JACKIE MCLEAN / BLUESNIK / BLUE NOTE / 1961 / US FIRST MONO PRESSING BN 4067 LP The earliest of Jackie McLean's albums I really dig from start to finish - though still a hard bop effort through and through, Jackie's playing is as intense as on his later avantgarde albums. The title "Bluesnik", of course, refers to the fact that all tracks - all original compositions by the way - are deeply rooted in the blues. And with no ballads but only hard-hitting tunes (Pete La Roca!) keeps your attention up to the last second.
Happy 94th birthday Miles! I love this album cover photo of the man . . . 1968/2014 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab – MFSL 2-436, Columbia – 88883731631
Disc 4 from PROMISE KEPT: THE COMPLETE ARTISTS HOUSE RECORDINGS - 5CD boxset Stardust - ART PEPPER (Omnivore/Widow's Taste) CD - 2019 remaster with Art Pepper (alto sax & clarinet), George Cables (piano), Charlie Haden (bass), Billy Higgins (drums) - Recorded 1979 Includes all 4 tracks from the delightful Victor LP Stardust plus two tracks previously only available on Artists House Sessions: Complete (Widow's Taste download). The CD also includes 4 previously unissued pieces. I never tire of hearing this delightful album.
I've listened to parts of this set and, while the music is great, that typical 1970s "rubbery" bass annoys me so much that I decided not to buy the set, at least not now.
CECIL MCBEE / MUTIMA / STRATA-EAST / 1974 / FIRST US STEREO PRESSING SES 7117 The debut as a leader of Cecil McBee, who at the time was already 39 and played on countless dates for Strata-East and Blue Note among other labels, probably has the most challenging (at least to me) opening - a solo bass piece. This 11 minutes lasting track kept me from giving this album a fair chance for far too long - I'm being frank here, I usually don't like solo instrumentation. But repeated listening revealed this piece to be the perfect soundtrack to a horror movie, with McBee altering the mood from mournful to haunting by playing a second (!) bass simultaneously (though it is not fully disclosed if he did so by overdubbing or actually playing both live). I've stated numerous times that McBee is my favourite bassist: his tone, his technique and his apparent refusal to play simple bass lines led me to review every record he's been on in the 60's and 70's. And he doesn't disappoint on this album. Once "From Within" ends, "Mutima" becomes the spiritual, free and funky affair you'd expect from someone who has had such an impact on harmonics on so many albums. Well, the title track is an obvious highlight, over 13 minutes long and with every second perfectly executed. The album (except for the opener, of course) ends with my favourite track "Tulsa Black", the funkiest piece of all. A captivating melody, the hornplayers really play their hearts out on this one. And while this is an album fronted by a bassist, it sounds well balanced.
After a hectic work week, it’s now time to relax with Friday Freddie! 1962/2019 Blue Note – ST-84115 Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series – KPG@CA
NATHAN DAVIS / HAPPY GIRL / SABA / 1965 / FIRST GERMAN STEREO PRESSING SB 15 025 ST LP Another debut recording, this time for Nathan Davis. Recorded for SABA in the Black Forest, Villingen in January 1965, with all-star sidemen: Woody Shaw, Larry Young (on piano), Jimmy Woode and Billy Brooks. Davis had decided to stay in France after being discharged from the army, so his early output was exlusively recorded on european labels. Nathan Davis' music in the 60's wasn't revolutionary. But he did set benchmarks by doing what he did so extremely well - modal jazz, soul jazz, post-bob, whatever the correct terms are, they've all been there for a while, yet Davis blends those ingredients seamlessly to something completely natural sounding. This, of course, thanks to the outstanding support of his sidemen - in particular Woody Shaw, who also contributed with one of his most amazing compositions ("Zoltan" - this version here was recorded earlier than the famous rendition on "Unity" (Blue Note) by Larry Young). "The Flute In The Blues" is a trio piece, but I had to read the liners to believe it, for Jimmy Woode and Billy Brooks somehow create such a deft and layered sound one would expect to hear from a much bigger formation, but certainly not a flute accompanied by bass and drums. "Evolution" is probably the one track that led all reviewers across the globe to at least mention Coltrane's name once whenever Nathan Davis is concerned. The influence is there, it's obvious, yet Davis has his own personal articulation and the composition is stellar. There's also some Dolphy in the mix, with whom he'd toured Europe before his untimely passing. "Happy Girl" and "Zoltan" are almost 'hits' if you will, especially the latter, in an organ- and Elvin Jones-less rendition which doesn't fall behind the more popular version on "Unity". "Happy Girl" may not be Davis' absolute best album, but it is definitely among his best - I listened again to "The Hip Walk" the other day, and while it is a great collection of tunes, it feels less diverse and intense to me. "The 6th Sense In The 11th House" on Segue from 1972 (posted here several months ago) is very close to what I'd call a "perfect" album, "Makatuka" (also Segue) may also be up there. And then there is that 3LP of live performances by Nathan Davis in Paris, released for the first time by Sam Records in 2018, which is pretty much indispensable. Let's hope MPS stop reissuing one Oscar Peterson album after the other and start reissuing the stuff people really want: "Happy Girl", "The Hip Walk" and "Live at the Domicile" (with Benny Bailey and Mal Waldron).
