Bundle From Britain - Johnny Dankworth

 

Jones

Bundle From Britain

Johnny Dankworth and His Orchestra

At Newport

Recorded At The Newport Jazz Festival, July, 1959

Top Rank Records RM 314

Trumpet - Derrick Abbot, Stan Palmer, Bob Carson, Kenneth Wheeler

Trombone - Tony Russell, Danny Elwood, Garry Brown, Ronnie Snyder

Piano - David Lee

Bass - Eric Dawson

Drums - Kenny Clare

Alto Clarinet - Johnny Dankworth

Tenor Sax / Clarinet / Bass Clarinet -  Danny Moss

Bariton Sax / Clarinet / Flute - Alex Leslie

Trumpet / Tenor Horn - Dickie Hawdon

Trombone - Laurie Monk

From the back cover: The first American appearance of Johnny Dankworth band – Britain's best large band jazz unit – took place at the Newport Jazz Festival, Friday night, July 3, 1959, and this is the record of that event.

No British jazz unit has ever been as well received in America. The day after, John S. Wilson wrote in the New York Times: "Mr. Dankworth's group, arriving here quite unknown, showed the underlying merit that made big bands successful many years ago – the swinging drive, the harmonic color and the support in depth for soloists that is possible when a disciplined, imaginatively directed band has worked together for a long time. This English group has a flowing, unforced, rhythmic drive that has virtually disappeared from American bands, Coupled with this is a crispness and precision in its ensemble playing."

Said Down Beat: "This was top-drawer,  big-band playing, smooth, swinging, and powerful. Dankworth (whose alto is the band's most important solo voice) does most of the writing, which is individual and warm. Whereas Ted Heath has succeeded in the U.S. on novelty more than anything, Dankworth's band, though nervous, got in there and swung and proved it is fit for consideration. To other American bands, Dankworth takes no back seat, and his band is far and away the best of big overseas crews."

Noted Variety: "...the band's precision, reminiscent of the Shaw, Goodman and Dorsey bands of the late '30s, mark this group as a remarkable crew which should got a good reception. on its U.S. tour."

The Dankworth band, in fact, received  better than "a good reception." After Newport, Dankworth played a Lewisohn Stadium concert. Commented Eric Salzman in the Times: "The sixteen-piece band has an imaginative big-band style with plenty of sophistication.

After a night at Birdland, manager Oscar Goodstein offered Dankworth an extended engagement whenever it could be arranged. For a week Dankworth played opposite Duke Ellington's band at Lambertville, New Jersey, and won the affection and respect not only of the audiences, but also of the Ellington sidemen. All during Newport, many of the American jazzmen asked first, "How did the Dankworth band do?" Its reputation for professionalism has preceded it here, particularly among American jazz professionals.

Dankworth's own appraisal of the tour in the British Melody Maker was characteristically honest. He and the band enjoyed the experience, felt that they'd do even better next time. Of Newport, he said: "... the boys were tired when they first took the stand at Newport. And they were nervous, too. They pulled out the stops for the occasion and played well – but they didn't come right up to form in solos. Surely that's understandable." Yet, as has been indicated, the critics and other musicians were far from disappointed.

To this listener, one of the primary virtues of the Dankworth band was its crisp efficiency, the product of Dankworth's no-nonsense rehearsal techniques, and the fact that the band is an organic, cohesive instrument of one man – Dankworth himself. The soloists certainly have freedom, but there is no mistaking that the band has a distinctive personality and sound of its own that reflect the thoughtful and exacting goals of its leader.

Also intriguing is the band's command of dynamics; and the variegated textures of the arrangements, made even more provocative by the unusual instrumentation – four trumpets, three trombones and a tuba, piano, bass, drums, and then a front line of Johnny (alto and clarinet), Danny Moss (tenor, clarinet, bass clarinet), Alex Leslie (baritone, clarinet and flute), Dickie Hawdon (trumpet tenor horn) and Laurie Monk (the trombone). The voicing possibilities, there fore, are much more varied than those of the normal big band.

Dankworth, born in London, September 20, 1927, worked on ship crossings for some time, and in his frequent New York stops he absorbed as much live American jazz as he could. He played with several British bands, formed his own septet in 1950 (which was a major influence of British jazzmen), and then assembled the big band in 1953. His popularity has continued to grow, and in one recent year, for example, he won the Melody Maker poll in five different categories – Musician of the Year, Band, Alto, Composer and Arranger.

Now, as a result of his successful American debut trip and a return tory planned shortly it's certain the Dankworth will extend his impact to this country. And here, as it happened at Newport – including the introduction by Willis Conniver and Johnny's own comments – is the first made-in-America Dankworth album. – Nat Hentoff

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