Enrico Rava - Jazz A Confronto 14 (1974) [vinyl>flac]

HORO Records, HLL 101-14, 1974

Recorded 18^th November, 1974 at "Titania’s Studio" Rome, Italy

Musicians:

Enrico Rava - Trumpet

Massimo Urbani - Alto Saxophone

Calvin Hill - Drums

Nestor Astarita - Drums, Percussion

Tracks:

A1. Closer {Enrico Rava} (10:37)

A2. Maranhao {Enrico Rava} (7:08)

A3. Wrong Side {Enrico Rava} (5:25)

B1. Un Barco Hasta El Cielo {Enrico Rava} (10:41)

B2. Any Kind Of Birds {Enrico Rava} (6:33)

B3. Vento Rosso {Enrico Rava} (7:47)

Credits:

Producer - Aldo Sinesio

Assistant Producer - Roberto Gambuti

Engineer - Massimo Di Cicco

Cover Design - Piero Gratton

Photographs - Isio Saba

Morgana King - Portraits (1984) [vinyl>flac]

Competent set presenting actress/vocalist Morgana King doing jazz-oriented pop, standards, and ballads backed by a tight combo. She has good technique, delivery, and style; there is nothing innovative or particularly original about either the material or the performances, but they are thoroughly professional and often enjoyable. ~ by Ron Wynn, AMG.

======================

When I was much younger, I asked a big question of a man named John Levy. The question was, "What is the essential ingredient for a musician to be great?" I have never forgotten his answer, which was, "To have your own sound." That answer has worn well with me over the years. Morgana King is the epitome of this criteria and it is a joy always to hear great quality which is instantly identifiable. She indeed has her own sound in the best sense of this concept. ~ by Bill Evans; extract from Liner Notes.

Muse Records, MR 5301, 1984

Recorded 19^th & 21^st October, 1983 At Songshop, New York City

Tracks:

A1. What's Going On?,  Save The Children {Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye, Renaldo Benson} (5:49)

A2. You Go To My Head {Haven Gillespie, J. Fred Coots} (3:27)

A3. Moment Of Truth {Frank Scott, Tex Satterwhite} (3:24)

A4. Time Was [Duerme] {Anna Sosenko} (3:37)

B1. Send In The Clowns {Stephen Sondheim} (3:10)

B2. Lush Life {Billy Strayhorn} (4:09)

B3. You're Not The Kind {Irving Mills, Will Hudson} (3:44)

B4. If You Could See Me Now {Carl Sigman, Tadd Dameron} (5:47)

Personnel:

Morgana King - Vocals

Ben Aronov - Keyboards

Clifford Carter - Synthesizer

Joe Puma - Guitar

Art Koenig - Bass

Jay Leonhart - Bass (#A2,B2)

Ed Caccavale - Drums

John Kaye - Percussion

Credits:

Producer - Chuck Irwin, Mitch Farber

Executive Producer - Morgana King

Engineer - Chuck Irwin, John Tamburello, Wayne Vlcan

Mastering Engineer - Joe Brescio, The Cutting Room, NYC

Album Design - Ron Warwell

Album Photography - Arthur Paxton

Liner Notes - Bill Evans

Johnny Griffin - Jazz A Confronto 10 (1974) [re-rip>true flac]

On this LP Griffin is featured in a quartet backed by renowned Italian pianist Franco D'Andrea, bassist Giovanni Tommaso and drummer Bruno Biriaco. This album is his only collaboration with D'Andrea, despite spending a number of years on the continent. It's a rhythm section that swings beautifully and remains tight, qualities essential to provide the necessary background to Griffin's playing. However not only do the Italian musicians support his work well their own solos are very effective and are an additional source of interest for this album. Above all the style of Franco D'Andrea and his Trio is very distinct compared with other groups Griffin led whilst in Europe. According to all available discographies this album is the only existing testimony of his playing during all of 1974. The bulk of his European dates were set around 1973 and the recordings held at the Jazzhus Monmartre in Denmark are of great interest to aficionados. The LP consists of two fiery numbers and two slower ballads. Three of the compositions are penned by Griffin; "Keep Going" is written by Giovanni Tommaso. In all this album further demonstrates a master tenorman at work, so give it a spin.

