Ad Lib & Pennies from Heaven Jones Hank 1950

In this 1950 recording Hank Jones starts the blues and in the second chorus Ray Brown plays the solo. In the meantime Lester Young and Bill Harris come in. Straight from there the producer clicks in the next tune which is an completely improvised Pennies from Heaven. A short solo from drummer Buddy Rich and a closer of another improvised 16 bars. Ad lib for certain.

Sweet Lorraine Cole Nat King 1957

In this 1957 Nat King Cole TV show Nat presents Jazz at the Philharmonic. The introductions are done by Norman Granz, the JATP promotor since 1944. Here is Nat's tophit, Sweet Lorraine.
With him are Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass. There is a sax solo by Hawkins

C-Jam Blues Cole Nat King 1957

In this 1957 Nat King Cole TV show Nat presents Jazz at the Philharmonic. The introductions are done by Norman Granz, the JATP promotor since 1944. In this tune the Oscar Peterson trio sets the pace for Ellington's C-Jam Blues with Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Illinois Jacquet and Flip Phillips on tenors and the magic drums of Jo Jones with one of his classic drumsolos.

It's only a paper Moon Cole Nat King 1957

Nathaniel Adams Coles was known professionally as Nat King Cole (March 17, 1919 -- February 15, 1965)

Cole was considered a leading jazz pianist, appearing, for example, in the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. His revolutionary lineup of piano, guitar and bass in the time of the big bands became a popular set up for a jazz trio. Cole was the first African American to have his own radio program. He repeated that success in the late-1950s with the first truly national television show starring an African-American

Nat King Cole, a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer in February 1965 while still at the height of his singing career.

On November 5, 1956, The Nat King Cole Show debuted on NBC-TV. While commentators have often hailed Cole as the first African-American to host a network television show, the Cole program was the first of its kind hosted by a star of Nat Cole's magnitude. Initially begun as a 15 minute show on Monday night, the show was expanded to a half hour in July 1957. Despite the efforts of NBC, as well as many of Cole's industry colleagues, The Nat King Cole Show was ultimately done in by a lack of national sponsorship (companies such as Rheingold Beer assumed regional sponsorship of the show, but the a national sponsor never eventuated). The last episode of The Nat King Cole Show aired December 17, 1957. Cole had survived for over a year, and it was he, not NBC, who ultimately decided to pull the plug on the show (NBC, as well as Cole himself, had been operating at an extreme financial loss). In the following 1957 clips Cole features Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic.
In this clip Nat sings "It's only a paper moon" and is accompanied by the Oscar Peterson trio with Herb Ellis guitar and Ray Brown bass. A tenor solo by Flip Phillips with Jo Jones on drums

I want to be Happy Cole Nat King 1957 

In this 1957 Nat King Cole TV show Jazz at the Philharmonic is presented. The introductions are done by Norman Granz, the JATP promotor since 1944.
The show's host Nat King Cole plays some hot piano in "I want to be happy". Somewhere in my collection I have that LP recording of the 1944 concert. I remember being "flabbergasted" by Nat's piano work then, especially the exchange chorusses with Les Paul, another fabulous jazz guitarist.
In this clip Nat is surrounded by Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Stan Getz on tenor, and the rhytm section of Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Jo Jones

In this clip we see the last tune of Nat King Cole's 1957 TV show featuring Oscar Peterson and Jazz at the Philharmonic.
Nat introduces the tune about like this:
It's not only a privilage to sing with the Oscar Peterson Trio, this is also the finest piano treatment of Tenderly.
Not bad, when an announcemt like that comes from Net King Cole.
The Orchestra of Nelson Riddle is the studio band, a wonderful Cole vocal and then Oscar swings a chorus.

Sweet: yes,
commercial: very much,
jazz: absolutely

Blues in Bb Eldridge 1980

A few days ago I posted Jump Street Blues featuring Roy Eldridge.
davidhazard71 posted a comment and explained to me that Roy had retired in 1979 and very little material after that would be available.
I started digging in my collection and I found another one. This is for you David!
Recorded in Toronto, my notes said it was 1980, this is part of an Oscar Peterson show where a recreation of Jazz at the Philharmonic was shown. Norman Granz introduces Louis Bellson drums, Ray Brown bass, Herb Ellis guitar, Oscar Peterson piano with in the front line Zoot Sims and Eddy Lockjaw Davis saxes and Clark Terry and finally Roy Eldridge on trumpets.They just swing your socks off, in a blues in Bb, the most comfortable key for the tenors and the trumpets which are tuned in that key.

