Kenny Kirkland - Kenny Kirkland (1991)

Keyboardist Kenny Kirkland's long-overdue debut as a leader really stretches his talents and is occasionally unpredictable. Virtually each of the performances has its own personality and the personnel and instrumentation differ throughout the release. Among the highlights is "Mr. J.C." (which features some stormy Branford Marsalis tenor), an electric Latin but still boppish update of Bud Powell's "Celia" (taken as a duet with percussionist Don Alias), the struttin' "Steepian Faith," a driving rendition of Ornette Coleman's "When Will the Blues Leave" that has some free bop alto from Roderick Ward, and Latin versions (with percussionist Jerry Gonzalez) of two standards not normally thought of as belonging to that idiom: Wayne Shorter's "Ana Maria" and Thelonious Monk's "Criss Cross." This highly recommended CD has more than its share of brilliant moments. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

GRP Records, GRP 96572, 1991
Verve Records, 543 037-2, 1991
Recorded and Mixed At BMG Studios A & B, New York City 

Musicians:
Kenny Kirkland - Piano (#1,2,4,6-10), Keyboards (#5,11)
Branford Marsalis - Tenor Sax (#1,10), Soprano Sax (#2,4,9)
Roderick Ward - Alto Saxophone (#7)
Charnett Moffett - Bass (#1,4,7)
Christian McBride - Bass (#6)
Andy Gonzalez - Bass (#8,10)
Jeff "Tain" Watts - Drums (#1-4,6-8)
Steve Berrios - Drums (#8,10)
Jerry Gonzalez - Percussion, Congas (#8,10)
Don Alias - Percussion (#5,11), Bongos (#8) 

Tracks:
01. Mr. J.C. {Kenny Kirkland} (8:07)
02. Midnight Silence {Kenny Kirkland} (3:33)
03. El Rey {Jeff "Tain" Watts} (1:34)
04. Steepian Faith {Kenny Kirkland} (6:02)
05. Celia {Bud Powell} (6:49)
06. Chance {Kenny Kirkland} (6:01)
07. When Will The Blues Leave? {Ornette Coleman} (5:39)
08. Ana Maria {Wayne Shorter} (8:36)
09. Revelations {Kenny Kirkland} (7:48)
10. Criss Cross {Thelonious Monk} (5:19)
11. Blasphemy {Kenny Kirkland} (3:04) 

Total Time: 62:36

Credits:
Producer - Kenny Kirkland
Producer, Digital Editing - Delfeayo Marsalis
Recording, Mixing - Patrick "Jatty Q" Smith
Digital Editing - Michael Landy
Mastering - Ted Jensen
Graphic Design - Sonny Mediana
Liner Notes - Branford Marsalis

Dave Liebman - Lookout Farm (1974) [re-rip]

Lookout Farm is a sublime jazz-fusion album and is indicative of a typical ECM release. Side A kicks off with Pablo’s Story - a Latin influenced track that begins with classical guitar, then flute and electric guitar together with cowbells. It’s poised and beautiful and then it becomes an up-tempo workout with saxophones and congas taking it on a wild ride. Sam’s Float initially sounds mysterious, with a bass line leading into flute trills whilst a female voice wails - it’s like a brief adventure into the ether. Side B is one twenty-four minute track called M.D/Lookout Farm. It begins with acoustic piano followed by plaintive tenor saxophone and as the track develops it is atmospheric and sometimes quite abstract. There’s everything happening in this track – you can call it a jam, but it is coherent and tightly played. Towards the end there is a great percussive section with tablas and congas before a saxophone led freak-out warps time over never-ending elastic minutes. This music is a good example of what was happening in the early 1970s.

Dave Liebman played in Elvin Jones’ band after John Coltrane died in 1967 and then was hired by Mile Davis, playing with the master between 1970-74, the period in which this great record was recorded. Lookout Farm displays similar qualities to Miles Davis’ work during that period, being both adventurous and avant-garde, but also very listenable. The sessions took place in October 1973 and features Liebman on flute and soprano and tenor saxes. The other principle musicians are Richard Beirach, Frank Tusa and Jeff Williams. ~ Jeremy, Closed Groove

ECM Records, ECM 1039 ST, 1974

Recorded 10^th & 11^th October, 1973 at Generation Sound Studios, New York

Personnel:

Dave Liebman - Soprano, Tenor Saxes, Alto C-Flute

Richard Beirach - Electric, Acoustic Piano

Frank Tusa - Electric, Acoustic Bass

Jeff Williams - Drums

Thanks to:

John Abercrombie - Acoustic, Electric Guitar

Armen Halburian - Percussion

Don Alias - Congas, Bongos

Badal Roy - Tablas

Steve Sattan - Tambourine, Cowbell

Eleana Sternberg - Vocals

Track Listing:

