Tone Poet Society

Leo Parker was the first baritone saxophonist on the bebop scene and gained prominence in Billy Eckstine’s band as a member of the “Unholy Four” saxophone section that also included Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, and Gene Ammons in the mid-1940s. Personal troubles sidelined Parker in the 1950s, but in 1961 he made a tragically brief comeback on Blue Note when he recorded two excellent sessions—Let Me Tell You ‘Bout It and Rollin’ With Leo—before he died of a heart attack just months later at age 36. Rollin’ With Leo had been prepared for release, including an album cover design by Reid Miles, but wound up being shelved and not released until 1980 as part of the LT Series. The 8-song set includes swinging Parker originals like “The Lion’s Roar” and “Jumpin’ Leo” performed by a band including Dave Burns on trumpet, Bill Swindell on tenor saxophone, Johnny Acea on piano, Stan Conover and Al Lucas on bass, and Wilbert Hogan and Purnell Rice on drums.

After appearing on Jackie McLean’s forwarding-thinking albums One Step Beyond and Destination… Out! in 1963, trombonist Grachan Moncur III made his own riveting inside-out debut later that year with Evolution. When he returned to Van Gelder Studio the next year to record the follow-up, Moncur had ventured even deeper into experimental waters. Some Other Stuff was boldly avant-garde and found the trombonist with a cohort of fellow explorers including saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer Tony Williams. The set of Moncur originals consisted of four expansive pieces including the freeform opener “Gnostic,” the slyly swinging “Thandiwa,” the playfully rhythmic “The Twins,” a portrait of his twin brothers, and the drum feature “Nomadic,” a showcase for Williams’ prodigious talents.

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