Paul on drums (profiled here in 2018), among others. Four instrumentals recorded at this session, including “Stack of Dollars” & “Cat Fruit” (co-written by Watts). The following month Noble Watts recorded two songs with his quintet (including organist Wild Bill Davis and guitarist Floyd Smith) in New York City for DeLuxe – “Pig Ears & Rice” b/w “Mashing Potatoes.”
Noble Watts & Philip Paul played on all 4 tracks = 1955 EP
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #21
Saxophonist Plas (‘Pink Panther Theme‘) Johnson played tenor sax on a session for Sugar Pie & Hank backed by the Preston Love Orchestra, with Ernie Freeman (piano) and Red Callender (bass) in Los Angeles on March 17, 1955 — four songs recorded, including “Please Be True“; “Boom Diddy Wawa Baby” & “A Man Going Crazy.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #22
Jazz pianist and composer Dick Hyman (who accompanied Charlie Parker on his only television appearance in 1952) played a single recording session for Bubber Johnson in New York City on December 22, 1955, along with Al Caiola on guitar and Ruth Berman on harp, among others — four songs recorded (none of them available yet on YouTube): “Keep a Light in the Window for Me“; “I Lost Track of Everything“; “My One Desire” & “A Wonderful Thing Happens.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #23
Roland Kirk’s debut album Triple Threat — recorded November 9, 1956 in NYC — was released on King. Discogs has this mini history:
“The debut album by jazz multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk, originally released on King, re-released in US in 1976 on Bethlehem Records as Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Early Roots and in UK on Affinity. The original album received limited distribution and only became widely known after the Bethlehem Records re-issue, a few years prior to Kirk’s death”
Check out opening track “Roland’s Theme“
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #24
A number of notable jazz musicians did King recording sessions for Earl Bostic, including drummer Earl Palmer [“Anvil Chorus” & “Southern Fried”]; drummer Jimmy Cobb [“Flamingo” & “Sleep”]; pianists Luis Rivera [“Memories”], Jaki Byard [“Blip Boogie”] & Sir Charles Thompson [“Dark Eyes”]; organist Richard ‘Groove’ Holmes [“Telestar Drive”]; tenor saxophonists Stanley Turrentine [“What, No Pearls”] & Benny Golson [“Cherry Bean”]; alto saxophonist Benny Carter [“Dream”]; trumpeter Richard ‘Blue’ Mitchell [“Jungle Drums”]; guitarists Rene Hall [“La Cucaracha”], George Barnes [“Bugle Call Rag”] & Al Casey [“Serenade”]; bassist Johnny Pate [“Feeling Cool”], and, of course, the aforementioned Keter Betts [“Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams”] and John Coltrane [“Moonglow”] – subject of King jazz tweets #1 & 2, respectively.
King EP – 1956
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #25
Tenor saxophonist Benny Golson played on four recording sessions for bandleader and alto saxophonist Earl Bostic:
- Oct. 8, 1954 in NYC = 6 songs as the only tenor player, including “Cherry Bean”; “Liebestraum”; “Embraceable You” & “Song of the Islands”
- May 4, 1955 in LA = 4 songs as the only tenor player (with Benny Carter joining Bostic on alto) including “Dream”; “East of the Sun”; and “For All We Know”
- Jan. 11, 1956 in NYC = 4 songs as part of a sax section (with George Barnes on guitar) including “Bugle Call Rag”; “I Love You Truly”; “’Cause You’re My Lover”
- April 23, 1956 in LA – 4 songs as only tenor player (with Barney Kessel on guitar) including “I Hear a Rhapsody”; “Where or When”; and “Harlem Nocturne”
Benny Golson was also one of two tenor saxophonists on a Oct. 17, 1951 session at Cincinnati’s King Studios for Moose Jackson that netted “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “I Never Loved Anyone But You,” plus one unissued track, “”I’ve Had a Hard Way to Go.”
