Milt Jackson - Sunflower (1972) [vinyl]

Recorded over two days in December of 1972 at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood, New Jersey home studio, vibraphonist Milt Jackson's Sunflower is the first -- and best -- of his three albums for Creed Taylor's CTI imprint. (And one of the finest offerings on the label.) With a core band consisting of Herbie Hancock (playing electric and acoustic piano), bassist Ron Carter, drummer Billy Cobham, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, drummer/percussionist Ralph McDonald, and guitarist Jay Berliner. A chamber orchestra exquisitely arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky adorns the session as well. Jackson's "For Someone I Love," opens the five-tune set, with Berliner playing solo flamenco guitar before the vibes, trumpet, and elements from the chamber orchestra delicately, impressionistically color the background. It gradually moves into a languid, bluesy ballad that slowly gains in both texture and dynamic until the strings trill tensely. Hubbard and Hancock engage them in solos that gently swing out the tune. The reading of Michel Legrand's "What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life" is a gorgeous showcase for Jackson; his solo dominates the arrangement. Carter gets downright funky on his upright to introduce Thom Bell's "People Make the World Go Round," and Hancock follows him on Rhodes. Jackson takes the melody, striking a layered contrast as Hubbard slips around all three playing an extension of the melody with requisite taste, fluidity, and taut phrasing. Hancock gets funky to the bone in his brief solo, as the vibes soar around and through his phrases. The title track is a Hubbard composition that floats and hovers with a Latin backbeat before shifting tempos as the solos begin. The expanded harmonic palette of trumpet with the reeds, woodwinds, and strings on the melody add an exotic textural palette for his solo. While Sunflower sometimes feels more like a group session rather than a Jackson-led one, that's part of its exquisite beauty. ~ Thom Jurek, AMG.

CTI Records, CTI 6024, 1973

Recorded 12^th & 13^th December, 1972 at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Musicians:

Milt Jackson - Vibraphone

Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Herbie Hancock - Piano

Jay Berliner - Guitar

Ron Carter - Bass

Bill Cobham - Drums

Ralph MacDonald - Percussion

Plus Reeds & Strings:

George Marge - Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Flute, English Horn

Romeo Penque - Alto Flute, Oboe, English Horn

Phil Bodner - Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo Flute, English Horn

Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken, George Ricci - Cello

Margaret Ross - Harp

Charles Libove, David Nadien, Elliot Rosoff, Emanuel Green, Gene Orloff,

Irving Spice, Joe Malin, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman - Violin

Tracks:

A1. For Someone I Love {Milt Jackson} (10:21)

A2. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life? {Michel Legrand, Alan & Marilyn Bergman} (6:57)

B1. People Make The World Go Round {Thomas Bell, Linda Creed} (8:29)

B2. Sunflower {Freddie Hubbard} (11:01)

Credits:

Producer - Creed Taylor

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Arranger & Conductor - Don Sebesky

Album Photograph - Pete Turner

Liner Photograph - K. Abe

Album Design - Bob Ciano

Steve Turre - Rhythm Within (1995)

Trombonist Steve Turre obviously put a lot of work into this CD for each of the nine selections has its own purpose and the personnel changes on every cut. Turre doubles on the conch shells and on a few numbers utilizes a "shell choir"; in addition, there are often three percussionists, other notable trombonists (including Britt Woodman, Frank Lacy and Robin Eubanks) and such guest soloists as trumpeter Jon Faddis, tenor-saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and pianist Herbie Hancock. With highlights including "Funky-T," Yusef Lateef's "Morning," "Since I Fell for You" (a Woodman feature) and "All Blues," this is a particularly memorable and well-conceived set, one of Turre's best. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Antilles Records, 314 527 159-2, 1995
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 

