Art Blakey - One By One (1979) [vinyl]

As with the Adams/Pullen albums I have never found a CD of this...

1. Gershwin Melody:
Rhapsody In Blue
Summertime
It Ain't Necessarily So
Someone To Watch Over Me
The Man I Love
2. The Song Is You
3. One By One
4. Moanin'

Valery Ponomarev (trumpet) Bobby Watson (alto saxophone) David Schnitter (tenor saxophone) James Williams (piano)
Dennis Irwin (bass) Art Blakey (drums)
Milan, Italy, November 4, 1979
(Palcoscenico (It) PAL 15005)

Piano Trios - LMNO

It's been too long since I posted one of these, here is the next volume:


 The journey continues! Names include Mal Waldron, Marian McPartland, Martial Solal, Mary Lou Williams, McCoy Tyner, Michel Petrucciani, Oscar Peterson and many more. Nearly two hours full of magical journeys.

Gene Ammons - Heavy Sax (1974) [vinyl]

Very nice record, and one of the rarer sides by Gene Ammons. We can't remember the exact story behind this, but we know that the material was recorded by Jug during the early 60's, when he was violating his contractual agreements with a number of labels, and recording sessions for just about everybody. Paul Winley caught him then, and put him in the studio with Howard McGhee and guitarist Jake Fisher, for this cool laidback soul jazz session that's probably one of Jug's most open-ended from the time. The tracks are all long, with a lot of room for solo space, and a round mellow tone. Winley has his name on all of the writing credits, which is probably false (the lying bastard!), and titles include "Housewarmin", "Nothin' But Soul", and "Jug & McGhee". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Olympic Records, OL-7126, 1874

Recorded circa May, 1962 at Circle Campus Auditorium, University Of Illinois, Chicago

Musicians:
Gene Ammons - Tenor Saxophone

Howard McGhee - Trumpet

Jake Fisher - Guitar

Barney Richmond - Bass

Willie Mashburn - Drums

Waco - Bongos

Tracklisting:

A1. House Warmin' (12:22)

A2. Jivin' Around (4:55)

B1. Nothing But Soul [Jazz With A Beat] (6:25)

B2. Jug And McGhee [Muggin' McGhee] (10:03)

Anyone who rates this below a five is a straight fool, the album SMOKES. Guitar work, sax flows, tight drum work, and a lazy bass line. The A1 track "House Warmin'" alone tells you what's up. ~ bodangerou

Yusef Lateef - A Flat, G Flat and C (1966) [vinyl]

Especially for KingCake and Le Porc Rouge, but hopefully others will enjoy - the second Yusef Impulse album that has not made it to CD

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow:
Yusef Lateef (heard on tenor, alto, flute, oboe and the mysterious-sounding theremin) is in explorative and consistently colorful form on this out-of-print LP, one of many Impulse sessions that are long overdue to be reissued on CD. With the assistance of pianist Hugh Lawson, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Roy Brooks, Lateef performs ten songs (eight are his originals) that are all at least in abstract form related to the blues. Well worth several listens.

1. Warm Hearted Blues
2. Nile Valley Blues
3. Robbie
4. Psyche Rose
5. Chuen Blues
6. Feather Comfort
7. Blind Willie
8. Feelin' Alright
9. Sound Wave
10. Kyoto Blues

Yusef Lateef (ts, as, fl, ob, chuen, theremin) Hugh Lawson (p) Reggie Workman (b) Roy Brooks (d)
NYC, March 8 & 9, 1966
(Impulse AS 9117)

Gene Ammons - Big Bad Jug (1973) [vinyl]

Jug's big and bad here in tone - and the style is nicely complicated at times - a bit more open-ended and electric than before, with a sound that's almost like the shift that Stanley Turrentine was making during his years at CTI! There's still a bit of the previous Prestige funk in the mix - thanks to drums from Billy Cobham, and organ from Sonny Phillips - but the group also includes up-and-comer Maynard Parker on guitar, who gets in some nicely snakey lines at times - slinking through the tunes with a warmly chromatic edge that's mighty nice, and which sets the tune for some of Ammons' more laidback solo moments. His tenor's still as strong as ever, though - blown with a beautiful sense of tone, on tracks that include "Lady Mama", "Big Bad Jug", "Lucille", "Fly Me", and "Fuzz" - plus a nice version of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" with a sweetly gentle break! © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Prestige Records, P-10070, 1973

Recorded 28th (#A4,B3) & 30th October (#B1) and 1st November, 1972 (#A1,A2,A3,B2)
At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Musicians:

Gene Ammons - Tenor Saxophone

Hank Jones - Electric Piano (#A4,B1,B3)

Sonny Phillips - Electric Piano, Organ (#A1-A3,B2)

Ernest Hayes - Organ (#A4,B1,B3)

Maynard Parker - Guitar (#A1-A3,B2)

Joe Beck - Guitar (#A4,B1,B3)

Ron Carter - Bass, Electric Bass

Billy Cobham - Drums (#A1-A3,B2)

Idris Muhammad - Drums (#A4,B3)

Micky Roker - Drums (#B1)

Tracklisting:

A1. Lady Mama {Gene Ammons} (6:48)

A2. I Can't Help Myself {Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland} (4:10)

A3. Lucille {Harold Vick} (4:53)

