Carter Jefferson - The Rise of Atlantis (24/48 vinyl rip)

An new 24/48 rip with considerably improved results, at least I think so.

Carter Jefferson - The Rise of Atlantis
Timeless Muse 309, 1979

a-01 Why - 7:40 (Victor Lewis)
a-02 The Rise Of Atlantis - 6:55 (Carter Jefferson)
a-03 Wind Chimes - 7:25 (Clint Houston)

Carter Jefferson (ldr), Carter Jefferson (ss, ts), Terumasa Hino (t, fh), Harry Whitaker (p), Clint Houston (b), Victor Lewis (d), Steve Thornton (cga, per), Lani Groves (v) December 23, 1978

b-01 Changing Trains - 5:05 (Carter Jefferson)
b-02 Song For Gwen - 7:22 (Carter Jefferson)
b-03 Blues For Wood - 6:18 (Ronnie Mathews, Woody Shaw)

Carter Jefferson (ldr), Carter Jefferson (ss, ts), Shunzo Ono (t), John Hicks (p), Clint Houston (b), Victor Lewis (d) December 27, 1978

"Tenor saxophonist Carter Jefferson made somewhat of a name for himself when trumpeter Woody Shaw chose him as a member of his first working quintet. Shaw is the producer of this album, Jefferson's fine debut (and evidently only) recording as a leader. Taking a cue from Shaw, the saxophonist sticks essentially to a quintet of trumpet and sax backed by all-star rhythm sections. Three of the tracks include hard bop trumpeter Terumasa Hino while the other three feature little-known Japanese trumpeter Shunzo Ono. Most of the tunes are firmly in the school of hard bop, the sort of music that Woody Shaw played so well. While there is not any new ground broken, it is all performed competently enough. While not as emotionally charged as his work with Shaw, Jefferson impresses with a fluid, mobile attack that shows a solid grasp of his material. If the groups seem to be sometimes merely going through the motions, there are nonetheless enough fine moments to make this a worthwhile purchase. " AMG

WOW - How hard was this guy trying to be critical? How about this...when I first heard Bacoso's mp3 rip of this a few years ago I was immediately taken with the album so I was pretty tickled the day I found it in the stacks at Louisiana Music Factory. This is some fine post-bop listening and having Terumasa Hino on one side and Shunzo Ono on the other is interesting - they are more different than I realized. Clint Houston reminds me of all the reasons why I consider him to be so under-rated; he and Victor Lewis cook on this date. Far from lacking passion, Jefferson plays beautifully and the compositions are inventive and entertaining. If you enjoyed the Woody Shaw, Sonny Fortune or Bobby Hutcherson work of this era, then you will certainly enjoy this.

Tony Dagradi - Lunar Eclipse (24/48 vinyl rip)

Tony Dagradi - Lunar Eclipse
 Gramavision 1981

1) Les Deux Couleurs
2) Heart to Heart
3) Duplicity
4) Lunar Eclipse
5) Whirl

Never let it be said I don't support my New Orleans home boys. I posted this on an mp3 years ago from other sources but this one here is FLAC  from my own crispy clean vinyl.

This is de-facto the first Astral Project album. Here is the band as it then performed in New Orleans (1981), minus vocalist Bobby McFerrin. The Beast, David Torkanowsky, is on piano. Dave is of Russian and Cuban descent and both his parents were professional musicians, his dad a classically trained and regularly employed one (a conductor I believe). He also grew up hanging at the French household in the Treme (Bob and George's dad Poppa Albert led the original Tuxedo Brass Band). The result of this is that Dave can play any damn thing in the world pretty much as well as anyone in the world. I get a real kick out of listening to this 31 year old picture of Jim Singleton and Johnny Vidacovich (a bass and drum pair we will send up against any in the world) and see how just how freaking good they were even 30 years ago. These are two guys who have always been really good but have never stopped getting better. I've had many nights where they sent us all home at the end walking on a cloud and talking about it for days. Steve Masakowski is still a couple years away from joining the band but here they have a really nice Cuban percussionist in Mark Sanders. Mark has since left town and lives and works in New York City. Oh yeah, Tony? Well you should KNOW he's a bad-ass from his time in the Carla Bley Band.

Moacir Santos - Coisas 1965

"Moacir Santos (1924–2006) was a Brazilian composer, multi-instrumentalist and music educator. Baden Powell de Aquino and Wilson das Neves both studied under him. As a composer, Santos worked with Nara Leão, Roberto Menescal, Sérgio Mendes and Lynda Laurence, among others." wiki

" One of the main Brazilian arrangers, having renovated the country's harmonic language in the '50s, the underrated Moacir Santos had nevertheless a highly influential role as he had as his pupils, in the '60s: Paulo Moura, Oscar Castro-Neves, Baden Powell, Maurício Einhorn, Geraldo Vespar, Bola Sete, Sérgio Mendes, Dom Um Romão, João Donato, Roberto Menescal, Carlos Lyra, Dori Caymmi, Airto Moreira, and Flora Purim, among others.

In 1968, he was admitted into Henry Mancini's cinema music writing team and, four years later, he launched his first album in the American market, The Maestro, which was nominated for a Grammy award; it was followed by Saudade (1974), Carnival of the Spirits (1975), and Opus 3, No. 1 (1979).
Owner of a distinctive Brazilian style as a composer and arranger, Santos' most-known tunes are "Nanã" (written with Mário Teles), which had over 150 different recordings (including those by Herbie Mann and Kenny Burrell); and "Coisas" (number one to 12); not to mention a series of compositions with Vinicius de Moraes ("Triste de Quem," "Menino Travesso," "Se Você Disser Que Sim," "Lembre-Se"), who praised him in his "Samba da Benção." Having written the arrangements for, among others, Vinicius de Moraes e Odete Lara (1963), Santos also composed the soundtracks for the films Love in the Pacific, Seara Vermelha (an adaptation of Jorge Amado's novel, directed by R. Aversa), Ganga Zumba (Cacá Diegues), O Santo Médico (Sacha Gordine), and Os Fuzis (Ruy Guerra), among others." AMG

***This album has been quite rare for a long time - the original Forma vinyl sells for over $1,000 and the cd reissue disappeared rather quickly so it sells for big bucks as well. This album made the New York Times 100 essential Jazz albums!***

The Cedar Walton Trio w/ Clifford Jordon - A Night at Boomer's, Vol 2 Muse 5022, Vinyl LP

Per a request from one of our old friends.

The Cedar Walton Trio w/ Clifford Jordon - A Night at Boomer's, Vol 2
Muse 5022, Vinyl LP
1) Naima
2) Stella by Starlight
3) All The Way
4) I'll Remember April
5) Blue Monk
6) Bleeker Street Theme

Cedar Walton - piano, Sam Jones - bass, Louis Hayes - drums, special guest Clifford Jordan - tenor sax

When I went to rip this, I found that this very long album had been mixed in a way that each side was a contiguous whole; it was possible to split the tracks using fade ins and outs but I just couldn't see the point, this is how the album was meant to be heard so I leave to each of you if you want to take on that task.

Where volume One featured originals that had the feel of standards, volume Two features standards given fresh life through interpretation by four masters of the art. This is wonderfully beautiful music and the warmth and charm of the night club manages to be communicated without interfering with the music.

Eric Kloss - Essence [new 24/48 vinyl rip]

Even better than the last and in 24/48 Flac too!

 Eric Kloss - Essence
Muse 5038, 1974

A1 Love Will Take You There 15:38
A2 Affinity 8:57
B1 Essence 16:36
B2 Descent 3:40

Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Eric Kloss
Bass – Buster Williams
Drums – Ron Krasinski

Piano, Electric Piano – Mickey Tucker
Trumpet – Marvin 'Hannibal' Peterson

 I have always really adored this one and personally I think the new rip sounds audibly better. Kloss plays tenor on side one, alto on side two. The more I examine Eric's work, the more I've come to believe that tenor was his strongest axe; his alto work is more Cannonball influenced and as such less original, while his tenor work seems to express his personal voice more convincingly. The rhythm section is exceptional, Buster and Mickey both shine. I remember that at the time, for me, the revelation of this album was Marvin 'Hannibal' Peterson who sparkles throughout this modal post-bop romp.

Dave Pike - Let The Minstrels Play On (1978) [vinyl]

Here is another dynamic group led by Dave Pike with a consistent array of tunes primarily set to expose a fusion of jazz ranging from bop through to some samba styled beats. Joined with him again as on "On A Gentle Note" is Ron Escheté on guitar, Luther Hughes on Bass and along with Tom Rainer on keyboards things really start to swing. Rainer turns his hand to Alto on "Groovin' High". A favourite of mine is "Icarus" by Ralph Towner where we get to hear some wonderful bowed Piccolo bass work by Luther Hughes. The use of Musical Box by Ted Hawke on "Swan Lake" adds an interesting intro and exit to the tune. The rhythm section with powerful drumming coming from Ted Hawke and percussion from Don Williams backs Pike's vibes to the tee. The album continues on from the previous delivering this time a broader repertoire of tunes exhibiting the skills of an imaginative and gifted musician and leader.

Muse Records, MR 5203, 1978

Recorded 22^nd & 23^rd March, 1978 at Sage & Sound Studio, Hollywood, California

Musicians:

Dave Pike - Vibraphone, Percussion

Tom Ranier - Keyboards, Alto Saxophone (#A3)

Ron Escheté - Guitar

Luther Hughes - Bass, Cello, Bass [Piccolo] (#B2)

Ted Hawke - Drums, Percussion, Musical Box (#B1)

Don Williams - Percussion

Carol Escheté - Vocals

Tracks:

A1. Spirit's Samba {Ron Escheté } (6:50)

A2. Professor Porno's Romanc {Dave Pike} (6:04)

A3. Groovin' High {Dizzy Gillespie} (7:08)

B1. Swan Lake {Tchaikovsky} (9:27)

B2. Icarus {Ralph Towner} (5:26)

B3. Rabbi Mogen's Hideout {Dave Pike} (6:52)

Credits:

Producer - Bill Metz

Engineer - James Mooney

Dave Pike - On A Gentle Note (1978) [vinyl]

After 1966, vibraphonist Dave Pike was primarily heard on European labels until he made his first album for Muse in 1975. His second effort for the label teams Pike with a variety of top L.A. players: Tom Ranier on electric piano (he plays alto on "Scrapple from the Apple"), guitarist Ron Eschete, bassist Luther Hughes, drummer Ted Hawke, and the obscure Rudolph Johnson on tenor. There are some unaccompanied solos (Eschete on "Everytime We Say Goodbye," Ranier's keyboard on "Gigi," and Pike on "Visions of Spain") and a fair amount of variety in the rhythms (ranging from straight-ahead to Latin and rock), making this a generally unpredictable (if now hard to find) LP. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG.

Muse Records, MR 5168, 1978

Recorded November & December 1977 at United Audio Studio, Santa Ana, California

Musicians:

Dave Pike - Vibraphone

Tom Ranier - Electric Piano, Alto Saxophone

Rudolph Johnson - Tenor Saxophone

Ron Eschete - Guitar

Luther Hughes - Bass

Ted Hawke - Drums, Percussion

Tracks:

A1. Lazy Afternoon {John Latouche, Jerome Morass} (9:29)

A2. Gigi {Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe} (2:59)

Tom Ranier - Electric Piano [Soloist]

A3. Regards From Freddie Horowitz {Dave Pike} (7:58)

B1. Secret Mystery Of Hensch {Dave Pike, Volker Kreigel} (9:23)

B2. Everytime We Say Goodbye {Cole Porter} (2:23)

Ron Eschete - Guitar [Soloist]

B3. Scrapple From The Apple {Charlie Parker} (6:01)

Tom Ranier - Electric Piano [Soloist]

B4. Visions Of Spain {Dave Pike} (1:58)

Dave Pike - Vibraphone [Soloist]

Credits:

Producer - Bill Metz

Engineer - Evan Williams

Art Direction, Design [Cover Illustration] - Tamar Zinn

George Braith - Laughing Soul (24/48 vinyl rip)

The first of the two albums that Braith made for Prestige after his Blue Note contract was done. He has nearly the same band with him as his BN days though! The record wasn't in the best of shape, but all in all it sounds pretty good. 

Musically I think it actually surpasses the Blue Note albums and I think George compensated for the lack of practice time at Prestige by using musicians he was already well familiar with and they with him. Patton is especially tasty and he and Green were sonically in each others pockets at this time. A totally dynamite album!

Steve Kuhn - Non-Fiction (1978) [vinyl>flac]

Steve Kuhn is the all-purpose element: his presence heightens any musical concoction. Like no jazz pianist I know, he is aware of the negative spaces between his notes and shapes those spaces to suit the emotional needs of the tune. And what a set of tunes we have in Non-Fiction, a sorely out-of-print firecracker in dire need of a digital fuse. Speaking of conflagration, nothing singes our brow in any Kuhn project quite like “Firewalk,” which, despite its characteristically spacious feel, is clear and present (I bow to the uncredited engineer on this one). Kuhn accolades aside, it’s the sopranism of reedman Steve Slagle that really sets these coals to glowing and cradles every assured step in the liberation of play. Bob Moses and Harvie Swartz - an ideally suited rhythm section if there ever was one - lock the “Random Thoughts” that follow into lively traction. Slagle opts for flute and alto sax over a constantly shifting sonic palette. Whenever he isn’t breathing, he keeps his hands busy with additional percussion. (Unfortunately, the latter comes across as intrusive to my ears during headphone listening. External speakers will remedy this.) “A Dance With The Wind” and “The Fruit Fly” reverse the scales with a collective dose of whimsy and nostalgia. Swartz is simply fantastic here, weaving deftly through Kuhn’s canvas of vamps with distinct yet harmonious brushstrokes of its own. If anything has been missing so far, we find it all collected in “Alias Dash Grapey,” which has it all: a sweeping piano intro, replete with unrestrained cries from Kuhn, a spirited collage of solos (Moses ever palpable), and a deep sense of communication.

