Alphonse Mouzon - Mind Transplant (1974)

Amazing Jazz Fusion
Drummers Alphonse Mouzon and Billy Cobham led almost parallel careers during the 1970s and helped to raise the bar by which all subsequent drummers were to be judged. They were both in legendary fusion bands (Mouzon in Weather Report and Larry Coryell's Eleventh House and Cobham in Dreams and the Mahavishnu Orchestra), both led their own successful bands, both reinvented jazz-rock drumming, and both released one classic, genre-defining recording. Cobham's classic was Spectrum, a recording that is regularly considered as one of the genre's best. This, Mind Transplant, is Mouzon's classic recording that is often hailed as "Spectrum II." The common thread, besides the aggressive drumming, is guitarist Tommy Bolin. Where Cobham used Bolin's aggressive playing as a counterpoint to Jan Hammer, Mouzon features the guitarist as the primary attraction. The tunes themselves may not be as memorable as, say, "Red Baron" or "Stratus," but the playing is no less inspired. Mouzon and Bolin are a natural fit and push themselves to levels of creativity and skill that few can attain. Raw and powerful, the music herein is what made fusion such a viable musical style. This recording has never been as popular as Spectrum, but was finally released on CD in 1993 with the addition of the 15-minute jam session "The Real Thing." Easily one of the best fusion recordings of all time. http://harukimurakami.livejournal.com/ 

Recorded 4th (#2,5,7), 5th (#6), 6th (#3,8) and 9th & 10th (#1,3) December, 1974
At Wally Heider Sound Studio III, Los Angeles, California 

Blue Note, BN-LA398-G, 1975
Capitol Records, 7243 8183652 1, 2003 

Musicians:
Alphonse Mouzon - Drums, Vocals, ARP 2600 Synth, Fender Rhodes, Farfisa Organ
Jerry Peters - Fender Rhodes Piano, Organ [Hammond B-3]
Jay Graydon - Guitar, ARP 2600 Synthesizer Programming
Tommy Bolin - Guitar
Lee Ritenour - Guitar
Henry Davis – Bass 

Tracks:
A1. Mind Transplant (4:05)
Soloist: Alphonse Mouzon - Synthesizer, Drums
A2. Snow Bound (3:06)
A3. Carbon Dioxide (4:39)
Soloists: Tommy Bolin - Guitar; Jerry Peters - Organ
A4. Ascorbic Acid (3:27)
Soloists: Jay Graydon, Lee Ritenour
B1. Happiness Is Loving You (4:09)
Soloist: Lee Ritenour
B2. Some Of The Things People Do (3:41)
Soloist: Lee Ritenour
B3. Golden Rainbows (6:56)
Soloist: Tommy Bolin
B4. Nitroglycerin (3:05)
Soloist: Tommy Bolin 

Composed by Elvena Mouzon 

Credits:
Producer - Skip Drinkwater
Co-producer, Arranger, Conductor - Alphonse Mouzon
Executive-Producer - George Butler
Engineer - Gabby Garcia
Assistant Engineer - Brian Ingalls, Gary Lubow
Remix & Mastering Engineer - Fred Catero
Mastering Engineer - George Horn
Art Direction - Lloyd Ziff, Bob Cato
Photography - Doug Metzler
Design - Ria Lewerke

Robin Kenyatta - Beggars And Stealers (1969+75) [vinyl>flac]

Robin Kenyatta is a versatile artist who has worked in a number of associations, playing with characters as varied as Archie Shepp, Barry Miles, Sonny Stitt and Mongo Santamaria. Kenyatta with his strong vibrato and earthy tone is quite at home playing styles ranging from Coleman Hawkins through to Charlie Parker. Apart from his musicianship, he clearly articulates an ability to craft astounding abstract musical concepts into his tunes. “Beggars And Stealers” documents a 1969 concert on which Kenyatta played tenor sax. This was the only time he ever used that instrument recorded on an album. An additional treat made available on this album is a magnificent duet with Muhal Richard Abrams on “Ruby My Dear”. Enjoy!