UK EP – 1957
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #26
Bassist Milt Hinton (“dean of jazz bassists”) played a handful of sessions for King on behalf of Little Willie John [“Home at Last” – 1955], Big John Greer [“Record Hop”- 1956], and Teddy Humphries [“What Makes You So Tough” – 1959]. Milt Hinton would also release one album for Bethlehem as a recording artist – 1955’s East Coast Jazz/5 – three years before Syd Nathan became co-owner of the label.
Penned by Henry Glover –
Peaked at #16 in the R&B charts — March, 1959
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #27
I have a soft spot for Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis‘s arrangement of Gershwin’s “Foggy Day” (recorded in Cincinnati on August 16, 1955) which also happens to be the lead-off track of a 4-song EP released in the UK in 1956. Here in the US, however, “Foggy Day” appears to have been a B-side – and part of a 12-track album entitled Modern Jazz Expressions that also enjoyed release in France and Denmark.
UK EP – 1956
The Eddie Davis Trio and Doc Bagby’s 1955 recordings for King were done in Cincinnati, while 1956-1958 releases for King and Bethlehem were recorded in NYC.
classic 1950s modernist covers = 1957 LP + its 1959 reissue
King would also release Davis’s …Uptown LP in 1958 [with half these tracks providing an album side for 1959’s A Battle of Saxes LP with Charlie Ventura] — audio link to “The Happy Whistler.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #28
Organist Doc Bagby — who has recorded for Okeh and Epic, in addition to playing on Eddie Davis’s Modern Jazz Expressions album (et al.) — was also a King recording artist in his own right. Two 1955 Cincinnati sessions with Eddie ‘Lockjaw‘ Davis (tenor sax), Clifford Bush (guitar), and Charlie Rice (drums) would yield six songs (plus one unissued track, “Call Me Darling, Call Me Sweetheart, Call Me Dear”) that would comprise side one of King LP Battle of the Organs — Luis Rivera and Doc Bagby. King would also issue two singles from these sessions, including “Grinding” b/w “Hayride” (co-written by Henry Glover), while Odeon France would issue an EP (below).
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #29
Fania All-Star percussionist Ray Barretto played on a King recording session for Bill Doggett in NYC on February 12, 1957 – three songs including “Chloe.” Barretto would also play conga on two NYC King recording dates for Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis (Jan./Feb. 1957) that yielded eight songs. including the King 45 “Sheila” b/w “Say What,” as well as the LP Jazz With a Beat.
I never tire of looking at this album cover
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #30
Guitarist Kenny Burrell – whose Blue Note debut LP would be released 1956 – did session work in 1957 for King and DeLuxe on behalf of Wynonie Harris [“Big Old Country Fool”], Little Willie John [“Dinner Date”] & Annie Laurie [“Hold On To What You Got”]. Burrell would also do King sessions in 1958 for Bubber Johnson [“Finger Tips”], Little Willie John [“Let’s Rock While the Rockin’s Good” – George Barnes also on guitar], Jimmy Scott [“Somehow”], Harold ‘Shorty’ Baker [“’S Wonderful” – check out the intro], and James Brown and the Famous Flames [“Try Me”].
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #31
Drummer/singer/bandleader Roy Milton (and His Orchestra) recorded four tracks on October 17, 1956 at Cincinnati’s King Studios (one of them “Bam-a-Lam” unissued) = “You’re Gonna Suffer“; “Succotash“; and “One Zippy Zam.” Milton’s next session for King would take place in Los Angeles February 27, 1957, with two songs recorded — “I’m Grateful” and “Skid Row” — while his final session would be captured at King Studios on July 2, 1957 = “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu“; “Brand New Thrill“; “R.M. Blues“; and “Jeep’s Blues.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #32
Jerome Richardson – who began his professional career in Lionel Hampton’s band at age 14 – played flute and tenor sax on a King recording session for vocalist Etta Jones on April 18, 1957 in New York City (with Bill Jennings on guitar) = four songs recorded: “When I Fall in Love“; “S’posin’”; “Mountain Greenery” and “People Will Say We’re in Love.”
