Clark Terry Quartet and the Duke Jordan Trio: Live in Copenhagen 1985

Anyone who considers jazz to be a cerebral art form inaccessible to the average music listener need only spend a few minutes here with Clark Terry and friends to realize just how wrong that assessment can be: recorded in a Danish nightclub in 1985, the veteran trumpeter's 45-minute set is marvelously entertaining. Terry and his cohorts (including pianist Duke Jordan, bassist Jimmy Woode, and local drummer Svend Norregaard) swing straight through a clutch of jazz classics with infectious fun. Terry, in his mid-60s at the time of this gig, played with Duke Ellington in the ‘50s (as did Woode), and the six-song set includes no less than four Ellington classics: “In a Mellotone” (with Terry on flugelhorn), “Mood Indigo” (an interesting arrangement with multiple tempo changes), “Just Squeeze Me” (with a ragged-but-right Terry/Woode vocal duet), and “Satin Doll” (featuring an amusing bass solo). A shorter second set features Jordan, who played with Charlie Parker in the ‘40s and appeared on some of Bird's most famous Dial recordings. Paired with a very capable Danish rhythm section, the pianist plays a couple of originals (including “Jordu,” his best known composition and a bona fide jazz standard) and more Ellington. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, this is recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)