What's the Clare Fisher album sound like? Swing? Straight ahead? Originals? I've never seen it which is probably one of the reasons Mosaic reissued it. I became a fan of Clare Fisher a little later in life and I only have stuff from much later in his career (not counting his work with others).
NP Coleman Hawkins - The Hawk Relaxes (Prestige) dark blue mono. Part of the Moodsville series (#15 for those keeping score!) and the album is a complete success and just what I wanted as I plan my exit to the bedroom. Coleman Hawkins -ts Ronnell Bright -p Kenny Burrell - g Ron Carter - b Andrew Cyrille - d Interesting band, eh?
It's terrific - quietly exploratory/heady stuff, definitely not conventional swing. Fischer originals mostly except one piece by Gary Peacock, one by Ed Schaughnessy, and Cole Porter's "I Love You." I'm guessing you'd dig it. That PACIFIC JAZZ PIANO TRIOS set is one of the most valuable (in a musical sense) of the Mosaic Selects in my opinion. UPDATE: I now realize that the album you were asking about wasn't FIRST TIME OUT (the Fischer PJ album I was commenting on above) but rather SURGING AHEAD, also in the set. The latter is also really good, though personally I like FIRST TIME OUT better. SURGING is all "covers" (though very creative - how about "Davenport Blues" in 12/8?) except one track, Fischer's "Strayhorn." Yyou can read about the album here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surging_Ahead . The Select has 3 previously unreleased Fischer tracks, too, real good ones.
I love both records but for me Blue Spirits, starting with the very aptly named first trk (Soul Surge) to the end was instant gratification.
Leon Parker - Belief Leon Parker, percussion, drums & vocals; Steve Wilson, saxophones & flute; Steve Davis, trombone; Tom Harrell, trumpet & flugelhorn; Lisa Parker, flute; Ugonna Okegwo, bass; Adam Cruz, piano/ steel pan/ marimba/ percussion; Natalie Cushman, percussion & vocals,
John Coltrane - The Other Village Vanguard Tapes (Japan 55XD-590/1) John Coltrane, tenor and soprano saxes Eric Dolphy, alto sax, bass clarinet McCoy Tyner, piano Jimmy Garrison, bass Reggie Workman, bass Elvin Jones, drums Garvin Bushell, reeds
Any Dawson and Nelson discovery is most appreciated...and a Baker too? Of course that cymbal sound starts at the drummers hand.
George Russell - "Stratusphunk" (1960) and "The Stratus Seekers" (1962) Two great albums on 1 CD! "Stratusphunk" with Alan Kiger (tp), David Baker (tb), Dave Young (ts), Chuck Israels (b), Joe Hunt (d). The Stratus Seekers with Don Ellis (tp), David Baker (tb), John Pierce (as), Paul Plummer (ts), Steve Swallow (b), Joe Hunt (d) (JazzPlus CD 2012)
Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, Alexander Hawkins on piano, Dominic Lash on bass and Harris Eisenstadt on drums. This 2015 release is one of my favorites of the year.
Simone Guiducci / Gramelot Ensemble – Dancin' Roots (Felmay) — With Fausto Beccalossi, Ralph Alessi, Achille Succi, Don Byron, Roberto Dani, Salvatore Maiore
The mastering on this CD is just fantastic! The bass opening on "Stratusphunk" is so dynamic and crystal clear.
Get it as soon as you see it somewhere! Unfortunately, even the OJC CD goes for big bucks nowadays. I found one in the used bins for not too much but had to polish it with my CD polishing kit, as there were some ugly scratches on the reflective side.
Yes! I agree. There are some great titles in this series too. I wish there were even more. NP: George Russell - "Ezz-thetics" (1961) with Don Ellis (trumpet), Dave Baker (trombone), Eric Dolphy (alto sax & clarinet on 2 tracks), Steve Swallow (bass), Joe Hunt (d). (Concord / "Keepnews Collection" CD 2007)
Just in case people are wondering if the JazzPlus CDs are legit, they are released by parent company Universal and totally legit
Yes, and they even distance themselves from PD labels and state they only use original source material.
Just to add also, if anyone's interested, the George Russell was remastered by Arnold Kasar (Eastside Mastering Studios Berlin).
Thank you for the detailed answer. That tells me everything I need to know. I'm now wishing I had picked that one up. I think I was less informed about Clare's solo output at the time plus some of the other material was not familiar to me so I passed on it.
