Vanguard Jazz Orchestra Thad Jones Legacy (1999)

One doesn't automatically think of big bands when remembering late-'60s jazz, though big bands like the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra continued to make stimulating recordings. Central Park North, recorded and released in 1969, testifies that one could be a big band and progressive at the same time. Flügelhornist Jones and percussionist Lewis are joined by a large cast of players, including tenor Joe Farrell, trombonist Jimmy Knepper, and pianist Roland Hanna. The music runs the gauntlet from funky soul-jazz to more gentle traditional work, sometimes within the same piece. Jones' "Tow Away Zone" begins like a rather typical late-'60s composition (horns and organ with a soulful groove), but as the individual players cut loose with excellent solo work – built within a multi-layered arrangement – the piece takes on a character of its own.

A leaderless sextet jams on four of pianist Mal Waldron's originals. The performances range from eight to 12 minutes apiece. The all-star lineup - trumpeter Thad Jones, Frank Wess on tenor and flute, guitarist Kenny Burrell, Waldron, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Taylor - is in fine form on the straight-ahead material. Bop fans will want to pick this up.

Though still a member of the Count Basie band, Thad Jones began to make his mark as a forward-thinking bop trumpeter and writer with recordings such as these from 1956 and 1957. Like its companion release, The Jones Boys, the performances are from a gathering of the leader's namesakes and members of the Basie band. The Detroit connection is also represented by pianist Tommy Flanagan and bassist Doug Watkins, along with Thad and his brother Elvin (on drums for four tracks). The music is cool, swinging bop that has affinities with the transitional sounds of Jones' contemporaries Miles Davis and Clifford Brown. The Basie influence is evident in the insistent, economic pulse of the rhythm section. The young leader's tart, inviting sound finds good company in the energetic, swinging, imaginative work of saxophonists Frank Foster and Frank Wess (who switches to flute for a track)…

In 1956, trumpeter Thad Jones was making his way forward as a leader and apart from his important role with the Count Basie Orchestra, having recorded for the Charles Mingus owned "Debut" and Period labels. But this release for Blue Note most firmly established him as one of the premier musicians and composers in modern jazz; it's titled "Magnificent" for many great reasons. There are several precedents set here; the initial foray out of Detroit for the young pianist and fellow Michiganian Barry Harris, the identifying of a personalized small group, as well as individual sound of Jones, and his ability to easily bring great jazz icons together as a team. With Detroit's Billy Mitchell on tenor sax, Percy Heath's bass, and stellar drummer Max Roach, this quintet makes truly great jazz music together…