Music Discussed:
Grachan Moncur III – Evolution
(Recorded November 21, 1963, Released April 1964 – Blue Note BST 84153)
Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify
Link to YouTube
Personnel:
Grachan Moncur III – trombone
Lee Morgan – trumpet
Jackie McLean – alto saxophone
Bobby Hutcherson – vibes
Bob Cranshaw – double bass
Tony Williams – drums
Jackie McLean – One Step Beyond
(Recorded April 30, 1963, Released January 1964 – Blue Note BST 84137)
Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify
Link to YouTube
Personnel:
Jackie McLean – alto saxophone
Grachan Moncur III – trombone
Bobby Hutcherson – vibes
Eddie Khan – bass
Tony Williams – drums
Jackie McLean – Destination… Out!
(Recorded September 20, 1963, Released November 1964 – Blue Note BST 84165)
Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify
Link to YouTube
Personnel:
Jackie McLean – alto saxophone
Grachan Moncur III – trombone
Bobby Hutcherson – vibes
Larry Ridley – bass
Roy Haynes – drums
With the number of musicians who have died recently, it’s difficult to avoid this blog becoming a litany of memorial posts. At TNB we prefer to focus on supporting living musicians and the current development of music. But awareness of the past and its masters is as important as acknowledgement of the present, and the trailblazers of this music create an excitement and nostalgia that inspire both todays’ performers and audience. The music of Grachan Moncur III is one such inspiration. Moncur’s music finds a happy (and rare) combination of structure married to the adventure of the avant-garde. For that reason, we’d like to write about the great Grachan Moncur III, who died last month at the age of 85.
Moncur came from a musical family, the son of a well know bass player with the Savoy Sultans. In interviews, Moncur emphasized how close he was to music growing up – he was friends with Wayne Shorter from a young age (they’re both from Newark) and Sarah Vaughn was a friend of his mother’s (she would come over and cook dinner!). Moncur’s father played the trombone as a second instrument, and Moncur describes his father’s sound as a unmistakably dark and sonorous tone; I would say that’s a good description of Moncur’s sound as well.
The young Moncur’s talent as a trombone player was recognized early, and he went on the road with the popular Ray Charles band for a few years. But experimental music is what inspired Moncur, and Charles responded in disbelief when Moncur quit his band and its steady paycheck to pursue the hard life of a musical creative. Moncur then played with the Benny Golson/Art Farmer Jazztet for a short time, where he made his first records and began writing his first compositions.
This brings us to the genesis of one of the most remarkable debut albums as a leader in music history, Moncur’s Evolution, recorded in November 1963 and released in 1964. Here, I have to confess my connection to this album – Evolution was personally an important gateway to creative music for me. At a time when music that projected transformative energy meant everything to me, I latched onto the music of Moncur’s friend and musical partner, alto sax legend Jackie McLean. McLean’s edgy solos defined what I felt music should be, especially McLean’s breakthrough albums One Step Beyond and Destination Out. But who was this mysterious trombone player with the deep, dark sound, responsible for writing the band’s most incredible tunes? This question led me to Moncur and to his great debut, which really is the source for my love and appreciation of creative music. This blog would not exist without Evolution!
The band that appears on these three albums – McLean’s One Step Beyond and Destination Out, and Moncur’s Evolution, is based around a core group consisting of Monchur’s trombone, McLean’s alto, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, and Tony Williams on drums (except on Destination Out, where Roy Haynes subs). This is a phenomenal band, but Moncur is the glue, the musician that defines this band and sparked it’s creation.
Moncur’s centrality to this band touches on why he is such an important musician. Moncur was 25 years old at the time and was 7 years younger than his mentor McLean. Like McLean, Moncur has a grounding in the blues and hard bop that is essential in Mclean’s music, but Moncur also brings his own exploratory sensibility that invigorates bop with the exploration of more open, experimental music. Even more than this sensibility, it’s Moncur’s compositions are the spark for this band. In a interview with All About Jazz, Moncur explains how inspiration struck in the summer of 1962, which resulted in these pivotal records:
“So what I did was I didn’t even concentrate on working that summer. I just lived off a little bread that I had made that year and just shedded. I just shedded on studying Monk’s tunes. I didn’t have a piano. I didn’t really do that to learn his repertoire to play it. I was just doing it to analyze his music. I just wanted to get the sound of his music inside of my body. Between shedding on Monk’s stuff and then I started writing on my own and this particular night, I had been listening to a lot of television and science fiction sounds and all that kind of stuff. This particular night, I would say about two hours before Jackie called, I wrote both, “Frankenstein” first and then “Ghost Town.”
Go listen to McLean’s One Step Beyond to hear the results: “Frankenstein” uses a loping, off-centered melody that depicts the titular character – the unusual setting inspires an incredible solo by McLean with strong support from Williams. “Ghost Town” sets a contrasting and equally compelling mood – the long descending notes create their own center of gravity which evoke the desolation of the title. The singular mood created by Moncur is on even greater display in Destination Out with the epochal “Love And Hate.” This may be Mocur’s most cherished composition – the hummable melody is both wistful and solemn, and makes a lasting impression which again matches the evocativeness of the great title.
