Fats Navarro / Dexter Gordon • Savoy, 1947 [single]

 

 

 

Fats Navarro • On Savoy Fats Navarro

 

Biography
“Fats was a spectacular musician because, in a time when cats arrived on the scene with nothing, he came on with everything: he could read, he could play high and hold anybody's first trumpet chair, he could play those singing, melodic solos with a big beautiful sound nobody could believe at the time, and he could fly in fast tempos with staccato, biting notes and execute whatever he wanted with apparently no strain, everything clear. And every note meant something. You know, there are those kinds of guys who just play a lot of notes, some good, some bad. Fats wasn't one of those. He made his music be about each note having a place and a reason. And he had so much warmth, so much feeling. That's why I said he had everything."…..Roy Haynes

The story begins in Key West, Florida where Theodore "Fats" Navarro was born of mixed Cuban-Black-Chinese parentage on September 24, 1923. His musical training began early with piano lessons at age six, but he did not start taking music seriously until he took up the trumpet at age thirteen. He became well grounded in the fundamentals of music during his high school years. He also studied tenor saxophone and played briefly with Walter Johnson's band in Miami. After graduating high school, he joined Sol Allbrights's band in Orlando, traveled with him to Cincinnati, took further trumpet lessons from an Ohio teacher, and soon went on the road with Snookum Russell's Indianapolis-based orchestra.

Russell's group, a well regarded "territorial" band in the 1940s, proved to be a valuable training ground for Fats.Such stars an J.J. Johnson and Ray Brown had paid their dues there. Fats stayed with Russell for about two years (1941-42) and became its feature trumpet soloist. At that time, his style was strongly influenced by the great Roy Eldridge and his (Fats') third cousin, the wonderful trumpet stylist Charlie Shavers. He was yet to hear and incorporate Dizzy Gillespie's and Charlie Parker's message. His next stop was with Andy Kirk and his Kansas City-based "Clouds of Joy." Here he met and forged a lasting friendship with trumpeter Howard McGhee. Maggie, as he was known, was a few years older than Fats and was an important influence in his development.

From the Andy Kirk band, Fats accepted Billy Eckstine's invitation to join up as Eckstine's band was both commercially successful and perhaps the most musically advanced. Besides Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, the band included at one time or other during a brief four year span a lineup of future stars that is unprecedented in all of jazz: Kenny Dorham, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Gene Ammons, Lucky Thompson, Bud Johnson, Frank Wess, Charlie Rouse, Sonny Stitt, Leo Parker, Cecil Payne, Tadd Dameron, Jerry Valentine, Tommy Potter, Art Blakey, and Sarah Vaughan were some of the more notable to pass through the band.

Unfortunately, few of the recordings give any impression of this. The record companies were mainly interested in the commercial potential of Eckstine's rather conventional ballads. There are only a handful of examples of Navarro's work with the band on the many recordings that were made. After an eighteen month stay, the rigors of road travel and the lack of opportunities to play his music led Fats to leave the Eckstine band and remain in New York City. There would be a period of brilliance and increasing musical maturity over the next three years. It was the summer of 1946 and Fats was about to enter his most productive period. He was now twenty two years old and already a trumpet virtuoso

New York City has been a major center of jazz development through most of jazz's history, and 1940s was a particularly fertile period. Both the Harlem and 52nd Street musical scenes were a hotbed of jazz activity. Due to the economics of the big band and the change from a mainly dancing to a listening music, big band jazz gave way to the small jazz combo format consisting usually of a rhythm section of piano, bass and drums, and from one to three "front line" feature soloists. (There were a few notable exceptions such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, and Stan Kenton, but for the most part the big band era was over.)

The small combo format was ideal for Fats. He was able to give full expression to his ideas and soon developed a reputation as a major force on modern trumpet rivaling that of Dizzy Gillespie. As a result, he was much sought after for recording dates as a feature sideman by such jazz greats as Kenny Clarke,Dexter Gordon, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Goodman, Bud Powell, and particularly, Tadd Dameron. He also appeared as a feature soloist on many "all-star" or "dream band" engagements, including a JATP concert at Carnegie Hall.

