Kenny Dorham – Quiet Kenny Label: Craft Recordings – CR00347, New Jazz – NJLP 8225 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Mono, 180g Country: US Released: 12 Jun 2021 Genre: Jazz
Thelonious Monk - Monk Plays The Music Of Duke Ellington (Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-024-2) Sunday morning Monk with the great man at the piano, Oscar Pettiford on bass and Kenny Clark on drums. Superb ! Have a great Sunday everyone !
WP: Lee Konitz - Tenorlee (Choice 1978) Choice Records has some interesting titles by Rowles, Giuffre, Kral, Brakeen, Hanna. Anyone know who was behind this label? Bass – Michael Moore (2) Piano – Jimmy Rowles Tenor Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Chervokas mentioned Dauwhe; I'd temporarily forgotten about being part of the series, being on a different label. This is another that I like that clearly, based on the composition titles, has similar inspirations: Dauwhe - John Carter, John Carter Octet | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic
Newton must have been a big Ellington fan. The opening composition on Water Mystery, 'Star Crossed Lovers', is an Ellington tune. One of Newton's own compositions on this set is a dedication to Billy Strayhorn ('One For Strayhorn'). The rest of the LP has a quite similar sound as the Ellington-penned opener but the two longest tracks have a stronger (or at least more easily identifiable) Asian sound: at least parts of these compositions are based on Japanese musical scales and Newton uses the koto more prominently in these recordings as well.
Josh Redman kind of lost me after the first two album and then the Spirit of the Moment live at the Vanguard album, which is one of my favorite albums of the period. After that he went of in directions I didn't much care for or wasn't interested in. I would buy albums like Momentum and Compass, play 'em once or twice and realize, this ain't for me. Even MoodSwing, which has become a pretty celebrated album, didn't really ring my bells. The only Redman album after Spirit that I've really warmed to is 2014 Trios Live album.
NP: Sadao Watanabe - Fill Up the Night (Elektra Musician 1983) The sextet perform nearly all Watanabe's own compositions. The synth dates the recording, as does the pop-jazz funk. Little schmaltzy. This was the first of a dozen albums he recorded for Elektra (wow, quite a prolific run). I'd heard Watanabe's collaboration with The Great Jazz Trio (excellent), and an earlier LP for Vanguard, and was drawn to his more boppish material. This is moving to the trade pile. On the upside, these explorations of the $1 bin bring into focus which aspects of an artist's discography I'm drawn to. Always learning. Watanabe is still putting out albums, with a 2019 live set at the Blue Note Tokyo. Do folks have any favorites? Alto Saxophone – Sadao Watanabe Bass – Marcus Miller Drums – Steve Gadd Guitar – Eric Gale Keyboards – Richard Tee Soloist, Piano – Jorge Dalto (tracks: A4) Synthesizer – Paul Griffin Vocals – Grady Tate (tracks: A3)
I've always like this one which I picked up decades ago; just played it last week, in fact. I also have a CD with Charlie Mariano, but I'd have to go dig it out to verify which one. I'm guessing that this is the same Vanguard that you mentioned.
NP: Henry Red Allen - Nice (Phoenix Jazz, 1978) The A-side is a reissue of a WWII era recording. The B-side is 1957/63 material, with Pee Wee Russell, Coleman Hawkins, Nat Pierce, Milt Hinton. This is my first LP from Phoenix, Bob Porter's jazz reissue label from the 70s, also working at Atlantic and Savoy. Porter just died a couple of months ago. Discogs has 24 Phoenix Jazz titles (Hawkins, Gillespie, Parker, etc), though I suspect there are more. Any recommendations on this label? He got Jack Towers doing the remastering, which suggests Porter took care with the sound. Apparently 'nice' was Allen's reaction to audience applause—hence the album title. Sounds like a 'nice' guy This ones a keeper. I'm trying to make some headway through the last haul before a major collection purchase this afternoon. Typically I've been at most a handful of LPs away from up to date. The ritual is to clean them, listen, then file. But now there are 50+ awaiting cleaning.
I meant to make a pitch for the Moers label too, another great label with spotty distribution in the U.S., at least in these parts. I believe that it was part of a 'community outgrowth' stemming from a festival; I'd guess that someone here knows WAY more about its genesis than I do. I'd love to hear about it if that's true...
