Return to Forever IV: Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy Tour (2011)

Almost forty years after Return to Forever – the definitive jazz fusion ensemble – first appeared on the scene, the much honored ensemble is making one of their continuing returns to action. And, in the bold tradition of renewal that Chick Corea has established as an essential RTF quality, this latest installment combines elements from the band’s rich history with an exciting vision of the jazz future.

Line-up:
Chick Corea - piano and keyboards
Stanley Clarke - bass
Lenny White - drums
Frank Gambale - guitar
Jean-Luc Ponty - violin

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Charles Mingus - Mingus Plays Piano (1964)

Bassist Charles Mingus would never qualify as a virtuoso on the piano but his technique was reasonably impressive and his imagination quite brilliant. This unique solo piano CD (which was reissued in 1997) has a few standards ("Body and Soul," "Memories of You" and "I'm Getting Sentimental over You") along with some freely improvised originals, most of which are quite fascinating to hear, as if one were listening to Mingus think aloud.

by Scott Yanow in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-Bop
Avant-Garde

Tracks:
01 - Myself When I Am Real (07:38)
02 - I Can't Get Started (03:43)
03 - Body and Soul (04:35)
04 - Roland Kirk's Message (02:43)
05 - Memories of You (04:37)
06 - She's Just Miss Popular Hybird (03:11)
07 - Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues (04:18)
08 - Meditations for Moses (03:38)
09 - Old Portrait (03:49)
10 - I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (03:46)
11 - Compositional Theme Story: "Medleys, Anthems and Folklore (08:35)

Line-up:
Charles Mingus - Piano

Yusef Lateef - A Prayer to the East (1957)

A half-a-century following its original release, Prayer to the East by Yusef Lateef remains a seemingly blessed moment of creative interaction between American modern jazz and the music of the so-called Arab East, the latter evoked in essences ranging from snippets of traditional musical scales to picture postcards of Tunisian nightlife. The second half of the '50s was a busy period for Lateef, at that time under contract to the Savoy imprint. This album as well as three others were all cut in October of 1957, establishing as much documentation as could ever be needed of a transition from a player in the swing context of bandleaders such as Lucky Millinder and Hot Lips Page to a bold adventurer. Extended improvisations and the introduction of unusual instruments were important parts of this development and these recordings, yet the impression should not be one of austerity. Lateef's use of the flute turned out to be commercial, one of many instances of this particular axe finding more favor among the listening public than it tends to within the ranks of musicians themselves. Lateef and comrades may have been going for deep listening, still it is worth pointing out that an admirer of sides such as Prayer to the East pointed out how much fun him and his buddies used to have listening to this music while playing pool.
The lengthy "Night in Tunisia" is nothing but a great moment in small modern jazz combo recordings, allowing Lateef's budding interest to bloom in an intriguing light. Flugelhornist Wilbur Harden was also a collaborator of John Coltrane's in the same period. The brassman dodges imitations of the song's composer, high-note trumpet maestro Dizzy Gillespie, instead hovering in his mid-register, revealing a joke in a turn of phrase as if he was being spied on. The album's title track comes from drummer Oliver Jackson, so tightly affiliated with swinging syncopation that his nickname was "Bops Junior." Later drummers working in Lateef's combos such as Frank Gant and of course Elvin Jones would introduce more polyrhythms, percolating a brew that by the end of the '50s had much less of the aroma of a mainstream cup of jazz. Some listeners may find, however, that a player such as Jackson creates more excitement, more workable dynamics, the tension of a stylistic clash that is inevitably hinted at rather than shouted. "Lover Man" may have been an overdone number in the jazz combo repertory even by 1957; the subsequent years would only redeem this particular performance were it more substantial. A formidable Lateef original and Les Baxter's "Love Dance" are the two concluding numbers, each in the six-minute range without a wasted moment in either case. The leader's improvisations are perfect, full of interesting choices of register, a man in motion who somehow masks his true dimensions.

by Eugene Chadbourne in All Music Guide

Styles:
Hard-Bop
World Fusion

Tracks:
01 - A Night in Tunisia (13:09)
02 - Endura (06:45)
03 - Prayer To The East (09:54)
04 - Love Dance (06:37)
05 - Lover Man (08:18)

Line-up:
Yusef Lateef - tenor saxophone, flute
Wilbur Harden - flugehorn, balloon
Hugh Lawson - piano, turkishfinger, cymbal
Ernie Farrow - bass
Oliver Jackson - drums, Chinese gong

Thelonious Monk - Criss Cross (1963)

Criss-Cross -- Thelonious Monk's second album for Columbia Records -- features some of the finest work that Monk ever did in the studio with his '60s trio and quartet. Whether revisiting pop standards or reinventing Monk's own classic compositions, Monk and Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), John Ore (bass), and Frankie Dunlop (drums) exchange powerful musical ideas, as well as provide potent solos throughout the disc. Fittingly, "Hackensack" -- a frenetic original composition -- opens the disc by demonstrating the bandleader's strength in a quartet environment. The solid rhythmic support of the trio unfetters Monk into unleashing endless cascades of percussive inflections and intoxicating chord progressions. The title cut also reflects the ability of the four musicians to maintain melodic intricacies that are at times so exigent it seems cruel that Monk would have expected a musician of any caliber to pull them off. "Tea for Two" showcases Monk's appreciation for the great stride or "walking" piano style of James P. Johnson and Willie "The Lion" Smith. The arrangement here is lighter, and features a trio (minus Rouse) to accent rather than banter with Monk's splashes of magnificence throughout. Likewise, Monk's solo on "Don't Blame Me" is excellent. The extended runs up and down the keyboard can't help but reiterate the tremendous debt of gratitude owed to the original stride pianists of the early 20th century. The 1993 compact disc pressing of Criss-Cross sounds great and adds a version of "Pannonica" that was previously unissued at the time. Unfortunately, however, the liner notes originally used on the album jacket -- penned by "Pannonica"'s namesake, Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter -- were replaced by those of a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. This is prime Monk for any degree of listener.

By Lindsay Planer in All Music Guide

Styles:
Bop
Hard-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Hackensack (04:17)
02 - Tea For Two (03:53)
03 - Criss-Cross (04:46)
04 - Eronel (04:36)
05 - Rhythm-A-Ning (03:58)
06 - Don't Blame Me (07:11)
07 - Think Of One (05:23)
08 - Crepuscle With Nellie (02:52)
09 - Pannonica (06:47)

Line-up:
Thelonious Monk — piano
Charlie Rouse — tenor saxophone
John Ore — bass
Frankie Dunlop — drums

Sam Rivers - Fuchsia Swing Song (1964)

Recorded in 1964 immediately after leaving the Miles Davis Quintet, Sam Rivers' Fuchsia Swing Song is one of the more auspicious debuts the label released in the mid-'60s. Rivers was a seasoned session player (his excellent work on Larry Young's Into Somethin' is a case in point) and a former member of Herb Pomeroy's Big Band before he went out with Davis. By the time of his debut, Rivers had been deep under the influence of Coltrane and Coleman, but wasn't willing to give up the blues just yet. Hence the sound on Fuchsia Swing Song is one of an artist who is at once very self-assured, and in transition. Using a rhythm section that included Tony Williams (whose Life Time he had guested on), pianist Jaki Byard, and bassist Ron Carter, Rivers took the hard bop and blues of his roots and poured them through the avant-garde colander. Today, players like Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis, and James Carter do it all the time, but in 1964 it was unheard of. You either played hard bop or free; Davis' entire modal thing hadn't even completely blasted off yet. The title and opening track is a case in point. Rivers opens with an angular figure that is quickly translated by the band into sweeping, bopping blues. Rivers legato is lightning quick and his phrasing touches upon Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Coleman, and Coltrane, but his embouchure is all his. He strikes the balance and then takes off on both sides of the aisle. Byard's comping is actually far more than that, building in rhythmic figures in striated minors just behind the tenor. "Downstairs Blues Upstairs" sounds, initially anyway, like it might have come out of the Davis book so deep is its blue root. But courtesy of Byard and Williams, Rivers goes to the left after only four choruses, moving onto the ledge a bit at a time, running knotty arpeggios through the center of the melody and increasingly bending his notes into succeeding intervals while shifting keys and times signatures. He never goes completely over the edge as he would on his later Blue Note dates. The most difficult cut on the date is "Luminous Monolith," with its swing-like figure introducing the melody. Eight bars in, the syncopation of the rhythm sections begins a stutter stem around the time and then the harmony with Byard building dense chords for Rivers to jump off of. On the Connoisseur Series CD (shame on Blue Note once again for making some of its best outside records "limited editions"; titles like this should be as readily available as Horace Silver's Song for My Father, but the label had been playing it ever so safe for a while and making fans buy the limited number of titles over and again) there are alternate takes of "Luminous Monolith" and three more of "Downstairs Blues Upstairs," making it a very worthwhile look at the entire session. This is a highly recommended date. Rivers never played quite like this again.

