The Gone Sounds of Jazz with Sid Gribetz

Freddie Redd

Freddie Redd is perhaps best known for his association with Jack Gelber’s groundbreaking 1959 off-Broadway play “The Connection”.  Redd is perhaps least known as an active jazz musician for the following 60 years of his long life.  For, he never sought publicity, traveled frequently, and, not favoring the constrictions of the recording studio, did not leave a long discography of commercial recordings.In life, Freddie Redd was a free spirit, and as a musician he possessed an individual sound.   His artistry conveyed a story-telling facility, whether in his unique body of compositions or his expressive performance style at the piano.   As he came of age is the bebop era, Redd’s sensibility was informed by the youthful excitement he felt with those innovations.  Like Monk, Herbie Nichols, Gigi Gryce, or Bud Powell, to name a few, his music at times takes an angular or dissonant turn, only to be grounded, in his essence, with a softer personal lyricism and sensitivity that is all his own.Redd served in the armed forces in the post World War II years and played in musical groups in the service while in Korea.  Back home in 1949, he immersed himself in the New York bebop scene.  As the 1950's ensued, like many jazz musicians he also played in rhythm and blues bands, with Red Prysock and Cootie Williams among others.  By the mid-1950's he was making a jazz name for himself and played on various records (his composition for Joe Roland, “Stairway To The Steinway”, was anthologized).    Redd was hired with other American greats by Rolf Ericson for a legendary lengthy tour of Sweden in 1956.  Back in the States, he spent time with Charles Mingus and also in the cross cultural Greenwich Village scene with painters and theater folk.The Connection emerged from this scene.  Gelber’s verite play observes addicts waiting for the connection to arrive to their loft, and some of whom are jazz musicians who rehearse while waiting.  The play was an underground hit, and Redd’s score created the perfect atmosphere for the production, while the music struck a responsive chord with a wider audience.  Blue Note Records signed Redd to produce an album of tunes from the show, and followed up with a second recording, Shades Of Redd, even more accomplished, in my view.  Redd recorded a third album with Blue Note, but due to differences he had with producer Alfred Lion, it was not released for almost 30 years.As time went on, Redd himself released little music, and his individual spirit led him on many travels, throughout Europe, and also California, staying places for a few years and then moving on. In recent years he was back in the United States, and performed at times at Small’s night club in New York City.  In the early 2010's Redd moved to the Baltimore/Washington DC area, where young musicians such as Brad Linde took him under their wing, and vice-versa.  Redd then came back to New York, where Chris Byars worked with Redd, writing new arrangements of his tunes, and setting up gigs and recording sessions for him with Steeplechase.  Freddie Redd passed away at the age of 92 in 2021.
 
originally broadcast April 27, 2025
 
For those interested in more details about Redd’s recordings, a couple of years ago I published his Discography, which you can access here:   https://jazzdiscography.com/freddie-redd-discography/
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Charles Mingus 1

WKCR presents a marathon broadcast celebrating Charles Mingus annually, on his birthday anniversary, April 22.  For my segment on the 2025 edition, I prepared a program first featuring 70 minutes or so of a casual sampling of his classic 1959 recordings, and then followed by a two hour survey of Mingus collaborations with Teddy Charles.

Jimmy Rushing

Jimmy Rushing, “Mr. Five by Five”, was a robust and hearty singer, making full use of his husky frame to deliverlusty presentations whether shouting the blues or imparting his vivacious yet heartfelt style to popular songs.
Rushing was born in Oklahoma City to a middle class, musically inclined family, and his development ranged from proper musical lessons to the sounds of the sporting house.
He came of age in the 1920's during the flowering of the swinging Southwestern jazz style.  Notable bands of the period included Walter Page’s Blue Devils and the Bennie Moten group. These coalesced into the original Count Basie orchestra, with whom Rushing was the featured vocalist from 1936 until the big band’s demise in 1950. Rushing then worked regularly at the Savoy Ballroom until briefly retiring in the mid 1950's.  He came back as a freelance attraction, often teaming with fellow Basie-ites such as Buck Clayton and Buddy Tate.
Rushing had new life as a regular at the Half Note jazz club in the 1960's, in association with Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and Dave Frishberg.  He worked steadily even as failing health curtailed his activities, succumbing to leukemia, dying in June 1972..
originally broadcast November 12, 2017; rebroadcast July 18, 2021

