Detroit Bop Quintet Releases 45 from Historic Studio
Here’s an interesting item for those who continue to collect and enjoy vinyl.
The Detroit Bop Quintet has roots in hard swinging jazz. Though 60% of the group is not directly from the Motor City, Detroit, greater Michigan, and music lovers worldwide will enjoy the stance of this group, anchored in the modern mainstream sounds departing from the American Popular Song and Big Band eras.
The TQM/Top Quality Music Recording company has released a limited edition 45 r.p.m. single with your tried-and-true Side A and Side B. Charlie Parker composed both tracks, played lovingly in the hard swinging tradition of Bird — “Bluebird” at 3:19 and “Another Hair-Do” clocking in at 3:25. It’s made in tribute to Parker’s great band of trumpeter Miles Davis (who spent considerable time in Detroit), and drummer Max Roach, bassist Tommy Potter and pianist Duke Jordan, who of course married Detroiter, vocalist Sheila Jordan.
What is more relevant historically is that the Detroit Bop Quintet recorded this music at the legendary United Sound Systems Recording Studios, 5840 Second Avenue, where Parker, Davis and their band put music to magnetic tape on December 21, 1947. This new effort was made on August 18, 2014, not only to honor the original group, but to see if they could recreate the sound of the quintet in the prime years of the bop movement.
Ann Arbor stalwarts Paul Keller on the upright string bass and pianist Rick Roe anchor the rhythm section, with Detroiters Nate Winn on drums and trumpeter Dwight Adams, joined by Columbus, Ohio based alto saxophonist Pete Mills. All play their parts very well as you would expect, and the sound quality is remarkable. Mills and Adams are particularly impressive in their deep understanding of the bebop language, translating it to contemporary times.
The “Two Birds” single (TQM-1314) is available on this monaural seven inch vinyl 45 by emailing TQMRecordingCo@outlook.com. You can also contact TQM through their Twitter feed, on Facebook, see the group on You Tube, or go to their website. This is the inaugural release for the label, with hopefully more to come.