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Track List

1 Jordu 03:32
    by Duke Jordan (Duke Jordan Music, Contemporary Music)
2 Satin Doll 06:34
    by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Mercer (Tempo Music, Duke Ellington Music, WB Music)
3 It Could Happen to You 04:27
    by Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke (Remick Music Corp.)
4 Mean to Me 06:32
    by Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk (De Sylva, Brown & Henderson, Cromwell Music)
5 Don't Worry 'Bout Me 04:37
    by Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler (Harms Inc.)
6 On Green Dolphin Street 04:04
    by Bronislaw Kaper, Ned Washington (Leo Feist)
7 You Go to My Head 04:25
    by J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie (Remick Music Corp.)
8 Minor Mood 03:22
    by Barney Kessel (Composers Music)
9 Nagasaki 03:09
    by Harry Warren, Mort Dixon (Remick Music Corp.)
10 Be Deedle Dee Do 05:36
    by Barney Kessel (Composers Music)
11 Volare (Nel blu, dipinto di blu) 05:36
    by Domenico Modugno, Franco Migliacci (Edizioni Curci)
12 Spring Is Here 04:10
    by Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart (Harms Inc.)
13 The Surrey with the Fringe on Top 05:32
    by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II (Williamson Music, Chappell)
14 Custard Puff 04:28
    by Ray Brown (Phantom Music)
15 When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along 04:19
    by Harry Woods (Irving Berlin, Inc.)
16 Foreign Intrigue 03:18
    by Barney Kessel (Composers Music)
17 Angel Eyes 04:43
    by Matt Dennis, Earl Brent (Bradshaw Music, Inc.)
18 The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down 02:12
    by Cliff Friend, Dave Franklin (Harms Inc.)

Total Time: 80:36

About The Poll Winners Vol 1

In the middle of the 1950s, three musicians repeatedly appeared at or near the top of the major jazz polls. Barney Kessel was one of the leading guitarists, Ray Brown one of the leading bassists, and Shelly Manne one of the leading drummers. Their names appeared prominently in the polls conducted by Down Beat, Metronome and Playboy, and in 1956 and 1957 the three musicians achieved particularly strong results across these publications.

The three were already established figures in American jazz before they recorded together. Kessel had emerged as one of the leading guitarists of the bebop and post-bebop era and had become a major presence on the Los Angeles jazz scene. Brown had established himself as one of the most important bassists of his generation, through his work with the Oscar Peterson Trio and numerous other ensembles. Manne had become one of the leading drummers associated with the West Coast jazz scene, while also maintaining an extensive career as a bandleader and studio musician.

The idea of bringing these three musicians together was therefore a natural one. The name The Poll Winners referred directly to their success in the jazz polls, but the recordings demonstrated that the trio was more than a publicity concept. Their first album showed that Kessel, Brown and Manne could function as a remarkably balanced small group, with each musician contributing an individual musical voice.

The first album, The Poll Winners, was recorded at Contemporary's Studio in Los Angeles on March 18 and 19, 1957. Lester Koenig produced the session, with Roy DuNann among the engineers associated with the recording. The repertoire consisted of nine pieces, combining contemporary jazz compositions with songs from the American popular repertoire.

The instrumentation is deliberately spare. There is no piano and no additional horn or rhythm-section instrument. Kessel's guitar therefore assumes many of the harmonic functions normally associated with a piano in a trio, while also carrying the melodic and solo role. Brown supplies both the harmonic foundation and a highly active bass voice, and Manne provides the rhythmic framework while responding closely to the phrasing of the other two musicians.

The result is not a guitar soloist with two accompanying musicians. The three instruments continually share the musical responsibility. Kessel can state and develop the melody while Brown and Manne provide more than accompaniment; Brown can move into a melodic role, and Manne can shape the form through accents, changes of dynamics and rhythmic commentary.