His association with Dameron was probably the most productive musically. They seemed to be in sympathy with one another. The Dameron influence brought a more lyrical feeling to his playing to go along with his breathtaking technical facility and his high note ability which he used sparingly but with great effect. Navarro was the feature soloist with Tadd's group, which also included at various times Wardell Gray, Allen Eagar, J.J. Johnson, E Henry, Milt Jackson, Curley Russell, Nelson Boyd, and Kenny Clarke. The group gigged mostly around New York City and was often at the Royal Roost.

Navarro achieved considerable popularity with the jazz public and was highly admired by both critics and fellow musicians. He also was a Metronome jazz poll winner for 1948 which led to an appearance on a Metronome All Stars recording date.It would have been a natural step for him to form his own group, but he showed no inclination to do so.

Navarro, who spoke Spanish, used to jam at several Latin clubs in New York City. He recorded a Tadd Dameron original entitled “Jahbero,” based on “All the Things You Are,” with Afro-Cuban bongo player Chino Pozo (Chano's cousin).Then, in early 1949, he recorded “Casbah,” another Dameron piece based on “Out of Nowhere, “featuring Afro- Cuban percussionists Diego Ibarra and Carlos Vidal Bolado. In late 1949, Navarro recorded a bop-mambo entitled “Stop” composed by tenor saxophonist Don Lanphere which was based on “Pennies From Heaven.”

Somewhere along the way, Fats contracted tuberculosis, which led to a sharp decline in his health and a curtailing of his musical activity over the last seventeen months of his life. He nevertheless went on the road one last time with the Jazz at the Philharmonic tour for about seven weeks in February and March of 1949.

He had only two studio recording dates in 1949, one in August on a Bud Powell date and one a month later with the little known tenor saxophonist, Don Lanphere. The last recordings in 1950, were private records done live at Birdland that featured Charlie Parker and Bud Powell. Fats holds his own throughout, while playing several long and interesting solos.

Navarro left a legacy of about 150 recorded sides of phenomenal consistent quality. In 1982, he was elected by the International Jazz Critics into the Down Beat Hall of Fame. He was a major influence on Clifford Brown and through him Navarro has indirectly influenced so many of the trumpeters playing today as Benny Bailey, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Sam Noto, Woody Shaw and even Roy Hargrove.

Theodore "Fats" Navarro died on July 6, 1950 in a New York City hospital.

Excerpts from an original text by Stuart Varden, a true Fats Navarro fan.

Source: Stuart Varden
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/fats-navarro

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Biografía
"Fats era un músico espectacular porque, en una época en la que los músicos llegaban a la escena sin nada, él llegaba con todo: sabía leer, podía tocar alto y ocupar la primera silla de trompeta de cualquiera, podía tocar esos solos cantarines y melódicos con un sonido grande y hermoso que nadie podía creer en aquella época, y podía volar en tempos rápidos con notas staccato y mordaces y ejecutar lo que quisiera sin aparente tensión, todo claro. Y cada nota significaba algo. Hay tipos que se limitan a tocar un montón de notas, algunas buenas y otras malas. Fats no era uno de esos. Hacía que su música fuera que cada nota tuviera un lugar y una razón. Y tenía tanta calidez, tanto sentimiento. Por eso digo que lo tenía todo". .....Roy Haynes

La historia comienza en Key West, Florida, donde Theodore "Fats" Navarro nació el 24 de septiembre de 1923, de padres cubanos, negros y chinos. Su formación musical comenzó pronto con clases de piano a los seis años, pero no empezó a tomarse la música en serio hasta que empezó a tocar la trompeta a los trece. Durante sus años de bachillerato aprendió los fundamentos de la música. También estudió saxofón tenor y tocó brevemente con la banda de Walter Johnson en Miami. Tras graduarse en el instituto, se unió a la banda de Sol Allbrights en Orlando, viajó con él a Cincinnati, recibió más clases de trompeta de un profesor de Ohio y pronto se fue de gira con la orquesta de Snookum Russell en Indianápolis.

