Shirley Scott - Latin Shadows (1965) [vinyl>flac]

A great album from Shirley Scott - with some excellent arrangements by Gary McFarland! We've always felt that Shirley plays best when she's not leading the group - when someone else is handling the arrangements, so that she can groove mightily on her own - and this album is a perfect illustration of that fact! The album has a sparkling bossa and 60s groove finish - similar to McFarland's albums for Verve at the time - and Shirley's light touch on the Hammond really makes the whole thing dance nicely! Tracks include a sweet version of "Soul Sauce", plus covers like "Can't Get Over the Bossa Nova", "Downtown", and "Dreamsville". Also includes "Latin Shadows", a great original by McFarland! © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Impulse! Records, AS-93, 1965

Recorded 21^st (#A2,A4,A5,B2-B4) & 22^nd (#A1,A3,A6,B1,B5), July, 1965 in New York City

Personnel:

Shirley Scott - Organ

Gary McFarland - Vibraphone

Jerome Richardson - Flute (#A1,A3,A6,B1,B5)

Jimmy Raney - Guitar

Bob Cranshaw - Bass (#A2,A4,A5,B2-B4)

Richard Davis - Bass (#A1,A3,A6,B1,B5)

Mel Lewis - Drums

Willie Rodriguez - Percussion

Strings: [#A1,A3,A6,B1,B5]

Charles McCracken, Edgardo Sodero, Joseph Tekula - Cello

Aaron Rosand, Arnold Eidus, Charles Libove, Harry Cykman, Leo Kruczek - Violin

Arranger, Conductor - Gary McFarland

Track Listing:

A1. Latin Shadows {Gary McFarland} (3:12)

A2. Downtown {Tony Hatch} (3:18)

A3. Who Can I Turn To? {Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley} (2:37)

A4. Can't Get Over The Bossa Nova {Eydie Gorme, Steve Lawrence} (2:42)

A5. This Love Of Mine {Sol Parker, Hank Sanicola, Frank Sinatra} (3:23)

A6. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps {Osvaldo Farrés} (2:39)

B1. Soul Sauce {Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo} (2:50)

B2. Hanky Panky {Gary McFarland} (4:16)

B3. Noche Azúl {Shirley Scott} (2:46)

B4. Dreamsville {Ray Evans, Jay Livingston, Henry Mancini} (3:14)

B5. Feeling Good {Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley} (3:37)

Credits:

Producer - Bob Thiele

Recording Engineer - Bob Simpson

Front Cover Painting - Mel Cheren

Back Cover & Liner Photos - Charles Stewart

Liner Design - Joe Lebow

Liner Notes - George Hoefer, Jazz Magazine

Jerome Richardson - Roamin' With Richardson

As good as the previous album was, this one is even more interesting to me. At least in part I'd attribute that to the fact that there is only 1 flute track and the rest of the record features Richardson's considerable talents on tenor and baritone saxophones. This one is a quartet date  so there is plenty of space for Jerome to display his talents along with strong performances from Richard Wyands, George Tucker and Charlie Persip. The connection between Wyands and Red Garland has never been more evident to me than on this date - were I doing a blindfold test, I would surely have guessed it was Red.

Having already a lot of exposure to Richardson as a flutist and tenor player, it is the 3 tracks featuring his baritone work here that are really eye opening. I'm surprised he wasn't more in demand as a soloist on the big horn because his nimble and expressive solos here put him in a class with the likes of Sahib Shihab, Leo Parker and Pepper Adams; just killer! Perhaps the only flaw that I'd point out in the album is that they probably could have used a couple extra takes of the George Tucker's opening composition "Friar Tuck". It just doesn't seem to quite jell and were this a Blue Note session, for example, I think they would have tried it a couple more times to get it right.

Once again this is from the out of catalog Japanese CD issue which sells for ridiculous $ these days.

Jerome Richardson - Midnight Oil

If you come here with any regularity, you are likely a Jazz collector and, as such, I'm certain that the majority of you have some albums with this man as a sideman. His lovely flute work graces more than 75 albums from the mid 50's through the 60's and 70's and he appears in many a horn section from Mingus to Lionel Hampton to Thad Jones/Mel Lewis playing tenor, alto, baritone and clarinet, all with singular proficiency, but if you are anything like me, you probably haven't heard his work as a session leader. That isn't all that surprising since there there aren't even a full handful of albums to explore.

This 1958 Prestige/New Jazz and one the following year for the same label are the first two albums that I've explored and I've got to say they are first class! This one features frequent partner Kenny Burrell and trombonist Jimmy Cleveland as the other soloists and a terrific rhythm section lead by the great Hank Jones. Richardson plays tenor on the first track and flute and piccolo on the rest of this session on which features 3 originals, an Artie Shaw tune and the Ellington/Tizol warhorse Caravan. The whole session cooks with a cool fire much like that lamp on the front cover. I wish I could say this was a vinyl rip like most of what we feature here at the Crypt, but this comes from the now out of catalog CD.

Prestige 1959

Where there is the rarefied air of studio perfection around the Blue Note version of 1959, there is the relaxed smokey funk of the nightclub oozing about these Prestige offerings from the same year. Pour a drink, perhaps light up, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Prestige 1959 by Kingcake on Mixcloud

The Changing Face Of Harlem (24/48 vinyl rip)

An utterly terrific set that would cost a minor fortune to replicate! Almost like taking a walk down 52nd Street in 1944. The close proximity of recording dates on the majority of these sessions (mid to late 1944) suggests to me that they are part of the rush to the studios at the end of the first musician's union ban on recording.

"This double LP from 1976 features 32 selections taken from the later years of World War II, when swing was gradually turning into bop. There are sessions by the Buck Ram All-Stars, altoist Pete Brown, trumpeter Hot Lips Page, tenor-saxophonists Ben Webster and Herbie Fields, guitarist Tiny Grimes, singer Miss Rhapsody and trumpeter Benny Harris. The sidemen feature many illustrious names including trumpeters Frankie Newton and Emmett Berry, trombonists Tyree Glenn and Vic Dickenson, altoist Earl Bostic, Don Byas, Budd Johnson and Ike Quebec on tenors, vibraphonist Red Norvo, pianists Teddy Wilson and Johnny Guarnieri and (on two of the Tiny Grimes recordings) altoist Charlie Parker. Since the contents of this very enjoyable and historical two-fer have not been coherently reissued on CD, this is one to search for." AMG

Phil Woods, Tommy Flanagan, Red Mitchell - Three For All (1981) [vinyl]

RIP Phil Woods

Although this has been reissued on CD, it's now out of catalogue and this is from my pristine vinyl LP. It really is a beautiful album with marvellous contributions from all three players.

AMG review ~ Ken Dryden:
This is a bit of an unusual outing for Phil Woods, as Tommy Flanagan and Red Mitchell are his only musical partners for these 1981 sessions. The lack of drums enables the musicians to take a few extra liberties as they respond to one another. Woods is in top form, engaging his partners in a three-way conversation that seems effortless. His robust "Reet's Neet" benefits from Flanagan's fluid lines and Mitchell's potent bass, while Woods' touching ballad "Goodbye Mr. Evans," a tribute to the late pianist Bill Evans (who died a few months prior to these sessions), begins with a hauntingly beautiful piano solo, with Mitchell making a delayed entrance just prior to his solo and the composer waiting until just past the five-minute mark to add his emotional statement, which conveys his admiration for Evans' music. Flanagan's driving "Three for All" has a Latin undercurrent, with plenty of sparks flying among the players. Mitchell contributed three originals, including the loping ballad "It's Time to Emulate the Japanese," the lyrical "Talking," and the upbeat "You're Me," which features Woods on clarinet, though the CD credits fail to mention the instrument.

