Little bit of Duke this morning. I like this RCA Vintage series. They are pretty easy to find and usually pretty cheap. One of my favorites, Ben Webster, on tenor.
I really like it and highly recommend if you enjoy more of the hard driving funky sound. One of those albums that puts a big smile on your face. Five of the 6 songs are outstanding, with only the last one letting its foot off the gas. I enjoy Fred Jackson’s tone and Grant Green is on here too. Listen to the title track (#4) and Something Strange (#5) on YouTube, which I think is the heart of the album. If you can resist tapping your foot to those two songs then don’t buy it!
Agreed! I was trying hard not to oversell it, but one of the many things I liked is he doesn’t sit out when he’s not soloing, he plays under Baby Face when he’s on the organ and it provides nice counterpoint
I’m recollecting this may have been one of the first Connoisseur Edition CDs that I bought in the late 90s. If only I knew then what I know now! Hubbard was skating, he only has one song of his own on here, 2 from Hank and interesting to me 2 from Kenny Dorham, the opener Asiatic Rags and Karioke. But Hubbard’s Blues for Brenda is a nice closer.
A new purchase - John Gordon Step by Step, a Pure Pleasure reissue of a Strata East album. In that Pure Pleasure series I’ve bought this one, Billy Harper’s Capra Black and Charles Tolliver and his All Stars, and would be interested in other recommendations. The Harold Vick Don’t Hold Back is probably next on my list. Pretty bland cover but wonderful album. Kind of like Music Inc with Gordon’s trombone added, since Tolliver and Cowell both play on this also.
Re: Art Blakey CD at Cafe Bohemia Yes tracks 1 to 16 is the content of my 3 Blue Note vinyls tracks 17 to 19 are the first 3 tracks from my Blue Note BLP-1518 (reissue)
Nearly a "4 Brothers" Sax-Section + "Mr. Rhythm Freddie Green" World Pacific Records WP-1237 " The Gerrry Mulligan Songbook Vol I" - recorded December 4 & 5, 1957 - reissued by Toshiba-EMI 1991
Just been listening to heaps of Art Blakey the last couple of days. Have been thoroughly enjoying it.
Any particular albums you’ve taken a shine to amongst those Blakey albums? For me, The Big Beat and Free For All have been two longstanding favorites.
This series, checked out of the public library, was my introduction to a lot of great music back in the 70s.
Honestly, I've really been digging Cu-Bop! It's a lesser celebrated Blakey album (in my experience) but i'm really digging it. I'm not a Johnny Griffin expert so I don't know if this is a good representation of him but you know when you're listening to an album and you're not 100% on who the personnel are and you HAVE to look it up because it's like "who is this guy?" Yeah that was the case for me here. Aside from Cu-Bop!, I've been revisiting Moanin' which has never been a favourite of mine but has grown a lot on me in recent years. Just been listening to it over and over. And A Night in Tunisia (Blue Note), and Drum Suite which is an old favourite of mine, and The Jazz Messengers (the 1956 Columbia album). I need to get a copy of The Big Beat... I love the Blakey albums that I have with Shorter (yes, Free For All is a monster album). Blakey for me is one of those guys where if I had money to burn i'd want it all, i'm sure there's no bad Blakey albums, but often I find myself hovering over buying one of his albums and just feeling like I don't really need it. Or when I do, the album I want is out of print or at risk of being a CDR. I guess for me he's one of those artists that I've never really caught the 'gotta have it all' bug for.
Art Blakey - Indestructible (Blue Note CDP-7 46429 2) Great band (Shorter, Morgan, Workman, Fuller & Walton), great album !!!
Blue Note 80 More 60 Works reissue. For those that really like congas, but there are some reeds and guitar also. Tic Tac Toe has made it on a few Blue Note comps iirc. I’m On my Way and Money Man are also strong.
Really looking forward to this new one from Yazz Ahmed. Order placed but, unfortunately, already on backorder. Thought her last album was great.
My last new purchase of the weekend, another Elvin Jones reissue by Wounded Bird. Elvin’s usual format, no piano, some extra percussion and several reed players. Pat Labarbera is the main reed player but Frank Foster, Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman make appearances, the usual suspects. I prefer New Agenda from the same series after one listen but this is pretty solid, esp the first two tracks Salty Iron and Sweet Mama.
