Bird at the Royal Roost Part 5

For those of you following this series, you have probably noticed just how much the personnel can change from time to time. Stability in jazz combos depended on all sorts of factors. Earlier in the 1940s, many musicians were being called to serve in the armed forces. Some players got gigs with famous bands that were almost always on the road. Many musicians came from many towns to be in certain larger cities, often times to find work. New York City was one of the major hubs, and that is where these performances originate.
Of course, a music enthusiast could pick and choose their favorite players on each instrument and dream that they might gather together (or reunite). This configuration is evidence of just how much the personnel could change, though there could be brief periods where everyone seemed to be in the same place. So, in this period during December, through the holiday season and into the spring of 1949, there is a sort of short term continuity. No, Bud Powell or Dizzy Gillespie are not there. Miles Davis is there for a while, but before long Kenny Dorham replaces him. It is interesting that Miles Davis was making those famous records with his Nonet around this time.
But, for a while the band had a rather stable list of musicians. How did they sound together? In this core group, among them was Kenny Dorham on trumpet. I have always enjoyed the playing of Dorham, and he is heard here a lot, along with one of the best drummer of all time (Max Roach) and Al Haig and Tommy Potter, who make an excellent rhythm section. And on January 1, 1949, a many musicians show up for a jam session to add to the fun. Happy New Year!
Later, two more very fine players join in. Hearing Milt Jackson on vibes created a different tone, and he is such a wonderful soloist, so he is a very welcome ingredient. And Lucky Thompson, who played quite a bit in Los Angeles with some of my favorites there, was now in NYC, playing tenor saxophone, which you sometimes heard in Bop combos, but not ALL the time.
So here is a snapshot of those people who happened to be in NYC that period, and who managed to play together for a while, until something else came along. And we are lucky that this unity provided by playing together for a while was recorded for us to hear years later.
Director, Co-producer Don McGlynn
Co-producer Mark Cantor
Executive Producer Steve Holmgren
Associate Producer Franny Alfano
Podcast Producers Kian Vaziri and Franny Alfano
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