Charles Lloyd - Passin' Thru (Blue Note 2017 lp) Picked this up last October on a whim. Really like the version of Dream Weaver.
^^^Another good album from the 80s. I was pointing at the Flanagan album but too slow on the save button. NP Stan Getz - Anniversary (Emarcy/Polygram) This one and Serenity recorded in 1987 and released in 1989 are two favorites from the latter part of Stan's career. Kenny Barron is superb throughout. Earlier I was running errands and listening to Al McKibbon's Tumbao Para Los Congueros Di Mi Vida (Blue Lady) cd Al's version of Estaté is superb.
NP Art Farmer Quintet featuring Gigi Gryce (Prestige) OJC cd Also Duke Jordan, Addison Farmer and Philly Joe Jones.
I saw Getz & Barron at the Atlanta Jazz Festival in the 80s with George Mraz & Al Foster. At the time I was a little disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high. Now I really like (and have most of) his 80s recordings & wish I could experience that afternoon performance again.
So true. This year I went looking for Joanne Brackeen's Ancient Dynasty, but it's OOP and never available digitally I think. At least that was cheap and easy to find a mint copy of it...I wanted a copy of Anthony Davis' Lady of the Mirrors, which is findable on both vinyl and the expanded reissue, but at a not cheap price. Billy Bang's Changing Seasons? One available at the moment on Discogs for $300. A lot of the Black Saint/Soul Note stuff though is readily available, so a lot of the David Murray stuff and Don Pullen stuff and Muhal Richard Abrams stuff. And there's some stuff that's not in print in any hard copy edition, but is available for download or streaming.
I agree , Blak Saint / Soul Note have created an amazing catalogue -that was so strong in the 80s And of course the records still sound so good , as they were always all analogue Not sure why they are not talked about more (or even treasured as say a Blue Note or Impulse )
This reminds me of the amazing Julius Hemphill records of this era Going to listen to a couple now ...
To be honest, I've always had mixed feeling about the sonics on WOW. There's too much of a left-right split, but it was the earliest days of stereo so the thought about a stereo sound field wasn't really on too may people's minds. There's reverb on the horn track, but not on the rhythm track, which is super dry as a matter of fact (because of course Contemporary was literally recording in a closet, or at least a shipping room). Those drums are very present, but also sound like they're being played in a box, which they kind of were if you look at a photo of the room from the Contemporary Leaders session: But, I will say as my room treatments and audio gear have improved, the album reveals more an more of the room/space/center fill on rim shots and ride symbol. And like I said, I don't think there's any better recording of acoustic bass on a jazz record in the '50s for punch, depth and frequency extension.
I understand your day , as a care giver , and always look forwards to the music at the end . Many times it includes Tommy Flanagan - a favorite is “Jazz Poet “
Can't argue, but somehow Columbia found a way to release albums by Henry Threadgill, David S Ware, James Blood Ulmer as well back then. Even licensing releases from DIW.
With these music corporations, I believe it takes real people, specific individuals at a company to move music toward an actual release. Even in the 80's and 90's, the corporations had serious music people in their employ, sometimes even at the very top. Every year a greater and greater percentage of them were gone and replaced by MBA's and lawyers with less interest in the art of the music. Fortunately now and then these purely business types would license out older recordings....but new artists, new recordings, not so much. They may go with a proven artist, often an old timer, a star. But even many of the stars are struggling to get their releases out. The average time between major releases by the stars has gone from the typical 6 months (never more than a year) back in the 1960's and 1970's to a typical 3 to 5 years today. Once in a while there is an artist who puts out something every year or two, but that is a rarity. They are called prolific. If you went 12-18 months between releases in the 60's to 70's, you risked being forgotten and passed by. If you went two years, people called it an attempted comeback and wondered what was wrong with you. At one time, the cigar chomping company heads were either music fans themselves or were willing to try almost any artist, any style to sell a record. 500 copies? Hey, that still made a little money. Maybe the next one would sell 10,000, maybe the one after that 100,000. But they tried everything. Today, the corporations need their MBAs to approve anything, and not very much makes it past their muster. They want BIG now! Artists cannot always afford the $30,000 it may cost to produce their own private label release. But thankfully they try. I have met many who need to borrow money to get there, and end up in the red. My big problem with this modern approach is that really fine artists can never build a real legacy of recordings. In the first 10 years of their career (the critical period) they may have a total of 4 releases, maybe even less. At one time, a 10 year career would often include 20 albums. That did not mean diluted quality. It virtually always meant more quality music overall
Yes, somewhat unexpected, isn't it? But I suspect these albums never sold in sizeable numbers . I started listening to jazz in the 80s and there was a lot of interesting new stuff happening then. One of my vivid memories was sitting thru' 3 sets of the David Murray Quartet (with Ed Blackwell!) at the Village Vanguard.
I'm not aware of any reverb on Sonny's sax though it may actually be there, I'll have to pay attention the next time I listen. I was captivated by the clarity and immediacy of Shelly Manne's playing rather than any boxy colorations you may have observed that like you said may be a result of the close confines of the recording venue. All told this is a very enjoyable album and its hard not to be enamored with the quality of the performances these guys put on tape. Nice photo.
With a few exceptions like the first Japan version, every CD (as well as vinyl) of WOW has echo added on both channel on the mastering stage.