HORO Records, HLL 101-10, 1974

Recorded 7th April, 1974 at “Titania’s Studio”, Rome, Italy

Tracks:

A1. Music Inn Blues {Johnny Griffin} (8:34)

A2. For The Love Of {Johnny Griffin} (8:01)

B1. Always Forever {Johnny Griffin} (7:06)

B2. Keep Going {Giovanni Tommaso} (11:52)

Personnel:

Johnny Griffin - Tenor Saxophone

Franco D'Andrea - Piano

Giovanni Tommaso - Bass

Bruno Biriaco - Drums

Credits:

Director - Andrea Camilleri

Sound Engineer - Massimo di Cicco

Graphic Design - Giorgio Spadanuda

Photos - Ennio Antonangeli

Liner Notes - Marcello Piras

Morgana King - Higher Ground (1980) [vinyl>flac]

Morgana King (born June 4, 1930) is an American jazz singer and actress. King was born Maria Grazia Morgana Messina in Pleasantville, New York. Her parents were from Fiumefreddo di Sicilia, Province of Catania, Sicily, Italy. She grew up in New York City. At age 16 she developed a love for big bands and as a result of her exposure she began a professional singing career along with receiving a scholarship to the Metropolitan School of Music. Historically when she sang in a Greenwich Village nightclub in 1953, a record label executive took interest after being impressed with the unique phrasing and multi-octave range. Three years later in 1956, her first album, For You, For Me, For Evermore, was released. In 1977 she signed up with Muse Records producing nine albums in all. Higher Ground is Morgana's third LP on Muse. As with her previous LP's King surrounds herself with a bunch of fine musicians and sets about interpreting a broad range of tunes of both pop and jazz standard derivation. Overall a fine outing for a great songstress, Enjoy!

Muse Records, MR 5224, 1980

Recorded 16^th May, 1979 At CI Recording Studio, New York City

Personnel:

Morgana King - Vocals

Ben Aronov - Piano

Jack Wilkins - Guitar

Art Koenig - Bass

Eddie Caccavale - Drums

Ray Mantilla - Percussion

Tracks:

A1. Feel Like Flying {Gino Vanelli} (4:04)

Medley (5:01)

A2a. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else {Isham Jones, Gus Kahn}

A2b. You're Driving Me Crazy {Walter Donaldson}

A3. What Is This Thing Called Love {Cole Porter} (3:53)

A4. You Can't Hide Love {Skip Scarborough} (3:33)

B1. Higher Ground {Stevie Wonder} (3:50)

B2. The Long And Winding Road, Golden Slumbers {Paul McCartney, John Lennon} (3:20)

B3. You Stepped Out Of A Dream {Gus Kahn, Nacio Herb Brown} (4:42)

Medley (5:12)

B4a. When I Fall In Love {Victor Young, Edward Heyman}

B4b. Teach Me Tonight {Gene DePaul, Sammy Cahn}

Credits:

Producer - Mitch Farber

Recording Engineer - Chuck Irwin

Mastering Engineer - Joe Brescio (The Master Cutting Room, NYC)

Photography, Cover Design - Bobi Pierce

Liner Notes - Joe Fields

PAUL GONSALVES - CLEOPATRA FEELIN' JAZZY - 1963 VINYL

1963

Impulse AS-41

My Vinyl Rip + Front & Back Covers
DR Value 13

WAVE

Tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves casts the Egyptian queen's life in a jazz set of originals and Alex North movie themes. One of just two dates Gonsalves did for Impulse and part of an all-too-thin solo catalog, Cleopatra -- Feelin' Jazzy finds the famed Ellington soloist in the prime company of hard boppers like pianist Hank Jones, organist Dick Hyman, guitarist Kenny Burrell, bassist George Duvivier, and drummer Roy Haynes. The band shines throughout, with Hyman's organ adding exotic film theater ambience on the two North cuts that kick off the album. Switching over to more straightforward fare, Gonsalves and company stretch out on Burrell's "Bluz for Liz" (read Elizabeth Taylor, one of the leads in the movie) and Ellington's "Action in Alexandria." The album's conceptual framework is maintained on standouts like "Cleo's Asp," Burrell's second piece here, and the Manny Albam blues ballad "Cleopatra's Lament." Gonsalves impresses with both complexly swinging solos and breathy ballad statements. A very fine effort by one of the unsung giants of jazz....Stephen Cook All Music

The Tracks:

01 Caesar & Cleopatra / 02 Anthony & Cleopatra Theme / 03 Bluz For Liz / 04 Cleo's Blues / 05 Action In Alexanderia / 06 Cleo's Asp / 07 Cleopatra's Lament

PAUL GONSALVES - TELL IT THE WAY IT IS! (1963) 24~48 VINYL

1963
Impulse A-55
My Vinyl Rip
Front, Back, & Inside Covers
DR Value 12
WAVE 460 MB

When Duke Ellington's sidemen recorded on their own, the Duke's influence often had a way of asserting itself even if he was nowhere near the studio. This was true in the 1930s and 1940s, and it was true on some of Paul Gonsalves' recordings of the 1960s. Nonetheless, Gonsalves was his own man, and this excellent LP points to the fact that the breathy tenor saxophonist wasn't afraid to enter a variety of musical situations.  Tell It the Way It Is unites Gonsalves with the great Swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson and pianist Walter Bishop, Jr. as well as such Ellington alumni as Johnny Hodges (alto sax) and Ray Nance (cornet, violin). The strong Ellington influence asserts itself on pieces that range from Hodges' "Rapscallion in Rab's Canyon" to "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and "Duke's Place." ....AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson

The Tracks: 

01 Tell It The Way It Is! / 02 Things Ain't What They Used To Be / 03 Duke's Place / 04 Impulsive

05 Rapscallion In Rab's Canyon / 06 Body And Soul

BOOKER ERVIN - BACK FROM THE GIG (1976 COMPILATION) 24~48 VINYL

1976
Blue Note BN-LA488-H2
MY Vinyl Rip
Front, Back, & Inside Covers
DR Value 13
WAVE
994 MB

 AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

This two-LP set consists of a pair of classic Blue Note sets that were not originally released until 1976. The great tenor Booker Ervin (whose hard passionate sound was always immediately recognizable) is well-showcased with the Horace Parlan Sextet in 1963 (a group also featuring pianist Parlan, trumpeter Johnny Coles and guitarist Grant Green) and with his own all-star quintet from 1968 (which also stars trumpeter Woody Shaw and pianist Kenny Barron). The stimulating group originals and advanced solos (which fall somewhere between hard bop and the avant-garde) still sound fresh and frequently exciting.

The Tracks:

01 Home In Africa / 02 A Tune For Richard / 03 Back From The Gig / 04 Dexi / 05 Kucheza Blues / 

06 Happy Frame Of Mind / 07 Gichi / 08 Den Tex / 09 In A Capicornian Way / 10 Lynn's Tune / 11 204

CAT ANDERSON - CAT ON A HOT TIN HORN - 1959 - 24/48 VINYL

1958
Mercury SR 80008
My Vinyl Rip
DR Value 9
Front & Back Covers
WAVE

Cat Anderson, taking a day off from the Duke Ellington Orchestra, is heard on this out-of-print Lp playing on his first full album as a bandleader (he had previously cut eight selections during two sessions in 1947 and 1949). With arrangements by Anderson (who contributed six of the nine tunes) and (on two songs) Ernie Wilkins, the all-star big band has plenty of opportunities to blow even if only one piece exceeds four minutes. In addition to Cat's powerful trumpet, other soloists include tenor-saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, baritonist Sahib Shihab and trombonist Jimmy Cleveland. Hopefully this swinging session will get reissued on CD eventually by Polygram.
...AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

The Tracks:
01 Little Man / 02 Cat's In The Alley / 03 Blue Jean Beguine /
04 My Adorable 'D' / 05 June Bug / 06 Don't Get Around Much Anymore /
07 Birth Of The Blues / 08 You're The Cream In My Coffee / 09 Nina

URBIE GREEN - THE PERSUASIVE TROMBONE VOL. 1&2 VINYL (FLAC)

1960
Command RS 815 SD
My Vinyl Rip
DR Value 10
Front, Back & Inside Covers
FLAC

Persuasive Trombone was the 15th album issued by Command, and the first of many that Urbie recorded for the label in the 1960s. What makes this particular album special is the hip swinging arrangements, the band's knot-tight attack and Green's rich swinging horn. Unfortunately, the back of the original album was devoted to text rattling on about the album's technical data rather than who wrote the arrangements. My best guess would be Ralph Burns on the ballads and Al Cohn on the swingers.

There are plenty of surprises. The first track—At Last—opens with an I Can't Get Started intro but then kicks into a mid-tempo swinger. There's fine piercing solos by trumpeter John Bello on Prisoner of Love, Dream and other tracks. The album ends, interestingly, with a simple and beautiful working by Green of I Can't Get Started.

Throughout his career, Green's appeal rested with his ability to sing beautifully through his trombone. He employed a velvety tone and a breathing technique that erased any evidence of taking a breath. Notes seemed to pour from a pitcher, and Green somehow managed to move effortlessly up and down along the surface of melodies like a cue ball on marble.

This album is sultry and seductive and yet still swings without bringing down the house.

The album featured Nick Travis, John Bello, Don Ferrara and Doc Severinsen (tp), Urbie Green and Bobby Byrne (tb), Gil Cohen (b-tb), Hal McKusick (as), Rolf Kuhn (as,cl), Eddie Wasserman (fl,ts), Pepper Adams (bar), Dave McKenna (p), Barry Galbraith (g), Milt Hinton (b) and Don Lamond (d). On half the tracks, Gene Allen (bar) and Nat Pierce (p) replaced Pepper Adams and Dave McKenna.

The Tracks:

01 At Last / 02 Prisoner Of Love / 03 Dream / 04 I've Heard That Song Before / 05 Moonlight Serenade / 06 Stairway To The Stars / 07 Let's Fall In Love / 08 My Silent Love / 09 My Melancholy Baby / 10 I Had The Craziest Dream / 11 I'm Getting Sentimental Over You / 12 I Can't Get Started

1962

Command RS 33-838

My Vinyl Rip

Front & Back Covers

DR Value 13

FLAC

This follow-up volume to an earlier Command LP features trombonist Urbie Green leading an orchestra through a dozen arrangements by Ralph Burns. The primary emphasis is on Green's mellow solos and the ensemble passages, so there's a certain sameness from track to track, though all of the music is enjoyable. Fortunately, tracks such as the swinging "No Moon at All" showcase a greater range of individual musicians within the orchestra. It's a bit odd that no personnel list is provided on the album jacket, as the players include trumpeter Joe Wilder, alto saxophonist Walt Levinsky, Eddie Costa (who evidently plays both piano and vibes), and bassist Bob Haggart. Unlike many recordings produced by Enoch Light for the label, this one swings too hard to possibly be mistaken for easy listening. Though the 1962 release is long out of print, don't be surprised to run across a copy of it.

.....AllMusic Review by Ken Dryden

The Tracks:

01 While We're Young / 02 It Could Happen To You / 03 No Moon At All / 04 On A Slow Boat To China / 05 Love Letters / 06 Hello Young Lovers / 07 Close Your Eyes / 08 I Fall In Love Too Easily 

09 The Poor Soul / 10 On The Street Where You Live / 11 Skylark / 12 Runnin' Wild

LEE WILEY - with BILLY BUTTERFIELD - A TOUCH OF THE BLUES 1957 - VINYL (FLAC)

1957
RCA LSP-1566
My Vinyl Rip
DR Value 14
Front & Back Covers
FLAC

AllMusic Review by Jason Ankeny

The stellar A Touch of the Blues pairs Lee Wiley with an exceptional band led by trumpeter Billy Butterfield, whose warm, beautiful tone proves a sympathetic counterpoint to Al Cohn and Bill Finegan's otherwise dark, melancholy arrangements. While a title like A Touch of the Blues guarantees the listener few surprises, the album consistently avoids the familiar bluesy clichés -- Wiley's sensuality and sophistication suggest emotional depths to make such gestures redundant anyway. And like her more celebrated songbook sessions, the material here is expertly selected, complementing Wiley's inherent strengths while affording her the latitude to stretch out in new directions.

