Horace Silver Quintet & Trio - Blowin' The Blues Away (1959, 2004)

Blowin' The Blues Away is one of Horace Silver's all-time Blue Note classics, only upping the ante established on Finger Poppin' for tightly constructed, joyfully infectious hard bop. This album marks the peak of Silver's classic quintet with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes; it's also one of the pianist's strongest sets of original compositions, eclipsed only by Song for My Father and Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers. The pacing of the album is impeccable, offering up enough different feels and slight variations on Silver's signature style to captivate the listener throughout. Two songs - the warm, luminous ballad "Peace" and the gospel-based call-and-response swinger "Sister Sadie" - became oft-covered standards of Silver's repertoire, and the madly cooking title cut wasn't far behind. And they embody what's right with the album in a nutshell -- the up-tempo tunes ("Break City") are among the hardest-swinging Silver had ever cut, and the slower changes of pace ("Melancholy Mood") are superbly lyrical, adding up to one of the best realizations of Silver's aesthetic. Also, two cuts ("Melancholy Mood" and the easy-swinging "The St. Vitus Dance") give Silver a chance to show off his trio chops, and "Baghdad Blues" introduces his taste for exotic, foreign-tinged themes. Through it all, Silver remains continually conscious of the groove, playing off the basic rhythms to create funky new time patterns. The typical high-impact economy of his and the rest of the band's statements is at its uppermost level, and everyone swings with exuberant commitment. In short, Blowin' the Blues Away is one of Silver's finest albums, and it's virtually impossible to dislike. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide. 

Blue Note Records, TOCJ-6421, 2004
Recorded 29th August (#1,6), 30th August (#3,4,5) and 13th September (#2,7), 1959
at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 

Musicians:
Horace Silver - Piano
Blue Mitchell - Trumpet (#1,3-6)
Junior Cook - Tenor Saxophone (#1,3-6)
Gene Taylor - Bass
Louis Hayes - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Blowin' The Blues Away (4:45)
2. The St. Vitus Dance (4:09)
3. Break City (4:57)
4. Peace (6:03)
5. Sister Sadie (6:19)
6. The Baghdad Blues (4:53)
7. Melancholy Mood (7:09) 

All compositions by Horace Silver 

Total Time: 38:19 

Credits:
Producer - Alfred Lion
Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Cover Design - Reid Miles
Cover Illustration - Paula Donohue
Liner Notes - Ira Gitler 

Blowin' The Blues Away

Horace Silver Quintet - Doin' The Thing [At The Village Gate] (1961)

This live set (recorded at the Village Gate) finds pianist/composer Horace Silver and his most acclaimed quintet (the one with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor and drummer Roy Brooks) stretching out on four selections, including his new song "Filthy McNasty." Two shorter performances were added to the CD version of this enjoyable and always funky hard bop session. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Blue Note Records, 0946 3 62682 2 4, 2006
Recorded 19th & 20th May, 1961 at the Village Gate, New York City 

Musicians:
Horace Silver - Piano
Blue Mitchell - Trumpet
Junior Cook - Tenor Saxophone
Gene Taylor - Bass
Roy Brooks - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Filthy McNasty (11:02)
2. Doin' The Thing (11:16)
3. Kiss Me Right (9:18)
4. The Gringo / Cool Eyes [Theme] (12:03)
5. It Ain't S'Posed To Be Like That (6:21)
6. Cool Eyes [Full Version] (3:56) 

All Compositions by Horace Silver 

Total Time: 53:57 

Credits:
Producer - Alfred Lion
Producer [Reissue] - Michael Cuscuna
Recording, Remastering - Rudy van Gelder
Cover Design - Reid Miles
Cover Photograph - Jim Marshall
Liner Photographs - Francis Wolff 

Furious live set that swings insanely hard. And I mean really, really hard. Silver's quartet at this time included Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Junior Cook (tenor sax), Gene Taylor (bass) and Roy Brooks (drums) and everyone but Brooks had been playing together since 1958 (he joined September 1959). Their dynamic chemistry is apparent within the first minute of "Filthy McNasty" and the energy level is just off the scale. These Guys Really Know How To Swing. Highlights? The whole damn album is a highlight. No wussy-pussy ballads or standards to be found, just four really great Silver originals. "Kiss Me Right" is the slowest thing on here and it's still pretty fast. The sound quality is decent for a live recording, the remastered CD may have cleaned that up. The extended applause after "Filthy" shows that the audience was at least somewhat aware that they were witnessing something special that night. ~ Extract by coolidge, rateyourmusic.com. 

