Miroslav Vitous - Guardian Angels (1979)

"Guardian Angels" showcases the comprehensive talent of virtuoso bassist, Miroslav Vitous. It puts on full display his incredible talent on electric and acoustic basses (with and without bow). One of the things that I thoroughly enjoy about this music is that it dispels the claim, attributed to former band mate and co-founder of Weather Report, Josef Zawinul, that Vitous couldn’t bring the “bottom”. On every track here, he brings it. ~ Matt Seahorn, Amazon.com. 

As a big Miroslav Vitous fan, this album is extremely satisfying outing and captures a late 70s snapshot of fusion. To start, it features a future member of his group, Kenny Kirkland, on keyboards, John Scofield sounds great on guitar and brings two originals. It also features two Japanese members who Miroslav made a few albums with; George Otsuka on drums and Mabumi Yamaguchi is on soprano sax, who were involved in two Maracaibo albums, the album Mabumi, and keyboardist Fumio Karashima's Hot Island. I'd recommend the original Evidence edition of this album, it's affordable and has great liner notes recalling first-hand details from the recording. Enjoy! ~ Frank G, Amazon.com. 

Trio Records, PAP-9154, 1979
Evidence Records, ECD 22055, 1993
Recorded 9th, 10th, 11th November, 1978 At Onkio Haus, Tokyo, Japan 

Musicians:
Miroslav Vitous - Bass, Electric Bass, Synthesizer [Mini-Moog, Solina String-Ensemble]
Mabumi Yamaguchi - Soprano Saxophone
Kenny Kirkland - Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes, Yamaha CP-70 [Electric Grand],
Synthesizer [Yamaha CS-50 (Polyphonic), Mini-Moog]
John Scofield - Guitar
George Ohtsuka - Drums [Yamaha] 

Tracks:
1. His Meaning / Rising / Resolution {Miroslav Vitous} (8:38)
2. Inner Peace {Kenny Kirkland} (6:10)
3. Guardian Angels {Miroslav Vitous} (5:54)
4. Off To Buffalo {John Scofield} (7:52)
5. Eating It Raw {John Scofield} (6:15)
6. Shinkansen {Kenny Kirkland} (6:11) 

Total Time: 40:03 

Credits:
Producer, Engineer - David Baker
Producer - Ken Inaoka
Music Director - Miroslav Vitous
Engineer [Assistant] - Takashi Ogawa
Production Coordinator - Kaz Harada
Management – Hiroaki Itoh, Mamoru Kamekawa
Photography - Shigeru Uchiyama, Yasuhisa Yoneda
Design - Breakfast 

This is another example of the type of 'fusion' that was going on in NYC in the late 70's. It was popular then for Japanese artists to hire the top guys on the scene, make a record and be big stars in their home country. This CD is cool in that we hear a young Kenny Kirkland burning on electric keyboards. Kenny was 'the cat' to be reckoned with at this time. Scofield sounds good here too, although he sounds better on Chet Baker's 'can't go home again' and his own CD 'Live', also 'Rough House' which I think were recorded around the same time. The music is basically, pentatonic scales or whatever, played in unison really fast then solos: either up-tempo samba vamps or medium tempo funk groove. It's OK I guess...if you are a Kirkland or Scofield fan. ~ Wes Green, Amazon.com.

Kevin Hays - El Matador (1990)

Kevin Hays recorded this early session (his second as a leader) in 1990, at the age of 22. Originally released in 1991 on the Jazz City import label, the disc was reissued in the U.S. in 1998 by Evidence. The young pianist is joined by alto/soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson, bassist Scott Colley, drummer Bill Stewart, and on four tracks, the tenor titan Joe Henderson. Hays' writing and playing are remarkably advanced, particularly on "Emperor Leon" (dedicated to drummer Leon Parker) and "The Brahmin's Son," an extended piece inspired by Herman Hesse. Quartet renderings of "The Good Life" and John Coltrane's "Like Sonny" also appear, along with a full quintet arrangement of Hindemith's "Nobilissima Visione," on which Henderson truly shines. Steve Wilson's angular blues-head "No Such Luck" closes the set. El Matador is a vital addition to Hays' discography, even after the fact. ~ by David R. Adler, AMG. 

