Memphis Jazz Box

"The Memphis Jazz Box"^[1][2] is a 3-CD box set by Memphis jazz artists, first released by Ice House Records in March 2004 and then re-released to the public in 2008. Volume one and two have a combined 24 tracks from a wide variety of artists who were currently working in Memphis during the time the set was produced. The third CD is the Jazz Orchestra of the Delta Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter recorded in 2003 for Summit Records.

Memphis Jazz Box
Box set by various Memphis jazz artists
Released	March 9, 2004 Re-released 2008
Recorded	Various dates between 1995–2003
Genre	Jazz
Length	2:33:46
Label	Icehouse Records
Producer	John Threadgill Jack Cooper John Phillips
Compiler	Jack Cooper
cat. # - Ice House Records IHR 5902

Background

The Memphis tradition of jazz music dates back many years to the time of W.C.Handy, Jimmie Lunceford, and Phineas Newborn. Memphis is a city with a long musical heritage that is an integral part of the American sound consisting of work songs, spirituals, blues, jazz, gospel, and rock and roll. Through this tradition, Memphis is a music city that serves to foster musical talent that is unique. There is a wide range a music on the CD set that represents the current flavor of what Memphis music is; from the traditional sounds to Joyce Cobb and W.C. Handy to the contemporary sounds of fusion with the band Voodoo Village. This box set of three CD was produced commercially to promote the city and the jazz music generated from the Mid-south region. This was the second such boxed set produced by Ice House Records and the Chamber of Commerce. The first set, produced in 2001, featured "Best Of. . ." tracks from Sun, Stax, and Hi Records.

Track listing

Disc one - THE NEW MEMPHIS JAZZ COLLECTION (Volume one) from the Memphis Jazz Box

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original Album	Length
1.	"Let's Get Lost" (Kelley Hurt)	McHugh/Loesser	Raindance[3]	3:29
2.	"The Protagonist" (Jack Cooper Quartet)	Jack Cooper		5:51
3.	"Bags" (The U of Memphis Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra)	Bill Holman		3:12
4.	"Garment District" (Voodoo Village)	Ernest Williamson	Funk Soup[4]	4:10
5.	"Family Money" (Hope Clayburn)	Hope Clayburn	Report 4 Booty[5]	6:49
6.	"Beale St. Blues" (Joyce Cobb & the Beale St. Jazz Band)	W.C. Handy	Jazzin on Beale	4:26
7.	"I've Got You Under My Skin" (T.J. Graham)	Cole Porter		4:51
8.	"Rhythm is Our Business" (The New Memphis Hepcats)	Jimmie Lunceford	Swingopoly[6]	3:14
9.	"Andrea" (Herman Green & the Green Machine)	Herman Green	Hernando Street Strut[7]	5:31
10.	"One Kind Word" (Charlie Wood)	Charlie Wood	Southbound[8]	3:52
11.	"Corcovado" (Holly Shelton & the Backroom Boys)	Antonio Carlos Jobim	Back on Beale Street[9]	3:46
12.	"Reed Between the Lines" (Carl Wolfe Quartet)	Carl Wolfe		4:43
13.	"Reekin' With Love" (Di Anne Price & Her Boyfriends)	Di Anne Price	Reekin' With Love[10]	2:41

All tracks are written by noted.

Disc two - THE NEW MEMPHIS JAZZ COLLECTION (Volume two) from the Memphis Jazz Box

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original Album	Length
1.	"Gentle Rain" (Teresa Pate)	Luiz Bonfá		4:15
2.	"2nd & Beale" (Freeworld)	Freeworld	Diversity[11]	4:50
3.	"Crazy She Calls Me" (Gary Johns)	Sigman/Russell	Made In Memphis	6:02
4.	"El Gato De La Noche" (Memphis Jazz Orchestra)	Carl Wolfe		6:51
5.	"I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" (Gene Rush)	Duke Ellington		6:21
6.	"Waltz For Debbie" (U of Memphis Jazz Singers)	Bill Evans		3:25
7.	"School Girl Crush" (Candice Ivory)	Candice Ivory	Path: Undefined[12]	6:25
8.	"Voodoo Village" (Voodoo Village)	Kurt Clayton/Pat Register/Ernest Williamson	Funk Soup[4]	5:23
9.	"Out of This World" (Kelley Hurt)	Arlen/Mercer	Raindance[3]	4:15
10.	"River of Jive" (Charlie Wood)	Charlie Wood	Southbound[8]	4:18
11.	"Local Edition" (Jack Cooper Quartet)	Jack Cooper		5:38

Disc Three - Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter

No.	Title	Original Album	Length
1.	"Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter" (Jazz Orchestra of the Delta)	All tracks - Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter

Recording sessions

• DISC ONE - The New Memphis Jazz Collection, volume one

Recorded completed in several studios in Memphis to include Ardent Studios, Young Avenue Sound, Sam Phillips Recording Services

• DISC TWO - The New Memphis Jazz Collection, volume two

Recorded completed in several studios in Memphis to include Ardent Studios, Young Avenue Sound, Sam Phillips Recording Services

• DISC THREE - Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter, Jazz Orchestra of the Delta

Please refer to the Recording sessions section on that Wikipedia/CD page.

Personnel

Musicians

• DISC ONE - The New Memphis Jazz Collection, volume one

• 1. Lets Get Lost

  Kelley Hurt, vocals/arranger

  Doug Garrison, percussion/drums

  Chris Parker, piano/arranger

  Jonathan Wires, bass

• 2. The Protagonist

  Jack Cooper, alto saxophone/composer

  Alvie Givhan, piano

  Tim Goodwin, bass

  Don Patterson, drums

• 3. Garment District

  Pat Register, saxophone

  Kurt Clayton, keyboards

  Niko Lyras, keyboards

  Ernest Williams, keyboards

  Dave Smith, bass

  Edward Cleveland, drums

• 4. Bags

  The University of Memphis Southern Comfort Jazz Orchestra

  Dr. Jack Cooper - director

• 5. Family Money

  Hope Clayburn, flute/saxophone

  Hope Clayburn's 2nd Booty Battalion

• 6. Beale Street Blues

  Joyce Cobb, vocals

  Tom Link, clarinet

  Tim Goodwin, bass

• 7. I've Got You Under My Skin

  T.J. Graham, vocals

  Footprints, (band)

• 8. Rhythm Is Our Business

  The New Memphis Hepcats

• 9. Andrea

  Herman Green, saxophone

  The Green Machine

• 10. One Kind Word

  Charlie Wood, vocals/keyboard/organ

  Tom Clary, trumpet and horn arrangements

  Scott Thompson, trumpet and flugelhorn

  Fred Ford, alto sax

  Tom Clary, trumpet and horn arrangements

  Jim Spake, tenor sax

  Joey Moore, bass

  David Forrester, drums

  Steve Wenger, guitar

• 11. Corcovado

  Holly Shelton, vocals

  Rene Koopman, piano

  Tim Goodwin, bass

  Tom Lenardo, drums

• 12. Reed Between The Lines

  Carl Wolfe, saxophone

  Carl Wolfe Quartet, band

• 13. Reekin' With Love

  Di Anne Price, vocals

  Jim Spake, tenor saxophone

  Tim Goodwin, bass

  Tom Lenardo, drums

• DISC TWO - The New Memphis Jazz Collection, volume two

• 1. Gentle Rain

  Teresa Pate, vocals

  Teresa Pate band

• 2. 2nd & Beale

  Freeworld

• 3. Crazy She Calls Me

  Gary Johns, vocals

  Gene Rush, piano

  Errol Thomas, bass

  Tom Lenardo, drums

• 4. El Gato De La Noche

  The Memphis Jazz Orchestra

• 5. I Got It Bad...

  Gene Rush

  Tim Goodwin, bass

  Renardo Ward, drums

• 6. Waltz for Debbie

  The University of Memphis Jazz Singers, Tim Goodwin - director

• 7. School Girl Crush

  Candice Ivory Band

• 8. Voodoo Village

  Pat Register, saxophone

  Kurt Clayton, keyboards

  Niko Lyras, keyboards

  Ernest Williams, keyboards

  Dave Smith, bass

  Edward Cleveland, drums

• 9. Out of This World

  Kelley Hurt, vocals/arranger

  Doug Garrison, percussion/drums

  Chris Parker, piano/arranger

  Jonathan Wires, bass

• 10. River of Jive

  Charlie Wood, vocals/keyboard/organ

  Tom Clary, trumpet and horn arrangements

  Scott Thompson, trumpet and flugelhorn

  Fred Ford, alto sax

  Tom Clary, trumpet and horn arrangements

  Jim Spake, tenor sax

  Joey Moore, bass

  David Forrester, drums

  Steve Wenger, guitar

• 11. Local Edition

  Jack Cooper, alto saxophone/composer

  Alvie Givhan, piano

  Tim Goodwin, bass

  Don Patterson, drums

Di Anne Price passed in March 2013.^[13]

Charlie Wood is married to Jacqui Dankworth and has moved to London since the release of this CD set.^[14] He still retains a CD contract with Archer Records in Memphis, TN.

• DISC THREE - Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter, Jazz Orchestra of the Delta

  Please refer to the Personnel Section on that Wikipedia/CD page.

Production

• Producer: John Threadgill
• Co-producer: Jack Cooper
• Manufactured: John Phillips, Select-O-Hits,
• Mastered: L. Nix, Ardent Studios, Memphis, TN.
• Graghic design & concept: Blake Franklin, Street Level Graphics, Memphis, TN.
• Liner notes: Jack Cooper
• Discs 1 and 2 - All tracks compiled by Jack Cooper
• Disc 3 - All tracks composed or arranged and produced by Jack Cooper

Promotion

The CD release party was held in AutoZone Park on March 18, 2004, at 5:30 pm., in the upper club room convention/party level: it was promoted well and The Commercial Appeal as well as the Memphis Business Journal.^[15][16] The box was conceived through cooperation of the nonprofit Mid-south Jazz Foundation, the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce, the Shelby County/Memphis Music Commission, the University of Memphis School of Music, and Select-O-Hits. Numerous artists from the CD set performed at the event, it was well attended and sponsored by the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce. Interviews were done on WKNO-FM 91.1 and WUMR with the producer of the set, the tracks from the set have had extensive play on WUMR radio which is the jazz radio station for the Mid-South region. It has also had airplay on other jazz radio stations around the country.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Commercial Appeal	[17]
DISC 3 - L.A. Jazz Scene	(very positive)[18]
DISC 3 - Jazz Journal International	(very positive)[19]

• All Discs

"A new collection, The Memphis Jazz Box, states with classy pride the case for the Bluff City's jazz heritage, notably those currently working on the local scene...The box stands as a fine effort, a nice cross-section..."

Bill Ellis, Commercial Appeal ^[17]

• Disc #3

"...the result is a cohesive ensemble that understands (the) musical direction so well that they reproduce precisely what (the arranger) has intended...Balance and phrasing, suitable textures, and mellow harmonic ties follow with glamorous effects."

Jim Santella, L.A. Jazz Scene^[18]

"...(the arranger) is to be congratulated on the way he orchestrated some of (Porter's) best known songs, maintaining interest, despite the familiarity with the material."

Gordon Jack, Jazz Journal International^[19]