Jam on Christopher Columbus chords in Bb-JATP 1967

Jazz at the Philharmonic in London in 1967
Norman Granz assembled a band of all star musicians for this concert in London and probably for an European tour a well.
Dizzy, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims, James Moody with Teddy Wilson piano, Bob Cranshaw as bassist and Louie Bellson on drums

The tune title is not announced, but after an ensemble riff the musicians solo on the pleasant 32 bar structure of Christopher Columbus ( Benny Goodman used that already in his Carnegy Hall Concert in 1938)
There are two groups of players; the swingers and the boppers.
The only real bopper is James Moody and Dizzy of course as well, but Dizzy also plays with sympathy towards the swingers.

Undecided Wilson 1967

Teddy Wilson piano, Louie Bellson drums and Bob Cranshaw bass in a concert in London in 1967 as part of a Norman Granz Jazz at the Philharmonic performance.
Teddy sets in in high tempo and after some incredible solos there is a very interesting 4-bar piano-drums exchange.

Blue Lou Hawkins/ Carter

After a fine introduction by Norman Granz Coleman Hawkins on tenor and Benny Carter on alto play Blue Lue with a fine rhythm group which includes Teddy Wilson on piano and Louie Bellson on drums.
Hawkins born in 1904, died in 1969
Carter born in 1907, died in 2003
To think that both musicians played together for more than two years in the famous Fletcher Henderson Band in 1930 and 1931
Some 36 years later, each with separate music careers are brought together by Norman Granz in as series of concerts of Jazz at the Philharmonic

It Don't mean a Thing Fitzgerald Ella/Peterson 1958

Jazz at the Philharmonic in Holland. Of course, jazz musicians were always welcomed and when the top musicians with Norman Granz's JATP wanted to come to the Netherlands the famous Amsterdam concertgebouw was offered for their concerts.
This clip is from a 1958 concert. We see and hear the Oscar Peterson trio with Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar. They perform together with Ella Fitzgerald, with solos of violinist Stuff Smith and trumpetplayer Roy Eldridge.
Quality filming and very good sound recording by the Dutch engineers.
This clip was found in Dutch film archives and recently broadcasted on TV. A friend was able to get me a copy and it is such a pleasure to be able to share it with so many dailymotion viewers worldwide.

April in Paris Fitzgerald Ella 1957

The travelling American jazz organisation called Jazz At The Philharmonic under the leadership of Norman Granz would travel the world. For a concert in the Netherlands a concert was planned in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw on May 5 1957, Liberation Day.
In this clip we see a performance of Ella Fitzgerald singing "April in Paris".
For this she used her house pianist Don Abney as well as probably one of the most swinging rhythm groups to be found. We see and hear Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown bass and Jo Jones drums.

Just One of those Things Fitzgerald Ella 1957

Ella Fitzgerald in 1957 in Amsterdam in a concert in "Het Concertgebouw." She is announced by "Jazz at the Philharmonic" producer Norman Granz. Her back-up is by her personal pianist Don Abney, but next to that is the incredible rhythm group of Ray Brown bass, Herb Ellis guitar and Jo Jones drums.
Isn't it remarkable that so much music recorded in the fifties and before sounds dated, but when one listens and witnesses this performance it could have been done today and it would be unique and stunning, just as it was then.
Also the extra dimension to not just hear the great Ella, but have it combined with the visual aspect, makes it the more enjoyable.
Thanks to the Dutch broadcasters who brought these file films from their archives back in the air again. Never to be lost!

During a JATP concert in London Clark Terry is featured on fluegelhorn in "Stardust".

With him on piano Teddy Wilson, drums Louise Bellson and Bob Cranshaw bass
Clark Terry (b 1920) began his professional career in St. Louis in the early 1940s by playing in local clubs before joining a Navy band during World War II. Afterwards, he played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948-1951), Duke Ellington (1951 to 1959), and Quincy Jones (1960). He also performed and recorded regularly both as a leader and sideman. In all, his career in jazz spans more than sixty years.

Stompin' at the Savoy Cole/Coleman Hawkins 1957

In one of the TV shows hosted by pianist/vocalist Nat King Cole in 1957 he sang the Ellington standard "Stompin' at the Savoy". Several members of the Jazz at the Philharmonic organisation were in the band as well. Solos by Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge together with the Oscar Peterson Trio with Ray Brown and Herb Ellis. Not to forget drummer Jo Jones