The Tracks:
01 The Memphis Blues / 02 From The Land Of The Sky Blue Water / 03 The Ace In The Hole / 04 Someday You'll Be Sorry /
05 My Melancholy Baby / 06 A Hundred Years From Today / 07 Blues In My Heart / 08 Maybe You'll Be There /
09 Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea / 10 I Don't Want To Walk Without You / 11 Make Believe / 12 A Touch Of The Blues

Jon Hendricks & Company - Love (1982) [vinyl>flac]

Here’s another rare Muse Records LP. This time it is particularly important to honour the recent passing of Jon Hendricks, aged 96. He was a gifted vocal improviser in his own right, Mr. Hendricks was best known for adding words to the improvisations of others. He took pieces recorded by jazz ensembles like the Count Basie Orchestra and the Horace Silver Quintet and, using their titles as points of departure, created intricate narratives and tongue-in-cheek philosophical treatises that matched both the melody lines and the serpentine contours of the instrumental solos, note for note and inflection for inflection. Mr. Hendricks did not invent this practice, known as vocalese - most jazz historians credit the singer Eddie Jefferson with that achievement - but he became its best-known and most prolific exponent, and he turned it into a group art. ~ New York Times. This album is a great example of his work, Enjoy!

Muse Records, MR 5258, 1982

Recorded August, 1981 (#A4,B3) At P-D Recorders, Hollywood, California;

Sept & Nov, 1981 (#A5,B2,B4,B5) At Russian Hill Recording, San Francisco;

and January & February, 1982 (#A1-A3,A6-B1) At Sundragon Studio, NYC

Personnel:

Jon, Judith and Michele Hendricks; Leslie Dorsey, Bob Gurland - Vocalists

Harry "Sweets" Edison - Trumpet (#A4,B3)

Jerome Richardson - Tenor Saxophone (#A4,B3)

David Hazeltine - Piano (#A1-A3,A6,B1)

Jimmy Smith - Piano (#A4,B3)

Eric Doney - Piano (#A5,B2,B5)

Jon Burr - Bass (#A1-A3,A6,B1)

John Williams - Bass (#A4,B3)

James Leary - Bass (#A5,B2,B5)

Marvin Smith - Drums (#A1-A6,B1-B3,B5)

Tracks:

A1. Royal Garden Blues {Cootie Williams} (3:06)

A2. Bright Moments {Rahsaan Roland Kirk} (3:38)

A3. Willie's Tune {Randy Weston} (4:32)

A4. Good Ol' Lady {Jon Hendricks} (3:28)

A5. Lil' Darlin {Neal Hefti} (4:22)

A6. I'll Die Happy {Jon Hendricks} (2:03)

B1. Love [Berkshire Blues] {Randy Weston} (4:37)

B2. Tell Me The Truth {Jon Hendricks} (3:36)

B3. The Swinging Groove Merchant [Groove Merchant] {Jerome Richardson} (5:30)

B4. Angel Eyes {Matt Dennis} (4:29)

B5. In A Harlem Airshaft [Harlem Airshaft] {Duke Ellington} (2:55)

Note:

Michele Hendricks - Solo Vocals (#B4)

Credits:

Producer - Jon Hendricks

Recording Engineer (#A4,B3) - Robert Grogan

Recording Engineer (#A5,B2,B4,B5) - Richard Greene

Recording (#A1-A3,A6-B1) & Mixing Engineer - Buddy Pollock

Assistant Engineer - Germahn T. Santiago, Glenn Dubois

Mastering Engineer - George Piros (Atlantic Recording Studio, NYC)

Photography - Heidi McGurrin

Album Design - W. Dale Cramer

Rickie Boger - Slow Down, Baby (1976) [vinyl>flac]

Here we have a rare piece of Muse history, a lost soul/jazz gem from a beautiful vocalist backed by an outstanding gathering of great players from that time. After multiple plays this LP becomes quite infectious. I just wish she could have gone on to produce further soul classics, Enjoy!

