Fats Navarro Discography

Discography

This discography lists all recorded examples of Fats Navarro known to me. There is no attempt, however, to list the record labels as these items are constantly being repackaged in a variety of ways. Sessions are arranged in chronological order numbered from 1 to 51. If anyone detects errors or if a session has been omitted, please forward this information.

A musical note:

During the Bop period (roughly 1945-55), it was very common for jazz musicians to compose melody lines (or just "lines" for short) that fit the rhythmic and harmonic spirit of the music. (The economic factor of not having to pay royalties probably played a role as well.) These lines almost always would be played once at the beginning of a selection and again at the close. In between these two recitations would come improvised solos taken in turn by some (and occasionally all) the musicians. These "Bop-oriented" lines, however, were usually based on the harmonies (chord sequences or "changes" as musicians often call them) of standard popular tunes. For example, the Dizzy Gillespie line "Groovin' High" is played over the harmony of the popular tune "Whispering", and Charlie Parker's "Ornithology" is based on the chords of "How High The Moon." This does not mean, however, that many beautiful and innovative jazz originals were not composed during this highly fertile period of jazz. There were.

Thus, in the discography when the underlying harmony of a selection is known, it is shown enclosed in braces on the right.

Special Note of Thanks

A special note of thanks is in order for several contributors who have offered new information or pointed out errors in earlier versions of this discography. I am particularly indebted to Leif Bo Petersen, Doug Norwood, Lenny Popkin, Gary Pearce, Christian Dangleterre, Bob Bregman, Rolf Ljungquist, Dr. Carlos Iramain, and Theo Rehak.

Finally, I recommend the The Jazz Discography by Tom Lord for the serious scholar. The Website is www.lordisco.com.

Session 1: Andy Kirk And His Orchestra (Radio Broadcast, November 1943)

Personnel (probable)
Fats Navarro, Cliff Haughton, Harry Lawson, Howard McGhee (tp); Ted Donnelly (tb); Buddy Miller, Ben Smith (as); Jimmy Forrest (ts); Ed Loving (bs); Johnny Young (p); Booker Collins (b); Ben Thigpen (d).

    Selections
  1. McGhee Special
  2. Wednesday Night Hop
  3. 47th Street Jump
  4. People Through The Keyhole
  5. Paradise Valley
  6. Get up Mule
  7. 7 Come Eleven
  8. Speak Low
  9. One O'Clock Jump
Session 2: Andy Kirk and His Orchestra (New York: December 3, 1943)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Harry Lawson, Howard McGhee, Art Capehart (tp); Joe Baird, Wyman Richardson, Bob Murray (tb); Ben Smith, Reuben Philips (as); John Harrington, Jimmy Forrest, J.D. King (ts); Eddie Loving (bs); Johnny Young (p); Booker Collins (b); Ben Thigpen (d); Andy Kirk*, June Richmond** (vcl).

    Selections
  1. Shorty Boo* {Blues}
  2. Fare Thee Well, Honey**
  3. Baby, Don't You Tell Me No Lie**
  4. Things 'Bout Coming My Way (unissued)
Comments:
Navarro scholars, Leif Bo Petersen and Theo Rehak, after extensive analysis have concluded that the one chorus trumpet solo on "Shorty Boo" is by Navarro. This is believed to be his first recorded solo. Navarro had just turned 20 in September of that year. He is clearly not a "bop" player at this point, but there are certain unmistakeable Navarro touches.
Session 3: Andy Kirk and His Orchestra (New York: December 19, 1944)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Harry Lawson, Art Capehart, unknown (tp); Joe Baird, Wyman Richardson, Bob Murray (tb); Ben Smith, Reuben Philips (as); John Harrington, Jimmy Forrest, J.D. King (ts); Eddie Loving (bs); Johnny Young (p); Lavern Baker (b); Ben Thigpen (d); June Richmond (vcl).

    Selections
  1. Apollo Groove (unissued)
  2. So Blue (unissued)
  3. Hippy-Dippy
  4. If That's The Way You Want It (unissued)
Session 4: Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra (Radio Broadcast from Club Plantation, Los Angeles: February, 1945)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Shorty McConnell, Gail Brockmann, Marion "Boonie" Hazel, Billy Eckstine (tp,vtb,voc*); Gerald "Jerry" Valentine, Taswell Baird, Howard Scott, Al "Chips" Outcalt (tb); John Jackson, Bill Frazier (as), Budd Johnson (ts & arr), Gene Ammons (ts); Leo Parker (bs); John Malachi (p & arr); Connie Wainwright (g); Tommy Potter (b); Art Blakey (d); Sarah Vaughan**, Lena Horne*** (vcl); Tadd Dameron (arr).

