Con Soul and Jazz/Wild Bill Is the Boss [CD]

The title of this excellent double-CD should not be taken literally. The Boss is and always was Johnny Hodges. Nevertheless it's very appropriate they have equal billing on the elegant Victor cover of their greatest album "Con-soul & Sax". On this, their 7th LP they again became a partnership of equals. Although each tune is first stated by Hodges it soon becomes clear the carefully prepared arrangements were designed to let Wild Bill solo on every track. And what other sound in jazz can compare with the interplay between jazz's greatest lyrical alto-sax and Davis's hammond organ which can be played very softly or duplicate the sound of a huge orchestra?

Nothing seems to happen by accident on "Con-soul & Sax". Each tune segues into the next as if part of an Ellington suite. A happy mood predominates because they returned to their "Blue Hodge" formula of 5 tracks per side (with only 2 slow ballads). This time one welcomes all 6 Ellington tunes because Wild Bill injects new alchemy into each one. The difference on this album being the choice of some less-familiar Duke like "Johnny Come Lately" from 1942 (on which Hodges didn't solo). But the outstanding track is "On Green Dolphin Street". Followed by an ultra-slow "Li'l Darlin" - which is surprisingy cheerful - with Wild Bill filling-in for the Basie band.

Their second Victor LP "In Atlantic City" illustrates Hodges's problem when sharing the stage with Lawrence Brown and other sidemen. Despite Wild Bill being present it can hardly be differentiated from any other Hodges 50's small-group jam session. But because this 2-night event was so well documented by Stanley Dance (also in his book "The World of Duke Ellington") it does have great historic value - and gives present day listeners a good idea what their small combo must have sounded like when Hodges and Brown broke away from Duke in 1951.

Next Lonehill included their last LP for Verve "Blue Pyramid" (recorded before and after "Con-soul & Sax"!). It shares many of the faults of their 3 previous ones on which Lawrence Brown appears. Despite a few jaunty numbers an air of melancholy takes over. Of the 9 tracks 5 are slow ballads (splicing 2 LP sides together means 4 are back-to-back). Added to which there are Jimmy Jones arrangements and sundry other sidesmen. What Stanley Dance charitably describes as variety is in fact confusion. Hence the need for a new producer and company - RCA - where miraculously they got back their old groove (to misquote Disney).

The 2 other items on CD #2 are worth listening to for curiosity value alone. "Blue Notes" an eclectic well recorded (with echo) late Hodges album where thankfuly his usual beautiful solo work is not overwhelmed by Jimmy Jones's big band arrangements.

Lastly Hodge's one unfortunate "pop" album "Sandy's Gone". If he had arrangements by Claus Ogerman (who did the same for Jobim, Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz) he should have been in good hands. But someone decided to double-track Hodges's alto-sax - making his unique timbre unrecognisable. Knowing the harm it could do to Hodges jazz icon status one wonders why "Sandy's Gone" was ever released? Then one recalls "Beatles" songs were invading America in 1963. Thus it can be filed away with Ellington 65 (& 66) as a very temporary capitulation to a sea change in musical tastes.

But 40 years later one fact stands out. Johnny Hodges and Wild Bill Davis were made for each other. Which is why we are all beneficiaries of the Lonehill team who painstakingly put together 5 CD's of their complete output as a fitting Memorial to 2 great individualists.

Johnny Hodges is one of my favorites and his tone and frazing gives me goosepimples.
I recommed it to every jazz lover.