A righteous bit of soul - one of the only non-jazz albums we've seen on the Muse label, and a really great session that reminds us of work by Alice Clark and Esther Marrow - two other overlooked 70s soul singers who also recorded for jazz labels! Rickie's got a deep soul approach to the vocals that's nicely inflected with jazzy work by players that include Tom Malone, Kalaparusha, Buddy Terry, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson - the last of whom arranged and conducted the backings, and gives the album a full-on and progressive feel. Rickie's vocals have lots of nice gentle tones, making for some sweet little numbers that sparkle nicely - titles that include "Baby Won't You Stay", "To Be Needed", "In A Little While", "At The Clinic", "What Could It Be", and "I Won't See Yesterday".  © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Muse Records, MR 5084, 1976

Recorded October, November, 1975 At Blue Rock Studio, New York

Personnel:

Rickie Boger - Vocals, Piano (#A3,B1)

Howard Johnson - Flugelhorn (#A2,A3,A5,B3), Tuba (#B1,B4), Baritone Saxophone (#A1-A5), Clarinet (#B2), Bass Clarinet (#B2,B4), Penny Whistle (#A1), Tambourine (#A3,B1)

Tom Malone - Trumpet (#A2,A3,A5), Flugelhorn (#A1,A5), Trombone (#A1-A3,B3), Alto Flute (#B3,B4), Soprano Flute (#B3)

Eric Hanigsberg - Flugelhorn (#A4,B4)

Ray Anderson - Trombone (#A1,A4,A5,B4)

Bob Stewart, Samuel Pilafian - Tuba (#B1)

John Clark - French Horn (#A4,B4)

Buddy Terry - Alto Saxophone (#A1), Tenor Saxophone (#A2-A4), Alto Flute (#B4), Piccolo Flute (#A4)

Kalaparusha [Maurice McIntyre] - Clarinet (#B2)

Frank Vicari - Tenor Saxophone (#A1,A5)

Rosalinda Deleon - Piano

Onaje Allan Gumbs - Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes]

Jerry Matthews - Guitar

Herb Bushler - Bass

Pat Dixon - Cello (#A2,A3,B4)

Victor Lewis, Warren Smith - Drums (#A3,B3)

Ellen Deleston - Backing Vocals (#A1,A5,B2)

Sister Strings:

Linda Lawrence, Lois Slessinger - Viola (#A2,A3,B4)

Francine Walsh, Ida Bieler, Nina Simon - Violin (#A2,A3,B4)

Gayle Dixon - Concertmaster (#A2,A3,B4)

Tracks:

A1. What Could It Be? {Rickie Boger} (2:55)

A2. Do You Like My Song? {Elsie Turner} (2:30)

A3. In A Little While {Rickie Boger} (3:21)

A4. At The Clinic {Rickie Boger} (5:23)

A5. I Won't See Yesterday {Rickie Boger} (2:44)

B1. Slow Down Baby {Rickie Boger} (4:15)

B2. To Be Needed {Rickie Boger} (3:08)

B3. We Only Have Love {Rickie Boger} (4:03)

B4. Baby Won't You Stay {Elsie Turner} (2:38)

Credits:

Producer - Ed Korvin

Producer, Arranger, Conductor - Howard Johnson

Recording Engineer - Ed Korvin

Mastering Engineer - Joe Brescio

Design, Photography - Hal Wilson

Liner Notes - Joe Fields

Oscar Peterson + Harry “Sweets” Edison + Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (1986) [vinyl>flac]

