Jazz-funk / cool jazz: “Springs” and “Seasons”

Pete Jolly (Wurlitzer electric piano), Chuck Berghofer (double bass), Paul Humphrey (drums) and Milt Holland (percussion). From the album Seasons (1970) by Pete Jolly.

In 1955 Jolly was hired by the RCA Victor label and published Jolly Jumps In (1955) with big cool jazz musicians Jimmy Giuffre on tenor and baritone saxophone, Shorty Rogers on trumpet, Howard Roberts on guitar, Curtis Counce on double bass and Shelly Manne on drums; Duo, Trio, Quartet (1955) and When Lights Are Low (1956) in a trio. In 1956 he contributed to the soundtrack of the drama movie The Man with the Golden Arm with composer and conductor Elmer Bernstein, and in 1957 in the album Porgy and Bess by tenor saxophonist, flutist and clarinetist Buddy Collette with jazz versions of George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess music.

In 1958 Jolly participated in the soundtrack of the film noir I Want to Live! by composer Johnny Mandel and in 1959 switched to MetroJazz Records and launched Impossible (1959). In 1960 the VSOP label brought to sale The Duo, where he plays with double bassist Ralph Pena and features a tour in New Zealand with a set of standards and his own themes. In 1962 he founded the Pete Jolly Trio with Chuck Berghofer on double bass and Nick Martinis on drums and presented 5 O’Clock Shadows for the MGM label, Continental Jazz for Stereo Fidelity, and continued to play with his trio for the next three decades. That same year he collaborated in After Hours by pop singer Joni James.

In 1963 Jolly released cool jazz Little Bird for Äva Records in a trio with Chuck Berghofer on double bass and Larry Bunker on drums, inviting guitarist Howard Roberts and percussionist Kenny Hume, who take part in some tracks. The album’s title song “Little Bird” was a commercial success with a bossa-nova flavor and was nominated for a Grammy. Also in 1963 Sweet September followed in a trio with the occasional appearance of Roberts, playing swing melodic and easy-listening music. In 1964 he issued Pete Jolly and Friends for VSOP playing bebop with the same line-up as the previous album, but adding a string section.

John Pisano (guitar), Pete Jolly (Wurlitzer electric piano), Chuck Berghofer (double bass) and Milt Holland (percussion). From the album Seasons (1970) by Pete Jolly.