Over the decades, jazz has been sliced and diced into dozens of different styles, including Dixieland, Swing, Bebop, Cool, Hard Bop, Modal, Acid, Free, Avant-Garde, Post Bop, Fusion, Afro-Cuban, Soul, and Contemporary. I enjoy and collect just about every conceivable permutation -- with the exception of Free Jazz and Acid Jazz, which are just not my thing.While I consider myself to be mostly a jazz omnivore, I admit that the style of jazz that I listen to most often is what is generally described as Mainstream or Straight-Ahead jazz. The two terms are not exactly the same, although they are quite similar.
The term Mainstream jazz was coined in the 1950s by Stanley Dance, a legendary British jazz critic, producer, and music historian. As the big bands mostly collapsed under their own (economic) weight, smaller groups began to dominate the jazz scene. The newly fashionable small-group jazz bands divided roughly into two camps: traditional melodic jazz (including styles like Cool Jazz and Swing) and Bebop. Bebop focused on blazing tempos, advanced harmonic progressions, and rapid-fire improvisation, while Mainstream bands kept the focus on melody and harmony, with improvised solos that were smoother and more lyrical. In order to distinguish between the two, Dance began referring to non-Bebop groups as Mainstream. For reference: Dizzy Gillespie was Bebop; Chet Baker was Mainstream.
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| Sweet Papa Lou Donaldson |
The term Straight-Ahead jazz served more or less the same function as Mainstream; it was used to distinguish traditional jazz from emerging new styles. In the late 1960s and 1970s, jazz musicians began incorporating electric keyboards and basses, special-effects pedals, Minimoogs and synthesizers, all instruments that had been popularized by rock 'n' roll. The new style they created was a jazz rock hybrid that became known as Fusion. Even though Fusion was hugely popular (for about 10 minutes), lots of jazz fans rejected the new electrified approach and remained loyal to jazz's acoustic roots. To distinguish "real" acoustic jazz from Fusion, fans and critics began using the term Straight-Ahead jazz. Among the most outspoken defenders of traditional jazz was alto saxophone great Lou Donaldson, who was known to open his live shows by announcing to the audience that there would be "No Fusion, no confusion."
The reason I mention all this is because I've
been on a bit of a buying spree of late, picking up albums by Straight-Ahead jazz artists who came up in the 1970s and
80s. Because these decades marked a low ebb for acoustic jazz, very few of the musicians who started out during this time became well known or sold a lot of records. Except for a few big-name artists, most Straight-Ahead jazz musicians in during this time survived by playing in clubs, working studio sessions for TV shows or ad jingles, sitting in on recording sessions, and occasionally recording an album as a leader for one of the dwindling number of jazz labels.
That said, many of these overlooked Straight-Ahead albums from the 1970s and 80s are terrific. But since they typically didn't sell many copies, there aren't many left floating around, and they can be hard to track down. Even worse, by the late 1980s, many labels stopped releasing vinyl altogether and shifted their output to cassettes and CDs. Nevertheless, it's well worth seeking out LPs from this era by talented Straight-Ahead players. For starters, look for releases on U.S. labels like Concord Jazz, Muse, Pablo, Choice, Contemporary, Inner City, Milestone, Xanadu, Galaxy, Pausa, Famous Door, and Landmark. Likely European labels include SteepleChase (Denmark), Storyville (Denmark), Soul Note (Italy), Enya (Germany), Criss Cross (The Netherlands), and Black & Blue (France).
Here are some great Straight-Ahead favorites I've been listening to lately:
Peter Leitch Trio - On A Misty Night, 1987 (Criss Cross Jazz 1026)
Some years ago, I wrote a post about the Criss Cross Jazz label.
Based in the Netherlands, it was run by the late, great Gerry Teekins.
Between 1981-89, Teekins released 39 mainstream jazz LPs (before
switching to CD only). While the LPs included a few big names such as
Chet Baker and Jimmy Ranney, most were quality second-tier players such
as Peter Leitch. Born in Canada, Leitch got his start in Toronto before
moving to NYC in the early 1980s. He had a long, successful career,
recording as a leader for several different labels, as well as arranging and producing. On A Misty Night was the first of two
releases by Leitch on Criss Cross. On this outing he is backed by bassist Neil Swainson and
drummer Mickey Roker. The album is a swinging, tasteful collection in the style of Wes Montgomery or Kenny Burrell. The tracks are mostly standards, but include two Leitch originals. [Fun fact:
Gerry Teekins' son, Jerry Jr. is now running Criss Cross Jazz, and he is
once again releasing vinyl, including a must-have 2023 reissue of Bill Charlap's 1998 album, All Through The Night, which originally only came out on CD.]