All Star Mainstream Jazz

This is a top notch, grade A, disc of Mainstream Swing Jazz. Not complicated. Straight ahead in your face. Shades of Duke Ellington (represented here with "Satin Doll"). State the theme, improvise, state the theme. Jazz standards, up-tempo, and slow. The Oscar Peterson Trio (with Dave Young and Martin Drew), and 2 of the greatest players that ever were; Harry "Sweets" Edison and Joe Pass. Surprisingly, the player who absolutely carries this session is Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson on alto. His solos make this disc. Just terrific playing. "Cleanhead" was a blues player and singer, but listen to him in this Jazz context. As great as everyone is, he stands out. The disc just rolls along from Coleman Hawkins' "Stuffy" at the start to "Satin Doll" at the end, with the theme inverted to make a very different reading. No bebop here, straight ahead from the swing era played by small ensemble. If you are a Jazz person you really will enjoy this. If you are a fan of improvised music you really will enjoy this. If you are new to Jazz, this is a great education of how they used to play it. Old time Jazz played by great players. Anyone who buys this disc will be very surprised. This is one of these discs that is undiscovered. Get this while you can. ~ by Steven Meyerson, Amazon, 2001

The "Gray Lions" Don't Disappoint

Many of the recordings featuring aging jazz musicians are disappointing because the players are naturally facing diminished capacity. But not this one. Recorded in 1986 when most of the headliners here - Edison, Peterson, Vinson and Joe Pass on guitar (who for some reason fails share the top billing) - were in their 60's or 70's, this Pablo (ie. Norman Granz) session is tight, well-conceived and swings with abandon. Everyone sounds great, no stragglers. It's just amazing. There are two medium tempo pieces (Stuffy and Satin Doll), two barn burners (This One's for Jaws and Broadway), two ballads (Everything Happens to Me and What's New) and a slow blues (Slooow Drag). Nice mix. If you like small group swing and blues executed by some of the legends of the swing era, this one's highly recommended. ~ by William Fauston, Amazon, 2000

Source: Top Amazon Customer Reviews

Pablo Records, 2310-927, 1987

Recorded 12^th November, 1986 At Ocean Way Studio, Hollywood, California

Personnel:

Oscar Peterson - Piano

Harry "Sweets" Edison - Trumpet

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Alto Saxophone

Joe Pass - Guitar

Dave Young - Bass

Martin Drew - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Stuffy {Coleman Hawkins} (9:10)

A2. This One's For Jaws {Miles Davis, Harry "Sweets" Edison} (4:52)

A3. Everything Happens To Me {Tom Adair, Matt Dennis} (4:35)

A4. Broadway {Billy Bird, Ray Henderson, Teddy McRae, Henri Woode} (5:12)

B1. Slooow Drag {Harry "Sweets" Edison, Joe Pass, Oscar Peterson, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson} (10:33)

B2. What's New? {Johnny Burke, Bob Haggart} (4:26)

B3. Satin Doll {Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Billy Strayhorn} (7:30)

Credits:

Producer, Artwork, Design, Layout Design - Norman Granz

Recording Engineer - Allen Sides

Mastering Engineer - George Horn (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley)

Artwork, Design, Layout Design - Sheldon Marks

Photography - Phil Stern

Carlos Garnett - The New Love (1978) [re-rip>true flac]

Here we have the fifth Carlos Garnett Muse Album from the late seventies.

The New Love is an electric record both in terms of its instrumentation and the excitement it engenders, with its panoramic scope of musical influences, joined together in a compact, accessible, and cohesive whole, it once again establishes Carlos Garnett as one of the true masters of musical fusion.

"Memories of Coltrane" is, in this writer's opinion, the album's finest achievement. It opens dramatically with Trane-inspired tenor fervently wailing over rumbling by Mouzon. The theme is stated with ardent emotion by Garnett (joined by Hino on an ascent) over densely textured layers of piano, bass, and percussive sounds. The theme is then repeated vocally by Garnett and McClary, as Hino and Bonner spin intensely spiritual obbligati around it; the lyrics may be simple, but the message they convey is a potent one. ~ Tom Bingham, Liner Notes.

