Joel Dorn has spent his life making sure
that classic American music is recorded and preserved
for future generations to enjoy. His custodial work is
not that of a museum curator; his love for music is palpable,
and his warm, earthy attitude permeates all of his work,
from his early production work with artists like Rahsaan
Roland Kirk, Mose Allison, Roberta Flack, and Bette Midler
to his work on the historic 7-CD John Coltrane: The
Heavyweight Champion, his fantastic 32 Records releases,
and his most recent project, the new jazz label Label
M.
Dorn started off as a DJ in Philadelphia,
and wrote to Atlantic Records' Nesuhi Ertegun regularly
as a fan of Ertegun's production work. They became friends,
and eventually Dorn was offered the opportunity to produce
an album by the artist of his choice. His choice was Hubert
Laws, a jazz flutist from Philadelphia.
He continued to produce with Ertegun's guidance and over
time rose to the level of Vice President. Over a period
of 25 years Dorn produced classic albums featuring top
jazz and R&B musicians as well as pop artists. Though
he retired in the mid-80s, he was active, travelling the
country tirelessly seeking rare and unreleased live jazz
recordings. He managed to collect some 250,000 hours of
such music, much of it still unreleased to this day. As
Dorn himself says:
"In the mid-eighties, though, I started hearing
that the famous Sunday afternoon concerts presented
in the sixties and seventies by Baltimore's Left Bank
Jazz Society had been taped. So in August of 1986, my
friend Bernie Drayton and I jumped on the Metroliner
and went down to Baltimore to meet with the folks from
the Left Bank. The rumors were true."
Dorn worked periodically over the next fourteen years
to secure the rights to the Society's tapes. Last spring
he succeeded, and the results will be released over the
next three or four years on Dorn's new Label M. The fifth
installment in the series, Jazz Gems featuring
Freddy Hubbard and Jimmy Heath, demonstrates clearly why
these releases are such a wonderful event for devotees
of jazz.
The disc begins with no fanfare, just straight into a
jam on Jimmy Heath's "All Members", a high-energy
number that features nice solo trades between Hubbard,
Heath, and drummer Bertell Knox. The audience is also
in fine form, clearly very appreciative of the performances
at hand. A rendition of "Bluesville" begins
with Hubbard soloing first, playing very bluesy one moment
and exploding into a fierce bop-influenced run the next.
For those who forgot what a powerhouse Hubbard was in
the sixites, this disc will serve as an instant reminder.
Once Hubbard has built things to a fever pitch, he makes
way for Heath, who, amazingly, starts his solo only a
notch below where Hubbard's left off in terms of energy,
and takes it still higher. Next comes a version of "Lover
Man" that is, in a word, gorgeous. Hubbard states
the theme and solos around it with a grace at times reminiscent
of Miles, but with a much more muscular sound that lends
strength to the ballad. There is a breakneck rendition
of "What Is This Thing Called Love" and a full
17-minute jam on "Autumn Leaves" that features
Heath playing what might be his longest recorded solo.
The audience remains highly attentive, and one senses
that their enthusiasm further fuels the playing of Hubbard
and Heath. I strongly recommend this disc to any jazz
fan, new or old, who wants to hear some first rate musicians
stretching out in a relaxed, informal gig. This month
(March, 2001), Label M will be releasing a recording by
Freddie Hubbard's late 60s quintet, entitled Fastball,
and my money says that disc will be a hot one as well.
So, where did these tapes come from? The Left Bank Society
formed in 1964, the brainchild of a group of friends who
met in a South Baltimore nightclub to discuss jazz. They
decided to form an organization whose goal would be the
promoting of jazz through concerts, jam sessions, and
road trips to nightclubs and festivals. They instituted
the weekly Sunday concert series, booking nationally (an
internationally) known artists into a relaxed, cabaret
atmosphere. Each concert was recorded by the Left Bank
Jazz Society through a home recording, and these tapes
have remained in storage for over 30 years. Probably very
few people remembered that they existed. But Joel Dorn
did. Thanks, man. We'll keep a light in the window.
He continued to produce with Ertegun's guidance and over
time rose to the level of Vice President. Over a period
of 25 years Dorn produced classic albums featuring top
jazz and R&B musicians as well as pop artists. Though
he retired in the mid-80s, he was active, travelling the
country tirelessly seeking rare and unreleased live jazz
recordings. He managed to collect some 250,000 hours of
such music, much of it still unreleased to this day. As
Dorn himself says: