The Red Rodney Quintets , 1951 prestige & 1955 Fantasy

CD Review by Ronnie Lankford, Jr.
One of the nice things about new recording technology is that two older albums can often be re-released on one CD. The Red Rodney Quintets combines Modern Music from Chicago and Broadway, two recordings from the early-to-mid-'50s. On the first set Rodney is joined by tenor Ira Sullivan, pianist Norman Simmons, bassist Victor Sproles, and drummer Roy Haynes. All 12 selections sound great, but the slower numbers seem to be the band's forte. "Red Is Blue" is a relaxed piece that gives Rodney plenty of room for some nice, intricate work, which is balanced agreeably by Sullivan's fiery horn. "Laura" is another standout, with the muted horn delivering spare, melodic lines against the backdrop of Simmons' piano. The second set finds trumpeter Rodney teaming up with alto Jimmy Ford, pianist Phil Raphael, bassist Phil Leshin, and drummer Phil Brown. The band's beautiful rendition of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" shows that sometimes the origin of a song matters less than the way it is approached. This pop song works perfectly as a jazz standard, converted by way of odney's trumpet. Without knowing the original, the listener would probably believe it to be a Gershwin or Porter song. "The Baron," a nice up-tempo piece, begins with some swinging harmony from the horns before breaking into lively solos. Both sets are satisfying and work well together, giving the listener nearly 70 minutes of nicely performed modern jazz. For the Rodney fan, or for lovers of great trumpet music, The Red Rodney Quintets is a fine release.

Include two Lp's:

Red Rodney Quintet- Modern Music From Chicago (Fantasy LP 3208, OJC 048)

Ira Sullivan (tp, ts, as) Red Rodney (tp, vo) Norman Simmons (p) Victor Sproles (b) Roy Haynes (d)

Chicago, IL, June 20, 1955

Taking A Chance On Love
Dig This
Red Is Bl ue
Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie
On Mi ke
The Song Is You
You And The Night And The Music
Laura
I Love The Rhythm In A Riff
Daddy-O
Hail To Dale
Jeffie

Review by Scott Yanow Trumpeter Red Rodney first met up with multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan on records back in 1955; they would form a regular group together 25 years later. This Fantasy date, reissued in the OJC series on LP but not yet on CD, finds Rodney joined by Sullivan (doubling on tenor and trumpet), pianist Norman Simmons, bassist Victor Sproles and drummer Roy Haynes. Six of the songs are originals (five by Simmons, who was responsible for all of the arrangements) and they are very much in the modern bop mainstream of the time. In addition, there are six standards including "Rhythm in a Riff" which has a rare Rodney vocal. A fine straight-ahead date.

Red Rodney - Broadway (Status ST 8306) = The New Sounds (Prestige PRLP 122)


Red Rodney (tp) Jimmy Ford (ts, vo) Phil Raphael (p) Phil Leshin (b) Phil Brown (d)

NYC, September 27, 1951

The Baron
Mark
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
If You're But A Dream
Coogan's Bluff
Red Wig
This Time The Dream's On Me


*Tracks of Kai Winding, Gerry Mulligan & Brew Moore are out of this CD.