by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide


Styles:
Post-Bop
Avant-Garde

Tracks:
01 - Fuchsia Swing Song (06:03)
02 - Downstairs Blues Upstairs (05:32)
03 - Cyclic Episode (06:57)
04 - Luminous Monolith (06:31)
05 - Beatrice (06:11)
06 - Ellipsis (07:41)

Line-up:
Sam Rivers - Tenor Saxophone
Ron Carter - Bass
Anthony Williams - Drums
Jaki Byard - Piano

Don Cherry - Symphony for Improvisers (1966)

For his second album, Symphony for Improvisers, Don Cherry expanded his Complete Communion quartet -- tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri, bassist Henry Grimes, and drummer Ed Blackwell -- to a septet, adding vibraphonist Karl Berger, bassist Jean François Jenny-Clark, and tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders (who frequently plays piccolo here). The lineup has a real international flavor, since Barbieri was from Argentina, Berger from Germany, and Jenny-Clark from France; Cherry had gigged regularly with all three during his 1964-1965 sojourn in Europe, and brought them to New York to record. With all the added firepower, it's remarkable that Symphony for Improvisers has the same sense of shared space and controlled intelligence as its predecessor, even when things are at their most heated. Once again, Cherry sets up the album as two continuous medleys that fuse four compositions apiece, which allows the group's improvisational energy and momentum to carry straight through the entire program. The "Symphony for Improvisers" suite is the most raucous part of Cherry's Blue Note repertoire, and the "Manhattan Cry" suite pulls off the widest mood shifts Cherry had yet attempted in that format. Even though the album is full of passionate fireworks, there's also a great deal of subtlety -- the flavors added to the ensemble by Berger's vibes and Sanders' piccolo, for example, or the way other instrumental voices often support and complement a solo statement. Feverish but well-channeled, this larger-group session is probably Cherry's most gratifying for Blue Note.

by Steve Huey in All Music Guide

Styles:
Free-Jazz
Avant-Garde

Tracks:

01 - Symphony for Improvisers: Symphony for Improvisers/Nu Creative Love/What's Not Serious?/Infant Happiness (19:43)
02 - Manhattan Cry: Manhattan Cry/Lunatic/Sparkle Plenty/Om Nu (19:17)

Line-up:

Don Cherry - cornet
Gato Barbieri - tenor saxophone
Pharoah Sanders - tenor saxophone, piccolo
Karl Berger - vibes, piano
Henry Grimes - bass
Jean-François Jenny-Clark - bass
Ed Blackwell - drums

Horace Silver - The Cape Verdean Blues (1965)

After the success of Song for My Father and its hit title cut, Horace Silver was moved to pay further tribute to his dad, not to mention connect with some of his roots. Silver's father was born in the island nation of Cape Verde (near West Africa) before emigrating to the United States, and that's the inspiration behind The Cape Verdean Blues. Not all of the tracks are directly influenced by the music of Cape Verde (though some do incorporate Silver's taste for light exoticism); however, there's a spirit of adventure that pervades the entire album, a sense of exploration that wouldn't have been quite the same with Silver's quintet of old. On average, the tracks are longer than usual, and the lineup -- featuring tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson (a holdover from the Song for My Father sessions) and trumpeter Woody Shaw -- is one of the most modernist-leaning Silver ever recorded with. They push Silver into more advanced territory than he was normally accustomed to working, with mild dissonances and (especially in Henderson's case) a rawer edge to the playing. What's more, bop trombone legend J.J. Johnson appears on half of the six tracks, and Silver sounds excited to finally work with a collaborator he'd been pursuing for some time. Johnson ably handles some of the album's most challenging material, like the moody, swelling "Bonita" and the complex, up-tempo rhythms of "Nutville." Most interesting, though, is the lilting title track, which conjures the flavor of the islands with a blend of Latin-tinged rhythms and calypso melodies that nonetheless don't sound quite Caribbean in origin. Also noteworthy are "The African Queen," with its blend of emotional power and drifting hints of freedom, and "Pretty Eyes," Silver's first original waltz. Yet another worthwhile Silver album.

by Steve Huey in All Music Guide

Styles:
Hard-Bop
Soul Jazz

Tracks:
01 - The Cape Verdean Blues (04:59)
02 - The African Queen (09:36)
03 - Pretty Eyes (07:30)
04 - Nutville (07:15)
05 - Bonita (08:37)
06 - Mo' Joe (05:47)

Line-up:
Horace Silver - piano
Woody Shaw - trumpet
Joe Henderson - tenor sax
J. J. Johnson - trombone
Bob Cranshaw - bass
Roger Humphries -drums

Freddie Hubbard - First Light (1971)

Never one to take lyricism for granted, trumpeter and composer Freddie Hubbard entered Creed Taylor's studio for the third time in 1971 with the express purpose of making a record radically different from anything he'd cut before; he was looking for it to use electricity and to be out of the soul-jazz mold, but was also more ambitious and wanted to push that envelope and himself. Taylor and Hubbard assembled a band that included Herbie Hancock on Rhodes, guitarists Eric Gale and George Benson, bassist Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette on drums, Airto Moreira on percussion, and Richard Wyands on acoustic piano to back him. The band was also supported by the truly ethereal and adventurous string arrangements of Don Sebesky (a first for Hubbard). The result is a masterpiece of textured sound, gorgeously far-flung charts, sweet, tight grooves, a subtle mystic feel, and some of Hubbard's most exciting playing ever. The title track and Hubbard's ingenious read of Paul and Linda McCartney's "Uncle Albert/ Admiral Halsey," as well as Leonard Bernstein's "Lonely Town," are so in the pocket that they bleed soul. Benson's uncharacteristically edgy guitar playing juxtaposed against Hubbard's warm tone, and Hancock's beautifully modal Rhodes lines that are drenched with big, open, minor chord voicings, are simply made more illustrious and graceful by Sebesky's strings. While Red Clay and Straight Life are both fine albums, First Light is the one that connects on all levels -- and it did with the jazz-buying public as well. A masterpiece.

by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide

Style:
Fusion

Tracks:
01 First Light (11:05)
02 Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (8:17)
03 Moment to Moment (5:43)
04 Yesterday's Dreams (3:55)
05 Lonely Town [from On the Town] (7:00)
06 Fantasy in D (6:55)
07 First Light [alternate take] (16:04)

Line-up:
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet
Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock - Fender Rhodes piano
Richard Wyands - piano
Ron Carter - bass
Jack DeJohnette - drums
Eric Gale - guitar
George Benson - guitar
Airto Moreira - percussion
Don Sebesky - string arrangements

Lee Morgan - Search for the New Land (1964)

This set (the CD reissue is a duplicate of the original LP) is one of the finest Lee Morgan records. The great trumpeter contributes five challenging compositions ("Search for the New Land," "The Joker," "Mr. Kenyatta," "Melancholee," and "Morgan the Pirate") that deserve to be revived. Morgan, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, guitarist Grant Green, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Billy Higgins are all in particularly creative form on the fresh material, and they stretch the boundaries of hard bop (the modern mainstream jazz of the period). The result is a consistently stimulating set that rewards repeated listenings.