Yes, Round Trip (Vanguard) is the other one I have, which I picked up as a Corea completist and particularly for Corea + Vitous (as you can imagine from my avatar). Let me know about the Mariano collaboration. Perhaps this one. Would you recommend? I've favorited on Qobuz just in case.
Reflecting on why I'd passed up Phoenix Records titles previously, I had a misconception that there was one label 'Phoenix' of dodgy grey market boots of mostly rock. Turns out there are 17+ different Phoenix Records around according to Discogs. A popular name given the notion of life reborn from ashes. A natural for reissues.
Off the top of my head, I have Hawk's Centerpiece and Favorites, Arnett Cobb with Dinah W., and Rusty Bryant's Rusty Rides Again, all of which I'd give a thumbs up to; seems to me like there are others that I have I don't see listed in either of these too, like some Art Ford Jazz Parties, but I'll have to get some out to verify that. IIRC, there were later, gold-colored Phoenix titles too. Phoenix Jazz Records Phoenix Records (8)
Yeah, there are so many Moers titles that I didn't buy back in the day, that either I wish I had today, many of which, I think, never made it to digital. Though I think the Carter one did make it to CD. Wonder who owns the tape now and if they're extant. Glad to see that some generous soul has posted the whole Carter album to YouTube:
NP: Helen Forrest - Now and Forever (Stash 1983) Forrest is a swing vocalist that recorded with Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Harry James' orchestras, experiencing an 80s revival on this LP. I was drawn by the musicians in her septet. But her delivery on Now and Forever may be a little brassy for my taste. Bass – George Duvivier Drums – Grady Tate Guitar – Jim Mitchell (4) Piano – Hank Jones Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Frank Wess Trombone – Clint Sharman Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bob Zottola Vocals – Helen Forrest Steve Hoffman mastered some of her early material. One of the few in this series I haven't heard.
Access to Discogs has totally changed my perceptions of "what was released," 30 plus years ago, if you hadn't seen it, you likely didn't know of its existence. Moers is one of a number of labels whose releases I eagerly pursued, but rarely found, and almost all of them that I have, I found used, not new. I have some of them, but in looking here, it's just a small percent (I might have 20 or so, just a guess). Here's one little known (I bet) one that was from early on: Moers Music
Thelonious Monk - The Unique Thelonious Monk (Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-064-2) More Monk, this time with Art Blakey on drums and Oscar Pettiford on bass.
My start to a beautiful Sunday morning (but soon to be blistering as I think our forecast for the next week is 110˚ to 115˚ and at those temperature there is no such caveat as "but it's dry heat"). This... Lee Morgan – Search For The New Land Label: Blue Note Format: Qobuz ALAC, Download, Album, Remastered Country: US Released: 1988 Genre: Jazz Style: Hard Bop Then that... Gillian Welch – Boots No. 2: The Lost Songs Label: Acony Records Format: 3 × Bandcamp ALAC, Download, Album, Country: US Released: 2020 Genre: Folk, World, & Country Listening to Vol. 3
NP: Janet Lawson Quintet (Inner City 1981) Lawson's adventurous jazz vocals are a pleasant surprise. She's not a singer I was aware of. She scats and skips around an impressive range. The four instrumentalists are all new to me—tight playing, mostly serving to highlight Lawson. Acoustic Bass – Ratzo Harris* Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Roger Rosenberg Drums – Jimmy Madison Piano – Bill O'Connell Vocals – Janet Lawson
We started our Sunday morning with a dip in a hot spring right outside of the town of Bridgeport, CA. Headed out at 6 a.m. and drove up a dirt road for about five minutes and hiked into the area. Lots of natural pools. The one we sat in was bathtub warm not really “hot” but a fun experience. Snowcapped mountains in the background. We forgot the phone/camera so no photos.
Back in the '80s when I would go record shop hopping around lower I'd come across the Moers titles, many of them of course were new records at the time, but I was really just finding my way into this music so, I wound up buying some -- the Ronald Shannon Jackson stuff like Street Priest; the Blood Ulmer/ MRE No Wave. Now there are some others I wish I had, especially that first Braxton solo live at the Moers festival album.