Carlos Santana/ Mahavishnu John McLaughlin - Love Devotion Surrender (1973)

A hopelessly misunderstood record in its time by Santana fans -- they were still reeling from the radical direction shift toward jazz on Caravanserai and praying it was an aberration -- it was greeted by Santana devotees with hostility, contrasted with kindness from major-league critics like Robert Palmer. To hear this recording in the context of not only Carlos Santana's development as a guitarist, but as the logical extension of the music of John Coltrane and Miles Davis influencing rock musicians -- McLaughlin, of course, was a former Davis sideman -- this extension makes perfect sense in the post-Sonic Youth, post-rock era. With the exception of Coltrane's "Naima" and McLaughlin's "Meditation," this album consists of merely three extended guitar jams played on the spiritual ecstasy tip -- both men were devotees of guru Shri Chinmoy at the time. The assembled band included members of Santana's band and the Mahavishnu Orchestra in Michael Shrieve, Billy Cobham, Doug Rauch, Armando Peraza, Jan Hammer (playing drums!), and Don Alias. But it is the presence of the revolutionary jazz organist Larry Young -- a colleague of McLaughlin's in Tony Williams' Lifetime band -- that makes the entire project gel. He stands as the great communicator harmonically between the two very different guitarists whose ideas contrasted enough to complement one another in the context of Young's aggressive approach to keep the entire proceeding in the air. In the acknowledgement section of Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," which opens the album, Young creates a channel between Santana's riotous, transcendent, melodic runs and McLaughlin's rapid-fire machine-gun riffing. Young' double-handed striated chord voicings offered enough for both men to chew on, leaving free-ranging territory for percussive effects to drive the tracks from underneath. Check "Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord," which was musically inspired by Bobby Womack's "Breezing" and dynamically foreshadowed by Pharoah Sanders' read of it, or the insanely knotty yet intervallically transcendent "The Life Divine," for the manner in which Young's organ actually speaks both languages simultaneously. Young is the person who makes the room for the deep spirituality inherent in these sessions to be grasped for what it is: the interplay of two men who were not merely paying tribute to Coltrane, but trying to take his ideas about going beyond the realm of Western music to communicate with the language of the heart as it united with the cosmos. After three decades, Love Devotion Surrender still sounds completely radical and stunningly, movingly beautiful.

by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide

Styles:
Jazz-Rock
Fusion
Blues
Post-Bop

Tracks:
01 - A Love Supreme (07:48)
02 - Naima (03:09)
03 - The Life Divine (09:30)
04 - Let us Go Into the House of the Lord (15:45)
05 - Meditation (02:45)

Line-up:
Mahavishnu John McLaughlin - guitar, piano
Carlos Santana - guitar
Doug Rauch - bass guitar
Mahalakshami Eve McLaughlin - piano
Khalid Yasin - piano, organ
Mingo Lewis - piano, keyboards
Billy Cobham - drums, percussion
Don Alias - drums, percussion
Jan Hammer - drums, percussion
Mike Shrieve - drums, percussion
Armando Peraza - congas, percussion, vocals

Elvin Jones-McCoy Tyner Quintet - Love & Peace (1982)

With the exception of one number ("House That Love Built") from 1978 that matches drummer Elvin Jones with the reeds of Frank Foster and Pat LaBarbera, guitarist Roland Prince and bassist Andy McCloud, this CD reissue focuses on an unusual and generally successful reunion session. Drummer Jones and pianist McCoy Tyner have not recorded together that often since leaving John Coltrane's Quartet in late 1965. With Pharoah Sanders (who was part of the reason they departed) on tenor, bassist Richard Davis in the late Jimmy Garrison's spot, and guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly an added wild card, the musicians avoid Coltrane tunes in favor of newer originals and the standard "Sweet and Lovely." Sanders sounds very much like late-1950s Coltrane; Bourelly is a bit out of place, and Tyner easily takes solo honors. An interesting but not overly memorable outing that was originally cut for the Japanese Trio label and made available in the U.S. by the now-defunct Black-Hawk company.

by Scott Yanow in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Little Rock's Blues (4:35)
02 - Hip Jones (7:27)
03 - Korina (5:35)
04 - For Tomorrow (7:08)
05 - Sweet and Lovely (6:52)
06 - Origin (5:05)

Line-up:
McCoy Tyner: piano
Elvin Jones: drums
Pharoah Sanders: tenor saxophone
Jean-Paul Bourelly: guitar
Richard Davis: bass

Weather Report - Weather Report (1982)

