Tag Archives: Bob Thiele

Paul Gonsalves: Tell It The Way It Is!

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On September 24, 1963, “Impulse!” label released “Tell It the Way It Is!”, the sixth Paul Gonsalves album. It was recorded in 1963, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone
  • Johnny Hodges – alto saxophone
  • Ray Nance – trumpet, violin
  • Rolf Ericson – trumpet
  • Walter Bishop Jr. – piano
  • Ernie Shepard – bass, vocals
  • Osie Johnson – drums

Track listing:

  1. Tell It the Way It Is! – Addison Amor, Walter Bishop Jr.
  2. Things Ain’t What They Used to Be – Johhny Mercer, Duke Ellington, Ted Persons
  3. Duke’s Place – Duke Ellington, Bob Katz, Bob Thiele
  4. Impulsive – Johnny Hodges
  5. Rapscallion in Rab’s Canyon – Johnny Hodges
  6. Body and Soul – Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour

John Coltrane: Expression

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In September 1967, “Impulse!” label released “Expression”, first posthumous release of John Coltrane recordings and the last album he personally authorized. “Expression” was released two months after his death (July 17, 1967). It was recorded February – March 1967, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • John Coltrane – tenor saxophone, flute
  • Pharoah Sanders – flute, piccolo, tambourine
  • Alice Coltrane – piano
  • Jimmy Garrison – bass
  • Rashied Ali – drums
  • Rudy Van Gelder – recording
  • Victor Kalin – cover art

Track listing:

All tracks by John Coltrane.

  1. Ogunde
  2. To Be
  3. Offering
  4. Expression

Archie Shepp: Fire Music

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In September 1965, “Impulse!” label released “Fire Music”, the fourth Archie Shepp album. It was recorded February – March 1965, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • Archie Shepp – tenor saxophone
  • Marion Brown – alto saxophone
  • Ted Curson – trumpet
  • Joseph Orange – trombone
  • Reggie Johnson – double bass
  • David Izenzon – double bass
  • J.C. Moses – drums
  • Joe Chambers – drums
  • Rudy Van Gelder – engineer, lacquer cut
  • Mel Cheren – cover painting
  • Joe Lebow – design
  • Robert Flynn – design
  • Charles Stewart – photography

Track listing:

  1. Hambone – Archie Shepp
  2. Los Olvidados – Archie Shepp
  3. Malcolm, Malcolm – Semper Malcolm – Archie Shepp
  4. Prelude to a Kiss – Duke Ellington, Irving Gordon, Irving Mills
  5. The Girl from Ipanema – Vinicius DeMoraes, Norman Gimbel, Antonio Carlos Jobim

Art Blakey Quartet: A Jazz Message

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In February 1964, “Impulse!” label released “A Jazz Message”, the sixth Art Blakey album (credited as Art Blakey’s Quartet). It was recorded in July 1963, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • Art Blakey – drums
  • Sonny Stitt – alto and tenor saxophone
  • McCoy Tyner – piano
  • Art Davis – bass
  • Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
  • Joe Lebow – design
  • Dan Morgenstern – liner notes
  • Bob Ghiraldini – photography

Track listing:

  1. Café – Art Blakey, Sonny Stitt
  2. Just Knock on My Door – Art Blakey, Sonny Stitt
  3. Summertime – George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward
  4. Blues Back – McCoy Tyner
  5. Sunday – Chester Conn, Nick Drake, Benny Krueger, Ned Miller, Jule Styne
  6. The Song Is You – Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II

Sonny Stitt & Paul Gonsalves: Salt and Pepper

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In July 1964, “Impulse!” label released “Salt and Pepper”, an album by Sonny Stitt and Paul Gonsalves (the 46th Sonny Stitt album overall). It was recorded in September 1963, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone
  • Sonny Stitt – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Hank Jones – piano
  • Milt Hinton – bass
  • Osie Johnson – drums

Track listing:

  1. Salt and Pepper – Sonny Stitt, Paul Gonsalves
  2. S’posin’ – Paul Denniker, Andy Razaf
  3. Theme from Lord of the Flies – Raymond Leppard
  4. Perdido – Juan Tizol, Ervin Drake, Hans Lengsfelder
  5. Stardust – Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish

Sonny Stitt: Now!

