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Maybe it's because I just saw Wynton Marsalis and Ken Burns sitting down with Charlie Rose to discuss the "Jazz" miniseries, but suddenly I remembered, "Didn't I just get a Philly Joe Jones CD a few days ago?" Good thing I remembered. This is a gem. I'm not sure how deeply Burns is going to get into drummer lineage, but Philly, veteran with Bill Evans and Red Garland among others, is about as deep as it gets. The performances here were recorded during the winter of 1977 in Berkeley with Nat Adderly on coronet, Ira Sullivan on tenor and soprano saxes, Dexter Gordon on tenor sax, and the impeccable rhythm section of pianist George Cables and Ron Carter on bass. The up-tempo opener "Confirmation" features some of Philly's deft stick-articulation in his lengthy solo. But as with any good jazz album, the sum is much more than just its parts. Superlative performances abound, particularly Nat Adderly's relaxed jaunt through the Benny Bailey tune "Neptunis," and Ira Sullivan's equally sublime blowing on Ron Carter's "United Blues." Dexter Gordon melds effortlessly with Cables, his regular pianist at the time, on the classic ballad "Polka Dots And Moonbeams." Through the entire record, Philly Joe Jones is as swinging as the rest of the historic lineup. Which makes me sad to some extent. Not only that this type of harmonious jazz playing has lost some level of its reverence (with all due respect to Ken Burns, who is doing good work), but even that locally here in the Bay Area-- this stuff was rampant at one time. Kinda makes me miss the old Yoshi's. Thank goodness we have albums like this to remind us. Review by Don Zulaica
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Philly Joe Jones