Harold Land - Choma (Burn) (1972) [vinyl]

The oddest of the Hutcherson-Land albums, at times driving mainstream post-bop, as expected, at times 70s jazz-funk fusion, perhaps the influence of Land's son? Personally I'd have preferred more subtlety and indeed suppleness from the drumming but overall there's much to enjoy here if, like me, your a devotee of these two.

1. Choma (Burn)
2. Our Home
3. Black Caucus
4. Up And Down

Harold Land (ts,fl) Bobby Hutcherson (vb, marimba) Bill Henderson, Harold Land, Jr. (p,el-p) Reggie Johnson (b) N'Dugu, Woody Theus(d)
1971

Gary Giddins' Post-War Jazz: An Arbitrary Road Map, 1960-1967

Hmmmm, Well, maybe THIS part will spark some debate...I guess everyone is okay with Giddin's choices 1944-59? If you take a look at his accompanying essay in the Village Voice, you will see that he expected these picks to be challenged and that he has written a defense, if you will, of each track.

Gary Giddins' Post-War Jazz: An Arbitrary Road Map, 1960-1967 by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Gary Giddins' Post-War Jazz: An Arbitrary Road Map, 1944-1959

The beginning of an entirely subjective list of year by year significant jazz tunes - an invitation to debate! 

Here's Gidden's article about the list and it's suggestions

Robert Christgau's review:
" Postwar Jazz: An Arbitrary Roadmap [no label/Weatherbird, 2003] Gary Giddins Jazz, I call it. Not officially for sale and never will be, permissions being the slough of greed, vanity, and indifference they are. But available on the Net to those as know how, I am assured by one of the two nuts of my acquaintance who copied, borrowed, ripped, and otherwise purloined a six-CDR set comprising the 1945-2001 choice cuts our greatest jazz critic annotated for the June 11, 2002, Voice. Beyond the cross-generational ecumenicism Giddins champions--the assumption that jazz musicians are artists for life, so that a supernally lucid summation by 78-year-old Benny Carter takes the 1985 prize--is a music in which intellection harnesses energy and feeling and rides them hard toward the horizon. The selections are sometimes too avant for my tastes, and insufficiently electric (Craig Harris over Blood Ulmer in 1983?!); I wouldn't agree they're all "great records." But the vast majority come close enough. Among the artists I'd never have believed could dazzle me like this are Art Pepper, Gil Evans, Tommy Flanagan, Stan Getz, George Russell, and, I admit it, Sarah Vaughan. Why had I barely heard of Sonny Criss? How the fuck did I miss "Little Rootie Tootie"? A+"

Gary Giddins' Post-War Jazz: An Arbitrary Road Map, 1944-1959, by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Jaki Byard - Out Front

"Out Front is one of my favorite Jaki Byard albums, though it doesn't really get to his wilder side. I love hearing him play with Bob Cranshaw and Walter Perkins on this track they lay down some serious music. Jaki has a certain way of playing his bebop knowledge, he's able to turn the phrases to make them feel just a bit off. That's to say, he switches the phrase to the other side of the beat with such ease, and then switches it back. Also, I remember him telling me that he wrote this piece with Herbie Nichols' touch in mind. I thought that was such a great way to start a composition, with "touch" in mind."

Reviewer: Jason Moran

Clifford Jordan - Dr. Chicago (1984) [vinyl>flac]

Re-upped from the old Crypt. I couldn't resist a sealed copy of this, so ripped from mint vinyl. On the BeeHive label, a catalogue that has never been issued on CD.

This excellent Bee Hive LP features tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan on three quartet numbers with pianist Jaki Byard, bassist Ed Howard and drummer Vernel Fournier, welcoming trumpeter Red Rodney to two other selections and taking "If I Had You" as a duet with the very versatile Byard. The repertoire is colorful and diverse (three jazz standards, an obscurity, Jordan's bluesy title cut and Fournier's intriguing "Zombie"), and the very consistent Jordan is up to his usual high level. ~ Scott Yanow

01 Dr. Chicago
02 Something To Live For
03 Zombie
04 Touch Love
05 If I Had You
06 Be Bop

Clifford Jordan (ts) Red Rodney (t, flh) Jaki Byard (p) Ed Howard (b)
Vernel Fournier (d)
Vanguard Studios, NYC, August 3, 1984

Bud Freeman Esq. (1966) [vinyl>flac]

Another rarity, ripped from mono vinyl, which was not in great condition but I've done my best with it. You'll already have an extra track, from the same session, if you downloaded 'Americans in Europe' posted last April.

Review by Gerald Lascelles, Jazz Journal, December 1966:
When Bud Freeman was over here last June he had the opportunity to record with an all-British rhythm section, not the Alex Welsh band with whom he has toured, televised, and worked on several occasions. Dick Katz, former pianist with the Ray Ellington quartet, now better known as an agent, was co-opted as pianist for the session, and those stalwarts of rhythm, Spike Heatley and Tony Crombie, completed the group. The accent was clearly on spontaneity, and no less than five of the tracks on this album were taken down first time through, which is a tribute both to Bud and his men.
With Bud, surely one of the most self-composed and reassuring of all jazzmen, there is no question of a cutting contest, or of trying to catch out the accompanists. What was blown at this session is uncompromising jazz, melodic and tasteful throughout, but he deliberately avoided a shouting session where he might have overwhelmed the group. Instead, he blends carefully, leaving solo spots for the rhythm men, and in return gets exceptionally good support from them all. Dick Katz is a splendid two-fisted pianist, who makes the most of his opportunity to work with Bud. It is certainly good to hear Bud blowing his old perennial Eel again, and Sunday and Indian Summer. I leave no doubts in my mind that he still has plenty to say in terms of jazz.
This turns out to be one of those splendidly swinging sessions which sometimes emerge from our studios, with nothing elaborate to complicate the serious business of playing good jazz. It rides high in my assessment of all the records I have heard this year, and I shall welcome the lime when Bud contributes another session of jazz 'made in England'.

Review by John Postgate, Jazz Monthly, January 1967:
lt is impossible to write unkindly about this record, though the reviewer is bound to admit that not much happens on it. Freeman's talent is indisputable; he has distilled his earlier, probing, hit-or-miss style into a repertoire of highly personal phrases that he passes out with meticulous care and deliberation. His innovations were incorporated into the body of jazz thirty years ago, when accidental sixths and ninths became commonplace, and today he is content to play within the framework he developed then. On this issue he dispenses a sedate programme of standards, including a brisk but gentle re-working of The Eel, and the support provided by his British accompanists is outstanding, particularly the contribution of Spike Heatley. As I said, a likeable record, depicting a perfectionist in a small backwater of our music.

1. Sweet Sue
2. Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
3. Indian Summer
4. Higgins Said No!
5. Mean To Me
6. Tea For Two
7. You Took Advantage Of Me
8. Dinah
9. The Eel
10. Sunday
11. I Could Write A Book
12. I Got Rhythm

Bud Freeman (ts); Dick Katz (p): Spike Heatley (b): Tony Crombie (d).
Fontana Studio, Marble Arch, London, June 1966.
(Fontana TL 5370)

Booker Ervin - That's It!

 That smoldering intensity that was kept largely under the covers in the previous two albums burns through the bed clothes on this date! For me, this is Booker's coming out party, that wonderful slightly unhinged wail is in full throat. It is that tone that first captured MY ear.

I think you would have to call this music pretty advanced for 1961. The four Ervin originals in particular are just glorious. These guys were a regular working unit at the time, they were communicating on a nearly magical level and pushing on into the post-bop frontier.

 "Booker Ervin, who always had a very unique sound on the tenor, is heard in prime form on his quartet set with pianist Horace Parlan, bassist George Tucker and drummer Al Harewood. In virtually all cases, the jazz and blues musicians who recorded for Candid in 1960-61 (during its original brief existence) were inspired and played more creatively than they did for other labels. That fact is true for Ervin, even if he never made an indifferent record. In addition to "Poinciana" and "Speak Low," Ervin's quartet (which was a regular if short-lived group) performs four of the leader's originals; best known is "Booker's Blues."

Frank Butler - Wheelin' And Dealin' (1978) [vinyl]

I first heard this when wil posted an mp3 rip at kublascrib. I liked it so much that I couldn't resist a near mint vinyl copy that came my way! Never issued on CD.

Frank Butler's second and last recording as a leader followed his first by just under one year. He retains the same rhythm section as on The Stepper (Dolo Coker and Monty Budwig), while featuring two tenor saxophonists, Joe Farrell and Teddy Edwards, this time around. Missing are the longer drum solos of the earlier album; instead the focus is primarily on the two saxes. Edwards wrote the opening up-tempo blues "Wheelin' and Dealin'," which turns into an old-fashioned tenor battle, with both men coming out victorious. The ballad medley is split, with Farrell taking "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good") and Edwards playing "Tenderly," though the latter's solo gets the nod. Butler is showcased briefly in a snappy treatment of ‘Four" and more extensively in Coker's "Mr. October." Since this long out of print Xanadu LP is a bit more accessible than its predecessor, it will especially appeal to lovers of hard bop.