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In July 1963, “Impulse!” label released “Now!”, a Sonny Stitt album. It was recorded in June1963, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • Sonny Stitt – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Hank Jones – piano
  • Al Lucas – bass
  • Osie Johnson – drums

Track listing:

All tracks by Sonny Stitt, except where noted.

  1. Surfin’
  2. Lester Leaps In – Lester Young
  3. Estralita – Manuel Ponce
  4. Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone – Sam Stept, Sidney Clare
  5. Touchy
  6. Never —SH!
  7. My Mother’s Eyes – Abel Baer, L. Wolfe Gilbert
  8. I’m Getting Sentimental Over You – George Bassman, Ned Washington

John Coltrane: First Meditations

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In December 1977, “Impulse!” label released “First Meditations”, posthumously released John Coltrane album. It was recorded in September 1965, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
  • McCoy Tyner – piano
  • Jimmy Garrison – double bass
  • Elvin Jones – drums
  • Rudy Van Gelder – recording
  • Philip Chiang – design
  • Mamoru Shikomochi – illustration

Track listing:

All tracks by John Coltrane.

  1. Love
  2. Compassion
  3. Joy
  4. Consequences
  5. Serenity

Howard Johnson

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On January 11, 2021, Howard Lewis Johnson died aged 79. He was musician (tuba, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, trumpet), member and leader of the tuba ensembles Tuba Libre, Substructure, and Gravity. He recorded and performed with some of the world best known musicians and bands, including George Gruntz, Hank Crawford, Gil Evans, Charles Mingus, Hank Crawford, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Archie Shepp, Hank Mobley, Levon Helm, Tomasz Stanko, Gary Burton, Gábor Szabó, Bob Thiele, Charlie Haden, Jazz Composers, Andrew Hill, Leon Thomas, Johnny Coles, Taj Mahal, Charles Tolliver, The Band, Carla Bley, John Lennon, Sam Rivers, Gato Barbieri, Jaco Pastorius, Muddy Waters, Dexter Gordon, Clifford Jordan, David “Fathead” Newman,  James Taylor, Jack De Johnette, Jimmy Heath, Franco Ambrosetti, George Gruntz, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, NDR Big Band, Ray Anderson, Barbara Dennerlein, John Scofield, T. S. Monk, Mario Pavone, and Chet Baker. As leader he released four albums.

Curtis Fuller: Soul Trombone

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In December 1961, “Impulse!” label released “Soul Trombone”, the 19th Curtis Fuller album. It was recorded in November 1961, at “Capitol Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  • Curtis Fuller – trombone
  • Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
  • Jimmy Heath – tenor saxophone
  • Cedar Walton – piano
  • Jymie Merritt – bass
  • Jimmy Cobb, G. T. Hogan – drums

Track listing:

All tracks by Curtis Fuller except where noted.

  1. The Clan
  2. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning – Bob Hilliard, David Mann
  3. Newdles
  4. The Breeze and I – Ernesto Lecuona, Al Stillman
  5. Dear Old Stockholm – traditional
  6. Ladies’ Night

Chico O’Farrill: Nine Flags

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In December 1966, “Impulse!” label released “Nine Flags”, the ninth Chico O’Farrill album. It was recorded in November 1966, in New York City, and was produced by Bob Thiele.

Personnel:

  1. Chico O’Farrill – arranger, conductor
  2. Clark Terry – trumpet, flugelhorn
  3. Art Farmer, Bernie Glow, Jimmy Nottingham – trumpet
  4. Harry DiVito, Urbie Green, J. J. Johnson, Benny Powell – trombone
  5. Julius Watkins – French horn
  6. Jerry Dodgion, Joe Firrantello, Eddie Wasserman, Frank Wess – woodwinds
  7. Seldon Powell – tenor saxophone
  8. Larry Coryell – guitar
  9. Pat Rebillot – piano
  10. George Duvivier – bass
  11. Gus Johnson, Don Lamond, Mel Lewis – drums
  12. Carl Hard – percussion 

Track listing:

All tracks by Chico O’Farrill.

  1. Live Oak
  2. Patcham
  3. Aromatic Tabac
  4. Dry Citrus
  5. Royal Saddle
  6. Panache
  7. Green Moss
  8. Manzanilla
  9. Clear Spruce
  10. The Lady From Nine Flags