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The Kenny Davern and Bob Wilber Summit
At the March of Jazz, 1994, 1995 and 1996
Notes by Dan Morgenstern
For those who were there it is a bittersweet experience to revisit these happy moments
from what seems only yesterday--until one realizes how many of our heroes (and
friends) seen here have left the bandstand forever. This all-star cast of 16 is, it so happens, evenly divided between the quick and the dead, and it still hurts to call the honor
roll: Kenny Davern, Tony De Nicola, Milt Hinton, Jack Lesberg, Flip Phillips, Bobby
Rosengarden, Ralph Sutton, George Van Eps. But once the music gets to you--and that
comes quickly--you’re just glad that it’s been preserved.
Soprano Summit was a surefire showstopper at the Marches of Jazz, and for that matter,
wherever Kenny and Bob joined forces with a good support team. The mighty twosome was born at a Dick Gibson Jazz Party, when they got together on The Mooche and
followed up with a record date for World Jazz in December 1973. A 1975 performance
at the New Jersey Jazzfest has recently been released on Arbors Records (ARCD 19328).
They stayed together for some five years, breaking up when Kenny dropped the soprano
to concentrate on his first love, the clarinet, and Bob settled in England. But in 1986,
they got together again on a cruise, and the magic was still there. By the start of the
next decade, Summit Reunion had become a reality, with regularly scheduled appearances and frequent recordings, right to the end, when Kenny’s sudden, untimely passing
forced the cancellation of an upcoming date.
The four appearances captured here, each with a different supporting foursome, are precious for bringing us not only superb music but the added treat of seeing the two old
comrades in action, with their different yet matching personalities fetchingly revealed.
A blow-by-blow isn’t needed here, but allow me a few personal observations. The first
set recorded in 1994 at the first March of Jazz party celebrating Bob Haggart’s 80 th
birthday, is made special by the presence of George Van Eps, an exceptional guitarist (and among other things, Howard Alden’s teacher and inspiration); don’t miss his
solos on the first two numbers. He’s part of a swinging team; we don’t get to see Jackie
Williams, but we can sure feel his solid beat, and of course The Judge, Milt Hinton,
shines. He, and Derek Smith, will be seen again. Note Bob’s switching between straight
and curved sopranos; the former gives him a Bechet-like thrust, the latter finds him in a
more floating, flexible bag. On Love Me Or Leave Me, Kenny and Milt’s fours are not
to be missed and bring out the sense of humor they shared. The prize item is Nobody’s
Sweetheart, which always put Kenny in a Teschemacher mood; he is inspired here by
Bob’s terrific outing on the curved horn (dig that third chorus) and gets hot; Milt bows,
and the ensemble, after the octave jump, is a barn burner.
Set two, from a year later, sports a smoother rhythm section and better camera work.
Yellow Dog Blues was one of Kenny and Bob’s tried-and-trues, and they deliver here.
Bucky Pizzarelli, who always delivers, is particularly good in solo on Rosetta. And don’t
miss Tony De Nicola’s hand stuff in his Hindustan solo; this unsung drummer man
had one of the steadiest beats in the business, and he and Kenny had a special relationship. Dick Hyman, as always, is the ultimate pro.
We get two l996 sets, with Bucky the only repeater in the supporting cast. There are
four numbers from the first gathering....and dig Bob and Kenny’s natty matching outfits! The rhythm section is well balanced sonically, and Ralph Sutton’s presence is a
special bonus. He shines on Somebody Stole My Gal, a Fats Waller special that gets
Ralph in the mood. Bobby follows with a good one, the kid of the group, Phil Flanigan,
does a Milt, and Jake Hanna solos on brushes, with ensemble stabs. On this set we get
a taste of Bob’s clarinet for the first time, and he and Kenny have a fine exchange on All
By Myself. On Buddy Bolden’s Blues Bob’s straight soprano has that New Orleans
flavor. Dig that nice two-shot of Ralph and Bucky, and the piano solo that follows, but
it’s Kenny who cops here, with a great blues solo and one of his patented high-note endings. He had amazing range, with an Artie Shaw-like clarion sound up there.
On l996’s second set, the youngster is Joe Ascione, who fits just fine with returnee
Derek Smith and new face Jack Lesberg. Jack was a class act, and we are treated to
several of his fine solos. This is the most swing-oriented of the four sets, and it gets into
a Benny Goodman Sextet groove (appropriately) on As Long As I Live, with Bucky
on a Charlie Christian kick (he gets Charlie’s sound on that first chorus), and very
relaxed Kenny. Should I, a good jam number, has nicely worked-out opening ensemble
harmony and a very “hip” Wilber solo, with some Bird references (it’s allowed, folks!).
