Informal Jazz

1956 studio album by Elmo Hope

Informal Jazz

Studio album by

Elmo Hope

Released| September or October 1956[1][2]
Recorded| May 7, 1956
Studio| Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, NJ
Genre| Jazz
Label| Prestige Records
Producer| Bob Weinstock
Elmo Hope chronology
| Hope Meets Foster
(1955)  | Informal Jazz
(1956)  | Trio and Quintet
(1953-57)

|
|

Informal Jazz is an album by jazz musician Elmo Hope, released in September or October 1956 on Prestige Records.[1][2] It was reissued in 1969 under the title Two Tenors, and under the billing of Hope's sidemen for the session, John Coltrane and Hank Mobley.

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [3]
Disc| [4]

In his review for AllMusic, critic Eugene Chadbourne praises each musician's performance individually and by track and comments on the album as a whole: "If this particular session hasn't assumed the legend of a jazz classic, it's because, on the whole, some little spark seems to be missing. If this element could be defined easily, and put into words quickly and efficiently, then record producers and musicians would know exactly how to create the perfect jam session record. The people involved in this record know much more about such a science than the average musician and record producer. These are musicians very far down the road from being average, all of this underscoring the difficulty of creating a spontaneous recording session at which moments of improvisational genius are expected to pop up."[3]

## Track listing

[edit]

1. "Weeja" (Elmo Hope) – 11:00
2. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) – 8:31
3. "On It" (Elmo Hope) – 8:58
4. "Avalon" (Al Jolson, Buddy DeSylva, Vincent Rose) – 9:37

## Personnel

[edit]

* Elmo Hope – piano
* Donald Byrd – trumpet
* John Coltrane, Hank Mobley – tenor saxophone
* Paul Chambers – bass
* Philly Joe Jones – drums

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b DeVito, Chris; Fujioka, Yasuhiro; Schmaler, Wolf; Wild, David (2013). Porter, Lewis (ed.). The John Coltrane Reference. New York/Abingdon: Routledge. p. 425\. ISBN 9780415634632. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
2. ^ a b "October Album Releases" (PDF). The Cash Box. New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. October 6, 1956. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
3. ^ a b Chadbourne, Eugene. "Informal Jazz > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
4. ^ Hall, Tony (March 1, 1958). "It could have been hell". Disc. No. 4\. pp. 16–17.

* v
* t
* e

Elmo Hope

The year(s) indicated apply to the recording(s), not the first release.

leader|

* Trio and Quintet (1953–57)
* Meditations (1955)
* Hope Meets Foster (1955)
* Informal Jazz (1956)
* Elmo Hope Trio (1959)
* Here's Hope! (1961)
* High Hope! (1961)
* Homecoming! (1962)
* Hope-Full (1962)
* Sounds from Rikers Island (1963)
* The Final Sessions (1966)

sideman|

* Memorial Album (Clifford Brown, 1953)
* Moving Out (Sonny Rollins, 1954)
* Lights Out! (Jackie McLean, 1956)
* Sonority (Curtis Counce, 1956–58)
* Exploring the Future (Curtis Counce, 1958)
* The Fox (Harold Land, 1959)

* v
* t
* e

Donald Byrd

Years indicated are for the recording(s), not first release.

leader|

* Byrd's Eye View (1955)
* Byrd Jazz (1955)
* Byrd's Word (1955)
* Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill (1956)
* 2 Trumpets (with Art Farmer, 1956)
* The Young Bloods (with Phil Woods, 1956)
* Jazz Eyes (and John Jenkins ao, 1957)
* Fuego (1959)
* Byrd in Flight (1960)
* Free Form (1961)
* A New Perspective (1963)
* I'm Tryin' to Get Home (1964)
* Up with Donald Byrd (1964)
* Mustang! (1966)
* Blackjack (1967)
* Slow Drag (1967)
* Fancy Free (1969)
* Kofi (1969–70)
* Ethiopian Knights (1971)
* Black Byrd (1972)
* Street Lady (1973)
* Stepping into Tomorrow (1974)
* Places and Spaces (1975)
* Caricatures (1976)
* Thank You...For F.U.M.L. (Funking Up My Life) (1978)
* Donald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C. (1979)
* Love Byrd (1981)
* Words, Sounds, Colors and Shapes (1982)
* Harlem Blues (1987)
* Getting Down to Business (1989)
* A City Called Heaven (1991)