by Scott Yanow in All Music Guide

Styles:
Hard-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Search for the New Land (15:45)
02 - The Joker (05:04)
03 - Mr. Kenyatta (08:43)
04 - Melancholee (06:14)
05 - Morgan the Pirate (06:31)

Line-up:
Lee Morgan – trumpet
Grant Green – guitar
Herbie Hancock – piano
Billy Higgins – drums
Wayne Shorter – tenor sax
Reggie Workman – bass

Larry Young - Lawrence of Newark (1973)

The late Larry Young was an organist whose fairly brief career had lots of highs and very few middles or lows. Take this session from 1973 -- his first non-Blue Note date as a leader and post-Lifetime -- as a for instance. It is startling for its fresh look at how the organ is used in jazz and in improvisation, period. On Lawrence of Newark, Young enlisted a host of younger New York session cats who were hanging around the fringes of the funk and avant-garde scenes -- James Blood Ulmer, trumpeter Charles MacGee, Cedric Lawson, and about a dozen others all jumped into Young's dark and freaky musical stew. Made up of only five tracks, rhythm is the hallmark of the date as evidenced by the conga and contrabass intro to "Sunshine Fly Away." Deirdre Johnson's cello opens up a droning modal line for Young to slide his organ over in what passes for a melody but is more of an idea for a theme and a trio of variations. Armen Halburian's congas echo the accents at the end of the drum kit and Young's own tapering pronouncements moving back and forth between two and four chords with a host of improvisers inducing a transcendent harmonic hypnosis. The centerpiece of the album is "Khalid of Space Pt. 2: Welcome." Sun Ra's edict about all of his musicians being percussionists holds almost literally true in Young's case. The soprano saxophonist sounds as if it could be Sonny Fortune (billed as "mystery guest"), but he's way out on an Eastern modal limb. Young's right hand is punching home the counterpoint rhythm as Abdul Shadi runs all over his kit. Blood Ulmer is accenting the end of each line with overdriven power chords, and various bells, drums, congas, and djembes enter and depart the mix mysteriously. Young is digging deep into the minor and open drone chords, signaling -- à la Miles -- changes in intonation, tempo, and frequency of rhythmic attack. And the cut never loses its pocket funk for all that improvisation. It's steamy, dark, brooding, and saturated with groove. The CD reissue has fine sound and sells for a budget price; it should not be overlooked. The DJs just haven't discovered this one yet. Awesome.

by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-Bop
Avant-Garde
Jazz-Funk

Tracks:
01 - Sunshine Fly Away (08:51)
02 - Khalid of Space, Pt. 2 Welcome (12:41)
03 - Saudia (04:31)
04 - Alive (02:01)
05 - Hello Your Questions (Islands) (10:17)

Line-up:
Larry Young - Bongos, Keyboards, Organ, Remixing, Producer, Percussion, Vocals
Pharoah Sanders - Sax (Tenor)
Abdul Sahid - Drums
Armen Halburian - Bells, Percussion, Conga
Stacey Edwards - Conga, Percussion
Dennis Mourouse - Electric Saxophone, Sax (Tenor), Saxophone
Umar Abdul Muizz - Conga, Percussion
Howard King - Drums
James Blood Ulmer - Guitar
Joony Booth - Bass
Cedric Lawson - Piano (Electric)
Charles Magee - Electric Trumpet, Trumpet
Diedre Johnson - Cello
James Flores - Drums
Poppy LaBoy - Percussion
Abdul Hakim - Bongos, Percussion
Jumma Santos - Conga, Cowbell, Tom-Tom, Whistle (Human), Tambourine, Percussion, Hi Hat
Don Pate - Bass
Art Gore - Drums, Piano (Electric)

Charles Earland - Black Talk! (1969)

This CD reissue of a Prestige date is one of the few successful examples of jazz musicians from the late '60s taking a few rock and pop songs and turning them into creative jazz. Organist Charles Earland and his sextet, which includes trumpeter Virgil Jones, Houston Person, on tenor and guitarist Melvin Sparks, perform a variation of "Eleanor Rigby" titled "Black Talk," two originals, a surprisingly effective rendition of "Aquarius," and a classic rendition of "More Today Than Yesterday." Fans of organ combos are advised to pick up this interesting set.

By Scott Yanow in All Music Guide

Styles:
Jazz Funk
Soul

Tracks:
01 - Black Talk (07:50)
02 - The Mighty Burner (03:04)
03 - Here Comes Charlie (08:18)
04 - Aquarius (08:02)
05 - More Today Than Yesterday (11:13)

Line-up:
Charles Earland - organ
Houston Person - tenor saxophone
Virgil Jones - trumpet
Melvin Sparks - guitar
Idris Muhammad - drums
Buddy Caldwell -congas

Bobby Hutcherson - Dialogue (1965)

Coming fresh on the heels of his groundbreaking work with Eric Dolphy, Bobby Hutcherson's debut album is a masterpiece of "new thing" avant-garde jazz, not really free but way beyond standard hard bop. Dialogue boasts an all-star lineup of hot young post-boppers -- trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, woodwind player Sam Rivers, pianist Andrew Hill, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Joe Chambers -- and a set of imaginative compositions by either Hill or Chambers that frequently push the ensemble into uncharted territory. The result is an album bursting at the seams with ideas that still sound remarkably fresh, not to mention a strong sense of collectivity. Hutcherson has so many fine players on hand that the focus is naturally on group interaction rather than any particular soloist(s), setting up nice contrasts like the fiery sax work of Rivers versus the cooler tones of Hutcherson and Hill. Hill's pieces stand tradition on its head, twisting recognizable foundations like the blues ("Ghetto Lights"), Latin jazz ("Catta"), and marching bands ("Les Noirs Marchant," which sounds like a parade of mutant soldiers) into cerebral, angular shapes. Chambers, meanwhile, contributes the most loosely structured pieces in his delicate, softly mysterious ballad "Idle While" and the nearly free group conversations of the ten-minute title track, where Hutcherson also plays the more African-sounding marimba. What's impressive is how focused Hutcherson keeps the group through those widely varied sounds; no one is shortchanged, yet the solos are tight, with no wasted space or spotlight-hogging. Dialogue remains Hutcherson's most adventurous, "outside" album, and while there are more extensive showcases for his playing, this high-caliber session stands as arguably his greatest musical achievement.

by Steve Huey in All Music Guide

Styles:
Hard-Bop
Post-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Catta (07:19)
02 - Idle While (06:37)
03 - Les Noirs Marchant (06:41)
04 - Dialogue (09:59)
05 - Ghetto Lights (06:16)
06 - Jasper (08:29)

Line-up:
Bobby Hutcherson: vibraphone, marimba
Joe Chambers: drums
Andrew Hill: piano
Sam Rivers: woodwinds
Freddie Hubbard: trumpet
Richard Davis: bass

Andrew Hill - Point of Departure (1964)

