S' Wonderful Jazz Eddie Graham Trio

• 1 'S Wonderful 04:21
• 2 Cherokee 05:14
• 3 That Old Feeling 05:49
• 4 You Are Too Beautiful 04:52
• 5 Bali Hai 05:51
• 6 Jitterbug Waltz 04:24
• 7 You've Changed 06:17
• Total Runtime 36:48

Info for S' Wonderful Jazz

“The drummer is the boss of the band, not the bandleader,' Count Basie once said. “If the drummer's not right, nothing’s happening.'

That is as true of a small group as of a big band, but audiences have not always recognized it, the importance of the drummer often being obscured by a lot of razzmatazz going on in front of him. Yet, paradoxically, audiences have always loved drum solos, good, bad and indifferent.

For five years Eddie Graham was the drummer with Earl Hines, one of the greatest and most spontaneously inventive pianists in jazz history. Hines had routines on several numbers audiences demanded every night, but on others the performance varied according to his mood and inspiration. He himself had practically perfect time, but the counter-rhythms he delighted in setting up between his two hands created something of a problem for even the most talented of drummers. Eddie Graham quickly learned to cope with it and Hines remarked gratefully on the fact that during his tenure all members of the group were “comfortable with one another,” and that there was “no temperament, no selfishness, no conflict of personalities,” all of which he had endured in earlier phases of his career. “Eddie is a very gifted drummer,' he added, “who can put on an act that is a whole show in itself, and does.”

This “act” was one Hines appreciated very much. “It takes the pressure off me,” he said on many occasions. After creating a percussion fantasy that enchanted most listeners, Eddie would rise up modestly from behind his glittering equipment to a storm of applause. Small and dark-haired, his appearance suggested a veritable Merlin of the drums.

His solos, as this album demonstrates, were logically constructed and never a matter of loud, wild noise. The excellent recording here also shows the good, clean sound he consistently produced from the drums. Muffled thuds, as of backstage mahem, have never been a part of his stock in trade. His strong beat and accents have a positive definition that frequently brings to mind the work of one of his favorites, Buddy Rich.

For this session, he left the selection of tunes to Jane Jarvis and Jim DeJulio, who chose fine standards written between 1927 and 1949. Tempos and rhythms were mutually agreed upon before each performance, most of which were made in one take. Where there was second or a third, the first, as is so often the case, usually turned out to be the freshest, because the musicians were listening more closely to one another and not thinking of recreating what they had played before.

S’Wonderful, the opener, was written by George Gershwin as long ago as 1927. The performance is primarily a dramatic showcase for Eddie Graham, who uses all the resources of his kit.

Bandleader Ray Noble’s Cherokee took off in 1939 in versions by Count Basie and Charlie Barnet. The latter’s, as arranged by Billy May, was one of the biggest hits of his entire career. Taken at an easy tempo here, it allows each member of the trio to shine.

That Old Feeling, composed by Lew Brown in 1937, gets an energetic performance over a Latin beat. It evokes a picture of happy musicians and a happy audience in a congenial club.

You Are Too Beautiful, another successful ballad by the prolific Richard Rodgers, dates back to 1932 and is given a full, lush treatment by Jane Jarvis. One can only regret all the years she spent playing organ at baseball games and producing records for Muzak -- and thank Eddie Graham for bringing her back to the arena of recorded jazz where she belongs.

Bali Hai, written by Richard Rodgers for South Pacific in 1949, is another vehicle for the drums, but this time with an intriguing dialogue between piano and bass.

Fats Waller introduced his Jitterbug Waltz in 1942, the year before he died, and it has slowly grown in popularity ever since, particularly among musicians. Jane Jarvis and Jim DeJulio are both heard to advantage here, interpreting the charming number with grace and sensitivity.

You’ve Changed was written by Carl Fischer in 1941 and has inspired many superb jazz performances, among them that of Coleman Hawkins in 1958. Jane Jarvis gives the beautiful ballad an emotion-filled treatment that suggests the relaxed ambience of a club late at night.

