Showing posts with label Strata East. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strata East. Show all posts

Friday, January 30, 2015

(Keno Duke) Jazz Contemporaries - Reasons In Tonality (1972


A re-post request fulfilled. 

This one was a gift from our friend wid who hasn't been around for quite awhile now.

(Keno Duke) Jazz Contemporaries - Reasons In Tonality (1972 Strata-East 1972-2)

01 - Reasons In Tonality
02 - 3-M.B.

George Coleman - Tenor Sax
Julius Watkins - French Horn
Clifford Jordan - Tenor Sax
Harold Mabern - Piano
Larry Ridley - Bass
Keno Duke - Drums
John Sadler - Recording Eng.

Recorded Live at the Village Vanguard, NYC, Feb. 13, 1972
One of the greatest Strata East albums, and one of the few albums ever by Keno Duke (and all of them are great). Duke leads a crack group of soul jazz players, featuring Clifford Jordan and George Coleman on tenor, plus Julius Watkins on French horn, and Harold Mabern on piano, who is in excellent excellent form, and who really drives the whole thing with beautiful crashing chords. Two extended tracks, both of them over 20 minutes in length. Beautiful!

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Keno Duke Jazz Contemporaries - Sense of Values (24/48 vinyl rip)

As you will see in the comments, there was a request for a re-up and I decided to try a 24/48 re-rip. The last time I re-ripped this to 16/48 there was unquestionably a significant improvement in the depth and clarity - this time the improvement is more subtle - if you listen carefully to the cymbals for example you will hear a little more evidence of the actual note the cymbal is tuned to. I had to listen carefully and frankly I'm not entirely convinced that the degree of improvement is worth doubling the file size, but in the end I do believe it is slightly audibly better.

Keno Duke Jazz Contemporaries - Sense of Values

Strata East, 1974, Vinyl LP rip

A1 Sense Of Values 4:47
Written-By – K. Duke*
A2 Mirage 9:25
Arranged By – F. Strozier* Written-By – L. Slessinger*
A3 Tibiron 5:46
Written-By – F. Strozier*
B1 Too Late, Fall Back Baby 6:55
Written-By – H. Mabern*
B2 D.R.T. 8:15
Written-By – F. Strozier*
B3 Bajan-Bajan 6:05
Written-By – K. Duke*

Drums – Keno Duke, Flute, Alto Saxophone – Frank Strozier, Piano – Harold Mabern, Tenor Saxophone – George Coleman, Bass – Lisle Atkinson, Painting [Cover] – Roland Bloch

I don't think it would be overstatement to call this a post-bop / modal jazz masterpiece. I listen to Big George here and it makes me wish Miles had given him just a little more time, not that I would miss out on even a second of Miles with Wayne mind you.

By this, the second album, this band had clearly become a single organism with 5 voices all driven by a shared mind. This is one serious Jazz Album! All original music played with passion and intelligence and with a fabulous pair of front line voices in Coleman and Strozier but don't sleep on Harold Mabern or Lisle Atkinson because their contributions are huge too. (Lisles' eerie bowed bass line as the album closes is unforgettable) Duke's talents as a drummer and obviously as a band leader leave me wondering how he remained so obscure. This is a no-brainer here folks.