Oop Bop Sh'Bam

Composed by Dizzy Gillespie, arranged by Gil Fuller

Oop Bop Sh'Bam, Billy Eckstine (1946)

Our chart is a David Berger transcription, based on a Gil Fuller arrangement recorded in 1946 by the Billy Eckstine Orchestra. Notice a young Miles Davis in the trumpet section. And Sonny Stitt, who was on the original recording with Dizzy earlier that year.

Miles Davis, Hobart Dotson, Leonard Hawkins, King Kolax (trumpet) Water Knox, Chippy Outcalt, Gerald Velentine (trombone) John Cobbs, Sonny Stitt (alto saxophone) Gene Ammons, Arthur Sammons (tenor saxophone) Cecil Payne (baritone saxophone) Linton Garner (piano) Connie Wainwright (guitar) Tommy Potter (bass) Art Blakey (drums) Billy Eckstine (vocals, valve trombone); Radio Recorders, Hollywood, CA, October 5, 1946

Here's the original sextet version, from 1946:

Oop Bop Sh'Bam, Dizzy Gillespie Sextet (1946)

Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet, vocals) Sonny Stitt (alto saxophone) Milt Jackson (vibraphone) Al Haig (piano) Ray Brown (bass) Kenny Clarke (drums); NYC, May 15, 1946

And here's an interesting tidbit on Kenny Clarke's influence on the lyric.

Clarke wrote a series of exercises for himself to develop the independence of the bass drum and snare drum, while maintaining the time on the ride cymbal. One of these passages, a combination of a rim shot on the snare followed directly by a bass drum accent, earned Clarke his nickname, "Klook", which was short for "Klook-mop", in imitation of the sound this combination produced. This nickname was enshrined in "Oop Bop Sh'Bam," recorded by Dizzy Gillespie in 1946 with Clarke on drums, where the scat lyric to the bebop tune goes "oop bop sh'bam a klook a mop."

Of course, Dizzy did his own take on it with his big band in 1947, albeit at a brisker tempo:

Oop Bop Sh'Bam, Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra (1947, from the short Jivin' in Be-Bop)

Dragon Blues

Composed and arranged by Geoff Keezer

Dragon Blues (publisher's excerpt)

Geoff Keezer

Darn That Dream

Composed by Jimmy Van Heusen, lyric by Eddie DeLange, arranged by Matt Harris

Here are three bands performing the Mat Harris arrangement of Jimmy Van Heusen's Darn That Dream. When we don't have a vocalist, this chart becomes a tenor feature.

Darn That Dream, Lust auf Musik 19

Darn That Dream, "The Swingin' Stage Big Band" de Jacky Simon avec Laurence Allison au chant

Darn That Dream, BIGBAND KON CONSERVATORIUM

A Child Is Born

Composed and arranged by Thad Jones

A Child Is Born, Thad Jones (1970)

Our arrangement of A Child Is Born by the great Thad Jones is straight off the 1970 Consummation album (Blue Note BST 84346) performed by the Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.

Personnel: Thad Jones (flugelhorn, arranger), Snooky Young, Danny Moore, Al Porcino, Marvin Stamm (trumpet), Eddie Bert, Benny Powell, Jimmy Knepper (trombone), Cliff Heather (bass trombone), Jerome Richardson (soprano sax, alto sax, flute, alto flute), Jerry Dodgion (alto sax, clarinet, flute, alto flute), Billy Harper (tenor sax, flute), Eddie Daniels (tenor sax, clarinet, flute), Richie Kamuca (clarinet), Pepper Adams (baritone sax), Roland Hanna (piano), Richard Davis (bass), Mel Lewis (drums)

We often perform this as a guitar feature (instead of the solo piano in the intro), where the guitar takes a couple of solo choruses over the form before the band enters. This is kind of like Kenny Burrell's take on the piece, from his (great) 1971 album God Bless The Child (CTI 6011).

A Child Is Born, Kenny Burrell (1971)

Kenny Burrell (electric guitar); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Hubert Laws (flute); Richard Wyands (piano, electric piano); Hugh Lawson (electric piano); Ron Carter (bass); Billy Cobham (drums); Ray Barretto, Airto Moreira (percussion); Seymour Barab, Charles McCracken, George Ricci, Lucien Schmit, Alan Shulman (cello); Don Sebesky (arranger, conductor)

And lastly check out Ted Gioia's writeup on the piece in his excellent book, The Jazz Standards.

Chicago Song

Composed and arranged by Tom Davis

Chicago Song, Tom Davis (2006)

Chicago Song is an original composition by educator and composer Tom Davis. It appears on his 2006 album Lake Songs. Tom describes the style as a "3/4 ECM groove" and the piece as:

A musical “documentary” of a recent flight to Chicago. A hypnotic groove and a powerful shout simulate the sensations of riding on air.

