An unusual 1991 trio piece recorded by Larry Willis with Gary Bartz's alto saxophone and Cecil McBee's bass. Bart's earthy saxophone, Willis' beautiful grainy piano, and McBee's all-encompassing bass create a bluesy atmosphere. ~ ventoazul.shop-pro.jp.
Larry plays solo on three tracks (#1,3,6), and is joined in a trio grouping by both Gary and Cecil on two (#2,4) and additionally Cecil joins him in a duo on another (#5). Larry contributes three of his own compositions (#1,3,5), Cecil also offers up another (#4) and the remaining two are well-known bluesy numbers. The title track "Steal Away" was popularised by singer Jimmy Hughes and "The Meaning Of The Blues" by revered jazz composer Bobby Troup. This is a pure analog recording. The tracks were recorded "live" direct to two-track!
AudioQuest Music, AQ-CD1009,
1992
Sledgehammer Blues, 2-AQM-1009, 1992
Recorded 23rd & 24th
December, 1991 at Mapleshade Studios, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Musicians:
Larry Willis - Piano
[Steinway], Solo (#1,3,6)
Gary Bartz - Alto Saxophone
(#2,4)
Cecil McBee - Bass (#2,4,5)
Tracks:
1. Valdosta Blues {Larry
Willis} (6:25)
2. Steal Away {Traditional}
(13:33)
3. Fallen Hero {Larry Willis}
(3:15)
4. "D" Bass-ic
Blues {Cecil McBee} (8:35)
5. Ethiopia {Larry Willis}
(9:03)
6. The Meaning Of The Blues
{Bobby Troup, Leah Worth} (6:41)
Total Time: 47:34
Credits:
Producer - Joe Harley
Recording Engineer - Pierre
M. Sprey
Mastering Engineer - Bernie
Grundman
Art Direction, Design -
Hilary Weiss, Merlin Clarke
Cover - Joanna Ashe
Photography - Mark Kornbluth,
Michael Wilderman
Liner Notes - Bill Kohlhaase