Pianist and composer Andrew Hill is perhaps known more for this date than any other in his catalogue -- and with good reason. Hill's complex compositions straddled many lines in the early to mid-1960s and crossed over many. Point of Departure, with its all-star lineup (even then), took jazz and wrote a new book on it, excluding nothing. With Eric Dolphy and Joe Henderson on saxophones (Dolphy also played clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute), Richard Davis on bass, Tony Williams on drums, and Kenny Dorham on trumpet, this was a cast created for a jazz fire dance. From the opening moments of "Refuge," with its complex minor mode intro that moves headlong via Hill's large, open chords that flat sevenths, ninths, and even 11ths in their striding to move through the mode, into a wellspring of angular hard bop and minor-key blues. Hill's solo is first and it cooks along in the upper middle register, almost all right hand ministrations, creating with his left a virtual counterpoint for Davis and a skittering wash of notes for Williams. The horn solos in are all from the hard bop book, but Dolphy cuts his close to the bone with an edgy tone. "New Monastery," which some mistake for an avant-garde tune, is actually a rewrite of bop minimalism extended by a diminished minor mode and an intervallic sequence that, while clipped, moves very quickly. Dorham solos to connect the dots of the knotty frontline melody and, in his wake, leaves the space open for Dolphy, who blows edgy, blue, and true into the center, as Hill jumps to create a maelstrom by vamping with augmented and suspended chords. Hill chills it out with gorgeous legato phrasing and a left-hand ostinato that cuts through the murk in the harmony. When Henderson takes his break, he just glides into the chromatically elegant space created by Hill, and it's suddenly a new tune. This disc is full of moments like this. In Hill's compositional world, everything is up for grabs. It just has to be taken a piece at a time, and not by leaving your fingerprints all over everything. In "Dedication," where he takes the piano solo further out melodically than on the rest of the album combined, he does so gradually. You cannot remember his starting point, only that there has been a transformation. This is a stellar date, essential for any representative jazz collection, and a record that, in the 21st century, still points the way to the future for jazz.

by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-Bop
Avant-Garde

Tracks:
01 - Refuge (12:12)
02 - New Monastery (07:00)
03 - Spectrum (09:42)
04 - Flight 19 (04:10)
05 - Dedication (06:40)
06 - New Monastery [Alternate Trake] (06:13)
07 - Flight 19 [Alternate Take] (03:49)
08 - Dedication [Alternate Take] (07:03)

Line-up:
Andrew Hill - piano
Eric Dolphy - alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone
Richard Davis - bass
Tony Williams - drums
Kenny Dorham - trumpet

Muhal Richard Abrams - Levels and Degrees of Light (1967)

Levels and Degrees of Light was the first recording under Muhal Richard Abrams' name and was a landmark album that launched the first in a long line of beautiful, musical salvos from the AACM toward the mainstream jazz world. The title track finds Abrams broadly tracing out some of the territory he would continue to explore in succeeding decades, an ethereal, mystic quality (evinced by Penelope Taylor's otherworldly vocalizing and Gordon Emmanuel's shimmering vibes) balanced by a harsh and earthy bluesiness set forth by the leader's piercing clarinet. "The Bird Song" begins with a fine, dark poetry recitation by David Moore (oh! for the days when one didn't approach a poem on a jazz album with great trepidation) before evanescing into a whirlwind of percussion, bird whistles, and violin (the latter by Leroy Jenkins in one of his first recorded appearances). When the band enters at full strength with Anthony Braxton (in his first recording session), the effect is explosive and liberating, as though Abrams' band had stood on the shoulders of Coltrane, Coleman, and Taylor and taken a massive, daring leap into the future. It's a historic performance. The final track offers several unaccompanied solo opportunities, spotlighting Abrams' sumptuous piano and the under-recognized bass abilities of Charles Clark. This is a milestone recording and belongs in the collection of any modern jazz fan.

by Brian Olewnick in All Music Guide

Styles:
Free-Jazz
Avant-Garde

Tracks:
01 - Levels and Degrees of Light (10:34)
02 - The Bird Song (22:54)
03 - My Thoughts are my Future - Now and For (09:42)

Line-up:
Muhal Richard Abrams: piano, clarinet
Anthony Braxton: alto saxophone
Maurice McIntyre: tenor saxophone
Leroy Jenkins: violin
Gordon Emmanuel: vibraphone
Charles Clark: bass
Leonard Jones: bass
Thurman Barker: drums
Penelope Taylor: vocals
David Moore: poet (track 2)

Wayne Shorter - Adam's Apple (1966)

With the possible exception of its song, "Footprints," which would become a jazz standard, Adam's Apple received quite a bit less attention upon its release than some of the preceding albums in Wayne Shorter's catalog. That is a shame because it really does rank with the best of his output from this incredibly fertile period. From the first moments when Shorter's sax soars out in the eponymous opening track, with its warmth and roundness and power, it is hard not to like this album. It might not be turning as sharp of a corner stylistically as some of his earlier works, like Speak No Evil, but its impact is only dulled by the fact that Shorter has already arrived at the peak of his powers. Taken in isolation, this is one of the great works of mid-'60s jazz, but when Shorter has already achieved a unique performance style, compositional excellence, and a perfectly balanced relationship with his sidemen, it is hard to be impressed by the fact that he manages to continue to do these things album after album. But Shorter does shine here, while allowing strong players like Herbie Hancock to also have their place in the sun. Especially hypnotic are two very different songs, the ballad "Teru" and Shorter's tribute to John Coltrane, "Chief Crazy Horse," both of which also allow Hancock a chance to show what he could do.

by Stacia Proefrock in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-Bop
Hard-Bop
Modal

Tracks:
01 - Adam's Apple (6:52)
02 - 502 Blues (Drinkin' And Drivin') (6:36)
03 - El Gaucho (6:32)
04 - Footprints (7:31)
05 - Teru (6:15)
06 - Chief Crazy Horse (7:39)
07 - The Collector (6:55)

Line-up:
Wayne Shorter - tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock - piano
Reggie Workman - bass
Joe Chambers - drums

Jimmy Smith - Back at the Chicken Shack (1960)

Back at the Chicken Shack is one of organist Jimmy Smith's classic Blue Note sessions, and the first to draw attention to tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. Recorded in 1960 with Kenny Burrell on guitar, Donald Bailey on drums, and Turrentine, the group reaches the peak of funky soul-jazz that all other challengers of the genre would have to live up to. Included on this uptempo session is a reworking of "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" (a feature for Turrentine), Turrentine's "Minor Chant," two Smith compositions, "Messy Bessie" as well as the set's notable title cut, and the CD-only bonus track, "On the Sunny Side of the Street." Smith's Midnight Special album was recorded at these same sessions, and is also exceptional.

by All Campbell in All Music Guide

Styles:
Jazz Blues
Soul

Tracks:
01 - Back at the Chicken Shack (8:01)
02 - When I Grow Too Old to Dream (9:54)
03 - Minor Chant (7:30)
04 - Messy Bessie (12:25)
05 - On the Sunny Side of the Street (5:45)

Line-up:
Jimmy Smith - organ
Kenny Burrell - guitar
Stanley Turrentine - tenor saxophone
Donald Bailey - drums

Terumasa Hino Quintet - Hino At Berlin Jazz Festival'71 (1971)

Long considered a jazz legend and Japan’s foremost trumpeter, Terumasa Hino has played with almost all the jazz heavyweights throughout the past half century, from Gil Evans and Elvin Jones to Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. His musical references have been Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis.

All the albums that Terumasa Hino has released in the 70's (starting with the legendary Hi Nology, 69) are highly recommended for lovers of spiritual jazz and koozmigroov.

“Hino at Berlin Jazz Festival ’71” is pure power. It was released by Victor Japan on 1971 and by Catalyst Records on 77. It includes four long tracks. The absence of keyboards gives prominence to the guitar player (Kiyoshi Sugimoto). Terumasa Hino is great, as always. The rest of the quintet is: Motohinko Hino (Terumasa brother) on drums, Yoshio Ikeda on bass and Takao Uematsu on tenor saxophone. Highly recommended! All killer No filler.

