Nick Brignola - Burn Brigade

Amazingly enough, the 16 month old links [now 7 years! ~ grumpy] on this are still alive and well! These two belong together so I felt compelled to roll this one forward too! 

WARNING, WARNING! Do you feel the earth trembling? Your eyes do not deceive you, THREE baritones! You thought Baritone Madness was big, look out for the Burn Brigade! This is a gift once again from the amazing Wid and he dedicates it to Grumpy since it is on his beloved Bee-Hive label.

Nick Brignola - Burn Brigade 
(1980 BeeHive-7010)

01 - Nick Who's Blues
02 - I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
03 - Busy B's
04 - Groovin' High
05 - Our Delight

Nick Brignola - Baritone Sax
Ronnie Cuber - Baritone Sax
Cecil Payne - Baritone Sax
Walter Davis Jr - Piano
Walter Booker Jr - Bass
Jimmy Cobb - Drums

Recorded NYC, June 19, 1979

The big dogs are barking on this one! Normally I'd start out by pointing to that killer rhythm section and spend some time extolling their virtues (they ARE great) but the big boys step up with those bari's and somehow it is all your brain can manage to absorb what you are hearing, three of them just tearing it up! I don't think Brignola, Payne or Cuber need any introductions here at The Crypt, all three are in fine form here and the rhythm section is so good that they do occasionally manage to shine as well. It's just that the lights keep reflecting off of that impossible mass of brass up there.

I'm listening while writing and this is no gimmick album, it is in fact a dynamite very enjoyable bari-bop (my term) journey. They manage to find plenty of room to operate in, out and around each other with great dexterity and when they start trading.....Whew! Another no-brain-er here, just get it! Da Bee Hive stings again!

Thanks Wid!

Clifford Jordan - Dr. Chicago (1984) [vinyl>flac]

Re-upped from the old Crypt. I couldn't resist a sealed copy of this, so ripped from mint vinyl. On the BeeHive label, a catalogue that has never been issued on CD.

This excellent Bee Hive LP features tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan on three quartet numbers with pianist Jaki Byard, bassist Ed Howard and drummer Vernel Fournier, welcoming trumpeter Red Rodney to two other selections and taking "If I Had You" as a duet with the very versatile Byard. The repertoire is colorful and diverse (three jazz standards, an obscurity, Jordan's bluesy title cut and Fournier's intriguing "Zombie"), and the very consistent Jordan is up to his usual high level. ~ Scott Yanow

01 Dr. Chicago
02 Something To Live For
03 Zombie
04 Touch Love
05 If I Had You
06 Be Bop

Clifford Jordan (ts) Red Rodney (t, flh) Jaki Byard (p) Ed Howard (b)
Vernel Fournier (d)
Vanguard Studios, NYC, August 3, 1984

The Bee Hive Session - Unissued Tunes, Vol. One

On that day when I yearly mark the passage of time, I received this morning a nice little gift from our old friend deGallo. A peak at these covers should have all of you salivating already. Add to this the anticipation of one our friend's perfect rips, and I have to question why you are still reading this instead of getting to the link. Should some of you require yet further prodding, here is what AMG had to say:

"The Bee Hive label was founded by Jim Neumann in Chicago in 1977 and stayed around for about six years. While based in Chicago, most of their players were based in New York City and virtually all the albums were recorded there. There weren't that many albums released, 16 including this one (with red vinyl). But what was lacking in quantity, was made up in quality. Top ranked jazz artists cut albums for this recording company, some of them are represented on this compilation of takes which didn't make it to a regular album. To the label's credit, they gave their artists lots of time to fully work out their approach to the music. The average playing time per tune is about seven minutes.

Why these tracks never made it to a customary release is puzzling, given the high level of artistic execution. Nick Brignola playing alto instead of baritone combines with Pepper Adams on an authoritative version of "Stablemates" for one. Sal Salvador and Eddie Bert uniting with the now baritone sax playing Brignola on an in depth probe of "On Green Dolphin Street" for another. Then there's the pièce de résistance, the master ballad singer Johnny Hartman's treatment of "Moonlight in Vermont" alone with the guitar of Al Gafa. This album should be remastered for CD just for this performance. It would be a good project for an enterprising and caring record company to gather all the Bee Hive albums and release them on CDs. Depriving jazz lovers of this music is criminal."

Now please DO remember to leave some love for our pal deGallo for this jewel.

Baritone Madness - The Nick Brignola Sextet featuring Pepper Adams

A repost by request.

An exciting Bee Hive contribution from Wid - this has been on a private site in flac but here is a different LP rip for The Crypt that is the first public lossless offering.

Nick Brignola Sextet featuring Pepper Adams - Baritone Madness
Bee Hive Records, 1977

01 - Donna Lee 9:40
02 - Billie's Bounce 11:21
03 - Marmeduke 11:36
04 - Body And Soul 7:07
05 - Alone Together 7:05

Nick Brignola - Baritone Sax
Pepper Adams - Baritone Sax
Ted Curson - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Derek Smith - Piano
Dave Holland - Acoustic Bass
Roy Haynes - Drums

Recorded December 22, 1977 at Blue Rock Studio, New York City.

This album lives up to its title. Nick Brignola is matched up with fellow baritone great Pepper Adams in a sextet also including trumpeter Ted Curson, pianist Derek Smith, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Roy Haynes. The personnel differs throughout the program, with the full group being heard on "Billie's Bounce" and "Marmaduke," Curson sitting out on "Donna Lee," "Body and Soul" being a feature for Brignola, and "Alone Together" showcasing the rhythm section. It is obvious from the song titles that this is very much a bebop jam session date, and quite a few sparks do fly.

(sic) Clean, open, 'live' sound. Highly detailed instruments with 'air' and presence performing in an intimate environment. Very natural sounding. Excellent Bass, Brass with plenty of 'bite' and an open, airy treble. A 3-D soundstage with strong imaging. Wid

KC note: The very first album issued on Bee Hive.