Grover Washington, Jr. - All The King's Horses (1972) [vinyl]

Grover Washington, Jr.'s sophomore date for Creed Taylor's Kudu imprint was released in late 1972. Like its predecessor Inner City Blues, this session was produced by the label boss himself and was arranged and conducted by Bob James. Assembled for the date were large horn and string sections. The former contained stalwart talents like Detroit's Pepper Adams on baritone saxophone, and trumpeters Marvin Stamm and Ernie Royal. Other players on the session included what would become the heart of the CTI session crew: guitarists Cornell Dupree and Eric Gale, bassists Ron Carter and Gordon Edwards (who only appears on the opening cut), drummer Idris Muhammad (though Billy Cobham is also here), and percussionists like Airto Moreira and Ralph MacDonald. The real star of course is the soloist. Washington's debut, Inner City Blues, had done surprisingly well - especially since it was a date originally intended for Hank Crawford who couldn't make the scene. This time out, both Taylor and James played to Washington's tremendous strengths as an emotional player whose melodic improvising referenced everything from Motown to Stax and Volt, from Ray Charles to early James Brown and the Fabulous Flames, to Donny Hathaway, who had an uncanny knack with current pop hits. James too was discovering his own strengths in this field as a pianist and really shines behind Washington on tracks like "Where Is the Love," (written by MacDonald, actually), and Bill Withers' "Lean on Me." Washington was equally versed on both tenor and alto and possesses two very different tones on the horns. This gave James the opportunity to color the tunes with a rather startling array of colors, shades, and textures, making the two a wonderful team. Along with the aforementioned winners are the title track by Aretha Franklin with the slow, deep blue saxophone lines accompanied by hand percussion, a tight snare and hi-hat kit rhythm, and James ghostly chords on the Fender Rhodes. But the large backdrop of horns lends so much weight to the tune it almost breaks wide open. Then there's the gorgeous - and radical-re-envisioning of "Body and Soul," as a montage illustrated wonderfully by James impressionistic strings and woodwinds underneath Washington's bluesy take on the melody. The standard "Lover Man" is reintroduced here and includes a new interlude written by James. Washington's playing on the tune is actually reminiscent of Crawford's in feel (during his time with Ray Charles), but Washington also evokes Ben Webster in the chances he takes improvising on his solo. As if all this weren't adventurous enough, the set closes with "Love Song 1700," an adaptation from a song by classical composer Henry Purcell. Here is the genius of James at work. His love for Purcell and classical composition of this era shows up throughout his career, but the way he orchestrates strings and winds behind Washington - who could inject pure soul into even the dullest music of Lawrence Welk - is provocative, lovely, and haunting, even in its more overblown moments. When All the King's Horses was originally released, it wasn't received as well as Inner City Blues had been the previous year. In retrospect, however, this set has assumed its proper place in Washington's catalog: as one of his more ambitious and expertly performed sessions. ~ by Thom Jurek, AMG.

Kudu Records, KU-07, 1972

Recorded 19^th May-June, 1972 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Grover Washington, Jr. - Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone

Alan Rubin, Ernie Royal, Snooky Young, John Frosk, Marky Markowitz, Marvin Stamm - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Paul Faulise, Tony Studd, Wayne Andre - Trombone

Brooks Tillotson, Donald Corrado, Fred Klein, Ray Alonge - French Horn

George Marge - Alto Saxophone, Flute, English Horn, Oboe, Recorder

Pepper Adams - Baritone Saxophone

Arthur Clarke - Baritone Saxophone, Flute

Bob James - Electric Piano, Harpsichord

Richard Tee - Organ

Cornell Dupree, David Spinozza, Eric Gale - Guitar (#A1-B1,B3)

Gene Bertoncini - Guitar

Ron Carter - Bass

Gordon Edwards - Bass (#A1)

Bernard Purdie - Drums

Billy Cobham - Drums (#A4,B2,B3)

Ralph MacDonald - Congas

Airto Moreira - Percussion

Strings:

Margaret Ross - Harp

Charles McCracken, George Ricci - Cello

Emanuel Vardi, Richard Dickler - Viola

Alexander Cores, Bernard Eichen, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Gene Orloff,
Harold Kohon, Harry Lookofsky, Irving Spice, Joe Malin, John Pintaualle,
Max Ellen, Paul Gershman - Violin

