A Box That’s Full of Treats

For most jazz fans, the term “West Coast jazz” conjures up aural images of Gerry Mulligan, Shorty Rogers, Chet Baker, Jimmy Giuffre, Dave Brubeck and all the other high-visibility players in the cool jazz movement of the ‘50s. Fortunately, in the past few years, a more expansive picture of West Coast jazz has emerged--one that encompasses an array of sounds reaching from the music of Central Avenue to the Gerald Wilson big band, the Chico Hamilton Quintet, Paul Horn, Vince Guaraldi and Clifford Brown, with numerous stops in between.

This endlessly fascinating four-CD boxed set, due out Dec. 15, encompasses less than a decade-and-a-half of West Coast jazz, from 1950 to 1964. In doing so, it reveals an extraordinary amount of fruitful music, all of it taking place simultaneously, in a relatively brief period of time, all of it clearly identifying the West Coast--and Los Angeles, specifically--as a major center for a bristling array of jazz activities.

The tracks, assembled chronologically, open with an energetic 1950 encounter, recorded live at Hollywood’s Hula Hut Club, between tenor saxophonists Wardell Gray and Dexter Gordon, and close with Joe Pass’ thoughtful “For Django,” recorded in 1964.

In between, there’s a bit of something for every taste. Cool jazz addicts will find such familiar items as “Popo” by Shorty Rogers’ Giants, the Gerry Mulligan Quartet’s “Bernie’s Tune” and “My Funny Valentine,” Baker’s “Isn’t It Romantic,” Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond doing “Stardust,” and a variety of pieces featuring Bud Shank, Laurindo Almeida, Art Pepper and others.

The big-band pickings are somewhat slimmer. But what’s present is impressive, in part because of the active presence of gifted arranger Bill Holman with “Fearless Finlay” for the Stan Kenton Orchestra, “Bright Eyes” for the Terry Gibbs Dream Band and “No Heat” by his own ensemble. And a 1962 rendering of Gerald Wilson’s “Viva Tirado” is a reminder of the importance of the trumpeter-composer’s long tenure in the Southland jazz scene.

Countering the often contrapuntally oriented music of the cool school players, there are harder-edged, more straight-ahead outings from saxophonists Curtis Amy, Wardell Gray, Harold Land and Frank Morgan, as well as the title track from Sonny Rollins’ “Way Out West” album (recorded in Los Angeles in 1957). Eric Dolphy shows up playing flute on a Chico Hamilton date, and there is one track--”The Sphinx”--from Ornette Coleman’s 1958 “Something Else!!!” recording.

Some of the most intriguing performances, however, are the most unexpected: Charles Mingus taking the lead on “Body and Soul” in 1951 duet with pianist Spaulding Givens (Nadi Qamar); Art Tatum, with bassist Red Callender and drummer Jo Jones, playing “Trio Blues”; Ben Webster doing “Georgia on My Mind” at the Renaissance with Jim Hall and Jimmy Rowles; a reminder of Andre Previn’s jazz skills in “Get Me to the Church on Time” from the classic “My Fair Lady” album with Shelly Manne and Leroy Vinnegar; and outings from two under-appreciated pianists, Elmo Hope and Phineas Newborn Jr.

There’s not a single track that’s less than fascinating, and most are considerably better than that. At a time when jazz in this part of the country is once again entering a potentially flourishing era--via such important developments as the Philharmonic’s new jazz initiative, the growing impact of the San Francisco Jazz Festival, and the increasing amount of jazz recording in Los Angeles--it’s useful to be reminded that the West Coast has always played a vital role in the music’s history. *

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).