Note the beautiful sculpted head on Jack’s bass in the shot during Kenny’s solo. It was
Bob Haggart’s favorite Lady Head bass that is now owned by Phil Flanigan. On Comes
Love, we get the two clarinets together in the theme statement, and they both solo on
those horns, a fitting way to go out.
As a bonus, we go back to the l994 March, and the wonderful, inimitable Flip Phillips,
attired in a sharp suit and matching shirt and tie, as the sparkplug in a hot rendition
of Cottontail. There was a special relationship between Flip and Howard Alden, and
it is warmly evident here, for instance in the way Flip joins in on Howard’s second solo,
and how, later on, they do Ben Webster’s stuff (on this Ellington band number sired
by Ben) together. Dick Hyman comes up with some boppish flourishes, and has nice
fours with Flip and Howard. I won’t give away the suprise ending (prior to Flip’s great
cadenza), but it’s a perfect fit for this wonderful trip to the recent past, for which we can
thank the godfather of the March of Jazz, Mat Domber.
– Dan Morgenstern, Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University
May, 2008
The Kenny Davern and Bob Wilber Summit
At the March of Jazz, 1994, 1995 and 1996
ARDVD-3
Soprano Summit was a surefire showstopper at the Marches of Jazz, and for that matter, wherever Kenny and Bob joined forces with a good support team. For those who were there it is a
bittersweet experience to revisit these happy moments from what seems only yesterday – until
one realizes how many of our heroes (and friends) seen here have left the bandstand forever.
This all-star cast of 16 is, it so happens, evenly divided between the quick and the dead, and it
still hurts to call the honor roll: Kenny Davern, Tony De Nicola, Milt Hinton, Jack Lesberg,
Flip Phillips, Bobby Rosengarden, Ralph Sutton, George Van Eps. But once the music gets to
you – and that comes quickly – you’re just glad that it’s been preserved. – From the notes by
Dan Morgenstern, Director, Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University
DVD Tracks
➤ Opening Titles
➤ March 12, 1994
Kenny Davern (clarinet), Bob Wilber
(soprano sax), Derek Smith (piano), Milt
Hinton (bass), George Van Eps (guitar),
Jackie Williams (drums)
Beale Street Blues (W.C. Handy)
Love Me or Leave Me (Gus Kahn,
Walter Donaldson)
Nobody’s Sweetheart (Gus Kahn, Ernie
Erdman, Billy Meyers, Elmer Schoebel)
➤ March 24, 1995
Kenny Davern (clarinet), Bob Wilber
(soprano sax), Dick Hyman (piano),
Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar), Milt Hinton
(bass), Tony DeNicola (drums)
Rosetta (Earl Hines, Henri Woode)
Yellow Dog Blues (W.C. Handy)
Hindustan (Oliver G. Wallace, Harold
Weeks)
➤ March 22, 1996
Kenny Davern (clarinet), Bob Wilber
(clarinet, soprano sax), Ralph Sutton
(piano), Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar), Phil
Flanigan (bass), Jake Hanna (drums)
I’m Sorry I Made You Cry (N. J. Clesi)
All By Myself (Irving Berlin)
Somebody Stole My Gal (Leo Wood)
Buddy Bolden’s Blues (Jelly Roll
Morton)
➤ March 24, 1996
Kenny Davern (clarinet), Bob Wilber
(clarinet, soprano sax), Derek Smith
(piano), Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar), Jack
Lesberg (bass), Joe Ascione (drums)
As Long As I Live (Harold Arlen)
Should I? (Arthur Freed, Nacio Herb
Brown)
Comes Love (Lew Brown, Charles
Tobias, Sam H. Stept)
➤ March 12, 1994
Flip Phillips with Dick Hyman (piano),
Howard Alden (guitar), Jack Lesberg
(bass), Bob Rosengarden (drums) joined
by Kenny Davern (clarinet) and Bob
Wilber (alto sax)
Cottontail (Ben Webster and Duke
Ellington)
➤ Closing Credits
➤ Other Video and Audio from the
March of Jazz
LC 02732
ARDVD-3
Produced by ARBORS RECORDS, INC. © 2008, Arbors Records, Inc. All rights reserved.
Unauthorized reproduction of this DVD is a violation of applicable laws. Made in USA
Proceeds from this DVD will be devoted to establishing a memorial to Kenny Davern at Rutgers University.