Eiji Kitamura - Seven Stars

If you have been around the Crypt long enough, you will recall the great run of early Concord Jazz albums we did a couple years back.  The first 300 sides they issued are all great albums, if not classic.  Seven Stars falls into the great category.  Not a rare album, but generally overlooked when thinking about Concord's catalogue.

Eiji Kitamura is by no means a jazz master, but he has a wonderfully soulful style.  He plays with lots of feeling and always retains a superb swing.  If you enjoy this album I would suggest looking for some of his other titles.  He is still actively recording and performing.

I don't have too much to say about this album.  Overall it's an excellent mainstream affair, enjoyable from start to finish.  All the players dig in at some point, even if only for a couple tracks.  The vinyl itself is mint and as per usual Concord style, the recording is glorious.  Ripped at 24bit / 48kHz and transferred into FLAC, the quality is as good as it gets... enjoy!!!



Concord Jazz ‎– CJ-217

1983

Bass – Bob Maize
Vibes - Cal Tjader (tracks 1, 3, 6)

Clarinet – Eiji Kitamura
Drums – Jake Hanna
Guitar – Eddie Duran
Piano -  Teddy Wilson

Vocals - Ernestine Anderson (track 7)

1. Avalon

2. Misty
3. Old Lads
4. Stardust
5. The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise
6. Satin Doll
7. Someone to Watch Over Me
8. I Wanna Go Home

Cal Tjader - Soul Burst (1966) [vinyl>flac]

Already an incredible musical amalgam - Swedish-American, sideman to both Dave Brubeck and George Shearing, Latin-jazz pioneer - Cal Tjader's Soul Burst on the scene with unprecedented excitement in 1966. More jazz-oriented than his Soul Sauce, utilizing repertoire from Clare Fischer, Dizzy Gillespie, and Kurt Weill (and Oliver Nelson arrangements), this record features three jazz flutists, a young Chick Corea, and terrific Latin percussionists, including Patato Valdes.

Very groovy! This is one of Cal's great Verve sides from the 60's! As with most of Cal's best, the grooves are a mix of jazz vibes and Latin rhythms – and the whole session's arranged by Oliver Nelson with impeccable skill. Players include Chick Corea, Atilla Zoller, Richard Davis – and a host of Latin percussionists like Patato Valdez, Jose Mangual, and Victor Pantoja. Titles include "Descarga Cubana", "Morning", "Oran", "Curacao", and "Chuchy Frito Man". Very nice! © Dusty Groove, Inc.

You will find Soul Burst an album containing the magnetism of the fresh, colorful, sensitive, and thoroughly dynamic and stimulating music of Cal Tjader - a lively synopsis of the history and development of North American improvisational concepts and Afro-cuban percussion. ~ Extract from Liner Notes by Herb Wong [KJAZ-FM, San Francisco]

Verve Records, V6-8637, 1966

Recorded 9^th, 10^th, 11^th February, 1966 at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Cal Tjader - Vibraphone

Jerry Dodgion, Seldon Powell, Jerome Richardson - Flute

Chick Corea - Piano

Atilla Zoller - Guitar

Richard Davis, Bobby Roriguez - Bass

Carlos "Patato" Valdez - Conga, Vocals

Jose Mangual - Timbales

Victor Pantoja - Percussion

Track Listing:

A1. Cuchy Frito Man {Ray Rivera, Vin Roddie} (2:21)

A2. Descarga Cubana {Osvaldo Estivill} (2:56)

A3. Soul Burst [Guajera] {Cal Tjader} (4:39)

A4. The Bilbao Song {Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht } (2:16)

A5. Manteca {Gil Fuller, Chano Pozo, Dizzy Gillespie} (6:34)

B1. It Didn't End [Nao Se Acabou] {João Donato} (3:55)

B2. My Ship {Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin} (3:01)

B3. Morning {Robert Cazimero, Clare Fischer} (2:57)

B4. Oran {Chick Corea} (3:59)

B5. Curacao {Cal Tjader} (6:16)

Credits:

Producer - Creed Taylor

Arranger - Chick Corea

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Director of Engineering - Val Valentin

Cover Design - Acy Lehman

Cover Photograph - Bruce Friedle

Liner Notes - Herb Wong