    Selections
  1. Blue'n Boogie (theme)
  2. Blowing The Blues Away*
  3. 'Deed I Do***
  4. I Want To Talk About You*
  5. Blue'n Boogie (theme)
  6. Blue'n Boogie (theme)
  7. Together*
  8. Mean To Me**
  9. Without A Song*
  10. Mr. Chips
  11. Blue'n Boogie (theme)
  12. Blue'n Boogie (theme)
  13. Airmail Special
  14. Don't Blame Me**
  15. If That's The Way You Feel*
  16. Blue'n Boogie (theme)
  17. Blue'n Boogie (theme)
  18. Opus X
  19. Love Me Or Leave Me*
  20. Blue'n Boogie (theme)
Comments:
At this point Navarro has been with the Eckstine Band for only a few weeks, but his presence is already being felt. At just 21 years of age, he is producing some very commanding solos, particularly on "Love Me Or Leave Me." The arrangements are quite modern for the time and the band swings hard when it gets a chance. Gene Ammons is the feature reed soloist.
Session 5: Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra (New York: April 9, 1945)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Shorty McConnell, Raymond Orr, Maron "Boonie" Hazel (tp); Howard Scott, Walter Knox, Al "Chips" Outcalt, Gerald "Jerry" Valentine (tb); Billy Eckstine (vtb,vcl); Budd Johnson, John Cobbs (as); Gene Ammons, Art Simmons (ts); Ted Cypron (bs); Richard Ellington (p); Connie Wainwright (g), Tommy Potter (b); Art Blakey (d).

    Selections
  1. My Deep Blue Dream
  2. Prisoner Of Love
  3. A Penny for Your Thoughts
  4. It Ain't Like That No More
Session 6: Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra (New York: May 2, 1945)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Shorty McConnell, Gail Brockman, Maron "Boonie" Hazel (tp); Howard Scott, Taswell Baird, Al "Chips" Outcalt, Gerald "Jerry" Valentine (tb); Billy Eckstine (vtb,vcl); Budd Johnson, Sonny Stitt (as); Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon (ts); Leo Parker (bs); John Malachi (p); Connie Wainwright (g), Tommy Potter (b); Art Blakey (d).

    Selections
  1. Lonesome Lover Blues
  2. A Cottage For Sale
  3. I Love The Rhythm In A Riff
  4. Last Night
Session 7: Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra (New York: October, 1945)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Shorty McConnell, Raymond Orr, Marion "Boonie" Hazel (tp); Gerald "Jerry" Valentine, Howard Scott, Al "Chips" Outcalt, Walter Knox (tb); Budd Johnson, John Cobbs (as); Art Simmons, Gene Ammons (ts); Teddy Cypron (bs); Richard Ellington (p); Connie Wainwright (g); Tommy Potter (b); Art Blakey (dr); Billy Eckstine (vtb,voc).

    Selections
  1. I'm In The Mood For Love
  2. You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)
  3. All I Sing Is Blues
  4. Long Long Journey (2 takes)
Comments:
Fats concludes "Long Long Journey" with a climatic high note, which is perhaps the highest he ever recorded.
Session 8: Andy Kirk and His Orchestra (New York: January 3, 1946)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Harry Lawson, Claude Dunson, Johnny Lynch (tp); Henry Wells, Wyman Richardson, Milt Robinson, Bob Murray (tb); Reuben Philips, Joe Evans (as); Jimmy Forrest, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (ts); John Porter (bs); Hank Jones (p); Floyd Smith (g); Al Hall (b); Ben Thigpen (d); Beverly White*, Bea Booze**, Billy Daniels*** (vcl).

    Selections
  1. He's My Baby*
  2. Alabama Bound**
  3. Soothe Me***
  4. Doggin' Man Blues
Session 9: Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra (New York: January 3, 1946)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Hobart Dotson, Leonard Hawkins, Bill Little (tp); Bennie Green, Earl Hardy, Al (Chips) Outcalt, Gerry Valentine (tb); Billy Eckstine (vtb,vcl); Budd Johnson, Sonny Stitt (as); Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon (ts); Josh Jackson (bs); Linton Garner (p); Connie Wainwright (g); Bill McMann (b); Art Blakey (d).

    Selections
  1. I Only Have Eyes For You
  2. You're My Everything
  3. I've Got To Pass Your House
  4. The Jitney Man
Session 10: Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra (New York: February/March, 1946)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Hobart Dotson, Leonard Hawkins, Bill Little (tp); Earl Hardy, Al "Chips" Outcalt, Gerald "Jerry" Valentine (tb); Billy Eckstine (vtb,vcl*); Budd Johnson, Sonny Stitt (as); Gene Ammons, John Jackson (ts); Martin Kelly (bs); Linton Garner (p); Connie Wainwright (g); Bill McMann (b); Art Blakey (d).

    Selections
  1. Blue*
  2. Second Balcony Jump
  3. Gloomy Sunday*
  4. Tell Me Pretty Baby*
  5. Love Is The Thing*
  6. Without A Song*
  7. Cool Breeze
  8. Don't Take Your Love From Me*
Comments:
This is really two sessions held a few days apart with the same personnel. Nearly all the Eckstine selections feature vocals by "Mr. B.", with a few solos sprinkled in from time to time. The spirited instrumental "Second Balcony Jump" is one of the few exceptions. Navarro solos on "Tell Me Pretty Baby."
Session 11: The Be-Bop Boys (September 6, 1946)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Kenny Dorham (tp); Sonny Stitt (as); Morris Lane (ts); Eddie de Verteuill (bs); Bud Powell (p); Al Hall (b); Kenny Clarke (d); Walter "Gil" Fuller (arr).

    Selections
  1. Boppin' A Riff {I Got Rhythm} (2 Takes)
  2. Fat Boy {Blues} (2 Takes)
  3. Everything's Cool {I Got Rhythm}
  4. Webb City {I Got Rhythm with different bridge}
Session 12: Kenny Clarke and His 52nd Street Boys (September 9, 1946)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Kenny Dorham (tp); Sonny Stitt (as); Ray Abrams (ts); Eddie de Verteuill (bs); John Collins (g); Bud Powell (p); Al Hall (b); Kenny Clarke (d); Walter "Gil" Fuller (arr).

    Selections
  1. Epistrophy
  2. 52nd Street Theme
  3. Oop-Bop-Sh'Bam
  4. Rue Chaptal (a.k.a. Royal Roost) {Blues}
Comments:
This and the previous session were very fresh and exciting. Bud was in great form, and so was Fats. Kenny plays well, but comes in a distant second to the impeccable Navarro.
Session 13: Eddie Davis And His Reboppers (December 18 & 20, 1946)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (ts); Huey Long (g); Al Haig (p); Gene Ramey (b); Denzil Best (d).

    Selections
  1. Callin' Dr. Jazz {I Got Rhythm}
  2. Fracture
  3. Maternity (a.k.a. Lard Pot)
  4. Stealin' Trash {I Got Rhythm}
  5. Just A Mystery
  6. Red Pepper
  7. Spinal
  8. A Hollerin' And Screamin' {I Got Rhythm with chrom. bridge}
Comments:
This is one of many sessions in which Fats is a sideman on someone else's date who many critics feel was beneath his talents. Regardless of the critical judgment of the surroundings, Fats play was always of the highest standards. Here he plays with great energy and invention.
Session 14: Coleman Hawkins And His Orchestra (New York: December, 1946)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); J.J. Johnson (tb); Porter Kilbert (as); Coleman Hawkins (ts); Milt Jackson (vbs); Hank Jones (p); Curley Russell (b); Max Roach (d).

    Selections
  1. I Mean You
  2. Bean And The Boys {Lover Come Back To Me} (2 Takes)
Note: Navarro does not appear on other titles from this session.

Session 15: Illinois Jacquet And His Orchestra (New York: January 7, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (Slim Romero), Joe Newman, Miles Davis, Marion "Boonie" Hazel (tp); Gus Chapel, Fred "Eli" Robinson, Ted Kelly, Dickie Wells (tb); Jimmy Powell, Ray Perry (as); Illinois Jacquet, George "Big Nick" Nicholas (ts); Leo Parker (bs); Bill Doggett, Leonard Feather* (p); Al Lucas (b); Shadow Wilson (d); Tadd Dameron**, Jimmy Mundy (arr).

    Selections
  1. For Europeans Only**
  2. Big Dog*
  3. You Left Me Alone
  4. Jivin' With Jack The Bellboy
Comments:
Navarro appears under the name "Slim Romero" presumably for contractual reasons. He has a nice 16 bar solo on "Jivin' With Jack The Bellboy."
Session 16: Fats Navarro And His Thin Men (January 16, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Leo Parker (bs & as); Tadd Dameron (d); Gene Ramey (b); Denzil Best (d).

    Selections
  1. Fat Girl
  2. Ice Freezes Red {Back Home In Indiana}
  3. Eb Pob {I Got Rhythm}
  4. Goin' To Minton's {I Got Rhythm}
Comments:
This is the first recorded union of Fats and Tadd Dameron. In the next two years, they would collaborate on some of the finest recorded examples of the new jazz style known as "Be-Bop" or just "Bop."
Session 17: Billie Stewart/Minton Bugg with Ray Abrams Orchestra (February 2, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Leonard Lowry (as); Ray Abrams (ts); Cecil Payne (bs); Kenny Watts (p); Leonard Gaskins (b); Lee Abrams (d); Milt Bugg*, Billie Stewart** (vcl).

