1. The Festive Minor
2. Bernie's Tune
3. Baubles, Bangles and Beads
4. Blueport
5. Moonlight In Vermont
6. News From Blueport
7. As Catch Can
8. Don't Get Around Much Any More
9. C Jam Blues

8 & 9 = Milt Hinton, Marian McPartland, Gerry Mulligan, Ed Shaugnessy, (July 3)

 LINER NOTES

Brief Newport History

For a long time it was largely an idea in the minds of Louis and Elaine Lorrilard, "a couple full of jazz" and who also had some financial resources, and George Wein, jazz lover, piano player and proprietor of two successful Boston night clubs. After hard work and important sacrifices they saw their dream come true in 1954 and had the satisfaction and pleasure to w itness how their project turned into the jazz festival of all jazz festivals.

The opening concert at the first festival included, apart from Eddie Condon's group, a wealth of jazz greats, Bobby Hackett, Pee Wee Russell, Lee Wiley, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Konitz, Oscar Peterson, Gerry Mulligan, Ella Fitzgerald etc. And the following day the audience could see and hear what the programme very aptlydescribes as a "parade of talent": The Lester Young-Buck Clayton Sextet, Lennie Tristano's Sextet, Billie Holiday, Gene Krupa's Trio, Teddy Wilson - plus a number of artists from the previous day.

In 1955 the parade of stars continued and in addition big bands made their appearance - the first big unit to appear being Woody Herman's Band . That year Louis took part there and one evening Duke Ellington was the emcee. That night the attendance was counted at 9.500! No wonder, with performers like The Modern Jazz Quartet, Jimmy Rushing, Count Basie, Lester Young, Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan etc, etc.

And so it went on for several years.

A number of recordings from the festivals have been issued and I find it rather surprising that so much of what was played is so enjoyable and of such a high quality musically, also now when you listen to it in your drawing room. More often than not the pleasure derived from recordings from concerts and festivals does not at all compare with the enthusiasm and the feeling of togetherness that you experienced when you "were there". At Newport, however, there was a special, general, feeling of companionship - the musicians obviously very often were deeply inspired by the response which they met.

Like most festivals Newport offered a true mixture of jazz: old and new, avant garde and traditional, blues and popular songs. This contrasting variety, where artists of quite different temperaments and with varying "musical domicile" follow each other on the stage, also characterizes the program on some of our Newport CD:s - thus underlining that jazz is a many-splendoured thing.

Gerry Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan and His Quartet was one of the main features already at the first Newport Festival and continued to be in the limelight the following years, during each festival appearing at several concerts.

In this CD from the 1958 festival Mulligan is featured with his quartet as well as with the Marian McPartland Trio

. The McPartland tracks - 7 & 8 - are from the opening concert, Thursday, July 3, and preceded Miles Davis's section of the program (which can be heard on PHONTASTIC's Newport Vol. 1: Mostly Miles, PHONT NCD 8813).

Mulligan's main appearance at the festival - tracks 1 to 6 - were in fact, somewhat unexpectedly, part of an evening devoted entirely to the blues - Saturday's concert was called "Blues in the Night" (an important part of which is issued on PHONTASTIC's Newport volumes III and IV.- Blues in the Night, No I (PHONT NCD 8815) and Blues in the Night, No 2 (PHONT NCD 8816).

Preceded by artists like Joe Turner, Ray Charles, Big Maybelle and Jack Teagarden and followed by Chuck Berry, The Gerry Mulligan Quartet came on stage. And they played beautifully! A kind of blues different from the rest, for sure, but the blues spirit is there, even when they are playing songs that are not blues Mulligan's music strongly proves the roots of jazz. From the very beginning it is obvious that all four players are in very good spirits, feeling at ease in the atmosphere of "Blues in the Night". The sound of Mulligan and of his group is remarkable in that it conveys such a light, not to say transparent sound. In view of the character of the barytone - deep and heavy - and of the trumpet - strong and powerful the result should be the opposite. But Mulligan handles his big saxophone with such mastery and such "dancing" lightness that the music flows like champagne - from time to time interrupted by a jet of a strong substance, continuously under full control, though. Art Farmer's clear trumpet blends in perfectly and Bill Crown, on bass, and Dave Bailey, on drums, are just as sensitive as is needed.

The four artists create a surprising variety of sounds and rhythms.

Mulligan's light but authoritative playing naturally dominates the two songs where Marian McPartland and her trio are supporting him. When we suddenly hear Mulligan in a piano context, we very strongly realize that his quartet doesn't contain a piano - and that we didn't miss that at all. Gerry M with Marian McP play a different kind of music, less sophisticated and meant for a broader public - music direct and vital.

Andres R. Ohman