Doin' The Thing

Horace Silver Quintet - 6 Pieces Of Silver {RVG} (1956,58)

The first classic album by the Horace Silver Quintet, this set is highlighted by "Señor Blues" and "Cool Eyes." The early Silver quintet of 1956 was essentially the Jazz Messengers of the year before, with trumpeter Donald Byrd, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, and bassist Doug Watkins (while drummer Louis Hayes was in Blakey's place), but already the band was starting to develop a sound of its own. "Señor Blues" officially put Horace Silver on the map, and the album is a hard bop and gospel-tinged jazz gem. [Some reissues add bonus tracks, including two additional versions of "Señor Blues," including a later vocal rendition by Bill Henderson.]. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Blue Note Records, 5 25648 2 8, 2000
Recorded 10th November, 1956 (#1-8) & 15th November, 1958 (#9,10)
at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey

Musicians:
Horace Silver - Piano
Donald Byrd - Trumpet (#1,2,4-6,8-10)
Hank Mobley - Tenor Saxophone (#1,2,4-6,8)
Junior Cook - Tenor Saxophone (#9,10)
Doug Watkins - Bass (#1-8)
Gene Taylor - Bass (#9,10)
Louis Hayes - Drums (#1-8)
Roy Haynes - Drums (#9,10)
Bill Henderson - Vocals (#10) 

Tracks:
01. Cool Eyes {Horace Silver} (5:55)
02. Shirl {Horace Silver} (4:16)
03. Camouflage {Horace Silver} (4:25)
04. Enchantment {Horace Silver} (6:22)
05. Señor Blues {Horace Silver} (7:01)
06. Virgo {Horace Silver} (5:48)
07. For Heaven's Sake {Elise Bretton, Donald Meyer, Edwards Sherman} (5:09) 

Bonus Tracks:
08. Señor Blues [Alternate 45 Take] {Horace Silver} (6:38)
09. Tippin' {Horace Silver} (6:12)
10. Señor Blues [Vocal Version] {Horace Silver} (6:14) 

Total Time: 58:05 

Credits:
Producer - Alfred Lion
Reissue Producer - Michael Cuscuna
Recording, Remastering - Rudy van Gelder
Liner Notes - Bob Blumenthal, Leonard Feather
Creative Director - Gordon H. Jee
Cover Design - Reid Miles
Cover & Liner Photos - Francis Wolff 

Señor Blues

Don Patterson - The Best Of Don Patterson & The Jazz Giants (1969)

The term "jazz giants" is no overstatement for this selection of choice tracks from the brilliant organist's output for Prestige between 1964 and 1969. The various lineups on the LP's six tracks are made up of players who excel in playing Patterson's brand of smart, hard-bopping soul jazz: Sonny Stitt, Pat Martino, Charles McPherson, George Coleman, Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook among others. Cohesive pacing and sound put this release a few notches above most all-star/best-of sets. There's no awkward shoehorning guests in for celebrity cameos, rather the players all sound like members of tight, working units. It helps to have Patterson stalwarts guitarist Martino and drummer Billy James on board for most of the music, as they share the artist's ability to generate exciting, hard-driving music with their great blues feeling and outstanding chops. The three tracks with Martino are the high points: Stitt's "Ratio and Proportion," Billy James' "Little Shannon," and Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee." As he consistently does in his work with Patterson, Martino impresses with his stunning rhythm work, in addition to his more widely recognized role as a killer soloist. The version of "Donna Lee" here is also significant for the presence of veteran bebopper Howard McGhee, who is in excellent form on this feature for his trumpet. The mark of a strong best-of package is one that stands on its own as a coherent presentation of the artist's work, as well as one that prompts the listener to seek out the complete sessions that were drawn on for the compilation. On both these accounts, this survey of Patterson's work is a complete success. ~ by Jim Todd, AMG.

Prestige Records, PRST 7772, 1969

Recorded 24^th September, 1968 (#A1) in New York City

Recorded 2^nd June, 1969 (#A2) At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Recorded 22^nd February, 1968 (#A3) in New York City

Recorded 10^th May, 1967 (#B1) At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Recorded 19^th March, 1964 (#B2) At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Recorded 5^th June, 1968 (#B3) in New York City

Personnel:

Don Patterson - Organ

Virgil Jones - Trumpet (#A2)

Howard McGhee - Trumpet (#A3)

Blue Mitchell - Trumpet (#B3)

Charles McPherson - Tenor Saxophone (#A1)

Sonny Stitt - Tenor Saxophone (#A1,B2)

George Coleman - Tenor Saxophone (#A2)

Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone (#A2)

David "Fathead" Newman - Tenor Saxophone (#B1)

Junior Cook - Tenor Saxophone (#B3)

Pat Martino - Guitar (#A1-A3,B3)

Billy James - Drums (#A1,A3,B1,B2)

Frankie Jones - Drums (#A2)

Tracks:

A1. Ratio And Proportion {Sonny Stitt} (5:09)

A2. Perdido {Ervin Drake, Hans Lengsfelder, Juan Tizol} (8:50)

A3. Donna Lee {Charlie Parker} (6:16)

B1. Mellow Soul {Don Patterson} (6:35)

B2. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone {Sidney Clare, Sam H. Stept} (5:42)

B3. Little Shannon {Billy James} (6:56)

Total Time: 39:28

See Session Info [Personnel].txt for further details

George Coleman - Big George (1977)

"It is perhaps impossible to capture on record the dynamic impact of this remarkable octet's live performances. This excellent record comes near to it, however, and catches most of the sidemen at the top of their game. The choice of tunes, including some originals, is varied and there is not one dud track. The rhythm section, augmented by Randy Weston's son on Joggin', is outstanding and it implies no disparagement to Atkinson and Muhammed to observe the tremendous impact made by Maburn throughout.
Coleman is at his unqualified best on Body And Soul, with a reading that owes nothing to other great performances of this 'tenor vehicle'. On it he builds a solo with an architect's logicality and a painter's passion. None of his solos on the record are anything less than good, however, and he sets standards that must have proved daunting to his sidemen. Thankfully, they rise to the occasion. Strozier, outstanding on Frank's Tune, outstrips his Bracknell performance by a mile, while Cook lives up to his name on Dolphin Street. Moore also has fine comments to make on this track as well as on Body And Soul, and Rivera trundles along to very good affect. Rather than waste time with details it might be more productive to guess if any section of our readership could dislike this fine offering. I suspect the answer is — no!"
Barry McRae ~ Jazz Journal, April 1981

01 - Green Dolphin Street
02 - Frank's Tune
03 - Big George
04 - Joggin'
05 - Body And Soul
06 - Revival

Danny Moore (t/flh); George Coleman (ts); Junior Cook (ts); Frank Strozier (as); Mario Rivera (bs); Harold Maburn (p); Lisle Atkinson (b); Idris Muhammed (d); Azzedin Weston (p).
NYC, November 2 & 3, 1977.

Freddie Hubbard - High Energy (1974) [vinyl>flac]

One of Freddie Hubbard's few decent efforts during his very commercial period with Columbia, this LP found his quintet (with tenor-saxophonist Junior Cook and keyboardist George Cables) joined by a small orchestra and a string section on a set of potentially dismal material. Fortunately these six performances (particularly "Crisis," "Ebony Moonbeams" and Stevie Wonder's "Too High") are given fairly creative treatment. The leader/trumpeter is in good form and there is solo space given to Ernie Watts (on bass flute, soprano and flute) and tenorman Pete Christlieb in addition to the quintet members. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.

