CARMELL JONES
Jay Hawk Talk (Original Jazz Classics)
Reviewed by Ron Saranich

---

Recorded in 1965 and recently remastered as part of Original Jazz Classics' Limited Edition Series, Jay Hawk Talk is a fine recording session Carmell Jones led while a member of Horace Silver's quintet. In all, Jones released 6 albums under his leadership. Besides Silver, Jones also played with Bud Shank, Harold Land, Red Mitchell, and Booker Ervin. Soon after this recording, he moved to Europe for more than a decade, which perhaps accounts for his relative obscurity among Jazz fans today.

For this session, trumpeter Jones enlisted Jimmy Heath on tenor saxophone, Barry Harris on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Roger Humphries on drums. Of the six tunes, three are originals by Jones, the rest standards. The band was solid throughout, especially the solo work of the leader, Heath, and Harris. Jimmy Heath sounded in particular good lip for this session, with his warm tone catching the listener's ear and his intelligent musical ideas holding one's attention. Jones also was wonderful throughout. His work on "Willow Weep For Me" was lyrical, powerful, and moving.

Carmell Jones was a native of Kansas City, hence the title Jay Hawk Talk. His music thus was steeped in that City's Jazz tradition. This is a great place to start if you are interested in learning more about Jones and his consistently good trumpet playing. Or listen to Jones' top-notch work on two outstanding Jazz classics, Horace Silver's Song For My Father or Booker Ervin's Blues Book.

© 2001 - Ron Saranich