A1. Pablo's Story {Liebman} (14:00)

A2. Sam's Float {Liebman} (8:38)

B. M. D. / Lookout Farm {Liebman} (23:46)

Credits:

Producer - Manfred Eicher

Recording Engineer - Tony May

Mixing Engineer - Martin Wieland

A great example of the sound of ECM in the early 70s, with Liebman playing in his post-Miles band angular modernist style with warm electric and acoustic accompaniment from Richard Beirach, Frank Tusa and Jeff Williams rounding out the quartet. The set is made up of three long, spiralling numbers, with the players intersecting and weaving together their lines, blurring the difference between solos, group improvisation and head melodies, and there's a large host of guest players, including John Abercrombie, Don Alias and Badal Roy. Titles include "Pablo's Story", "Sam's Float" and "MD/Lookout Farm". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

David Liebman - Sweet Hands (1975) [vinyl>flac]

Fascinatingly eclectic, Sweet Hands finds Dave Liebman’s band Lookout Farm exploring different styles such as funk, free jazz, Indian music, song forms, and even a surprisingly successful reharmonization of George Harrison’s Within You Without You from The Beatles’ 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Listening to Sweet Hands makes you nostalgic for a time when music executives had enough respect for the public that they supported the creation of music that didn’t have an instantly exploitable marketing hook.

Probably the standout is the opening track, Dr. Faustus. The inspiration for the tune, originally titled “Anxiety,” was an episode between Dave Liebman and his record label at the time. It opens with a free chromatic melody, tweaked for maximum dissonance, leading into a jazz rock vamp over which Liebman wails, egged on by Richie Beirach’s itchy clavinet. The pounding bass line that underlies the tune is meant to suggest, according to the liner notes, “New York City where so many high pressured situations are dealt with constantly.”

The next tune, Dark Lady, is by Richie Beirach. The tone of the piece is fittingly ruminative, being a portrait of one of Richie’s female acquaintances. An A section is played by Richie alone, followed by a B section of simpler harmonic material, which is used as material for Liebman’s improvisation. A C section follows, a canon based on material from the B section. Finally the A section is reprised, ending the track.

The next piece is an (unintentionally) humorous tune that combines an Indian rhythm supplied by Badal Roy with funk, courtesy of the bass and a rhythmic figure by Liebman’s overdubbed saxophones. It is not entirely successful, but it is hard not to applaud the group’s spirit of adventure, and at a brisk 4:11, it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Within You Without You, retitled Ashirbad, is treated to Badal Roy’s percussion before Liebman starts in with the theme, which Beirach reharmonizes on electric piano, under which the bass plays an E pedal point, with occasional countermelodies. Given that Liebman is particularly fond of Harrison’s lyrics, which he finds profound, one is grateful that Liebman’s musical taste far exceeds his literary judgement.

Napanoch starts with a completely improvised duet between Liebman on tenor and Beirach on electric piano which segues into a section with a straight ahead jazz feel based on the F# Locrian mode, over which Liebman solos freely, accompanied by Beirach, who spontaneously reharmonizes to support Liebman’s melodic variations. While Liebman and Beirach continue to burn, swingtime is suspended and the rhythm becomes free, drawing the tune to a close.

To summarize, Sweet Hands is quite an adventurous and almost entirely successful date from David Liebman and his band Lookout Farm. Now, the bad news, Sweet Hands is only available on LP. ~ Jazzbo

Horizon Records, SP-702, 1975

Recorded 25th, 27th, 29th & 30th July, 1975 at Kendun Recorders, Burbank, California

Personnel:

David Liebman - Tenor Sax (#A1,A3,B3), Soprano Sax (#A1,A2,B2,B4), Alto Flute (#A2,A3,B1,B2), Wind Chimes (#B2)

Richard Beirach - Piano (#A2), Electric Piano (#A1,B2,B3), Clavinet (#A1,A3), Bell Tree (#A2), Wind Chimes (#B2)

John Abercrombie - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar (#A1-A3,B4)

Charlie Haden - Acoustic Bass (#A3,B1,B2)

Frank Tusa - Electric Bass (#A1,A3), Acoustic Bass (#A2,B1,B2,B3)

Jeff Williams - Drums (#A1-A3,B3,B4)

Don Alias - Congas, Bells, Tambourine, Shaker, Cymbal [Finger] (#A1-B4)

Badal Roy - Tabla, Ektare, Vocals (#A3,B1,B2)

Arooj Lazewal - Sitar (#B1,B2)

Gita Roy - Tambura (#B1,B2)

Track Listing:

A1. Dr. Faustus {David Liebman} (10:49)

A2. Dark Lady {Richie Beirach} (7:52)

