Kenny Drew - For Sure (1978) [vinyl]

Review by Scott Yanow

Kenny Drew recorded two Xanadu albums in two days during one of his very rare visits to the United States after he moved to Europe in 1961. This rare quintet outing (with altoist Charles McPherson, trumpeter Sam Noto, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Frank Butler) features Drew playing at the peak of his powers. The material (four originals by the pianist plus two obscurities) is strong, is sometimes quite boppish and contains plenty of variety. This out-of-print LP was underrated at the time and is worth searching for.

Or for the more perceptive, review by KingCake:

In 1978 Drew made a rare visit home and recorded two albums in two days, this quintet session and a trio session to follow. Kenny is in spectacular form and his band mates are both sympathetic and talented enough to make this sound like a session from a group with real history together. The front line of McPherson and Noto are one of those special but relatively unknown pairings from the 70's much like Ira Sullivan and Red Rodney and throughout these Xanadu dates it becomes clear that the tandem of Leroy Vinegar and Frank Butler belong in the highest echelon of bass, drum duo's. The tune 'Dark Beauty' is enough all by itself to make this whole session worthwhile, but the rest of it kills too. You may have a hard time getting this one off of your player.

For Sure
Mariette
Arrival
Blues Wail
Dark Beauty
Context

Sam Noto (t), Charles McPherson (as), Kenny Drew (p) Leroy Vinnegar (b), Frank Butler (d)
Los Angeles, CA, October 16, 1978

Red Rodney - Superbop (1974) [new link]

Although trumpeter Red Rodney would get stronger as the 1970s progressed, this 1974 effort (not yet reissued on CD) is one of his most exciting recordings of the decade. The reason is that he is matched with the fiery trumpeter Sam Noto. With fine support from pianist Dolo Coker, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne, plus occasional solos from Jimmy Mulidore on alto and soprano, Rodney and Noto jam through such numbers as "Superbop" (highlighted by their rendition of Clifford Brown's "Daahoud" solo), "Last Train Out" (similar to "Ariegin") and the heated blues "Fire." "The Look of Love" (which adds a tenor and trombone to the ensembles with Mulidore contributing some alto flute) is a lyrical change of pace. There are plenty of fireworks on this trumpet-dominated set. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG.

Muse Records, MR 5046, 1974

Recorded 26^th March, 1974

Musicians:

Red Rodney - Trumpet

Sam Noto - Trumpet, Flugelhorn (#A2)

Mayo Tiano - Trombone (#A2)

Jimmy Mulidore - Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Alto Flute (#A2)

Larry Covelli - Tenor Saxophone (#A2)

Dolo Coker - Piano

Ray Brown - Bass

Shelly Manne - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Superbop {Red Rodney, Sam Noto} (6:08)

A2. The Look Of Love {Burt Bacharach, Hal David} (4:38)

A3. The Last Train Out {Sam Noto} (7:31)

B1. Fire {Red Rodney, Sam Noto} (2:55)

B2. On Green Dolphin Street {Bronislaw Kaper, Ned Washington} (10:29)

B3. Hilton {Jimmy Mulidore} (7:00)

Credits:

Producer - Don Schlitten

Recording Engineer - Ed Barton

Mixing Engineer - Paul Goodman

Design, Photography - Don Schlitten

Photography [Liner Photo] - Billy Root

Liner Notes - Ira Gitler

Sam Noto - Entrance!

For those of you who may not know, there is an amazing blog called Kubla's Crib (here).  It's part of our amazing network.  The sole purpose was to gather the entire Xanadu discography in FLAC format.  That goal was for the most part achieved - save a few albums which may remain in mp3.  However as time wore on, the links began to expire or disappear from failed server sites.

Entrance! was originally shared by legendary Crypt brother Alpax.  A couple years later it resurfaced in FLAC by none other than Kingcake himself.

So last week, during the same day, I was discussing Xanadu with my good friend Billy Batts, & also chatting about pianist Barry Harris with another friend, jgannon.  I decided that the time would be right for a re-rip of this great album.  And it truly is a great album.  The trumpet led quartet is not an easy gig for even the best of horn players.  Even with excellent support, the amount of creativity and physicality required is beyond the typical layman.  Not only does Noto deliver on those fronts, but also on the emotive aspect which is so important for making an album palpable.

Entrance! maintains a wonderful mood that has an upbeat feel.  Of course, the rhythm section lay it down and give Noto the creative juice needed to jump off each chorus.  I think something else worth mentioning is the incredible production.  The seperation always has a natural sound which keeps the band connected between channels.  It also serves to bring Noto into the forefront, accenting his glorious tone.  Between the music and the production, there's no doubt that Schlitten and his Xanadu imprint were at the forefront of the "tradition" during the 70's.

The cover for this album is well loved and as such has a lot of ring wear.  I used an image from the internet instead.  The back cover however, is from my sleeve.  It did it's job protecting the record, which is minty clean.  This album was ripped at 24/48 wav and transferred to 24/48 FLAC for your convenience.  Enjoy!!!

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Xanadu 103