Cashbox : 10/05/1957

The veteran trumpeter has assembled a first-rate ensemble for this issue, which features the jazzists in a series of expertly performed takes on a blues theme. In on the delectable doings here are such reliable artists as Hank Jones (piano); Jo Jones (drums); Vic Dickenson (trombone); Aaron Bell (bass); Kenny Burrell (guitar) and Earle Warren (alto sax) and, of course, the authoritative Clayton horn. One of the fine blues sets of the year.

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Audio
Charles A. Robertson : December, 1957

When Buck Clayton first put his trumpet on record more than twenty years ago, his highly vocal way of playing, based in the tradition of the great Joe Smith, was a fully formed image of consummate good taste and intense personal statement. It has not changed in substance since then, though it has broadened with the absorption of carefully-sifted ideas. More recently, due to the increasing demand on his services to direct recorded jam sessions, it has taken on more of the driving force required of a leader. Though this album is devoted to the blues, they are present in such variety that the Clayton horn shines in several tempos and assorted moods.

Featured with the Benny Goodman Orchestra and Sextet when the recording was made in March, 1957, Clayton brought along another member, the brilliant new guitarist Kenny Burrell, and pianist Hank Jones. Earle Warren on alto sax, trombonist Vic Dickenson and drummer Jo Jones are all companions from his days with Count Basie. Aaron Bell was called in to replace the ailing Walter Page on bass.

All his originals, Buck Huckles and Claytonia are mellow textured items taken at a medium pace and the tempo increases on Cool Too and The Queen’s Express. Even that modernist Hank Jones seems to enjoy himself on Ballin’ the Jack and Squeeze Me, as Clayton drops in an Armstrong touch. He is supreme on Good Morning Blues, and his Blues Blasé is a finely conceived showcase for trumpet alone, said to be his first recording of a complete solo number. Wonderful balance is kept throughout the recording to continue the high standard set on this series.

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Jazz Today
Jack Maher : November, 1957

While it’s not really Dixieland in the accepted sense, Buckin’ the Blues (Vanguard VRS 8514), the Buck Clayton Septet, shows clearly where the inevitable roots are in a musician of Buck’s particular caste. This is primarily a swing album. The unison varies between Basie and Ellington, and modern guitarist Kenny Burrell does a wonderful imitation of Tiny Grimes throughout most of the album. On the first two tracks Hank Jones even makes like the Duke while Vic Dickenson makes like Lawrence Brown. A good portion of this LP, as the title stipulates, has Buck in a blue background, and that soft light, turned hard through uptempo, suits him just right.

An entertaining album that fulfills as much promise as it might offer with good jamming by straight-line swing musicians.

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Miami Herald (Miami, FL)
Fred Sherman : 11/10/1957

Loud and clear is a session by the Buck Clayton septet called Buckin’ the Blues (Vanguard VRS-8514). Vic Dickenson on trombone and Earle Warren on alto sax play minor roles as the Clayton trumpet soars and growls through a program of eight tunes. Heavy support from Kenny Burrell, guitar; Aaron Bell, bass; Jo Jones, drums; and Hank Jones, piano. Big track is Good Morning Blues, the Rushing-Basie bit. A lively set.

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New Yorker
Whitney Balliett : 02/22/1958

Dickenson is in excellent form on another recent record, Buckin’ the Blues (Vanguard VRS-8514), performed by a group led by trumpeter Buck Clayton and including Earle Warren on alto saxophone, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Aaron Bell on bass, Hank Jones on piano, and Jo Jones on drums. Most of the eight numbers are extended treatments of a variety of blues that are built around Clayton, an alumnus of the Basie band, who plays with a gentle, garrulous lyricism—quick, glancing phrases, sustained blue notes, and a delicate, nervous vibrato that he has rarely surpassed on records. The rhythm section, with the exception of Hank Jones, a precise, nimble performer, tends to lumber, but Dickenson compensates for this by acting as a springy foil for the lighter-than-air ruminations of Clayton.

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San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA)
Jim Angelo : 10/19/1957

Former Count Basie trumpeter Buck Clayton leads a group of ex-Basie sidemen through a vigorous program appropriately titled Buckin’ the Blues (Vanguard VRS-8514). Themes such as Ballin’ the Jack, Good Morning Blues, and Blues Blasé get powerful renditions by the septet. Great solo work by Clayton and trombonist Vic Dickenson aid in making this an inspired session.

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San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, CA)
Ralph J. Gleason : 11/10/1957

Some good mainstream swing by a group featuring Clayton, Vic Dickenson, Hank Jones, Kenny Burrell and Jo Jones. Clayton is an exceptionally gifted trumpeter and aside from the pseudo-Dixieland Ballin’ the Jack, he is heard at his best in things like Good Morning Blues.

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Saturday Review
Martin Williams : 11/16/1957

Despite a rather choppy rhythm and an occasional air of restraint, there is evidence in this collection of eight blues and near-blues why Clayton’s creative trumpet survived the “swing” period with ease, why V. Dickenson is one of the most respected trombonists, and why altoist E. Warren should be heard from more often.