A3. Sweet Hand Roy {Badal Roy, David Liebman} (4:09)

B1-B2. Ashirbad {Badal Roy}/Within You Without You {George Harrison} (12:13)

B3. Napanoch {David Liebman} (5:27)

B4. Leane {David Liebman} (4:12)

Credits:

Producer - Ed Michel

Recorded By, Mixed By - Baker Bigsby

Engineer [Assistant] - Larry Quinn, Peter Chaiken

Mixed By - David Liebman, Ed Michel, Richard Beirach

Creative Director - John Snyder

Art Direction - Roland Young

Design - Phil Shima

Cover [Front Cover] - Kenneth McGowan

Liner Notes - Badal Roy, David Liebman

Jeremy Steig - Fusion (1972) [vinyl>flac]

One of the greatest jazz-rock flute players around. This double vinyl album puts together a compilation that clearly showcases his mastery.

Fusion pairs the entirety of Jeremy Steig's landmark 1971 Capitol release Energy alongside unreleased material from the same sessions. Energy is a miracle of alchemy -- Jeremy Steig transforms his flute from the ethereal to the elemental, forging a heavy, deeply funky jazz-rock record that defies gravity. Paired with keyboardist Jan Hammer, bassists Gene Perla and Eddie Gomez, and drummer Don Alias, Steig creates Technicolor grooves that float like butterflies and sting like bees. His music doesn't so much fuse jazz and rock as it approaches each side from the perspective of the other, exploring their respective concepts and executions to arrive at a sound all its own. If anything, the tonal restrictions of Steig's chosen instrument push him even farther into the unknown, employing a series of acoustic and electronic innovations to expand the flute's possibilities seemingly into the infinite. While some of the unissued content here is no less astounding, as a whole Fusion feels like too much of a good thing; one can't help but miss the focus and shape of Energy in its original incarnation. ~ By Jason Ankeny.

I think I'd avoided Jeremy Steig's 1971 album "Fusion" because, well, the word 'fusion' always carried connotations for me of lightning-speed distorted guitars separating twenty minute bass solos - not really my thing. And it had Jan Hammer on it, who I generally associate with the same masturbatory activity, albeit on synthesisers. So when I finally grabbed it. I was pleasantly surprised by its soulful funky rawness, great rhodes playing from Hammer and of course Steig's crazy flute. ~ Never Enough Rhodes

Groove Merchant, GM 2204, 2 × Vinyl, LP, Compilation, 1972

Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, 52 West 8th Street, New York

Track Listing:

A1. Home {Jeremy Steig, Jan Hammer} (4:38)

A2. Cakes {Jeremy Steig, Jan Hammer} (4:50)

A3. Swamp Carol {Jeremy Steig, Jan Hammer} (4:09)

A4. Energy {Jeremy Steig, Jan Hammer, Don Alias, Gene Perla} (4:48)

B1. Down Stretch {Jan Hammer} (4:12)

B2. Give Me Some {Jeremy Steig, Jan Hammer} (6:43)

B3. Come With Me {Jeremy Steig, Jan Hammer} (8:00)

B4. Dance Of The Mind {Jeremy Steig, Don Alias} (2:20)

C1. Up Tempo Thing {Jeremy Steig} (5:21)

C2. Elephant Hump {Jeremy Steig} (5:53)

C3. Rock #6 {Jeremy Steig} (2:58)

C4. Slow Blues In G {Jeremy Steig} (6:31)

D1. Rock #9 {Jeremy Steig} (5:48)

D2. Rock #10 {Jeremy Steig} (4:13)

D3. Something Else {Jeremy Steig} (7:01)

Personnel:

Jeremy Steig - Flute, Alto Piccolo, Alto Flute, Bass Flute

Jan Hammer - Electric Piano, Chinese Gong

Gene Perla - Electric Bass, Electric Upright Bass

Eddie Gomez - Electric Upright Bass (#B1, B3)

Don Alias - Drums, Congas, Clap Drums, Percussion

Released on Groove Merchant Fusion is a double album compilation of Jeremy Steig’s work compiled by Sonny Lester. The first album contains all of the songs from Steig’s Energy LP released on Capitol, while the second slab contains new material. Standouts are, Home that opens up with an interesting piano line by Jan Hammer before the band gets a little funky. Similarly, Cakes starts with a nice bass and drum beginning by Gene Perla and Don Alias. Both of these beginnings could be looped. Swamp Carol, Down Stretch (with a short drum break at the beginning) and Give Me Some all feature some pretty funky rhythms. These songs are from the Energy album. The previously unreleased material, is a bit mellower, with a bluesy influence to most of them but worth a listen. Probably the best song is Up Tempo Thing, a soulful groover despite the name. Soulstrut