    Selections
  1. Gloomy Sunday**
  2. I Live True To You*
  3. In My Solitude**
  4. Fine Brown Frame Blues**
Comments:
Each selection of this session features a vocal by either Stewart or Bugg. I have never heard any of this material and do not know if Fats is given any solo space.
Session 18: Illinois Jacquet And His Orchestra (April 1, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Joe Newman, Russell Jacquet (tp); J.J. Johnson (tb); Illinois Jacquet (ts); Freddie Greene (g); Sir Charles Thompson (p); Al Lucas (b); Shadow Wilson (d).

    Selections
  1. Goofin' Off
  2. It's Wind
Note: Navarro does not appear on other titles from this session.
Session 19: WNEW Saturday Night Swing Session (New York: April 12, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Bill Harris (tb); Charles Ventura, Allen Eager (ts); Al Valente (g); Ralph Burns (p); Chubby Jackson (b); Buddy Rich (d).

    Selections
  1. High On An Open Mike
  2. Sweet Georgia Brown
  3. The Happy Monster (unissued)
Comments:
This was performed before a live studio audience. Fats has only one chorus on "High On An Open Mike", but really cuts loose with three rousing choruses on "Sweet Georgia Brown." Buddy Rich, however, was the big crowd pleaser on this occasion.
Session 20: Tadd Dameron Sextet (New York: September 26, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Ernie Henry (as); Charlie Rouse (ts); Tadd Dameron (p); Nelson Boyd (b); Shadow Wilson (d).

    Selections
  1. The Chase (2 Takes)
  2. The Squirrel {Blues} (2 Takes)
  3. Our Delight (2 Takes)
  4. Dameronia (2 Takes)
Comments:
This is one of the classic sessions of the period, and has been included in a number of "must have" lists of great sessions in jazz history. Everyone plays well and Fats is at his peak.
Session 21: Fats Navarro And His Band (New York: October 28, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Ernie Henry (as); Tadd Dameron (p); Curly Russell (b); Kenny Clarke (d); Kay Penton* (vcl).

    Selections
  1. The Tadd Walk {Sunday}
  2. A Bebop Carol {Mean Te Me} (2 Takes)
  3. Gone With The Wind*
  4. That Someone Must Be You*
Session 22: Barry Ulanov And His All Star Metronome Jazzmen (November 8, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Charlie Parker (ts); Allen Eager (ts); John LaPorta (cl); Billy Bauer (g); Lennie Tristano (p); Tommy Potter (b); Buddy Rich (d); Sarah Vaughan* (vcl).

    Selections
  1. 52nd Street Theme (voiceover by MC Bruce Elliott)
  2. Donna Lee {Indiana}
  3. Everything I Have Is Yours*
  4. Fats Flats {What Is This Thing Called Love}
  5. Tea for Two
  6. Don't Blame Me
  7. Groovin' High {Whispering}
  8. Koko {Cherokee} into Anthropology (MC voiceover) {I Got Rhythm}
Note: "Tea for Two" is a John LaPorta showcase, while "Don't Blame Me" features Tristano. Navarro does not appear on either.

Comments:
This is the third of the "Bands for Bonds" broadcasts on WOR that featured modern jazz. It was staged as a battle of the bands between an all star traditional jazz group and the "new breed" of modernists. The radio audience voted and the modernists won by a narrow margin, which prompted an invitation to appear a third time. The first two appearances (9/13/47 & 9/20/47) had featured Dizzy Gillespie, but he was replaced by Fats and Allen Eager on the third visit. Diz was on the road.

This session also is notable as the first of only two occasions in which Bird and Fats play together in a studio, this time a radio studio. Bird was in great form. "Fats Flats" was a feature for Fats. The session concludes with "Koko", a Parker specialty based on "Cherokee." Bird takes off with a blistering two choruses and Fats follows with his own two without appearing to be phased at all by the tempo. It is a shame that these two greats never recorded together in a quintet format under good recording studio conditions.

Session 23: Fats Navarro And His Band (New York: December 5, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Charlie Rouse (ts); Tadd Dameron (p); Nelson Boyd (b); Art Blakey (d).

    Selections
  1. Nostalgia {Out of Nowhere}
  2. Barry's Bop {What Is This Thing Called Love} (2 Takes)
  3. Bebop Romp {Fine and Dandy} (2 Takes)
  4. Fats Blows {Lady Be Good}
Comments:
Another great session. For once, Fats gets the lion's share of the solo space and makes the most of it. Note the quote of "Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-De-Ay" at the start of his solo on "Fats Blows." Somehow it works.
Session 24: Coleman Hawkins And His Orchestra (New York: December 11, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); J.J. Johnson (tb); Budd Johnson (as); Marion DeVeta (bs); Coleman Hawkins (ts); Chuck Wayne (g); Hank Jones (p); Jack Lesberg (b); Max Roach (d).

    Selections
  1. April In Paris
  2. How Strange
  3. Angel Face
  4. Half Step Down, Please {Lover}
  5. Jumpin' For Jane
Comments:
The first three selections are typical Hawkins ballads, but the last two are exciting and interesting with much inventive play. Fats is brilliant. He has a full chorus on "Half Step Down, Please" and is a model of balance, clarity, and structure. On "Jumpin' For Jane", he has the second half of a chorus, and starts out with an electrifying gliss that soars to the sky. From there, every note seemed to be exactly where it should be as if it had been composed. Yet it is fresh and compelling. So much packed into sixteen bars.
Session 25: Dexter Gordon And His Boys (New York: December 22, 1947)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Dexter Gordon (ts); Tadd Dameron (p); Nelson Boyd (b); Art Mardigan (d).

    Selections
  1. Dexter's Mood (2 Takes)
  2. Dextrose {Fine and Dandy} (2 Takes)
  3. Index {Blues} (2 Takes)
  4. Dextivity (2 Takes)
Note: Navarro does not appear on "Dexter's Mood."

Comments:
Dexter takes center stage on most of the proceedings, but Fats has some fine moments.

Session 26: Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra (Baltimore: April, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Teddy Buckner, Wendell Culley, Leo Shepherd, Duke Garrette (tp); Britt Woodman, James Wormich, Andrew Penn or Sonny Craven (tb); Ben Kynard, Bobby Plater (as); Morris Lane, John Sparrow (ts); Charlie Fowlkes (bs); Milt Buckner (p); Charlie Harris or Charles Mingus (b); Earl Walker (d); Lionel Hampton (vbs,p,d).

    Selections
  1. Wizzin' The Wizz (Private air-check)
  2. Theme Song (Private air-check)
Session 27: Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra (Carnegie Hall: April 10-11, 1948)

Personnel
Same as above.

    Selections
  1. Lady Be Good (Private air-check)
  2. Beulah's Boogie (Private air-check)
  3. Vibe Boogie (Private air-check)
  4. Red Top (Private air-check)
  5. Freedom Horse (Private air-check)
  6. Giddy Up (Private air-check)
  7. Where Or When (Private air-check)
  8. Asiatic Call (Private air-check)
  9. Get Up Those Stairs (Private air-check)
Session 28: Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra (Adam Theatre, Newark: April 17, 1948)

Personnel
Same as above.

    Selections
  1. Hamp's Boogie Woogie (Private air-check)
  2. Freedom Horse (Private air-check)
  3. Hawk's Nest (Private air-check)
  4. Hamp's Got A Duke (Private air-check)
  5. Theme Song (Private air-check)
Session 29: Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra (Washington, D.C.: April 24, 1948)

Personnel
Same as above, except Billy Williams (ts) replaces Morris Lane.

    Selections
  1. The Pencil Broke (Private air-check)
  2. Flying Home (Private air-check)
  3. Lady Be Good (Private air-check)
Session 30: Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra (Washington, DC: Howard Theatre, Radio Broadcast, May 1, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Teddy Buckner, Wendell Culley, Leo Shepherd, Duke Garette, Jimmy Nottingham (tp); Britt Woodman, Jimmy Wormick, Andrew Penn, Sonny Craven (tb); Ben Kynard, Bobby Plater (as); Billy "Smallwood" Williams, John Sparrow (ts); Charlie Fowlkes (bs); Lionel Hampton (vbs,p,d),; Milt Buckner (p); Charlie Harris, Charlie Mingus (b); Earl Walker (d).

    Selections
  1. Adam Blew His Hat
  2. Goldwyn Stomp
  3. Hot House
  4. Red Top
Session 31: Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra (Portsmouth: May 8, 1948)

Personnel
Same as above, except that Jimmy Nottingham (ts), Lester Bass (tb), Herman McCoy (d) replaces Penn (tb) and Earl Walker (d).

    Selections
  1. Red Top (Private air-check)
  2. Lady Be Good (Private air-check)
  3. Fats Girl (Private air-check)
  4. Vibes Boogie (Private air-check)
Session 32: Tadd Dameron Sextet (New York: Royal Roost, August 29, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp), Allan Eager (ts), Tadd Dameron (p & arr), Curly Russell (b), Kenny Clarke (d), Kenny Hagood* (vcl)

    Selections
  1. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid {Blues}
  2. Anthropology {I Got Rhythm}
  3. Kitchinette Across the Hall*
  4. Lady Be Good
  5. The Squirrel {Blues}
  6. Good Bait {I Got Rhythm with different bridge}
  7. Pennies From Heaven*
  8. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid {Blues}
Comments:
This is one of several air-checks that took place in the summer and fall of 1948.
Session 33: Tadd Dameron Sextet (New York: Royal Roost, September 4, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Allan Eager (ts); Milt Jackson* (vbs); Tadd Dameron (p & arr); Curly Russell (b); Kenny Clarke (d).