This balance is particularly apparent in the treatment of the standards. The melodies remain clearly recognizable, but the arrangements leave sufficient space for the three musicians to develop them through improvisation. The repertoire also allows Kessel to demonstrate the range of his guitar playing, from blues-influenced lines and single-note bebop phrases to chordal passages and melodic interpretation.

The success of the first album led to a second recording by the same trio. The Poll Winners Ride Again! was recorded at Contemporary's Studio in Los Angeles on August 19 and 21, 1958. Again produced by Lester Koenig, it continued the basic format of the first album while introducing a somewhat different repertoire.

The inclusion of “Volare” reflects the trio's willingness to incorporate a contemporary popular success into its repertoire. The song had become an international hit in 1958, and the Poll Winners' recording placed the recently popular material alongside standards from earlier decades.

The two albums consequently provide a useful picture of the trio's musical identity. Neither record depends on elaborate arrangements or a large ensemble. The essential sound comes from three musicians listening closely to one another and dividing the functions of melody, harmony and rhythm among themselves.

Barney Kessel is the most immediately prominent melodic voice, but the trio's sound depends equally on Ray Brown and Shelly Manne. Brown's bass provides harmonic clarity and rhythmic propulsion while leaving room for independent melodic movement. Manne's drumming is precise and responsive, capable of maintaining the swing of the performances without restricting the other musicians' phrasing.

The absence of a piano is also significant. Kessel's guitar must provide harmonic information that a conventional piano-bass-drums trio might distribute between two instruments. His chord voicings and comping therefore form an important part of the overall texture, while his single-note lines provide the principal melodic voice.

At the same time, Brown and Manne were far too accomplished to function simply as accompaniment. Both musicians had extensive experience as leaders and sidemen, and their individual personalities remain audible throughout the recordings. Their interaction with Kessel is what turns the three-man instrumentation into a complete ensemble sound.

The name The Poll Winners therefore came from a very specific historical circumstance, but the recordings themselves stand independently of the polls. The polls brought the three musicians together; the music established the identity of the trio.

The first two albums also document an important period in the development of Los Angeles jazz. Contemporary Records, under Lester Koenig, had established its Los Angeles studio as an important recording location for modern jazz. The Poll Winners sessions brought together three musicians who were central to that musical environment and recorded them with the studio's characteristic attention to clarity and detail.

These two albums were the beginning of a larger recording history. The trio went on to make additional albums for Contemporary, including The Poll Winners Three! and The Poll Winners Explore! before eventually returning for another recording in the 1970s. But the first two albums establish the essential format: Kessel's guitar, Brown's bass and Manne's drums.

The two sessions presented here thus capture the Poll Winners at the beginning of their recording history. The first album documents the trio in 1957, when the three musicians had just been brought together under the name that reflected their success in the major jazz polls. The second, recorded the following year, shows the same combination working with greater familiarity and an expanded repertoire.

Together, The Poll Winners and The Poll Winners Ride Again! form a coherent portrait of one of the most successful guitar-bass-drums combinations of the 1950s: three leading musicians whose reputations had brought them together, and whose musical compatibility gave the Poll Winners a life beyond the polls that had originally given the group its name.

EU Public Domain Notice
The historical sound recordings included in this release are in the public domain in the European Union. Blue Music Group has created a new digital restoration and mastering of these historical recordings. The digital restoration and mastering by Blue Music Group are protected by applicable copyright and related rights. Rights may differ in other territories, including the United States. This release is not intended for distribution in the United States.

Cover artwork: The original photographic image has been legally assessed as being in the public domain in the EU following the expiry of the applicable 50-year term under Section 49a. The image has been restored, enhanced and colorized by Blue Music Group. © Blue Music Group. All rights reserved.

Credits

Barney Kessel – guitar
Ray Brown – bass
Shelly Manne – drums

Tracks 1–9:
Recorded March 18 & 19, 1957

Tracks 10-18:
Recorded August 19 & 21, 1958

Contemporary's Studio, Los Angeles, CA

Produced by Lester Koenig
Engineer: Roy DuNann