With
Pepper
Adams|

* 10 to 4 at the 5 Spot (1958)
* Off to the Races (1959)
* Byrd in Hand (1959)
* At the Half Note Cafe (1960)
* Motor City Scene (1960)
* Out of This World (1961)
* Chant (1961)
* The Cat Walk (1961)
* Royal Flush (1961)
* The Creeper (1967)
* Electric Byrd (1970)

With
The Jazz
Messengers|

* The Jazz Messengers (1956)
* Originally (1956)
* Art Blakey Big Band (1957)
* Holiday for Skins (2 volumes, 1958)

With
Gigi
Gryce|

* At Newport (and Cecil Taylor, 1957)
* Gigi Gryce and the Jazz Lab Quintet (Riverside, 1957)
* Jazz Lab (Columbia album) (1957)
* Jazz Lab (Jubilee album) (1957 [1958])
* Modern Jazz Perspective (with Jackie Paris, 1957)
* New Formulas from the Jazz Lab (1957)

With
Jackie
McLean|

* Lights Out! (1956)
* 4, 5 and 6 (1956)
* New Soil (1959)
* Jackie's Bag (1959)
* Vertigo (1963)

With
Hank
Mobley|

* The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley (Savoy, 1956)
* Mobley's Message (Prestige, 1956)
* Jazz Message No. 2 (Savoy, 1957)
* Hank Mobley Sextet (1956)
* Hank (1957)
* No Room for Squares (1963)
* Straight No Filter (1963)
* The Turnaround! (1963)
* Far Away Lands (1967)

With
others|

* Discoveries/Presenting Cannonball Adderley (Cannonball Adderley, 1955)
* Jammin' with Gene (Gene Ammons, 1956)
* All Night Long (Kenny Burrell, 1956)
* All Day Long (Kenny Burrell, 1957)
* 2 Guitars (Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Raney, 1957)
* Whims of Chambers (Paul Chambers, 1956)
* Paul Chambers Quintet (1957)
* Sonny's Crib (Sonny Clark, 1957)
* My Conception (Sonny Clark, 1959)
* Bohemia After Dark (Kenny Clarke, 1955)
* Lush Life (John Coltrane, 1957–58)
* The Believer (John Coltrane, 1957–58)
* The Last Trane (John Coltrane, 1957–58)
* Black Pearls (John Coltrane, 1957–58)
* Davis Cup (Walter Davis Jr., 1959)
* Wailing With Lou (Lou Donaldson, 1957)
* Lou Takes Off (Lou Donaldson, 1957)
* This Is New (Kenny Drew, 1957)
* All Mornin' Long (Red Garland, 1957)
* Soul Junction (Red Garland, 1957)
* High Pressure (Red Garland, 1957)
* One Flight Up (Dexter Gordon, 1964)
* Ladybird (Dexter Gordon, 1965)
* Snap Your Fingers (Al Grey, 1962)
* Johnny Griffin Sextet (1958)
* Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 (Guru, 1993)
* Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality (Guru, 1994–95)
* My Point of View (Herbie Hancock, 1993)
* Tone Tantrum (Gene Harris, 1977)
* Swamp Seed (Jimmy Heath, 1963)
* Informal Jazz (Elmo Hope, 1956)
* African High Life (Solomon Ilori, 1963)
* Big Byrd: The Essence Part 2 (Ahmad Jamal, 1994 or 1995)
* Quartet-Quintet (Hank Jones, 1955)
* Bluebird (Hank Jones, 1955)
* TV Action Jazz! (Mundell Lowe, 1959)
* The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall (1959)
* Goin' Out of My Head (Wes Montgomery, 1965)
* Hush! (Duke Pearson, 1962)
* Wahoo! (Duke Pearson, 1964)
* Another One/Oscar Pettiford Volume 2 (1955)
* Winner's Circle (Oscar Pettiford, et al, 1957)
* Blues in Trinity (Dizzy Reece, 1958)
* The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (1956)
* Dimensions & Extensions (Sam Rivers, 1967)
* Sonny Rollins, Volume 1 (1956)
* Don't Stop the Carnival (Sonny Rollins, 1978)
* Silver's Blue (Horace Silver, 1956)
* 6 Pieces of Silver (Horace Silver, 1956–58)
* A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume One (1957)
* A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume Two (1957)
* Taylor's Wailers (Art Taylor, 1957)
* Soul Sauce (Cal Tjader, 1964)
* A Bluish Bag (Stanley Turrentine, 1967)
* Top Brass (Ernie Wilkins, 1955)
* Pairing Off (Phil Woods, 1956)