Gene Ammons

Gene Ammons (1925-1974) was a master of the full-bodied deep sound on the tenor saxophone.  He was vigorous and free-flowing swinging the blues and presented a luscious and sensuous presentation in his touch on the sensitive standards.
 We'll be "Hittin" The Jug" with great soul and heartfelt ballads as well, in tribute to the "Boss", hard hitting tenor saxophone who needs to be remembered.
This program surveys his career from the Billy Eckstine big band to the Chicago rhythm and blues years in the 40s and 50s, his teamwork with Sonny Stitt, and then his prolific catalog of classic jazz recordings on Prestige.
originally broadcast July 22, 2007; rebroadcast February 7, 2021

Blue Mitchell

Blue Mitchell was perhaps the most melodic and lyrical of the coterie of “hard bop” soulful trumpeters, and best known for his work in the classic Horace Silver groups.
Richard Mitchell was born in Miami, Florida on March 13, 1930.  “Blue” was a childhood nickname that became prescient as he later picked up the horn and became a professional jazz musician.  After high school, Mitchell began a career in popular bands such as Paul Williams and Earl Bostic. 
Brought to the attention of Riverside Records by his old colleague and fellow Floridian Cannonball Adderley, Mitchell appeared on the 1958 album “Portrait of Cannonball”.  Riverside Records quickly signed hum to the label, and he recorded as a leader in groupings from small combos to orchestral settings, and as an in-house sideman on many now classic sessions.
Next Blue joined Horace Silver’s working band.  Together with tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, Mitchell’s trumpet formed the horn section for Silver’s great hits such as Sister Sadie, Cookin’ at the Continental, Blowing The Blues Away, and many more. 
After leaving Silver, Mitchell recorded many stunning albums as a leader for Blue Note Records in their style throughout the 1960's. 
With the downturn in jazz popularity in the late ‘60's, Mitchell joined the Ray Charles organization, and then later performed with the blues-rock fusion groups of British music star John Mayall. 
 Mitchell eventually settled in Los Angeles, later in the 1970s worked as the featured soloist in bands backing singers like Tony Bennett and Nancy Wilson, and in jazz combos with friends such as Harold Land.
 Mitchell died of cancer in 1979 at the age of 49.
This five hour program features music from his prolific output on the Riverside and Blue Note labels.
originally broadcast September 14, 2014

Billie Holiday 3

For the 2018 Billie Holiday WKCR Birthday Broadcast I had the closing shift.  So for a final salvo on a late Saturday night, I put together a group of recordings – Billie with Louis Armstrong, and then representative “hits" from the various stages of her career.  I played them with virtually no talk or interruption.  A sublime 77 minutes guiding the way towards a velvety, hushed, seductive midnight hour.
Here to savor at your own speed, to call on Lady Day for ethereal companionship on a special, or not so special, eve........

Burton Lane

Burton Lane (nee Burton Levy, 1912-1997) was one of the legendary masters of American popular song.  Lane’s signature masterpiece was his score for the Broadway musical "Finian's Rainbow", and he also has lasting fame for the show "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever”.  Lane was a figure in tin pan alley and Hollywood musicals, as well as the Broadway stage.  He was the composer of enduring standards such as "I Hear Music", "Everything I Have Is Yours", "How About You", “Too Late Now”, “The Lady’s In Love With You” and many other great songs. This program presents a discussion surveying Lane's career, and musically features jazz versions of his tunes.  It includes recordings from Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Stanley Turrentine, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and many more. The Lane program is one of a continuing occasional series focusing on the composers of American popular songbook, and their legacy in the modern jazz repertory.
originally broadcast July 26, 2009
 