For some crafty reason, Weather Report gave its 11th Columbia album the same eponymous title as its first, which no doubt led to massive retail confusion. It is the last WR album for Peter Erskine, Jaco Pastorius, and Robert Thomas, Jr.; Thomas left the band soon afterwards. And with Pastorius receding a bit into the background, the creative balance tilts heavily toward Joe Zawinul, who contributes all but one of the seven compositions. "Volcano for Hire" and "Dara Factors One and Two" are the requisite Zawinul groove-athons, and his deepening awareness of the rapidly improving synthesizer's harmonic and timbral possibilities color such tracks as "Current Affairs" and the three-part "N.Y.C." suite. Though the creativity level seems to be on medium-tank here, the band could still startle the ear with surprising new sounds, a supremely pithy Wayne Shorter statement, or fresh Third World spices. Their ability to swing is never in doubt.

by Richard S. Ginell in All Music Guide

Style:
Fusion

Tracks:
01 - Volcano for Hire (5:25)
02 - Current Affairs (5:54)
03 - N.Y.C. Pt. 1: 41st Parallel/Pt.2: The Dance/Pt.3: Crazy About Jazz (10:11)
04 - Dara Factor One (5:25)
05 - When It Was Now (4:45)
06 - Speechless (5:58)
07 - Dara Factor Two (4:27)

Line-up:
Joe Zawinul - synthesizer / keyboards
Wayne Shorter - soprano and tenor saxophones
Jaco Pastorius - bass
Peter Erskine - drums
Robert Thomas - percussion

Ornette Coleman Quartet - This is Our Music (1961)

With two landmark albums already under its belt, the Ornette Coleman Quartet spent nearly a year out of the studio before reconvening for This Is Our Music. This time, Billy Higgins is replaced on drums by Ed Blackwell, who has a similar knack for anticipating the ensemble's direction, and proves a more fiery presence on tracks like "Kaleidoscope" and "Folk Tale." The session is also notable for containing the only standard (or, for that matter, the only non-original) Coleman recorded during his tenure with Atlantic -- Gershwin's "Embraceable You," which is given a lyrical interpretation and even a rather old-time, sentimental intro (which may or may not be sarcastic, but really is pretty). In general, though, Coleman disapproved of giving up his own voice and viewed standards as concessions to popular taste; as the unapologetic title of the album makes clear, he wanted to be taken (or left) on his own terms. And that word "our" also makes clear just how important the concept of group improvisation was to Coleman's goals. Anyone can improvise whenever he feels like it, and the players share such empathy that each knows how to add to the feeling of the ensemble without undermining its egalitarian sense of give and take. Their stark, thin textures were highly distinctive, and both Coleman and Cherry chose instruments (respectively, an alto made of plastic rather than brass and a pocket trumpet or cornet instead of a standard trumpet) to accentuate that quality. It's all showcased to best effect here on the hard-swinging "Blues Connotation" and the haunting "Beauty Is a Rare Thing," though pretty much every composition has something to recommend it. All in all, This Is Our Music keeps one of the hottest creative streaks in jazz history going strong.

by Steve Huey in All Music Guide

Styles:
Free-jazz
Modal

Tracks:
01 - Blues Connotation (5:14)
02 - Beauty Is a Rare Thing (7:12)
03 - Kaleidoscope (6:33)
04 - Embraceable You (4:54)
05 - Poise (4:37)
06 - Humpty Dumpty (5:20)
07 - Folk Tale (4:46)

Line-up:
Ornette Coleman – alto saxophone
Don Cherry – pocket trumpet
Charlie Haden – double bass
Ed Blackwell – drums

Archie Shepp - Mama too Tight (1966)

The octet Archie Shepp surrounded himself with in 1966 was filled with new and old faces. The twin trombones of Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur III embodied this, but so did bassist Charlie Haden and trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, while familiar figures like drummer Beaver Harris and tubaist Howard Johnson had been part of Shepp's regular band. There are four tracks on Mama Too Tight, all of them in some way acting as extensions of the opening three-part suite, "A Portrait of Robert Thomson (As a Young Man)." Shepp had hit his stride here compositionally. The track is, at first, a seeming free jazz blowout, but then traces the history of jazz, gospel, and blues through its three sections. Certainly there is plenty of atonality, but there is plenty of harmonic and rhythmic invention too. The piece, almost 19 minutes in length, has an intricate architecture that uses foreshadowing techniques and complex resolution methods. The title track is a post-bop blues swinger with a killer front-line riff turning in and out as the trombones go head to head. And finally, "Basheer," with its Eastern modality that transposes itself toward blues and folk music, becomes a statement on the transitional ties the '60s were ushering in musically. Here again, lots of free blowing, angry bursts of energy, and shouts of pure revelry are balanced with Ellingtonian elegance and restraint that was considerable enough to let the lyric line float through and encourage more improvisation. This is Shepp at his level best.

by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Free Jazz

Tracks:
01 - A Portrait Of Robert Thompson: A. Prelude to a Kiss / B. The Break Strain-King Cotton / C. Dem Basses (18:57)
02 - Mama Too Tight (5:25)
03 - Theme for Ernie (3:21)
04 - Basheer (10:38)