BLUE WORLD John Coltrane (Impulse!) CD with John Coltrane (tenor sax), McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass), Elvin Jones (drums). Recorded 1964. Issued in a triple gatefold cardboard sleeve with 12 page booklet. One of last year's most irresistible releases. Some selections from these recordings featured in the 1964 film Le chat dans le sac (Cat in the bag) ‘Blue World’ Review: Rediscovering John Coltrane’s Only Original Film Soundtrack
MILES Sketches of Spain arranged and conducted by Gil Evans - MILES DAVIS (Columbia) CD Recorded 1959-1960. Mono edition issued in single cardboard sleeve and included in THE ORIGINAL MONO RECORDINGS boxset.
Loving this album-I am listening to disc two of the Clifford Jordan mosaic box, fwiw. This is just great music!
djangologie 1 1928-1936 - DJANGO REINHARDT (Parlophone/Warner) CD A great 14 track compilation featuring a number of various artists - Jean Vaissade, Louis Vola Et Son Orchestre Du Lido De Toulon, L'Orchestre Du Theatre Daunou, Michel Warlop Et Son Orchestre, Coleman Hawkins with Michel Warlop Orchestre, Garnet Clark And Hos Hot Club's Four & Le Quintette Du Hot Club De France - our man Django plays on all tracks. Django Reinhardt - Djangologie 1 Timeless and amazing music presented in top quality sound (no mastering credit given).
JOHN CARTER AND BOBBY BRADFORD / SELF DETERMINATION MUSIC / FLYING DUTCHMAN / 1970 / US FIRST STEREO PRESSING FDS 128 LP On their second album "Self Determination Music", John Carter and Bobby Bradford delve even deeper into Free Jazz. While the liner notes suggest no change to the personnel compared to the previous album, listeners will immediately notice two bassists - one per channel. Henry Franklin, one of the true great bassists, remained uncredited on this album. Apart from expanding the rhythm section, this second album on Flying Dutchman is also more complex. With up to 15 minute lasting tunes and ever so densely layered imprvisation and instrumentation, this album certainly is demanding listeners attention and, maybe, patience. I can't put my finger on it, but there's just something so compelling to the sound Carter and Bradford create that makes you forget about categories and labels. This album has been released on CD for the first time not long ago and should be readily available. The LP was mastered by Rudy Van Gelder and sounds really great. If I had to choose, I'd say this one is even better and more refined than their debut "Flight For Four".
Yesterdays score - just another day when you walk into a random Heavy Metal store in the darkest reaches of outer Melbourne, and find a first US pressing on Royal Roost?! Beautiful playing by Smith, but how can you go wrong with Jones/Duvivier behind you?
HUEY SIMMONS / BURNING SPIRITS / CONTEMPORARY / 1970 / US FIRST STEREO PRESSING S7626 2LP Huey Simmons, better known as 'Sonny', assembled a first rate line-up on this monumental double LP, his fourth on Contemporary. After this record Simmon's hit a bad streak (to put it very mildy). He didn't record anything for several years and even became homeless. Not exactly the American Dream. For this record Simmons made no concessions. The music is complex, 'free' most of the time and relentless. In my post of Simmons' debut (with Prince Lasha) "The Cry" (also on Contemporary) several weeks ago, I pointed out that the use of two bassists was key to musical success on that very album. "Burning Spirits" also features two bassists and the music benefits greatly of the rhythmic improvisation by the veterans Davis (left channel) and McBee (right channel). Lonnie Liston Smith makes an appearance and plays piano on the most accessible piece "New Newk", clearly inspired by and dedicated to Sonny Rollins. The album grows on me with every rotation and I'm confident this will hold a very special place in my collection. Unfortunately, my copy is very noisy. Both LPs are clean, but either the vinyl formula or maybe heat damage during transport (but both disc are absolutely flat, so unlikely) create a constant crackle that disappears only at peak level, of which there are quite a few on this very dynamic recording. Would be nice to know if all copies were affected (typical 1970's vinyl? So far I've always been lucky and never had problems with bad pressings from that decade) or if I just had bad luck.
Monday Miles (& Monk) . . . Miles Davis Sextet's set recorded live at Newport Jazz Festival in 1958. Thelonious Monk Quartet's set recorded live at Newport Jazz Festival in 1963. 1963/2013 Columbia – CL 2178 RSD Black Friday 2013 — KPG@CA
Midweek Miles, and his first collaboration with arranger Gil Evans . . . 1957/2013 Columbia – CL 1041, Columbia – 88765413861 Miles Davis-The Original Mono Recordings – KPG@CA
Miles and Gil Evans collaborate for a second time on this historic, orchestral Jazz masterpiece . . . 1959/2012 Columbia – CL 1274, Columbia – 887654075710 Miles Davis-The Original Mono Recordings – KPG@CA
My favourite of the Miles and Gil Evans collaborations, a beautiful and passionate Third Stream classic — opener Concierto de Aranjuez . . . 1960/2013 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab – MFSL 1-375, Columbia – 88697943791
More orchestral jazz, courtesy of Gil Evans et al . . . 1958/2019 World Pacific Records – WP-1246, Blue Note – B0029473-01 Blue Note Tone Poet Series – KPG@CA
I just recently bought a Archie Shepp album, Four For The Train. Excellent album, highly recommended.
