Sam Noto - Entrance!

For those of you who may not know, there is an amazing blog called Kubla's Crib (here).  It's part of our amazing network.  The sole purpose was to gather the entire Xanadu discography in FLAC format.  That goal was for the most part achieved - save a few albums which may remain in mp3.  However as time wore on, the links began to expire or disappear from failed server sites.

Entrance! was originally shared by legendary Crypt brother Alpax.  A couple years later it resurfaced in FLAC by none other than Kingcake himself.

So last week, during the same day, I was discussing Xanadu with my good friend Billy Batts, & also chatting about pianist Barry Harris with another friend, jgannon.  I decided that the time would be right for a re-rip of this great album.  And it truly is a great album.  The trumpet led quartet is not an easy gig for even the best of horn players.  Even with excellent support, the amount of creativity and physicality required is beyond the typical layman.  Not only does Noto deliver on those fronts, but also on the emotive aspect which is so important for making an album palpable.

Entrance! maintains a wonderful mood that has an upbeat feel.  Of course, the rhythm section lay it down and give Noto the creative juice needed to jump off each chorus.  I think something else worth mentioning is the incredible production.  The seperation always has a natural sound which keeps the band connected between channels.  It also serves to bring Noto into the forefront, accenting his glorious tone.  Between the music and the production, there's no doubt that Schlitten and his Xanadu imprint were at the forefront of the "tradition" during the 70's.

The cover for this album is well loved and as such has a lot of ring wear.  I used an image from the internet instead.  The back cover however, is from my sleeve.  It did it's job protecting the record, which is minty clean.  This album was ripped at 24/48 wav and transferred to 24/48 FLAC for your convenience.  Enjoy!!!

__________________________________________________

Xanadu 103

Gene Ammons In Sweden

This is a re-up for Malaspina, originally posted at the "old" Crypt in 2012.

I hope everybody will have a look through our archive of Ammons - uploaded by our very own Chris!! http://kccryptredux.blogspot.ca/search/label/Gene%20Ammons

I am not a huge Ammons fan.  What I mean by that is, he's not an artist whom I have explored deeply.  I have several key sides like Boss Tenor and Happy Blues, but so do most self respecting jazz fans.

This LP takes us a bit deeper, of course because it's live, but also due to a certain charm.  We get a nice dose of Jugs on the mic, introducing songs and interacting with the crowd.  But it's his playing, well actually the whole band's playing, which grabs me unlike many of his other sides.  "Je ne sais quoi..."

The group is really relaxed and give each other all kinds of space.  The vibe really comes through as these guys stretch out on the uptempo numbers.  That would be reserved for side one, side two brings in the balladry and things get down right sublime.  Horace Parlan shows his gifts again and again, he really is a joy to listen to.  As for Ammons, he seems to know exactly what to bring...and how to bring it!  Overall we get a nice dose of his bag of tricks.

ENJA released this in 1981, but the date took place on July 14th, 1973.  There is almost a bootleg feel to this LP, both in presentation on the sleeve and in sound quality.  Sure, it's no Van Gelder, but far from unenjoyable.  I tend to over obsess about audio quality and I have no issues with this side.  It was released as part of a "two-fer", along with a Ben Webster live date, on CD but is OOP.

This album is a minty ENJA stereo LP, ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC.  It should be noted that there are infact 5 tracks on this album, but you are only receiving 4.  Polka Dots And Moonbeams has a seamless segueway into Lover Man, so I merged the two tracks and left them intact.  Taking liberties yes, but once you hear it I think you'll understand why.  A great way to end a gorgeous weekend, but it's always sunny at the Crypt no?  Enjoy!!

ENJA 3093
Produced by Inge Dahl
Recorded and Mixed by Berndt Berndtson
Recorded live at the Ahus Jazz Fest on July 14th, 1973 in Sweden

Gene Ammons (ts);  Horace Parlan (p);  Red Mitchell (b);  Ed Jones (d)