Columbia Records, KC 33048, 1974

Recorded 29^th April-2^nd May, 1974 Live at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California

Personnel:

Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

George Bohanon - Trombone

Dick Hyde - Trombone (#B1)

Ernie Watts - Tenor Sax, Bass Flute (#A1), Soprano Sax (#B2), Flute (#B3)

Junior Cook - Tenor Saxophone (#B3), Flute

Pete Christleib - Bass Clarinet (#B2), Tenor Sax (#B3)

George Cables - Electric Piano

Ian Underwood - Synthesizer [Arp]

Joe Sample - Clavinet, Organ

Dean Parks - Guitar

Kent Brinkley - Bass

Ralph Penland - Drums

Harvey Mason - Drums (#A2,B1)

Victor Feldman - Percussion

Carmello Garcia - Timbales

King Errisson - Congas

Jules Chaikin - Contractor [Strings]

Track Listing:

A1. Camel Rise {George Cables} (6:22)

A2. Black Maybe {Stevie Wonder} (4:54)

A3. Baraka Sasa {Freddie Hubbard} (10:26)

B1. Crisis {Freddie Hubbard} (5:42)

B2. Ebony Moonbeams {George Cables} (6:59)

B3. Too High {Stevie Wonder} (6:36)

Credits:

Producer - Paul A. Rothchild

Producer [Assistant] - Mike Levy

Engineer [Recording and Mixing] - Jack Haeny

Engineer [Assistant] - Kent Nebergall

Conductor, Arranger - Dale Oehler

Artwork [Hand-Lettering] - Andy Engel

Design [Cover] - Anne Garner, Ron Coro

Photography - Fred Valentine

Freddie Hubbard - Polar AC (1975) [vinyl>flac]

Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's sixth and final CTI studio recording has its moments although it is not on the same level as his first three. Hubbard, backed on four of the five songs by a string section arranged by either Don Sebesky or Bob James, is assisted on songs such as "People Make the World Go Round" and "Betcha By Golly, Wow" by flutist Hubert Laws and guitarist George Benson. "Son of Sky Dive" showcases his trumpet with a sextet including Laws and tenor-saxophonist Junior Cook. The music is enjoyable but not essential and this LP has yet to appear on CD. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG.

Released in 1975, this was Hubbard's final release for Creed Taylor's CTI Records. It's a luxuriant, strongly orchestrated, but very accessible piece of jazz. Don Sebesky and Bob James alternate the orchestrations and arrangements. Hubbard's playing is outstanding, at the same time much solo space is allocated to flautist Hubert Laws; added to the mix is guitarist George Benson and George Cables on the Rhodes. A genuine highlight is "People Make the World Go Round" arranged by Bob James. It begins with Airto performing some unusual animal noises and percussion sounds contrasted with flourishes on the Rhodes by Cables. On the title track "Polar AC", Ron Carter throws in some vivacious bass playing whilst Jack DeJohnette is heard working the snares and cymbals against the rich the orchestral arrangements of Don Sebesky; which Hubbard weaves in and around with some amazing solos. There is a lot of pleasure to be found on this LP with further spins. Well Recommended.

CTI Records, CTI 6056, 1975

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet

Hubert Laws - Flute

George Benson - Guitar (#A1-B1)

Junior Cook - Tenor Saxophone (#B2)

George Cables - Piano (#A2,B2)

Ron Carter - Bass

Alan Rubin, Garnett Brown, Marvin Stamm, Paul Faulise,
Tony Price, Wayne Andre - Brass (#B1)

George Marge, Phil Bodner, Romeo Penque, Wally Kane - Woodwind (#B1)

Billy Cobham - Drums (#B1)

Jack DeJohnette - Drums (#A1)

Lenny White - Drums (#A2, B2)

Airto - Percussion (#A2, A3)

Strings:

Al Brown, Charles McCracken, Harold Kohon, Irving Spice, Matthew Raimondi, Tosha Samaroff (#A1)

David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Manny Vardi, George Ricci, Joe Malin, Paul Gershman (#A1-A3)

Tony Sophos, Charles Libove, Gene Orloff, Harry Lookofsky, Max Ellen, Theodore Israel (#A2,A3)

Track Listing:

A1. Polar AC {Cedar Walton} (6:52)

A2. People Make The World Go Round {Linda Creed, Thomas Bell} (5:48)

A3. Betcha By Golly, Wow {Linda Creed, Thomas Bell} (8:10)

B1. Naturally {Nat Adderley} (5:53)

B2. Son Of Sky Dive {Freddie Hubbard} (13:17)

Credits:

Producer - Creed Taylor

Recording Engineer - Rudy Van Gelder

Arranger - Bob James (#A2,A3), Don Sebesky (#A1, B1)

Junior Cook - Pressure Cooker (1977)

Rescued from the old Crypt.