1. Wheelin' And Dealin' (Teddy Edwards)
2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster)
3. Tenderly (Walter Gross, Jack Lawrence)
4. Four (Eddie Vinson, Miles Davis)
5. Secret Love (Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster)
6. My Cherie Amour (Stevie Wonder, Henry Cosby, Sylvia Rose Moy)
7. Mr. October (Charles 'Dolo' Coker)

Teddy Edwards, Joe Farrell (ts), Dolo Coker (p), Monty Budwig (b), Frank Butler (d)
Los Angeles, CA. October 22, 1978

Booker Ervin 1960

 A pair of one-off sessions made during Ervin's Mingus time. These catch him in a more straight ahead hard bop mode than the later recordings.

"Booker Ervin's debut as a leader teamed the intense tenor saxophonist with fellow tenor Zoot Sims (one will have little difficulty telling the cool-toned Zoot apart from Booker), trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist George Tucker and drummer Dannie Richmond. Ervin (who has his ballad "Largo" as a feature) performs five originals and "Poor Butterfly"; best are the slow blues "The Blue Book" and the rapid blues "The Book Cooks." AMG

The same year Ervin did a Savoy session with a trio of Mingus band mates including his roommate Horace Parlan and the brilliant Richard Williams, a memorable trumpet voice that was lost too soon. The album has a more coherent feel than many Savoy sessions of the time because this was a frequent working unit in clubs.

Clifford Jordan/Von Freeman - Hyde Park After Dark (1981) [Bee Hive 7014]

I couldn't let a comment to my previous Jordan post go unchallenged so I've re-upped this from the old Crypt. Never issued on CD, I was fortunate to acquire a sealed copy of this LP - so ripped from mint vinyl.

Review by Brian Davis, Jazz Journal, July 1994

"This is not a blowing session ambling through a couple of standards, I Got Rhythm and a blues. As the titles show this is a challenging choice of two rarely played ballads, three compositions by other jazzmen, one by Simmons (Sad Sam which, as it happens, is the only weak track, a slowish minor-keyed thing in samba rhythm progressively losing impetus) and one, the title track, by Jordan.
This latter with a nice 'head' by Simmons (as on all others) refers to the long gone Chicago nightlife area which also housed the famed BeeHive Lounge where many NYC bebop pioneers played alongside their Chicago brethren. Simmons immediately shows his mettle jumping in as first man up with a grooving, meaty percussive solo, followed by Touff's bass trumpet. Touff has proportionately less exposure throughout than the others. His sound is pleasantly burry, resembling an abrasive toned Bob Brookmeyer; his ideas are similar but he has less to say. You're Blasé is Simmons and rhythm only and here the pianist commands attention with a beautiful loping solo.
The central interest is the two tenors. Jordan is a strong player and never less than interesting. Easily his best is his ballad feature, an expressive and sensitive reading of the one-time Gillespie big band theme, I Waited For You. Freeman's ballad choice, I'm Glad There Is You, is typical of his unconventional approach. Speech-like in delivery, his phrasing stark and effecting a wide vibrato, he achieves a maximum of drama. Sproles is a rock-solid no frills bassist and anchor man throughout, while Campbell swings lightly but a bit too politely at times.
Good to see BeeHive buzzing again and up to that label's expected high standard."

01 - Hyde Park After Dark
02 - You're Blasé
03 - Lotus Blossom
04 - Sad Sam
05 - I Waited For You
06 - I'm Glad There Is You
07 - 2° East, 3° West

Clifford Jordan, Von Freeman (ts); Cy Touff (b-t); Norman Simmons (p); Victor Sproles (b); Wilbur Campbell (d). Chicago, September 5, 1981

Clifford Jordan - Hello Hank Jones

New link now available. From the original direct to disc LP.

