Spin And Groove

Some records find you before you find them. I came across Two Feet in the Gutter in a bin somewhere — I honestly can’t remember which one — and bought it mainly because the sleeve caught my eye and the price was right. Epic label, early 1960s pressing, looked clean. I had no idea what I was getting into. By the time “Comin’ Home Baby” finished I’d sat down, stopped whatever else I was doing, and listened to the whole thing through. That doesn’t happen as often as I’d like.

Dave Bailey’s final album as a leader, recorded in New York in October 1961, is one of those jazz records that sits outside the main narrative. It’s not on the canonical lists. It doesn’t come up in the conversations about hard bop the way Blue Note records do. But it’s a tight, swinging, beautifully played record from a group of musicians who clearly knew each other and had something to say.

Dave Bailey and the Quintet

Dave Bailey was primarily known as a sideman — he played with Gerry Mulligan, Eddie Costa, and others over the course of his career. His recordings as a leader are few, and Two Feet in the Gutter was his last. Why he stopped leading dates is unclear from the historical record, which is part of why this album has a slightly valedictory feel to it in retrospect. It’s not what he intended at the time, presumably — nobody records a farewell album without knowing it’s a farewell — but knowing it’s his last adds something to the listening experience.

The quintet Bailey assembled for this session is strong. Bill Hardman on trumpet is the front-line focal point — a Blue Note regular who’d recorded with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and brought a bright, driven tone to everything he played. Frank Haynes on tenor saxophone provides a darker, meatier counterpoint. Billy Gardner handles piano duties with an understated professionalism that suits the ensemble. Ben Tucker on bass is solid and musical — not a flashy player, but exactly what the group needs.

And Bailey himself behind the kit. A drummer who leads from behind. He keeps the energy up without dominating, and his taste in the role of rhythm section member is impeccable throughout.

Comin’ Home Baby

Here’s something worth knowing: this album contains the first recording of “Comin’ Home Baby.” The song was written by bassist Ben Tucker and composer Bob Dorough, and this session was where it first appeared on record. Mel Tormé had a top 40 hit with it not long after, and the song went on to be recorded by hundreds of artists over the following decades — Herbie Mann, Stan Getz, Mongo Santamaría, and many others.

But this is where it started. Hearing the original here is something. Tucker’s bass introduces the now-familiar riff, and Bailey’s drumming locks in around it immediately. Hardman’s trumpet is bright and insistent. The groove is established within seconds and doesn’t let up. It’s easy to hear why this became a standard — the hook is almost absurdly strong, and the arrangement here is lean enough to show off the song’s bones without any ornamentation getting in the way.

Track by Track

Side 1 opens with “Comin’ Home Baby” and doesn’t waste a second. From the opening bass riff to the final note, it’s a pure groove, and at around four and a half minutes it ends before it overstays its welcome. Then “Two Feet in the Gutter” — the title track, a Bailey original. Harder-edged than the opener, more aggressive in its rhythm, with Hardman and Haynes playing off each other in a way that suggests a real front-line partnership. The title is a bit of a self-deprecating joke, given how accomplished the playing is.

“Shiny Stockings” closes Side 1 — a Frank Foster composition that became a jazz standard. The treatment here is measured and swinging, Haynes particularly good on the melody statement.

Side 2 opens with “Lady Iris B” — a waltz, which is a slight surprise given the hard-swinging feel of everything that came before. It works. Slower and more lyrical, it gives the group a chance to breathe and gives Bailey room to demonstrate his time feel in a different context. “Coffee Walk” closes the record with a return to the driving groove of Side 1 — a good decision, leaving you feeling energised rather than reflective.

Tracklist

On the Epic Label

Epic Records was a Columbia subsidiary, and their jazz catalogue from this period is genuinely undervalued. The label signed artists who might not have fit the Blue Note or Prestige aesthetic — less underground, more mainstream in presentation, but often very well recorded. The Epic jazz pressings I’ve encountered have been consistently good, with clear and balanced sound that serves the music without much colouration.

The pressing I have here is clean and plays well throughout. Side 2 is notably quiet — the bass and drums are particularly well-defined on “Lady Iris B,” which benefits from a quiet background to let the waltz rhythm breathe. Finding a clean copy of this one is worth the effort.

Why This Record Gets Overlooked

Part of it is the label. Blue Note and Prestige have spent decades being curated and reissued and celebrated. Epic jazz from this era hasn’t received the same treatment. Part of it is Bailey himself — he’s a sideman’s sideman, not a household name even among jazz enthusiasts.

But the music here is genuinely good. It isn’t trying to be revolutionary. It’s a quintet of excellent musicians playing hard bop with commitment and personality. And sometimes that’s exactly what you want. Not every record needs to change the world. Some records just need to swing beautifully and play cleanly and make you want to listen to them again. This does all three.

Equipment Used for This Recording

I used the Ortofon DJ Cartridge on the Technics SL-1200 MK3 for this session, with the Yamaha HA-5 as the phono preamp. The Ortofon DJ’s consistent output and elliptical stylus profile suit acoustic jazz well — the tracking is accurate without adding harshness to the brass and saxophone, and the bass response is solid enough to represent Tucker’s bass line on “Comin’ Home Baby” with appropriate weight.

The HA-5 is a clean, quiet phono stage that suits a vintage pressing like this — it doesn’t impose its own character, which is what you want when the record itself has a strong personality.

For more on Ortofon’s DJ cartridge range: Ortofon DJ FAQ.

Finding a Copy

This isn’t the easiest record to find, but it’s not impossibly rare either. Epic jazz from this period surfaces fairly regularly in record fairs and online. The key is condition — the bass-heavy “Comin’ Home Baby” in particular can expose surface noise ruthlessly, so look for a quiet copy. Both sides benefit from clean vinyl, but Side 1 most of all.

For background on the album: Two Feet in the Gutter on Wikipedia. And for the Jazzman Records perspective on this classic: Dave Bailey Quintet at Jazzman Records.