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Bruce Klauber
Bruce Klauber is the biographer of Gene Krupa, "Jazz Legends" DVD Series Producer for Alfred Publishing and Hudson Music, Jazz Bridge Press Officer, Founder of JazzLegends.com, and a working jazz drummer since childhood.
The oddity among these issues features a group called the "J.F.K." Quintet. This Washington, D.C.-based group released two LPs in 1961 on the Riverside label, New Jazz Frontiers from Washington and Young Ideas. Sort of a hybrid of hard bop/early Ornette Coleman, at times performed with what used to be called a "go-go" beat, these sides are fascinating. The saxophonist here is none other than a young Andrew White, billed back then as "Andy White," who has become one of the leading musicologists in jazz, and, believe it or not, was the electric bassist in Stevie Wonder's band from 1968 to 1970. Even back then, he had a grasp of what Coleman was doing, albeit with his own take. The only other readily known player is bassist Walter Booker, Jr. According to the little that's been written about them, these groundbreakers of a sort lasted until 1963. It must have been wild to hear them in person.
As always, Fresh Sound has issued these titles in a first-class manner in line with mastering, notes, dates, history and photography. Slowly but surely, by way of these releases and others, the good folks at Fresh Sound are ensuring there will be little or no gaps left in the history or recorded jazz.
