The Thad Jones - Mel Lewis Big Band

The Thad Jones - Mel Lewis Big Band - Jazz Casual.
Thaddeus Joseph Jones (28 mars 1923 -- 21 août 1986) est un trompettiste, compositeur et chef d'orchestre de jazz américain.
Thad Jones est né à Pontiac (Michigan) dans une famille nombreuse de musiciens (un de ses frères plus âgé est le pianiste Hank Jones et un autre plus jeune le batteur Elvin Jones). Autodidacte, Thad Jones est musicien professionnel dès l'âge de 16 ans. Il joue dans des orchestres de l'U.S. Army pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale de 1943 à 1946.
Après la guerre, Thad Jones poursuit sa carrière et vers 1954, il compose et fait des arrangements pour Count Basie avec lequel il joue. Il reste avec Basie pendant neuf ans. La musique de Jones était d'un style très original qui ne correspondait pas toujours avec le style de l'orchestre de Basie. Au début des années 1960, il devient arrangeur indépendant dans la région de New York.
En 1965, avec le batteur Mel Lewis, il forme le Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band. À l'origine le groupe commence par des jam sessions informelles dans les studios de New York puis au célèbre Village Vanguard. Le groupe reçoit un accueil très favorable et Jones continue à le diriger pendant 12 ans. En 1979, ils remportent un Grammy Awards pour l'album Live in Munich. Jones a aussi enseigné au William Paterson College dans le New Jersey.
En 1978 (à la grande surprise de ses collègues de New York), Thad Jones déménage brutalement à Copenhague au Danemark où plusieurs autres musiciens de jazz américains se sont installés. Il forme un nouveau groupe Eclipse, compose pour le big band de la radio danoise et enseigne le jazz au Conservatoire royal de Copenhague.
Une année avant sa mort, Jones revient aux États-Unis pour diriger le Count Basie Orchestra mais il doit s'interrompre en raison de son état de santé. Il retourne alors à Copenhague pour les derniers mois de sa vie. Il est enterré au cimetière Vestre Kirkegard de Copenhague.
Charles Mingus disait de Thad Jones « [...] c'est le plus grand trompettiste que j'ai entendu dans ma vie. » Vers la fin de sa vie, ses arrangements et ses compositions ont occulté ses talents d'instrumentiste.
Sa composition la plus célèbre reste A Child is Born.

[@blue47er]

Sir Roland Hanna, p; Richard Davis - the most handsome bassist ever; and Mel Lewis on drums get things beautifully swinging before the band starts stoking up the heat. What a band this was!!

[@ChrisWrightOM1]

This is so cool. What I wouldn't give to see this band now. Thad Jones was a stellar musician, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone is another great.

[@susanwiederman4277]

Just can't get over how great Thad and Mel were! What an all star band: Snooky, Randy Brecker, Bobby Brookmeyer, Roland Hanna, et al....

[@jimbrown1559]

Wonderful in every way. I was lucky to hear several versions of this great band when came through Chicago in the '70s and early '80s. Brookmeyer is one of my very favorite players and arrangers, and I love watching (and hearing) Thad conduct. Thad is in especially fine form.

[@zlmusicny]

Never gets old!

[@macsantiago2809]

I love Thad's directing style!

[@gerrycappuccio4186]

I heard a concert at Hunter College in 1965 May with Johnny Richards conducting the first half of his arrangements with the Thad Jones Mel Lewis orchestra & the second half they played Thad Jones arrangements . It was a great concert.

[@maloneap64]

A truly outstanding jazz orchestra with great soloists, arrangers and composers. i had the good fortune of seeing THAD JONES conduct the orchestra in a live concert at Bogarts in Cincinnati, OH.

[@jeffhall9484]

Thank you very much for posting this. What a pleasure it was to hear this band at the Village Vanguard. Hearing them live was quite an experience I can tell you and one I'll always cherish. It's pretty evident that all the "cats' knew that this was something special

[@PeteN_2]

All the greats , what a truly amazing big band , its all there ,the closest to perfection you'll ever get , amongst others Bob Brookmeyers charts ......

[@Ananisapta]

Formidable!

[@titolivio6832]

Grandissimi!

[@ordoneright7337]

Saw these guys at SUNY Fredonia around 1970.

