Red Rodney - Live At The Village Vanguard (1980) [vinyl]

Red Rodney’s 1980 sessions at The Village Vanguard marked the beginning of his comeback and finds the leader’s trumpet work in fine form. Two experienced horn players and a young rhythm section made for a strong program with hard bop drama and pure musical ballad sentiment. In the liner notes, Rodney states, "I was determined to associate myself with young musicians in order to move ahead with the music of today." Ira Sullivan picks up the flugelhorn as Red Rodney carefully interweaves muted trumpet lines around Johnny Mandel’s "A Time For Love." And they both opt for flugelhorns on "What Can We Do" with Sullivan coming from the right channel, Rodney from the left. Again, on the final track, the two seasoned veterans perform together on trumpet and flugelhorn. Jack Walrath, who wrote half the tunes on this program, contributed much to Rodney's band library over the years. It's Walrath's "Come Home To Red" that allows the leader to pour his open trumpet sound over the room (backed by Sullivan's gentle flute fills) as a reminder that one of his earliest influences was Harry James. After a long career with several disturbing setbacks, it's nice to remember that Red Rodney succeeded in the end by passing the torch on triumphantly to the next generation. ~ Extract by Jim Santella, AllAboutJazz.

Muse Records, MR 5209, 1980

Recorded 8^th & 9^th May and 5^th July, 1980, At The Village Vanguard, New York City

Musicians:

Red Rodney - Trumpet (#A1-A3,B2,B3), Flügelhorn (#A2,B1)

Ira Sullivan - Flügelhorn (#A2,B1,B3), Soprano Sax (#A1), Tenor Sax (#A3), Flute (#B2)

Garry Dial - Piano

Paul Berner - Bass

Tom Whaley - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Lodgellian Mode {Jack Walrath} (8:41)

A2. A Time For Love {Johnny Mandel} (5:36)

A3. Mr. Oliver {Jeff Meyer} (8:42)

B1. What Can We Do {Simon Salz} (9:54)

B2. Come Home To Red {Jack Walrath} (5:06)

B3. Blues In The Guts {Jack Walrath} (6:38)

Credits:

Producer - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Malcolm Addey (Remote Facilities)

Mastering Engineer - Joe Brescio At The Master Cutting Room, NYC

Cover Design - Mark Larson

Liner Notes - Red Rodney

Red Rodney with Ira Sullivan - Night And Day (1981) [vinyl]

The Red Rodney-Ira Sullivan Quintet was one of the finest groups of the early 1980s. Rodney had an opportunity to play fresh material; Sullivan gained more exposure than he ever had in his career; and pianist Garry Dial was given high-profile and challenging writing assignments; bassist Barry Smith and drummer Steve Bagby completed the band in mid-1981. On this Muse LP (their fourth of six recordings), the musicians perform fresh versions of two standards ("Night and Day" and "You Leave Me Breathless"), plus four challenging originals. Sullivan plays trumpet on three of the six pieces, alto on two, and soprano on one. The exciting "Dial-A-Brew" is a highlight of this recommended (but sadly out of print) set. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG.

This studio date was the final Muse session for this band and it is truly a monster! Ira plays trumpet along with Red on three of the tunes, alto on a couple and one on soprano. It is kind of a rare sound with two trumpets fronting a quintet but Ira's versatility gives this band a lot of sounds to work with; as a result none of these albums sounds quite like the last. Ira's alto solo on Muck and Meyer is so strong you have to wonder why he didn't use that horn more. Well worth repeated listens, Enjoy!

Muse Records, MR 5274, 1981

Recorded 15^th & 16tth June, 1981 at Nola Studio, New York City

Musicians:

Red Rodney - Trumpet (#A1,B3), Flugelhorn (#A2-B2)

Ira Sullivan - Trumpet (#A1,B3), Alto Sax (#A1,B1), Soprano Sax (#A2)

Garry Dial - Piano

Barry Smith - Double Bass

Steve Bagby - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Night And Day {Cole Porter} (4:03)

A2. You Leave Me Breathless {Frederick Hollander, Ralph Freed} (6:20)

A3. Babies {Jeff Meyer} (5:55)

B1. Muck And Meyer {Jeff Meyer} (5:25)

B2. Frito Mistos {Jeff Meyer} (5:20)

B3. Dial-A-Brew {Garry Dial} (6:11)

Credits:

Producer - Bob Porter

Engineer - Malcolm Addey

Mastering Engineer - Joe Bresco at The Master Cutting Room, NYC

Cover Concept and Photo - Arthur Paxton

Back Photo - Hugh Bell

Liner Notes - Richard M. Sudhalter