The Jazztet and John Lewis

The Jazztet and John Lewis is an album by the Jazztet, led by trumpeter Art Farmer and saxophonist Benny Golson and featuring performances composed and arranged by John Lewis. It was recorded in late 1960 and early 1961 and originally released on the Argo label.[1]

The Jazztet and John Lewis
Studio album by
John Lewis, Art Farmer and Benny Golson
Released1961
RecordedDecember 20 & 21, 1960 and January 9, 1961
Nola's Penthouse, New York City
GenreJazz
Length41:55
LabelArgo
LP 684
ProducerKay Norton
Art Farmer chronology
Art
(1960)		 The Jazztet and John Lewis
(1961)		 The Jazztet at Birdhouse
(1961)
Benny Golson chronology
Take a Number from 1 to 10
(1960)		 The Jazztet and John Lewis
(1961)		 The Jazztet at Birdhouse
(1961)

Music and recording

John Lewis wrote all of the compositions.[2]:9 The first, "Bel", was written for this recording and is an "affirmative blues with altered chord changes and a slightly [Thelonious] Monkish line".[2]:9 "Milano" is a ballad with "an arrangement that rotates the lead among the three horns".[2]:9 "Django" had been recorded by several groups; this version has a higher tempo than most and has "a vamp that links individual statements and appears as a prodding background", as on the opening track.[2]:9 "New York 19" is another ballad.[2]:9 "2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West" is a "medium-slow blues" that again features a vamp.[2]:9–10 "Odds Against Tomorrow" was written for the 1959 film of the same title; "Lewis passes the melody among the instruments, with diverse combinations of the horns in pairs that gain prominence when the 32-bar blowing section finally arrives."[2]:10

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]

The Allmusic review states, "Even though the Jazztet and Lewis' own group, the Modern Jazz Quartet, are dissimilar in many ways, the marriage is a successful one".[3]

Track listing

All compositions by John Lewis

  1. "Bel" – 4:05
  2. "Milano" – 4:49
  3. "Django" – 4:50
  4. "New York 19" – 7:04
  5. "2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West" – 8:40
  6. "Odds Against Tomorrow" – 12:27

Personnel

Musicians

Production
  • Kay Norton – production
  • Tommy Nola – recording engineering

References
  1. Art Farmer discography accessed June 15, 2012
  2. Blumenthal, Bob (2004) In The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions [CD liner notes]. Mosaic.
  3. Dryden, Ken Allmusic Review accessed June 15, 2012
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