Jazz Under The Dome - Freddy Merkle

Proto Cool

Jazz Under The Dome
The Freddy Merkle Group
Arranged and Conducted by Bill Potts
Produced and Directed by Bob Rolontz
Vik LX-1114
A Product of RCA Victor
Recorded May 10, 1957, in RCA Victor Studio No. 3, New York City.

Personel:

Trombone: Earl Swope & Rob Swope
Tenor Sax: Al Seibert & Ted Efantis
Baritone Sax: Joe Davie
Tumpet: John Payne, Joe Bovello & Hal Posery
Bass: John Beal
Drums: Freddy Merkle
Piano: Bill Potts

From the back cover: For a town where most jazz musicians work day-gigs to eat, Washington, D.C., raises a lot of awfully good musicians, Earl Swope was about the first one to make it nationally playing modern jazz; and before – well – there was Duke Ellington, of course, but there have been hundreds less famous. Drummer-leader Freddy Merkle, who caused the LP to happen, gives the impression of a man unwilling to resign himself to neglect. Under thinning wisps of blond hair, Merkle directs a detective's quiet, hot stare into one's eyes.

"Everybody was in town at the time," he says. "I figured it was a good time to see if anybody would be interested in something from Washington again." Pleased with the album which resulted, he conceivably might have been pleased even if it hadn't turned out as swingingly good.

Freddy Merkle was born in 1928. His frist drum enthusiasm was Sid Carlett, on Prez' Keynote record Afternoon Of A Basie-ite. Today his preference is for Art Taylor.

"But I've got my own thing going, whether anybody digs it or not."

How does Freddy describe his "own thing'? –

"Getting away from the solo-type thing. Like, Kenny Clarke is concentrating on laying down the time instead of flashy solos. I'm for the rhythm section working as a team, and grooving.

"The rhythm section is like the line on a football team – they open up the holes and let the man with the ball run through. The line is in on every play; the rhythm section is in on every beat.

Among the cats one finds in Washington is Bill Potts, a craggy, frosted-black-wire-haired iconoclast and post-cynic whose writings for The Orchestra showed him to be as good as any big-band composer-arranger around, and better then most. His piano-playing is as good as his writing; in fact, it sounds like his writing. Listen to his piano-work on Aide de "Comp," for illustrations.

This album consists of them Bill Potts originals, five played by a 5-piece band and five by an 11-piece band (3 saxes, 5 brass, 3 rhythm) which sound like a much bigger band. Freddy Merkle chose half of the titles; but several titles are distinctively Bill Potts; he digs titles which thumb their noses at many popularly accepted attitudes, and most of his titles have several meanings on different levels, somewhat like Al Capp dialogues. I don't always approve of the mean gins, and this bothers Bill none. But, on one level at least, one of the titles is this collection, D.C. Current, would make at least as good a title for the whole album as the one it was given; the phenomenon of the current D.C. scene.

These tracks don't stop at good writing, however. Freddy Merkle and his men swing!

I think people are going to flip. – Willis Conover

From Billboard - May 24, 1958: This is a nicely swingin' set that can move with exposure. The original tunes and arrangements by Bill Potts are neatly presented by the Merkle crew featuring Rob and Earle Swope. The groups vary between sets of five and 11 musicians. The sound with either number displays a progressive mainstream feeling that can appeal to a wide range of jazz tastes. Very readable notes by Willis Conover.

Proto Cool
Pottsville, U.S.A.
White House
Pernod 806
555 Feet High
Happy Daze
Aide De "Comp"
Shhhhhh!
D.C. Current
Lunch Box