Classicist Turns Jazzman

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 918, 15 March 1957, Page 15

Classicist Turns Jazzman

RIEDRICH GULDA AT _ BIRDLAND: Personnel -Gulda (piano), Phil Woods. (alto), Seldon Powell (tenor), Idrees Sulieman (trumpet), Jimmy Cleveland (trombone), Aaron Bell (bass), and Nick Stabulas (drums). Arrangements by Gulda. First Playing: Station 2YD, March 21, 9.0 p.m. In his first jazz L.P., Gulda appears in the multiple role of composer, arranger, pianist and leader, and his music is certainly of the modern school, However, Gulda has a reputation as a fine classical pianist, and this venture into jazz should not help it. Narrowminded lovers of the classics will find their admiration waning while jazz enthusiasts will view his excursions into their fields far too severely. My guess is that he will fall between the two schools, but I shall be most happy to be proved incorrect. Gulda possesses an ufiwavering technique with an obvious feeling for jazz, but he lacks the ability to improvise in an interesting and constructive manner. He sounds more like a competent pianist who has consolidated much of the modern jazz idiom into a fluent, fairly telaxed style, but he is far from a major jazz soloist. A few bats of "Vienna Discussion" open the session and then after an intro- ductory afinouncement the group leads into "Scruby," an appealing and thoroughly pleasant little theme. Cleveland’s articulation is not as clear as it should be, and Gulda’s piano tone is sharp and. percussive. I was surprised to find it so, as I had expected his classical training to have given him one that was warm and caressing. However, I enjoyed "Scruby." "Dark Glow" is also good. Woods states the theme and sets a beautiful mood. He blows impressively (I mentioned his fine performance with the Birdland All Stars in The Listener of March 1), and leaves little doubt about what he is saying. "Night in Tunisia," virtually a solo by Gulda, has little to commend it. This harsh metallic piano is unpleasant to listen to, amd the ideas do not flow smoothly. His limitations as a jazz pianist show up here. "Dodo" as a composition has little to offer, based as it is on the tonic and subdominant of D minor. Ensemble passages afe messy and there is far too much phrase punctuation from the drums and the ensemble. "Air from Other Planets" is appealing in a weird and different way. From the beginning your attention is drawn and the arrangement gives all the instrumentalists plenty to do. Possible monotony is relieved just at the right moment by a light and feathery solo from Powell, whose tone becomes more definite, as does Gulda’s piano, and then blends away again into a light airiness. "New Shoes" does not have the immediate appeal of "Air," but Woods’s solo and the contrapuntal ensemble passages are well worth hearing. The less said about "Bernie’s Tune" the better. This is the most tasteless track on the disc. The tempo is too fast

and the opening chorus is presented sloppily. I can’t write too scathingly about Stabulas at the drums. He almost obliterates Cleveland’s solo and Gulda struggles pointlessly against, occasional weird sounds still presumably from Stabulas. Then, as though we haven’t had enough of him, Gulda allows him a series of drum breaks which build him up to such a climax that we can only just hear the closing ensemble above his lunatic bedlam. This sort of childish nonsense harms jazz and cannot do Gulda’s reputation any good. I find the programme interesting if only to hear what Gulda can achieve in this idiom and to hear the solo contributions from Powell and Woods, "Jam Blues" (Norman Granz Session) Personnel: Peterson (piano), Hodges (alto), Webster (tenor), Eldridge (trumpet), Phillips (tenor), Gillespie (trumpet), Jacquet (tenor), Hampton (vibes), Brown (bass), Rich (drums), Listed in order of solo appearance. , First Playing: Station 2YD, March 21, 9.39 p.m. Like so many of ;Grfanz’s_ similar "jam" dates, a number of fine musicians show up in their worst possible light. Most instrumentalists begin their choruses tastefully and then all such trace disappears. Webster plays as though He is having reed trouble, Eldridge screams with an extremely thin tone, Phillips runs out of ideas, Peterson’s unintefesting comping bores the listener before long, Gillespie opens his solo four bars late, and. tends to scream before he’s through. Jacquet blows in his worst possible fashion, and even Hodges’s reed tends to harden up when the ensemble comes in as backing. Full marks to Hampton, however, for a tasteful opening (a quote from "‘You’re a Sweetheart’’), and a lovely closing despite the screaming and incessant chatter (mainly from Peterson) in the background. If you think I am unduly critical listen to the closing ensemble choruses and the last four bars! It surprises me that Granz records such rubbish and distributes it under the guise of jazz. Gus Hoo and _ his Dixie Stompers Personnel: Gus Hoo (Butterfieldtrumpet), Erskine Yearblotter (McGar-ity-trombone), Mad Milt Summerblouse (Richman-bass clarinet and tenor), Fefe Phophum (MceKusick-clarinet), Baldy Wynn (Weschler-piano), Junior Hifitz (Hinton-bass), Zane Grudge (Lamonddrums). First Playing: Station 2YA, March 18, 10.30 p.m. Here’s a fine swinging Dixie group led by ex-Bob Crosby man Billy Butterfield. boys really planned to have a ball (just look at those pseudonyms), and every jazz enthusiast must enjoy what resulted. Especially worthy of mention is a fine swinging version of "I’m an Old Cowhand" (complete with a quote from "Home on the Range"), and a delightfully appealing blue "Soft Strut."

Ray

Harris