Jazz at the Philharmonic

Jazz at the Philharmonic or JATP (1944 - 1983) was the title of a series of concerts and recordings produced by Norman Granz (1918 - 2001). The very first concert was held on July 2, 1944 at Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles, and featured Illinois Jacquet, Jack McVea, J. J. Johnson, Shorty Sherock, Nat King Cole, Les Paul, Johnny Miller, Red Callender, Lee Young a.o. - Illinois Jacquet in particular created a sensation. The title of the concert had been shortened by the printer of the advertising supplements from "Jazz at the Philharmonic Auditorium", to "Jazz at the Philharmonic"; Norman Granz organised the concert with about $200 of borrowed money.

After several similar concerts in Los Angeles, Granz began producing annual JATP tours, in USA and Canada, in the late fall of 1945. These featured Swing and Bop musicians. They were among the first high-profile performances to feature racially integrated bands, and Granz cancelled some bookings rather than have the musicians perform for segregated audiences.

Jazz at the Philharmonic featured most of the era's preeminent musicians: Louie Bellson, Ray Brown, Benny Carter, Buddy DeFranco, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Roy Eldridge, Herb Ellis, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Bill Harris, Coleman Hawkins, J.C. Heard, Billie Holiday, Illinois Jacquet, Hank Jones, Jo Jones, Barney Kessel, Gene Krupa, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, Flip Phillips, Buddy Rich, Charlie Shavers, Willie Smith, Sonny Stitt, Tommy Turk, Ben Webster, Lester Young a.o.

Norman Granz recorded many of these concerts, and sold/leased (from 1945 to 1947) the recordings to Asch/Disc/Stinson Records (record producer Moses Asch's labels). Later, Granz leased (from 1948 to 1953) the recordings to Mercury Records, and later reissued/issued them on Norgran (founded 1953), from 1953 on Clef (founded 1946), and from 1956 on Verve (founded 1956), at the time, his own labels. JATP ceased touring the United States in 1957, but continued intermittently (mainly in Europe and Japan) until 1983 (very last JATP concerts: Tokyo, Japan, fall, 1983). In the 1970s, Granz kept the spirit of the JATP alive on his many jam session style records for his Pablo label, also used for previously unissued JATP concerts.

Recordings held by Verve Records of the first five years (1944 - 1949) of JATP have been issued in a 10 CD Box Set, and less comprehensively by (unlicensed) European labels.

JATP recordings

* July 2, 1944 : "Blues", "Lester Leaps In", "Body and Soul" a.o. with Nat King Cole, Illinois Jacquet, Jack McVea, Lee Young, Les Paul a.o. The very first JATP concert! The recordings were issued on Disc, Mercury, Clef and Verve.
* 1946 : "JATP Blues", "I Got Rhythm" a.o. with Buck Clayton, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Kenny Kersey, Irving Ashby, Buddy Rich a.o. "I Can't Get Started" (featuring Lester Young).
* 1947 : "Perdido" (famous JATP concert recording featuring Flip Phillips).
* 1949 + 1950 : "Norgran Blues", "Lady Be Good" a.o. with Harry "Sweets" Edison, Flip Phillips, Bill Harris, Lester Young, Hank Jones, Ray Brown and Buddy Rich, and "Stuffy" a.o. (featuring Coleman Hawkins), and "Repetition", "Easy To Love", "April In Paris" a.o. (featuring Charlie Parker with Strings), and The Oscar Peterson Set (featuring OP and Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson's JATP debut! - recorded on September 18, 1949 at Carnegie Hall, New York): "Norman Granz' Jazz Concert # 1" (i.e. Jazz at the Philharmonic), Norgran MG JC # 1. Vinyl Box Set (two 12" LP's). Reissued as "Midnight Jazz At Carnegie Hall" on Verve (Clef series) MGV-8189-2 (two 12" LP Set).
* 1952 : "Jam Session Blues", "The Ballad Medley", "Perdido" a.o. with Lester Young, Flip Phillips, Roy Eldridge, Oscar Peterson, Barney Kessel, Buddy Rich a.o., and "The Drum Battle" (featuring Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich), and "C Jam Blues", "Tenderly" a.o. with The Oscar Peterson Trio (OP, Barney Kessel and Ray Brown): Mercury vol. 15. Vinyl Box Set (three 12" LP's + 12th JATP tour program). Reissued as Clef vol. 15. Vinyl Box Set (three 12" LP's + 12th JATP tour program). Reissued as Verve vol. 8. Vinyl Box Set (three 12" LP's, NO JATP tour program).
* 1953 : "Cool Blues", "One O'Clock Jump", "Flying Home" a.o. with Lester Young, Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Shavers, Benny Carter, Flip Phillips, Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, J.C. Heard a.o., and The Oscar Peterson Trio Set with OP, Herb Ellis and Ray Brown: Clef vol. 16. Vinyl Box Set (three 12" LP's and one 10" LP + an envelope with 13 photo reprints). Reissued as Verve vol. 9. Vinyl Box Set (three 12" LP's, NO 10" LP, NO photo reprints).
* 1954 : "Jazz Concert Blues", "The Challengers" a.o. with Roy Eldridge, Bill Harris, Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Louie Bellson, Dizzy Gillespie a.o., and The Oscar Peterson Trio Set with OP, Herb Ellis and Ray Brown, and "Flying Home", "How High the Moon" a.o. with Buddy DeFranco, Lionel Hampton a.o.: Clef vol. 17. Vinyl Box Set (three 12" LP's + an envelope with 12 photo reprints). Reissued as Verve vol. 10. Vinyl Box Set (three 12" LP's, NO photo reprints).
* 1955 : "The Blues", "The Modern Set", "The Swing Set" a.o. with Illinois Jacquet, Lester Young, Flip Phillips, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich a.o., and The Oscar Peterson Trio Set with OP, Herb Ellis and Ray Brown: Clef vol. 11! (Clef vol. 18 was never issued!): two 12" LP Set. Reissued as Verve vol. 11 (two 12" LP Set). "Exciting Drum Battle: JATP Stockholm '55" (with Roy Eldridge Dizzy Gillespie Bill Harris Flip Phillips Oscar Peterson Ray Brown Louie Bellson Herb Ellis) LP: Pablo Records (p)74 - 2310713 - CD: Concord [http://concordmusicgroup.com/artists/album/index.php?id=138 PACD-2310-713-2]
* 1956 : "Honeysuckle Rose", "Jumpin' at the Woodhouse", "When the Saints..." a.o.: "Jazz at the Hollywood Bowl" (i.e. Jazz at the Philharmonic), recorded august, 1956, with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Tatum, Illinois Jacquet, Flip Phillips, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich a.o., and The Oscar Peterson Trio Set with OP, Herb Ellis and Ray Brown: Verve (Clef series) MGV-8231-2 (two 12" LP Set). "Jazz At The Philharmonic -- Hamburg, Germany -- February 29, 1956" (with Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge on trumpets, Flip Phillips and Illinois Jacquet on tenor, Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Gene Krupa on drums) Fresh Sound Records [http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/record_popup.php?record_id=4706 FSRCD 441]
* 1957 : "The Slow Blues", "Merry Go Round" with Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Flip Phillips, Sonny Stitt, Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Jo Jones, and "Stuffy" with Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, J.J. Johnson, Connie Kay a.o.: "The JATP All-Stars at the Opera House", Verve (Clef series) MGV-8267. "Billie's Bounce" (featuring J. J. Johnson and Stan Getz).