Richardson’s flute work is featured on this track
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #33
Jazz/gospel singer Lorez Alexandria recorded an album-length tribute to Lester Young at an ‘intimate’ Chicago club on November 6 & 13, 1957 that was issued by both King and Federal in 1958 as Lorez Sings Pres = link to the opening song, “Fine and Dandy.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #34
The Johnny Pate Quintet (featuring Bennie Druss on flute) would infuse the blues with a jazz sound and sensibility on “Swinging Shepherd Blues” — recorded in Chicago on Nov. 29, 1957 for Federal — along with three other tracks [“The Elder“; “Easy Does It” & “Five O’Clock Whistle“] that enjoyed overseas distribution.
Released on Parlophone in Australia & New Zealand (plus UK)
Bill Doggett would also make great use of the flute in a jazz setting, with his arrangement of Tiny Bradshaw’s “Soft” (previously celebrated here).
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #35
Vocalist Jimmy Scott recorded four sessions for King, all in New York City with Henry Glover = (a) two songs recorded on July 26, 1957 (Kenny Burrell, guitar) — “When Day Is Done” & “Home“; (b) two songs recorded on October 2, 1957 — “What Sin” & “Somewhere Down the Line“; (c) four songs recorded on April 3, 1958, including “Don’t Be Misled“; (d) four songs recorded on September 6, 1958 (Kenny Burrell, guitar), including “Somehow” and “Please.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #36
Jazz drummer and bandleader Cozy Cole [with his Septet – George Kelly (tenor sax), Gene Redd (vibes), John Thomas (piano), John Faire & Fred Jordan (guitar) and Edwyn Conley (bass)] would record for King thrice — (a) in Cincinnati on June 18 & 19, 1959 (12 songs, including “Cozy’s Mambo” and “Ha-Ha Cha Cha“); (b) in New York City on May 17, 1960 — “Red Ball” and “Cozy’s Corner” plus 2 unissued; (c) and a final Cincinnati session May 26, 1959 (7 songs, including “Blop Up”; “Blop Down”; “Pogo Hop” & “D’Mitri“). In the wake of 1962’s Jazz Samba smash hit album, King would update “Cozy’s Mambo” by slapping on a new title – “Cozy and Bossa” – and issuing as a Bethlehem 45 in 1963.
French EP – 1959
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #37
Howard Roberts (guitar), Ernie Freeman (piano), and Ed ‘Sharkey’ Hall (drums) played on a Los Angeles King recording session for Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson on July 21, 1961, with four songs recorded = one original, “Cuttin’ In” + three standards (“Nearness of You“; “Posin’“; and George & Ira Gershwin’s “Embraceble You”). Check out the modernist sleeve design below of the 1962 French EP that includes “Cuttin’ In.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #38
King session drummer emeritus Philip Paul threatens to steal the show in Milt Buckner’s blistering jazz organ instrumental version of “Fever” – recorded with Gene Redd on vibraphone and Bill Willis on bass at Cincinnati’s King Studios on March 5, 1963. The New World of Milt Buckner (reissued in Japan in 2013) would also include five more tracks recorded at King Studios on November 26, 1962 [see related Zero to 180 piece]. Audio link to “Why Don’t You Do Right.”
Bethlehem LP – 1963
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #39
Hank Marr’s classic jazz organ instrumental “Greasy Spoon” – recorded at King’s Cincinnati studios on June 26, 1963 – was later used as the title track for a 1969 compilation LP issued on the King label with the groovy cover below.
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #40
Bill Doggett’s “mod jazz” take on “Twenty Five Miles” — Edwin Starr’s rewrite, essentially, of Wilson Pickett’s “Mojo Mamma” (penned by Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler) — was, according to Ruppli, recorded at a special 1969 session in Detroit (Motown, one can only presume) with the organist backed by a “studio band” and the producer role served by none other than Berry Gordy!