Muse Records, MR 5095, 1977

Recorded 8^th April, 1969 (#A1,A2,B1) Live at Columbia University, New York

And September, 1975 (#B2) at Generation Sound, New York

Musicians:

Robin Kenyatta - Tenor Sax (#A1-B1), Alto Sax (#B2)

Larry Willis - Piano (#A1-B1)

Muhal Richard Abrams - Piano (#B2)

Walter Booker - Bass

Alphonse Mouzon - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Nairobi Hot {Robin Kenyatta} (11:31)

A2. Dream Bug {Robin Kenyatta} (10:14)

B1. Beggars And Stealers {Robin Kenyatta} (12:30)

B2. Ruby My Dear {Thelonious Monk} (5:57)

Credits:

Producer - Robin Kenyatta

Producer, Liner Notes - Michael Cuscuna

Recording Engineer - Tony May (#B2)

Cover Design, Photography - Price Givens

Liner Design, Photography - Mark Larson, Charles Reilly

Also Released as:

Alphonse Mouson - Dream Bug (1977)

American Jazz & Blues History, Vol. 51

Tobacco Road [B/2551]

Germany

-------------------------

Happy Bird B/90085 (1977)

Germany

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

Norman Connors - Dance Of Magic (1973) [vinyl>flac]

Following on from the recent Carlos Garnett Muse posts; here’s a magnificent album where he collaborates with a young Norman Connors and other great players to produce what is got to be one of the best spiritual jazz albums from the seventies. Recorded in 1972 it was Connor's debut as a leader. The record features four tracks that include the full-sided "Dance of Magic", as well as "Morning Change", "Blue" and the short but potent "Give The Drummer Some". Apart from this final track, the album has a solid sound that comfortably blends together an overall spiritual feel with many funky and spacey grooves. The record boasts a "Dream Team" lineup that includes Gary Bartz & Carlos Garnett, Stanley Clarke & Cecil McBee, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Henderson, Airto Moreira, Billy Hart, and many others. Later Connors would alter his style to produce many soulful classics like "You Are My Starship" and "Betcha By Golly Wow", but "Dance of Magic" is a definitive early showcasing of Connor's true musical gifts; an exemplary producer, composer and masterful musician capable of assembling the right players and musical components to create great records.

This is definitely a true gem; not to be overlooked.

Alternative cover from 1976 Buddah Records [BDS 5674] release

Cobblestone Records, Catalog#: CST 9024

Recorded 1972 at Bell Sound Studios, New York City

Track Listing:

A. Dance of Magic {Norman Connors} (20:53)

B1. Morning Change {Cecil McBee} (6:22)

B2. Blue {Stanley Clarke} (10:17)

B3. Give The Drummer Some {Norman Connors} (2:22)

Personnel:

Norman Connors - Drums

Herbie Hancock - Piano, Fender Rhodes, Electric Piano

Gary Bartz - Alto & Soprano Saxophones

Carlos Garnett - Tenor & Soprano Saxophones

Eddie Henderson - Trumpet

Art Webb - Flute

Cecil McBee - Bass (A,B1)

Stanley Clarke - Bass

Anthony Wiles - Baliphone, Percussion

Airto Moreira - Percussion (B1,B2,B3)

Alphonse Mouzon - Percussion (A,B2)

Babafemi - Percussion (A)

Billy Hart - Percussion (B1,B2,B3)

Nat Bettis - Percussion, Congas

The U.B.F. Singers - Vocals

This album is drummer Norman Connors earliest and most rewarding date as a leader. Recorded with a who's who of fusion titans including trumpeter Eddie Henderson bassist Stanley Clarke, and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, Dance of Magic channels the lessons drummer Norman Connors learned in the employ of Pharoah Sanders, Sam Rivers and Sun Ra, marshaling Latin rhythms, electronic textures, and cosmic mysticism to create nondenominational yet deeply spiritual funk-jazz. The sprawling 21-minute title cut spans the entirety of the record's first half, capturing a monumental jam session that explores the outer edges of free improvisation but never steps past the point of no return. Connors' furious drumming is like a trail of bread crumbs that leads his collaborators back home. The remaining three tracks are smaller in scale but no less epic in scope, culminating with the blistering "Give the Drummer Some." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide.