(Verve 1962, Analogue Productions 2013 & 2022)
A great number of audiophiles are jazz fans, and I can’t claim to be. I can and do appreciate the craft and musicianship of its better practitioners, but somehow I have never been able to relate to much of the genre. My collection of jazz LPs (and CDs) is slowly growing, but until relatively recently my collection only included some 45 jazz titles. I therefore don’t feel qualified to offer much commentary on jazz albums, but – the sax music of Johnny Hodges (1907-1970) somehow reaches me.
A few years ago I was at a friend’s home and happened to hear the SACD version of this album. I was surprised to be captivated. The lead cut, the jazz standard “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” reached out and grabbed me by the ears and didn’t let go. After being thus entranced I went on to acquire it and other Hodges albums as well. I imagine it might be possible that many or even most of the jazz fans reading this are already acquainted with it, but in any case it fits my criteria of a “worthy album from the past that should not be forgotten.”
Hodges acquired his first saxophone at age 14 and taught himself to play it. He moved from Boston to New York City as a boy of 17, and shortly before his 21st birthday his talent led to an invitation to join Duke Ellington’s band. Aside from a stint leading his own band (1951-55), Hodges played with the Duke until his death in 1970. He was a key member with a recognizable sound, acclaimed by his contemporaries. Wikipedia lists no less than 42 albums for which he is credited as “leader or co-leader.”
Recorded in 1961 and originally released in 1962 on the Verve label, Hodges shares billing on this cover with another jazz notable, Billy Strayhorn, as the musical director. However this is a Johnny Hodges album. It was devised and fashioned to showcase him, and according to the liner notes he chose all the material and the personnel. Jazz buffs will doubtless recognize many of the names of those personnel. Many though not all were members from Duke Ellington’s Orchestra, and those that were not were some of the best session players of the day. This is pretty much a star outing, and that is evident as you listen to it.
I mentioned the lead cut, which I think is stellar and remains my own favorite. But there are more great cuts here, many of them that other reviewers cite as their favorites. Others that I especially appreciate (though again, I’m no jazz fan) include “I’ve Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good,” “Gal from Joe’s,” and “I’m Just a Lucky So and So.” All are wonderful, and all are apparently standards co-written by Duke Ellington. All of course feature that gorgeous sax work of Hodges that floats above, around, and through the arrangements. Sigh. As well as the man’s sheer talent, I think it’s the combination of melodic lines – not always present in modern jazz – and the richness of that alto sax sound that draws me in to Hodges work.
There are various versions of this album that may be available on Discogs, Amazon or wherever, including some foreign pressings. It was reissued on CD by Verve in 1999, on LP by Speakers Corner in 2013, and on SACD and LP by Analogue Productions in 2013. I am pleased to own the 2013 Analogue Productions LP, which received the full audiophile treatment: Remastered to 45 RPM, 2-disc, 180-gram vinyl. It went out of print, but was then re-pressed by Analogue Productions and is available once again on their website, along with the SACD. If you are into jazz – or possibly even, like me, if you are not a dedicated devotee of the genre – this is unquestionably THE version to get. Highly recommended.
When Hodges died of a heart attack in 1970, Duke Ellington said in his eulogy:
“Never the world's most highly animated showman or greatest stage personality, but a tone so beautiful it sometimes brought tears to the eyes – this was Johnny Hodges.”
ALSO RECOMMENDED
Back to Back (1959) – Ellington and Hodges with only a few side men “play the blues” in this Verve album that is also regarded as a jazz classic. Both artists – and they are indeed artists of their instruments – play off and with one another to create an album that is probably more well-known than the one I write about above. It has also been given the audiophile treatment by Analogue Productions.