Barney Wilen: Jazz Sur Seine (1958) Philips France

Pictures updated September 14, 2022

Track Selection 1: Swing 39 (Reinhardt)

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Selection 2: Nuages (Reinhardt)

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Track List 

A1 Swing 39
A2 Vamp
A3 Menilmontant
A4 John’s Groove
A5 Bag’s Barney Blues
B1 Swingin’ Parisan Rhythm
B2 J’ai Ta Main
B3 Nuages
B4 La Route Enchantee
B5 Que Reste-t-il De Nos Amours
B6 Minor Swing
B7 Epistrophy

Artists

Barney Wilen, tenor sax; Milt Jackson, piano; Percy Heath, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums; Gana M’bow, percussion; recorded February13-14, 1958, Paris, France.

Wilen’s records are much sought after – some of the rarest and most expensive jazz on vinyl. His debut album Tilt fetches up to $3,000 if it ever appears, and lesser title up to $1,000 is not unusual.

Wilen even has a dedicated a French graphic novel series.

Outside Europe his name is usually met with a blank stare: Barney who?  followed by look of incomprehension, that an unknown geeky-looking French kid could play tenor saxophone touring Europe with Miles Davis

Chronology: (selected titles): Afternoon in Paris -Sach Distel/John Lewis  (1956); Tilt  on CD (1957); Jazz sur Seine (1958); Barney (1959); Les Liasons Dangereuse (BO) (1960); Zodiac Suite (1966); La Note Bleue (1987); Wild Dogs of the Ruwenzori (1989)

Music

Barney Wilen was not quite 21 years old when this session with three veterans of the Modern Jazz Quartet was recorded. Surprisingly mature and self-assured, he interprets several Django Reinhardt compositions, along with a few by his French contemporaries and a pair of his own works. His flowing melodic lines, fresh lyrical tone, and his ability to swing is always a delight.  Miles Davis recruited Wilen for his European tour dates at this time, a measure of Davis’s estimation of the young Barney. You think Miles lacks taste in tenors? Coltrane?

Wilen with Miles and Kenny Clark at Club St Germain, 1957

Milt Jackson plays exclusively on piano, avoiding the usual overly familiar sound of MJQ, which is probably a good thing here. Senegalese percussionist Gana M’Bow, who appears on Art Blakey’s 1958 Club St Germain sessions, is added to a couple of tracks including selection Swing 39. It is not so much “French Jazz”, so much as “Americans in Paris” – generally a good thing, including when driving tanks.

Vinyl: Philips P77127L original pressing, stamped “Made in France”,  Philips matrix country code 530,  183 gm weight.

Groove-guard type pressing with raised lip around the circumference of the label, intended to protect the vinyl when dropped by an autochanger. First, I have seen like this. The central die pressing mark is raised so much that the turntable puck lacked sufficient purchase to fasten the record on the platter

UK Philips Reissue (for comparison)

Released in UK as Milt Jackson’s album under the title “Paris Session” (Philips ‎– BBL.7459) same year

As a European multinational operation, Philips usually pressed in Holland or UK, seems occasionally in other countries.

Collectors Corner

Pre-owned record shop in fashionable central west London, usually busy with DJ types digging in its specialty Soul and Dance sections. I am surprised they let someone like me in. I mean, who is going to think it is cool browsing in a place their dad might shop?

The problem with buying online is you are entirely reliant on the seller’s description and grading, especially those very elastic descriptions like “in very good condition”, and “a few marks, which do not affect play”, sometimes meaning audible scratches that sound but don’t actually cause a stick or jump. In a shop you can see the vinyl for yourself, make up your own mind if it is within your personal tolerance threshold, something that is worth paying (a little) extra for. The best test of course is a quick audition; however, London record shops divide basically into two types – those with a vinyl listening facility, and those without. This was a “without”, so you have to trust your judgement.

The problem with buying from shops, however, is that it is not often you find anything on the shelves that gets you excited. This was a nice exception.

LJC Philosopher’s Corner:  LJC’s First Law of Vintage Vinyl Collecting: If you see it, buy it; because you never know if you will ever see it again.  It is better to have made a mistake in buying it, than to have made a mistake in not buying it. You can never put the second one right.

This philosophy has resulted in a few duds, occasional minor twinges. However I suffer permanent regret for the ones I let get away.