Personnel:
J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (tb), Bobby Jaspar (ts), Dick Katz, Tommy Flanagan (p), Milt Hinton, Bill Brown (b), Shadow Wilson, Kenny Clarke, Elvin Jones (d), Candido (perc)
Reference: JB 526
Bar code: 8436019585269
The complete LP Jay & Kai (1956) one of the best albums by the Johnson-Winding Quintet. Included as a bonus, are six rare tracks: three concert performances by Jay & Kai at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, and three studio recordings presenting both trombonists as part of groups conducted by Quincy Jones, one of them taken from a long unavailable compilation LP titled The Giants Of Jazz.
A frontline of two trombones was an atypical combination for jazz prior to these groundbreaking collaborations by Jay Jay Johnson (the first and primary exponent of bebop on his instrument) and Danish-born Kai Winding (a brilliant trombonist in his own right).
The original LP Jay & Kai, presented here, included two complete sessions by the tandem plus a couple of tunes taken from different sessions: "I Should Care" was recorded for a quintet session with J.J. and Bobby Jaspar, which belongs to the sessions that produced the LP J Is for Jazz, while "Yes, You" was recorded by the Kai Winding Septet (without J.J.) for the session that produced the LP Trombone Panorama.
Tracklisting:
01. YOU'D BE SO NICE TO COME HOME TO 3:30
02. CARIBE 2:41
03. HAPPINESS IS A THING CALLED JOE 3:40
04. THE SONG IS YOU 4:02
05. IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING 4:18
06. YES, YOU 3:29
07. TROMBONIUMS IN MOTION 3:40
08. HOW HIGH THE MOON 2:33
09. VIOLETS FOR YOUR FURS 4:20
10. TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT 3:26
11. 'S WONDERFUL 3:08
12. I SHOULD CARE 3:54
13. LOVER COME BACK TO ME 5:32 *
14. TRUE BLUE TROMBONIUMS 4:17 *
15. NWPT 3:04 *
16. YOU'RE CRYING 3:12 *
17. FUNK JUNCTION 3:07 *
18. GRASSHOPPER 3:20 *
Total time: 65:13 min.
(*) Bonus Tracks
Tracks #1-12, from the Columbia album "Jay & Kai" (CL 742)
Tracks #13-15, taken from "Dave Brubeck and Jay & Kai At Newport" (CL 932)
Tracks #16-17, taken from the Prestige 78 rpm EP 913/908
Track #18, taken from the Columbia antholoy "The Giants of Jazz" (CS 8770)
Personnel on #1-5: J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (tb), Dick Katz (p), Milt Hinton (b), Shadow Wilson (d), Candido Camero (congas/bongos).
Recorded in New York, on November 17, 1955
Personnel on #6: J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding out. Wayne André, Carl Fontana (tb), Dick Lieb (b-tb), Roy Frazee (p), Kenny O'Brien (b), Jack Franklin (d).
Recorded in New York, on December 19-21, 1956
Personnel on #7-11: J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (tb), Dick Katz (p), Bill Brown (b), Kenny Clarke (d).
Recorded in New York, on July 18, 1956
Personnel on #12: Kai Winding out, Bobby Jaspar (ts), Tommy Flanagan (p), Wilbur Little (b), Elvin Jones (d).
Recorded in New York, on January 29, 1957
Personnel on #13-15: J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (tb), Dick Katz (p), Bill Brown (b) Rudy Collins (d).
Live at the Newport Jazz Festival and Newport, Rhode Island, July 6, 1956
Personnel on #16-17 Jay & Kai, with the Quincy Jones Orchestra.
Recorded in New York, on December 7, 1954
Personnel on #18 Jay & Kai, with Quincy Jones and the All Stars
Recorded in New York, on February 25, 1955
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