Paul Gonsalves and I Cover the Waterfront

"My Buddy" - Ray Nance

I can only imagine how Paul Gonsalves would feel knowing that his spontaneous Happy Reunion with Duke late in his life would be viewed over 82,000 times. While there was and still is this idea that Paul is underrated, I think that’s changing. I confronted this myself in person at a debate at JALC between Wynton Marsalis and James Lincoln Collier about Duke in the mid-90’s. I was in the front row and so amped that Albert Murray stopped the debate so I could confront Collier myself for not giving Paul real respect in his book on Duke. His response was “Well, I just don’t think Paul was as inventive as Lester Young.” Before I could respond the audience groaned and then Wynton continued to eat Collier for lunch. I have never stopped reading from the book of Paul and have written about him before, but not here on my Substack. Paul was my original thesis focus before I went with OC.

Paul led 21 recordings away from Duke. Full stop. 21 recordings as a leader is impressive even today. Someday I’ll add a discography on Wikipedia. Gettin Together is the most well known. I sought out Jimmy Cobb and Nat Adderley to ask them about this one and they both confirmed Paul truly enjoyed the date, and a chance to get down with heavy hitters not with Duke. True, I approached them as a fan and asked them to sign my CD. When I met Clark Terry at the Vanguard he told me that he and Paul were best friends for awhile. In just 10 minutes he taught me secrets of the Ellington plunger tradition, not to bullshit other people, and especially yourself. Paul’s 3 records on Impulse are still floating around. (I was in an auction once to get original copies!) Tell it the way it is! (1963 with Walter Bishop Jr on piano), Cleopatra Feeling Jazzy, (1963 with Roy Haynes!) and Salt and Pepper (1964 with Sonny Stitt) Sidebar: I knew Duke’s nephew Michael James and he was tight with Paul, organizing record dates for him. He told me that Paul gave him some backstory on Salt and Pepper. Paul was known to imbibe often, but showed up stone cold for this session and was so hot, Stitt flubbed takes intentionally and took Paul to the bar, and then they made the record, thus leveling the playing field to a degree.

On to my core focus today. Throughout his career, all while with Duke, Paul recorded the song I Cover the Waterfront by Johnny Green, 8 times on his own records. For years I have wondered why record a standard like this over and over again. These aren’t live bootlegs, these were all formal in the studio renditions, and each one is different. Let’s get into it, for Paul..

First, some context. Paul’s primary inspiration was Coleman Hawkins. As such, he often in this situation, and especially with this song, only played the melody straight in the first few bars, and then immediately starts improvising. This is melodic improvising. The vibe of the song never leaves. Here’s Paul breaking it down himself. Big Love to Alexander Dunford, the number one Paul Gonsalves devotee on Earth, I’m the third perhaps. All of this is not to say Paul wanted to get away from Duke-the opposite is true, he considered playing with Duke the great honor of his life.

“What I really like to play are ballads—beautiful standards like "I Cover The Waterfront”, “Gone with The Wind" and “You Go To My Head". -PG

The first Waterfront recording was in 1958. Clark Terry and Paul were in Europe where Duke was having a great run. Clark sets it up nice with a cup mute. This was not a ballad version but straight 4/4 swing with Jimmy Woode and Sam Woodyard from Duke. The music has a positive vibe, it sounds like you’re on the way to the waterfront to meet your lady, and she will absolutely be there. On the second chorus Paul doubles down on the vibe and feeling-there is where he was a true master. He was always going somewhere, and in this context knew the exact amount of time to bring in the listener and build. He loved to play solo cadenzas to close out, and does that here as on almost every version of the piece. The cadenza’s are always totally improvised and free-he reaches this point by playing through the song to get there, and then leaves you with that after a short resolution and finish. (This has been a profound influence on my own relationship with music)

1960 was next, the great session for Getting Together. Sam Jones and Nat from Cannonball’s band, and Jimmy Cobb and Wynton Kelly from Miles band to set up Paul. Still, here with the modernists Paul chose Waterfront. This version is about the beauty and experience of love itself more than being in love with someone at the time. The cadenza is pure rhapsody.

1962 was the next recording, and this one is now actually with Duke. What sets it apart is Duke of course. His intro is as dissonant as he ever got, and seems completely freely improvised. Paul states the melody a little more than usual. Duke is then orchestrating Paul more than the song. At the start of the second chorus, but a few bars in, Duke plays notes from another world entirely-he was saying something strong here. Duke then resolves the tension in his language, not the songs. The end result is about Duke and Paul more than Waterfront.