Personnel:
Steve Turre - Trombone (#1-4,6,8,9), Conch [Shells] (#1-7,9)
Jon Faddis - Trumpet (#1,5,6), Flugelhorn (#4), Conch [Shells] (#6)
Stanton Davis - Trumpet (#2,8,9), Flugelhorn (#8), Conch [Shells] (#7)
Aaron Johnson - Trombone (#9), Conch [Shells] (#3,7,9)
Britt Woodman - Trombone (#3)
Douglas Purviance - Trombone (#6), Bass Trombone (#2,4,8), Conch [Shells] (#1,5,6)
Frank Lacy - Trombone (#6,8,9), Conch [Shells] (#1-7)
Jamal Haynes - Trombone (#6,8,9), Conch [Shells] (#1-7,9)
Robin Eubanks - Trombone (#6,8,9), Conch [Shells] (#1-7,9)
Pharoah Sanders - Tenor Saxophone (#1,4)
Herbie Hancock - Piano (#1,4,6)
Andy Gonzalez - Bass
Kimati Dinizulu - Bass [One String] (#2), Shekere (#3), Percussion (#5),
Claves (#7), Drums [African] (#1,4,6,9)
Victor Lewis - Drums (#1-4,6,8,9), Percussion (#5)
Milton Cardona - Congas (#1,2,4,6), Shekere (#3,9), Percussion (#5), Timbales, Cowbell (#7)
Jimmy Delgado - Shekere (#3), Cowbell, Percussion (#9) 

Tracks:
1. Funky T {Steve Turre} (12:58)
2. Morning {Yusef Lateef} (8:56)
3. Since I Fell For You {Buddy Johnson} (5:39)
4. Rhythm Within {Steve Turre} (8:18)
5. Twilight Dreams {Steve Turre} (3:22)
6. All Blues {Miles Davis} (9:05)
7. Montuno Caracol {Steve Turre} (3:00)
8. Body And Soul {Heyman, Eyton, Green, Sour} (8:28)
9. African Shuffle {Steve Turre} (8:59) 

Credits:
Producer - Billy Banks
Executive-Producer - Richard Seidel
Recording, Mixing & Mastering - Rudy van Gelder
Assistant Engineer - Maureen Sickler
Art Direction - David Lau
Design - Giulio Turturro
Illustration - James Steinberg
Photography - Jimmy Katz
Conductor - Akua Dixon Turre (#1,2,4-6,8), Rufus Reid (#3,7,9)
Liner Notes, Arranger - Steve Turre 

A Jazz Masterpiece
One of my favourite jazz albums, if not my favourite jazz album ever. It is also my favourite album from Turre. What makes it unique: the wonderful sound of shells (conchs), which is Steve Turre's speciality, an exotic texture, a feeling of both warmth and freshness, thanks to conchs and congas, to the contrast between conchs and brass, amazing rhythms and beautiful melodies, especially "Funky-T" and the wonderful re-interpretation of Miles's Davis standard "All Blues". The album has an amazing unity, and also unites among the best jazzmen of our time. ~ by D. Audeon, Amazon.com.

Terence Blanchard - Flow (2005)

Two years before Flow, Terence Blanchard released Bounce, a departure from anything he had done in his already storied career. It was a seminal album, with the ideas of a musician 20 years his junior, but the skill and command of the jazz great that he had become. As a follow-up, Flow exhibits that no one better balances traditionalism, provincialism and contemporary aesthetics like Blanchard. This is almost immediately evident and highlighted on "Wadagbe," the album's third cut. Blanchard’s instantly recognizable, clarion-call horn-tone is still there, as is the native New Orleanian's homage to the Nola stomp and mardi gras Indian chants, plus a classically lyrical jazz-head and an end-song coda that singes. Guitarist Lionel Loueke, still in his early 30s at the time, wrote "Wadagbe" and Benny Golson tribute "Benny's Tune." Young drummer Kendrick Scott wrote album-standout "The Source." In fact, Blanchard handles sole writing duties of just one song on the album, "Wandering Wonder," allowing his younger sidemen's voices to shine. It is this young energy that keeps Blanchard and the album's producer, Herbie Hancock, sounding so vibrant and current. Hancock, years into receiving Social Security, turned in the piano solo of the year on "The Source" - a percussive display so cerebral, violent and dramatic that it almost defies belief. Few of Blanchard's Young Lion peers from the 1980s are still relevant in any fresh way, which makes Flow, together with its predecessor Bounce, such a revelation. Blanchard isn't stuck making 60s tribute albums or recycling the sound of his youth. Instead, he's hooking up with the hip kids, sometimes directing traffic, sometimes going with the Flow. ~ by Vincent Thomas, AMG.

