John Plonsky Quintet – Cool Man Cool (1957)
“The 1950s are a gold mine of lost trumpeters. No matter how many times I comb discographies, I come across another solid horn player whose name is likely unfamiliar to many jazz fans. On Monday I posted about Johnny Glasel and his Brasstet. Today, I’m looking at John Plonsky and his sole leadership album, Cool Man Cool (1957).
First, a little background on Plonsky. Little is known about the tumpeter, but here’s what I could piece together from a bit of online research. Plonsky seems to have begun his career on the West Coast. In 1945, at age 19, he wrote arrangements for Ray Bauduc, the drummer for the Bob Crosby Orchestra who formed a short-lived big band with saxophonist Gil Rodin rigth after World War II. In 1946, Plonsky recorded four sides with Charles Mingus in Los Angeles.
Then in 1948, Plonsky played and arranged for for Alvy West (above), an alto saxophonist and leader of a odd band that featured a trumpet, alto sax, accordion, two guitars, bass and drums. The band included Bob Caudana on accordion and Chuck Wayne on guitar. There also was a vocal group. According to Billboard in 1948, “Vocal arrangements for the Larkin Sisters’ vocal group are again a radical departure. The gals are blended into the ork intricacies, at times lyricizing and, at times, humming instrumental patterns.”...