Jazz City, PCCY-00247, 1991
Evidence Records, ECD 22199-2, 1998
Recorded August, 1990 At “The Studio”, New York City 

Musicians:
Kevin Hays - Piano
Steve Wilson - Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone
Joe Henderson - Tenor Saxophone {#1,2,5,6)
Scott Colley - Bass
Bill Stewart - Drums 

Tracks:
1. El Matador {Kevin Hays} (8:02)
2. Emperor Leon {Kevin Hays} (10:28)
3. Like Sonny {John Coltrane} (6:46)
4. The Good Life {Sacha Distel, Jack Reardon} (6:56)
5. The Brahmin's Son {Kevin Hays} (10:54)
6. Nobilissima Visione {Paul Hindemith} (6:16)
7. Snake Eyes {Kevin Hays} (7:53)
8. No Such Luck {Steve Wilson} (5:26) 

Total Time: 62:41 

Credits:
Producer - Tony Ariga, Yoshiaki Masuo
Engineer - David Baker
Photography - Alan Nahigian
Liner Notes - Ira Gitler
Reissue Producer - Jerry Gordon

Ted Curson Quintet - Traveling On (1996) [re-rip]

Here we have another fine album by late Ted Curson. He assembles as per usual another great quintet. The majority of the tunes are his and he doesn’t waste any time showcasing his trumpet playing virtuosity through some brilliant solos. The pianist and flutist also show off their excellent versatility. In addition the listener gets to hear Ted vocalise on three numbers. Overall any fan will be pleased to scoop this one up just hear newer versions of Quicksand, Flatted Fifth, Tears For Dolphy and Song Of The Lonely. Enjoy!

Some people may never get past referring to Ted Curson as "the other soloist" in the great Charles Mingus bands with Eric Dolphy, but that hasn't deterred the trumpet player from pursuing his own, albeit less commercially and critically acclaimed, path. He just keeps Traveling On, the title of his twentieth album and his first release in seventeen years. Even though Curson is Traveling On, he looks back long enough to pay tribute to several of the magnificent musicians with whom he's been partnered in the past with "Tears for Dolphy," "Reava's Waltz (More Mingus)" and the set-ending "Song of the Lonely One (Ode to Booker Ervin)" (another Mingus-Curson connection). This set also includes well-executed covers of Herbie Hancock's venerated "Watermelon Man," the traditional "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Flip Flop and Fly." Curson's playing is confident, taut and swinging throughout, and, on four of these nine selections, it benefits greatly from the addition of four percussionists to the traditional bass/drum/piano backing. Traveling On proves worth the seventeen-year wait. ~ by Chris Slawecki, AMG.

Evidence Records, ECD 22182, 1997

Recorded 23^rd June, 1996 at Sound On Sound, New York City

Personnel:

Ted Curson - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Piccolo Trumpet, Vocals (#6-8)

Mark Gross - Flute, Soprano & Alto Saxophones

Misako Kano - Piano

Ray Drummond - Bass

Sylvia Cuenca - Drums

Everald Brown, Guilherme Franco, Ricky "Bongo" James, David Williams - Percussion (#1-3,6)

Tracks:

1. Lin's Garden {Ted Curson, Graham Collier} (7:51)

2. Quicksand {Ted Curson} (6:55)

3. Flatted Fifth {Ted Curson} (5:50)

4. Tears For Dolphy {Ted Curson} (9:17)

5. Reava's Waltz {Ted Curson} (6:03)

6. Watermelon Man [Lyrical Version] {Herbie Hancock, Jon Hendricks} (7:28)

7. When The Saints Go Marching In {Traditional} (2:42)

8. Flip Flop And Fly {Charles E. Calhoun, Lou Willie Turner} (2:08)

9. Song Of The Lonely One [aka Ode To Booker Ervin] {Ted Curson} (7:20)