A4. Fly Me {Ron Lockhart, Richard Druz} (3:08)

B1. Big Bad Jug {Gene Ammons} (7:47)

B2. Papa Was A Rolling Stone {Norman Whifield, Barrett Strong} (4:31)

B3. Fuzz {Dave Grusin} (4:27)

Credits:

Producer - Ozzie Cadena

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Photography - Tony Lane

Archie Shepp - For Losers (1968+1969) [vinyl]

One of the grooviest albums from Archie Shepp's post-new thing years for Impulse - a nicely grooving session that mixes soul-based tracks with more righteous spiritual jazz moments! The approach here is a nicely varied - a laidback, collaborative spirit that's even quite different from Shepp's work in France at the time, or even from some of his other sessions for Impulse. At one moment, Archie's playing in a gently spare and soulful mode - foreshadowing his late 70s sides - but at another, he'll be opening up with intensity, egged on by a group of well-matched players who include Woody Shaw, Grachan Moncur III, James Spaulding, and Cedar Walton. Side 2 features the extended "Un Croque Monsieur" - a modally building number with some free post-Coltrane energy, and a righteous poem from Chinalin Sharpe. Sharpe returns in a completely different spirit on "I Got It Bad" - singing the lyrics in a Billie Holiday mode alongside Shepp's solo - and Leon Thomas sings on the soul-based number "Stick Em Up", again very different than usual! Titles also include a great version of Cal Massey's "What Would It Be Without You" and the funky groover "Abstract". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Impulse! Records, AS-9188, 1970

Recorded 9^th September, 1968 (#A1) at RCA Studios, New York City

Recorded 17^th February, 1969 (#A2) at RCA Studios, New York City

Recorded 26^th August, 1969 (#A3,A4,B) at RCA Studios, New York City

Personnel:

A1. Stick 'Em Up {Archie Shepp} (2:05)

Archie Shepp - Tenor Saxophone

Robin Kenyatta - Alto Saxophone

Grachan Moncur III - Trombone

Martin Banks - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Andrew Bey - Piano

Mel Brown - Organ, Guitar

Bert Payne - Guitar

Albert Winston - Fender Bass

Wilton Felder - Fender Bass

Beaver Harris - Drums

Doris Troy - Vocals

Leon Thomas - Vocals

Tasha Thomas - Vocals

A2. Abstract {Archie Shepp} (4:21)

Archie Shepp - Tenor Saxophone

James Spaulding - Alto Saxophone

Charles Davis - Baritone Saxophone

Grachan Moncur III - Trombone

Jimmy Owens - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Wally Richardson - Guitar

Dave Burrell - Organ

Bob Bushnell - Fender Bass

Bernard Purdie - Drums

A3. I Got It Bad [And That Ain't Good] {Duke Ellington, Paul Webster} (5:15)

Archie Shepp - Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone

Clarence Sharpe - Alto Saxophone

Cedar Walton - Piano

Wilbur Sharpe - Bass

Joe Chambers - Drums

Chinalin Sharpe - Vocals

A4. What Would It Be Without You {Cal Massey} (4:05)

Archie Shepp - Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone

Cecil Payne - Baritone Saxophone, Flute

Cedar Walton - Piano

Wilbur Sharpe - Bass

Joe Chambers - Drums

B. Un Croque Monsieur [Poem: For Losers] {Archie Shepp} (21:47)

Archie Shepp - Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone

Cecil Payne - Baritone Saxophone

Clarence Sharpe - Alto Saxophone

Woody Shaw - Trumpet

Matthew Gee - Trombone

Cedar Walton - Piano

Wilbur Sharpe - Bass

Joe Chambers - Drums

Chinalin Sharpe - Vocals

Credits:

Producer - Ed Michel

Supervision - Bob Thiele (#A1,A2), Ed Michel (#A4,A4,B)

Artwork Design - George Whiteman

Photography - Chuck Stewart

Liner Notes - Archie Shepp

Tracklist:

A1. Stick 'Em Up {Archie Shepp} (2:05)

A2. Abstract {Archie Shepp} (4:21)

A3. I Got It Bad [And That Ain't Good] {Duke Ellington, Paul Webster} (5:15)

A4. What Would It Be Without You {Cal Massey} (4:06)

B. Un Croque Monsieur [Poem: For Losers] {Archie Shepp} (21:47)

At the time this record was recorded, Shepp was bouncing back and forth between Paris and New York. He also bounced between the Impulse! and BYG labels. He also bounced between styles. For BYG, his music reached to grasp the bare beginnings of black music, back to Africa and the blues. His music for Impulse! tried to embrace the contemporary sounds of R&B, with very mixed results that to this day divide his fans. This record is a transitional one. For the traditionalists, there's his shattering and amusing cover of "I've Got It Bad" performed by the usual suspects one would think to find on an Archie Shepp record, including Cecil Payne and Joe Chambers. For those enraptured by albums like Attica Blues, songs like "Stick 'Em Up" will fascinate, as Shepp's raspy tenor is joined not only by a legion of avant-garde brethren (including names like Beaver Harris and Grachan Moncur), but also by the funky wood of electric bass, guitar, and organ. Some will find those later tracks a bit hard to take. Some will even find themselves snickering. But for anyone wishing to understand the music and career of this brilliant musician, this is an undervalued piece of the puzzle. ~ Rob Ferrier, AMG.