2nd track on this 1969 King LP co-produced by James Brown
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #41
James Brown organized a special Los Angeles recording session on November 10, 1969 in which Oliver Nelson did the arrangements, while Brown enjoyed backing from the Louis Bellson Orchestra, featuring legendary bassist Ray Brown, as well as Ernie Watts, Buddy Collette, Chuck Finley, Jimmy Cleveland, Maceo Parker, and Cincinnati’s own, Frank Vincent, among others — 12 songs recorded, but only 11 included on 1970s Soul on Top LP (“There Was a Time” from this session unissued) — check out kick-off track “That’s My Desire.”
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #42
Cincinnati Jazz Artists
Cincinnati‘s own local jazz talent has appeared on King and its subsidiary labels:
- Frank Vincent: played piano as part of The Dee Felice Trio on several sessions at Cincinnati’s King Studio in late 1968 and early 1969 for James Brown‘s Gettin’ Down To It album — audio links to “Willow Weep for Me“; “Time After Time“; “It Had to Be You” & “Cold Sweat.” A few other tracks recorded for this album remain in the vaults: “The Shadow of Your Smile”; “Unwind” & “The Weight” [!]
Vincent also played piano on “I’m Not Demanding (Pt. 1 & 2)” & “The Man in the Glass (Pt. 1)” for Brown’s 1970 LP It’s a New Day – Let a Man Come In, as well as the aforementioned Soul on Top sessions with the Louis Bellson Orchestra.
- The Dee Felice Trio [Frank Vincent (piano), Lee Tucker (bass) & Dee Felice (drums)] were King recording artists whose work would be issued on Bethlehem — if you have never before seen the cover of their 1969 debut album, In Heat, prepare to be dazzled:
Audio links to “Uncle“; “There Was a Time“; & “Wichita Lineman.” Worth noting the number of songs the trio has recorded in Cincinnati that remain unissued in the vaults: 10 songs recorded ca. September, 1968 (including “Light My Fire”; “Crickets Sing for Anna Maria” and “Summer in the City”), plus 5 songs recorded on December 21, 1968 (including “Day In, Day Out”; “Gone with the Wind” & “You Came a Long Way from St. Louis”). Dee Felice, as a solo artist (with unknown musicians, though likely affiliated with James Brown) recorded a total of 9 songs on three successive days (December 10-12, 1969) that all remain unissued, including “Double Funky”; “Cold Sweat”; “Get Ready”; “Ode to Billie Joe” & “A Different Shade of Colors.”
“Oh Happy Day” on the flip side
- James Brown arranged a recording session at King’s Cincinnati studios on February 17, 1969 that featured a number of notable Cincinnati musicians, including Kenny Poole (guitar), Jimmy McGary (tenor sax), Carmen DeLeone, Jr. (vibes), David Matthews (trombone), William ‘Beau Dollar’ Bowman (drums), Frank Vincent (piano), Lee Tucker (bass) & Dee Felice (percussion) – five songs recorded but only two released, including Brown’s arrangement of Burt Bacharach & Bob Hilliard’s“Any Day Now” (included on 1969’s It’s a Mother LP).
- According to the detailed recording credits on Discogs for James Brown – The Singles, Volume 6: 1969-1970, guitarist Kenny Poole has played on at least 15 different recordings, including “Mother Popcorn (Pt. 1 & 2)”; “Let a Man Come In and Do the Popcorn (Pt. 1 & 2)”; “It’s Christmas Time (Pt. 1 & 2)”; “The Drunk“; “Georgia On My Mind“; “Bewildered” & “I Cried” (not to mention uncredited ‘wah-wah’ guitar on “Brother Rapp” — plus a pair of JB-produced Bobby Byrd tracks, “I Need Help” & “Hang Ups We Don’t Need (Hungry We Got to Feed).” [Zero to 180 is dying to know if another Cincinnati guitar giant, Cal Collins, ever committed his work to tape at King Studios?]
Belgium 45 – 1973
- Thanks to detailed credits posted on Discogs, I know that Jimmy McGary played alto saxophone on “I’ll Go Crazy“; “I Know It’s True“; “This Old Heart” & “Wonder When You’re Coming Home” — also, tenor sax on “Let It Be Me” and (as already noted) “Any Day Now.” McGary was also one of three flute players on “I Cried.”
Jimmy McGary plays flute on 1971 German A-side –
Arranged by David Matthews
- “Bewildered” – recorded April 12, 1969 (my brother‘s 7th birthday) – would also bring together Jimmy McGary (tenor sax), Carmen DeLeone, Jr. (percussion), and William ‘Beau Dollar’ Bowman (drums), as well as David Matthews (piano). Matthews would also do arrangement work for James Brown on such recordings as “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” (in a ‘live’ track that also includes Poole and Bowman), “Let It Be Me” & “No More Heartaches, No More Pain” (both with Vicki Anderson) and “Georgia On My Mind.” Matthews, who co-wrote and co-arranged Brown’s 1971 Sho Is Funky Down Here album, also wrote “The Drunk” (which includes bass work by Cincinnati’s William “Bootsy” Collins). Worth noting that only “Part 2” of “The Drunk” has been released, according to both Ruppli and the Jazz Discography Project.
Kenny Poole & Bootsy on a JB B-side –
Written by David Matthews
- James Brown would also utilize local musicians Les Asch (tenor sax) and Eddie Setser (guitar) of The Dapps on a number of tracks, including “I’m Shook“; “Sometime“; “Shades of Brown“; “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye“; “Let Them Talk“; “I’ll Lose My Mind“; “Here I Go“; “Just Plain Funk“; “Funky Soul #1” & “The Soul of JB” — also supporting Beau Dollar on “Who Knows.” and Bobby Byrd on “Funky Soul (Pt. 1 & 2).” Asch would also play tenor sax on Lyn Collins‘s “Just Won’t Do Right.”
Les Asch & Eddie Setser on a 1968 South African B-side
King Records Jazz Legacy Tweet #43
Tribute to Bethlehem Records
In 1958, Syd Nathan became part owner of jazz label, Bethlehem Records, as has been noted. When one examines Ruppli’s 2-volume recording sessionography, it becomes clear that by 1958, Bethlehem’s most vital days had already passed, as by the early 1960s, Nathan would significantly pull back on recording new jazz material in favor of issuing the label’s back catalog. Nevertheless, this 1958-1961 period would see some notable recording sessions for Bethlehem take place primarily in New York City —
- Vibraphonist Teddy Charles‘ 1959 LP Salute to Hamp, an album that features Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Art Farmer (trumpet), and Hank Jones (piano). Audio links to “Air Mail Special“; “Blue Hamp“; “Moon Glow” & “Flying Home.”
Bethlehem would also release On Campus — Ivy League Jazz Concert, recorded live at Yale University in 1960, with Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Sam Most (flute), Dave McKenna (piano), Jimmy Raney (guitar), Bill Crow (double bass) & Ed Shaughnessy (drums). Audio links to “Whippenpoof Song“; “Yale Bird“; “Rifftide” & “Nigerian Walk.”
- Tony Ortega‘s album (with the unforgettable cover), Jazz for Young Moderns, featuring Art Farmer (trumpet, 6-10); Ray Starling (trumpet & mellophone 1-5); Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Jim Buffington (French horn); Ray Tricarico (bassoon); Ortega (alto & tenor sax, clarinet & flute); John Hafer (tenor sax & bass clarinet); Jay Cameron (baritone sax); Dick Wetmore (violin); Bobby Timmons (piano); Ahmed Abdul-Malik, bass) & Ed Thigpen (drums) — recorded in late 1958/early 1959. Audio links to “Bat Man Blues“; “Cinderella’s Curfew“; “Four to Four” & “No Fi.”
- Frank Minion‘s (Teddy Charles-produced) LP, The Soft Land of Make Believe, recorded in 1959, with backing from Bill Evans, Jimmy Jones & Tommy Flanagan (piano). Roland Alexander (tenor sax), Kenny Burrell (guitar), George Tucker, Joe Benjamin & Paul Chambers (bass) & Dannie Richmond, Ed Thigpen & Jimmy Cobb (drums). Audio links to “Introduction to Black Opium Street” & (vocal version of) “So What.”
