Jazztet - Jazztet at Birdhouse (6 tracks) +Album Reviews

Fine reissue by Verve

DBW | Chicago, IL USA | 11/16/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A very welcome reissue, highlighted by what was Side 2 of the original 1961 LP. The band heats up on the frenetic J.J. Johnson tune "Shutterbug," but then fires off one of the best versions of "Round Midnight" I can remember. Benny Golson's trademark riffs from this era are heard to great effect, and Art Farmer's inventive solo is deeply felt. My personal favorite is "November Afternoon," by Tom McIntosh, the trombonist on the date. The melody alone is memorable enough, but again, Farmer and Golson kept me transfixed. It's also nice to hear Cedar Walton in this setting, as he was primarily associated with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in this period."

What a Surprise!

R. Howard Courtney | Chicago, IL | 03/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Verve reissue of this ARGO recording came as a total surprise to me. As a teenager, many years ago, I had numerous ARGO LPs and wondered whatever became of their recordings when they went out of business. It is really interesting to hear a different trombone (Tom McIntosh) and piano (Cedar Walton) player with the Jazztet, rather than the ones we normally associate with the group (Curtis Fuller and McCoy Tyner). The music is great and was recorded before a live audience at the long defunct Birdhouse jazz club in Chicago. The album has Art Farmer playing the flugelhorn for the first time on a recording. This is a "limited edition" release by Verve, so I would try to pick it up soon."

Fine work from Benny & Co.

Christopher Henrici | Washington, DC United States | 05/09/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nice live performances from the Jazztet, one of my favorite jazz line ups. Benny Golson and Art Farmer made a great team. I always felt their sound fell somewhere between east coast bop and west coast cool. This is of course a simplification. What I mean is more sophisticated than many of the blowing session records of the time, but at the same time not lacking in spontaneity. This disc has a good version of "round about midnight". Golson and Farmer each contribute one of their own compositions. I wish there had been another of Golson's tunes included (Whisper Not or Stablemates), he was a great composer. Nonetheless the material is good, a bit more uptempo than some of their other records, maybe they wanted to keep the audience on its toes. I have heard other live jazz recordings and sometimes there is a lot of talking and glasses clanking during the songs- thankfully this recording has no noticable distractions and the sound quality is fairly good for a live recording of the period. A minor drawback is that There are some obvious editing splices on a few tunes. Jazztet fans should pick up this collectors item- I have never seen the Lp in the used record stores and this cd is "limited release". If you like this I'd recommend to get a couple savoy titles- one is called Curtis Fuller "bluesette", and the other is Curtis fuller "jazztet"."

The Jazztet, Live at Birdhouse

Chris Covais | 07/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're looking for great Jazztet albums, I recommend getting Meet The Jazztet first. The classic tune from the album, Killer Joe will just hook you, like it did with me. After you have dug that album, there's one more I must recommend. The Jazztet Live at Birdhouse! (after that, you're on your own...)

After some fresh studio sounds, you get to hear how Art Farmer, Benny Golson and their goup sound entertaining an audience. They do it well here.

The song material is absolutely great. The sound of the Birdhouse just sounds amazing. Not too much reverb, but a nice air to it. Albert "Tootie" Heath is on drums, and does a good job swinging and soloing.

Farmer's Market is another classic Art Farmer tune, and they really lay into it, at a monster tempo. The band was having a good night, the date of this appearence.

You have to be very careful with live albums. They can either be really good or really bad. Sometimes, the musicians are trying to copy the magic they had on the record, not doing a good job. Sometimes they do a good job also. And there's when the group goes out and just plays, just making beautiful music right then and there. That's this album!

Enjoy the Jazztet at Birdhous.

-Chris"

A Delight On Many Levels!

Ron Thorne | Anchorage,Alaska | 08/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This classic recording is a delight on many levels ... musicians, material, musicianship, recording and packaging.

This, the 4th Jazztet album captures some rare moments of this renowned ensemble in a "live" setting. It's largely understated while hugely rewarding. Both Art Farmer and Benny Golson had a fondness for The Birdhouse in Chicago, a good starting point. They had opened the club the previous year, and also appreciated the room's acoustics. This is "the real deal", music recorded in a jazz club, which includes both the incredibly rich unison playing and solos along with the occasional minor muffs.

There are six tracks, the first written by Golson, the second by Farmer, followed by four other solid pieces, including one from J. J. Johnson, "Shutterbug", and one by Thelonious Monk, a superb rendition of "'Round Midnight", the longest track.

Instead of going into a track-by-track analysis, let me just say that the material and playing is stellar, and worthy of any jazz library.

Finally, the packaging is superb, eschewing the standard jewel case and liners. There's an appropriately-sized cardboard sleeve with a protective soft CD liner. Inside, a reproduction of the original ARGO LP is provided. A clear soft plastic sleeve encapsulates everything.

Classic stuff, all-around. A no-brainer."

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