On September 27, 1955, three young Ohioans — tenor saxophonist Chuz Alfred, trombonist Ola Hanson and pianist Chuck Lee — walked into Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in Hackensack to make their first LP for Savoy. Their own bassist and drummer, Paul Holt and Jim Kirwan, had sat the date out, figuring they needed more experience, so the label filled in with Vinnie Burke and Kenny Clarke. By the band’s later account, the next surprise came at the door: Savoy would not pay ASCAP or BMI royalties, so they would have to invent their material on the spot. Apart from “Chuz Duz,” a friend’s tune they had never played, everything was said to be made up in three hours, one take each. Memory is not airtight: the record also includes Vernon Duke’s “I Can’t Get Started.” Savoy issued it in January 1956 as “Jazz Young Blood.” Alfred went home, sold real estate by day and played by night until his death in 2018.
Cover of “Jazz Young Blood” (Savoy MG 12030, 1956), the LP recorded at Van Gelder’s studio on September 27, 1955. Used as a stand-in because no free-licensed photograph of Chuz Alfred or his band could be found on Wikimedia Commons or elsewhere. Album cover art, copyright Savoy Records, all rights reserved — this is not a Creative Commons or public-domain image.
Sources: Savoy Records Discography: 1955 — jazzdisco.org (Chuz Alfred session, Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, September 27, 1955: Ola Hanson, Chuz Alfred, Chuck Lee, Vinnie Burke, Kenny Clarke; six titles including “I Can’t Get Started” and “Chuz Duz,” issued on Savoy MG-12030; the March 30, 1955 Cincinnati session) , List of recording sessions at Van Gelder Studio in 1950s — Wikipedia (September 27, 1955: Chuz Alfred, Ola Hanson and Chuck Lee, “Jazz Young Blood,” Savoy) , Chuz Alfred — Fresh Sound Records biography (Lancaster, Ohio, 1932–2018; drummer Jim Kirwan and bassist Paul Holt “were newcomers to the group when Savoy asked Chuz to make the album”; the revamped quintet recorded the LP in one session on September 27, 1955; released January 1956) , Chuz Alfred — Jazz Young Blood — The Quiet One, Drew Layman (drawing on Columbus, The Musical Crossroads: “they would have to make up some original tunes on the spot because Savoy would not pay royalties to ASCAP or BMI”; “Chuz Duz” a friend’s tune; one take each in a three-hour session; later a realtor; died 2018) , Charles Alfred obituary — Lancaster Eagle-Gazette via Legacy.com (died October 31, 2018, aged 86; realtor by day and jazz musician by night; inaugural member of the Columbus Senior Musicians Hall of Fame, 1995)
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