* v
* t
* e

John Coltrane

Discography

Prestige
albums|

* Mating Call (with Tadd Dameron)
* Tenor Conclave
* Coltrane
* Interplay
* Wheelin' & Dealin'
* John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio
* Soultrane
* Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette
* The Cats (with Tommy Flanagan and Kenny Burrell)
* Lush Life
* Settin' the Pace
* Standard Coltrane
* Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
* Stardust
* Dakar
* The Believer
* Black Pearls
* Bahia
* The Last Trane
* Two Tenors

Blue Note
albums|

* Blue Train
* Coltrane Time

Atlantic
albums|

* Giant Steps
* Bags & Trane (with Milt Jackson)
* Coltrane Jazz
* My Favorite Things
* Olé Coltrane
* Coltrane Plays the Blues
* Coltrane's Sound
* The Avant-Garde

Impulse!
albums|

* Africa/Brass
* Coltrane
* Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
* Ballads
* Impressions
* John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
* Crescent
* A Love Supreme
* The John Coltrane Quartet Plays
* Ascension
* Meditations
* Kulu Sé Mama
* Expression
* Om
* Cosmic Music (with Alice Coltrane)
* Selflessness: Featuring My Favorite Things
* Transition
* Sun Ship
* Infinity
* Interstellar Space
* The Africa/Brass Sessions, Volume 2
* First Meditations
* Dear Old Stockholm
* Stellar Regions
* Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album
* Blue World

With
Miles Davis|

* Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet
* 'Round About Midnight
* Cookin'
* Relaxin'
* Milestones
* Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants
* Kind of Blue
* Jazz Track
* Workin'
* Steamin'
* Someday My Prince Will Come
* Miles & Monk at Newport
* Basic Miles
* At Newport 1958
* Jazz at the Plaza Vol. I
* 1958 Miles
* Miles Davis Quintet at Peacock Alley

With
Thelonious Monk|

* The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings
* Thelonious Himself
* Monk's Music
* Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
* Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane

Live albums|

* "Live" at the Village Vanguard
* Live at Birdland
* New Thing at Newport
* Live at the Village Vanguard Again!
* Live in Seattle
* Live in Japan
* Afro Blue Impressions
* The Paris Concert
* The European Tour
* Live Trane: The European Tours
* Bye Bye Blackbird
* Newport '63
* The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings
* The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording
* Live at the Half Note: One Down, One Up
* Offering: Live at Temple University
* A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle
* Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy

Compilations|

* Alternate Takes
* The Best of John Coltrane
* The Classic Quartet – Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings
* Coltrane for Lovers
* The Coltrane Legacy
* The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis with John Coltrane
* The Prestige Recordings
* Countdown: The Savoy Sessions
* Dial Africa: The Savoy Sessions
* Feelin' Good
* Gold Coast
* The Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings
* High Step
* The Major Works of John Coltrane
* Jupiter Variation
* Ken Burns Jazz: John Coltrane
* The Last Giant: Anthology
* Living Space
* To the Beat of a Different Drum
* Trane's Blues
* Trane's Modes

Compositions|

* "26-2"
* "Alabama"
* "Blue Train"
* "Central Park West"
* "Countdown"
* "Equinox"
* "Giant Steps"
* "Impressions"
* "Lazy Bird"
* "Moment's Notice"
* "Mr. P.C."
* "Naima"
* "Ogunde"

Documentaries|

* The Church of Saint Coltrane
* The World According to John Coltrane
* Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary

Related|

* List of sessions
* Coltrane changes
* Sheets of sound
* Alice Coltrane (wife)
* Ravi Coltrane (son)
* Philadelphia house
* Dix Hills home
* 5893 Coltrane asteroid
* John W. Coltrane Cultural Society
* Tribute albums
* Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane

* v
* t
* e

Hank Mobley

Year(s) indicated are for the recording(s), not first release, except for the compilation section