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St. Catharines Standard (St. Catharines, ON)
George Albanese : 10/12/1957

Buck Clayton, one of the most highly-regarded musicians in modern jazz, has assembled a smoothly integrated septet to showcase his remarkable trumpet talent, on a newly-released Vanguard 12-incher, Buckin’ the Blues.

It has taken the broad American public many years to absorb and appreciate the tasteful subtleties of Buck’s highly-personalized style of blowing a trumpet.

However, during the last three years his “Jam Session” series released on Columbia have been among the hottest-selling jazz records in America and in Europe.

What accounts for the high quality of the performance on this album is the rare empathy among the participating artists.

Vic Dickenson’s warm trombone, Earle Warren’s lyrical alto sax, Kenny Burrell’s scintillating guitar, and Hank Jones’ discriminating piano combine to create a wonderfully pulsating jazz mood.

Most of the eight tracks are impromptu originals but sandwiched in between will be found Fats Waller’s Squeeze Me and a piquant Ballin’ the Jack.

Noteworthy is the fact that this album sells at an economical $2.25 at all Canadian record marts. The technical quality of the recording is excellent!

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Down Beat : 11/28/1957
Don Gold : 4 stars

This set was recorded last March, when Clayton, Burrell, and Hank Jones were with the Benny Goodman band in New York. Warren, Dickenson, and Jo Jones form a solid Basie contingent; Bell was a last-minute replacement for Walter Page.

This is essentially a blues set, with Clayton indicating his stature as a jazz trumpeter, regardless of era. He continues to be a stimulating individualist on his horn. As an individualist, Dickenson is not far behind Clayton, although he has played with more ingenuity than he does here.

There are several fine solos by Hank Jones. Burrell plays with characteristic verve and skill. Warren’s shouting is somewhat strident, but never emotionless.

There is something of interest on each track. According to John Hammond, who wrote the liner notes, Blasé is the first complete solo number ever recorded by Clayton. Except for the cliché utilized as the exit, it is a thing of beauty, with timeless vibrance.

There are a number of splendid statements throughout the course of the LP, with Clayton a standout. The fidelity is not as awe-inspiring as the notes might lead one to think, but it doesn’t obscure the strength and vitality of the music. It’s definitely worth hearing.

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Liner Notes by John Hammond

Buck Clayton has been heard on records for more than twenty years. In 1936 he came to New York with Count Basie’s original band from Kansas City, but his first recording was a memorable session with Teddy Wilson and Billie Holiday the day after his arrival in New York. His first recorded solo was on Why Was I Born, and it is still a model of taste, warmth, and invention.

One of the great jazz soloists, Buck has always shied away from exhibitionism. In his seven years with Count Basie he was best known for his muted work and backgrounds to vocals. Although his lip was of iron and his range enormous, he preferred playing the middle and low registers. Buck was always content to leave the blowing of repeated high notes and technical forays to others. In a word, he had integrity.

At the time of this recording (March, 1957) Clayton was being featured with Benny Goodman’s Orchestra and Sextet at the Waldorf-Astoria. Benny’s fine guitarist, Kenny Burrell, is on the session, as is the fine pianist Hank Jones; but almost all the other musicians are veterans of Count Basie’s band. Earle Warren was for many years Basie’s lead alto, while Vic Dickenson and Jo Jones were also Basie’s stand-bys. Aaron Bell, a last-minute replacement for the ailing Walter Page, is another swinging Oklahoman.

Buck left his home town of Parsons, Kansas, on a freight train as a teen-ager. He wound up in California as a bandleader, and in 1934 teamed up with the great Teddy Weatherford to bring a band to Shanghai. He returned to California in 1936, with a fair command of Chinese and Russian, but with no money or job prospects. Arriving in Kansas City at the precise moment that Joe Glaser extracted Lips Page from Count Basie’s band, Buck took over that all-important chair and travelled to Chicago with Basie for the enlarged band’s first job at the Grand Terrace Cafe.

It has taken the American jazz public many years to catch up with the subtleties of Buck’s very personal style. But for the last three years the Buck Clayton Jam Sessions on Columbia have been among the biggest selling jazz records here and abroad. He is a particular favorite in France and England, where he has been booked to appear in 1958 with a small band very similar to this one.

Buck has always been a blues specialist, but this is his first album devoted to this form. His style may be his own, but the intensity of his feeling stems from Joe Smith, Fletcher Henderson’s revolutionary trumpeter of the Twenties, who was best known for his obligatos to Bessie Smith. Another inevitable influence was Louis Armstrong, who changed the whole concept of the trumpet in jazz.

In this record there is a tune not very aptly titled Blues Blasé, the first complete solo number ever recorded by Clayton. Then there is Fats Waller’s great Squeeze Me, first recorded in 1926 by Armstrong (it was later known as the Boy in the Boat in a subsequent Charlie Johnson version), several medium and fast blues and finally the Dixieland favorite, Ballin’ the Jack, played with great gusto and perhaps slight disdain.

Along with Roy Eldridge, Buck is the greatest living trumpeter of the swing era. He has outlasted all the moods and fads of the last decade, and he is presented here as he would like to be; with a group of his musical equals.