like rain whispers mist

Classic Chu Berry Columbia and Victor Sessions (#236)

Chu Berry - tenor saxophone

Bandleaders & other notables include: Fletcher Henderson, Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Mildred Bailey, etc.

Considering the brevity of 'Chu's' life, and that his recording career spans a mere decade, it is remarkable that his name continues to loom large in the annals of jazz. had he lived, there is no doubt that he would be ensconced in the jazz pantheon alongside Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. He was that good.

- Dan Morgenstern, Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University

The annuals of jazz is unfortunately filled with stories of young musicians passing before their time, leaving listeners to wonder those usual questions of what would have been and where might the music have gone if they lived on. Leon "Chu" Berry could be the archetype for these questions that have long been attached to to the likes of Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Eric Dolphy, etc.

Born in Wheeling, West Virgina in September of 1910 and passing in October of 1931 due to injuries he received in an accident three days earlier while a passenger in a car of Cab Calloway Band members on their way to Canada for a job; Berry is almost completely forgotten by even the more astute jazz fans. Yet, he still considered a seminal influence by many of today's tenors including Branford Marsalis and James Carter. As usual, the availability of records is a big part of this problem. And this Mosaic box set may not really solve the problem because it is a specialty boutique of sorts, nonetheless, this is no doubt the definitive edition of his music available at anytime- past, present, or future.

Straight up, this is the definition of a swingin' tenor from the days before Bird & Diz changed the landscape. And while Hawkins, Young, and Webster are oft considered the big three tenors of the times, Chu Berry was the one being looked on as the next major figure. While the aforementioned Hawkins was Berry's idol, Hawkins looked at Berry as an equal. That swing that so predominated his playing, is ultimately what separated Berry from Hawkins most other elements being equal.

What is collected here in this release is over two hundred performances including many Cab Calloway and Fletcher Henderson sides. A complete discographical breakdown can be found at Mosaic here. On a personal listening note, I find it amazing how compact solos were back in these days on record, before they could stretch out. On the fly, purely formed, encapsulated messages every time. I wonder how many cats playing today could do the same?

So you might be thinking, 'where's the sounds? I'm interested, let's take a listen...' Well, I don't own this set yet. A friend and I hooked up a couple months ago and from the first couple of tunes I was hooked. It's the top of the Christmas list, but looking at my budget I am not holding my breath, Nonetheless, the sounds are still in my head.

Both musically and historically, in my mind, this is the historical release of the year. Check it out at Mosaic Records here. If you have never ordered form them, have no fear, they are great people. Some sound samples available on that link as well.

Mosaic concludes their little description of the set with the following, I think it's appropriate:

Listening to these recordings, there's no mistaking his influence on Charlie Parker (who named his first son for Berry) and every other bebopper, John Coltrane, and a host of other saxophonists today who may not even know from whom the ideas originated. Now, they'll know.

Let's hope so...

Labels: Listening Notes, Musicians A - G