Biography (AMG)
An expert hard bop tenor who tended to be overshadowed by more innovative contemporaries, Junior Cook was always a solid improviser. After playing with Dizzy Gillespie in 1958, Cook gained some fame for his longtime membership in the Horace Silver Quintet (1958-1964); when he and Blue Mitchell left the popular band, Cook played in Mitchell's quintet (1964-1969). Later associations included Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, George Coleman, Louis Hayes (1975-1976), Bill Hardman (1979-1981), and the McCoy Tyner big band. In addition to many appearances as a sideman, Junior Cook recorded as a leader for Jazzland (1961), Catalyst (1977), Muse, and SteepleChase.
~
Review Jazz Journal March, 1981
Cook is an honest player, he is not stylized and he approaches his material on its merits. All of the tunes on this record were written by someone else, and he treats them with a mixture of respect and his own personal creative intent. He is thrustingly intense on Crucifier, he takes the role of the interrogator on 8th Cat and he sits gently on the lilting beat of Not Quite That. Cook is not the most rhythmically subtle player, but he does swing, and I find his somewhat unrelenting tone appealing.
Here he is with a highly compatible quartet. Tucker plays weJI throughout, although his fine attacking solo on Yardbird is the real stand-out. Williams does a fine job and he fits equally well with either of the two bassists, of whom McBee is perhaps the best, although both comprehend the Cook language and converse in it with aplomb. This is a record for all readers who are happy to be away from the synthetic or the contrived. ~Barry McRae

01 - Sweet Lotus Lips
02 - The Crucifier
03 - The 8th Cat
04 - Not Quite That
05 - Yardbird Suite
06 - Moment To Moment (Part 1)
07 - Moment To Moment (Part 2)

Junior Cook (ts); Mickey Tucker (p); Junior Booth or Cecil McBee (b); Leroy Williams (d)
N.Y.C. November 2, 1977.
(Recorded for Catalyst ripped from UK vinyl - Affinity AFF53)

Mickey Tucker - Sojourn

When we made the move to our new home I tried an experiment in creating false history by backdating posts to before we actually came here. I thought it might provide some continuity....yeah, okay THAT didn't work out so well so I am saving these one by one by bringing them forward.

This comes once again from Wid and I'm putting it both here and at Kublah's Crib mostly because I don't think anyone will notice the upgraded links over there since they don't expect any new postings anymore. We had an mp3 link previously that is now replaced with a FLAC lp rip!

Mickey Tucker - Sojourn
Xanadu 143, 1977

1: Fast Train To Zurich
2: Norwegian Nights - Norwegian Days
3: Tunisian Festival
4: The Silent Mind of Fraulen Stein
5: French Fables
6: Dusseldorf Dance

Bill Hardman tp
Junior Cook ts
Ronnie Cuber bs
Mickey Tucker p
Cecil McBee b
Eddie Gladden d

RCA Studios, NYC, March 28, 1977
Engineer: Paul Goodman

Whoever said it is under-rehearsed never listened to that album. All tracks were composed and arranged by Tucker and are his impressions of a European tour with the Jazz Messengers - his quotes in Bob Blumenthal's notes are much fun to read, and the music is full of Tucker's own take on humour in music - if I had but one album to pick as Tucker's most impressive, I'd probably choose Sojourn! Great playing from all involved. Highly recommended!

"One of the greatest sessions – if not the best – cut as a leader by pianist Mickey Tucker, and a soaring set of spiritual tunes that best shows his talents as a player and arranger! The group's a sextet, with Junior Cook on tenor, Bill Hardman on trumpet, and Ronnie Cuber on baritone – and most tracks have a fast comping sound that's part Horace Silver Blue Note and part Strata East post-Coltrane grooving. Titles include "Dusseldorf Dance", "Fast Train To Zurich", "Tunisian Festival", and "The Silent Mind Of Fraulein Stein"." © 1996-2012, Dusty Groove America, Inc.