Possibly the most apposite album title ever!From a review by Eddie Blackwell ~ Jazz Journal, February 1999:-
From the original sleeve-notes we learn that Anderza had been playing for several years [at the time of this recording] and cited Charlie Parker and Lee Konitz as his prime influences. Clearly he had also listened to Eric Dolphy, having received lessons from Dolphy's teacher. In addition, there is reference to a session with Ornette Coleman. His mastery of the alto is demonstrated in a formidable technique. A powerful, brilliant tone, invariably devoid of vibrato, is nevertheless warm and intense on the ballads. In order to create a more individual sound he had developed the technique of false fingering which enabled him to produce higher notes than the saxophone would normally attain. These skills are deployed in a programme of originals, one or two of which were composed at the studio, and several splendid ballad readings. You'd Be So Nice lopes along at perfect tempo, and Anderza's affection for What's New produces a warm performance in which he attempts, successfully, to ascend into the formerly unreachable area above high F and then descends in complete musical taste. He lags neatly behind the beat on Blues Baroque, a satisfying 12-bar, and tears into Freeway like the proverbial bat out of the other place! A fine young musician, captured at a period in his development when the formalities of bop were under challenge from a freer form of expression. I wonder what became of him?
(1) All The Things You Are
(2) Blues Baroque
(3) You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(4) Freeway
(5) Outa Sight
(6) What's New
(7) Benign
(8) Lonesome Road
(9) I'll Be Around
(10) Freeway
(11) Benign
Earl Anderza (as); Jack Wilson (p, hps); (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6) George Morrow (b); (tracks 3, 7) Jimmy Bond (b); Donald Dean (d).
Los Angeles, March 1962
Thanks to Otis Foster for unearthing this, originally posted at -
http://cd.ciao.com/Outa_Sight_Limited_Edition_Earl_Anderza__Review_5750762:
"Earl Anderza and I were cell mates in San Francisco City Prison in July of 1970. As I was the only other person in there who loved jazz & knew musicians and since we were probably the only two guys in that cell block with IQs higher than the temperature of the over-crowded air, we became friends, At that time, even though I had been a denizen of Jazz clubs in San Francisco (from the Blackhawk where I saw Horace Silver for the first time in 1960 or 61, when I was 16, from behind the screen that segregated people under 21 from those who were old enough to drink; to the 181 Club after hours; Jack's on Sutter for Sunday Morning Jams) , in LA (Shelly's MannHole where I came every night for a week each to hear Mose Allison & Bill Evans play two sets); in New York (Thanks to a beautiful woman who had flown me from California to hear Bobby Short in the Village) and Chicago (for blues at Mr. Kelly's),.. I had never heard Earl Anderza play.
In the three weeks we spent locked down together, we talked about a wide-world of subjects, of course, we spoke about music, books and our lives in the life, while we awaited transportation to different prisons; he to the State and me to the Feds. Earl spoke about music with the sort of authority that --- when I got out many months later and bought my first vinyl copy of "Outa Sight" --- I wasn't the least bit surprised that his musicianship was amazing or that his lyrical sense was fully formed. I have been delighted by these cuts for more than 35 years; each time I go back to them they re-delight me.
After about three weeks, I got carted off to Lompoc FCI and I never saw Earl Anderza again. Since Earl never re-emerged into the first-rank of musicians with new music, I have assumed that he was lost in that labyrinth. I did hear about him once, from an inmate who transferred into Federal prison from the State. This guy told a story about how Earl Anderza was sitting alone on Xmas eve locked in his cell pouring his soul into his sax, when the sweet/sad sounds that floated down the tiers ignited a full-blown riot --- inmates screamed and threw burning clothes and mattresses onto the tiers until Folsom Prison had do be locked down, to silence the alto-sound of Earl Anderza's mournfully incarcerated-soul.
It's hard to research things that go on in the belly of that beast, so that is about what I know. If I were researching Earl's life after he went "Outa Sight," I'd begin with California's Department of Corrections. If anyone wanted to interview me to validate these recollections, I'd gladly make myself available. Earl Anderza should be remembered not because he was a good guy lost in a dark world; rather because his music is unforgettably elegant. Listen to these cuts and you will know all that can be known about Earl. It will blow your mind that someone, who you have never heard of, could have made such a profound sound with so much virtuosity. Enjoy...jt"
