Audio
Charles A. Robertson : January, 1959

The clarion call of a J. C. Higginbotham chorus was one of the most exciting sounds of swing and made him the most vaunted trombonist of that era. Since then players of greater technical facility have surpassed him at rapid tempos and a period of relative obscurity preceded his weekly appearances this season at a televised jazz party. In spite of Its lack of organization, some viewers discovered that there is more to jazz than a series of slick phrases. If he no longer speaks with the same force and assurance on the swingers, his plaint on a slow blues is still strong and highly personal. Fortunately, only Airmail Special is not a blues, and he is
superb on Blue Tiny. As guitarist and leader, Tiny Grimes is only slightly more organized than the television program, but pianist Ray Bryant and Eddie Davis on tenor sax help out admirably.

-----

Westbury Times (Westbury, NY)
Dick Levy : 12/11/1958
Rated V (very good)

Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Ray Bryant, Wendell Marshall and Osie Johnson are the other participants in this outstanding blues set. In the LP’s title tune, Tiny gets the opening licks indicating a fluent style and individual delivery par excellence. Davis is also memorable. Blue Tiny is low down with segments of beauty emanating from the fingers of Grimes and the lips of J.C. In a rollicking Grimes Times the guitarist gives his finest recorded performance yet. Bryant’s playing is also superb. Airmail Special is the closing track and its equal up tempo pace presents everyone to good advantage. Sound is excellent.

-----

Down Beat : 02/05/1959
John A. Tynan : 3 stars

Notwithstanding the fact that youngsters of our rock ‘n’ roll generation who might pick up this album by mistake will probably ask, “Callin’ the blues what?” There is much within its grooves that ought to strike a response within their teenage breasts. This is due to something we have begun to term “the influence of rock ‘n’ roll for the advancement of good jazz,” or something like that. But any teenager who is moved so far as to sample the title track is bound to dig that afterbeat and the dirty sound of Tiny’s guitar. He may even buy it.

This is mostly unabashed, unrefined blues of the old style. The most modern of the soloists is pianist Bryant but he doesn’t let those “newer concepts” get in his way too much. Blue is a slow, low-down ramble; Grimes’ is fast boogie-woogie with Tiny picking hell-for-leather while Marshall and Johnson lay down a swinging four-four beneath him. Davis blows robustly on this as on the others, but it is Higgy who steals the show with a solo that ought to open the eyes of many who think Bill Harris came up with his style by accident.

Special is a fast run-through of Hampton’s anthem with Higgy, Davis and Bryant in good solos.

This album is not for Cool-ies, perhaps, but blues fans should dig it.

-----

Liner Notes by Ira Gitler

Blues Groove (7138), Tiny Grimes’ first album for Prestige, was, as its title indicates, concerned with the blues. Tiny’s second album, contained between these covers, is occupied with the same kind of twelve bar excursions. Blues Groove had three blues out of five tunes; Callin’ The Blues has three out of four, It might be safely said of Tiny that he is a “blues man“.

The personnel has changed more than the material with only leader Grimes and pianist Ray Bryant returning from the first outing. The additions are tenorman Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, heard recently in his Cookbook (Prestige 7141), veteran J. C. Higginbotham and the powerful rhythm duo of Wendell Marshall (bass) and Osie Johnson (drums).

The appearance of Higginbotham (one of his first recordings in a long while), came about through the medium of television. I was visiting Bob Weinstock one night and while flipping the dial of the TV set we came across Art Ford and his video version of the Metropole. Red Allen sounded good and this kept us tuned. Then J. C. came roaring on. A few weeks later, Bob told me that Higgy was going to record with Tiny because of his (Bob) digging him on Jazz Party.

In relative obscurity in Boston during the early Fifties, Higgy, one of the leading trombonists of the Thirties and early Forties (he won many polls in Down Beat, Metronome and Esquire in the period from 1941 to 1945), returned to New York in January of 1956 and was reunited with his old sidekick Red Allen. Higginbotham was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1906 but grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio where he started working professionally in 1924. In 1927, he worked in Buffalo, New York with Jimmy Harrison, the man who influenced most of the jazz trombones whose styles were formed in the Thirties and late Twenties.