Blue Note, 7243 5 78274 2 3, 2005

Recorded 11^th-14^th December, 2004 At Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, California

Personnel:

Terence Blanchard - Trumpet, Programming, Synthesizer Programming

Brice Winston - Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Yamaha WX5

Lionel Loueke - Guitar, Vocals

Aaron Parks - Piano (#2,3,5,8,9,11)

Herbie Hancock - Piano (#4,7)

Derrick Hodge - Bass

Kendrick Scott - Drums

Howard Drossin - Programming, Synthesizer Programming

Gretchen Parlato - Vocals (#8,9)

Tracks:

01. Flow, Part 1 {Terence Blanchard, Derrick Hodge} (5:29)

02. Wadagbe [Intro] {Lionel Loueke} (4:14)

03. Wadagbe {Lionel Loueke} (10:27)

04. Benny's Tune {Lionel Loueke} (7:43)

05. Wandering Wonder {Terence Blanchard} (5:46)

06. Flow, Part II {Terence Blanchard, Derrick Hodge} (3:38)

07. The Source {Kendrick Scott} (8:02)

08. Over There {Derrick Hodge} (7:32)

09. Child's Play {Brice Winston} (6:12)

10. Flow, Part III {Terence Blanchard, Derrick Hodge} (2:45)

11. Harvesting Dance {Aaron Parks} (11:43)

Credits:

Producer, Audio Production - Herbie Hancock

Executive Producer - Bruce Lundvall

Engineer - Don Murray

Assistant Engineer - Glenn Pittman

Mixing Assistant - Seth Presant

Mastering - Robert Vosgien

Concept, Photography - Nitin Vadukul

Art Direction, Design - Burton Yount

George Benson - The Other Side of Abbey Road (1969) [vinyl>flac,24b/48k]

A wonderfully wicked album – one that sold so many copies that it's sometimes hard to remember how great it is! George takes on all of Abbey Road – or just about all of it – as he runs through some of the most beautiful tracks The Beatles ever wrote, like "Golden Slumbers", "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", "The End", "Because", and "You Never Give Me Your Money". The whole thing's set to some great baroque jazzy arrangements by Don Sebesky, and George digs the whole thing so much that he even sings a bit – vocalizing in a cool chromatic way that really works well with his guitar playing, and which would soon transform into a very popular style on his records of the 70s. Keyboards are by Bob James and Herbie Hancock – and there's plenty of other great jazz players in the mix! © Dusty Groove, Inc.

A&M Records, SP-3028, 1970

Recorded 22^nd,23^rd October and 4^th,5^th November, 1969
at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

George Benson - Guitar

Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet

Bernie Glow, Marvin Stamm, Mel Davis - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Wayne Andre - Trombone, Euphonium

Sonny Fortune - Alto Saxophone

Jerome Richardson - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute

Don Ashworth - Baritone Saxophone

Hubert Laws - Flute

Phil Bodner - Flute, Oboe

Don Ashworth - Bass Clarinet

Bob James, Ernie Hayes, Herbie Hancock - Piano, Organ, Harpsichord

Jerry Jemmott, Ron Carter - Bass

George Ricci - Cello

Ed Shaughnessy, Idris Muhammad - Drums

Andy Gonzalez, Ray Barretto - Percussion

Max Pollikoff, Raoul Poliakin - Violin

Emanuel Vardi - Viola

Track Listing:

