Feb 16, 2012

The Teddy Charles Tentet


barabara sounds sez:
I'll come clean: I don't know much (well, I didn't until I lucked on this album) about the 'legendary' Teddy Charles. But I do know good album art when I see it. And I do know that if you've got arrangements of Gil Evans and George Russell, and you've got Art Farmer and Mal Waldron in the band, it's got to be more than just good. And it is. And looking at who he played with and produced (see down below), that's enough to want to make you explore his whole back catalog. Highlights (IMHO) on this album are The Emperor and the final track, the Russell number. 

amg sez:
Most of this CD features vibraphonist Teddy Charles heading an advanced tentet in 1956, a unit including the likes of trumpeter Art Farmer, altoist Gigi Gryce, tenor saxophonist J.R. Monterose, pianist Mal Waldron, and guitarist Jimmy Raney. The arrangements of George Russell ("Lydian M-1"), Gil Evans (a year before Miles Ahead), Jimmy Giuffre, Mal Waldron, and Charles are quite advanced but often leave room for some swinging spots. The final three selections on the CD are actually taken from a slightly later album. Of these, "Blue Greens" is a change of pace, a quartet outing for Charles, pianist Hall Overton, bassist Charles Mingus, and drummer Ed Shaughnessy. All in all, this CD is pretty definitive of Teddy Charles' more adventurous music of the 1950s and it grows in interest with each listening. 

The legendary Teddy Charles, considered to be one of the great jazz vibraphonists and composers of all time, makes his Atlas debut with his tentet...The legendary performer has played with jazz icons such as Charlie Mingus, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis in addition to recording numerous albums. In 2008, after an extended hiatus in which Charles lived at sea, he returned full force to the jazz scene with performances in the US, a tour in the Netherlands and a new studio recording, Dances with Bulls.

Trivia: 
On the original album release, Art Farmer was listed under the peudonym Peter Urban.

Plenty more on Teddy Charles' current projects at
his own web site here...

at

30 comments:

  1. taro nombeiFebruary 16, 2012 at 8:38 PM

    Jazz to the power of ten...

    http://www.mediafire.com/?9vkp58oiat8cp45

    and remember, comments please (indeed they do!)

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  2. bugelFebruary 16, 2012 at 10:05 PM

    thx alot for this

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  3. g.rafFebruary 17, 2012 at 5:50 AM

    Hi Taro Nombei,

    Thanks for this , looks good.
    Just to let you know, i have tried to extract from the file twice now and failed. Could just be a problem my end, not sure.

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  4. taro nombeiFebruary 17, 2012 at 9:04 AM

    Hi g.raf
    Just checked and it should be OK.
    Let me know if you're still having problems...

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  5. boogiemanFebruary 18, 2012 at 4:08 AM

    Thanks Taro, Teddy Charles is often overlooked. I like his work with Mingus and, in a more commercial vein, with Earl Bostic.
    Cheers

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  6. g.rafFebruary 18, 2012 at 7:10 AM

    Sorry T.N. you are right, file is perfectly good.
    Many thanks for introducing me to Teddy Charles. I am a sucker for vibe players and he had certainly slipped by me.

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  7. taro nombeiFebruary 18, 2012 at 1:52 PM

    @ g.raf
    No prob. A great discovery for me too.

    @ boogieman
    Like I said, I'm keen to discover the man's back catalog. Thanks for the pointers!

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  8. MilesFebruary 19, 2012 at 11:13 AM

    I'd nearly forgotten about this recording. It was in my collection at one time, but lost to a purge evidently. A pretty remarkable line-up, wouldn't you say? And if memory serves, an engaging listen. Thanks for the reminder and chance to rediscover this.

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  9. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2012 at 4:17 AM

    Thank you....much appreciated.

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  10. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2012 at 4:19 AM

    Thank you very much. Much appreciated

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  11. taro nombeiFebruary 20, 2012 at 10:27 AM

    @ Miles
    It was the line-up that first grabbed my eye. Anything with Mal is going to be interesting.
    All in all, there's some top playing on this album, and some great compositions.
    Glad you dropped by!

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  12. taro nombeiFebruary 20, 2012 at 10:28 AM

    @ Anon & Anon
    You're welcome.
    You're welcome.
    ;-)

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  13. Je re miFebruary 21, 2012 at 10:07 AM

    Thank you Taro San!!! Your blog conceals lots of good music.

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  14. Bonner Springs MoversFebruary 21, 2012 at 4:07 PM

    I am totally agree with you all of commenter nice ideas you have posted.
    Thank you.

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  15. Adam SeeFebruary 26, 2012 at 8:54 AM

    Many thanks for this! Never heard this recording before. Excited to give it a spin tonight.

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  16. EricMarch 1, 2012 at 12:04 PM

    Thank you for this and whatever other musical delights I might find here this evening.

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  17. rulitosMarch 8, 2012 at 6:14 AM

    great...thanks so much

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  18. AnonymousApril 15, 2012 at 10:02 AM

    Thank you
    -Frankie Mules

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  19. AnonymousApril 21, 2012 at 8:43 PM

    R.I.P. Teddy

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/21/arts/music/teddy-charles-jazz-musician-turned-sea-captain-dies-at-84.html?_r=1&hpw

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  20. taro nombeiApril 22, 2012 at 1:10 AM

    That's too bad. RIP indeed.
    And thanks anon for posting — I hadn't seen that.

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  21. a real mfJune 5, 2012 at 10:13 PM

    love the tracks with mingus!!

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  22. AnonymousJune 26, 2012 at 3:03 PM

    Wonderful, AMAZING blog you have here! Thank you for this awesome Teddy Charles, I'm beyond thrilled I was able to find this, to listen to for my research project. Also, The Sarah Vaughn Sings Michel Legrand...BIG props to you for that, also! I must say, in searching for musical examples in the course of my research, I was on the verge of despair, and suddenly, beyond all hope, I found it in Barbara Sounds, more than a few times. You have given me a number of thrills through the content here, and for that I am really, really grateful! Keep up the GREAT work!
    Yours,
    Dragn.

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  23. taro nombeiJuly 2, 2012 at 9:13 AM

    @ Dragn
    Now that is the sort of comment I really like :-)

    Seriously, I am really pleased if this little corner of the blogosphere can help bring bring pleasure, educate or — best of all — inspire.

    Good luck with your research project — glad to be been of assistance!!

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  24. BaronAugust 5, 2012 at 11:59 PM

    Taro Nombei - thank you

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  25. BarryBJune 14, 2013 at 3:36 AM

    Damn. Dead linked. I read through all the intro, and it really got me interested in the Tentet album, too! Wish Mediafire hadn't scrubbed so much good material back last year.

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  26. taro nombeiJune 17, 2013 at 6:29 AM

    Is that a request for a re-up?
    Not impossible, although I may not get there for a while. But do stay tuned...

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  27. AnonymousJune 17, 2013 at 9:58 AM

    Yes it is, and thanks. I will keep in touch.

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  28. taro nombeiJune 26, 2013 at 1:44 AM

    @ Barry B

    jazz to the power of ten:

    http://www.mediafire.com/download/6pxq1asjnvga04p/TC_tentet.zip

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  29. AnonymousJuly 9, 2013 at 3:06 PM

    Taro, the link is still dead. Can we have another re-up? Thanks!

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  30. AnonymousAugust 9, 2013 at 9:42 PM

    Thank you, very much! --Justin

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