This 1956 recording goes under the heading of advanced jazz and early avant-garde. to achieve this vibraphonist Teddy Charles had to gather up a great ensemble and he sure did. The improvising is very revealing and very exciting with all sorts of well combinations of bebop, hard bop and trading back and forth between these two premiere saxophone players (Gigi Gryce and J.R. Monterose). Teddy Charles and drummer Joe Harris work together along with bass player (Teddy Kotick) in directing this train to sudden twists while guitarist Jimmy Raney adds an emotional perspective to help validate the changes. And there’s additional improvising, as one would expect when Art Farmer is part of the action. Let’s not forget the Tuba, the French Horn, the Baritone Sax and pianist Mal Waldron. Those musicians are in the the first 7 tracks and which were recorded on January. Songs 8, 9 and 10 feature other artists and recoreded later on in the year (October and November), check lists of musicians here. “The Teddy Charles Tentet” is a jazz collector’s dream, enjoy!
About the album:
Most of this CD features vibraphonist Teddy Charles heading an advanced tentet in 1956, a unit including the likes of trumpeter Art Farmer, altoist Gigi Gryce, tenor saxophonist J.R. Monterose, pianist Mal Waldron, and guitarist Jimmy Raney. The arrangements of George Russell (“Lydian M-1”), Gil Evans (a year before Miles Ahead), Jimmy Giuffre, Mal Waldron, and Charles are quite advanced but often leave room for some swinging spots. The final three selections……Read More
About Teddy Charles:
Teddy Charles Cohen (1928), a white vibraphonist (mainly known as “Teddy Charles”), debuted as a leader in a bebop trio with a guitarist and a bassist, The Teddy Cohen Trio (november 1951). The EP New Directions (december 1952) documented a quartet that added drummer Ed Shaughnessy (Edging Out), while the EP New Directions Vol 2 (january 1953) featured a trio with piano and drums (Metalizing). A sextet with altoist Frank Morgan and tenorist Wardell Gray was documented on the EP West Coasters (february 1953). Charles’ music was moving out of bebop, with loose concept of tempo and harmonies that bordered on dissonance. If the material of these early recordings was mostly covers, four original……Read More
