Unpopular Music from the Boston Public Library LP Collection

 

About a year ago, I stumbled across a link for the Boston Public Library Vinyl LP Collection hosted on the Internet Archive, and have spent several chunks of time listening and downloading many of the thousands of titles found there. I spent much of my misspent early-twenties perusing these bins, both in the main library in Copley Square (pictured, although the records were in the ugly addition built alongside it in the 1970's) and the branch library in Brighton.

This is another of the dormant playlists I'm finally getting around to finishing. It consists mostly of 's 50's and 60's jazz and third-stream, with a side trip into a not terribly broad sampling of 20^th century American classical music. Needless to say, with all of this music coming off much handled library records, be forewarned that this program contains a lot of surface noise.

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Playlist and program notes after the break...

We start with a selection from Sonny Rollins' score (arranged for big-ish band by Oliver Nelson) for an example of one of the more baffling sub-genres of 1960's film making – that where all the most happening birds of Swinging London are for some reason all hot for Michael Caine.

Oscar Peterson follows with some unusual-for-him harmonic territory, almost venturing onto Bill Evans' turf, in this rendition of Fly Me to the Moon. I used to not be able to listen to Oscar because of how it made me feel bad about my own piano playing. Now that I'm more accepting (or perhaps just resigned to the fact) that I'll never play like that, that I can really enjoy his playing.

I'd never before heard of Orchestra U. S. A., which was a dive into the third-stream put together by Gunther Schuller and John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Basically combining a big band with a chamber orchestra, Eric Dolphy is the featured soloist here.

I became aware of this Muddy Waters collection reading a list of Keith Richards' favorite blues records. I ended up choosing this track because of Little Walter's harmonica playing.

Elmo Hope was a pal and neighbor to Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell who was on his way to nice little career of his own until walking home one night, he wandered into the middle of a cops-n-robbers shoot-out. Ending up shot in the arm, it both affected his playing and set him off on a path to addiction. Further more, this album, with it's stellar line-up, got caught up in Prestige Records'. practice of re-releasing albums where John Coltrane appeared as a sideman under his name as a leader, and is more commonly found with the title Two Tenors. The other tenor is Hank Mobley. (Coltrane has the harder-edged sound of the two).

Max Roach enjoyed working with large groups of percussionists. This is one the earlier records of that type, working with the composer and conductor Harold Fabermann, who later went on to write a concerto for drum set with Louis Bellson. This piece featuring voice and percussion foreshadows the piece Triptych on Max's We Insist! - Freedom Now Suite a few years down the road.

I'd never heard of The Mitchell-Ruff Duo before, but the piano and horn duo concept intrigued me. This setting of the popular song based on Debussy's Reverie seemed is a good example of there sound and seemed like a good pivot into the “classical” section of the program. Later on we'll hear them again in their more common classical-influenced-piano and bass combination.

I'm always happy to find something I didn't already know by Alberto Ginastera. I wasn't familiar with his solo piano music, and the two pieces on this record are both outstanding. The Sonata by Carlos Chavez is also quite good.

Leopold Stokowski's ventures into (then-)contemporary music don't figure much into his reputation (outside of the Ives 4^th), so this album of his leading Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison drew me in. I know Maro Ajemian mostly through her performances of John Cage's prepared piano pieces (often featured in past Unpopular Music episodes) so she's an obvious perfect choice for Harrison's gamelan inspired piece here. The Persian Set captures Cowell's modal/melodic/folky style quite nicely.

The movements of Somerville-born Alan Hovhaness' small scale piano concerto Khaldis have a similar structure – The piano starts on its own, then is joined or contrasted by the unusual ensemble, making distinct timbral and rhythmic effects.

The Gregg Smith Singers are one of the best proponents of Charles Ives' choral music, on their two records of such. So of course I've chosen a solo song to be represented here. It is, however the most evocative of the handful of recordings of Like a Sick Eagle that I know. (No smart remarks about what the singing might sound like, please.)

Henry Cowell is back with a quick and piquant movement for piano trio.

You might expect Lou Harrison to write a dance movement for a symphony based on some type southeast-Asian dance, but here he is writing a polka, trading in the gamelan for something sounding like a cimbalom.

Norman Dello Joio is one of those mid-century American composers the one hears about, but doesn't hear much of these days. This piece reminds me a bit of Bartók, but with some-more American-ish sounds.

I chose one of the more third stream selections from this Stan Getz / Arthur Fiedler collaboration, because Getz' work in that field is a bit underrated. (check out Focus sometime) Besides, playing Girl from Ipanema would violate the Unpopular Music aesthetic. (Although the version on this album is pretty good, featuring Unpopular Music All-Stars Gary Burton, Jim Hall and especially Roy Haynes)

Art Tatum and Ben Webster playing Rogers and Hart doesn't really need explanation, does it?

The Dragon is probably the most interesting composition on the Tenors West album. The idea seems to bring forward the Woody Herman “Four Brothers” sound an step or two into the modern. The piece is by Marty Paich, a west-coast arranger arranger worthy of higher renown.

We close out with the aptly named Terry Gibbs And His Exciting Big Band giving a rousing version of Charlie Parker's Billie's Bounce. Hammer, baby hammer indeed.