Line-up:
Archie Shepp: tenor saxophone
Tommy Turrentine: trumpet
Grachan Moncur III: trombone
Roswell Rudd: trombone
Howard Johnson: tuba
Perry Robinson: clarinet
Charlie Haden: bass
Beaver Harris: drums

Albert Ayler - Music is the Healing Force of the Universe (1969)

Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe is a powerful and often ignored recording from the Albert Ayler catalog. It is a prophetic statement dealing with guilt, confusion, sorrow, and hopes of redemption. A powerful rhythm section of Bobby Few on piano, Stafford James and James Folwell on bass, (Folwell on electric fender bass), and Muhammad Ali on drums manage to take a backseat to the prominent vocals of Ayler's business associate and girlfriend Mary Parks, listed on the record as Mary Maria. Her emotional vocals are featured on "Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe," "Man Is Like a Tree," and "Island Harvest." Throughout these tracks Maria sounds as if she is pleading and reasoning not just universally, but directly with Ayler, trying to convince him of the positive aspects of life and her evangelistic shouts of "be healed" on the title track can prove uncomfortable. "Masonic Inborn" is an instrumental track finding Ayler not only overdubbing cacophonous bagpipe solos but also playing ocarina. "Oh Love Is Life" is Ayler's sole vocal performance on the album, his words and vocal delivery are truly frightening. This is a dreamlike plea to the sources haunting his soul to succumb to universal love. Following the intensity of the previous five tracks, the album closes with the hazy gutbucket blues of "Drudgery" reminiscent of the New Grass sessions, adding guitarist Henry Vestine of the blues rock band Canned Heat. Ayler's musical curtain was eerily closing the same way it started -- playing the blues of his high school summer vacations as a member of Little Walter's band. Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe, along with tracks that were released posthumously on the Last Album, were recorded at the same session. While not easy listening, they complete an important portrait of a man facing a life and death inner struggle beyond the boundaries of jazz. The inevitable outcome culminated on November 25, 1970, when Ayler's drowned body was found floating in New York's East River. Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe was reissued for the first time on CD by Verve in March 2003.

by Al Campbell in All Music Guide

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Free-Jazz

Tracks:
01 - Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe (8:41)
02 - Masonic Inborn, Pt. 1 (12:11)
03 - A Man Is Like a Tree (4:35)
04 - Oh! Love of Life (3:50)
05 - Island Harvest (5:04)
06 - Drudgery (8:08)

Line-up:
Albert Ayler - tenor saxophone, bagpipes, vocal
Mary Maria Parks - vocal
Henry Vestine - guitar
Bobby Few - piano
Stafford James - electric fender bass
James Folwell - electric fender bass
Muhammad Ali - drums

Anthony Braxton - Impressions (Woodstock Jazz Festival, 1981)

Line-up:
Anthony Braxton - alto saxophone
Chick Corea - pinano
Jack DeJohnette - drums
Miroslav Vitous - bass

Albert Ayler - Goin' Home (1964)

Albert Ayler was confronted with a spiritual anxiety that both plagued and comforted him throughout his life. This is frighteningly clear listening to the highly intense musical yin and yang that was present February 24, 1964, when the tracks for Goin' Home and Witches and Devils were recorded. Ayler plays tenor and soprano saxophones on "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Deep River," "Goin Home," "Down by the Riverside," "When the Saints Go Marchin In," and "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." These traditional compositions are treated with reverence and a lack of improvisation, played in a quietly passionate but respectful manner. They reveal a sensitivity that was obscured with the emotionally charged tenor screeching of the Ayler originals that were also recorded at this session: "Witches and Devils," "Spirits," "Holy, Holy," and "Saints." Black Lion reissued Goin' Home with double takes of "Down by the Riverside," "Ol' Man River," and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." The Goin' Home rhythm section is held together by the gospel-influenced piano style of Call Cobbs. This was the first time the saxophonist had played with Cobbs, who, like Ayler, was from Cleveland and had recently moved to New York. Free jazz stalwarts Henry Grimes' bass and Sunny Murray's drums rounded out the proceedings, following Ayler and Cobbs lead, sounding more accessible than they had on previous recordings. While Goin' Home and Witches and Devils haven't been released together on one compact disc, obtaining both and playing them back to back makes for an amazing comparison in moods and styles.

by Al Campbell in All Music Guide

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Free-Jazz

Tracks:
01 - Goin` home (4:26)
02 - Ol’ man river (5:25)
03 - Down by the riverside (take 6) (4:39)
04 - Swing low, sweet chariot (4:30)
05 - Deep river (4:15)
06 - When the saints go marchin’ in (4:12)
07 - Nobody knows the trouble i’ve seen (4:44)
08 - Ol’ man river (take 1) (4:58)
09 - Swing low, sweet chariot (take 1) (4:49)
10 - Down by the riverside (take 5) (4:28)

Line-up:
Albert Ayler - tenor saxophone
Call Cobbs - piano
Sunny Murray - drums
Henry Grimes - bass

Weather Report - River People (1978)

