Down Beat : 01/09/1958
Don Gold : 3 stars

G. Mennen Williams would be proud. I don’t know if all those on this date use Mennen’s Skin Bracer, but they’re all from Michigan and that’s good enough.

Fuller is a 23-year-old Detroiter who worked with Kenn Burrell and Yusef Lateef in that city. He has listened attentively to J.J. Johnson, too. Kyner, 25, worked with Barry Harris, the influential Detroit pianist, Frank Rosolino, and Art Blakey. He came to New York with Fuller in 1957.

Jones, 39, from Pontiac, MI, is one of that state’s outstanding jazzmen, if geography is important. Watkins, 23, also worked with Harris in Detroit. He came to New York in 1954 and has worked with various groups since. Hayes, 20, worked with Lateef before departing for New York and a job with Horace Silver‘s group.

Fuller charted Vonce, Transportation, and Lawson, the latter dedicated to Detroit pianist Hugh Lawson. Namely is given a ballad treatment. Love is used as a point of departure for the soloists.

Fuller plays with reasonably flowing conception and a slightly greater dynamic range than I found in his previous LP. He does have moments of hesitancy and monotonous sound, however. Kyner is a Bird-calling shouter, with fierce drive and emotional strength, but has some difficulty sustaining cohesive melodic lines. Jones is a firmly-rooted, mature pianist. His solo on Namely is a lesson in ballad interpretation – delicate and melodic. Watkins and Hayes support in good taste for the most part.

Kyner shows ability and should improve with greater experience. Fuller, it seems to me, should allow himself to express the wide range of emotions he must feel by utilizing his instrument’s capabilities, instead of speaking in a monotone so much of the time. There are flashes of creativity in spots here, but this LP is more valid in terms of marking a period of growth in the lives of the young jazzmen than in the sounds it contains.

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Liner Notes by Ira Gitler

In 1945, when the doctrines of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk were taking hold among musicians but were still alien to the majority of the critics and virtually unheard by the lay public, a trombonist named Jay Jay Johnson was effectively adopting the essence of the new ideas to the slide instrument. What resulted was a completely new style and sound on the trombone. Since that time. Jay Jay has established himself as the modern master and from that position has influenced many others. For example, listen to the records that Kai Winding was making with Stan Kenton in that same period of the early to mid-forties and you will see what effect Johnson had in forming Kai’s present style.

Many of the young trombonists playing today have been touched by the Johnsonian method to some extent while also learning from Winding, Bill Harris and Bennie Green. Some of the better ones with a direct link to Johnson are Jimmy Cleveland, Frank Rosolino and Benny Powell.

Curtis Fuller is a new trombone directly in the Johnson tradition. Not only has he been effected stylewise but he has also followed Jay’s approach soundwise. There is also strong evidence that Curtis has done some serious to Miles Davis too. He has a wonderful command over his horn and excels in the shading and dynamics department. Like Johnson and Davis, Fuller plays alternately hard and soft as the occasion demands. He impresses as a player with skills beyond his years and a future laden by accomplishments of a greater magnitude.

Fuller’s years began on December 15, 1934 in Detroit. He didn’t take up an instrument until his senior year in high school. It was the baritone horn the trombone entered after graduation. Curtis was in an Army band that included Cannonball Adderley and Junior Mance during the years 1953-55 and then returned to his native Detroit. After stints with Kenny Burrell in 1955 and Yusef Lateef in 1956, he came to New York in 1957 and has been recording while awaiting his local 802 card.

Curtis’ running mate is Junior Sylvester Kyner known better as Sonny Red. Another Detroit Sagittarian, Sonny Red was born on December 17, 1932. He began his musical studies at Northern High and continued them at the Community Music School starting on C-melody sax and switching to alto in 1949. Early experience was gained with pianist Barry Harris‘ combo from 1949 until 1952. Then Sonny moved to tenor for several months in the spring of 1954 with Frank Rosolino before returning to alto and playing with Art Blakey in the fall of that same year. Sonny Red, who bears a stylistic resemblance to early Sonny Stitt, came to New York with Curtis Fuller. They have been roomies ever since and can also be heard in each other’s company in On The Sunny Side with Paul Quinichette (Prestige LP 7103).

The personnel of the rhythm section, Hank Jones, Doug Watkins and Louis Hayes, is an all Michigan one.

Hank Jones was born in Pontiac on July 31, 1918 and played around Detroit before coming to New York in the mid-forties. He lent his sure, strong veteran hands to this session, even to the point of taking the initial solo on three of the numbers. For a man who has recorded as many times as he has, Hank is consistently and delightfully, always above and beyond the mere professional performance that might be expected sometimes.

Doug Watkins was in the first wave of Detroit musicians that enriched the New York scene in the Fifties. Born in Detroit on March 2, 1934, Doug studied at Cass Tech High, gained experience in Detroit with Barry Harris trio and on coming to New York in 1954, made a reputation for himself with The Jazz Messengers. His inspired backing has propelled many Prestige recording dates including ones with Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, Gene Ammons and Sonny Rollins.

This is the Prestige debut of Louis Sedell Hayes, another young Detroiter, born on May 31, 1937. Louis’ father and cousin are both drummers; it was with his cousin that he received his first instruction at the age of 11. Later he attended the Wurlitzer School of Music in his native city during 1951-52. At the age of 15, Louis led his own group at the Club Sudan. In April of 1956 he worked with tenorman Yusef Lateef, also in D, and four months later came to New York and joined Horace Silver‘s group. He has been happily located with Horace ever since. Lou, whose poise and taste behind the drums belie his age, names Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Max Roach and Kenny Clarke as his favorites.

Side one is comprised of Vonce #5 (a “rhythm” pattern) and a ten minute ride via Transportation Blues.

Side two opens with another blues by Curtis Fuller named Blue Lawson, named for Hugh Lawson, a Detroit pianist who is a member of the Yusef Lateef group.

The attractive ballad from Lil Abner, Namely You, is next and is followed by Cole Porter‘s What Is This Thing Called Love?. This evergreen has been neglected of late by jazzmen and it is good to hear it done anew.