The year before, Bethlehem had released Minion’s debut album, futuristically titled The Forward Sound of Frank Minion – Sound Stylings of 1970 [!] — audio link to “Watermelon.”
- Zoot Sims‘ 1960 LP, Down Home, with Dave McKenna (piano), George Tucker (bass), and Danny Richmond (drums). Audio links to “Jive at Five“; “Avalon“; “Doggin’ Around” & “I’ve Heard That Blues Before.”
- Mal Waldron Trio‘s 1960 Left Alone album dedicated to Billie Holiday, with Julian Euell (bass), and Al Dreares (drums), features Jackie McLean (alto sax) — produced by Teddy Charles. Audio links to “Left Alone“; “Catwalk” & “Minor Pulsation.”
- Vocalist Betty Blake recorded 1961’s Sings in a Tender Mood with instrumental backing from Mal Waldron (piano), Teddy Charles (vibraphone), Zoot Sims & Roland Alexander (tenor sax), Marcus Belgrave (trumpet), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Addision Farmer & Eustis Guilemet (bass) & Ed Shaughnessy & Charles Persip (drums). Audio links to “Moon and Sand“; “Blue Fool“; “Trouble Is a Man” & “Let There Be Love.”
Ruppli also notes a September 20, 1961 recording session in Los Angeles for Brown, whose backing band included Johnny ‘Guitar‘ Watson.
- John Letman‘s 1960 LP, The Many Angles of John Letman, with support from Dick Wellstood (piano), Kenny Burrell (guitar); Peck Morrison (bass) & Panama Francis (drums). Audio links to “Say Si Si“; “The Room Upstairs“; “Moanin’ Low” & “This Time the Drink’s on Me.”
- Charles Persip & the Jazz Statesmen‘s self-titled (Teddy Charles-produced) LP recorded on April 2, 1960, with Freddie Hubbard & Marcus Belgrave (trumpet), Roland Alexander (tenor sax), Ronald Matthews (piano), Ron Carter (bass) & Persip (drums). Audio links to “Sevens“; “Soul March“; “The Song Is You” & “Right Down Front.”
- George Wein and the Storyville Sextet‘s Metronome Presents Jazz at the Modern LP recorded at NYC’s Museum of Modern Art on June 16, 1960. Audio links to “Rosetta“; “Undecided“; “Ain’t Got Nobody” & “That’s a Plenty“
- Dave McKenna & Hal Overton‘s 1960 LP, Dual Pianos, with backing from Earl May (bass) & Jerry Segal (drums). Audio links to “Keepin’ Out of Mischief“; “Monk’s Blues” & “Ruby, My Baby.”
- Howard McGhee‘s LP, Dusty Blue (released 1960 in the UK, 1961 in the US), featuring Bennie Green (trombone), Roland Alexander (tenor sax & flute), Pepper Adams (baritone sax), Tommy Flanagan (piano), Ron Carter (bass) & Walter Bolden (drums). Audio links to “Dusty Blue“; “Sleep Talk“; “Cottage for Sale” & “I Concentrate on You.”
- Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams‘ 1961 LP, Motor City Scene, featuring Tommy Flanagan (piano), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Paul Chambers (bass), and “Hey” Lewis (drums). Audio links to “Stardust“; “Philson” & “Trio.”
- Bennie Green‘s 1961 LP, Hornful of Soul, with Jimmy Forrest (tenor sax), Lem Davis (alto sax), Mal Waldron (piano), Skip Hall (organ), Tommy Lopez (congas), Wyatt Ruther (bass), and Art Taylor (drums). Audio links to “Summertime“; “Groove One” & “Dee Dee.”
- Booker Little‘s 1961 (Teddy Charles-produced) LP, Booker Little and Friend, with musical support from George Coleman (tenor sax), Julian Priester (trombone), Don Freedman (piano), Reggie Workman (bass), and Pete La Roca (drums). Audio links to “Victory and Sorrow“; “Forward Flight“; “Looking Ahead” & “Booker’s Blues.”
- Booker Ervin‘s (Teddy Charles-produced) The Book Cooks LP, featuring Ervin and Zoot Sims (tenor saxes), Tommy Turrentine (trumpet), Tommy Flanagan (piano), George Tucker (bass) & Dannie Richmond (drums). Audio links to “The Book Cooks“; “The Blue Book“; “Git It” & “Largo” — released 1961.
- Azie Mortimer would record a string of singles for various labels, including Epic and RCA, in the run up to her debut album, Feeling of Jazz, on Bethlehem – recorded in 1969 but not released until 1971 (though reissued in 2014 in Japan). Mortimer would enjoy a backing band that included Jimmy Cleveland & Quentin Jackson (trombones), Jerome Richardson (tenor sax), Phil Woods (alto sax & clarinet), Les Spann (guitar), Milt Hinton (bass), Willie Rodriguez (percussion) & Charlie Persip (drums) among others, with Mercer Ellington as arranger and conductor.
- … and the aforementioned Australian Jazz Quintet in a piece from last year’s King Records Month celebration, “Jazz Misrepresented As Surf?“
Huge debt of gratitude to Jazz Discography Project for Bethlehem Records info!
King Records Jazz Trivia =
For Your Eyes Only
Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, and Gerry Mulligan were among the musicians in Gene Roland’s Boppers (accompanied by the Chubby Jackson rhythm section) who recorded a “rehearsal” in New York City on May 17, 1949 — “Sid’s Swing Symphony”; “Oh Them Saxophones”; “Blues” & “Sid’s Swing Symphony” — 67 minutes of music recorded for DeLuxe by the bandleader, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and long-time Stan Kenton collaborator that remain unissued in King’s vault.
King Records Jazz Legacy =
Rare Vinyl Alert
One of the earliest recordings by trombonist Al Grey (previously celebrated in a musical tribute to grits) took place at the Cincinnati studios on October 1, 1954 — “Speak To Me (In My Dreams Tonight)” b/w “Goofa Nut” (B-side instrumental) — these two songs comprising a 78 that is VERY hard to find. Writing credits reveal Henry Glover to have had a hand in both compositions.
King Records Jazz Legacy =
Genius Sighting
THIS JUST IN! Ray Charles, incredibly, has a bona fide King connection, thanks to a single 78 release at a very early point in his recording career on Rockin’, a King subsidiary — “Walkin’ and Talkin’ to Myself” b/w “I’m Wonderin’ and Wonderin’.” Note that at least one of the sides was published by Lois, Syd Nathan’s publishing firm. The fact that this 78 is not listed in either Discogs or 45Cat tells you how rare it is — and yet, someone acquired a copy in 2009 for just $31 (while someone else picked up an acetate 45 for, ironically, $78). Both tracks were recorded in Miami in 1952, as well as two unissued tracks “Jumpin’ the Blues” and “Blue Rhumba.” Ruppli adds that both 78 recordings were “also issued on Crown LP5303, Strand LP1086, Crown LP5418, Musicdisc CV964 [France], Visadisc VI245 [France & Israel] & Guest Star LP1901.”
King Records Jazz Legacy =
King Kontroversy
Ruppli’s King recording notes says that the Paris backing band used by Babs Gonzales on 1953 King single “Still Wailin’” b/w “Shuckin’ and Jivin’” included Dizzy Gillespie “possibly.” Judge for yourself: Is that Dizzy on trumpet? Wynton Marsalis might settle this question.
*Tip of the hat to Brian Powers, who organized a jazz-related lecture at Cincinnati Public Library’s Main Branch on Sept. 24, 2016 in support of King Records Month:
Although more known for R&B and Country music, King Records did make a mark in the field of Jazz. The label recorded many jazz artists, while King’s production staff preferred to use jazz musicians to play on King’s R&B releases. In the 1950s, Syd Nathan purchased Gus Wildi’s jazz label, Bethlehem. Jazz had a great influence on James Brown’s music recorded at King. Music historian Uncle Dave Lewis will give a talk at Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center that will cover the salient points of this melting pot of influences and how King managed to have an impact in the history of jazz without producing any top 100 jazz albums.