As leader
or co-leader|

* Newark 1953 (1953 [2012])
* Hank Mobley Quartet (1955)
* The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley (1956)
* Mobley's Message (Prestige, 1956)
* Mobley's 2nd Message (Prestige, 1956)
* Jazz Message No. 2 (Savoy, 1956)
* Hank Mobley Sextet (1956)
* Hank Mobley and His All Stars (1957)
* Hank Mobley Quintet (1957)
* Hank (1957)
* Hank Mobley (1957)
* Curtain Call (1957)
* Poppin' (1957)
* Peckin' Time (1958)
* Monday Night at Birdland (1958)
* Another Monday Night at Birdland (1959)
* Soul Station (1960)
* Roll Call (1960)
* Workout (1961)
* Another Workout (1961)
* No Room for Squares (1963)
* Straight No Filter (1963–65)
* The Turnaround! (1964)
* Dippin' (1965)
* A Caddy for Daddy (1965)
* A Slice of the Top (1966)
* Far Away Lands (1967)
* Third Season (1967)
* Hi Voltage (1967)
* Reach Out! (1968)
* The Flip (1969)
* Thinking of Home (1970)
* Breakthrough! (1972)

With
others|

* At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1 (Art Blakey/The Jazz Messengers, 1955)
* At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2 (Art Blakey/The Jazz Messengers, 1955)
* The Jazz Messengers (Art Blakey, 1956)
* Originally (Art Blakey/The Jazz Messengers, 1956 [1982])
* At the Jazz Corner of the World (Art Blakey/The Jazz Messengers, 1959)
* All Night Long (Kenny Burrell, 1956)
* K.B. Blues (1957 [1979])
* Byrd's Eye View (Donald Byrd, 1955)
* Byrd in Flight (Donald Byrd, 1960)
* A New Perspective (1963)
* Mustang! (Donald Byrd, 1966)
* Blackjack (Donald Byrd, 1967)
* Dial "S" for Sonny (Sonny Clark, 1957)
* My Conception (Sonny Clark, 1957)
* Someday My Prince Will Come (Miles Davis, 1961)
* In Person Friday and Saturday Nights
at the Blackhawk, Complete (Miles Davis, 1961)
* Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall (1961)
* Afro-Cuban (Kenny Dorham, 1955)
* Whistle Stop (Kenny Dorham, 1961)
* This Is New (Kenny Drew, 1957)
* Undercurrent (Kenny Drew, 1960)
* Farmer's Market (Art Farmer, 1956)
* The Opener (Curtis Fuller, 1957)
* Sliding Easy (Curtis Fuller, 1959)
* Afro (Dizzy Gillespie, 1954)
* Dizzy and Strings (Dizzy Gillespie, 1954)
* Jazz Recital (Dizzy Gillespie, 1954–55)
* I Want to Hold Your Hand (Grant Green, 1965)
* A Blowin' Session (Johnny Griffin, 1957)
* My Point of View (Herbie Hancock, 1963)
* Informal Jazz (Elmo Hope, 1956)
* Goin' Up (Freddie Hubbard, 1960)
* Blue Spirits (Freddie Hubbard, 1965)
* The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 (1955)
* Together! (Elvin Jones and Philly Joe Jones, 1961)
* Midnight Walk (Elvin Jones, 1966)
* I Wanna Talk About You (Tete Montoliu, 1980)
* Introducing Lee Morgan (1956)
* Lee Morgan Sextet (1956)
* Cornbread (Lee Morgan, 1965)
* Charisma (1966)
* The Rajah (1966)
* Tenor Conclave (Prestige All Stars, 1957)
* Star Bright (Dizzy Reece, 1959)
* The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (1956)
* Good Move! (Freddie Roach 1963)
* The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley (1953)
* Max Roach + 4 (1956)
* The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker (1957)
* MAX (Max Roach, 1958)
* Yasmina, a Black Woman (Archie Shepp, 1969)
* Poem for Malcolm (Archie Shepp, 1969)
* Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (1954–55)
* Silver's Blue (Horace Silver, 1956)
* 6 Pieces of Silver (Horace Silver, 1956–58)
* The Stylings of Silver (Horace Silver, 1957)
* A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume One (1957)
* A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume Two (1957)
* Julius Watkins Sextet (1955)

Compilations|

* The Complete Blue Note Hank Mobley Fifties Sessions (1998)
* The Feelin's Good (2013)

Related articles|

* Discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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