Line-up:
Joe Zawinul - keyboards
Wayne Shorter - soprano saxophone
Jaco Pastorius - bass
Peter Erskine - drums

Pharoah Sanders - A Wonderful World (1998)

Miles Davis - Nefertiti (1967)

Nefertiti, the fourth album by Miles Davis' second classic quintet, continues the forward motion of Sorcerer, as the group settles into a low-key, exploratory groove, offering music with recognizable themes -- but themes that were deliberately dissonant, slightly unsettling even as they burrowed their way into the consciousness. In a sense, this is mood music, since, like on much of Sorcerer, the individual parts mesh in unpredictable ways, creating evocative, floating soundscapes. This music anticipates the free-fall, impressionistic work of In a Silent Way, yet it remains rooted in hard bop, particularly when the tempo is a bit sprightly, as on "Hand Jive." Yet even when the instrumentalists and soloists are placed in the foreground -- such as Miles' extended opening solo on "Madness" or Hancock's long solo toward the end of the piece -- this never feels like showcases for virtuosity, the way some showboating hard bop can, though each player shines. What's impressive, like on all of this quintet's sessions, is the interplay, how the musicians follow an unpredictable path as a unit, turning in music that is always searching, always provocative, and never boring. Perhaps Nefertiti's charms are a little more subtle than those of its predecessors, but that makes it intriguing. Besides, this album so clearly points the way to fusion, while remaining acoustic, that it may force listeners on either side of the fence into another direction.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine in All Music Guide

Styles:
Hard-Bop
Post-Bop
Modern Creative
Modal

Tracks:
01 - Nefertiti (7:52)
02 - Fall (6:39)
03 - Hand Jive (8:54)
04 - Madness (7:31)
05 - Riot (3:05)
06 - Pinocchio (5:08)
07 - Hand Jive [First Alternate Take] (6:45)
08 - Hand Jive [Second Alternate Take] (8:17)
09 - Madness (6:40)
10 - Pinocchio (5:05)

Line-up:
Miles Davis - trumpet
Wayne Shorter - tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock - piano
Ron Carter - double bass
Tony Williams - drums

Pharoah Sanders - Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun) (1970)

After Karma was issued and Sanders had established himself -- to himself -- as a musician who had something valuable and of use to say, he was on what this critic considers to be a divinely inspired tear. Deaf Dumb Blind is an example of that inspiration. Beginning with the title cut, a suite of over 21 minutes, Sanders brings in the whole of his obsession with rhythm and R&B. Using African percussion, bylophones, shakers, cowbells, and all manner of percussion, as well as drummer Clifford Jarvis, Sanders brought in Cecil McBee to hold down the bass chair and Lonnie Liston Smith back in on piano, and added a three-piece horn section that included Gary Bartz on alto and Woody Shaw on trumpet in addition to himself. Whew! Here the Latin and African polyrhythms collide and place the horns, as large and varied as they are, in almost a supplementary role. The horns check counterpoint in striated harmony, calling and responding over the wash of bass and drums and drums and drums! It evolves into a percussion orgy before the scary otherworldly multiphonic solos begin. And Shaw and Bartz are worthy foils for Sanders. And no matter how out it gets, those rhythms keep it rooted in the soul. "Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord" is almost 18 minutes in length. It has a long soprano intro, covered in shimmering bells and shakers with a glorious piano fill by Smith, who becomes more prominent, along with some excellent arco work by McBee, until the piece becomes a meditation on lyricism and silence about halfway through. The entire band eventually rejoins for a group ostinato with very little variation, except in timbre and subtle accented color work by Sanders and McBee. It is a stunningly beautiful and contemplative work that showcases how intrinsic melodic phrasing and drones were to Sanders at the time -- and still are today. This piece, and this album, is a joyful noise made in the direction of the divine, and we can feel it through the speakers, down in the place that scares us.

by Thom Jurek in All Music Guide

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Free-Jazz
Progressive Jazz

Tracks:
01 - Summun, Bukmun, Umyun (21:16)
02 - Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord (17:46)

Line-up:

Pharoah Sanders – soprano saxophone, cow horn, bells, tritone whistle, cowbells, wood flute, thumb piano, percussion
Woody Shaw – trumpet, maracas, yodeling, percussion
Gary Bartz – alto saxophone, bells, cowbell, shakers, percussion
Lonnie Liston Smith – piano, cowbell, thumb piano, percussion
Cecil McBee – bass
Clifford Jarvis – drums
Nathaniel Bettis – bylophone, yodeling, African percussion
Anthony Wiles – conga drum and African percussion

Sonny Rollins - Freedom Suite (1958)

Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins' last Riverside album was reissued on this Original Jazz Classics CD. Jamming in a pianoless trio with bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Max Roach, Rollins is very creative, stretching out on his lengthy "Freedom Suite," clearly enjoying investigating the obscure Noel Coward melody "Someday I'll Find You," turning the show tune "Till There Was You" into jazz, and finding beauty in "Shadow Waltz" and "Will You Still Be Mine?" A near masterpiece.