Review by Ken Dryden
"Direct-to-disc recordings were highly sought by audiophiles during their heyday in the late '70s and early '80s, prior to the widespread availability of digital recordings. The technology had its advantages, especially during jazz sessions, where musicians the caliber of Clifford Jordan weren't handicapped by the engineer's inability to splice takes or overdub afterwards. Jordan, who is the leader of the session, shines on tenor sax, driven by an outstanding rhythm section with seasoned pianist Hank Jones, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Freddie Waits. Following an extensive exploration of Jordan's very catchy post-bop Vienna (which he previously recorded nine years earlier for the LP In the World), the quartet shifts into a bop mode with a superb take of Oscar Pettiford's Bohemia After Dark and a hard-blowing interpretation of Cole Porter's Love for Sale. Like all direct-to-disc recordings, this long unavailable LP is a limited edition that was in short supply and difficult to find even when it was issued. Any jazz fan fortunate enough to locate a copy decades later will enjoy the performances and marvel at the warm, very intimate sound achieved by the musicians and the engineers on that summer day in 1978."

1. Vienna
2. Bohemia After Dark
3. Love For Sale

Clifford Jordan (ts) Hank Jones (p) Reggie Workman (b) Freddie Waits (d)
NYC July 5, 1978
(East World EWLF-98003 - Japan)

Hampton Hawes - Live At Montmartre (1971) [vinyl]

New links now available for both albums.
Something from my favourite pianist, several albums emerged from Hawes' European tour with this trio in 1971.

This Guys In Love With You

Review by Scott Yanow:
Hampton Hawes, a bop-oriented pianist in the '50s, continued to develop and evolve throughout his career without losing his musical identity. For this trio set with bassist Henry Franklin and drummer Michael Carvin, Hawes shows the influence of McCoy Tyner a bit and, by performing Burt Bacharach's "This Guy's in Love with You" (along with four other group originals), he shows his openness to including some pop material in his repertoire (although his explorative version owes little to the original hit tune). This excellent live session has plenty of close interplay by the tight trio.

01 - This Guy's In Love With You
02 - South Hampton*
03 - The Camel
04 - Little Miss Laurie
05 - Hamp's Broad Blue Acres

*'South Hampton' is actually Wayne Shorter's 'Footprints' and is correctly titled and credited on the later 'Live at Montmartre' reissues.

Dexter Gordon (ts -5) Hampton Hawes (ps) Henry Franklin (bs) Michael Carvin (d)
"Jazzhus Montmartre", Copenhagen, Denmark, September 2, 1971

A Little Copenhagen Night Music

Liner Notes by Michael Cuscuna:
This is a companion album to Hampton Hawes' first Freedom disc, first released as "This Guy's In Love With You" and later released as "Live At The Monmartre!' While both albums were recorded live at the Jazzhus Monmartre on the same night, the circumstances and music differ greatly.
That first album featuring contemporary compositions by the trio members and others in carefully planned arrangements was recorded early in the night before a full crowd. Most of the material from "A Little Copenhagen Night Music" was taped very late into the night with an intimate crowd in an after hours environment. While Hamp's "Spanish Way" might fit more into the mold of the contemporary material, the rest of this performance finds the pianist comfortably digging into four be-bop classics.
This 1971 European tour with Henry Franklin and Michael Carvin marked a fruitful and happy period in Hamp's too often tragic and frustrated career. That joy is communicated in this rare glimpse at Hamp in a totally informal setting. It was very soon after this tour that Hamp returned to the States and began playing in a new fusion style with electric keyboards. In fact, at the end of this long night
of September 2, 1971, Hamp began playing for the first time an electric piano that pianist Tommy Clausen had brought into the club.
Dexter Gordon, a long time comrade of Hamp's from their early Los Angeles days, joined the group that night for a very special reunion. In the actual sequence of that night, Dexter's classic "Dexter's Deck" followed "Now's The Time!' If one listens carefully, one can hear Dex walk up to the bandstand during "Now's The Time" and call, "Can the tenor player get some?"
Dexter and Hamp were again reunited and recorded by Prestige at the 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival. Their mutual respect and enthusiasm for one another are clearly audible on the rousing version of "Dexter's Deck!' Ironically, Dexter on tour during his triumphant re-entry in the American scene arrived in Los Angeles in May of 1977 only to be greeted with the news of Hamp's death and stayed to attend the funeral.
Hampton Hawes' life and struggles and talent have been well documented in various articles, in his autobiography and on his many fine recordings for Contemporary, Black Lion-Freedom, Prestige and a few others. His abrupt and premature end was just another example of the tragedy and injustice that plagued his entire life.

1. Now's The Time
2. Round Midnight
3. Cheryl
4. Spanish Way
5. Long Tall Dexter (Dexter Deck)

Dexter Gordon (ts -5) Hampton Hawes (ps) Henry Franklin (bs) Michael Carvin (d)
"Jazzhus Montmartre", Copenhagen, Denmark, September 2, 1971
(Freedom (E) FLP 41043)