El grupo de Russell, una banda "territorial" muy bien considerada en la década de 1940, resultó ser un valioso campo de entrenamiento para Fats, ya que estrellas como J.J. Johnson y Ray Brown se habían formado allí. Fats permaneció con Russell unos dos años (1941-42) y se convirtió en su trompeta solista principal. En aquella época, su estilo estaba fuertemente influenciado por el gran Roy Eldridge y su primo tercero (de Fats), el maravilloso trompetista Charlie Shavers. Aún le quedaba por escuchar e incorporar el mensaje de Dizzy Gillespie y Charlie Parker. Su siguiente parada fue con Andy Kirk y sus "Clouds of Joy" de Kansas City. Aquí conoció y forjó una amistad duradera con el trompetista Howard McGhee. Maggie, como se le conocía, era unos años mayor que Fats y fue una influencia importante en su desarrollo.

De la banda de Andy Kirk, Fats aceptó la invitación de Billy Eckstine para unirse a ella, ya que la banda de Eckstine tenía éxito comercial y quizá era la más avanzada musicalmente. Además de Charlie Parker y Dizzy Gillespie, la banda incluyó en un momento u otro durante un breve periodo de cuatro años una alineación de futuras estrellas sin precedentes en todo el jazz: Kenny Dorham, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Gene Ammons, Lucky Thompson, Bud Johnson, Frank Wess, Charlie Rouse, Sonny Stitt, Leo Parker, Cecil Payne, Tadd Dameron, Jerry Valentine, Tommy Potter, Art Blakey y Sarah Vaughan fueron algunos de los más notables que pasaron por la banda.

Por desgracia, pocas de las grabaciones dan idea de ello. Las compañías discográficas estaban principalmente interesadas en el potencial comercial de las baladas más bien convencionales de Eckstine. Sólo hay un puñado de ejemplos del trabajo de Navarro con la banda en las numerosas grabaciones que se hicieron. Tras una estancia de dieciocho meses, los rigores de los viajes por carretera y la falta de oportunidades para tocar su música llevaron a Fats a abandonar la banda de Eckstine y permanecer en Nueva York. Durante los tres años siguientes viviría un periodo de brillantez y creciente madurez musical. Era el verano de 1946 y Fats estaba a punto de entrar en su periodo más productivo. Tenía veintidós años y ya era un virtuoso de la trompeta.

La ciudad de Nueva York ha sido un importante centro de desarrollo del jazz durante la mayor parte de su historia, y la década de 1940 fue un periodo especialmente fértil. Tanto la escena musical de Harlem como la de la calle 52 eran un hervidero de actividad jazzística. Debido a la economía de las big bands y al cambio de una música principalmente para bailar a otra para escuchar, el jazz de big band dio paso al formato de pequeño combo de jazz, formado normalmente por una sección rítmica de piano, bajo y batería, y de uno a tres solistas de "primera línea". (Hubo algunas excepciones notables, como Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton y Stan Kenton, pero en su mayor parte la era de las big bands había terminado).

El formato de pequeño combo era ideal para Fats. Pudo dar rienda suelta a sus ideas y pronto se labró una reputación como trompetista moderno que rivalizaba con la de Dizzy Gillespie. Como resultado, fue muy solicitado para grabar con grandes del jazz como Kenny Clarke, Dexter Gordon, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Goodman, Bud Powell y, sobre todo, Tadd Dameron. También actuó como solista en muchos conciertos "all-star" o "dream band", incluido un concierto de la JATP en el Carnegie Hall.

Su asociación con Dameron fue probablemente la más productiva musicalmente. Parecían simpatizar el uno con el otro. La influencia de Dameron aportó un sentimiento más lírico a su forma de tocar, junto con su impresionante facilidad técnica y su habilidad para los agudos, que utilizaba con moderación pero con gran efecto. Navarro era el solista principal del grupo de Tadd, que también incluía en varias ocasiones a Wardell Gray, Allen Eagar, J.J. Johnson, E Henry, Milt Jackson, Curley Russell, Nelson Boyd y Kenny Clarke. El grupo actuaba sobre todo en Nueva York y a menudo en el Royal Roost.

Navarro alcanzó una popularidad considerable entre el público de jazz y era muy admirado tanto por los críticos como por sus colegas músicos. También ganó la encuesta de jazz Metronome en 1948, lo que le permitió aparecer en una grabación de Metronome All Stars.