by Scott Yanow in All Music Guide

Styles:
Bop
Hard-Bop

Tracks:
01 - The Freedom Suite (19:17)
02 - Someday I'll Find You (4:35)
03 - Will You Still Be Mine? (2:54)
04 - Till There Was You (4:54)
05 - Till There Was You (4:55)
06 - Shadow Waltz (4:08)

Line-up:
Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone
Oscar Pettiford - bass
Max Roach - drums

George Russell - New York, N.Y. (1959)

George Russell was one of the most forward-thinking composers and arrangers on the jazz scene during the 1950s, but his work was generally more appreciated by musicians than the jazz-buying public. New York, New York represents one of many high points in his career. He assembled an all-star orchestra, including pianist Bill Evans (a frequent participant on Russell's recordings), Art Farmer, Bob Brookmeyer, John Coltrane, and Milt Hinton, among others. In Rodgers & Hart's "Manhattan," Russell has the soloists playing over the orchestra's vamp, while he also creates an imaginative "East Side Medley" combining the standards "Autumn in New York" and "How About You." His original material is just as striking as his arrangements, while vocalist Jon Hendricks serves as narrator between orchestra segments. While this release has been reissued several times, it rarely remains in print for long, so don't miss the opportunity to acquire this elusive CD.

by Ken Dryden in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Manhattan (10:34)
02 - Big City Blues (11:40)
03 - Manhattan: "Rico" (10:12)
04 - East Side Medley: Autumn in New York / How About You? (8:01)
05 - A Helluva Town (5:01)

Line-up:
George Russell - arranger, conductor
Art Farmer - trumpet
Doc Severinson - trumpet
Ernie Royal - trumpet
Bob Brookmeyer - trombone
Frank Rehak - alto saxophone
Tom Mitchell - alto saxophone
Hal McKusick - alto saxophone
John Coltrane - tenor saxophone
Sol Schlinger - baritone saxophone
Bill Evans - piano
Barry Galbraith - guitar
Milt Hinton - bass
Charlie Persip - drums
Jon Hendricks - vocals, narration

Weather Report - Night Passage (1980)

All things being relative, this is Weather Report's straightahead album, where the elaborate production layers of the late-'70s gave way to sparer textures and more unadorned solo improvisation in the jazz tradition, electric instruments and all. The flaw of this album is the shortage of really memorable compositions; it is more of a vehicle for the virtuosic feats of what is considered by some to be the classic WR lineup -- Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Robert Thomas, Jr. and Peter Erskine. For Erskine, this is is first full studio album and he amply demonstrates his terrific sense of forward drive unique among the other superb drummers in WR annals. "Port of Entry" is a tour de force for Jaco, who knocks off several of those unbelievably slippery, pointed runs that have made him a posthumous legend. There is also a tremendously fun retro trip to Duke Ellington's "Rockin' in Rhythm," everybody swinging their heads and hands off.
by Richard S. Ginell in All Music Guide

Style:
Fusion

Tracks:
01 Night Passage
02 Dream Clock
03 Port of Entry
04 Forlorn
05 Rockin' in Rhythm
06 Fast City
07 Three Views of a Secret
08 Madagascar

Line-up:
Joe Zawinul - keyboards
Wayne Shorter - soprano and tenor saxophones
Jaco Pastorius - bass
Peter Erskine - drums
Robert Thomas - percussion

Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (1959)

Charles Mingus' debut for Columbia, Mingus Ah Um is a stunning summation of the bassist's talents and probably the best reference point for beginners. While there's also a strong case for The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady as his best work overall, it lacks Ah Um's immediate accessibility and brilliantly sculpted individual tunes. Mingus' compositions and arrangements were always extremely focused, assimilating individual spontaneity into a firm consistency of mood, and that approach reaches an ultra-tight zenith on Mingus Ah Um. The band includes longtime Mingus stalwarts already well versed in his music, like saxophonists John Handy, Shafi Hadi, and Booker Ervin; trombonists Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis; pianist Horace Parlan; and drummer Dannie Richmond. Their razor-sharp performances tie together what may well be Mingus' greatest, most emotionally varied set of compositions. At least three became instant classics, starting with the irrepressible spiritual exuberance of signature tune "Better Get It in Your Soul," taken in a hard-charging 6/8 and punctuated by joyous gospel shouts. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is a slow, graceful elegy for Lester Young, who died not long before the sessions. The sharply contrasting "Fables of Faubus" is a savage mockery of segregationist Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, portrayed musically as a bumbling vaudeville clown (the scathing lyrics, censored by skittish executives, can be heard on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus). The underrated "Boogie Stop Shuffle" is bursting with aggressive swing, and elsewhere there are tributes to Mingus' three most revered influences: "Open Letter to Duke" is a suite of three tunes; "Bird Calls" is inspired by Charlie Parker; and "Jelly Roll" is an idiosyncratic yet affectionate nod to jazz's first great composer, Jelly Roll Morton. It simply isn't possible to single out one Mingus album as definitive, but Mingus Ah Um comes the closest.