1967 was next, an interesting quartet recorded in Stockholm with a piano/organ combo with Al Heath on drums, and Bob Cranshaw on bass. I don’t have a link here, but it’s on a double CD with Eddie Lockjaw Davis called Jazz till Midnight for any die hard folks. Paul continues his melodic improv vacillation in only one chorus. Paul could explain his process better than me, here from the interview posted above:

“You can‘t play any faster than the ideas pop out of your head. So it means that you accumulate a lot of ideas. You have to store up a sort of a mental library.” -PG

Improvisation has gone way past this, and OC would try to build a new library every week, but this is a window into where Paul was, who aside from Duke himself, improvised more than anyone in the orchestra, and was constantly called on to create in hundreds of different song environments.

The next Waterfront was an interesting session in Buenos Aires in 1968. Enrique Villegas is on piano. The piano player can change the whole vibe of course, and Enrique’s syncopation drives the whole session. Paul utilizes some deliberate harmonic tension here, very interesting in the ballad context by leaving the note hanging out there. It’s not unlike what Duke did in what I mentioned earlier. Paul again does his lift up on the second chorus, not calculated, but naturally, and the band is lifted and rises with him. The finish is here has more dramatic tension than usual, in an arranged, yet free, cadenza. Using free playing as a tool in arranging is essentially what I do in the 12 Houses.

The next 2 Waterfront’s were in 1970, and for context, that’s the year I was born. The first one was in Paris on a date called Paul Gonsalves and his all stars. Art Taylor is on drums, and he drives the entire session, as Roy Haynes drove Cleopatra Feeling Jazzy. Waterfront is the first piece, and opens with Norris Turney playing free improv on flute! Organ, bass, and drums enter, but very subtlety, with Cat Anderson providing harmon mute support. Paul again turns up on the second chorus as the support from Norris and Cat fades. They then combine the 2 vibes into one, as Paul does a stunning, and longer improv cadenza than on any other version. Later on the recording Paul opens with a free cadenza going into Walkin’. (Where Cat plays an adventurous solo) Norris was also into playing more on the free side, it shows they were aware of the times they were in. Paul said something interesting that may or may not be related- He was in jazz as it went through several different creative periods.

If I have an original style, it all stems from a thought - you know, observing different things. That's what we have a brain for - to use it. You have to know where the pitfalls are. Something can come up and everybody will embrace it. You have to be strong enough, if it doesn't conform with your way of thinking, to reject it. -PG

The other Waterfront was in August 1970, and here we may have the masterpiece. Norris Turney is again present on flute, but he and Ray Nance on violin play an arranged introduction, into a second introduction by Hank Jones on piano. From Jones, this version takes on an entirely different dynamic than all other versions. Paul is more heartfelt and vulnerable here. To me this one is about deep Love for the girl at the waterfront, who may or may not ever, return. Norris and Ray support the close into a Hank Jones finish, with no cadenza. All of the Waterfront’s lead here- a perfect statement of longing.

Finally we reach the last Waterfront, but Paul and Roy Eldridge are not going out quietly! This was recorded in August 1973. Paul passed in March 1974, and this is essentially his musical goodbye. You can almost see him looking back at the countless musical moments. On this Waterfront, after a full piano solo by Cliff Smalls (not typical in Paul’s waterfronts), Roy lifts the vibe up into a boisterous strut, suggesting a whole lot of life between him and the waterfront he covers. Paul meets him here, and together they walk out in triumph. Paul eventually takes back over for one last cadenza, inspired and playing to the very end. This entire record has the vibe of defiance. Paul and Roy were still in the game.

Down the road I may continue my Paul G exposition with Happy Reunion and Up Jump, his time with Basie and Diz, and beyond. If you pay me, I could write a book. I haven’t posted since early November as I’ve been painting. (@Mattlavelleart on IG). I needed a break from the memorial vibe, but I also need to write about the living more often.

It’s also been the honor of my life to play with trombone great and Ellingtonion Art Baron, who has told me Paul stories.

To close out here today, I’ve invited a very special guest:

Matt was kind enough to ask me to say a few words about PG. It might be appropriate to tell you who I am that he would give me the authority to comment. I am certainly not a learned musicologist or profess any great depth of comprehension of his music, in a scholarly way.