Style:
Post-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Birth of Action (18:29)
02 - Cycle Circle (12:51)
03 - Ode to Workman (17:32)
04 - Alone, Alone and Alone (7:33)

Line-up:
Terumasa Hino - trumpet
Takao Uematsu - tenor sax
Kiyoshi Sugimoto - guitar
Yoshio Ikeda - bass
Motohiko Hino - drums

Sonny Rollins - East Broadway Run Down (1966)

Around the ten-minute mark of the title track, things get very interesting indeed -- moody and spooky as Jimmy Garrison hangs on a single note, making his bass throb along while Elvin Jones widens the space and fires drum and cymbal hits in all directions. Coming off bass and drum solos that never seem to fit anywhere in the piece, it's a supreme moment of tension-building, one that gets repeated after Rollins and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard restate the theme in unison. This is the sound of Rollins' group working in unity. For much of "East Broadway Run Down," though, the rhythm section is off doing their thing, usually together, while Rollins meanders about in limbo, seemingly trying to figure out what it is that he should be doing. That Rollins was having an off day for this recording is a suspicion that's strengthened by Hubbard's part -- where Rollins is wandering, Hubbard is charging ahead, focused and tight, fitting with the rhythm section, keeping the tension up. The remainder of the album is more on the mark, with "Blessing in Disguise" being quite enjoyable -- it starts out in a cheerfully traditional vein and gradually, subtly, starts to slide off into an improvisational area only to come back again to the traditional, and so back and forth. Rollins floats his sax line around the melody with only occasional excursions toward the outer regions. "We Kiss in a Shadow," though, is charmingly straightforward, a ballad rendering supported by Jones and Garrison locking together on a nice rhythm construction that lets Rollins float around the melody.

by Steven McDonald in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-bop
Avant-Garde
Hard-Bop

Tracks:
01 - East Broadway Run Down (20:27)
02 - Blessing in Disguise (12:27)
03 - We Kiss in a Shadow (5:40)

Line-up:
Sonny Rollins – sax (tenor)
Jimmy Garrison – bass
Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
Elvin Jones – drums

Albert Ayler - New Grass (1969)

If there is one word that is poison in the minds of jazz fans and critics, it's sellout. If any musician, for whatever reason, decides to change their sound in a way that could be considered commercial, they have committed the deadliest of sins. So many debate and whine over whether an artist is a sellout, but really, what the hell difference does it make? None. If a record is great, it's great.
Albert Ayler was always controversial. His ripping tenor produced sheets of articulated squeals and buzzes that helped to revolutionize a new kind of jazz. His work was always leading edge or barbarically raw, depending on your critical orientation. But his original approach and methods of delivery differed from Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, AACM and other peers. Like these players, he found his sound and ideology repeatedly scrutinized.
And so it wasn't much of a surprise when he released New Grass that critics would rip him apart. What made this record different is that his cult of fans and critics were the instigators of the attack. Why? He had sold out; he threw out his loose structures for classic R&B arrangements. What they failed to observe is that New Grass is a genius piece of work that welds his sheets of sound to classic African-American styles such as R&B, soul and gospel. How could a man who created sounds that influenced artists ranging from Sonic Youth to John Zorn to Captain Beefheart to David Murray to the Velvet Underground create a record in such a "commercial" format?
Ayler knew this record was going to upset his fans and he took time to explain himself on the opening track "Message from Albert/New Grass." Opening with a primal rant of classic soloing that could have fit anywhere on Spiritual Unity , Albert proceeds to explain his emotional playing as a gift from God and that this record is a further exploration of his sound. He states that he hopes people will like the record... and, well, it sounds like a plea. Why should any artist ever have to explain themselves or their ideas? They shouldn't have to, but Ayler took it upon himself to ask the listener to have an open mind. Yet the record overall isn't as commercial as the critics of the day would have us believe. Sure, kicking tunes such as "New Generation" and "Heart Love" have grooving R&B/soul/gospel arrangements with vocals, but his solos still rip with bloody emotion. Yet "Sun Watcher" is a ripper; though not as harsh as his earlier work, he still holds onto his ideals.
Though Impulse! has been accused by critics of pushing Ayler into making a commercial disc, it seems strange that the label would have, since much of its roster consisted of free jazz artists. They were, after all, responsible for releasing the majority of John Coltrane's riskiest and most experimental work. After many spins it seems more that Ayler was looking for a new way to explore his music than just making a record that would reach a larger audience. The solos on this record would have never gotten airplay then, nor would they get it now. His squeaks and honks may have R&B riffing, but the solos are too gritty for most to handle.
That is why it is time to re-evaluate this record and accept it for its musical merits. The chops are solid and the arrangements are tight. Sure this may be the first time you hear yourself humming an Ayler tune, but it doesn't minimize the genius he put into this record. It shows an artist at a turning point, and because of negative feedback it remains an obscure record, instead of a big seller. It is time that we as jazz fans open our minds and be willing to allow artists to try on different suits. Sure quite often the results are horrid, but often the results are like New Grass.
by Trevor McLaren in All About Jazz

Styles:
Free-Jazz
Soul
Avant-Garde

Tracks:
01 - Message From Albert - New Grass (03:53)
02 - New Generation (05:06)
03 - Sun Watcher (07:29)
04 - New Ghosts (04:10)
05 - Heart Love (05:32)
06 - Everybody's Movin' (03:43)
07 - Free At Last (03:08)

Line-up:
Albert Ayler - Saxophone [Tenor], Vocals
Buddy Lucas - Bass
Bill Folwell - Bass [Electric]
Bernard Purdie - Drums
Call Cobbs - Piano, Harpsichord [Electric], Organ
Seldon Powell - Saxophone [Tenor], Flute
Garnett Brown - Trombone
Burt Collins - Trumpet
Joe Newman - Trumpet
The Soul Singers - Vocals

Paul Bley - Turning Point (1964)

When this album was released in 1975 by Paul Bley's Improvising Artists label, the seven selections had been previously unheard. The five pieces from Mar. 9, 1964 (which feature pianist Bley, tenor-saxophonist John Gilmore, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian) were later released in a more complete form on the Savoy LP Turns. This was a unique onetime encounter between the innovative Bley (whose lyrical approach to free form improvising was quite different than that used by the high-energy players of the time) and Sun Ra's longtime tenor John Gilmore; "Ida Lupino" is the most memorable of these tracks. In addition there are a couple of trio performances ("Mr. Joy" and "Kid Dynamite") from a May 10, 1964 concert with bassist Peacock and drummer Billy Elgart that have not been released elsewhere. Very interesting if not quite essential music.

by Scott Yanow in All Music Guide

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Free-Jazz

Tracks:
01 - Calls (06:10)
02 - Turning (06:30)
03 - King Korn (06:00)
04 - Ictus (04:05)
05 - Mr Joy (03:50)
06 - Kid Dynamite (03:40)
07 - Ida Lupino (06:33)

Line-up:
Paul Bley - Piano
Gary Peacock - Bass
John Gilmore - Saxophone [Tenor]
Paul Motian (tracks: 1 to 4, 7) - Drums
Billy Elgart (tracks: 5, 6) - Drums

Grover Washington Live in Philadelphia (1981)

Tracks:
01 - Winelight
02 - Let it Flow
03 - One the Dark Side
04 - Make me a Memory
05 - Just the Two of Us

Line-up:
Grover Washington Jr. - Alto Sax
Richard Tee - Keyboards
Ralph MacDonald - Percussion
Paul Griffin - Synthetizer
Eric Gale - Guitar
Anthony Jackson - Bass
Steve Gadd - Drums
Zack Sanders - Vocal

Chico Hamilton Quintet - Gongs East! (1959)

The best-known of all the 1950s Chico Hamilton Quintet sets, this is also the only early Hamilton music that has been fully reissued on CD. At the time, the drummer's group also included cellist Nate Gershman, guitarist Dennis Budimir, bassist Wyatt Ruther and the young Eric Dolphy on alto, bass clarinet and flute. Dolphy has quite a few short solos on this rewarding music, and the highlights of the date include "Beyond the Blue Horizon," "Passion Flower," Gerald Wilson's "Tuesday at Two" and the exotic "Gongs East." Recommended.

by Scott Yanow in All Music Guide

Styles:
West-Coast Jazz
Hard-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Beyond The Blue Horizon (2:59)
02 - Where I Live (2:57)
03 - Gongs East (5:04)
04 - I Gave My Love A Cherry (4:03)
05 - Good Grief, Dennis (3:17)
06 - Long Ago And Far Away (3:04)
07 - Tuesday At Two (3:59)
08 - Nature By Emerson (4:48)
09 - Far East (4:38)
10 - Passion Flower (3:04)

