Clark Terry & The Young Titans of Jazz – Live at Marihans Jazzroom – Chiaroscuro Records

by | Jan 25, 2008 | Jazz CD Reviews | 0 comments

Clark Terry & The Young Titans of Jazz – Live at Marihans Jazzroom – Chiaroscuro Records CR(D) 212 – Disc 1, 71:52; Disc 2, 50:19  *****:

Clark Terry is part of the old guard of jazz musicians and has played with nearly all the big names in jazz from Duke Ellington to Thelonious Monk, in addition to playing trumpet in the Tonight Show Band under Doc Severinsen during Johnny Carson’s reign. He is also an inspiring teacher and tireless advocate for jazz, serving as a mentor for several generations of musicians. This latest recording of his, “Live at Marihans,” features a big band made up of his current and former students and was recorded live at the International Jazz Festival in Bern, Switzerland in 2004 – when Terry was 83 years old.

Disc 1 features high energy up-tempo numbers ranging from classics like “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “Oh Lady Be Good” to a tongue-in-cheek take of the “Flintstones Theme” and contemporary tunes like Tony Luhan’s “Bella Blue” (Luhan is also a trumpet player in the band). All the musicians are first rate—consistently delivering technically perfect and inventive solo performances and swinging ensemble work. As for Clark Terry, time has not slowed him down at all. His solos, whether with trumpet, flugelhorn or with scat singing, are executed with facility, passion, and imagination. While there may be a question as to the relevance of big band music in this day and age, there is no doubt that Clark Terry and his band have delivered a stellar recording that stands out as a testament to the power found in this particular musical configuration. And since this is a live recording, it comes with all that baggage—the CD scores higher on the energy of the performance and the chemistry between the players than it does on recording quality. But then I suppose you could say that about nearly any live recording. [Not so much with recent improvements in recording gear…Ed.]

Disc 2 is a recording of Terry speaking about his life in jazz and his thoughts about the medium. If you are a jazz fan, or are in particular a jazz trumpet fan, this will be of special interest to you. His insights into the history of jazz and the various musicians he has known and played with are fascinating. The topics include his reminisces on Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Quincy Jones, and Miles Davis. He also talks about how he got into jazz, who his influences are, and what he feels about the state of jazz today (or at least how it was in 2004).

All in all, these recordings gives the jazz fan a lot to take in and appreciate—great music, world-class performances, and first-hand accounts of some of the music’s greatest personalities and moments by someone who’s seen and experienced it all. Recommended especially for fans of jazz.

Disc 1 TrackList:
Intro – 6:47
Flintstones Theme – 3:00
Easy Does It – 4:52
Take the “A” Train – 4:21
Sheeba – 4:29
Shell Game – 9:12
The Zinger – 4:36
Bella Blue – 11:03
The Serpent’s Tooth – 4:14
I Want a Little Girl – 4:16
Oh Lady Be Good – 6:27
Theme – 0:45

Disc 2 TrackList:
My First Indulgence and Entrée to Jazz – 3:01
Giving Vent to Your Feelings – 5:10
Why the Trumpet? – 6:19
First Influences – 2:08
The Great Lakes Navy Band – 3:35
Ellington – 2:34
Basie – 2:55
Prez and Pops (The Stuff You Won’t find in Books) – 2:23
Basie’s Small Band – 1:05
Quincy – 2:39
Miles – 1:19
The NBC Tonight Show Band – 2:07
Clinic, Workshops, & Band Camps (The CT Philosophy) – 7:01
The Concept Behind This CD – 5:32
The CT Building and Jazz Studies Program – 1:12
The Jazz Scene Today – 1:19

– Hermon Joyner

 

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