AVID Jazz is proud to introduce an exciting new addition to our Four Classic Album series, Four Classic Jazz Instrumentalists. The idea behind the series is to include many artists who for a variety of different reasons do not have four of their own albums available. The focus of each set will be on one particular instrument. The series will include artists who, maybe only ever released one or two albums under their own names, or spent many years as side-men before leading their own units, or led their own units before returning as sidemen due to perhaps commercial failure or those who had to return to their day jobs due to lack of recognition and/or success, or those who perhaps suffered early trauma or even death through illness (mental and physical) alcohol or drugs or just by sheer accident. And of course, those who maybe only made one or two albums up to the magical year of 1962. Our new series will feature many examples of all the above occurrences!
We begin with Four Classic Jazz Pianists, a re-mastered 2CD set complete with original artwork, liner notes and personnel details.
“Jutta Hipp: With Zoot Sims”; “Walter Davis Jr: Davis Cup”; “McCoy Tyner: Inception” and “Herbie Hancock: Takin’ Off”
For our first release in this new series we have chosen a diverse range of jazz pianists who released their debut albums from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. Jutta Hipp was originally from Germany where she began her jazz career playing with many prominent German jazz musicians. She moved to the USA in 1955 at the invitation of jazz critic Leonard Feather and cut her album with Zoot Sims in 1956. Possibly as a result of her upbringing in Nazi Germany Jutta Hipp had what appeared to be a tough and traumatic life which resulted in a lifelong problem with shyness and stage fright which in turn led to a severe problem with alcohol. She retired from the jazz scene and was said to have worked in a clothing company in the USA for 35 years! However she left behind a couple of live albums and our featured album with Zoot Sims, Jerry Lloyd, Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Ed Thigpen. And it’s a beauty! Walter Davis Jr. was a fine pianist who played with amongst others Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Donald Byrd before becoming pianist, arranger and composer with Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers. His classic 1959 hard bop, driving quartet debut album “Davis Cup” features a fantastic line up of Jackie McLean, Donald Byrd, Sam Jones and Art Taylor. It was so good it remains a mystery why he did not make another album until the seventies? Walter Davis Jr also retired from the music business in the 1960’s and strangely like Jutta Hipp found himself in the clothing business, albeit as a tailor, painter and designer. McCoy Tyner began his career playing with the likes of Benny Golson and Art Farmer before hooking up with the legendary John Coltrane in 1960 where he participated in a series of ground-breaking albums and tours with the giant of jazz. In 1962 Tyner released his debut album “Inception” with his trio comprising Art Davis and another Coltrane alumni, drummer Elvin Jones. Finding himself beyond the confines of the sometimes and somewhat overpowering Coltrane assault, this albums lyrical approach was a welcome respite from his other “day job”. Herbie Hancock was another classically trained musician who turned his attention to jazz as he matured. Starting out playing with Donald Byrd, Coleman Hawkins, Oliver Nelson and Phil Woods his recording debut “Takin’ Off” was quoted as “one of the most accomplished and stunning debuts in the annals of jazz”. While his debut was a hard bop outing with veteran hard boppers such as Dexter Gordon on board, alongside newer names like Freddie Hubbard, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins with this album Hancock became one of the architects of the post-bop movement in jazz. It wasn’t long afterwards that Herbie Hancock hooked up with Miles Davis to join his legendary Quintet.The rest as they say, is jazz history!
