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HISTORICALby John EphlandDavid “Fathead” NewmanThe BlessingHIGH NOTE 7195AAAThe Blessing, which David “Fathead”Newman recorded just weeks before he passedaway in January of this year, is a swinging,touching and soulful set. My focus rarelywavers from Newman throughout, as heinjects as much personality, style and characterinto each melody as any great singer would,especially on “Someone To Watch Over Me,”“As Time Goes By” and Charlie Chaplin’s“Smile.” He rarely takes multiple solo choruses,but when he does he makes them count. OnMilt Jackson’s blues “SKJ,” Newman saysmore in 24 bars than some less mature, chopsobsessedplayers say in a whole album. Hishighly inflected, vocalesque subtone enunciatesperfectly formed phrases that allow him toconverse with himself. This solo is a clinic insubtlety, nuance and the communicativepower of brevity.Five rhythm players give the ensembleseveral timbral choices to consider. PianistDavid Leonhardt’s “Romantic Night” and“Whispers of Contentment” make full use ofthese options, as Newman, guitarist PeterBernstein and vibraphonist Steve Nelsondivvy up the front line on both tracks, creatinga dynamic and colorful soundscape.Using three chordal instruments can run therisk of cluttering the sound, but Bernstein,Nelson and Leonhardt do a wonderful job ofgiving each other room and picking theirspots while comping, and each man contributesseveral strong solos throughout. TheBlessing is a very good final album from oneof jazz’s legends, one whose depth andmeaning increase with each listen.—Chris RobinsonThe Blessing: SKJ; Someone To Watch Over Me; As TimeGoes By; Manha De Carnival; Smile; Romantic Night; ChelseaBridge; Whispers Of Contentment; The Blessing. (55:10)Personnel: David “Fathead” Newman, tenor saxophone,flute (9); Peter Bernstein, guitar; Steve Nelson, vibraphone;Dave Leonhardt, piano; John Menegon, bass;Yoron Israel, drums.»Ordering info: jazzdepot.comIt Was A VeryGood YearWith Kind Of Blue, Time Outand Mingus Ah Um, ColumbiaRecords ended the 1950s on aroll. While Kind Of Blueremains the record of note,parent company Sony/Legacyhas come up with a remixedand expanded version ofanother Miles Davis classicfrom the same year, SketchesOf Spain. As for Mingus Ah Um, it’s coupledwith another Charles Mingus albumrecorded in ’59 but also released in 1960,Mingus Dynasty. The Dave Brubeck TimeOut release also fudges on ’59 by addinglive Newport material from later years,including versions of Time Out’s “TakeFive” and “Blue Rondo À La Turk.” A halfhourDVD of Brubeck recently reminiscingon the making of Time Out with archivalclips of the group is also available.According to Brubeck, before Time Outwas issued Columbia Records had “neverput a painting on the cover of a jazz album.”In the end, both Time Out (Legacy 739852;38:39/54:19) AAAA and Mingus Ah Um(Legacy 748010; 76:28/74:28) AAAA 1 /2 sportedabstract, modern art covers. Meanwhile,“Take Five” with “Blue Rondo À La Turk”became the first million-selling jazz instrumentalsingle on the Billboard Hot 100, asthe album went on to become the first jazzalbum to sell a million copies. While muchhas been said about the album’s odd timesignatures, it’s listenability that’s kept TimeOut from the gimmick dustbin. Ironically,the album’s strongest material is its mostconventional. Both “Kathy’s Waltz” and“Strange Meadow Lark” contain melodiesand moods that keep one hearing newthings time and again, all mostly in 4/4 time.Alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassistEugene Wright and the scene-changingdrummer Joe Morello complementedBrubeck perfectly. This is evident with thegood, not great Newport performancesfrom 1961, ’63 and ’64. (Newport 1958remains the superior show.)Mingus’ star was also rising, and thecommercially successful Mingus Ah Umwas the main reason why. Along with hisconcurrent work at Atlantic Records,Mingus Ah Um combined the ferocity, eleganceand sheer brilliance of Mingus’ penand bandleading. Enjoying an expandedlineup that gave off a big band vibe, thealbum showcased now-revered materialCharles Mingus:Ferocious Starsuch as the swinging, stomping waltz“Better Git It In Your Soul” (in 6/4 and 4/4)along with songs that referenced inspirations—thehaunting “Goodbye Pork PieHat” (Lester Young), the hard-charging,heartfelt “Open Letter To Duke” (Ellington),the jaunty, playful “Jelly Roll” (Morton)—aswell as himself (the through-composed“Self-Portrait In Three Colors”). Now that allthose absurd edits have been restored,along with previously unreleased materialfrom these sessions, this edition of MingusAh Um is the one to have. Mingus Dynasty,on the other hand, was received differently,perhaps due to its emphasis on composition.As a result, the performances are lessexciting, with songs that were mostly interestingif not compelling. Still, MingusDynasty remains an important document ofa creative artist at one of his peaks.The most ambitious work in this batchcomes with Davis’ Sketches Of Spain(Legacy 743949; 45:36/70:10) AAAAA, hisfirst post-Kind Of Blue recording and thethird with arranger/composer Gil Evans. Thestory here is all those alternate endings andtakes. Yes, there is a reason for includingthem, along with relevant, already releasedversions of “Maids Of Cadiz” (from the firstEvans collaboration Miles Ahead) and “Teo”(from Someday My Prince Will Come). Theonly live version of the Adagio from JoaquinRodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” and twotakes of “Song Of Our Country” (from theSketches sessions) are also here. Essentially,this edition is a study of a crucial period inDavis’ development. With Sketches OfSpain, Davis’ music continued its modalmoves away from bebop’s busy density,opting to highlight his strengths, whichemphasized feeling and lyric expressionover technique. Evans’ compositions—especially“The Pan Piper,” “Saeta” and“Solea”—furthered these groundbreakingchanges, so obvious with this passionatetreatment of Rodrigo’s masterpiece. DBOrdering info: legacyrecordings.comDOWNBEAT ARCHIVESAugust 2009 DOWNBEAT 61