Jimmy Owens: The Monk Project

IPO Recordings
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: The Monk Project

Folks who know Jimmy Owens either go back a long way or are true jazz historians. He was born in 1943, began to play the trumpet at age 13 — taught by Donald Byrd — and subsequently performed with an almost endless list of jazz icons. He’s also a composer, arranger, lecturer and music education consultant.

Owens’ discography is extensive. He was an in-demand sideman with lesser-known bands during the mid 1960s, and a few years later recorded with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis and Duke Ellington bands. Owens was a sideman under Billy Taylor for David Frost’s TV chat show in the early ’70s and, during that period, led and recorded with his own groups.

This album is the most recent in a series of all-star releases that Owens has delivered during the past decade. It features his arrangements of tunes composed by Thelonious Monk, considered by many to be one of the world’s premier jazz artists. I have many of Monk’s recordings: both those that feature him as a pianist, and numerous albums by other artists who covered his compositions.

That said, Owens’ album is different to the point that “everything old sounds new again.”

Owens, on trumpet, employed a septet here: trombone (Wycliffe Gordon), tenor sax (Marcus Strickland), baritone sax and tuba (Howard Johnson), piano (Kenny Barron), bass (Kenny Davis) and drums (Winard Harper). The presence of a tuba is quite unusual, but that isn’t the sole element that makes this group’s sound so great. Owens’ arrangements work: The melodic lines, tempos and phrasing are wonderful, and the interaction included between instruments adds even more to the interest of each chart.

“Bright Mississippi,” although a lesser-known Monk tune, is one of his best compositions. It’s tricky — almost to the point of being “cute” — and it swings like crazy. Listen for the great ensemble phrases that follow the first couple of choruses, and the use of the tuba.

The more familiar “Well You Needn’t” initially is done at a slow, waltz-like gait, which turns into grooving, double-time meters when you least expect them. “Blue Monk,” which has been recorded by just about everyone, is presented as a very slow (arms wrapped around your partner) and sexy love-dance.

Each of the remaining tunes is massaged in a similar manner: “Stuffy Turkey,” “Pannonica,” “Let’s Cool One,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “Brilliant Corners,” “Reflections” and “Epistrophy” never had it so good!

As you can tell, I love this album!

Various Artists: One More — The Summary Music of Thad Jones, Vol. 2

IPO
By Ric Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 5.3.07
Buy CD: One More: The Summary Music of Thad Jones, Vol. 2

Many famous jazz artists are named Jones, but one family stands out for having produced three brothers who became giants: Thad was the trumpet player, Hank was the pianist and Elvin was the drummer. 

This album, the second with this group released by IPO, features Hank's piano and Thad's compositions. 

Born in the mid- to late 1920s, they were key members of the group of musicians who created the "East Coast sound" that ruled jazz from the 1940s through the '70s. Although Dizzy Gillespie was the trumpet player whom everyone emulated, Thad Jones wasn't far behind, as far as popularity in the jazz fraternity was concerned. Aside from playing wonderfully, he was a prolific composer and arranger. 

Thad Jones was a key member of the Count Basie orchestra; after Basie's death, he took over the group and kept it active for a number of years. In later years, he was part of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band. Jones lived in Denmark for several years and played a key role in the development of jazz in that country. 

The musicians featured on this CD are from the Who's Who list that made that period so great. The reed section consists of Eddie Davis, Benny Golson, James Moody and Frank Wess; the rhythm section features Hank Jones on piano, Kenny Washington on drums, and Richard Davis on bass; and the brass section includes Jimmy Owens on trumpet and John Mosca on trombone. 

This isn't modern jazz, but it is the best retro album to come along in years. Volume I, released a few years ago, was a smash hit; Volume II matches it. 

Because the tunes are Thad Jones originals, their titles won't ring any bells unless you're a "remember when" jazz fan. Suffice it to say, they all swing ... and I'd forgotten how great jazz flutist by Frank Wess was; his instrument really moves me. 

IPO is to congratulated for this album, and it's a handsome CD package, as well.