Biography

Jazz Radio Contact: Elbio Barilari
Elbio@delmark.com

Click Here for more Delmark Releases!

JIMMY FORREST, Tenor Sax
Grant Green, Guitar
Harold Mabern, Piano
Gene Ramsey, Bass
Elvin Jones, Drums

SIDE A
ALL THE GIN IS GONE (5:00)
LAURA (6:30)
MYRA (5:30)

SIDE B
CARAVAN (7:06)
WHAT'S NEW (2:50)
SUNKENFOAL (5:18)

1) "All the Gin Is Gone" – 4:46
2) "Laura" (David Raksin, Johnny Mercer) – 6:41
3) "You Go to My Head" (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) –
6:31 (previously unissued)
4) "Myra" – 5:30
5) "Caravan" (Juan Tizol, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills) – 9:23
6) "What's New?" (Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke) – 2:57
7) "Sunkenfoal" – 5:18

Recorded in 1959, released on Delmark in 1965

Album Production/Robert G. Koester
Supervision/Joe Segal
Recording/Hall Studios
Cover/Robert J. Billings

Jimmy Forrest appears thru the courtesy of Raecox Records

The less than gentle title of this album should give you a gleaming insight to the hearty type of offering enclosed...This is uninhibited "BeBop Mainstream," if you please, done by professionals in an easy, relaxed and uncompromising manner. There is nothing cloying, no modern funk effect, no free from investigation. There are, however, great helpings of vitality, inventiveness, excitement, beauty and downright swing! The tunes involved-three standards and three originals-are of simple construction and easily read in the jazz idiom. More about the selections later: first let us investigate the various personages who perform this music.
At the time of this date all of the musicians involved, with the exception of guitarist Grant Green, were with the well-known trumpeter, Harry "Sweets" Edison. Green came to Chicago from his native St. Louis at the behest of leader Jimmy Forrest to make his recording debut. His many recording since this one on Delmark attest to Jimmy's judgement. Fans and critics dig him and indications are that his star is still very much on the ascendency. On these early cuts Grant displays a closer allegiance to the Charlie Christian style of crisp, clipped, almost staccato note playing than he now does.
The rhythm section is indeed of all-star caliber. Pianist Harold Mabern is well-known in the Chicago area, having more or less spread his fledgling wings here along with his Memphis compatriots, Frank Strozier, George Coleman, and the later Booker Little. His first acclaim was as pianist/composer with the Chicago-based MJT&3. Bassist Gene Ramey has played with just about every type of jazz combination possible-from the big sprawling Jay McShann band of Kansas City to Dixie, Swing and BeBop groups. He was a bandmate of Charlie Parker with McShann and later played in several of Bird's working groups. Not known as a soloist, Ramey is admired most for his impeccable time keeping, bug tone, and imperturbability under harrowing conditions (which any musician will tell you is standard fair during his pursuit of musical fulfillment).

The selection of percussionist Elvin Jones to complete the basically swing-imbued rhythm of Edison's band might surprise most jazzjans - especially after one has heard Elvin's revolutionary approach in John Coltrane's group. One listen to either Sweets' group of that time or to this album will dispel any presupposed misgivings. Though Elvin was quite an unexpected surprise, he most certainly was a pleasant one! The overall swing does not suffer and is even further energized by the gifted and imaginative Jones. His is the spark that ignited Jimmy to his greatest recorded heights to date and gave a nervous Grant Green the confidence he so beautifully displays. A little raucous? True! But remember "All The Gin Was Gone."