Etta Jones

Etta Jones was one of the greatest jazz vocalists in the truest meaning of the word.  She sang with a strong personal style, digging deep into the lyrics to reveal their inner meaning and invest them with keen emotion.  Etta also swung!  She possessed the great rhythmic and improvisational sensitivities of a jazz soloist, and she delivered the blues and the American popular songbook with unmitigatedly raw power.
Etta was born in South Carolina but raised in Harlem, New York.  She made her first mark as a 15 year old at the Amateur Contest at the Apollo Theater, where she attracted the attention of Buddy Johnson who needed a temporary replacement for his sister Ella.  Following that formative early experience, Etta Jones paid her dues in the music business for many years.  Etta made her breakthrough with Don’t Go To Strangers, her hit record for Prestige in 1960.  After several years of producing more fine records for Prestige, Etta teamed up with tenor saxophonist Houston Person.  For over 30 years they toured the country, and the world, and made many recordings, concerts, and nightclub appearances in their sympathetic, soulful manner.
originally broadcast March 21, 2010
You may also be interested in my published discography of Etta Jones
https://jazzdiscography.com/etta-jones-discography/

Count Basie in the 1950s

The big band era died out in the post World War II years as musical tastes in both jazz and popular music changed in our culture.  As another factor, the economics of the music industry were transformed, making it difficult to sustain the financial footing of a large touring ensemble.Yet Count Basie managed to stem this tide and not only survive, but thrive in this new milieu.First, in 1950 he trimmed his band to an octet for a couple of years, and soloists such as Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco and Wardell Gray made him successful artistically and allowed him to stay alive financially.Next, Basie developed a different big band concept that was refined and elegant yet maintained the core values of “in the pocket” rhythm and an affinity for dancers  It included arrangements by cultivated masters such as Neal Hefti and Ernie Wilkins and a revitalized ensemble of fine musicians and composers.  This sound is exemplified by enduring pieces such as “April In Paris”, “Splanky” “Shiny Stockings” and “Corner Pocket”, to name a few.  The emerging aggregation was termed the “New Testament” band, to distinguish it from the divine raw power of the original.  Basie’s earlier “swinging-est band in the land” was now the “Old Testament”.With recordings for Norman Granz, lengthy engagements at the Birdland nightclub, and  national concert tours, Basie gained a new level of popular appeal.  The band continued to grow and evolve with the addition of musicians such as Joe Newman, Thad Jones, Al Grey, Frank Foster and Frank Wess.  There also were intermittent stays by the robust Eddie Lockjaw Davis. Eventually, Basie further enhanced his presentation with the added flavor of the suave blues vocals of Joe Williams.The band took a further step forward in 1957 as it propelled itself to a more explosive sound while staying within its still graceful outlook and sophisticated arrangements.  This was animated by its switch to Roulette Records and their first album there, starkly featuring the mushroom cloud cover photo and title E=MC2.  Thus was ushered in what would be called Basie’s “Atomic Period”, lasting through the end of the decade and even into the early 1960s..Our program surveys these themes and plays representative samples of Basie’s famous, and also less-famous, recordings of the period.
originally broadcast March 16, 2025

Jimmy Forrest

This five hour show features the vigorous tenor saxophone of Jimmy Forrest.
Forrest was born in 1920 and raised in St. Louis, coming of age in the tail end of the big band era.  For a time, he was a major figure both in rhythm and blues and also mainstream jazz.
His first key jobs, in the 1940's, were in the orchestras of Jay McShann, Andy Kirk, and, notably, Duke Ellington towards the end of the decade.
Forrest made a significant contribution to  popular music culture as the composer of the classic rhythm & blues song “NIGHT TRAIN”.   His original early 1950's recordings on United of Night Train, along with other R&B songs like “Hey Mrs. Jones” and “Bolo Blues”, became popular hit records.
In the late 1950's, Forrest turned his attention back to mainstream jazz, and with his powerful yet sweet tenor sax, he worked regularly in a combo with Harry Sweets Edison, made swinging records as a leader on Prestige, and also in the organ-tenor vein with Brother Jack McDuff.
A shy, soft-spoken man, Forrest married late in life and settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but from that perch remained active in the musical  world.  He performed regularly in some of Count Basie’s bands of the 1970's, and also in a small group partnership with trombonist Al Grey.
Forrest was among those featured in  Bruce Ricker’s iconic, valedictory film, “The Last Of The Blue Devils”.  Forrest passed away at the age of 60 in 1980.
originally broadcast May 20, 2012