by Steve Huey in All Music Guide

Styles:
Hard-Bop
Post-Bop
Progressive Jazz

Tracks:
01 - Better Git It in Your Soul (7:23)
02 - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (4:46/5:44)
03 - Boogie Stop Shuffle" (3:41/5:02)
04 - Self-Portrait in Three Colors (3:10)
05 - Open Letter to Duke (4:56/5:51)
06 - Bird Calls (3:12/6:17)
07 - Fables of Faubus (8:13)
08 - Pussy Cat Dues (6:27/9:14)
09 - Jelly Roll (4:01/6:17)
10 - Pedal Point Blues (6:30) [reissued bonus track]
11 - GG Train (4:39) [reissued bonus track]
12 - Girl of My Dreams (4:08) [reissued bonus track]

Line-up:
Charles Mingus – bass, piano (with Parlan on track 10)
John Handy – alto sax (1, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12), clarinet (8), tenor sax (2)
Booker Ervin – tenor sax
Shafi Hadi – tenor sax (1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10), alto sax (5, 6, 9, 12)
Willie Dennis – trombone (3, 4, 5, 12)
Jimmy Knepper – trombone (1, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Horace Parlan – piano
Dannie Richmond – drums

Dexter Gordon - Go (1962)

From the first moments when Dexter Gordon sails into the opening song full of brightness and confidence, it is obvious that Go! is going to be one of those albums where everything just seems to come together magically. A stellar quartet including the stylish pianist Sonny Clark, the agile drummer Billy Higgins, and the solid yet flexible bassist Butch Warren are absolutely crucial in making this album work, but it is still Gordon who shines. Whether he is dropping quotes into "Three O'Clock in the Morning" or running around with spritely bop phrases in "Cheese Cake," the album pops and crackles with energy and exuberance. Beautiful ballads like "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" metamorphosize that energy into emotion and passion, but you can still see it there nonetheless. Gordon had many high points in his five decade-long career, but this is certainly the peak of it all.

by Stacia Proefrock in All Music Guide

Styles:
Hard-Bop

Tracks:
01 - Cheese Cake (6:33)
02 - Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry (5:23)
03 - Second Balcony Jump (7:05)
04 - Love for Sale (7:40)
05 - Where Are You (5:21)
06 - Three O'Clock in the Morning (5:40)

Line-up:
Dexter Gordon — tenor saxophone
Sonny Clark — piano
Butch Warren — bass
Billy Higgins — drums

Anthony Braxton - For Alto (1969)

After issuing Anthony Braxton's Three Compositions of New Jazz in 1968, Chicago's Delmark Records took an enormous chance by issuing the first lengthy solo saxophone improvisation record in 1969 -- and as a double LP no less! And while it's true that hindsight is 20/20, For Alto is still, over 30 years later, a record that is ahead of its time. There is nothing tame or nostalgic about these blasts of jazz futurism from the young Braxton, who sounds here like he's trying to blow his way out of Chicago. Most of the pieces on this set are over nine minutes, and all are dedicated to various influences and friends in the saxophonist's circle. Perhaps the most frightening -- and enlightening -- improvisation here is "To Composer John Cage." Braxton attempts to literally change the entire tonal terrain on which the saxophone plays solo. His skittering skeins of cascading runs are interspersed with huge shouts and screeches all played at lightning speed with a deftness and angularity of approach that is far superior to most of his peers at the time, Messrs. Mitchell and Jarman included. Braxton was introducing tonal possibilities and deconstructions on this record; a solid listen to "Dedicated to Multi-Instrumentalist Leroy Jenkins," with its deep color palette and textural shifts and shapes, is enough to disorient one still. Also, the use of trills as interval markers in "To Artist Murray De Pillars" is remarkable -- especially now, as no one would follow this logic for such an extended period anymore. The reinvention of blues theory on this piece that becomes a kind of muted expressionism is truly remarkable. Many of the recordings from the magical period of the '60s and early-'70s creative movement sound dated now, quaint and diffuse from their original power. For Alto is not one of those records; it still has the literacy and vision to teach us about concentration, vision, emotional aesthetics, and even spiritual possibilities in the world of sound and how that world, that universe, interacts and dovetails with our lives. For Alto is one of the greatest solo saxophone records ever made, and maybe one of the greatest recordings ever issued, period.

