1956

[Jazzrook]

1956 produced several classic modern jazz albums including Sonny Rollins' 'Saxophone Colossus', Thelonious Monk's 'Brilliant Corners', George Russell's 'Jazz Workshop', Cecil Taylor's 'Jazz Advance', Tadd Dameron's 'Fontainebleau', Serge Chaloff's 'Blue Serge', Kenny Dorham's 'At the Cafe Bohemia' & Charles Mingus's 'Pithecanthropus Erectus'.
The latter, recorded 60 years ago on January 30, 1956, was the album that turned me on to modern jazz back in the early 1960s.
It still blows me away over 50 years later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB6GkA54n_Q

[Quarky]

1956 produced several classic modern jazz albums including Sonny Rollins' 'Saxophone Colossus', Thelonious Monk's 'Brilliant Corners', George Russell's 'Jazz Workshop', Cecil Taylor's 'Jazz Advance', Tadd Dameron's 'Fontainebleau', Serge Chaloff's 'Blue Serge', Kenny Dorham's 'At the Cafe Bohemia' & Charles Mingus's 'Pithecanthropus Erectus'.
The latter, recorded 60 years ago on January 30, 1956, was the album that turned me on to modern jazz back in the early 1960s.
It still blows me away over 50 years later.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB6GkA54n_Q

Saxophone Colossus did it for me, in particular St. Thomas. This made me aware of the higher levels of music available in Jazz.

[burning dog]

Sonny Rollins plus 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnk-2cCC-So

[Nick Armstrong]

Always been possibly my very favourite Ellington album:




(Same year as 'Live at Newport' ...)

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Ray Charles - "The Great Ray Charles" , Atlantic Records. Recorded 1956, released 1957.

Ray's small band jazz album with virtually the original lineup including David Newman on tenor. A load of other tracks from the session formed "The Genius after hours"

Also "Hallelujah I love her so" b/w "What would I do without you" ( tenor solos Donald Wilkerson) released as a 45. Jazz enterers the soulstream.

BN.

And of course, the Soviet Union invaded Hungary...Well, I couldn't stop em, I was only nine.

[Serial_Apologist]

Saxophone Colossus did it for me, in particular St. Thomas. This made me aware of the higher levels of music available in Jazz.

I always thought the tune came to an end too quickly. Still, at least you got more choruses for your money that way - po...tentially.

[Quarky]

I always thought the tune came to an end too quickly. Still, at least you got more choruses for your money that way - po...tentially.

For me. it was a double Whammy. with Max Roach only slightly the junior partner, and with the two intertwining with what seemed to me an impossible sense of timing.

[Quarky]

Always been possibly my very favourite Ellington album:




(Same year as 'Live at Newport' ...)

Live at Newport was my very first LP, although the sound balance was awful, could hardly hear Paul Gonsalves.

I have to admit I wasn't previously aware of Ellington '56!

[Nick Armstrong]

I have to admit I wasn't previously aware of Ellington '56!

This one's beautifully engineered!

[Ian Thumwood]

I used to have "Ellington '55" when I was a teenager and getting in to Ellington but felt that it was a bit disappointing. It was recorded for the notoriously conservative Capitol label and consisted of a programme of familiar Ducal material plus re-workings of big band hits such as "In the mood." I have no idea what is one the "' 56" disc bit would imagine that it was probably the point at which Johnny Hodges re-joined. Willie Smith is a capable substitute on the earlier disc but no one quite matched the majesty of "Rabbit."

It is funny reading the favourite lists of jazz records from 1956 as I have always felt that "Modern" jazz was still striving to escape the influence of Be-bop at this point and it had the potential of go off in all sorts of directions. In one respect it is fascinating to read that Cecil Taylor made his debut around this time yet , for me, I always see this period as the peak of West Coast jazz and the heyday of the likes of Shorty Rogers. It is quite easy to select a number of classic albums from this point onwards as this was around the time LP's became popular. There is a fair smattering of "classic" albums offered in this thread but I would have to say that, in nearly every instance, the artists in question (with the exception of Dameron)went on to make better records.

I have always felt that, exceptions apart, jazz was pretty conservative until about 1957. I much prefer classic albums made after 1958, for example - the music is just that bit more rewarding and adventurous. The other issue I would point out that, with the exception of Ellington, all the records in the list so far are by post - bebop players. As someone who was getting into jazz in the 1980's, I have no set loyalties to this period but I think that there is a massive imbalance in what is being discussed. For my money, much of the best jazz recorded in this period was actually made by musicians who already had enjoyed careers in excess of 20 years. Some of Dizzy Gillespie's best work comes from this period which was also the point at which the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Harry "Sweets" Edison, etc put down a wealth of mature, solid jazz recordings. Strnage that no one has mentioned Buck Clayton's jazz sessions , the most celebrated of which where compiled between 1954-6. In my opinion these sessions represented the perfect opportunity for soloists who had been in the employ of big bands during the period two decades to really demonstrate their worth. It is odd but their approach doesn't necessarily sound so significantly less modern than Miles' Prestige recordings. Granted there is a difference, but most of the stuff in Jazzrook's list (excluding Cecil Taylor) would be classed as decidedly mainstream , even in the original jazz sense of the word. Count Basie's New Testament band hasn't even been mentioned yet within this thread and that band's best material offered a clean, modern approach to big band writing which was only really threatened when Gil Evans released "Miles ahead."

