Jazz Today: September 20 & 26, 1956 @ New York “Come Rain or Come Shine” by Kenny Drew

Sep. 20 & 26, 1956 “Come Rain or Come Shine” by Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones at Reeves Sound Studios, NYC for Riverside (Kenny Drew Trio)

The rhythm section that performed the marathon sessions with Miles Davis in May of the same year teamed up with Kenny Drew, Blue Note's top-recommended pianist at the time, to record for the Riverside label—a label known for its discerning style, storytelling, and sound quality, founded by an audiophile with a background in the publishing industry.

Even among East Coast labels, Riverside established a unique position by differentiating itself through sound quality and curation—contrasting with Prestige, which prioritized the atmosphere of live, one-take recordings without rehearsals, and Blue Note, which released high-quality new music through meticulous rehearsals. With artists like Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, and Wes Montgomery, it is considered one of the three major modern jazz labels alongside the other two.

It is a common view that the founders of these three labels were Jewish and happened to develop businesses in the niche field of jazz, which was primarily dominated by Black musicians; however, there is likely also the background that Jewish people were more tolerant of racial discrimination due to their own experiences with it.

Regarding the performance, Drew plays with an orthodox yet powerful, percussive touch on the keys that sounds like a child's toy piano. His playing is youthful and vibrant, frequently using his signature phrases where he deconstructs melodies downward, as heard from 1:27, and the 'charalala, charalala' motif. If you listen closely, he also demonstrates modern techniques, such as playing different melodies with his right and left hands. This Kenny Drew Trio album, featuring many standards and a clear sound, is perfect for jazz beginners, yet it possesses a quality that remains engaging no matter how many times you listen to it, even after becoming well-versed in jazz.

Bassist Chambers, who swings with a wave-like rhythm—raising the tension along with the scale before lowering it to settle—snuggles up and intertwines with a tone as vibrant as Drew's. He plays a commanding solo, and Philly, receiving the cue, unleashes a series of 'shaka-shaka-shaka' sounds before changing modes and accelerating.

Chambers' style, which drives the performance with more forward momentum than usual, makes sense given the fact that he had his first leader album recording for Blue Note scheduled for the day after this session, with Philly accompanying him (this was his second leader work). It is wonderful to hear him playing with such enthusiasm and bright swing. Even for the prolific Chambers, I feel there are few performances as youthful and energetic as this one.

The song is a musical number by the illustrious Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer that has become a jazz standard.

The album cover features a photograph of a white child and a Black child playing together. I suspect that choosing this photo at a time when racial segregation policies were the norm must have required considerable courage. It is reminiscent of a scene from Michael Jackson's famous 1990s song 'Black or White'.

Incidentally, this photographer also created the stylish cover for Miles Davis's masterpiece of musical jazz, 'Porgy and Bess.' That album also features the duo of Chambers and Philly.

Here is another classic performance by Miles from the same year, featuring the ironclad combination of Chambers and Philly.

Please enjoy this performance by Chambers and Philly from Art Pepper's masterpiece 'Meets the Rhythm Section' the following year. Can you feel the difference in the presence of Miles, the recording locations on the East and West Coasts, and the labels' attitudes toward music?

Finally, I would like to point out that on this album, they tackled 'When You Wish Upon a Star' from Pinocchio nearly a year before Dave Brubeck's famous project album 'Dave Digs Disney,' which served as a catalyst for turning Disney music into jazz standards.