By Thom Jurek on All Music Guide

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Free-Jazz

Tracks:
01 - Dedicated to Multi-Instrumentalist Jack Gell (0:42)
02 - To Composer John Cage (9:30)
03 - To Artist Murray dePillars (4:17)
04 - To Pianist Cecil Taylorv (5:18)
05 - Dedicated to Ann and Peter Allen (12:54)
06 - Dedicated to Susan Axelrod (10:24)
07 - To My Friend Kenny McKenny (10:06)
08 - Dedicated to Multi-Instrumentalist Leroy Jenkins (19:47)

Line-up:
Anthony Braxton - alto saxophone

Leon Thomas - Spirits Known and Unknown (1969)

Leon Thomas' debut solo recording after his tenure with Pharoah Sanders is a fine one. Teaming with a cast of musicians that includes bassist Cecil McBee, flutist James Spaulding, Roy Haynes, Lonnie Liston Smith, Richard Davis, and Sanders (listed here as "Little Rock"), etc. Thomas' patented yodel is in fine shape here, displayed alongside his singular lyric style and scat singing trademark. The set begins with a shorter, more lyrical version of Thomas' signature tune "The Creator Has a Master Plan," with the lyric riding easy and smooth alongside the yodel, which bubbles up only in the refrains. It's a different story on his own "One," with Davis' piano leading the charge and Spaulding blowing through the center of the track, Thomas alternates scatting and his moaning, yodeling, howling, across the lyrics, through them under them and in spite of them. It's an intense ride and one that sets up the glorious "Echoes." This tune is Thomas at his most spiritual and uplifting, carrying the mysterious drift of his tune entwined with Spaulding's flute and a set of Pan pipes, fluttering in and out of the mix before his wail comes to the fore as a solo. The end of side one reaches into Thomas' past (he sang with everyone from Count Basie to Grant Green and Mary Lou Williams) for a highly original read of Horace Silver's classic "Song for My Father." Thomas imbues the tune with so much emotion, it's a wonder he can keep it under wraps. Side two is more free from in nature with "Damn Nam," a near rant, but one possessed with melodic vision and harmonic invention with this band. There's also the deeply moving "Malcolm's Gone," a co-write between Thomas and Sanders that features the latter's gorgeous blowing, hard and true in the middle of the mix, and a wildly spiritual Eastern vibe coming through in the improvisation. It's the longest track on the record, and one of the most criminally ignored in Thomas' long career. The album closes with Bell and Houston's "Let the Rain Fall on Me." It's a shimmering straight jazz number with a beautiful piano solo by Smith. It sends out a visionary album out on a sweet, soulful note. Ultimately, this is among Thomas' finest moments on vinyl, proving his versatility and accessibility to an audience who, for too long already, had associated him too closely with the avant-garde and free jazz.

Styles:
Avant-Garde
Yodel
Progressive Jazz

Tracks:
01 - Creator Has a Master Plan (Peace) (04:27)
02 - One (03:10)
03 - Echoes (05:42)
04 - Song For My Father (05:21)
05 - Damn Nam (Ain't Going to Vietnam) (04:46)
06 - Malcom's Gone (08:45)
07 - Let the Rain Fall on Me (05:39)
08 - Um, Um, Um (05:25)
09 - Night in Tunisia (08:27)
10 - Take the A Train [Alternate Take #1] (02:15)
11 - Take the A Train [Alternate Take #2] (02:09)
12 - Take the A Train [Master Take] (02:08)
13 - Walkin [Alternate Take] (02:34)
14 - Walkin [Master Take] (02:32)
15 - Willow weep for Me [Alternate Take ] (02:40)
16 - Willow weep for Me [Master Take] (02:34)
17 - If It Didn't Hurt So Much [Alternate Take] (02:41)
18 - If It Didn't Hurt So Much [Master Take] (02:35)

Line-up:
Leon Thomas - vocals
Lonnie Liston Smith - piano
James Spaulding - alto sax
Pharoah Sanders - tenor sax
Cecil McBee - bass
Richard Davis - bass
Roy Haynes - drums
Richard Landrum - bongos

Charlie Haden - Liberation Music Orchestra (1969)

A fascinating reissue that comfortably straddles the lines of jazz, folk, and world music, working up a storm by way of a jazz protest album that points toward the Spanish Civil War in particular and the Vietnam War in passing. Haden leads the charge and contributes material, but the real star here may in fact be Carla Bley, who arranged numbers, wrote several, and contributed typically brilliant piano work. Also of particular note in a particularly talented crew is guitarist Sam Brown, the standout of "El Quinto Regimiento/Los Cuatro Generales/Viva la Quince Brigada," a 21-minute marathon. Reissue producer Michael Cuscuna has done his best with the mastering here, but listeners will note a roughness to the sound -- one that is in keeping with the album's tone and attitude.

by Steven McDonald in All Music Guide

Styles:
Experimental Big Band
Avant-Garde

Tracks:
01 - The Introduction (1:15)
02 - Song of the United Front (1:52)
03 - El Quinto Regimiento/ Los Cuatro Generales/ Viva la Quince Brigada (20:58)
04 - The Ending to the First Side (2:07)
05 - Song for Ché (9:29)
06 - War Orphans (6:42)
07 - The Interlude (Drinking Music) (1:24)
08 - Circus '68 '69" (6:10)
09 - We Shall Overcome (1:19)

