Recalling Some High Points From Giuffre, Hamilton

**** JIMMY GIUFFRE

“The Complete Capitol and

Atlantic Recordings of

Jimmy Giuffre”

Mosaic

*** 1/2 CHICO HAMILTON

“The Complete Pacific Jazz

Recordings of the

Chico Hamilton Quintet”

Mosaic

Jimmy Giuffre has been a maverick for most of his career in jazz. The composer of “Four Brothers,” a classic jazz tune, a solid tenor saxophone player and clarinetist, a superb big-band arranger, he never remained very long with any one of those careers. And, in the years between 1954 and 1958, when he was recording for Capitol and Atlantic, he was at his most probing, constantly in search of new forms of expression.

This superb six-CD set, for example, includes a startling array of music. There is, first of all, an unusual rendering of “Four Brothers” for a five-horn, two-rhythm ensemble, which moves away from the implicit, harmony-derived melody in favor of a more contrapuntal approach. There is all the quirky material--some of it done without a continuous rhythmic pulse--from his classic “Tangents in Jazz” (with trumpeter Jack Sheldon) and “The Jimmy Giuffre 3” (with guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Ralph Pena) albums.

During this period, Giuffre had largely set aside his tenor in favor of a warm-toned (some called a “swamp jazz” sound) clarinet style that abandoned the instrument’s virtuosic Benny Goodman-Artie Shaw tradition in favor of a basic, melody-oriented approach clearly derived from the clarinet playing of Lester Young.

Later in the decade, Giuffre was one of the early participants in the blending of classical and jazz referred to as “Third Stream,” and the compilation includes his works for “Third Stream Music,” recorded live with the Modern Jazz Quartet. Finally, there is his attractive partnership with trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, an irresistible combination of mellow sounds and moving, rhythmic styles.

Giuffre, now 76 and in poor health, has not been heard from much lately. But this carefully researched compendium is a lovely tribute to the period in which his muse was at its most active.

*

The Hamilton quintet, which featured the unusual instrumentation of cello, guitar, woodwinds, bass and drums, was one of the most innovative groups of the mid- and late-’50s. Sometimes described as “chamber jazz,” it was music that did, indeed, occasionally appear to lack a sense of drive and energy.

But the timbral qualities, and the soloing of players such as saxophonists Buddy Collette, Paul Horn and Eric Dolphy, guitarists Jim Hall and John Pisano, and cellists Fred Katz and Nate Gershman (all of whom appear here in various installments of the quintet recorded in the late ‘50s) were undeniably attractive. And one could probably make a convincing case for the fact that the group’s captivating sound and accessible music served as an introduction to jazz for many listeners.

The package includes studio and live tracks from 1955-56, as well as six previously un-issued tracks, and some 1958 performances by the band (with Dolphy), which was probably the Hamilton ensemble’s most innovative lineup.

The 16-page booklets accompanying both releases include vintage photographs by William Claxton, Ray Avery and Bob Parent. The limited-edition recordings are available only from Mosaic Records, 35 Melrose Place, Stamford, Conn., 06902. (203) 327-7111.