Here's the lineup on this recording:

Bill Tiberio - Alto 1
Bryan Bricco - Alto 2
Mike Bomwell - Tenor 1
Chuck VanBuren - Tenor 2
Tom Indiano - Bari Sax

Daniel Wright - Trumpet 1
Mike Kaupa - Trumpet 2
Rick Holland - Trumpet 3
Nick Moses - Trumpet 4

Brian Zimmer - Trombone 1
Dave DeWitt - Trombone 2
Russell Scarbrough - Trombone 3
Paul Able - Bass Bone

Dave McGuire - Piano
Geoff Smith - Bass
Reagan Fletcher - Drums

Jon Belec - Recording Engineer
Dave Rivello - Producer
Tom Davis - Composer – Conductor

Boogie Stop Shuffle

Composed by Charles Mingus, arranged by Sy Johnson

Boogie Stop Shuffle, Mingus Big Band (1996)

Sy Johnson's arrangement of the Mingus classic Boogie Stop Shuffle is from the 1996 Mingus Big Band album Live In Time.

Randy Brecker, Earl Gardner, Philip Harper, Ryan Kisor, Alex Sipiagin (tpt); Robin Eubanks, Conrad Herwig, Frank Lacy, Britt Woodman (tb); Gary Bartz (as), Steve Slagle (as, ss); Seamus Blake, Mark Isham, Mark Shim, John Stubblefield (ts); Ronnie Cuber, Gary Smulyan (bari); John Hicks, Kenny Drew, Jr. (p); Andy McKee (b); Adam Cruz (d)

Of course, Sy Johnson is covering the classic original 1959 Mingus recording on Mingus Ah Um.

Boogie Stop Shuffle, Charles Mingus (1959)

Willie Dennis (trombone); Booker Ervin, Shafi Hadi (tenor saxophone); Horace Parlan (piano); Charles Mingus (bass); Dannie Richmond (drums); NYC, May 12, 1959.

Blues For Alfy

Composed and arranged by Bill Holman

Blues For Alfy, Count Basie Orchestra (1976)

Another great Bill Holman arrangement from the 1976 Basie album I Told You So.

Count Basie (p); Sonny Cohn, Pete Minger, Bobby Mitchell, John Thomas, Jack Feierman (tpt); Al Grey, Curtis Fuller, Bill Hughes, Mel Wanzo (tbn); Jimmy Forrest, Eric Dixson, Danny Turner, Bobby Plator, Charlie Fowlkes (sax); John Duke (b); Freddie Green (gtr); Butch Miles (d); Bill Holman (comp/arr)
Recorded at RCA Studios, New York City; January 12, 13, and 14, 1976.

Told You So, from the same I Told You So album, is also in the IHBB book.

Blue Rondo à la Turk

Composed by Dave Brubeck, arranged by Calvin Custer

Blue Rondo à la Turk, arranged by Calvin Custer

Blue Rondo à la Turk made its debut on Dave Brubeck's 1959 album Time Out.

Blue Rondo à la Turk, Dave Brubeck (1959)

Dave Brubeck (piano), Paul Desmond (alto saxophone), Eugene Wright (bass), Joe Morello (drums)

The Blues

Composed and arranged by Don Ellis

The Blues - from Don Ellis At Fillmore (1970)

The Blues is from Don Ellis' Don Ellis At Fillmore recorded in 1970.

Personnel: Don Ellis: trumpet, drums, leader; Glenn Stuart, Stu Blumberg, John Rosenberg, Jack Coan: trumpet; Ernie Carlson, Glenn Ferris: trombone; Don Switzer: bass trombone; Doug Bixby: contrabass trombone, tuba; Fred Selden, Lonnie Shetter, Sam Falzone, John Klemmer; Jon Clarke: woodwinds; Jay Graydon: guitar; Tom Garvin: keyboards; Dennis Parker: bass; Ralph Humphrey: drums; Ron Dunn: drums, percussion; Lee Pastora: congas.

Black and Tan Fantasy

Composed by Duke Ellington and Bubber Miley, arranged by Duke Ellington

Black and Tan Fantasy,
original recording May 11, 1945

Duke recorded Black and Tan Fantasy many times over the years. The version we play was transcribed by David Berger and Mark Lopeman for the Jazz at Lincoln Center series, taken from Duke's 1945 recording for RCA-Victor.

Shelton Hemphill,  Rex Stewart, Taft Jordan, Cat Anderson(t); Ray Nance(t,vn,v); Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Claude Jones(tb); Jimmy Hamilton(cl,ts); Otto Hardwicke(cl,as); Johnny Hodges(as); Al Sears(ts); Harry Carney(cl,as,bar); Duke Ellington(p); Fred Guy(g); Junior Raglin(sb); Sonny Greer(d,ch). New York City, May 11, 1945.

And here's one of the best of the three original 1927 recordings, the year Black and Tan Fantasy debuted.

Black and Tan Fantasy, Duke Ellington (1927)

Duke Ellington (piano), Bubber Miley (trumpet), Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton (trombone), Otto Hardwick (alto sax), Harry Carney (clarinet, baritone sax), Sonny Greer (drums), Louis Metcalf (trumpet), Rudy Jackson (clarinet, tenor sax), Fred Guy (banjo), Wellman Braud (bass). Recorded: Camden, NJ, October 26, 1927 

Soloists: Duke Ellington (piano), Bubber Miley (trumpet), Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton (trombone), and Otto Hardwick (alto sax)