[@Littlewhitelephant]

One great piece of music ! Pepper Adams is playing clarinet in the second piece. 0:00 Just Blues (Gillespie / Henderson / Thad Jones ?) 5:00 St. Louis Blues (comp: W.C.Handy - arr:Bob Brookmeyer) 8:00 Solo: Bob Brookmeyer 10:00 Solo: Jerome Richardson 12:30 Solo: Thad Jones 14:20 Solo: Roland Hanna 18:00 Kids are pretty people (comp: Thad Jones tb: Bob Brookmeyer)

[@shairosenfeld5646]

Littlewhitelephant 3:00~ or so it sounds exactly like tenor madness!

[@ChrisWrightOM1]

+Littlewhitelephant When Jerome Richardson started to solo, I wasn't watching the screen, and thought it was Eric Dolphy, whilst knowing that he was already dead by the time of the recording.

[@emmanuelmassarotti5535]

Thank you for the credits

[@davidsmcwilliams]

Fantastic

[@trumpetbacon]

Trumpets-Snooky Young, Richard Williams, Randy Brecker, Danny Moore..Trombones-Bob Brookmeyer, Garnett Brown, Jimmy Knepper, Benny Powel..Sax-Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Seldon Powell, Eddie Daniels, Pepper Adams..Rhythm-Mel Lewis, Richard Davis, Roland Hanna..Thad Jones, Leader/Flugelhorn!

[@michaelwoods9706]

Wow!! What an all-star lineup!!

[@harrytomandl]

que tal combo!! que gatos!!

[@vova47]

That blues arrangement was done on the spot. I've seen Thad do that many times. That band could do it because it consisted of great jazz musicians. How many bands you can say that about today?.........

[@boriskhaykin4238]

Тэд-супер талант и трубач-виртуоз. Благодаря yotube, видел и слушал его в составе оркестра Каунт Бэйси.

[@AntonioBetancourt48]

...play..yesss.

[@Michel8665]

Hello , Thanks ... Amitiés, Michel.

[@ChrisWrightOM1]

Oh, and I nearly forgot- Roland Hanna on piano! One of the best.

[@TomDjll]

Amazing. Interesting how Thad's voice sounds a lot like Basie's. Also, check those Gil Evans voicings and trills on the St. Louis Blues (arr. by Brookmeyer)...

[@emmanuelmassarotti5535]

Near Evans but not the same. Even more "third stream"

[@ghairraigh]

Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra: Jazz Casual April 22. 1968. KQED TV, San Francisco. Host Ralph Gleason, Public Television. Thad Jones - flugelhorn Jerome Richardson & Jerry Dodgion - alto saxophone . Eddie Daniels & Seldon Powell - tenor saxophone . Pepper Adams - baritone saxophone Snooky Young Richard Williams Randy Brecker Danny Moore - trumpet Bob Brookmeyer Garnett Brown Jimmy Knepper Benny Powell - trombone Roland Hanna - piano | Richard Davis - bass | Mel Lewis - drums. "Just Blues" - 4:41 . Thad Jones, Introductions - 0:36 . "St.Louis Blues" (arranged by Bob Brookmeyer) - 12:18 {Interview deleted}. "Kids Are Pretty People" - 5:39 . "Don't Get Sassy" - 1:05

[@vmroger]

Thanks!

[@emmanuelmassarotti5535]

Many Thanks to you

[@emmanuelmassarotti5535]

My now prefered big band with the Fletcher Henderson one

[@VinniePaah]

Is that one of the logest arrangements of St.Louis Blues in existence?

[@kofthebaskervilles]

Great stuff. Too bad you can't hear mel playing those cymbals. But overall masterfull. I play with a big band myself. It is'nt easy getting good players and holding on to them.

[@v7sport900ss]

Something good from Detroit. (Pontiac counts)

[@Richard_K1630]

I realize that jazz is an art form. but what's with the frame around the video?

[@Michel8665]

***** Le contour de la vidéo est simplement pour personnaliser mes vidéos cher Richard. Thanks for your comment dear Richard .......best regards......Michel.

[@toddmason5499]

Also, the copyright holder keeps having the uploads taken down. I suspect knocking the credits off both ends and the frame might have some relevance here for automated searches.

[@ChrisWrightOM1]

Oh- and Bob Brookmeyer, who possibly demonstrates that valve trombone is the only sensible choice :)

[@lenadev]

Да, были люди в наше время, богатыри...не ВЫ!!!

[@griffot]

Great band. Good sound too. But the whole video is out of sync.

[@cliveriddiford5183]

:7

[@MabookaMabooka]

Miles is a baby compared to this