I simply was fortunate enough to know him as Uncle Paul. Paul married my dad’s youngest sister, Joanne in NYC back in the 1950s. Though Paul was rarely around, I did get to spend a day or two around him, here or there as a child, and more when I was a teenager. Paul and my dad adored each other, and I only regret that my dad, being the great raconteur he was, is not around to tell all of the stories he knew. PG did stay with us once or twice, in Great Neck, where we lived at that time. I remember when he slept over once, in the morning, very coyly asking this 14 or 15 year old if I might be able to find some Cognac or something, to put in his coffee. I can’t remember if I did or not but I hope I did!

At a certain point, he lived mostly at the Edison Hotel in NYC (where MANY Jazz musicians did). I imagine that the strain of being on the road 355 days a year did not make it possible to live in Queens with Joanne (where jazz musicians of that time bought homes). Paul fathered two children with her, Marlena and PG Jr. Constantly touring, living the nightlife, not even considering his weaknesses for substances, these are not things you can just hang up for a day or two and make a guest appearance as a father. Duke afforded the band the opportunity to devote themselves to making music. At least that is how I see it and how it was with Paul. Checks were sent home, and all vestiges of dealing with mundane life, were lifted from his shoulders.

My dad told a great story of when the band was in Russia. Paul went into an establishment and as always, had no pocket money. The bartender saw he was wearing a badge with Duke’s signature (made as promotional items). He pointed at the badge, and Paul realizing he had a currency to purchase vodka with, quickly removed it from his lapel, plunked it down on the bar and was poured a shot. The next night, no fool he, he filled his pockets with as many badges as he could!

As my mother was French born, we did spent a lot of time with family in France. I was lucky enough to attend the Antibes Jazz Fest in 1966 and watch them all from backstage, all the heavy hitters. Though only 14 at the time, I understood how fortunate I was and that I was in the presence of Musical Gods. Duke, Ella, Cat Anderson, Sam Woodyard, Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, Russel Procope. Ella particularly loved him and gave him an inscribed gold watch. While he gave it to my father for safe keeping, it was unfortunately stolen. I have also met through those years, Mercer, Mercedes, Brooks Kerr and so many others.

I also recall spending an evening a few years later, at the Rainbow Room where Duke and a modified group were performing. Atop the city, with these incredible musicians. Memorable!

Duke Ellington himself was the most gracious, sophisticated man one could meet and was extremely kind and flattering to all of us in Paul’s family. One only has to read in his autobiography what he has said.

Paul as I remember him, was a beautiful soul, very soft spoken guy, not at all boisterous or loud. Polite, I might even say shy and humble. My dad told me and it has often been recounted, that he never cursed or used any kind of crude language. He could be funny and easy to laugh. Zero dark clouds were hanging over him. It is known that he had many talents. He could play guitar and draw and guessing from the pictures of him as a young man, he could be a cut up.

I did not really know much of his background other than he was from New Bedford. When you are young, you tend not to pay attention to all those details. We knew his cousin Pete, who was a merchant Marine. He kept in contact with my paternal Grandmother (in Queens). We learned much more of his past at his funeral. We were surprised to meet as we were unaware of their existence, his brother at the funeral home, as well as another son Rennell, who lives in Chicago, (older than my cousins). Perhaps the older folks in the family knew but we younger ones certainly did not.

He was not prone to commanding attention or egotistical behavior. When you see his performances and his style of playing, I really think it speaks to his personality. He was in person as he was onstage, demur but a powerhouse. A font of emotive playing, commanding but never garish. He could pour it on thick or whisper in your ear. And name another live musical solo that has made history?

I have never relished seeing him nodding onstage and yet he always managed to rouse to play his bit. And I loathe people who are quick to show him in photos and videos in that state. He was absolutely flawed but to me, it has NEVER diminished his magnificence.

My last memories of him were at the funeral home, across the hall from Tyree Glen. The blur of new found family members, and the sadness manifested at losing him.

Etched forever, is Ray Nance at the Church, uncontrollably weeping as he played “My Buddy” on violin.

Thank you Matt, I am always honored to say he was my Uncle and have a chance to share my few memories.

Paul Gonsalves is buried at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York in Plot 2N 3731.

Big Love to Nata, and thank you so much.

Now I hope any folks out there will head out to the waterfront and spend just a few minutes in the sound of life..

..the sound of Paul Gonsalves

Photo: Arthur Luby