Jim Hall and Bob Brookmeyer live

**grahambop** · 04-23-2020, 05:15 PM

For some reason I was thinking today about the only time I saw Jim Hall, it was a concert in Bath (UK) in 1987, he did a duo with Bob Brookmeyer. Anyway I wondered if they ever made a duo album together, and I found this live recording from 1979. It’s very enjoyable, Bob plays wonderfully inventive lines while Jim plays some great counterpoint and nice ‘strumming’ comping at times. Also whenever Bob drops out, you effectively get Jim playing solo guitar. The interplay between them is magical. Something to raise your spirits!

The tunes are:
1. Skating in Central Park
2. I Hear a Rhapsody
3. My Funny Valentine
4. Body and Soul
5. In a Sentimental Mood
6. Sweet Basil
7. Darn That Dream
8. St. Thomas

**ronjazz** · 04-23-2020, 05:26 PM

I was listening to that yesterday, great duo, very inspirational.

**dot75** · 04-23-2020, 05:56 PM

Ha!

I've got that concert on tape - 4 tracks from it anyway, I think I taped it off the BBC...

This one's excellent too...

**neatomic** · 04-23-2020, 06:20 PM

^ the street swingers is cool album in that it combines friends raney and hall..with brookmeyer...they are standing on the roof of the studio for the lp cover..in nyc winter snow

but brookmeyer and hall already had great collabs as part of the superb jimmy giuffre trio...originally a horn- bass-guitar trio, giuffre replaced the bass with brookmeyers valve trombone...

trav'lin light lp..recorded in jan 1958 nyc..a great listen

cheers

**Litterick** · 04-24-2020, 03:06 AM

The opening sequence of Jazz on a Summer’s Day: Guiffre, Brookmeyer and Hall (out of shot until he stands for the applause), The Train and the River.

**grahambop** · 04-24-2020, 04:49 AM

I read an interview with Brookmeyer where he said he spent his whole time in that group preventing Jim Hall and Jimmy Giuffre from fighting each other. Apparently it was because Jim Hall was annoyed at having to play rhythm all the time and getting no solos (although I guess the format of the group made that rather difficult!)

**grahambop** · 04-24-2020, 04:56 AM

Another story from Brookmeyer was when he joined Stan Getz (he was quite young) and on the first gig Getz said something to him which he thought sounded like ‘ape’. Bob was furious, dragged Getz off the stage and tore into him, demanding to know what he said. Getz was quite shocked and said it was some old Jewish word that was perfectly friendly, not rude or anything. Getz then asked the other guys ‘are this Brookmeyer kid’s parents wealthy? Doesn’t he care about this gig?’

He was obviously quite shaken that anyone could stand up to him. From then on he treated Bob very well and they got on fine (unlike most people who played with Getz!).

**David B** · 04-24-2020, 09:12 AM

There used to be a great video on YouTube of Hall and Brookmeyer playing a tune for British television. Filmed in a smart country house room. Brecon Festival in the '80s or early '90s maybe? I think it was posted to YouTube by forum member Dave G? I'd love to see it again.

**mr. beaumont** · 04-24-2020, 11:01 AM

The album in the OP is one of my all time favorite records.

For more great Bob, check out his "Small Band" records with Jack Wilkins on guitar. Awesome stuff.

**grahambop** · 04-24-2020, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by David B

There used to be a great video on YouTube of Hall and Brookmeyer playing a tune for British television. Filmed in a smart country house room. Brecon Festival in the '80s or early '90s maybe? I think it was posted to YouTube by forum member Dave G? I'd love to see it again.

Hi David, I think that was posted by me. It was a BBC feature on the Bath Festival shown in 1987. I watched the whole thing, finger poised over my video recorder, finally they showed one tune by Jim and Bob. It wasn’t from the actual concert (which I attended), looked more like a soundcheck or something. Long story, my YouTube channel later got threatened by Warner Bros because of a BBC video I posted of Pat Metheny at the Brecon jazz festival. So I took everything down except my own videos. But I still have this one somewhere, I think I will try and repost it. (After all it was not the BBC who complained, they don’t seem to mind at all. And as far as I know they have wiped all this historic footage anyway.)

**neatomic** · 04-24-2020, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by grahambop

I read an interview with Brookmeyer where he said he spent his whole time in that group preventing Jim Hall and Jimmy Giuffre from fighting each other. Apparently it was because Jim Hall was annoyed at having to play rhythm all the time and getting no solos (although I guess the format of the group made that rather difficult!)

that goes against everything i ever read from jim hall...(and i've read a lot!) he loved jimmy giuffre and always credited him with awakening his guitar playing...precisely by not having the distinct rhythm/comping behind the lead instrument, but rather all members of the trio intertwining all lines...like a chamber group

he and giuffre remained friends their entire lives!

brookmeyer was by far the more traditionalist...had dixieland roots..& playing the old fashioned valve trombone

jim hall on giuffre-

"I’ve said many times that listening is the key. I may not have realized it back then, but that’s what I learned from working with Jimmy. He listened so carefully, and his observations changed my playing. He would notice if I was hitting the guitar pick too many times in a phrase that he had written. He’d say, “Try to make that sound more like a wind instrument and leave out some of the articulation.” That changed my way of listening to the guitar, opened my ears in a different way."

from great giuffre appreciation written by hall-

Jimmy Giuffre - JazzTimes

cheers

**44lombard** · 04-24-2020, 04:17 PM

Originally Posted by grahambop

For some reason I was thinking today about the only time I saw Jim Hall, it was a concert in Bath (UK) in 1987, he did a duo with Bob Brookmeyer. Anyway I wondered if they ever made a duo album together, and I found this live recording from 1979. It’s very enjoyable, Bob plays wonderfully inventive lines while Jim plays some great counterpoint and nice ‘strumming’ comping at times. Also whenever Bob drops out, you effectively get Jim playing solo guitar. The interplay between them is magical. Something to raise your spirits!

You can get a little more of that partnership on Jim's "Live at Town Hall Vol. 1", where Hall and Brookmeyer do a duet medley of Skylark and Begin the Beguine.

And you can compare it all to Ed Bickert and Rob McConnell's "Mutual Street" album:

**sgcim** · 04-24-2020, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

The album in the OP is one of my all time favorite records.

For more great Bob, check out his "Small Band" records with Jack Wilkins on guitar. Awesome stuff.

I had a weird experience with the "Small Band record. I bought it eons ago, as soon as it came out on vinyl, and enjoyed it very much.
Almost the next day, I got a call from some guy who was studying guitar with Jack W. at the New England Conservatory of Music, who had heard from a friend of my Uncle's that I had a '35 D'A, and that I should sell it to him for 1K, because I don't have any use for a guitar like that.

I was stunned by the snooty attitude of the Dude, and I told him I had no intention of selling the guitar, and even if I did, it would be for a lot more than 1K. I told him I just bought the Brookmeyer LP with JW, and I liked it a lot.
He said that he just talked about that LP with Jack, and Jack told him it wasn't worth listening to, because it wasn't on the deep level of music that his music was on.

**David B** · 04-24-2020, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by grahambop

Hi David, I think that was posted by me. It was a BBC feature on the Bath Festival shown in 1987. I watched the whole thing, finger poised over my video recorder, finally they showed one tune by Jim and Bob. It wasn’t from the actual concert (which I attended), looked more like a soundcheck or something. Long story, my YouTube channel later got threatened by Warner Bros because of a BBC video I posted of Pat Metheny at the Brecon jazz festival. So I took everything down except my own videos. But I still have this one somewhere, I think I will try and repost it. (After all it was not the BBC who complained, they don’t seem to mind at all. And as far as I know they have wiped all this historic footage anyway.)

Would enjoy seeing that again some time Graham! I've been hit by the Metheny YouTube copyright hammer too!

**grahambop** · 04-24-2020, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by neatomic

that goes against everything i ever read from jim hall...(and i've read a lot!) he loved jimmy giuffre and always credited him with awakening his guitar playing...precisely by not having the distinct rhythm/comping behind the lead instrument, but rather all members of the trio intertwining all lines...like a chamber group

he and giuffre remained friends their entire lives!

Yes I was a bit surprised by it. Anyway you can read the interview here:

Interview: Bob Brookmeyer (Part 2) - JazzWax

**neatomic** · 04-24-2020, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by grahambop

Yes I was a bit surprised by it. Anyway you can read the interview here:

Interview: Bob Brookmeyer (Part 2) - JazzWax

thanks for the link!

maybe this brookmeyer interview line is most telling-

"I’d be having a martini and Jim would come up and complain about Jimmy. Then Jimmy would come up to me and complain about Jim."

hahaha

cheers

**grahambop** · 04-25-2020, 05:55 AM

Here is the clip of Jim Hall and Bob Brookmeyer playing 'I Should Care' from the Bath Festival in 1987. I managed to identify the building as the Guildhall in Bath. (It ties in with my memory of the concert, it was in a very ornate room with paintings on the wall etc.)