If 1956 seems like a "Golden Era", I think it was equally the case that this was due to an older generation hitting their middle-aged prime ( I would suggest that most of these mainstreamers were then probably even younger than me !!) as much as the evolution of musicians who emerged out of the white heat experience of be-bop. In my opinion, something of a miss-service is being done to a whole swathe of jazz which may not have been quite at the forefront of jazz, but which was certainly liberated by the increased playing time available on LP's. I think that there was also a lot of pretty ordinary and unforgettable jazz produced in the mid-1950's which hasn't really stood the test of time like the best records from that period. Worth checking out some of the recent "Four classic albums" series on Avid to realise just how much anodyne jazz was being produced throughout the 1950's with even great artists like Kenny Dorham putting out duff vocal albums. (That one is a real shocker, I'm afraid as he wasn't a great singer and the whole effort leans towards lounge music.) It is salutary to realise just how much jazz was recorded as soon as LP#s became popular and that a fair proportion are justly slid in to obscurity. The Avid series is very revealing in this respect with usually only 2 of the 4 discs deserving their billing and a good few of the efforts ( for example the Mel Powell 2 CD disc) being a major let down for such a fine pianist.

[elmo]

I'd few like to add a few more.....

Jazz Giants 56 - with Prez, Roy Eldridge, Teddy Wilson and Jo Jones etc

Herbie Nichols trio Blue Note 1519

The Jazz Messengers with Byrd,Mobley, Watkins and Silver on Columbia

All timeless classics - what a great year .... I was 8 so was more interested in Davy Crockett at the time

elmo

[Nick Armstrong]

I have no idea what is on the "' 56" disc but would imagine that it was probably the point at which Johnny Hodges re-joined.

There don't seem to be many around but this is practically given away....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Duke-Ellington-His-Orchestra-Ellington-56-1986-Affinity-Charly-CD-/201508479030

and for completely free, there is a track-listing lower down the page. Mr Hodges is indeed presiding.

(Contrary to the listing on that ebay page, my copy says the recording was made on 7th and 8th February 1956, in Chicago)

[Ian Thumwood]

Cailban

Thanks for posting the link. I know this record now! My Dad has a copy of these recordings but I was unfamiliar with the title of the record.

I totally agree about the Herbie Nichols trio recordings and the Lester / Teddy Wilson session. It is strange to think that the more mainstream and modern elements were seen as incompatible at the time but the differences have diminished with age. It just sound like classic jazz these days. It is not too great a leap to go from someone like Sweets Edison or Clark Terry to the music performed by Miles' first great quintet.

Columbia seemed to have their eye on the ball with jazz around this time, no doubt tapping in to the improved recording technology and improvement in long playing discs.

[Serial_Apologist]

I think Sandy Brown's "McJazz" came out, or was recorded, in 1957. On his sleeve notes Charles Fox made a point to the effect that in including Highlife, this British jazz was showing signs of moving away from slavishly following American trends - he could have mentioned Humph collaborating with West Indian Calypso musicians and folkies at around this time and doubtless did elsewhere.

1957 was the year Johnny Dankworth collaborated with one-time Bartok associate Matyas Seiber on "Variations for Jazz band and Orchestra", a work including passages based on 12-tone rows against which Dankworth's bandsmen including Kenny Wheeler were expected to improvise; and before Ian has a chance to blurt "White Jazz" yes, parts of it did sound a bit like "West Side Story"... but wasn't this a couple of years ahead? Certainly of Bernstein, but also of "Third Stream" - a term which I don't think had been heard yet - certainly not in this country.

I was going to mention "Red Bird", Christopher Logue's practice round at turning on lady listeners in preparation for his Nooks & Grannies column in Private Eye through his, erm, erotic poetry? But I see "Red Bird" was two years later.

[Quarky]

I have always felt that, exceptions apart, jazz was pretty conservative until about 1957. I much prefer classic albums made after 1958, for example - the music is just that bit more rewarding and adventurous. The other issue I would point out that, with the exception of Ellington, all the records in the list so far are by post - bebop players. As someone who was getting into jazz in the 1980's, I have no set loyalties to this period but I think that there is a massive imbalance in what is being discussed. For my money, much of the best jazz recorded in this period was actually made by musicians who already had enjoyed careers in excess of 20 years. Some of Dizzy Gillespie's best work comes from this period which was also the point at which the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Harry "Sweets" Edison, etc put down a wealth of mature, solid jazz recordings. Strnage that no one has mentioned Buck Clayton's jazz sessions , the most celebrated of which where compiled between 1954-6. In my opinion these sessions represented the perfect opportunity for soloists who had been in the employ of big bands during the period two decades to really demonstrate their worth. It is odd but their approach doesn't necessarily sound so significantly less modern than Miles' Prestige recordings. Granted there is a difference, but most of the stuff in Jazzrook's list (excluding Cecil Taylor) would be classed as decidedly mainstream , even in the original jazz sense of the word. Count Basie's New Testament band hasn't even been mentioned yet within this thread and that band's best material offered a clean, modern approach to big band writing which was only really threatened when Gil Evans released "Miles ahead."
.

Agreed about Dizzy, Hawkins, Webster, etc. I have always felt Harry Edison to be taken for granted, but was a Jazz Giant.

Wikipedia informs me there were about 200 albums released in 1956: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1956_albums

I had some of these releases, including the Parker Sets. The only album marked Mainstream was in fact by Gerry Mulligan. I'll pass on Life is just a bowl of Cherries!

May be 1956 was such a good year because, as mentioned by Ian, this was the time that LP's came on stream.