My Sin by Howard McGhee

in this second part from hard-bop master Howard McGhee - a collection of some of his more mainstream classic albums, as well as albums as a sideman- featuring Deep Roots by the phenomenal Lorez Alexandria, which was recorded with a killer group including pianist John Young, guitarist George Eskridge, bassist Israel Crosby, and drummer Vernel Fournier (all members of Alexandria's performing group). The material is made up mostly of standards. It features Alexandria's readings of "Nature Boy," "I Want to Talk About You," "Trav'lin' Light," and "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise" in her signature style. As a bonus, the compilers included two different versions of her most famous cut, "Baltimore Oriole." There's the 1957 original version and the smash from 1963. Both feature Ronald Wilson's fluttering flute, and the latter includes bassist Jimmy Garrison from John Coltrane's quartet. The material has been remastered from analog tapes and issued by Lone Hill's Phoenix imprint, making for an indispensable collection for Alexandria & McGhee fans..!

Also featured the critically acclaimed music From 'The Connection' composed and recorded by pianist Freddie Redd - and featured on Moochin' About's' Beat,Square & Cool collection (MOOCNIN02)...
The music was originally composed for Jack Gelber's 1959 New York play The Connection, about jazz musicians and drug addiction. The album for Blue Note is a tour de force not only for Redd's roiling jazz-gospel piano but for McLean's aching solos...


Howard McGhee was a pioneering American jazz trumpeter who played a crucial role in the transition from swing to bebop in the 1940s. His technical mastery, speed, and lyrical phrasing helped shape the modern jazz trumpet style.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, McGhee started on the saxophone before switching to trumpet. He came up during the swing era and was initially influenced by players like Roy Eldridge. However, he was quick to adopt and help shape the new bebop style emerging in the 1940s.
Key Collaborations...
Howard McGhee played with some of the most influential names in jazz:
Charlie Parker – McGhee was one of the first trumpeters to play bebop with Parker. Their work together in the mid-1940s, including recordings in Los Angeles, was crucial in spreading the bebop sound to the West Coast.
Dizzy Gillespie – Although Gillespie is more widely known as the father of bebop trumpet, McGhee was a peer and fellow innovator in the same movement.
Dexter Gordon – McGhee and Gordon recorded together, blending hard-swinging tenor lines with McGhee's crisp trumpet voice.
Thelonious Monk – He played with Monk during the early days of bebop's development.
Milt Jackson, J.J. Johnson, Coleman Hawkins, Count Basie, and others – His versatility made him a valued sideman across various styles.

Influence on Jazz...
McGhee was instrumental in establishing bebop trumpet vocabulary, second only to Dizzy Gillespie in that respect. His phrasing, articulation, and harmonic boldness influenced younger players, including Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan.
He was a bridge between the swing and bebop eras, helping older audiences transition to the new music.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he led his own groups, often championing younger musicians.
Despite being less commercially prominent later in life, he remained an admired figure and a symbol of bebop's golden age.

Later Years and Legacy...
McGhee faced struggles with drug addiction, which affected his career, but he continued performing into the 1970s and 1980s. His later recordings, like "Young at Heart" (1979), show a reflective, seasoned artist still dedicated to the craft.
Howard McGhee's influence lies in his role as a pioneer of bebop trumpet, a mentor to future jazz stars, and a key figure in the spread of modern jazz on both coasts of the U.S.
credits



Jazz Messengers review...
Maggie's Back In Town!!
After 27 years and nearly 20 albums, it still bears repeating that Bill Charlap is one of the great jazz piano players, and that his trio with Peter Washington and Kenny Washington is one of the great working jazz groups of our day. Those truths are evident on the Bill Charlap Trio’s new Blue Note release, And Then Again, recorded live at the Village Vanguard.

The album is a showcase for the locked-in accord and extrasensory communication shared among the three musicians, their fleet yet diamond-sharp decision-making, and the terra firma of the repertoire set against the improvised pluck of the arranging, and the many wonderful, unforgettable moments that ensue.

PERSONNEL:

Bill Charlap - (piano)
Peter Washington - (bass)
Kenny Washington - (drums)


"Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"
Acontemporary of Dizzy Gillespie, Howard McGhee (1918-1987) was one of the most stimulating trumpeters of the bop era. Although personal problems sidelined him for part of the 50s, his great experience compensated for much of the time lost when he made his comeback in the early ‘60s. In fact, on “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” recorded in 1962, McGhee sounds even better than before - engaging and emotional without compromising his strength – while supported by two excellent rhythm sections, one with pianist Jimmy Jones, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Art Taylor, and the other with organist Phil Porter, bassist Larry Ridley and drummer Dave Bailey.
Howard McGhee, trumpet; Phil Porter, organ; Larry Ridley, bass; Dave Bailey, drums.

Recorded in New York City, October, 1962

“House Warmin’!,” recorded a few months earlier. McGhee shares the front line with tenorman Gene Ammons. The rhythm section includes the quasi-urbane sound of guitarist Jake Fisher, bassist Barney Richmond and drummer Willie Mashburn, who have an essential role in building a program reflecting the infinite variety to be found in the rhythm-and-blues field.

Personnel
Howard McGhee, trumpet; Jimmy Jones, piano; Ron Carter, bass; Art Taylor, drums.
Recorded in New York City, September, 1962.


Howard McGhee “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries”
An orchestral setting for McGhee’s distinctive trumpet, treading a narrow path between jazz and Fifties Hollywood music score. Consisting entirely of familiar standards and a little sacharin at times, it nevertheless has its moments, and you could be forgiven for thinking you had somehow been transported back in time to the Nineteen Fifties. Best listened to in period Black and White, or at least, Cinemascope and Eastman Colour, with your favourite popcorn.

I recommend you persevere and will be rewarded at around one minute forty as the improvisation kicks in. McGhee has a wonderful trumpet voice, the more of which I hear the more it grows on me. More McGhee will follow in future posts, resistance is useless.
Howard McGhee (tp) Danny Bank, Phil Bonder, Sid Brown, Leon Cohen, Herbie Mann (sax) Donn Trenner (p) Al Caiola (g) Arnold Fishkin (b) Osie Johnson, Don Lamond (d) Frank Hunter (arr, dir) recorded NYC, February 14 & 15, 1956

Launched 2011,by Barrow Producer & musician,
Jason Lee Lazell, the world & jazz buyer for Tower Records (1993-2003) the largest record store in Europe…the critically acclaimed label Moochin’ About has gained admiration from Cerys Matthews,Huey Morgan,Giles Peterson,Jamie Cullum,Stuart Marcone,Johnny Trunk,Robert Elms,Iggy Pop…

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