Muse Records, MR 5133, 1978
Recorded May, 1977 At Dimensional Sound Studio, New York City

Personnel: 
Carlos Garnett - Tenor & Soprano Saxophones, Vocals
Terumasa Hino - Trumpet
Joe Bonner - Keyboards
Otis McClary - Guitar, Vocals
John Lee - Bass
Alphonse Mouzon - Drums
Guilherme Franco - Bongos, Percussion
Timana - Bongos, Percussion

Track Listing:
A1. Lil Dear (5:00)
A2. Bolerock (4:13)
A3. The New Love (8:56)
B1. Uncle Ben & Aunt Jemima (5:14)
B2. Dance Of The Virgins (4:04)
B3. Memories Of Coltrane (9:22)

All Compositions by Carlos Garnett

Credits:
Producer - Carlos Garnett, John Lee
Recording Engineer - Malcolm Addey
Design, Photography - Ron Warwell
Liner Notes - Tom Bingham

Carlos Garnett - Cosmos Nucleus (1976) [re-rip>true flac]

Carlos Garnett's fourth album on Muse Records.

Carlos Garnett really finds his own sound here - and steps into a wonderful blend of funky riffs, spiritual styles, and more – all in one of the most ambitious albums he cut during the 70s! There's a really expansive blend of acoustic and electric instrumentation going on here – played by a large ensemble, but one that's got a nicely focused feel – a groove that really pushes the sound of Garnett's other records with its wide instrumentation, yet which still has all the punch and power of before! Carlos brings in a few slight Caribbean touches – elements he'd experimented with a bit before – and the lineup includes Kenny Kirkland on Fender Rhodes, Roy Campbell and Abdul Malik on trumpets, Al Brown and Charles Dougherty on also sax, Zane Massey and Akum Ra Amen Ra on tenor, Andrew Washington and Cliff Anderson on trombone, Otis McCleary on guitar, Cecil McBee on bass, and Neil Clark and Gene Ballard on percussion. Cheryl P Alexander Sings soulfully at one great spot – the stunning "Mystery Of Ages", which almost feels like a Oneness Of Juju cut – and other titles include "Cosmos Nucleus", "Wise Old Men", "Kafira" and "Bed-Stuy Blues". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Muse Records, MR 5104, 1976
Recorded June & July 1976 at Dimensional Sound, New York City

Track Listing:

A1. Saxy (5:24)
[Solo] Carlos Garnett
A2. Cosmos Nucleus (12:21)
[Solos] Carlos Garnett, Angel Fernandez, Kenny Kirkland
A3. Wise Old Man (5:16)
[Solos] Angel Fernandez, Carlos Garnett
B1. Mystery Of Ages (7:09)
[Solos] Cheryl P. Alexander, Andrew Washington, Kenny Kirkland
B2. Kafira (7:32)
[Solo] Carlos Garnett
B3. Bed-Stuy Blues (8:13)
[Solos] Al Brown, Wayne Cobham, Zane Massey, James Stowe

All Compositions by Carlos Garnett

Personnel:
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Ukulele, Vocals - Carlos Garnett
Alto Saxophone - Al Brown, Charles Dougherty, Robert Wright
Baritone Saxophone, Ukulele - Carlos Chambers
Tenor Saxophone - Akum Ra Amen-Ra, Randy Gilmore, Yah Ya, Zane Massey
Trombone - Andrew Washington, Cliff Anderson, James Stowe
Trumpet - Abdul Malik, Angel Fernandez, Cyril Greene, Preston Holas, Quentin Lowther, Roy Campbell, Wayne Cobham
Electric Piano - Kenny Kirkland
Guitar - Otis McCleary
Bass - Cecil McBee, Jr.
Drums - Byron Benbow
Bongos, Percussion - Gene Ballard
Congas, Percussion - Neil Clarke
Vocals - Cheryl P. Alexander

Credits:
Producer - Carlos Garnett
Assistant Producer - Fred Seibert
Recording Engineer - Tom Foy
Assistant Engineer - Mark Finn
Cover Art, Photo Liner Design - Ron Warwell
Liner Notes - Alan Goodman