Johnny Coles

I've been listening to Little Johnny C today. I bought this record at Melody Records in Manhattan when I was 18 or 19. I don't remember why -- a review in Downbeat, probably. When I presented it to the guy behind the counter, he said, "You've got good taste". Pretty heady stuff for a jazz neophyte!

Johnny Coles is one of those musicians whose name almost always is preceded by "underrated" or "neglected." Even the liner notes for the RVG CD wind up talking as much about Duke Pearson, the pianist for the date, as Coles. The other stick to beat him with was "Miles imitator", as if 100 percent of jazz musicians don't derive from somebody. It's not your influences, it's what you do with them. Johnny Coles developed a very personal style that made him unique -- influences be damned.

Coles was Gil Evans' first call for trumpet in the days when he was turning out masterpieces like Out of the Cool. He was a stalwart of the Mingus Jazz Workshop when I caught him at the Five Spot in 1964. In fact, it was the same group -- Eric Dolphy, Clifford Jordan, Jaki Byard, and of course Dannie Richmond -- featured on last year's memorable 2-CD Cornell concert release. I can still picture Coles concentrating ferociously during a solo while Dolphy and Jordan grinned and played a little "Now's the Time" until Mingus waved them off.

I tell you what -- pick up Little Johnny C, Out of the Cool -- he's phenomenal throughout -- or any other recording with Johnny Coles on it and forget about those tiresome modifiers. Just let the music speak for itself.