The roster of bands that Higgy has played with is an impressive one. From 1928, when he came to New York to 1931, he was with Luis Russell. It was here he began his friendship with Red Allen. After a few months with Chick Webb, he joined Fletcher Henderson and remained until 1933. Then it was the Mills Blue Rhythm Band from 1934 to 1936 and Louis Armstrong from 1937 to 1940. Upon leaving Satchmo, Allen and Higginbotham, who had been together from Russell through Armstrong, were again teamed in Red’s sextet. With Don Stovall’s alto sax completing the front line, this group contributed raucous, extrovert jazz lo the Forties.

Tiny and Higgy were together on the Metronome All Star Band recording of 1946, when they and Red Norvo combined to open and close Duke Ellington’s Metronome All Out.

The title number, Callin’ The Blues, opens the album. It’s a medium rocker with a short riff and an opening solo by Tiny. “Lockjaw” is next, firm but not over-frantic, and is followed by a warmly grooving Higgy who plays some things which remind me of Vic Dickenson. Ray Bryant, whose interpretation of the blues is more modern than the others’, but with a continued down home feeling, is the last soloist before the ride-out.

Blue Tiny is a slow, out with the lights, blues which receives an appropriate. mood-setting solo by the guitarist. Ray. Higgy and “Lock” follow, each telling a story in his own way. Tiny returns and, with the band murmuring beneath him, closes out.

Grimes’ Times opens on a boogie woogie motif by Tiny and is the fastest blues of the set. After a lengthy Grimes solo, Davis moves in and along. Higginbotham plays a swinging offering which will show you where Bill Harris came from, Bryant contributes a gem of an extended solo aided by Tiny’s integrated comping and the piece is riffed to its conclusion.

As in his last album, when he did A Smooth One, Tiny does a Benny Goodman tune which has an association with Charlie Christian. This time it is Airmail Special, also known as Good Enough To Keep in its Goodman sextet days. Solo order is Grimes, Higginbotham, Davis and Bryant. Four bar exchanges with the soloists and drummer Johnson precede the riff close.

-----

Capsule Biogs of the Players

Ray Bryant: Born in Philadelphia in 1931. Comes from a piano playing family. Worked around Philly as house pianist at Blue Note, backing visiting soloists like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis. Headed trio which accompanied Carmen McRae in 1957. With brother Tommy (bass) in Jo Jones trio in 1958. Own trio on Prestige (7098); also recorded with Miles Davis (7034), Sonny Rollins (7020), Arthur Taylor (7117) and Tiny Grimes (7138).

Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis: Born in New York City in 1921. A self-taught musician. Played with the bands of Cootie Williams, Lucky Millinder, Andy Kirk and Louis Armstrong in the early Forties; Count Basie for a year in 1952-53. Own combo since with organist Shirley Scott. Can be heard on Prestige with Bennie Green (7023) and in The Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis Cookbook (7141).

Tiny Grimes: Born, Newport News, Virginia in 1917. Started as a one-fingered pianist. Switched to guitar. With the Cats And A Fiddle in 1940-41, Art Tatum trio until 1944; own groups on New York’s 52nd Street from 1944-47; then renamed his group The Rocking Highlanders and toured the midwest and Canada through the late Forties and early Fifties. Uses four-string guitar. Can be heard in Blues Groove (7138).

Osie Johnson: Born, Washington, D. C. in 1923. Studied harmony in high school. Frank Wess attended the same school. Played with Earl Hines (1952-53) and then settled in New York, where he has played with many groups and countless record dates. Talented arranger too. Heard on Prestige with Bennie Green (7030, 7052), and Barbara Lea (7065, 7100).

Wendell Marshall: Born, St. Louis in 1920, First cousin of great Ellington bassist Jimmy Blanton. Played with Ellington, himself, from 1950 to 1955. Since then, very active in recording and club work in New York. Heard on Prestige with Earl Coleman (7045), Herbie Mann & Bobby Jaspar (7101, 7124) and Arthur Taylor (7117).