Johnny Coles

[m4]

Johhny Coles, an enigma in jazz trumpet linage is hard to catagorize. A member of Duke Ellington"s Orchestra (when Ellington was alive) as well a stable of the Ray Charles Band, Coles was for much of his career a quirky and individulistic player--a modern day Rex Stewart. In the early eighties, Coles co-led a small group with Frank Wess, musch of it is nthe samll group basie tradition. he also was a side man on a number of 60's Blue note recordings, notably by Grant Green.

But diring this time (early 80"s) Coles, who was in his late 60's and played mostly flueglehorn realeased a number of quartet albums featuring tunes by Woody Shaw and Wayne Shorter. The names of these albums escape me as i do not have access to my record collection, but if memory recalls, he made a valient effort late in his life to imbrace modernity (or perhaps a label of post-modern is closer to Shaw given the truncated nature of jazz within the rubric of western music given its short duration.)

Never the less, I saw Coles perform numerous times in Camden NJ, accross the river from Philadelpia where i was living in the late 70's and early 80's. Given his advanced age, this music, while certianly not above him intellectuallly, was a bit much form a trumpetistic standpoint. Still he made a valaient and musically cohearent presentation.

Now, one wonders how this transformation in Coles playing and musical vision came about so late in life and in a memeber of his generation (Coles passed a number of years ago.) I will submit that the "quirkyness" of his playing was really an expression of his struglgling with modernity but in a generation that was not ready for the likes of a forward looking trumpet player--and also perhaps more importantly, by the employers whom he worked for....

There are simialr parralles here with Thad Jones as a player and writer. The basie band just wasn"t ready for the modernity of his writing (the rhythmic swing of basie but with the harmonic sophistication of Ellington/Strayhorn.) This lack of play was the motivating factoer in the inception of the TJ/ML band of the 60's.

THose vof you out there who are of a generation beyond me (I'm 48) or anyone with more information please contribute to this post.

Coles was a thinker that very easily puts a wrinkle in the linear evolution of the jazz trumpet form its inception until about 1955--and then rearanges is again in 1980.

Again, while i look forward to your posts, please cite your sources as it make the discussion easier to follow.

This is a learning point for me as well.

m4

[PH]

I always felt that Johnny's experiences with Herbie Hancock's early sextet was a big turning point in his development of a modern (post-bop) conception. He was playing with Herbie and Joe Henderson regularly and Herbie was playing tunes with contemporary rhythm and complex harmonic structures.

To hear what I mean, listen to Coles on "Firewater" from the CD called "The Prisoner".

This was the period in Herbie's career after he left Miles and before the Mwandishi period (when Hancock's groups featured great playing by Eddie Henderson BTW).

[Rich G]

My cousin was a 19 year old trumpeter when he joined the Ray Charles big band. Almost immediately, Johnny Coles took him under his wing. He spent time on Johnny Coles ranch, staying with him often. My cousin was a high note lead player, and Johnny Coles often "cautioned" him about high note playing. He told me that Coles rarely played above G above the staff, but how he loved Johnny Coles jazz solo's. I was also told that Johnny Coles was one of the cartoon characters in the Bill Cosby "Fat Albert" series. Cosby used his South (?) Philly friends he grew up with as characters in the cartoon show. Coles was the one who always mumbled if memory of this story serves me correctly.

[m4]

To PH

Yes, I had forgotten about the Herbie stuff. and only rember now that you mention it. To be honset, I've never heard Coles with HH. But Eddie hendersion is another story. he is still in tip top shape and is playing wonderfully. i heard him about 5 years ago. And the good news is that he is practicing as an MD again to some extent, or so i am told. he is a Psychiatrist. One of the most gifted men on the planet, i suppose...

Thanks for the HH info, I'll seek it out.

[SatchmoGillespie]

[Rich G]

[BeboppinFool]

I lived in Philadelphia from '81 through most of '84, and got to play with Johnny many times. He used to do the Saturday afternoon sessions at . . . can't think of the name . . . at 40th and Market. It was two sessions in one, because after the three hour jam session they'd have the hired band play the three hour gig starting around 9pm, I think.

I got to play many times with Don Patterson, Hank Mobley, Bootsie Barnes (Bill Cosby's childhood friend, better known as "Junior Barnes" who told me that Cosby's nickname used to be "Shorty"), Johnny Coles, Eddie McFadden, Danny Turner, and even once with Philly Joe Jones (what was left of him).

The only personal anecdote I could tell you about Johnny was something that probably doesn't belong on a family site such as this, so if you PM me, I'll tell you.

I saw him a few years later after I moved to NYC, the first time was with the Basie band, and the second time was when he was playing the Vanguard with Frank Morgan & Cedar Walton, and he sounded great on both occasions. He remembered me both times I saw him in NYC (I was a bass trumpet player at the time, fairly easy to remember), and was always the nicest person imaginable. I don't ever remember him being condescending or acting like he was "above" anybody.

Great cat. Thanks for reminding me of him tonight.
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[SatchmoGillespie]

[m4]

I"m sorry that this thread was not of interest to more jazz trumpet players

[Robin Shier]

Johnny Coles was a great artist. He was obviously deeply influenced by Miles Davis but, and here is the core to his artistry, he chose to play gestures in the manner of Miles but without trying to mimic. He is the only trumpeter that I've heard that has been able to do this.

