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Where Were You On September 18, 1965?

Gary L Connely | Hercules, CA | 10/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Saturday, August 28, 1999 was "John Handy Day in San Francisco." The Board of Supervisors', (SF's version of a city council), proclamation said in part, "John Handy is a world-renowned Jazz musician and teacher who has devoted his life to elevating the human spirit through music...." For once, a bunch of politicians actually got something right!



Saxman John Handy has been playing professionally since he was 15 years old. He made his recording debut in 1953. Early in his career he hooked up with Charles Mingus and he appears on many of Mr Mingus' records including seminal albums like "Blues and Roots" and "Mingus Ah Um." But on September 18, 1965 at the Monterey Jazz Festival he was fronting his own band - and he and the guys turned in a performance that has become a Festival legend, (according to the press, there were 7,000 people in the audience that day, but if you talk to Northern California jazz lovers of a certain age, you begin to think that there must have been 70,000 people in the crowd). And that performance was recorded by Columbia.



The 3 CD, "Mosaic Select: John Handy," box set includes all three of the Columbia albums that Mr Handy cut with violinist Michael White, plus a live concert at Carnegie Hall, plus a half dozen previously unreleased songs recorded at the time of the second album. Without further ado:



* "John Handy Recorded Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival" - One of the most unusual line-ups in jazz: Mr Handy on alto, Mr White on violin, guitarist Jerry Hahn, Don Thompson on bass and drummer Terry Clarke. There are only two songs: Almost 27 minutes of "If Only We Knew," and more than 19 minutes of "Spanish Lady." Both are originals by Mr Handy and both are mesmerizing, (whether there were 7,000 or 70,000 people in the audience).



* "The Second John Handy Album" - All originals by Mr Handy, played by the same band that appeared at Monterey. The set includes three minute long, radio friendly versions of both "If Only We Knew" and "Spanish Lady," (amazingly these abbreviated versions work all on their own).



* "Projections" - A set of originals by Mr Handy and the guys in the band. This time, Mssrs Handy and White are joined by pianist Mike Nock, Bruce Cole on bass and drummer Larry Hancock.



* The Carnegie Hall concert session was recorded in 1967, in between "The Second..." and "Projection" albums. The band for this date did not include Mr White. Instead violinist Michel Sampson appeared, along with guitarist Sonny Greenwich, Calo Scott on cello, Mr Thompson on bass and Mr Clarke on drums.



If you are unfamiliar with Mr Handy's work, you are in for a treat. It's difficult to categorize - somewhere between hard bop and avant garde - but 40 years later it holds up remarkably well. Mr Handy is technically adept, (he is able to hit high notes that simply aren't supposed to be in the register of his horn), has a marvelous tone and can just flat out play. As for Mr White, I guess the comparison has to be to Jean Luc Ponty - they were the first of the modern jazz violinists. Mr White had a warm soaring sound and an aggressive attack. Together, Mr Handy and Mr White were able to go places where few people, even today, have the nerve to travel.



As with all Mosaic Records box sets, everything from the remastering to the liner notes is first class."