Line-up:
Chico Hamilton - Drums
Wyatt Ruther - Bass
Nathan Gershman - Cello
Dennis Budimir - Guitar
Eric Dolphy - Saxophone [Alto], Flute, Clarinet [Bass]

Roscoe Mitchell Sextet - Sound (1966)

Sound, Roscoe Mitchell's debut as a leader, was an early free jazz landmark and an enormously groundbreaking album in many respects. Historically, it marked the very first time that members of Chicago's seminal AACM community appeared on record; it also showcased the early chemistry between future Art Ensemble of Chicago members Mitchell, Lester Bowie, and Malachi Favors. Arrangement-wise, it employed a number of instruments largely foreign to avant-garde jazz -- not just cello and clarinet, but the AEC's notorious "little instruments," like recorder, whistle, harmonica, and assorted small percussion devices (gourds, maracas, bells, etc.), heard to best effect on the playful "Little Suite." Structurally, Sound heralded a whole new approach to free improvisation; where most previous free jazz prized an unrelenting fever pitch of emotion, Sound was full of wide-open spaces between instruments, an agreeably rambling pace in between the high-energy climaxes, and a more abstract quality to its solos. Steady rhythmic pulses were mostly discarded in favor of collective, spontaneous dialogues and novel textures (especially with the less orthodox instruments, which had tremendous potential for flat-out weird noises). Simply put, it's an exploration of pure sound. It didn't so much break the rules as ignore them and make up its own, allowing the musicians' imaginations to run wild (which is why it still sounds fresh today). Sound's concepts of texture, space, and interaction would shortly be expanded upon in classic recordings by Anthony Braxton, Muhal Richard Abrams, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and others; the repercussions from its expansion of free jazz's tonal and emotional palettes are still being felt. [Delmark's CD reissue includes two takes of "Sound," which were edited together to form the original LP version, and an alternate arrangement of the briefer free-bop tribute number "Ornette."]

by Steve Huey in All Music Guide

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Free-Jazz

Tracks:
01 - Ornette [alternative take] (5:44)
02 - Sound 1 (26:36)
03 - The Little Suite (10:27)
04 - Ornette (5:29)
05 - Sound 2 (19:24)

Line-up:
Roscoe Mitchell: alto saxophone, clarinet, flute, recorder
Lester Bowie: trumpet, flugelhorn, harmonica
Malachi Favors: bass
Maurice McIntyre: tenor saxophone
Lester Lashley: trombone, cello
Alvin Fielder: percussion

Anthony Braxton - Five Pieces (1975)

Anthony Braxton has to be one of the last jazz musicians to achieve "giant" status before the genre's popularity declined to the point where doing so became an impossibility. It has been noted that when he was the first jazz signing to the new major label Arista, he promised to be some kind of crossover success (see the liner notes to The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton and a November 2008 essay in The Wire magazine discussing its release). Well, success he certainly did achieve. Despite the widely-held belief that new jazz was no longer profitable for labels or musicians from the mid-1970s onward, Braxton's series of albums for Arista all sold relatively well--enough for the label to break even even if Braxton himself never financially profited. In terms of being a "crossover" artist, that is a bit more difficult to assess. Leading up to his tenure with Arista, he had recorded works like For Alto that extended into the territory of modern composition (of the likes of John Cage), but he also worked with more traditional jazz material on albums like In the Tradition. And that has remained his mode of operation since--drifting back and forth between the twin poles of traditional jazz and avant-garde composition. But does that constitute a "crossover"? It would seem most of the time the answer is no. But Five Pieces 1975 and some other Arista recordings do make strides at crossing the divide between traditional jazz and modern composition, achieving a new synthesis of both within a given piece. It seems for that reason it manages to be one of his best efforts.
The success of Five Pieces 1975 certainly has a lot to do with the superb band surrounding Braxton. They are up to the challenge of each piece and every performer is a match for the next. There is a balance achieved between them that evidences a complete mastery of both the compositional elements and the more liberal improvisational sensibilities at work. If the album could be improved, it would be to replace "You Stepped Out of a Dream" with something like "Opus 40P" or even "Maple Leaf Rag" from Duets 1976 to add more variety. But then again, why tamper.
Musicians labeled "prolific" are usually also saddled with the label "inconsistent", if nothing else due to the almost inherent lack of editorial decisions to provide some kind of focus. Anthony Braxton is saddled with both those labels, as well as the one calling his music "difficult". Yet through the years he's also managed to do some things the "jazz-industrial complex" (his term, like the military-industrial complex and prison-industrial complex) doesn't normally allow. Thanks largely to a source of income teaching in later years, he has managed to keep writing and recording challenging works without giving up on his mellower, more lyrical and accessible impulses. He has also managed to come about as close to being a household name as any modern jazz musician since Coltrane's era (apart from certain members of the Marsalis family and a few pop musicians masquerading as jazz artists). So aside from his purely musical contributions, which are indeed numerous, he has presented an image of jazz that contrasts with the accepted one. That may be his most enduring achievement. It means that there will remain more than one path forward.

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Free-Jazz
Post-Bop

Tracks:
01 - You Stepped Out of a Dream (07:10)
02 - Opus 23 H (04:34)
03 - Opus 23 G (08:07)
04 - Opus 23 E (17:16)
05 - Opus 40 M (03:22)

Line-up:
Anthony Braxton - Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet
Dave Holland - Bass
Barry Altschul - Drums
Kenny Wheeler - Trumpet

Clifford Jordan - Blowing in from Chicago (1957)

BLOWING IN FROM CHICAGO features tenor saxophonist John Gilmore as a co-leader. After this 1957 session, he spent the rest of his career in Sun Ra's band, hardly ever making any albums under his own name. This adversely affected Gilmore's legacy, since his name has largely been overlooked by younger jazz audiences. However, Gilmore's performance here is first-rate, and is matched by fellow tenor sax player Clifford Jordan. Throughout the record, it's apparent that this pairing of like minds is ideal.
Drummer Art Blakey also asserts himself on this album, especially on the highly rhythmic "Billie's Bounce," a Charlie Parker tune he popularized with the Jazz Messengers. The Latin-flavored Jordan original "Bo-Till" is one of BLOWING IN FROM CHICAGO'S highlights, as is his funky blues number "Evil Eye." This is classic hard bop played by some of its most skillful practitioners.
Clifford Jordan's first date as a leader actually found him sharing a heated jam session with fellow tenor John Gilmore. Backed by pianist Horace Silver, bassist Curly Russell, and drummer Art Blakey, the two saxophonists square off mostly on obscurities (other than Gigi Gryce's "Blue Lights" and "Billie's Bounce"). This was one of Gilmore's few sessions outside of Sun Ra's orbit and, if anything, he slightly overshadows the cooler-toned Jordan. Recommended.

by Scott Yanow in All Music Guide

Styles:
Hard-Bop
Post-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Status Quo (5:34)
02 - Bo-Till (5:54)
03 - Blue Lights (6:35)
04 - Billie's Bounce (9:32)
05 - Evil Eye (5:12)
06 - Everywhere (5:42)
07 - Let It Stand (7:42)

Line-up:
Clifford Jordan - Tenor Sax
Curly Russell - Bass
Art Blakey - Drums
Horace Silver - Piano
John Gilmore - Tenor Sax

Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956)

