Nature’s Table Archive Vol. 22: Joel Spencer Quartet, November 1, 1980 (RIP Kelly Sill)

Word came on September 28 that Table veteran bassist Kelly Sill had passed away at age 70. Sill was a fixture on the Chicago scene for decades, recorded with everybody, and was highly admired and respected by just about everybody he encountered. He also played many, many gigs at the Table in his day. For a time, Kelly was connected with Joel Spencer.

Volume 22 of the Table archives finds Kelly Sill with Joel’s quartet at the Table with some table regulars: saxophonist Ron Dewar and pianist Donnie Heitler. With Joel on drums, this is a C-U jazz all-star lineup in their prime.

A few tunes suffered from serious phase noise on the cassettes we dubbed, and were not listenable. The taper also stopped and started the recorder after every song, so beginnings and endings of songs are clipped. I tried to add a bit of fading to make it more palatable to your ear. Nevertheless, we were able to pull a solid two hours of music from this gig.

You will be missed, Kelly.

Joel Spencer Quartet – Live at Nature’s Table November 1, 1980

Nature’s Table Archive Vol 15: Joel Spencer Quartet – December 16, 1987

From the collection of Brad Wheeler comes this latest addition to the Archive.

Drummer Joel Spencer, now on faculty at the U of I, was a staple in the Chicago scene for many years in the 1980’s and 1990s. He has worked with numerous big names in jazz, including pianist Earl “Fatha” Hines, guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Eddie Gomez, trumpet artists Red Rodney, Clark Terry, Chet Baker, Freddie Hubbard, saxophonists Sonny Stitt, Benny Golson, Joe Henderson, Eddie Harris, Wayne Shorter, David Liebman, and pianists Hank Jones and Cedar Walton.

Spencer would come down to Urbana to play the Table regularly. The quartet featured on this recording was a working group out of Chicago, in town for a two-night stand at the Table in December 1987. Guitarist Akio Sasajima was born in Japan and was a regular in the Chicago scene at this time as well. This quartet also featured Table regulars Mike Kocour on organ and Brad Wheeler on sax. Joel recorded two CD’s with this lineup: “Jazz Hit” and “Interior Window.” Both are out of print. More information about this group is in the Joel Spencer oral history interview by Jeff Machota, found here.

The date is in question. The Table calendar shows this band in town on December 9 & 10, but the recording is clearly labelled December 16. Other curiosities that muddy things a bit is an incomplete second rendition of the theme from “Mannix,” and a second “thanks and see you next time” announcement after a “see you next time” announcement at the end of Push and Shove. It would seem that the source tape, long gone at this point, could have been recorded over a different show with the same band.

Regardless, enjoy this great Chicago band playing hot on a cold December night in Urbana.

Joel Spencer Quartet – December 16, 1987

Joel Spencer Quartet
Live at Nature’s Table
Urbana, Illinois
December 16, 1987
Nature’s Table Archive – Vol. 15
Source: Unknown cassette/recorder > Brad Wheeler’s remastered CD >
WAV > FLAC 8
Mixing/EQ done on source tape:
Recorded by unknown
Digital transfer by unknown
FLAC conversion, mixing/EQ (none) and upload by Sean Kutzko
The Band:
Joel Spencer – drums
Brad Wheeler – sax
Akio Sasajima – guitar
Mike Kocour – organ
(Total Time = 80:59)
01: Theme from “Mannix” (12:36)
02: I Know IT’s Wrong (13:51)
03: Arise and Shine (15:13)
04: Theme From “Mannix” – incomplete (6:18)
05: Goodbye Again (10:05)
06: Briar Patch (8:21)
07: Push and Shove (14:34)
Uploaded by permission of Brad Wheeler