There’s the LP copy (picture from fleetwoodmac.net)
After the success of these compositions, Moncur was given the opportunity to record his own album as a leader. He re-assembled the One Step Beyond band, using Bob Cranshaw on bass, in addition to McLean, Hutcherson and Williams. Moncur wanted to add a trumpet player, and originally had youngster Woody Shaw in mind. However, Alfred Lion of Blue Note suggested trumpet phenom Lee Morgan may be available, and by making this record date with Morgan there is an extra level of spontaneity and power. Morgan, who is best known for his roaring, hard bop playing, could also play outside, and he fills both of those roles here. What a band.
Moncur brought all originals to the Evolution date, which are smartly programmed to heighten the drama. “Air Raid” starts mysteriously with vibraphone cords ringing in the air, loping bass steps, and drums playing freely out of time. This opening is contrasted with a fast temp section against which the players play blazing solos until the rhythm unspools in a cycle back to the opening chords. The mood darkens even further with the gloomy and luminous title track. Of this track, Moncur gave a fascinating interview in 2001 with Hank Shteamer on WKCR, where Moncur emphasizes that he felt something unexplainable and dark when Evolution was recorded. Hours later, Moncur heard that President Kennedy had been assassinated, and forever associated the making of this record with a type of premonition of the future.
Side A certainly is heavy, but then, in what might be my favorite transition in music, side B starts with “The Coaster.” “The Coaster” is a charged hard bop rave up with epic solo statements from McLean, Morgan and Hutcherson. Just a few highlights of this endlessly re-playable track: McLean’s trademark stepped-down phrases at 3:11, 3:26 and 4:52; the moment at 4:23 when McLean smartly heightens the tension by moving his horn closer to the mic; Morgan’s repeated phase that builds tension at 5:22, followed by his blazing playing at 5:38; and Hutcherson’s dense lines and clusters throughout his solo. Throughout, Tony Williams’ drumming is uniquely interactive, constantly shape-shifting with each phase. For one example among many, check out Williams’ accents behind Morgan when his solo takes off, caressing every line from the great trumpet player. Following all of the extroverted playing on “The Coaster”, Moncur ends the record with strange and jaunty “Monk In Wonderland.” An explicit tribute to Moncur’s inspiration, the closing tune consists of a haltering, extroverted strut that continues the contrast with the moody side A. Morgan, McLean, Moncur, Hutcherson and bassist Cranshaw all put in terrific solos to conclude a stone-cold classic.
For a very erudite analysis of Evolution, check out pianist and critic Ethan Iverson’s breakdown. I’m not the only one who counts this album as a favorite!
Evolution is an album at a crossroads between introversion and extroversion, iteration and exploration, past and future. It captures one of the definitive composers of modern jazz in a moment of pure inspiration, and in a stroke of luck, found the ideal musicians to execute his vision. This combination of virtues makes Evolution, along with the other albums by this band, a great jumping-off point for further realms of progressive music. Evolution is an endlessly rewarding springboard to the unknown.
More Moncur:
Unfortunately Moncur’s discography is very slim, but it’s deep with amazing compositions and playing. After you’ve checked out Evolution, listen to Moncur’s second album as a leader for Blue Note, Some Other Stuff. Here Tony Williams returns for a second sideman appearance with the same leader (something he hardly ever did, except with Miles Davis) and Moncur is joined by Newark chum Wayne Shorter. The thing that stands out about Some Other Stuff is how contemporary sounding it is – it literally sounds like it was recorded yesterday. Look no further for proof Moncur was ahead of his time.
Moncur got involved in a dispute with Blue Note because he insisted on owning the rights to his compositions, and as a result, he didn’t record as a leader again for six years after Some Other Stuff. To hear more playing by Moncur as a sideman during the 1960’s and more of his great compositions, check out Hipnosis, where he’s reunited with Jackie McLean. The title track especially is killer, and another essential contribution by Moncur to modern music.
Moncur recorded as a leader again in 1969, cutting two albums for the French BYG label as part of a flurry of recording capturing the jazz avante grade when they were in Europe. The circumstances of these albums suggest they were made in a rush, but that doesn’t affect the result – New Africa in particular has a radiant air and open approach that’s distinct from the more claustrophobic Moncur Blue Notes. Both Dave Burrell (piano) and Roscoe Mitchell (alto sax) are brilliant. Though not as powerful, Aco Dei de Madrugada (One Morning I Waked Up Very Early) is a beautiful album and also recommended.
One of the most facinating Moncur albums is 1975’s Echoes Of Prayer, written during a period of trauma after Moncur had lost his home and all of his possessions in a fire. I again recommend the Shteamer interview for the inspiring story as to how Moncur rebounded from losing all his music to write and record this astounding album. Echoes Of Prayer is a four part suite played continuously by a 22-member band featuring heavyweights like Carla Bley, Charlie Haden, Jeanne Lee, Beaver Harris and Hannibal Marvin Peterson, who create a dense layers of percussion, wind instruments and voices. A gripping album all the way through, and the guitar driven coda is not to be missed. Echoes Of Prayer has not been reissued since 1975 – the world needs a new release of this album, now!
After 1975 the frequency of music from Moncur became more sporadic, but his towering influence on music was cemented in place. Moncur returned in 2004 with Exploration, which featured new performances of older Moncur compositions, and acts like a great summation of Moncur’s genius. By the time Exploration was recorded, Moncur’s importance was obvious – his music creates an important bridge between the structure and sly humor of Monk, with the rhythmic and harmonic freedom of the avant garde. It’s a crucial mix that has been widely influential of modern music, and Moncur’s music will continue to reward study and enjoyment. Moncur lives!
(picture from All About Jazz)