Hip Cake Walk - Don Patterson & Booker Ervin

 

Hip Cake Walk

Hip Cake Walk

Don Patterson with Booker Ervin

Supervision: Ozzie Cadena

Recording: Rudy Van Gelder

Prestige Records 7349

1964

Don Patterson - Organ

Booker Ervin - Tenor Sax

Billy James - Drums

Leonard Houston - Alto Sax (Hip Cap Walk & Under The Boardwalk only)

From the back cover: When Prestige Records, asked me whether I would like to do the liner-notes for an album by Don Patterson, an organist recently singed to a contract by the company, I accepted the assignment with some hesitancy. I knew that Booker Ervin, the tenor saxophonist on the record, would not have played with a musical of little or no talent, so I finally persuaded myself to tackle the job. I was convinced that I would have to labor long and hard to turn out an acceptable set of notes, without, of course, committing myself to praise or half-hearted flattery.

I had seen Don's first album for Prestige, The Exciting New Organ Of Don Patterson (Prestige 7331) with Booker Ervin and drummer Billy James as part of the group, but I had not heard it. Quite frankly – I didn't want to. I suspected that Don Patterson was one of those nondescript bangers, one of those hippies who knew the changes to I Got Rhythm and the blues, period!

A few days after receiving this record I decided to make my first attempt to write the first outline for these notes, and put the record on my phonograph to brave what I thought would be an unpleasant experience.

Well! I listened to the album for two hours before inviting a friend who was interested in jazz to come over and join me. I knew that he also had a lifelong antipathy to organ players, so I withheld the information that what had so excited me was a record by an organist.

At first note of Sister Ruth my friend sat back with a sneer on his face – 'Oh, one of those tenor and organ things,' he said, derisively. About two minutes into the first number, his feet started to move, but he didn't let on that he was enjoying it. When I looked over to where he was sitting, I noticed a smile starting to form on his face. 'Don Patterson? Are you sure that's not Hank Jones?

As you can gather from the first few paragraphs of these notes – I haven't liked many of the organ players whom I've heard. If fact, Don Patterson is the first organist with whom I've not only been satisfied, but he's the only player of the instrument that I have fully enjoyed.

My friend was right when he said that Don Patterson sounds like Hand Jones (I would like to be able to manage it, myself), he was also on the ball when he pointed out that Booker Ervin has never sounded better. Both Booker and Don (and don't forget Billy James) play with amazing force and power. Both of them evidence a super-abundant technique and a fine flow of ideas which makes this album more than just 'enjoyable'.

With the kind of playing heard here, it is impossible to sustain the forceful outlay of energy without a good technical command of the instruments used. There are a lot of musicians who would have seen fit to coast through the lengthy blues, Hip Cake Walk, but listen to the way the quartet, with newcomer Leonard Houston added on alto for this side, build chorus after chorus. Again a good command of the dynamics which their instruments can produce keeps them rolling  along. Another interesting thing to listen for is Billy Jame's one-man rhythm section behind Patterson. And he certainly doesn't limit himself to only playing the time, his percussionist effects are highly dynamic and infectious propulsive. What I would call ideal drumming. But, of course, the whole group is strong and vital in its approach and sound.

The first side opens with Patterson's own minor-blues composition, Sister Ruth. After the riff theme, Booker Ervin opens his solo choruses in typical stomping fashion. Again he demonstrates a searing tone and red-hot attack as he literally eats up the changes. Don comes in for his single line statements with Booker and Billy shouting behind him. Don's command of his axe is really fluid and he utilizes every aspect of the keyboard's spectrum with great control.

The Walt Disney character Donald Duck always appeared as a pretty shining and leaping flyer as does Patterson's re-creation of him here. This is one of those straight-ahead blues swingers in B flat with Booker screaming through his solo with punching force. Don again ripples over the keyboard with assurance and hot driving power. I can well imagine Charlie Parker's lines sounding like Don's do here. Notice, also, Don's backing during the exchange of fours' with Booker. The assertive character of Don shows with his playing in the back of Booker demonstrate, that an organ doesn't have to assume a 'quiet' role in accompanying a soloist.

Earl Hines' most famous composition Rosetta, (neglected by most modern jazz musicians) is just the right material for the group. Don't opening choruses (complete with ingenious repeating figures) is a model of expert control and unforced gliding swing. Dig Billy James push Don softly-but with all the swinging authority needed. As Booker enters, Don takes up behind him, enhancing an already good solo with just the type of driving force needed.

There are a lot of good examples of long blues on record, but this recording of Hip Cake Walk (another Patterson original) is done with taste and low-keyed swing that it's sure to become a classic. Don's friend, Leonard Houston takes the chorus after the organist and plays some passionate ideas with a warm tone and fluid facility. After Leonard has had his say, Booker drifts in for a few braces of his own. Listen to his speech-like ideas that pepper the solo.

Resnick and Young's Under The Boardwalk has a nice opening samba statement by Patterson. Again Billy James demonstrates a drum technique which is firm yet gentle. You can almost picture the tide coming in under that Boardwalk as Don weaves out his lines.

Don Patterson is only twenty-eight years old, having been born in Columbus, Ohio in 1936, and, for such a young man to have accomplished all he has on this album at his age is really remarkable. His command of his instrument shows the talent which only develops with a great deal of experience. I feel that the swinging result of that experience can really be heard here, and it's all ready for your pleasure. – Walter Catt - October 1964

Sister Ruth

Donald Duck

Rosetta

Hip Cake Walk

Under The Boardwalk