From: marvo@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (ronald.f.roberts)
Subject: Re: Hello!,NEW TO News Group
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 16:10:10 GMT

In article <1993Jan11.181500.23725@cbnewsl.cb.att.com> mingus@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (Damballah Wedo) writes:
>> lmcohen@terapin.com (Lee Cohen):
>> [ talks about West Coast Jazz ad Art Pepper ]
>
>Welcome to rec.music.bluenote. Given your particular expertise, what
>can you tell us (well, me :-)) about Sonny Criss, Harold Land and
>other so-called "black California" jazz musicians?
>
>I know next to nothing about Criss except that he plays on an
>anthology called BLACK CALIFORNIA that gary Giddins raved about 
>once and which I've never seen in stores. I know Land from the
>Clifford Brown-Max Roach  band and from one LP (THE FOX). I want
>to know more. I also found a 50s album by Buddy Collette which
>is good, and would like to know what else is out there.

Sonny Criss was on the front lines of the bop revolution (on Central
Avenue) in LA in the approximate time frame of 1946 to 1952.  I believe
he was originally from the southeast (perhaps Tennessee).  His technique
was excellent (check out is solos adjacent Bird in "Inglewood Jam") and 
his projection was very powerful--he always appeared very sure of where
his solos were going.  After the mid 50s, he apparently had some difficulty
finding work in the form of solid recording contract.  So he traveled
overseas.  In the mid 70s, he was sought out by I think Bob Porter who
produced two California recording dates.  Shortly therafter Sonny's life
ended tragically as an apparent suicide.

Below is an (incomplete) list of recordings on which Sonny appears.  My
personal recommendations are "CA Boppin'", "SC 4tet 1949-1957", "Saturday
Morning", "I'll Catch The Sun", "SC w/ G. Arvanitas Trio", and "Crisscraft"
"Crisscraft" has a searing, groove-tune entitled "The Isle Of Celia", written 
by Horace Tapscott but very reminiscent of Horace Silver's "Song For My Father" 

"BLACK CALIFORNIA", is a dynamite, out-of-print Savoy (SJL 2215) vinyl twofer.
It contains an assortment of music recorded in CA from 1947 to 1952.  Artists
who appear in the anthology include Sonny Criss, Wardell Gray, Harold Land,
Dexter Gordon, Dodo Marmarosa, Al Killian (trumpet), Art Pepper and Hampton
Hawes.  BTW one track ("Back breaker"-- a 16-minute jam w/ Criss, Gray, Killian,
Russ Freeman, Barney Kessel, Harry Babasin) is currently available on Sonny
Criss's "CA Boppin'" 

Also appended is an (incomplete) list of recordings on which Harold Land
appears.  As was pointed out earlier, he was a member of the important
Max Roach-Clifford Brown band that produced such wonderful music for a few
years before Brownie's tragic fatal accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.


Some Sonny Criss recordings

As a leader:
Criss, Sonny - California Boppin' 1947                   (Fresh Sound 1991, CD)
Criss, Sonny - Sonny Criss Quartet 1949-1957             (Fresh Sound 1989, CD)
Criss, Sonny - Jazz U.S.A.                                   (Liberty 1990, CD)
Criss, Sonny - Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter                 (Liberty 1990, CD)
Criss, Sonny - Saturday Morning                           (EPM/Xanadu 1989, CD)
Criss, Sonny - I'll Catch The Sun                           (Prestige 1991, CD)
Criss, Sonny - Sonny Criss With George Arvanitas Trio Li (Fresh Sound 1989, CD)
Criss, Sonny - Crisscraft                                       (Muse 1991, CD)
Criss, Sonny - Out Of Nowhere                                   (Muse 1988, CD)
Also plays on:
Baker, Chet - Live At The Trade Winds 1952               (Fresh Sound 1991, CD)
Hawes, Hampton - The Hampton Hawes All-Stars Live At Mem (Fresh Sound 1990, CD)
Parker, Charlie - Inglewood Jam Bird & Chet Live At The  (Fresh Sound 1989, CD)
Also on records:
	None


Some Harold Land recordings

As a leader:
Land, Harold - Harold In The Land Of Jazz               (Contemporary 1988, CD)
Also plays on:
Brown, Clifford - Clifford Brown & Max Roach                  (Emarcy 1986, CD)
Geller, Herb - That Geller Feller                        (Fresh Sound 1990, CD)
Perkins, Carl - Memorial                                 (Fresh Sound 1990, CD)
Also on records:
	None
-- 

Ron Roberts
AT&T Bell Laboratories, P.O. Box 900, Princeton, New Jersey 08542-0900
rfr@pruxp.att.com, phone: 609-639-2242, fax: 609-639-3121