    Selections
  1. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid {Blues}
  2. The Tadd Walk {Sunday}
  3. Symphonette*
  4. The Squirrel {Blues}
Session 34: Benny Goodman Sextet (New York: September 9, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Benny Goodman (cl); Wardell Gray (ts); Mundell Lowe (g); Gene DiNovi (p); Clyde Lombardi (b); Mel Zelnick (d).

    Selections
  1. Stealin' Apples
Comments:
This is a curious session that yielded but one item. Goodman was in the midst of his flirtation with Bop, and had included Wardell as part of his working sextet for much of 1948. The playing is excellent. Fats plays a very well organized muted solo. Goodman tries but never quite could capture of essence of the modern style.
Session 35: Tadd Dameron Sextet (New York: September 13, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Wardell Gray, Allen Eager (ts); Tadd Dameron (p); Curly Russell (b); Kenny Clarke (d); Chino Pozo (bongos); Kenny Hagood (vcl)*.

    Selections
  1. Jahbero (2 Takes) {All The Things You Are}
  2. Lady Bird (2 Takes)
  3. Symphonette (2 Takes)
  4. I Think I'll Go Away* (not originally issued, but now available)
Note: Pozo appears only on "Jahbero."

Comments:
This is the second Dameron-led sessions for Blue Note. Together with the first session a year earlier, they constitute some of the finest examples of small group jazz of the period.

Session 36: Tadd Dameron Sextet (New York: October 2, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Rudy Williams (as); Allen Eager (ts); Tadd Dameron (p & arr); Russell (b); Kenny Clarke (d).

    Selections
  1. Jumpin' with Symphony Sid {Blues}
  2. Good Bait {I Got Rhythm with different bridge}
  3. The Squirrel {Blues}
Session 37: Tadd Dameron Sextet (New York: October 10, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Rudy Williams (as); Allen Eager (ts); Tadd Dameron (p & arr); Russell (b); Kenny Clarke (d).

    Selections
  1. Jumpin' with Symphony Sid {Blues}
  2. The Tadd Walk {Sunday}
  3. Dameronia into The Squirrel {Blues}
Session 38: Fats Navarro-Howard McGhee Sextet (New York: October 11, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Howard McGhee (tp & p*); Ernie Henry (as); Milt Jackson (p,vbs*); Curly Russell (b); Kenny Clarke (d).

    Selections
  1. The Skunk {Blues} (2 Takes)
  2. Boperation* (2 Takes)
  3. Double Talk (2 Takes)
Comments:
Fats is rejoined with his old colleague from his Andy Kirk days. The feature is "Double Talk" and its spirited "trumpet battle." It's an extended piece that originally was spread over the two sides of a 78rpm record.
Session 39: Tadd Dameron Sextet (New York, Royal Roost: October 16, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Ernie Henry (as); Allen Eager (ts); Tadd Dameron (p & arr); Curly Russell (b); Max Roach (d).

    Selections
  1. Jumpin' with Symphony Sid {Blues}
  2. Anthropology {I Got Rhythm}
  3. Our Delight
  4. The Tadd Walk {Sunday} into The Squirrel {Blues}
Session 40: Tadd Dameron Sextet (New York, Royal Roost: October 23, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Rudy Williams (as); Allen Eager (ts); Tadd Dameron (p & arr); Curly Russell (b); Kenny Clarke (d); Chino Pozo (bongos).

    Selections
  1. Eb Pob
  2. Better Bait
  3. Our Delight
  4. The Squirrel {Blues}
  5. Jumpin' with Symphony Sid {Blues}
Session 41: Earl Coleman with Fats Navarro's Quintet (NYC: November 29, 1948)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Don Lanphere (ts); Al Casey (g); Linton Garner (p,cel); Jimmy Johnson (b); Max Roach (d); Earl Coleman* (vcl).

    Selections
  1. I Wished On The Moon* (2 takes)
  2. Guilty*
  3. Yardbird Suite* (2 takes) {Rosetta}
  4. A Stranger In Town*
  5. As Time Goes By* (2 takes)
  6. Move (2 takes)
Comments:
There is some dispute on the date of this session, but this one seems plausible in light of where the participates were supposed to be at the time. In any case, all but the last selection is an Earl Coleman vocal. Coleman, it should be noted, also was backed by Bird on another session the year before.

Don Lanphere, a relatively unknown and rarely recorded tenor player, was only twenty years old at the time. He had recently arrived from Chicago and the rest of the group decided to test out the "new kid" on the up tempo composition "Move" by Denzil Best. Lanphere proves himself to be an accomplished musician and would record with Fats on a session a year later (see Session 46). Lanphere believes that this was the first commercially released recording of "Move", which was to quickly become a jazz standard of the period. Fats plays with great facility and energy and is heard on both muted and open horn.