Tracks:

A1. No Tears, In The End {Ralph MacDonald, William Salter} (3:49)

A2. All The King's Horses {Aretha Franklin} (3:48)

A3. Where Is The Love {Ralph MacDonald, William Salter} (5:07)

A4. Body And Soul [Montage] {Heyman, Sour, Eyton, Green} (3:02)

B1. Lean On Me {Bill Withers} (4:25)

B2. Lover Man {Jimmy Davis, Jimmy Sherman, Roger Ramirez}

      Interlude #2 {Bob James} (7:01)

B3. Love Song 1700 {Adapted ex Henry Purcell, Arr. Bob James} (4:51)

Credits:

Producer - Creed Taylor

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Arranger, Conductor - Bob James

Design [Album] - Bob Ciano

Photography [Album] - Pete Turner

Count Basie - Dance Along With Basie

Hey gang!!  More from our look at the "Atomic Band"... Basie during his Roulette years.  This offering is interesting for a few reasons, but overall, it's a solid and excellent album.

Looking at the tracklist, it's easy to deduce that this record is tackling pop/dance tunes of the day.  Unlike many of the other albums we've listened to thus far, there's no guest arranger here.  So the first "interesting" item is the fact that Basie himself has interpreted these songs, with input from Teddy Reig presumably.

I would say the other difference on Dance Along is the clear absence of that blues influence that is a staple of this band's sound.  The swing is always there, and heavy at times, but there's really no blues approach to this material.  I will let you ponder the reasons for that.  That said, there's a ton of extended and incredible soloing throughout all of these tunes.  The mood manages to stay upbeat, even through a ballad like Misty.

My record is near mint, and luckily, in glorious mono.  The dynamics and soundstage are everything they should be on a Basie album - HUGE!!!  I know you guys are gonna love this one.  Ripped at 24/48 and transferred to FLAC for your convenience... enjoy!!!

Roulette Records R-52036
1960

Hank Crawford - Help Me Make It Through The Night (1972) [vinyl>flac]

Help Me Make It Through the Night is one of those Hank Crawford albums: large band, many horns, funky chunky Hammond B-3, strings, and polyrhythms dropping all over the arrangements by Don Sebesky and company. This 1972 set by Crawford is an exemplary portrait of his movin' and groovin' style. With the help of Sebesky and Pee Wee Ellis, Crawford provides the deep groove side of his work without reservation. Jazz takes a back seat as the R&B pours forth all sweaty, greasy, and dripping with a raw, honeylike sweetness. With cats like Airto, Eric Gale, Cornell Dupree, Grover Washington, Jr., Pepper Adams, Snooky Young, and Richard Tee in the house, a masterful groove session was to be expected. Listeners get their money's worth after the opener, which is the title track. With the Junior Walker stinging alto countered by the Hammond, the mess is loose and the vibe is pure downtown. Other cuts such as "Imagine," "Go Away Little Girl," "Brian's Song" -- perfect string arrangement by Sebesky -- and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" make this a date of some of the most stellar covers Crawford ever cut. There are no extra notes, but there are plenty of extra beats; the improvisation is red hot, but the strings and supporting rhythm section are out of this world. Help Me Make It Through the Night is indeed one of those Crawford records. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi

Kudu Records, KU-06, 1972

Recorded January 1972, except #B3 August 1971 at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliff, New Jersey

Personnel:

Hank Crawford - Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone (#B3)

Grover Washington, Jr. - Tenor Saxophone (#B3)

Pepper Adams - Baritone Saxophone (#B3)

Al DeRisi, Eugene "Snooky" Young - Trumpet (#B3)

Wayne Andre - Trombone (#B3)

Richard Tee - Organ (#A1,A4,B3,B4), Piano (#A2,A3), El-Piano (#B1,B2)

Phil Kraus - Vibraphone (#A1,A4,B1)

Cornell Dupree - Electric Guitar

Eric Gale - Electric Guitar (#B3)

Ron Carter - Bass (#A2-A4,B1,B2,B4), Electric Bass (#A1,B3)

Bernard Purdie - Drums

Idris Muhammad - Drums (#B3)

Airto Moreira - Percussion (#B3)

Strings Section [All Tracks, except #B3]:

Bernard Eichen, Felix Giglio, Emanuel Green,
Harold Kohon, Harry Lookofsky, Joe Malin,

Gene Orloff, Max Polikoff, Elliot Rosoff - Violin

Alfred Brown, Theodore Israel, Emanuel Vardi - Viola

Charles McCracken, George Ricci - Cello

Margaret Ross - Harp

Track Listing:

A1. Help Me Make It Through The Night {Kris Kristofferson} (5:53)

A2. Brian's Song {Michel Legrand} (3:24)

A3. Uncle Funky {Hank Crawford} (5:36)

A4. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning {Bob Hilliard, Redd Evans} (2:51)

B1. Go Away Little Girl {Gerry Goffin, Carole King} (4:21)

B2. Imagine {John Lennon} (4:07)

B3: Ham {Alfred Ellis} (3:09)

B4. The Sun Died {Ann Grégory, Hubert Giraud, Pierre Delanoë, Ray Charles} (4:09)

Credits:

Producer - Creed Taylor

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Arranger - Don Sebesky, Pee Wee Ellis (#B3)

Album Design - Bob Ciano

Photography - William Cadge

Coleman Hawkins - Wrapped Tight (1966)

Hawkins's last strong recording finds the veteran, 43 years after his recording debut with Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds, improvising creatively on a wide variety of material on this CD, ranging from "Intermezzo" and "Here's That Rainy Day" to "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" and "Indian Summer." Best is an adventurous version of "Out of Nowhere" that shows that the tenor-saxophonist was still coming up with new ideas in 1965. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.

As an In expression, “wrapped tight” can have a lot of meanings, all of them superlative. A girl abundantly endowed with Nature’s most attractive gifts is said to be “wrapped tight.” A jaguar swinging down the highway with Count Basie at the wheel is, in a special sense, wrapped is wrapped tight. And among musicians, because of his ability, imagination and universally recognized authority, Coleman Hawkins is assuredly wrapped tight.

The encomium can well be applied to this album, too, because it puts the great tenor saxophonist in contexts that fit him excellently. Wrapped Tight, a Manny Albam original, is one of six arrangements written by Manny that are extraordinarily successful in creating a snug, orchestral atmosphere, and this despite the limited instrumentation. More than mere points of arrival and departure, they serve to enhance the Hawkins improvisations. Enframing and supporting them, they also remove a measure of responsibility from the star’s shoulders, and his playing is in consequence the more relaxed. That he remains perfectly capable of fashioning entire performances himself is very adequately shown on Out of Nowhere and the five-minute Indian Summer, where he is accompanied by the rhythm section only.

In short, then titles wrapped tight by the man for whom the tenor saxophone was invented - Coleman Hawkins.
~ Stanley Dance, from Liner Notes.

Impulse! Records/GRP Records; AS-87/GRP 11092; 1966/1991

Recorded 22^nd February (#1-6), 1965 and 1^st March, 1965 (#7-12) at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Track Listing:

1. Marcheta {Victor Schartzinger} (3:06)

2. Intermezzo {Pietro Mascagni} (3:38)

3. Wrapped Tight {Manny Albam} (3:27)

4. Red Roses For A Blue Lady {Sid Tepper, Roy Brodsky} (2:25)

5. She's Fit {Coleman Hawkins} (2:44)

6. Beautiful Girl {Arthur Freed, Nacio Herb Brown} (4:27)

7. And I Still Love You {Pauline Rivelli, Ruth Roberts, Stanley Clayton} (3:12)

8. Bean's Place {Bob Hammer, Buck Clayton} (2:54)

9. Here's That Rainy Day {Jimmy van Heusen, Johnny Burke} (5:22)

10. I Won't Dance {Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern} (3:21)

11. Indian Summer {Victor Herbert, Al Dubin} (5:02)

12. Out Of Nowhere {Edward Heyman, Johnny Green} (3:42)

Personnel:

Colemans Hawkins - Tenor Saxophone

Bill Berry - Trumpet (#1,2,3,7,8)

Snooky Young - Trumpet (#4,5,6)

Urbie Green - Trombone (#1,8)

Barry Harris - Piano

Buddy Catlett - Bass

Eddie Locke - Drums

Credits:

Producer - Bob Thiele

Recording Engineer - Rudy Van Gelder