Jazz At The Philharmonic

Producer Norman Granz mounted a Los Angeles benefit event in 1944 titled "Jazz at the Philharmonic," soon abbreviated as JATP. The recorded program presented Illinois Jacquet, Jack McVea, J.J. Johnson, Shorty Sherock, and a rhythm section that included Nat King Cole and Les Paul, with Jacquet’s contributions stirring particular excitement. After staging a handful of comparable concerts, Granz launched annual cross-country tours beginning in 1946 that placed classic swing and bop players in jam-session formats. Although reviewers frequently decried the shows for fostering exhibitionism at a time when R&B honking was ascendant, the concerts generated abundant memorable music that Granz captured and later issued on his Verve label. He compensated the musicians generously while actively opposing racism at every turn. Among the recurring JATP luminaries were tenor saxophonists Flip Phillips, whose “Perdido” solo achieved renown, Jacquet, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Ben Webster, and Stan Getz; trumpeters Roy Eldridge, Charlie Shavers, Dizzy Gillespie, and Harry “Sweets” Edison; trombonists Bill Harris and Tommy Turk; alto saxophonists Charlie Parker, Willie Smith, and Benny Carter; pianists Hank Jones and Oscar Peterson; a rotating cast of bassists often featuring Ray Brown; and drummers Louie Bellson, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich. Ella Fitzgerald joined the tours at an early stage, typically delivering her own dedicated segment before taking part in the finale, and later editions regularly incorporated sets by the Oscar Peterson Trio, Gene Krupa’s combo, Stuff Smith, and Lester Young. The yearly tours ended after 1957, though a revival attempt occurred in 1967; Granz nevertheless preserved the JATP approach through numerous jam-session-style Pablo albums throughout the 1970s.