Pithecanthropus Erectus was Charles Mingus' breakthrough as a leader, the album where he established himself as a composer of boundless imagination and a fresh new voice that, despite his ambitiously modern concepts, was firmly grounded in jazz tradition. Mingus truly discovered himself after mastering the vocabularies of bop and swing, and with Pithecanthropus Erectus he began seeking new ways to increase the evocative power of the art form and challenge his musicians (who here include altoist Jackie McLean and pianist Mal Waldron) to work outside of convention. The title cut is one of his greatest masterpieces: a four-movement tone poem depicting man's evolution from pride and accomplishment to hubris and slavery and finally to ultimate destruction. The piece is held together by a haunting, repeated theme and broken up by frenetic, sound-effect-filled interludes that grow darker as man's spirit sinks lower. It can be a little hard to follow the story line, but the whole thing seethes with a brooding intensity that comes from the soloist's extraordinary focus on the mood, rather than simply flashing their chops. Mingus' playful side surfaces on "A Foggy Day (In San Francisco)," which crams numerous sound effects (all from actual instruments) into a highly visual portrait, complete with honking cars, ringing trolleys, sirens, police whistles, change clinking on the sidewalk, and more. This was the first album where Mingus tailored his arrangements to the personalities of his musicians, teaching the pieces by ear instead of writing everything out. Perhaps that's why Pithecanthropus Erectus resembles paintings in sound -- full of sumptuous tone colors learned through Duke Ellington, but also rich in sonic details that only could have come from an adventurous modernist. And Mingus plays with the sort of raw passion that comes with the first flush of mastery. Still one of his greatest.
by Steve Huey in All Music Guide

Style:
Post-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Pithecanthropus Erectus (10:36)
02 - Foggy Day (7:50)
03 - Profile of Jackie (3:11)
04 - Love Chant (14:59)

Line-up:
Charles Mingus – Bass
Jackie McLean – Alto Saxophone
J. R. Monterose – Tenor Saxophone
Mal Waldron – Piano
Willie Jones – Drums

Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue (1963)

To describe Kenny Burrell as an integral part of the Blue Note story is to sell this still-thriving guitarist short. Perhaps better than any of his contemporaries, Burrell represents the level of versatility and consistent quality that transcended individual record labels and created the fertile jazz recording scene of the 12-inch LP's first decade.

He was everywhere, as a sideman and a leader, after launching his East Coast career with two Blue Note albums in 1956. And one suspects that certain excellent sessions he cut for other companies with Coleman Hawkins in place of Turrentine; or A Night at the Vanguard -classic trio Burrell- might have more substantial reputations today if they had been issued under the Blue Note logo. Consider such gems as Bluesy Burrell, cut for Prestige/Moodsville four months before the present session with Holley and Barretto aboard, Tommy Flanagan's piano added and Coleman Hawkins in place of Turrentine, or A Night at the Vanguard with Richard Davis and Roy Haynes that Argo taped in 1959 less than a month after Blue Note had documented a Burrell quintet (with Tina Brooks and Art Blakey), On View at the Five Spot Cafe.
Yet if such masterpieces from other catalogues (and others like Kenny Burrell with John Coltrane and The Tender Gender) can be imagined as Blue Note releases, no rival label could possibly have provided as fitting a home for Midnight Blue. Leonard Feather's notes report what the music so clearly reveals; that Burrell had a clear overall vision for the album, involving a program of blues and related material that might shout (but only in context) yet would also explore the feelings to be uncovered at lower volumes and slower tempos. It was a concept that must have taken producer Alfred Lion back to his earliest ensemble project with the Port of Harlem Jazzmen.
Given the particular affinity of the guitar and the blues, space was needed to allow the instrument its full expressive potential. Lion was willing to give Burrell the necessary room where other producers of the time might have insisted upon a piano or, especially given the album's theme, an organ. Taking further advantage of the textural possibilities by adding Ray Barretto's conga drums to Bill English's trap set was also within the Blue Note tradition. Candido had teamed with Kenny Clarke on the label's Introducing Kenny Burrell, and Barretto had assumed the role of house conguero for both Blue Note and Prestige since important 1958 recordings with Lou Donaldson, Red Garland and Gene Ammons. Bassist Major Holley Jr and English were Burrell regulars who worked and recorded frequently with the guitarist in these years, while Stanley Turrentine, the only Blue Note leader among the supporting artists, had first shown a penchant for making indelible music with Burrell on the 1960 session that produced Jimmy Smith's Midnight Special and Back at the Chicken Shack.
In various combinations, Burrell, Turrentine, Holley, English, and Barretto brilliantly realize the original goal. While the album is filled with great moments, like the guitarist's naked emoting on "Soul Lament" and the propulsion he generates while locking into tempo on "Midnight Blue", the overall plan and pace create one of the most subtle cumulative moods ever conjured on two sides of vinyl. Hear how the waltz tempo of "Wavy Gravy" arrives like a seismic shift in terrain, and how affirmatively things are concluded on "Saturday Night Blues". The seven original tracks form a complete statement, a considered presentation that in no way contained the spontaneity at the music's heart. The bonus track "Kenny's Sound" is particularly enlightening in this regard. It was the first piece done at the session and clearly did not enhance the aura of the final album, yet it served as a perfect muscle-flexer that allowed the musicians to loosen up and prepare for the highly focused task ahead. The other added title "K Twist", was recorded again nearly two years later on a session designed to produce material for release on 45. The later personnel is quite similar, with everyone from this session save Holley returning, but the addition of Herbie Hancock's piano creates a less fluent if more commercial veneer.
Midnight Blue did not need "K Twist" in order to generate a hit, since in "Chitlins Con Carne" it had one of the most ingratiating blues lines of the periods. "Chitlins Con Carne" might seem rather basic to some players and listeners more impressed by complex scales and harmonic substitutions, yet it holds profound lessons about telling a story through music and functioning as a collective unit missing from most texts and exercise books. It also establishes a level of music discourse that is sustained over the remainder of this timeless album.

Styles:
Guitar Jazz
Hard-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Chitlins con Carne (5:30)
02 - Mule (6:56)
03 - Soul Lament (2:43)
04 - Midnight Blue (4:02)
05 - Wavy Gravy (5:47)
06 - Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You (4:25)
07 - Saturday Night Blues (6:16)
08 - Kenny's Sound (4:43)
09 - K Twist (3:36)

Line-up:
Kenny Burrell – guitar
Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophone
Major Holley – bass
Billy Gene English – drums
Ray Barretto – conga

Sun Ra - Nuclear War (1984)

Along with Lanquidity, Nuclear War is one of the rarest discs in Sun Ra's enormous catalog. Recorded in 1982, Nuclear War disappeared until 2001 when the Chicago-based Atavistic label made it part of their exceptional "Unheard Music Series." Originally Ra was so sure the funky dance track was a hit, he immediately took it to Columbia Records, where they immediately rejected it. Why he thought a song with the repeating chant "Nuclear War, they're talking about Nuclear War/It's a motherf***er, don't you know/if they push that button, your ass gotta go/and whatcha gonna do without your ass" would be a hit is another puzzle in the Sun Ra myth. Even with the danceability factor, without heavy censoring, the song would never be played on the radio. Severely depressed by the rejection, but still determined, Ra licensed the track to Y Records, a post-punk label out of Britain. Initially a vinyl 12" was released with "Sometimes I'm Happy" on the flip side. Two years later, Nuclear War was released as an album, but only in Italy. The remaining tracks include four originals and three standards, Ellington's "Drop Me Off in Harlem," "Sometimes I'm Happy," and "Smile." The latter two are highlights in their own right thanks to the gorgeous vocals of June Tyson.

by Al Campbell in All Music Guide

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Experimental Big Band
Fusion

Tracks:
01 - Nuclear War (07:47)
02 - Retrospect (05:43)
03 - Drop Me Off In Harlem (05:04)
04 - Sometimes I'm Happy (04:29)
05 - Celestial Love (05:36)
06 - Blue Intensity (05:18)
07 - Nameless One No. 2 (04:01)
08 - Smile (04:24)

Line-up:
Sun Ra - Piano, Synthesizer, Organ, Vocals
Hayes Burnett - Bass
James Jacson - Bassoon, Infinity Drum
Atakatune - Congas, Percussion
Samarai Celestial - Drums
Vincent Chancey - French Horn
Marshall Allen - Saxophone [Alto], Flute
Danny Ray Thompson - Saxophone [Baritone], Flute
John Gilmore - Saxophone [Tenor]
Tyron Hill - Trombone, Vocals
Walter Miller - Trumpet
Jun Tyson - Vocals