Our leader on this most auspicious and adventurous Delmark recording to date, Jimmy Forrest, has an enormous musical background which transcends his world-wide renown as a composer of Night Train (thankfully). Oh, where would the strippers be without him? Jimmy's home is St. Louis and he left it in his youth to tour with many bands throughout the mid-west, southwest, and even east to New York (in 1940 with Jay McShann, along with Ramey and Bird). Jimmy spent 5 months with Jay, then joined the then very popular Charlie Parker, on the band for only a few months, was responsible for recommending Forrest. His bandmates there included Floyd Smith, Ben Thigpen, Fats Navarro, Howard McGhee, and the then very young John Young. In '49-'50 he played in the great Duke Ellington orchestra featuring Ben Webster, and after forming a small combo in St. Louis hit the rhythm and blues jackpot with his Night Train recording. (It has haunted him ever since though financially has proved very pleasant. Much later, in 1957, Jimmy took his own group to Birdland, did two four-week stands there with Red Garland, George Joyner, Charlie Persip and Curtis Fuller. His next move was to Harry Edison, which brings us up to date as far as the album is concerned.
The Tunes: Opening with a hard-swinging, foot-stomping blues called Myra, Jimmy impresses with the same intensity of, say, Gene Ammons, with a slight burr to his tone and a heavier approach than usual. Green follows, with Elvin marching right along behind him with that ever-important support mentioned previously. Jones lightens up a bit for Harold Mabern's solo but comes back rearing for his four-bar breaks with Jimmy and the out-chorus.
Beautiful Laura follows and is a gentle soul compared to her earthy predecessor. The face in the misty night gets her point across however by swinging lightly and firmly through her familiar structure with Elvin giving his brushes a chance to dance. Switching almost imperceptibly to sticks as Jimmy's solo begins, Elvin builds right with the tenor till Laura is well in heat. Grant Green maintains his sparse approach and maintains the original gentleness of this standard. In one of his best recorded solos, Harold Mabern selects a simple idea and carries it to completion with the image of the great Duke Jordan very evident in his thoughts. Jimmy eases back in over Elvin's brushes once again to take the tune out.
A short piano intro and Forrest brings his hot tenor sound to the foreground to bemoan the loss of the booze on All the Gin is Gone. After the feeling is set, Jimmy settles into a more relaxed groove and cooks things right down to the marrow. Once more Grant displays the melodic side of his talents before Mabern soles and Jimmy and Elvin trade lusty comments on the sad situation. This is calculated to make you feverishly flip the record over to discover the three other goodies on side two.
Every album must have a production number, and Duke Ellington's Caravan is ours. The longest selection in the set, it features Elvin on brushes in support of the various solos and then into an amazing one of his own. Jimmy's masculine and free-flowing style is most evident here, with his occasional likeness to the late Wardell Gray duly noted. Grant is slightly mellower than usual, playing longer phrases than on most of his other solos. Elvin really begins to cook during his backing of the guitarist, calms down somewhat behind Mabern's interpolation filled spot till just before his explosion into the spotlight. It's a wild solo! Then back to the original arrangement for the out chorus.
The second tune on side two What's New provides an interesting contrast to all of the others. In it Jimmy displays one of the prime requisites of a true professional-the ability to play a ballad simply, prettily, interestingly, and still swing it! All of Jimmy's experience comes to the fore on an effort like this, which quite naturally during an in-person performance is aimed at the paying customers who demand occasional relief from the "non-melodic" meanderings of creative jazz musicians. That he can do this and still maintain musical integrity and keep the staunch jazz fan in two is a credit to his great capabilities.
The final selection, Sunkenfoal, captures all of the intensity of these deeply rooted musicians. Note especially Jimmy's scream a la Dexter Gordon toward the end of his solo. The he should have sounds and ideas in common with such hard players as Dex, Ammons and Wardell is not unusual, considering the facts of his musical heritage. All of these greats have had the same musical and social forces motivating their lives. All began playing early, had worlds of varied experience and musical adventures (big bands and small), had best-selling (for jazz) recordings, and have worded in every conceivable dive in this county and elsewhere.
I, for one, had a ball doing the little directing on this date that was necessary (mostly fighting back the tide of events that gave us the album's title). The material was chosen by the musicians and at no time were any restrictions imposed upon them. I think you'll agree that this unfettered approach resulted in an excellent LP-swinging all the way, certainly soulful, and not at all pretentious. This is the way it should be with any truly creative art form. We at Delmark sincerely hope you do enjoy it and that its issuance will open up a few Night Train-acclimated ears to the truly great talent of tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest.

-- JOE SEGAL