 

artist	title	album	comments	label / date
Sonny Rollins with orchestra conducted by Oliver Nelson	Alfie's Theme	Alfie - Original Music from the Score	Sonny Rollins (ts) Oliver Nelson (arr., cnd) Jimmy Cleveland, J. J. Johnson (tbn) Phil Woods (as) Bob Ashton (ts) Danny Bank (bs) Kenny Burrell (g) Roger Kellaway (p) Walter Booker (b) Frankie Dunlop (d)	Impulse! 1966
The Oscar Peterson Trio	Fly me to the moon (In Other Words)	The Oscar Peterson Trio Plays	Oscar Peterson (p) Ray Brown (b) Ed Thigpen (d) song by Bart Howard	Verve 1964
Orchestra U. S. A.	Donnies Theme	Debut	First String Quartet - Nathan Goldstein, Gino Sambuco (vln) Julian Barber (vc) Second String Quartet - Gerald Beal, Alfred Breuning (vln) Aaron Juvelier (vla) Alla Goldberg (vc) Robert DiDomenica (flt, pcc) Eric Dolphy (flt, as) Ray Shiner (obe) Phillip West (obe, eng hrn) Phil Woods (clt, as) Don Stewart (clt, bst hrn) Wally Kane (bsn) Louis Mucci, Herb Pomeroy, Nick Travis (trp) Robert Northern, Robert Swisshelm (hrn) Michael Zwerin (tbn) Harvey Phillips (tba) Jim Hall (g) RIchard Davis (b) Connie Kay (jazz prc) Sticks Evans, Michael Colgrass (prc) Gunther Schuller (cnd) John Lewis (p, musical director, composer)	Colpix Records 1963
Muddy Waters	I just want to make love to you	McKinley Morganfield A.K.A. Muddy Waters	Little Walter (hrmc)Jimmy Rogers (g) Otis Spann (p) Willie Dixon (b) Fred Below (d) song by Willie Dixon	Chess 1954
Elmo Hope Sextet	Polka Dots and Moonbeams	Informal Jazz	Elmo Hope (p) Donald Byrd (trp) John Coltrane, Hank Mobley (ts) Paul Chambers (b) Philly Joe Jones (d) song by James Van Heusen and Johnny Burke later reissued as the Coltrane album “Two Tenors”	Prestige 1956
Max Roach with the Boston Percussion Ensemble	Evolution - Second Movement	Max Roach with the Boston Percussion Ensemble	Max Roach (d) Corrine Curry (sop) Al Portch (hrn) Everette Firth, Charles Smith, Arthur Press, Harold Thompson, Walter Tokarcyzk, Lloyd McCausland, Irving Farberman (prc) Harold Farberman (cnd, composition)	Mercury Records 1958
The Mitchell-Ruff Duo	My Reverie	Appearing Nightly	Dwike Mitchell (p) Willie Ruff (hrn) song by Larry Clinton after Claude Debussy	Roulette 1958
Adrian Ruiz	Sonata para Piano - II: Presto Misterioso	Alberto Ginastera - Sonata / 12 American Preludes / Carlos Chávez - Sonata No. 6	music by Alberto Ginastera	Genesis 1971
Maro Ajemian / Leopold Stokowski	Suite For Violin, Piano And Small Orchestra - 3. First Gamelan: Allegro	Leopold Stokowski conducts Cowell and Harrison	music by Lou Harrison	CRI 1957
William Masselos / Chamber Ensemble conducted by Izler Solomon	Khaldis, Concerto for piano, 4 trumpets & percussion - II: Transmutation	Piston: Quintet for Piano and Strings / Hovhaness: Khaldis	music by Alan Hovhaness	Heliodor 1955
Anahid Ajemian / Leopold Stokowski	Persian Set, for Chamber Orchestra - III: Lento	Leopold Stokowski conducts Cowell and Harrison	music by Henry Cowell	CRI 1957
Adrienne Albert; Columbia Symphony Orchestra; Gregg Smith	Like a Sick Eagle	New Music of Charles Ives	music by Charles Ives, text by John Keats	Columbia Masterworks 1969
The Philharmonia Trio	Trio for Violin, 'Cello and Piano - VI: Allegro	Henry Cowell / Alexander Semmler - Trios for Piano 'Cello and Piano	music by Henry Cowell	CRI 1965
Gerhard Samuel / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Symphony on G - III: Scherzo - b. Polka	Symphony on G	music by Lou Harrison	CRI 1969
Eugene Ormandy / The Philadelphia Orchestra	Variations, Chaconne And Finale - II: Chaconne	Variations, Chaconne And Finale / Symphony in D	music by Norman Dello Joio	Coulmbia Masterworks 1957
Stan Getz & Arthur Fiedler, Boston Pops	Three Ballads For Stan - No. 1	Stan Getz & Arthur Fiedler At Tanglewood	composition by Alec Wilder	RCA Victor Red Seal 1967
The Art Tatum - Ben Webster Quartet	Where or When	The Art Tatum - Ben Webster Quartet	Art Tatum (p) Ben Webster (ts) Red Callender (b) Bill Douglass (d) song by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart	Verve Records 1958
The Mitchell-Ruff Duo	Fugu For Lulu	Appearing Nightly	Dwike Mitchell (p) Willie Ruff (b)	Roulette 1958
Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper, Harry Klee, Bob Enevoldsen With The Marty Paich Octet	The Dragon	Tenors West	Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper (ts) Bob Enevoldsen (ts, valve tbn) Harry Klee (ts, as, flt) Jack Dulong (bs) Marty Paich (p, composer) Joe Mondragon (b) Jack Costanzo (bng) Art Mardigan, Frank Capp (d)	Gene Norman Presents 1956
Terry Gibbs and His Exciting Big Band	Billie's Bounce	Explosion!	Terry Gibbs (vbs) Charlie Kennedy, Joe Maini (as) Richie Kamuca Bill Perkins (ts) Jack Nimitz (bs) Bob Edmondson, Frank Rosolino, Vern Friley (tbn) Al Porcino, Conte Candoli, Frank Huggins, Ray Triscari, Stu Williamson (trp) Pat Moran (p) Buddy Clark (b) Mel Lewis (d)	Mercury Records 1961