Tyree Glenn - trombone, vibraphone; Tommy Flanagan - piano; Tommy Potter - bass; Eddie Locke - drums; Special guests:; Georgie Auld - tenor sax; Harry "Sweets" Edison - trumpet
Formerly of the Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington orchestras as well as one of Louis Armstrong's touring all-stars, Texas native Tyree Glenn had one of the most unusual doubles in jazz -- trombone and vibraphone. His appearance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival, where he led a quartet augmented by special guest soloists Harry "Sweets" Edison (long-time Count Basie trumpeter) and Georgie Auld (former Artie Shaw tenor saxophonist), came at a time when Glenn was enjoying some increased visibility on the jazz scene as a Roulette recording artist.
He opens his Saturday night set with a jaunty "Tea for Two," swinging on vibes in the ebullient tradition of Lionel Hampton, a direct role model for Glenn. In mid-song he switches to trombone and offers a spirited solo that extrapolates from the buoyant theme while never losing the spirited swing feel. Tommy Potter, one-time bassist for Charlie Parker, offers up a nice solo here with Papa Jo Jones-inspired hi hat work by drummer Eddie Locke and deft comping by pianist Tommy Flanagan, who at the time was an in-demand session player on the New York scene, appearing on albums that year by the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Wes Montgomery, Clark Terry, Gene Ammons, Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath, Sweets Edison and a host of others.
Next up is the mellow stroll "Sultry Serenade," a catchy number that Glenn penned during his stint in Duke's band (1947-1951). Glenn then displays warm, melodic tones on trombone on the easy going "Marcheta," underscored by some subtle brushwork from Locke. Georgie Auld and Harry Edison then take the stage to join Glenn and his crew for a swinging rendition of the Basie jam vehicle "Lester Leaps In." Auld solos first with husky tones on tenor sax and Glenn follows with a dazzling vibes solo before Sweets enters with a bold delivery on trumpet. Glenn returns to put the final touch on this spirited jam with a raucous trombone solo.
The ensemble next handles a cleverly packaged medley of three tunes that showcases on each of the principal frontline soloists. Sweets first leads the ensemble through a gorgeous rendition of the oft-recorded jazz standard "There Is No Greater Love," which is underscored by Locke's supple, swinging brushwork. From there they segue to a poignant reading of "I Cover the Waterfront," a feature for Georgie Auld's burnished tenor tones. Then Glenn offers an uncannily vocal wah-wah trombone solo rendition of "I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face," in which he states the melody eloquently before erupting into a raucous tailgater solo.
Glenn then leads the ensemble through "Sunday," a Jule Styne composition from 1926 which became a popular jazz standard recorded by everyone from Benny Carter, Bud Freeman, Lester Young and Stan Getz to Fats Waller, John Coltrane, Nat Cole and Johnny Hartman. Glenn solos first on trombone and is followed by an extroverted trumpet solo from Edison. Auld offers another robust tenor solo before it comes back to Tyree on trombone; they then take it out in spirited Dixieland fashion. Glenn closes the set with a mournful rendition of "Without a Song," which again features his remarkable wah-wah plunger effects on trombone. Following an intimate and melancholy duet intro with Flanagan's piano, the piece builds steadily until it bursts into a swinging show-stopping finale by the old school entertainer.
Following this 1960 appearance at Newport, Glenn continued leading his own small groups, recording two more sessions for Roulette. During 1965-1968, he toured the world with Louis Armstrong's All-Stars. After leaving Armstrong, he continued leading his own group during his last few years before passing away in 1974. (Milkowski)