Ahmad Jamal - Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me (1958)

Recorded at the Pershing Club in Chicago, IL, Jamal's third album (including the hit "Poinciana") was the turning point in his career. His liberal use of silence influenced many jazz musicians, including Miles Davis.

by Michael Erlewine in All Music Guide

Styles:
Cool
Post-Bop

Tracks:
01 - But Not for Me (03:31)
02 - The Surrey with the Fridge on Top (02:35)
03 - Moonlight in Vermont (03:09)
04 - (Put Another Nickel In) Music! Music! Music! (02:56)
05 - No Greater Love (03:26)
06 - Poinciana (08:07)
07 - Woody N' You (03:40)
08 - What's New (04:08)

Line-up:
Ahmad Jamal – Piano
Israel Crosby - Double bass
Vernel Fournier - Drums

Weather Report - Gibraltar

Herbie Hancock - Sextant (1972)

When Herbie Hancock left Warner Bros. in 1971 after releasing three musically sound but critically and commercially underappreciated albums -- The Crossing, Mwandishi, and Fat Albert's Groove -- he was struggling. At odds with a jazz establishment that longed for his return to his Blue Note sound and a fierce consciousness struggle with free music and the full-on embrace of electricity since his tenure with Miles Davis, Hancock was clearly looking for a voice. Before diving into the commercial waters that would become Headhunters in 1973, Hancock and his tough group (including Billy Hart, Julian Priester, Dr. Eddie Henderson, Bennie Maupin, and Buster Williams) cut this gem for their new label, Columbia. Like its Warner predecessors, the album features a kind of post-modal, free impressionism while gracing the edges of funk. The three long tracks are exploratory investigations into the nature of how mode and interval can be boiled down into a minimal stew and then extrapolated upon for soloing and "riffing." In fact, in many cases, the interval becomes the riff, as is evidenced by "Rain Dance." The piece that revealed the true funk direction, however, was "Hidden Shadows," with its choppy basslines and heavy percussion -- aided by the inclusion of Dr. Patrick Gleeson and Buck Clarke. Dave Rubinson's production brought Hancock's piano more into line with the rhythm section, allowing for a unified front in the more abstract sections of these tunes. The true masterpiece on the album, though, is "Hornets," an eclectic, electric ride through both the dark modal ambience of Miles' In a Silent Way and post-Coltrane harmonic aesthetics. The groove is in place, but it gets turned inside out by Priester and Maupin on more than one occasion and Hancock just bleats with the synth in sections. Over 19 minutes in length, it can be brutally intense, but is more often than not stunningly beautiful. It provides a glimpse into the music that became Headhunters, but doesn't fully explain it, making this disc, like its Warner predecessors, true and welcome mysteries in Hancock's long career.

by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide

Styles:
Fusion
Avant-Garde
Jazz-Funk

Tracks:
01 - Rain Dance (9:16)
02 - Hidden Shadows (10:11)
03 - Hornets (19:35)

Line-up:
Herbie Hancock - piano, Fender Rhodes, Hohner D-6 clavinet, mellotron
Bennie Maupin - soprano sax, bass clarinet, piccolo, afuche, hum-a-zoo
Dr. Eddie Henderson - trumpet, flugelhorn
Julian Priester - bass trombone, tenor trombone, alto trombone, cowbell
Buster Williams - electric bass, acoustic bass
Billy Hart - drums
Dr. Patrick Gleeson - ARP 2600 and Pro-Soloist
Buck Clarke - percussion

Archie Shepp - Attica Blues (1972)

Refining his large-ensemble experiments of 1971, Attica Blues is one of Archie Shepp's most significant post-'60s statements, recorded just several months after authorities ended the Attica prison uprising by massacring 43 inmates and hostages. Perhaps because Shepp's musical interests were changing, Attica Blues isn't the all-out blast of rage one might expect; instead, it's a richly arranged album of mournful, quietly agonized blues and Ellingtonian swing, mixed with a couple of storming funk burners. Of course, Shepp doesn't quite play it straight, bringing his avant-garde sensibilities to both vintage big band and contemporary funk, with little regard for the boundaries separating them all. His soloing on tenor and soprano is typically sharp-edged and modal, and his nasal, slicing tone on soprano is featured quite heavily. The stylishness of the slow numbers is undercut with quivering, faintly unsettling dissonances, and the up-tempo funk cuts recall the way Sly Stone's arrangements ping-ponged many different elements off each other in a gleeful organized chaos. That's especially true on the gospel-inflected title song, a monster of a groove that later became a hit on the acid jazz revival circuit (and stands up to anything recorded by straight-up funk bands of the era). In the same vein, "Blues for Brother George Jackson" sounds like an edgier Isaac Hayes-style blaxploitation soundtrack cut. Vocal ballads are plentiful, and Joe Lee Wilson ("Steam," a song Shepp would return to often) and Carl Hall (aka Henry Hull) both acquit themselves well; more debatable are the poetic recitations and the choice of flügelhornist/composer Cal Massey's young daughter Waheeda to sing "Quiet Dawn" (although Waheeda's almost-there intonation is effectively creepy). Still, in the end, Attica Blues is one of Shepp's most successful large-group projects, because his skillful handling of so many different styles of black music produces such tremendously groovy results.

by Steve Huey in All Music Guide

Styles:
Free Jazz
Experimental Big Band
Vocal Jazz
Social Music

Tracks:
01 - Attica Blues (4:47)
02 - Invocation: Attica Blues (0:19)
03 - Steam (Part 1) (5:07)
04 - Invocation To Mr. Parker (3:16)
05 - Steam (Part 2) (5:10)
06 - Blues For Brother George Jackson (4:00)
07 - Invocation: Ballad For A Child (0:29)
08 - Ballad For A Child (3:36)
09 - Good-Bye Sweet Pops (4:22)
10 - Quiet Dawn (6:12)

Line-up:
Archie Shepp: tenor and soprano saxophones
Clifford Thornton: cornet
Roy Burrows, Charles McGhee, Michael Ridley: trumpet
Cal Massey: fluegelhorn
Charles Greenlee, Charles Stephens, Kiane Zawadi: trombone
Hakim Jami: euphonium
Clarence White: alto saxophone
Marion Brown: alto saxophone, flute, bamboo flute, percussion
Roland Alexander, Billy Robinson: tenor saxophone
James Ware: baritone saxophone
John Blake, Leroy Jenkins, Lakshinarayana Shankar: violin
Ronald Lipscomb, Calo Scott: cello
Dave Burrell: electric piano
Walter Davis, Jr.: electric piano, piano
Cornell Dupree: guitar
Jimmy Garrison, Gerald Jemmott, Roland Wilson: bass
Ollie Anderson, Nene DeFense, Juma Sultan: percussion
Beaver Harris, Billy Higgins: drums
Joshie Armstead, Henry Hull, Waheeda Massey, Albertine Robertson, Joe Lee Wilson: vocal
Bartholomew Gray, William Kunstler: narrator

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - A Night in Tunisia (1960)

The lengthy title track on this CD easily overshadows the rest of the program for it is one of the most exciting versions ever recorded of Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia." Trumpeter Lee Morgan (then only in his early 20s), tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Bobby Timmons and bassist Jymie Merritt formed one of the strongest of the many versions of Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers and are actually in fine form during the remainder of the satisfying (if anticlimactic) set.

by Scott Yanow in All Music Guide

Style:
Hard-Bop

Tracks:
01 - A Night in Tunisia (11:11)
02 - Sincerely Diana (6:47)
03 - So Tired (6:36)
04 - Yama (6:20)
05 - Kozo's Waltz (6:45)
06 - When Your Lover Has Gone (6:43)
07 - Sincerely Diana" (alternative take) (6:51)

Line-up:
Art Blakey — drums
Lee Morgan — trumpet
Wayne Shorter — tenor saxophone
Bobby Timmons — piano
Jymie Merritt — bass