Jazz at the Philharmonic

Jazz at the Philharmonic (or JATP) was the title of a series of concerts and recordings produced by Norman Granz. The first concert was held in 1944 in Los Angeles, and featured Illinois Jacquet, Jack McVea, J. J. Johnson, Shorty Sherock, Nat King Cole, and Les Paul; Jacquet in particular created a sensation.

After a few more similar concerts in Los Angeles Granz began producing annual tours in 1946. These featured Swing and bop musicians playing in small groups. There were among the first high-profile performances to feature racially integrated bands, and Granz cancelled some bookings rather than have the musicians perform for segregated audiences.

Jazz at the Philharmonic featured most of the era's preeminent musicians: Louie Bellson, Ray Brown, Benny Carter, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Harris, Coleman Hawkins, Illinois Jacquet, Hank Jones, Gene Krupa, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, Flip Phillips, Buddy Rich, Charlie Shavers, Willie Smith, Tommy Turk, Ben Webster, and Lester Young, among others.

Grantz recorded many of these concerts (though by no means all) and leased them to Mercury Records and later released them on Clef and Verve, at the time, his own labels. JATP ceased touring the United States in 1957, but continued intermittently in Europe and Japan for another decade. Many jazz enthusiasts gain pleasure from the concert recordings, but the events have often been criticised over the years for their perceived raucousness, lack of subtlety and the inappropriate matching of musicians for the sake of a star-filled bill.

In the 1970s, Granz kept the spirit of the JATP alive on his many jam session-type records for his label Pablo.

Recordings held by Verve Records of the first five years of JATP have been issued in a 10 CD set, and less comprehensively by (unlicensed) European labels. Later concerts have surfaced on CD in a more haphazard way.

JATP recordings

• 1946 : Blues (with Nat King Cole - using the pseudonym "Shorty Nadine" - and Les Paul)
• 1946 : I Can't Get Started (with Lester Young)
• 1947 : Perdido (with Illinois Jacquet)
• 1952 : The Drum Battle (with Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich)
• 1954 : The Challengers (with Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie)
• 1955 : Exiting Drum Battle: JATP Stockholm '55 (with Roy Eldridge Dizzy Gillespie Bill Harris Flip Phillips Oscar Peterson Ray Brown Louis Bellson Herb Ellis) LP: Pablo Records (p)74 - 2310713 - CD: Concord PACD-2310-713-2
• 1957 : Billie's Bounce (with J. J. Johnson and Stan Getz)

Note: Search concord records for "J.A.T.P." artist, to find CD reeditions of JATP Pablo recordings.

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