This is a tight album with plenty to unpack through repeated listening. Its energies fluctuate in volume, but always to the beat of Kuhn’s erudite dictation. As worth tracking down on vinyl as it is waiting for an appearance on CD. ~ ECM Reviews

An interesting set of inside/outside music with a bit more energy than the more stereotypical ECM set, this set of five originals is performed by pianist Steve Kuhn (who was really developing his own original sound around this time), Steve Slagle (heard on alto, soprano and flute), bassist Harvie Swartz, and drummer Bob Moses. This is a fine release that was soon overshadowed by Kuhn's collaborations with singer Sheila Jordan. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG.

ECM Records, ECM 1124, 1978

Recorded April, 1978 at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg, Germany

Personnel:

Steve Kuhn - Piano, Percussion

Steve Slagle - Alto & Soprano Saxes, Flute, Percussion

Harvie Swartz - Bass

Bob Moses - Drums

Track Listing:

A1. Firewalk {Harvie Swartz} (7:54)

A2. Random Thoughts {Steve Kuhn} (8:03)

A3. A Dance With The Wind {Harvie Swartz} (5:43)

B1. The Fruit Fly {Steve Kuhn} (5:51)

B2. Alias Dash Grapey {Steve Kuhn} (11:49)

Credits:

Producer - Manfred Eicher

Layout - Barbara Wojirsch

Photography - Deborah Feingold

Cover Photo - Klaus Frahm

Post-Trane Philly Jazz

I think we all have a special attachment to the music that was important to us in our teens and 20's, for me that is 70's post-bop, blues and southern soul. One sound that caught my attention back then was the fusion jazz coming out of the Philly/Pittsburgh area. (I add Pittsburgh because Eric Kloss and Pat Martino were key players in this sound and they were actually from Pittsburgh, but they played with the Philly guys.) The twin shadows of Trane's spiritual post-bop and Miles' new electronic fusion funk-jazz hang heavy over this music...it was a good time! This was one of my first mixcloud posts more than a year ago, but it went largely unnoticed due to my lack of an audience, some poor editing and a couple bad song choices. Here it is polished up and done right and if you dug the Black Jazz compilation, then this one should move you too. Those two young men on the cover are Trane's nephews, the Grubbs brothers, aka The Visitors.

Post-Trane Philly Jazz by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Ted Curson + Jazz Live Trio - Live In Zürich (1975)

Here we have a great broadcasted concert by the late great trumpeter Ted Curson. On this date he is joined by the Jazz Live Trio, a tight combo headed by Klaus Koenig on Piano, Peter Frei on bass and drummer Peter Schimdlin. The live concerts at the radio studio in Zurich started in 1969 and took place regularly until 1984 and documented the intense situation in Jazz in Switzerland in this period. The Trio are featured on TCB 02362 Swiss Radio Days Jazz Live Concert Series Volume 36 working with the likes of Johnny Griffin, 1975, Hal Singer, 1980, Leszek Zadlo, and Ferdinand Povel, 1978. So it’s no wonder that they could hold their ground up against Ted’s mighty sounds. The tunes from this session are all penned by Ted and include many that he used across a number of albums, including Live At La Tête De L'Art, Cattin' Curson, Jubilant Power and Quicksand. Enjoy!

FM Broadcast

Recorded 18^th October, 1975 at Zürich, Radio DRS, Studio, Switzerland

Personnel:

Ted Curson - Trumpet

Klaus König - Piano, Electric Piano

Peter Frei - Bass

Peter Schmidlin - Drums

Track Listing:

1. Ida's Tune {Ted Curson} (11:56)

2. Playhouse March {Ted Curson} (13:09)

3. Quicksand {Ted Curson} (13:08)

4. Marjo {Ted Curson} (11:15)

Note:

The original recording taken from Dime was of average sound quality and needed some TLC whilst editing announcements and excess applause.