A1-A2. Golden Slumbers {Lennon, McCartney}/
You Never Give Me Your Money {Lennon, McCartney} (4:47)

A2. Because/Come Together {Lennon, McCartney} (7:27)

A4. Oh, Darling {Lennon, McCartney} (4:01)

B1-B2. Here Comes The Sun {George Harrison}/
I Want You [She So Heavy] {Lennon, McCartney} (9:04)

B3. Something {George Harrison}/
Octopus's Garden {Richard Starkey} (4:31)

B4. The End {Lennon, McCartney} (1:57)

Credits:

Producer - Creed Taylor

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Arranger - Don Sebesky

Design [Album] - Sam Antupit

Photography - Eric Meola

Norman Connors - Dance Of Magic (1973) [vinyl>flac]

Following on from the recent Carlos Garnett Muse posts; here’s a magnificent album where he collaborates with a young Norman Connors and other great players to produce what is got to be one of the best spiritual jazz albums from the seventies. Recorded in 1972 it was Connor's debut as a leader. The record features four tracks that include the full-sided "Dance of Magic", as well as "Morning Change", "Blue" and the short but potent "Give The Drummer Some". Apart from this final track, the album has a solid sound that comfortably blends together an overall spiritual feel with many funky and spacey grooves. The record boasts a "Dream Team" lineup that includes Gary Bartz & Carlos Garnett, Stanley Clarke & Cecil McBee, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Henderson, Airto Moreira, Billy Hart, and many others. Later Connors would alter his style to produce many soulful classics like "You Are My Starship" and "Betcha By Golly Wow", but "Dance of Magic" is a definitive early showcasing of Connor's true musical gifts; an exemplary producer, composer and masterful musician capable of assembling the right players and musical components to create great records.

This is definitely a true gem; not to be overlooked.

Alternative cover from 1976 Buddah Records [BDS 5674] release

Cobblestone Records, Catalog#: CST 9024

Recorded 1972 at Bell Sound Studios, New York City

Track Listing:

A. Dance of Magic {Norman Connors} (20:53)

B1. Morning Change {Cecil McBee} (6:22)

B2. Blue {Stanley Clarke} (10:17)

B3. Give The Drummer Some {Norman Connors} (2:22)

Personnel:

Norman Connors - Drums

Herbie Hancock - Piano, Fender Rhodes, Electric Piano

Gary Bartz - Alto & Soprano Saxophones

Carlos Garnett - Tenor & Soprano Saxophones

Eddie Henderson - Trumpet

Art Webb - Flute

Cecil McBee - Bass (A,B1)

Stanley Clarke - Bass

Anthony Wiles - Baliphone, Percussion

Airto Moreira - Percussion (B1,B2,B3)

Alphonse Mouzon - Percussion (A,B2)

Babafemi - Percussion (A)

Billy Hart - Percussion (B1,B2,B3)

Nat Bettis - Percussion, Congas

The U.B.F. Singers - Vocals

This album is drummer Norman Connors earliest and most rewarding date as a leader. Recorded with a who's who of fusion titans including trumpeter Eddie Henderson bassist Stanley Clarke, and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, Dance of Magic channels the lessons drummer Norman Connors learned in the employ of Pharoah Sanders, Sam Rivers and Sun Ra, marshaling Latin rhythms, electronic textures, and cosmic mysticism to create nondenominational yet deeply spiritual funk-jazz. The sprawling 21-minute title cut spans the entirety of the record's first half, capturing a monumental jam session that explores the outer edges of free improvisation but never steps past the point of no return. Connors' furious drumming is like a trail of bread crumbs that leads his collaborators back home. The remaining three tracks are smaller in scale but no less epic in scope, culminating with the blistering "Give the Drummer Some." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide.