Thad Jones

[Woody Sound]

Awesome director. You can see how much he just loves the music.

[sgcim]

Yeah, he loved the music so much that he stole some of it from his musicians.
In Mel Lewis' autobiography "The View From Behind the Band", he said that their pianist Roland Hanna used to warm up before the Monday night gigs by playing a song he was working on.
The next thing he knew they got handed a new piece by Thad entitled "A Child is Born".
They play a few bars of it and Roland realizes that Thad was listening to his piano warmup song, and he wrote an arrangement on it for the band and put his name on it!
Look in Real Book 1 and see whose name is on it- Thad Jones!
He told Roland that it was his band, and he could use anything his musicians play on the gig.

[Woody Sound]

ps - Some great footage of FG's left hand.

[Woody Sound]

Yeah, he loved the music so much that he stole some of it from his musicians.
In Mel Lewis' autobiography "The View From Behind the Band", he said that their pianist Roland Hanna used to warm up before the Monday night gigs by playing a song he was working on.
The next thing he knew they got handed a new piece by Thad entitled "A Child is Born".
They play a few bars of it and Roland realizes that Thad was listening to his piano warmup song, and he wrote an arrangement on it for the band and put his name on it!
Look in Real Book 1 and see whose name is on it- Thad Jones!
He told Roland that it was his band, and he could use anything his musicians play on the gig.

That's interesting, I have to get that book. I never understood why Roland didn't get more recognition compared to Oscar, Tommy F, etc. He was an absolute swinging phenom.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Yeah, he loved the music so much that he stole some of it from his musicians.
In Mel Lewis' autobiography "The View From Behind the Band", he said that their pianist Roland Hanna used to warm up before the Monday night gigs by playing a song he was working on.
The next thing he knew they got handed a new piece by Thad entitled "A Child is Born".
They play a few bars of it and Roland realizes that Thad was listening to his piano warmup song, and he wrote an arrangement on it for the band and put his name on it!
Look in Real Book 1 and see whose name is on it- Thad Jones!
He told Roland that it was his band, and he could use anything his musicians play on the gig.

TJ was not warmly regarded as a person by many, but he sure made some great music. I took my wife to the Vanguard for our 1st anniversary (after a romantic French dinner, of course - we even found a wonderful restaurant that was open on Mondays). The sound of that band in that relatively small room was absolutely fantastic, even without a guitarist. And Cecil Bridgewater introduced Dee Dee at that show, after which she became their vocalist for a while.

I have all of their vinyl and still learn something new every time I listen to even one tune. But they do sound better with a guitar

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

That's interesting, I have to get that book. I never understood why Roland didn't get more recognition compared to Oscar, Tommy F, etc. He was an absolute swinging phenom.

He was an amazing musician. When he and Richard Davis drove the band (with a little help from Mel, of course…) they were more balanced between rhythm section and everyone else than any other big band I can recall.

I have RH’s vinyl. My favorite is the Sir Elf album from 1973. It’s on YT, but this version is apparently a later remaster or reissue. The original jacket is this one -



Enjoy!

[wintermoon]

my drummer is a huge fan but is still living in 1968 so doesn't have a computer and has an Obama phone and has no internet access. he came over a little early before out gig last week and was blown away by the old Thad/Mel videos.

this is a great record but sounds so much better on a good sound system, it's almost like Max Roach is playing the brushes in the room w/you.

[sgcim]

That's interesting, I have to get that book. I never understood why Roland didn't get more recognition compared to Oscar, Tommy F, etc. He was an absolute swinging phenom.

Mel had a really hard time getting the band a record deal. He went to the late Creed Taylor, thinking that that CT would pick them up right away, being that they were the best big band in the world at the time, but CT turned him down.
CT wanted something that appealed to a younger, larger audience, and didn't think Thad and Mel's band was commercial enough.
Mel had a short fuse, and he let CT have it. It wasn't the first time. He had a scene with CT and Stan Getz when they were both at Verve that has to be read to be believed.
He wound up getting a deal with Solid State, only because Manny Albam worked for SS, and convinced them to pick up Thad and Mel.

[Woody Sound]

[wintermoon]

Mel had a really hard time getting the band a record deal. He went to the late Creed Taylor, thinking that that CT would pick them up right away, being that they were the best big band in the world at the time, but CT turned him down.
CT wanted something that appealed to a younger, larger audience, and didn't think Thad and Mel's band was commercial enough.
Mel had a short fuse, and he let CT have it. It wasn't the first time. He had a scene with CT and Stan Getz when they were both at Verve that has to be read to be believed.
He wound up getting a deal with Solid State, only because Manny Albam worked for SS, and convinced them to pick up Thad and Mel.

That tune Tow Away Zone @ 28:00 is unbelievable

[Alter]

Anyone that plays the trumpet is a hero in my book!

[Woody Sound]

That tune Tow Away Zone @ 28:00 is unbelievable

It's interesting how many tunes they did to a "rock" beat in the 70's.