Joe Bonner - Impressions Of Copenhagen, 1981 (Theresa Records TR114)
Joe Bonner was the second most famous jazz pianist to emerge from Rocky Mount, NC, the first being Thelonious Monk. Like Monk, Bonner made his way to NYC where he established himself, playing with the likes of Pharoah Sanders, Freddie Hubbard, and Billy Harper. Bonner first traveled to Denmark with Harper's band in 1978 and liked it so much that he went back in 1979 to cut his first (of six) albums on the Danish SteepleChase Records label. Back in the U.S., he released Impressions Of Copenhagen in 1981, on the Los Angeles-based Theresa Records label. Impressions Of Copenhagen is a stunner. Bonner's sextet is backed by a string quartet and then overdubbed with chimes. The chimes give the album an ethereal quality that's unlike anything else I can think of in modern jazz. This is a brilliant effort and has become one of my all-time favorite jazz albums period. The original 1981 Theresa release is rare and pricey. Luckily, the German label Pure Pleasure put out a fabulous-sounding, all-analog reissue in 2020.
Hugh Lawson - Prime Time, 1978 (Storyville SLP-4078)
Pianist Hugh Lawson, who was born in Detroit in 1935, doesn't quite fit my profile of musicians who came up in the 1970s and 80s. Lawson cut his chops in the 1950s and 60s playing and recording as a member of Yusef Lateef's band. He also played on albums with Charlie Rouse, Roy Brooks, and Kenny Burrell. However, this 1978 album, Prime Time, was Lawson's first session as a leader. (His only other album is a 1983 release on the Italian Soul Note label.) Prime Time was originally issued in 1978 on the short-lived Danish Jazzcraft label, and then reissued in the U.S. in 1982 by Storyville Records. Lawson's influences include Bud Powell and Bill Evans. The rhythm section on Prime Time is Ben Riley on drums and Bob Cranshaw on bass. Lawson's playing is fluid and inventive. The production, by Lars Johansen, is stellar, particularly the sound of Cranshaw's bass. Lawson contributes two originals to go with tracks written by Mingus, Jule Styne, Bud Powell, and Clifford Jordan. Nice copies are cheap and readily available. Snap one up.
Ralph Moore - Round Trip, 1987 (Reservoir 104)
Moore was born in Brixton (south London) in 1956, where he took up the saxophone before moving to the U.S. with his American father in 1972. After high school, he moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music. He moved to NYC in 1981 where he worked with numerous veteran players and soon joined Horace Silver's band. Round Trip, recorded in 1985 (but not released until 1987), was Moore's first album as a leader, released on the Reservoir Records label. Reservoir was a tiny jazz label founded in 1987 by producer Mark Feldman. Everything about this release is first rate. It features a stellar lineup of Rufus Reid on bass, Kenny Washington on drums, Benny Green on piano, Brian Lynch on trumpet, and Kevin Eubanks on guitar. The sound is excellent, as you might expect for an album that was recorded, mastered, and cut by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder. On this his first release, Moore showcases his hard blowing tenor style on the up tempo tunes, and a lovely, burnished tone on the ballads. While Moore shines, this is a real group effort where all the players have plenty of room to stretch out. A stellar debut. Excellent copies available online for a pittance.
Peter Sprague - Na Pali Coast, 1985 (Concord Jazz CJ-277)
Peter Sprague was born in Cleveland in 1955. While still in grade school, his family settled in Del Mar, California, north of San Diego. He started learning guitar at age 12 and after high school moved to Boston to study classical guitar. While there, he also took lessons from Pat Metheny. Sprague began his recording career with the Xanadu label, cutting four albums between 1979-83. In the liner notes to Sprague's second Xanadu album, called The Path, critic Leonard Feather wrote that "This 24 year old guitarist has it all together. A strong sound, confident ideas, and loyalty to the roots of pure jazz."
Sprague's 1985 release Na Pali Coast was his second of two LPs for Concord Jazz. The cover photo of the Na Pali coast on the island of Kauai in Hawaii tells you just about everything you need to know about the music. Sprague and flutist Steve Kujala weave intricate melodies that are airy and mesmerizing with light Latin and Samba notes. You can almost feel the ocean breezes. Ahh. The rhythm section features Peter Erskine on drums and Bob Magnusson on bass. Copies are a little scarce, but still affordable.
I'll close with a note about Concord Jazz. If you are a fan of Straight-Ahead jazz, then Concord Jazz was made for you, literally. Founder Carl E. Jefferson was a huge jazz buff who owned the Lincoln Mercury car dealership in Concord, CA. He was also one of the founders and biggest supporters of the Concord Summer Jazz Festival. Jefferson started the Concord Jazz label in 1974 because he could no longer find the kind of traditional Straight-Ahead jazz he liked to listen to. So, he decided to just make the albums himself. Jefferson famously picked artists and music that he liked, regardless of whether he thought the releases would sell. The result is a catalog of more than 650 Mainstream titles. You could blindly pick out one or even a dozen Concord releases and not go wrong.
Enjoy the music!