Navarro, que hablaba español, solía tocar en varios clubes latinos de Nueva York. Grabó un original de Tadd Dameron titulado "Jahbero", basado en "All the Things You Are", con el bongocero afrocubano Chino Pozo (primo de Chano) y, a principios de 1949, grabó "Casbah", otra pieza de Dameron basada en "Out of Nowhere", con los percusionistas afrocubanos Diego Ibarra y Carlos Vidal Bolado. A finales de 1949, Navarro grabó un bop-mambo titulado "Stop" compuesto por el saxofonista tenor Don Lanphere que estaba basado en "Pennies From Heaven".

En algún momento, Fats contrajo tuberculosis, lo que provocó un fuerte deterioro de su salud y una reducción de su actividad musical durante los últimos diecisiete meses de su vida. No obstante, salió a la carretera por última vez con la gira Jazz at the Philharmonic durante unas siete semanas en febrero y marzo de 1949.

En 1949 sólo realizó dos grabaciones en estudio, una en agosto con Bud Powell y otra un mes más tarde con el poco conocido saxofonista tenor Don Lanphere. Las últimas grabaciones, en 1950, fueron discos privados grabados en directo en Birdland con Charlie Parker y Bud Powell. Fats se mantiene firme en todo momento y toca varios solos largos e interesantes.

Navarro dejó un legado de unas 150 caras grabadas de una calidad fenomenal. En 1982, fue elegido miembro del Down Beat Hall of Fame por la International Jazz Critics. Fue una gran influencia para Clifford Brown y, a través de él, Navarro ha influido indirectamente en muchos de los trompetistas que tocan hoy en día, como Benny Bailey, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Sam Noto, Woody Shaw e incluso Roy Hargrove.

Theodore "Fats" Navarro murió el 6 de julio de 1950 en un hospital de Nueva York.

Extractos de un texto original de Stuart Varden, un auténtico fan de Fats Navarro.

Fuente: Stuart Varden
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/fats-navarro

VA • The Birth of Bop - The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection

 

 

 

Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Fats Navarro, Leo Parker, J.J. Johnson, Milt Jackson, Stan Getz, Buddy Johnson, Don Byas, Kai Winding, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Serge Chaloff ...

craftrecordings.com ...

Bud Powell • The Best Of Bud Powell

Bud Powell is generally considered to be the most important pianist in the history of jazz. Noted jazz writer and critic Gary Giddins, in Visions of Jazz, goes even further, saying that “Powell will be recognized as one of the most formidable creators of piano music in any time or idiom.”

His first recordings were made in 1944, when he was a 20 year old pianist in the Cootie Williams Band, and his last recordings were made in 1964 when he returned from several years in Europe to play at Birdland.

Between those dates Bud Powell played with the greatest jazz musicians of his generation including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Charlie Mingus and Max Roach. The recordings he made for the forerunners of the Verve label and for Blue Note, as well as many lesser known labels, are among the greatest jazz recordings of all time.

Not as much of a showman as musicians like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell has not received as much public recognition as some of his contemporaries. Nevertheless his fellow musicians were in awe of his creativity and skill, which in his prime were considered almost superhuman.

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/budpowell

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Bud Powell es considerado generalmente como el pianista más importante en la historia del jazz. El conocido escritor y crítico de jazz Gary Giddins, en Visions of Jazz, va más allá, diciendo que "Powell será reconocido como uno de los más formidables creadores de la música de piano en cualquier época o idioma".

Sus primeras grabaciones se hicieron en 1944, cuando era un pianista de 20 años en la Cootie Williams Band, y sus últimas grabaciones se hicieron en 1964 cuando regresó de varios años en Europa para tocar en Birdland.

Entre esas fechas Bud Powell tocó con los más grandes músicos de jazz de su generación, incluyendo a Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Charlie Mingus y Max Roach. Las grabaciones que hizo para los precursores del sello Verve y para Blue Note, así como para muchos otros sellos menos conocidos, están entre las mejores grabaciones de jazz de todos los tiempos.

No tan showman como músicos como Charlie Parker y Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell no ha recibido tanto reconocimiento público como algunos de sus contemporáneos. Sin embargo, sus colegas músicos se asombraron de su creatividad y su habilidad, que en su mejor momento se consideraron casi sobrehumanas.

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/budpowell

VA • Be-Bop Masters

Lennie Tristano & The Boyd Raeburn Orchestra ‎• New Sounds In The Forties