Pop Makes Progress

Pop Makes Progress
Studio album by
Tony Coe
ReleasedMay 1970
RecordedOctober 12, 1963
GenreJazz, Orchestral pop
LabelChapter One
ProducerLes Reed
Tony Coe chronology
Sax With Sex
(1968) 		Pop Makes Progress
(1970) 		With Brian Lemon Trio
(1971)

Pop Makes Progress is a 1970 studio album featuring Tony Coe, arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon.

Production

As explained in the album's liner notes, this project was the brainchild of songwriter-record producer Les Reed, who, having been "a longtime admirer of the composing-arranging ability of Robert Farnon and the jazz inventiveness of Tony Coe", suddenly realized that a collaboration between these two would make an ideal addition to the catalogue of Reed's recently formed record label, Chapter One. With both parties proving more than amenable, the project was evidently realized with little difficulty.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The GuardianUnfavorable
The GramohponeFavorable[3]
The MailFavorable
The Miami NewsUnfavorable

Sam Peters of The Guardian hails the "imaginative pairing" of reedman Coe and "that wonderfully discreet arranger Robert Farnon",[4] while Peter Sykes of The Mail singles out Side 2's opening track, Scarborough Fair, as "a model for young arrangers."

The ten tracks, with Coe playing tenor sax on nine, clarinet on the other, bear all the Farnon trademarks; clean voicing of brass and reeds, impeccable string writing, a thorough understanding of the principle of swing, and absolute good taste. He never intrudes. His charts support, cajole and comfort the soloist.[5]

PMP was also praised by Gramophone's Roger Wimbush, who named it his "pick" for June 1970.[3] On the other hand, neither Miami News music editor Terry Johnson King nor Jackie Kendrick of the Esher News and Mail was very much impressed, with each reviewer's opening salvo consisting of a none too flattering variation on the album's title (King opting for "Pop Makes Regress",[6] and Kendrick, simply "Retarded Jazz".[a]) That said, King and Kendrick do find at least some isolated highlights, with King singling out the album's final track, Walk On By, which "fares well at their hands",[6] and Kendrick opting for the two Simon and Garfunkle covers that open Side 2: "Scarborough Fair", "with its mock medieval feeling and well-thought-out solo", and "Mrs. Robinson", "the only number on the whole set which swung".[7]

Decades later, Colin Larkin, in his Encyclopedia of Popular Music, awarded the album three stars.[2]

Track listing

  1. "There Will Never Be" (Perry Botkin Jr., Gil Garfield) – 2:59
  2. "Wives and Lovers" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – 4:15
  3. "Yesterday" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney ) – 2:57
  4. "There's a Kind of Hush" (Les Reed, Geoff Stevens) – 2:43
  5. "If We Lived On Top of a Mountain" (Les Reed, Barry Mason) – 3:07
  6. "Scarborough Fair" (Traditional, arr. Paul Simon) – 3:45
  7. "Mrs. Robinson" (Paul Simon) – 2:35
  8. "Up, Up and Away" (Jimmy Webb) – 3:55
  9. "Blue Theme" (Robert Farnon) – 4:03
  10. "Walk On By" (Bacharach, David) – 4:31

Personnel

Notes

  1. ^ The latter phrase, it should be noted, is literally title of Kendrick's piece, rather than anything found within the body of her review. Thus, the arguably regrettable choice of words was almost certainly not Kendrick's, but rather that of the copy editor/headline writer. Fortunately, Kendrick's intended meaning—"POP might have made progress, but jazz is retarded by the Chapter One release"—is immediately stated, and reiterated in conclusion: "All in all, an album of good background listening, but too much schmaltzy pop and too little jazz."[7]

References

  1. ^ Craig Moerer Records By Mail. "ROBERT FARNON & TONY COE: pop makes progress CHAPTER 1 12" LP 33 RPM". EBay. ""
  2. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Vol. 3. London: MUZE UK Ltd. p. 1851. ISBN 0-333-74134-X.
  3. ^ a b Wimbush, Roger (1970). "The Pick".Gramophone. June 1970. Vol. 48, p. 340.
  4. ^ a b c d Peters, Sam (May 28, 1970). "Notes off the cuff: jazz records by SAM PETERS". The Guardian. p. 10. "Pop Makes Progress (Chapter One stereo CHS 804) imaginatively pairs Tony Coe, playing tenor sax on nil1e tracks and clarinct for Mrs Robinson," and that wonderfully discreet arranger Robert Farnon. The fine studio band contains trombonist Don Lusher, trumpeter Stan Roderick, drummer Bobby Orr and pianist Dennis Wilson, and Bill McGufie is the pianist taking the long solo on 6• Yesterday,' -information which you will not find on the sleeve."
  5. ^ Sykes, Peter (May 20, 1970). "WALKING TALL IN FOOTSTEPS OF JAZZ MASTERS; PETER SYKES ON JAZZ". The Mail. p. 6.
  6. ^ a b King, Terry Johnson (May 1, 1971). "'Sea Symphony,' a triumph in brilliant new recording". The Miami News. p. 8-A. ""POP MAKES PROGRESS" is the title of the London recording, although it might well be Pop Makes Regress. For it's the old California progressive jazz, making a reappearance for all the world as if Thelonius Monk were coaxing the strains out of the musicians. Some nice tunes are poured into a smokey room, translated by a funky combo, and come out a la carte. 'Mrs. Robinson' would never seduce again after Robert Farnon and Tony Coe finish with her, but 'Walk On By' fares well at their hands."
  7. ^ a b Kendrick, Jackie (September 17, 1970). Bechet -'As full of joy as a candy store'; Retarded Jazz. Esher News and Mail. p. 8.
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