Vance Thompson

KV: Yeah.

VT: I've always liked Chet Baker, but I've never — I just didn't listen to him nearly as much as I listened to everybody else, you know. That record that he did later, the record She Was Too Good To Me, part of it's got a studio orchestra on it and they do the tune “She Was Too Good To Me” and they also do “Autumn Leaves” — he plays beautifully on it, and he sings, too. It's recorded state-of-the-art and it's a really nice-sounding recording. He's doing his thing, you know; it's real romantic. I remember Freddie Hubbard saying that Chet Baker was the first trumpet player that he really liked. He said, “But then I found out about everybody else and stopped listening to him,” but he said, “I still think that he plays pretty.” That's a pretty good endorsement. (Laughs)

Kenny Dorham
“Old Folks”
From Quiet Kenny (1959)

VT: Now this is Kenny!

KV: From Quiet Kenny.

VT: Quiet Kenny, yeah, all right. I haven't listened to this in forever. He's so soulful. He swings, he's soulful, and he plays brilliantly logical ideas; simple and logical and very melodic. He just didn't have the chops to do all the fireworks things that the biggies could do. He was definitely up there — the recordings he did with [tenor saxophonist] Joe Henderson, and as a composer.

One of his tunes, “Back Road,” I did an arrangement of that for the big band, and it's one of those things that, the tune is so well-written, and it's simple but the piano has a very specific part that he plays all the way through, the bass has a very specific part, very specific breaks and hits and so forth. After I got the tune transcribed, it literally took me four hours to do the whole big band chart. When you hear it, it sounds like this great big thing, but it's really just Kenny's arrangement and original tune just orchestrated for a big band. As an arranger, those are the kinds of tunes that I look for, tunes that are ready-made for a big band arrangement and they make you look really good as an arranger. (Laughs) All you have to do is figure out who gets what note and you're set.

Dave Douglas
“Intuitive Science”
From Stargazer (1996)

VT: You're going to get me on this one. But don't tell me. (Listens to trumpet solo) Actually, the way he bends notes and stuff I would guess Dave Douglas. Is that who it is?

KV: Yes.

VT: I haven't heard this.

KV: It's from his album Stargazer.

VT: Okay, yeah. He does some interesting things. He's a guy that I either really like or really hate. I've been to see him live three times, and two of them I really liked. The first time I saw him live, I was so disappointed; he was with the Tiny Bell Trio, and it was just trumpet, guitar and drums, and I just did not get it. It didn't sound like organized music. I mean, maybe I'm missing the point or whatever; there were a lot of people there that really liked it, but it didn't sound like they were playing together to me.

But then the first time Ashley [Capps] brought him here since I've been living here, he came to the old Fairbanks [Roasting Room] right next to Market Square. I saw the lineup, but I hadn't heard the record they made together yet, but I thought, “Oh well, I'm a jazz trumpet player; I'm kind of obligated to go to this” (laughs) and I loved it! They really did sound like a band — the music they played was interesting and they way they blended their sounds together; it was unique, but also very skilful. And then the last time he came with Uri Caine at Blue Cat's, it was really good, too.