Shirley Scott - Latin Shadows (1965) [vinyl>flac]

A great album from Shirley Scott - with some excellent arrangements by Gary McFarland! We've always felt that Shirley plays best when she's not leading the group - when someone else is handling the arrangements, so that she can groove mightily on her own - and this album is a perfect illustration of that fact! The album has a sparkling bossa and 60s groove finish - similar to McFarland's albums for Verve at the time - and Shirley's light touch on the Hammond really makes the whole thing dance nicely! Tracks include a sweet version of "Soul Sauce", plus covers like "Can't Get Over the Bossa Nova", "Downtown", and "Dreamsville". Also includes "Latin Shadows", a great original by McFarland! © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Impulse! Records, AS-93, 1965

Recorded 21^st (#A2,A4,A5,B2-B4) & 22^nd (#A1,A3,A6,B1,B5), July, 1965 in New York City

Personnel:

Shirley Scott - Organ

Gary McFarland - Vibraphone

Jerome Richardson - Flute (#A1,A3,A6,B1,B5)

Jimmy Raney - Guitar

Bob Cranshaw - Bass (#A2,A4,A5,B2-B4)

Richard Davis - Bass (#A1,A3,A6,B1,B5)

Mel Lewis - Drums

Willie Rodriguez - Percussion

Strings: [#A1,A3,A6,B1,B5]

Charles McCracken, Edgardo Sodero, Joseph Tekula - Cello

Aaron Rosand, Arnold Eidus, Charles Libove, Harry Cykman, Leo Kruczek - Violin

Arranger, Conductor - Gary McFarland

Track Listing:

A1. Latin Shadows {Gary McFarland} (3:12)

A2. Downtown {Tony Hatch} (3:18)

A3. Who Can I Turn To? {Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley} (2:37)

A4. Can't Get Over The Bossa Nova {Eydie Gorme, Steve Lawrence} (2:42)

A5. This Love Of Mine {Sol Parker, Hank Sanicola, Frank Sinatra} (3:23)

A6. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps {Osvaldo Farrés} (2:39)

B1. Soul Sauce {Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo} (2:50)

B2. Hanky Panky {Gary McFarland} (4:16)

B3. Noche Azúl {Shirley Scott} (2:46)

B4. Dreamsville {Ray Evans, Jay Livingston, Henry Mancini} (3:14)

B5. Feeling Good {Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley} (3:37)

Credits:

Producer - Bob Thiele

Recording Engineer - Bob Simpson

Front Cover Painting - Mel Cheren

Back Cover & Liner Photos - Charles Stewart

Liner Design - Joe Lebow

Liner Notes - George Hoefer, Jazz Magazine

Jerome Richardson - Roamin' With Richardson

As good as the previous album was, this one is even more interesting to me. At least in part I'd attribute that to the fact that there is only 1 flute track and the rest of the record features Richardson's considerable talents on tenor and baritone saxophones. This one is a quartet date  so there is plenty of space for Jerome to display his talents along with strong performances from Richard Wyands, George Tucker and Charlie Persip. The connection between Wyands and Red Garland has never been more evident to me than on this date - were I doing a blindfold test, I would surely have guessed it was Red.

Having already a lot of exposure to Richardson as a flutist and tenor player, it is the 3 tracks featuring his baritone work here that are really eye opening. I'm surprised he wasn't more in demand as a soloist on the big horn because his nimble and expressive solos here put him in a class with the likes of Sahib Shihab, Leo Parker and Pepper Adams; just killer! Perhaps the only flaw that I'd point out in the album is that they probably could have used a couple extra takes of the George Tucker's opening composition "Friar Tuck". It just doesn't seem to quite jell and were this a Blue Note session, for example, I think they would have tried it a couple more times to get it right.

Once again this is from the out of catalog Japanese CD issue which sells for ridiculous $ these days.

Jerome Richardson - Midnight Oil

If you come here with any regularity, you are likely a Jazz collector and, as such, I'm certain that the majority of you have some albums with this man as a sideman. His lovely flute work graces more than 75 albums from the mid 50's through the 60's and 70's and he appears in many a horn section from Mingus to Lionel Hampton to Thad Jones/Mel Lewis playing tenor, alto, baritone and clarinet, all with singular proficiency, but if you are anything like me, you probably haven't heard his work as a session leader. That isn't all that surprising since there there aren't even a full handful of albums to explore.

This 1958 Prestige/New Jazz and one the following year for the same label are the first two albums that I've explored and I've got to say they are first class! This one features frequent partner Kenny Burrell and trombonist Jimmy Cleveland as the other soloists and a terrific rhythm section lead by the great Hank Jones. Richardson plays tenor on the first track and flute and piccolo on the rest of this session on which features 3 originals, an Artie Shaw tune and the Ellington/Tizol warhorse Caravan. The whole session cooks with a cool fire much like that lamp on the front cover. I wish I could say this was a vinyl rip like most of what we feature here at the Crypt, but this comes from the now out of catalog CD.

Prestige 1959

Where there is the rarefied air of studio perfection around the Blue Note version of 1959, there is the relaxed smokey funk of the nightclub oozing about these Prestige offerings from the same year. Pour a drink, perhaps light up, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Prestige 1959 by Kingcake on Mixcloud

The Changing Face Of Harlem (24/48 vinyl rip)

An utterly terrific set that would cost a minor fortune to replicate! Almost like taking a walk down 52nd Street in 1944. The close proximity of recording dates on the majority of these sessions (mid to late 1944) suggests to me that they are part of the rush to the studios at the end of the first musician's union ban on recording.

"This double LP from 1976 features 32 selections taken from the later years of World War II, when swing was gradually turning into bop. There are sessions by the Buck Ram All-Stars, altoist Pete Brown, trumpeter Hot Lips Page, tenor-saxophonists Ben Webster and Herbie Fields, guitarist Tiny Grimes, singer Miss Rhapsody and trumpeter Benny Harris. The sidemen feature many illustrious names including trumpeters Frankie Newton and Emmett Berry, trombonists Tyree Glenn and Vic Dickenson, altoist Earl Bostic, Don Byas, Budd Johnson and Ike Quebec on tenors, vibraphonist Red Norvo, pianists Teddy Wilson and Johnny Guarnieri and (on two of the Tiny Grimes recordings) altoist Charlie Parker. Since the contents of this very enjoyable and historical two-fer have not been coherently reissued on CD, this is one to search for." AMG