Line-up:
Charlie Haden — bass
Perry Robinson — clarinet
Gato Barbieri — clarinet, tenor saxophone
Carla Bley — piano, tambourine
Sam T. Brown — guitar, thumb piano
Don Cherry — flute, cornet
Andrew Cyrille — percussion, drums
Howard Johnson — tuba
Michael Mantler — trumpet
Paul Motian — percussion
Bob Northern — percussion, French horn
Dewey Redman — alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
Roswell Rudd — trombone

John Coltrane - Olé Coltrane (1961)

The complicated rhythm patterns and diverse sonic textures on Olé are evidence that John Coltrane was once again charting his own course. His sheer ability as a maverick -- over and beyond his appreciable musical skills -- guides works such as this to new levels, ultimately advancing the entire art form. Historically, it's worth noting that recording had already commenced -- two days prior to this session -- on Africa/Brass, Coltrane's debut for the burgeoning Impulse! label. The two discs complement each other, suggesting a shift in the larger scheme of Coltrane's musical motifs. The assembled musicians worked within a basic quartet setting, featuring Coltrane (soprano/tenor sax), McCoy Tyner (piano), and Elvin Jones (drums), with double-bass chores held down by Art Davis and Reggie Workman. Added to that are significant contributions and interactions with Freddie Hubbard (trumpet) and Eric Dolphy (flute and alto sax). Dolphy's contract with another record label prevented him from being properly credited on initial pressings of the album. The title track is striking in its resemblance to the Spanish influence heard on Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain. This is taken a bit further as Coltrane's combo stretches out with inspired improvisations from Dolphy, Hubbard, Tyner, and Coltrane, respectively. "Olé" likewise sports some amazing double-bass interaction. The combination of a bowed upright bass played in tandem with the same instrument that is being plucked has a sinister permeation that assuredly excited Coltrane, who was perpetually searching from outside the norms. The haunting beauty of "Aisha" stands as one of the finest collaborative efforts between Tyner -- the song's author -- and Coltrane. The solos from Hubbard, Dolphy, and an uncredited Tyner gleam from within the context of a single facet in a multi-dimensional jewel. The CD reissue also includes an extra track cut during the Olé sessions. "To Her Ladyship" is likewise on the seven-volume Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings box set.

by Lindsay Planer in All Music Guide

Styles:
Modal
Hard Bop
Post Bop

Tracks:
01 - Olé (18:15)
02 - Dahomey Dance (10:52)
03 - Aisha (7:39)
04 - To Her Ladyship [Bonus Track] (8:58)

Line up:
John Coltrane – soprano sax, tenor sax
Eric Dolphy – flute, alto sax
Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
McCoy Tyner – piano
Reggie Workman – bass
Art Davis – bass
Elvin Jones – drums

Charles Mingus - The Clown (1957)

The Clown was Charles Mingus' second masterpiece in a row, upping the already intense emotional commitment of Pithecanthropus Erectus and burning with righteous anger and frustration. With Pithecanthropus, Mingus displayed a gift for airtight, focused arrangements that nonetheless allowed his players great freedom to add to the established mood of each piece. The Clown refines and heightens that gift; instead of just writing heads that provide launch points for solos, Mingus tries to evoke something specific with every piece, and even his most impressionistic forays have a strong storytelling quality. In fact, The Clown's title cut makes that explicit with a story verbally improvised by Jean Shepherd (yes, the same Jean Shepherd responsible for A Christmas Story) from a predetermined narrative. There are obvious jazz parallels in the clown's descent into bitterness with every unresponsive, mean-spirited audience, but the track is even more interesting for the free improvisations led by trombonist Jimmy Knepper, as the group responds to Shepherd's story and paints an aural backdrop. It's evidence that Mingus' compositional palette was growing more determinedly modern, much like his increasing use of dissonance, sudden tempo changes, and multiple sections. The Clown introduced two of Mingus' finest compositions in the driving, determined "Haitian Fight Song" and the '40s-flavored "Reincarnation of a Lovebird," a peaceful but melancholy tribute to Charlie Parker; Mingus would return to both throughout his career. And, more than just composing and arranging, Mingus also begins to take more of the spotlight as a soloist; in particular, his unaccompanied sections on "Haitian Fight Song" make it one of his fieriest moments ever. Mingus may have matched the urgency of The Clown on later albums, but he never quite exceeded it.
By Steve Huey in All Music Guide

Styles:
Post-bop

Tracks:
01 - Haitian Fight Song (11:57)
02 - Blue Cee (7:48)
03 - Reincarnation of a Lovebird (8:31)
04 - The Clown (12:29)

Line-up:
Charles Mingus - bass
Shafi Hadi - alto and tenor Saxophone
Jimmy Knepper - trombone
Wade Legge - piano
Dannie Richmond - drums
Jean Shepherd - narration