Jim DeJulio, bass
Eddie Graham, drums
Jane Jarvis, piano

Recorded at Mario's Restaurant, Palm Desert, California
Recorded by David A. Wilson

Digitally remastered

Technical / Listening Notes:
This recording is destined to become one one of the most controversial jazz records ever produced. The debate will not center around the music interpretation. These excellent jazz classics, delightfully and energetically performed, not surprisingly, by Eddie Graham’s Trio, provide an eminently satisfying musical experience. What will be surprising to many is the sound on this record. The recording is unusual in its perspective, compared to most jazz recordings. The perspective is very natural and acoustically rich. Although to some listeners it will seem too distant, the textures and balance are exactly as though you were listening to the group performing, as they were, in a fairly large, good-sounding room. That good-sounding room is Mario’s Restaurant in Palm Desert, California. The room is 75 feet by 45 feet with a 20 foot ceiling. The walls are partially draped.

The acoustical blend resulting from the more distant perspective seems to better preserve the ensemble achieved by the Trio. The recording captures, with extraordinary accuracy, the positioning of the instruments within a large and dimensional soundstage. Microphone experiments performed on-site established the fact that the spaced Schoeps Omnis were much more accurate than a more conventional sounding cardioid condenser array which was also tried.

Jim DeJulio’s acoustic bass should image at the far left, somewhat forward of the piano. If your system’s sound-stage-resolving capability is up to it, you will hear that he is near a wall that is quite acoustically absorbant. The piano is back from the bass and more toward the center of the soundstage. As you listen, you are facing the side of the piano, with Jane sitting to the left, not far Jim. The piano (a nine foot Steinway) physically extends over halfway across the soundstage. Eddie's very complete drum set (Slingerland drums and Zildgian cymbals) occupies a considerable space behind the piano. The lid of the piano has been completely removed so that it would not 0bscure the sound of the drums. The sound of the piano therefore, is quite open, but somewhat reduced in level. Eddie’s mountain of drums is anything but obscured! During their solos, the drums almost seem to grow in size, as well as loudness.

The Schoeps microphones were fed through Monster Reference balanced cable to a custom vacuum tube mic to line level preamp. The master tapes were recorded at 30ips on Wilson Audios custom-built Ultramaster 1/2 inch, 2-track analog machine. Mastering of the lacquers was done at Wilson Audio’s mastering facility in Provo, Utah

Eddie Graham
Inspired by his father who played the "bones", Ed Graham acquired an early interest in rhythm which prompted him to begin the study of drums at age nine. After moving with his family from New York to Florida at 14, Ed had a continuing television series on WTVJ, Miami, with his "Swing Kings". During this time his interest in Dixieland Jazz was fostered by an acquaintance with drummer "Preacher" Rollo Laylan who frequently imported jazz names to Miami.

Ed attended the University of Miami and performed for several seasons with the Miami Symphony before migrating to California to accompany such diverse luminaries as Jack Jones, Elvis Presley, and Anita O'Day. He toured as accompanist \ conductor for Roberta Sherwood, Vic Dana and Kay Stevens during the sixties and settled in Las Vegas on a long term contract with Latin concert pianist, Esquivel! Other jazz appearances during this period included a highly successful concert tour of Japan with the Village Stompers and several television appearances with ragtime pianist Big Tiny Little. As a percussionist in the Nevada showrooms, he accompanied Rich Little, Sammy Davis, Elvis, Johnny Mathis, and Mack Davis, and appeared with his own jazz group.

In the early seventies he was summoned to Hawaii by jazz trombonist Trummy Young and while performing there met the legendary Earl "Fatha" Hines with whom he was a featured artist from 1975 to 1980. On concert tours in Europe, Australia, South America and Japan, Ed has appeared with such artists as Benny Carter, Joe Venuti, Bobby Hackett, Red Norvo, Dorothy Donegan, Barney Bigard, and Stan Getz.

