Thad Jones was from Pontiac, Michigan, one of three musical brothers, and he had been playing trumpet in Count Basie's band since May 1954. Leonard Feather, in the original notes, says he was almost unknown when he joined and had piled up good reviews ever since. Blue Note had already made two records with him, Detroit-New York Junction (BLP 1513) and The Magnificent Thad Jones (BLP 1527). This is the third.
It comes from two dates, both at Van Gelder's in Hackensack, with Alfred Lion producing. On Saturday, July 14, 1956, Jones made the 1527 record with Billy Mitchell on tenor, Barry Harris on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Max Roach on drums. One ballad from that day, a quartet without Mitchell, was held back for this record. The rest was cut on Saturday, February 2, 1957, by a new sextet. The Jazz Tome's page gives that date as February 3; the session listing has February 2.
Feather introduces the new band. Benny Powell, on trombone, sat beside Jones in the Basie brass. Gigi Gryce, on alto, had come through Lionel Hampton's band and studied in Paris. Tommy Flanagan, on piano, was a fellow Detroiter, and George Duvivier, on bass, had played on Bud Powell's Blue Note records. On drums was Thad's younger brother Elvin, who had spent three years at the Blue Bird in Detroit with Thad and Mitchell and was now with J.J. Johnson's quintet. Five tunes were taped that day; one, "Going Off Stage," was left off.
"Slipped Again" opens the record, with Elvin's breaks leading into the solos by Thad, Gryce and Powell; later he trades fours with Duvivier and each horn. "Ill Wind" begins over bowed bass, with Jones close to the melody before he improvises.
Notice how subtly Elvin edges into double time with his brushes on the second chorus.
Leonard Feather, original liner notes
"Thadrack" is a fairly fast minor theme, and Feather singles out Duvivier's quick, melodic chorus. "Let's" runs almost nine minutes, with sudden breaks in the rhythm and long turns for Gryce, Powell, Flanagan and Jones. The record ends with the July ballad, the Gershwins' "I've Got a Crush on You."
As usually happens when Thad is in his ballad mood, the verse is included.
Leonard Feather, original liner notes
Roach moves into a double-time feel on the second chorus, and Harris plays the third out of tempo before Jones goes back to the verse.
Jones stayed with Basie until 1963. Two years later he and the drummer Mel Lewis started the big band that would carry both their names.