Session 42: Metronome All Stars (January 3, 1949)

Personnel
Fats Navarro, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis (tp); J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (tb); Buddy DeFranco (cl); Charlie Parker (as); Charlie Ventura (ts); Ernie Caceres (bs); Billy Bauer (g); Lennie Tristano (p); Eddie Safranski (b); Shelly Manne (d).

    Selections
  1. Overtime {Love Me Or Leave Me} (2 takes)
  2. Victory Ball {S'Wonderful} (3 takes)
Note: There were two "short" takes of "Victory Ball" without Navarro, Davis, Johnson and Caceres.

Comments:
This is a celebrated session that features Bird and the "big three" of bop trumpet, plus a host of other stars. It's really an amazing summit of jazz greats who were the Metronome Poll winners for 1948. One highlight is the "trumpet battle" on the longer version of Overtime. The three trumpets trade four bar exchanges for two choruses (sixteen exchanges in all) following the order Davis, Navarro, Gillespie, I believe, although it's not very well recorded. Davis states in his autobiography Miles that he and Fats agreed to play in Dizzy's style as a lark. Incidentally, the title of "Overtime" reportedly is due to Gillespie's intentionally stalling the proceedings so that the musicians would get overtime pay.

Fats gets only 16 bars on the long version of "Victory Ball", but plays a wonderfully constructed solo that is typical of Fats at his best.

Session 43: Tadd Dameron And His Orchestra (January 18, 1949)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Kai Winding (tb); Edmond Gregory (Sahib Shihab) (as); Dexter Gordon (ts); Cecil Payne (bs); Tadd Dameron (p); Curley Russell (b); Kenny Clarke (d); Diego Ibarra (bongos); Vidal Bolado (congas); Rae Pearl* (vcl).

    Selections
  1. Sid's Delight
  2. Casbah* {Out of Nowhere}
Session 44: JATP Concert at Carnegie Hall (February 11, 1949)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Tommy Turk (tb); Charlie Parker, Sonny Criss (as); Coleman Hawkins*, Flip Philips (ts); Hank Jones (p); Ray Brown (b); Shelley Manne (d); Ella Fitzgerald** (vcl).

    Selections
  1. Leap Here {Perdido}
  2. Ice Freezes Red {Indiana}
  3. Lover Come Back To Me
  4. Robbins' Nest**
  5. I Got A Guy/Easy Living**
  6. Old Mother Hubbard**
  7. Rifftide * {Lady Be Good}
  8. Sophisticated Lady*
  9. The Things We Did Last Summer
  10. Stuffy* {I Got Rhythm}
  11. Lover Man**
  12. Ool Ya Koo** {Blues}
  13. Perdido**
  14. How High The Moon**
Note: Navarro does not appear on "Sophisticated Lady."

Comments:
This finds Fats in a concert format playing with a stellar group before a typical Jazz at the Philharmonic audience. The concert also features Parker and Philips playing with the Machito Orchestra (not listed here). The last four selections are a concert encore for a very enthusiastic and sometimes raucous crowd. The Ella Fitzgerald selections are with the rhythm session only except for the last two selections.

The concert offers a rare example of Fats playing a ballad feature with the rhythm session on The Things We Did Last Summer. Fats best effort here is probably his four strong choruses on Perdido at the end of the program. Parker solos only on the first three selections.

Session 45: Bud Powell's Modernists (August 8, 1949)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Sonny Rollins (ts); Bud Powell (p); Tommy Porter (b); Roy Haynes (d).

    Selections
  1. Bouncing With Bud (3 takes)
  2. Wail (2 takes)
  3. Dance Of The Infidels (2 take)
  4. 52nd Street Theme
Comments:
Besides the uniformly high quality of the music, this session is notable as one of the first recording sessions of Sonny Rollins, then a month shy of his nineteeth birthday. Bud takes most of the solo space (it was his date), and Fats plays with great continuity and dexterity. He does not exhibit, however, his usual power and range. Is he beginning to show the effects of illness that would take his life in less than a year? Probably so.
Session 46: Fats Navarro Quintet (September 20, 1949)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Don Lanphere (ts); Al Haig (p); Tommy Potter (b); Max Roach (d).

    Selections
  1. Stop {Pennies From Heaven} (4 Takes)
  2. Go {The Way You Look Tonight} (6 Takes)
  3. Infatuation {Gone with the Wind} (4 takes)
  4. Wailing Wall {Blues} (5 takes)
Comments:
This is Navarro's last studio session. It was Lanphere's date, and so he gets more solo space than Fats. The rhythm section provides excellent support.