Ed's solo album for M & K Records is called "Hot Stix" and was critically acclaimed for it's sonic and inventive qualities. He recorded a live concert for Arbors (ARCD 2910) featuring an All-Star line-up including legendary bassist Bob Haggart. A Wilson Audio release titled "S' Wonderful Jazz" (WA8418) features Ed and his trio swinging Gershwin standards.

Ed can also be heard with Earl Hines on Tony Bennet's record label; Improv (Live in Buffalo) and with Marva Josie on Chiaroscuro Records (Jazz Is His Old Lady and My Old Man). A collaboration with trumpeter Billy Butterfield (Just Friends) is available on the Jazzology label.

He can be seen as percussionist in Elvis' movie "That's The Way It Is" (a concert film) and heard on Elvis' "Live From Las Vegas" albums on RCA. American Public Broadcasting and British Broadcasting Corporation documentaries showcase Ed in the context of the Earl Hines Quartet. The November 1977 issue of Downbeat magazine contains a personal profile, and a short biographical sketch of Ed is included in Leonard Feathers' Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies.

In the 80's, he was musical director and featured soloist with the musical productions "Bloopers" and "Skintight" in Las Vegas and in 1983 wintered in Palm Springs as a member of the Peanuts Hucko Quartet. In 1984 he was selected to perform at the 1st L.A. Classic Jazz Festival with the Bud Freeman Quartet and the Dick Cary Allstars. He was invited back the following year to accompany Red Norvo, Norma Teegarden, and the Dick Cary group. Other major jazz festivals coast to coast range from "Newport" in New York with Earl Hines to "Monterey" in California with The Abalone Stompers. As a member of The Abalone Stompers, he has appeared at numerous west coast jazz festivals including "Jubilee" in Sacramento. With his quartet he has recorded and performed in the "King of France" jazz club in Annapolis, MD and as guest soloist for the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society.

In 1989 Ed was a founding member of the 21 piece Monterey Peninsula Jazz Orchestra as percussionist and soloist at Clint Eastwood's Mission Ranch in Carmel. For five successive years he has been an invited artist at the annual Betty Ford Clinic fund raiser in Palm Springs, and has given educational clinics under the auspices of the Monterey Jazz Festival, and as a clinician for Slingerland and Camco drum companies.

As an Arbors Jazz Recording Artist, Ed appears on “Glendena Forever” with Rick Fay and Jackie Coon (Arbors 19004) and was featured on (Arbors 29101) in a live recording from the Friday Harbor, Washington Jazz Festival. In 1992, Arbors released the critically acclaimed “Live at the State Theatre” (Arbors 29102) featuring Ed with Rick Fay, Bob Haggart, Dan Barrett, Chuck Folds, Chuck Hedges and Jon-Erick Kellso. Since 1992, he has been a perennial guest artist at the Suncoast Classic Jazz Festival in Clearwater, Florida. The recently released boxed 4CD set "Elvis, Live In Las Vegas" shows him as percussionist.

Currently residing in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida, he continues to express his love for jazz with touring, teaching and recording. Ed has his own groups “The World’s Greatest Sub Band” and the "Hot Jazz Ensemble" and he is featured with Tampa's "42nd Street Big Band". As a member of the "Dixie Chaps" Ed performs frequently for the Sarasota and Suncoast Jazz Societies. At the annual Suncoast Classic Jazz Festival in Clearwater, Florida, Ed hosts an All-Star Jam (Eddie Graham and Friends) that gathers national and international musicians in an informal relaxed club atmosphere.

In 2005 Ed took his "Hot Jazz Ensemble" to the mountains of North Carolina and presented Jazz concerts in the heart of Appalachia at The Orchard At Altapass and the Burnsville Town Center. These concerts have become an annual event for the past five years and have broadened his music to incorporate Country and Bluegrass in a traditional Jazz style.

Booklet for S' Wonderful Jazz