Miles' tone, tonguing, melodic contours, rhythmic sense have all been copied by so many players; yet it is only Johnny Coles that I've heard that has adopted these qualities, shouldered them, and stepped out on his own.

There are a few greats (Monk, Coltrane, Miles, and others) whose styles are so definitive that if one is to try to perform with their manners, the result is without substance.

However, Johnny Coles took Miles' perspective and moved out to another viewpoint. No doubt this is why he attracted Herbie Hancock and Gil Evans.

The recordings mentioned in above posts are good but some of Coles' finest work is omitted. Absolutely outstanding are three Gil Evans albums: two for Pacific Jazz, "New Bottle Old Wine" and "Great Jazz Standards"; and "Out of the Cool" on Impulse.

Coles' playing with Gil's band is art of the highest order. He performs beyond the confinements of the charts - his contributions are beauty itself. Check out Sunken Treasure on "Out of the Cool"; Davenport Blues and Django on "Great Jazz Standards" and Willow Tree from "New Bottle Old Wine" and be prepared for your heart to weep.

(These Gil Evans recordings also rank as some of the greatest big band writing in jazz.)

Coles' other great work was with Herbie - "The Prisoner" is a fabulous album.

I do have several other recordings of Johnny Coles in my collection: albums under his own name ("Little Johnny", "Katumbo"); and others as a sideman: Tina Brooks ("The Waiting Game"), Booker Ervin ("Back From the Gig"). But it is the material with Gil that is really his best.

Incidentally, I can mention another trumpeter who has taken Miles' message and run with it on his own trail: Marcus Belgrave.

[PH]

I 2nd the recommendation of those Gil Evans sides...fabulous writing and great playing all around.

[junkyt]

i love johnny's playing too...i'd recommend the frank morgan record "live at the village vanguard", which was frank's "comeback" stint in NYC after his stint behind bars. the band is awesome, and coles' solo on parker's mood is fantastic.

cheers,
jason
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[Billy]

In the late 80's early 90's Johnny Coles was in the trumpet section of Gene Harris' Super Big Band (along with Sweets Edison). He probably didn't weigh more than 100 lbs but played wonderfully. He and Gene both had a skin pigmentation disease, but unfortunantley Johnny's lack of pigmentation was evident on his face which made him look like kind of like a ghost.

[RKtrpt]

It's great to see fellow musicians appreciation of such a person and artist as Johnny Coles. The before mentioned recordings of johnny are classic performances. He once told me that his solo on Sunken treasure was one of his favorite sessions, there is also a great Gil recording called 'Where Flamingos Fly'. Johnny meant so much to musicians who knew him, I met him while touring w/Ray Charles back in '83-84, the first night he came back to the band he opened with a couple phenomenal flugelhorn solos that uplifted everybody on the bandstand, everyone played well that evening. He was quite the caring and purist musician I've ever met. Some other recordings date back to the 50's w/James Moody Qt. on Chess records, another great BN session w/Horace Parlan-Happy Frame of Mind, Tina Brooks-The Waiting Game, of course Little JC, and The Warm Sound. Also he has a nice quartet recording on CrissCross called 'New Morning' ~ 1983. His last known recording that I'm aware of is with Geri Allen Trio & Nonet Jazzpar 1996 recorded live in Denmark. If any of you get the chance, there is a great Basie/Joe Williams-Nancy Wilson video recorded in Japan ~1986, which features a few amazing Johnny Coles solos on Corner Pocket, etc. Classic Basie tunes with Johnny just blowin' his amazing nuances over the changes. Eveytime I've been to Japan I have looked for it but to no avail. Some musicians I know are aware of it as its last pressing was on laser disc. When he was alive, I always thought of him as a living jazz historian, he practiced with Coltrane, played alongside to Clifford in Tadd Damerons house band, performed with Philly Joe, Billie Holiday, Ellington, Basie, etc. In fact on one of Cliffords albums 'Best Coast Jazz', the flip side has a tune called Coronado composed by Johnny C. When I told Johnny he wasn't aware that Clifford ever recorded one of his tunes...he was so happy. I'm sure Johnny really appreciates all of your respect and remembering him as a great musician. Robbie Kwock-Berkeley-CA.

[GizB]

I'm on a Tina Brooks kick, just having transcribed Minor Move and Lee Morgan's solo. So this brought me to Johnny Coles (played on Brooks' "The Waiting Game"). What a great player! I saw him play many years ago at a club called Bogarts'. At the break, I approached him at the bar. He was a bit cool, until I mentioned how much I enjoyed his playing on "The Prisoner." He warmed up immediately. I just listened to Sunken Treasure, and I'm not sure I could pass the blindfold test; he sounds quite a bit like Miles, yet without being a clone. He shares that same walking-on-eggshells quality with Miles, but is decidedly his own player. Tina Brooks and Johnny Coles - two wonderful musicians deserving of more recognition. (Apologies to the cognescenti here for whom this is very obvious!)

[Simon8]

Pure coincidence, I listened to Brooks "The Waiting Game" yesterday and now to Coles' own "The Warm Sound", a 1961 quartet album (with notably Kenny Drew on piano and Charlie Persip on drum). His "Little Johnny C" on Blue Note, with a great band, is excellent as well, but my favorites remains the aforementioned Gil Evans albums and Horace Parlan's "Happy Frame of Mind" (Blue Note, 1963). Unique sound.

[Mark Curry]