"Wailing Wall" is a rather nonusual 32 bar composition consisting of two 12 bar blues in different keys and an 8 bar bridge. Everyone plays well, but Fats is wonderful. He does not crowd his solo with notes as Lanphere's tends to do, and he handles the modulations with ease and grace.

Miles Davis claims in his autobiography, Miles, that "he (Fats) couldn't play ballads for shit," but you couldn't tell it from his all-to-short work on "Infatuation." His treatment is very expressive, and his tone is full and rich. It is true, however, that he recorded virtually no ballads, so it is hard to make an assessment based on the recordings alone.

Finally, it should be noted that there are six takes of "Go", five of "Wailing Wall", and four each of "Stop" and "Infatuation" that exist. It is fascinating to study their progression toward the final master take. For one, it shows that Navarro's central idea of how he wants to approach his interpretation is pretty well set from the beginning. The various takes appear to deal mainly with working out the details and mastering the technical issues involved in realizing his concept. Several of the takes were aborted, usually by Navarro, who was something of the perfectionist. When he ran into technical problems with a complicated passage, he would terminate the take by blowing some nonsense notes. It was as if he were poking fun at his mistake while ensuring that the take would never be issued.

Session 47: Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro and the Bud Powell Trio (Birdland, NYC: May 15, 1950)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Charlie Parker (as); Bud Powell (p); Curley Russell (b); Art Blakey (d).

    Selections
  1. 52nd Street Theme
  2. Wahoo {Perdido}
  3. This Time The Dream's On Me
  4. 'Round About Midnight
  5. Dizzy Atmosphere
  6. Move into 52nd Street Theme
Note: Navarro does not appear on "'Round About Midnight."
Session 48: Birdland All Stars (Birdland, NYC: May 15, 1950)

Personnel
Fats Navarro*, Miles Davis (tp); J.J. Johnson (tb); Charlie Parker (as); Brew Moore (ts); Tadd Dameron (p), Walter Bishop, Jr. (p); Curly Russell (b); Art Blakey (d); Pee Wee Marquette (mc).

    Selections
  1. Band Warming up
  2. Max Is Making Wax
  3. Wee (Rambunctious Rambling)
  4. Hot House*
  5. 52nd Street Theme* (Slow Broadway Theme)
  6. Conception* (Poohba) (- Moore & Johnson, Parker plays in out-chorus, Bishop replaces Dameron)
  7. Ow (Brew's Blues)
  8. Embraceable You
  9. Eronel* (Ouverturia) (Bishop replaces Dameron)
  10. 52nd Street Theme* (Slow Broadway Theme) (Bishop repalces Dameron)
Session 49: Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro and the Bud Powell Trio (Birdland, NYC: May 15, 1950)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Charlie Parker (as); Bud Powell (p), Walter Bishop, Jr.* (p), Curly Russell (b), Art Blakey (d)

    Selections
  1. 52nd Street Theme
  2. A Night in Tunisia
  3. The Street Beat
  4. Out Of Nowhere
  5. Cool Blues*
  6. 52nd Street Theme*
Session 50: Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro and the Bud Powell Trio (Birdland, NYC: May 15, 1950)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Charlie Parker (as); Bud Powell (p); Curly Russell (b); Art Blakey (d).

    Selections
  1. Little Willie Leaps into 52nd Street Theme
Session 51: Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro and the Bud Powell Trio (Birdland, NYC: May 15, 1950)

Personnel
Fats Navarro (tp); Charlie Parker (as); Bud Powell (p); Curly Russell (b); Art Blakey (d); "Little Jimmie" Scott* (vcl).

    Selections
  1. Ornithology {How High The Moon}
  2. I'll Remember April into 52nd Street Theme
  3. Embraceable You*
Comments:
Such a lineup of "talent for the ages" as in Sessions 47-51 would normally be an occasion for rejoicing, but here it is bitter-sweet. Fats was but a few weeks from death and in very poor health, and yet managed to muster his resources to play at a high level. His range and power were gone, but his speed and fertile flow of ideas was as good as ever. In fact, some of the exchanges with Parker on "Move" and "The Street Beat" show that he was on a par with the great Bird in the realm of improvisation. Bud was in fine form as well. These are Navarro's last recordings.

There has been much debate among jazz historians and discographers regarding the dating of these sessions. Some have the date as late as June 30, 1950, while others are convinced that due to Fats' poor health at the time that these sessions must be from 1949, not 1950. In light of the fact that Monday's were jam session nights at Birdland, I (and others) feel that May 15th, which was a Monday, is as good a guess as any. Thus, I am using this date to represent what might have taken place over several Mondays in May, 1950. Bob Bregman, a noted authority, has a more definitive view. He has written me that "the Birdland material is May 15/16. This is the date that appeared on the original tape box of the session."