Search - Clark Terry :: One on One

It is one of the enduring mysteries of jazz that trumpet-flügelhorn virtuoso Clark Terry is rarely mentioned in the same hallowed terms usually reserved for innovators such as Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, of whom he was very much a peer, a contemporary, and, in many ways, a mentor. A native of that trumpet-toddling town, St. Louis, Terry encapsulates all that is modern and enduring in the American brass tradition, the very personification of the oral tradition going back to Louis Armstrong and the pre-recording age, the swing-big band era, and the bebop revolution. He has been a charter member of the finest big bands, such as those of Lunceford, Ellington, and Basie, and he has recorded memorable dates with pianists as diverse in technique and temperament as Thelonious Monk, Cecil Taylor, and Oscar Peterson. In his eighth decade, barely able to walk, his eyesight failing, Clark Terry is nevertheless resplendent in the autumnal glow of his creativity, having forgotten more than most trumpeters will ever know about the horn and the history of jazz--which is what makes One on One such a bold, personal statement. Documenting intimate encounters with 14 of the finest pianists in jazz, One on One showcases Terry's buttery tone, impeccable phrasing, and painterly palette of timbral shadings. Of particular beauty are his richly inflected, heroically laid-back ballad performances on Eubie Blake's "Memories of You" (with Roland Hanna) and Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark" (with Marian McPartland). Still, Terry remains one of the great swingers on any instrument, and his buoyant syncopations and sassy tone on "Blue Monk" and "Jungle Blues" seem to sum up the eternal, enduring qualities that make for a great jazz solo. --Chip Stern