1. Reets Neet
2. It's Time to Emulate the Japanese
3. Talking
4. Three for All (aka Solacium)
5. You're Me
6. Goodbye Mr. Evans

Phil Woods (as, cl) Tommy Flanagan (p) Red Mitchell (b)
Munchen, West Germany, January 6 & 7, 1981

Wardell Gray - Easy Swing 1946-1955 [24/48 vinyl rip]

An excellent collection of lesser heard Wardell Gray sessions ranging from his first session as a leader in 1946 (with Dodo Marmarosa) to his final session in 1955 (with Tate Houston on a bass sax), only 4 months before he would be found dead in the Nevada desert with a broken neck. In between are a pair of nice sessions with Al Haig which supply the lion's share of sides 2 thru 4, and a pair of blues influenced sessions with Ivory Joe Hunter and Little Willie Littlefield. For someone looking to complete a Wardell Gray collection, this double LP is essential to fill in the holes in his discography.

I should add that this is a French version of the double LP and it has one extra track on side B making a total of 27 - the CD version only includes 19.

Ellis Marsalis Trio (w/ James Black) - Syndrome 24/48 rip

A fine piano trio album and one of the last from the great drummer James Black.

Lennie Tristano, Buddy DeFranco, Bill Harris - Crosscurrents 24/48 Vinyl Rip

"Even though the music on this LP has yet to be made available on CD, it gets the highest rating because the performances are so unique. Pianist Lennie Tristano is heard with his finest group, a sextet with altoist Lee Konitz, tenor-saxophonist Warne Marsh, guitarist Billy Bauer, bassist Arnold Fishkin, and either Harold Granowsky or Denzil Best on drums. Their seven selections include some truly remarkable unisons on "Wow," memorable interplay by the horns on "Sax of a Kind," and the earliest examples of free improvisation in jazz: "Intuition" and "Digression." In addition, the set features clarinetist Buddy DeFranco with vibraphonist Teddy Charles in a sextet on three numbers and backed by a big band for two others; the radical "A Bird in Igor's Yard" was composed and arranged by George Russell. This essential LP (which is subtitled Capitol Jazz Classics Vol. 14) concludes with a feature for trombonist Bill Harris on Neal Hefti's "Opus 96." Consistently brilliant and advanced music." AMG

Brothers And Other Mothers - Savoy 2LP - 24/48 Vinyl Rip

BROTHERS AND OTHER MOTHERS – (LINER NOTES) Part One® 1976 by Mark Gardner CODA Magazine

"Tides of musical influence are virtually impossible to monitor with complete accuracy. And in jazz, a young music still and one that has always been in a hurry, the problem is even more complex. Names and styles pass rapidly before our eyes and ears with disconcerting speed. This is not the scene for the leisurely, scholarly chronicler who likes ordered, out-and-dried developments, easy to trace.

So if an inquiring spirit poses the question, "Who was the first saxophonist to latch on to what Lester Young was into in the late 1930?" There is only one honest answer, "Who knows?" Influences are absorbed, often unconsciously, at other times deliberately (though perhaps not admitted), frequently quite casually. The process of widespread musical assimilation of new ideas in a constantly shifting artistic area like jazz is remarkably swift. One can notice significant changes, accepted and incorporated into the styles of numerous players, within months, even weeks.

There will always be the imitators, the mimics who can copy in meticulous detail the work of a true creator. But in jazz outright imitation is not as widespread as we may sometimes feel. Indeed, one of the fascinating aspects of the music is to view the innovations and to listen to the myriad ways they are expressed by various jazz practitioners who may not be originators but who do possess individualistic qualities.

There is nothing especially admirable about a musician who switches completely from one style to another which is coming into vogue. But an established player who shows he has been keeping his ears open for new things that he likes, and demonstrates the fact with a particular phrase, a tonal inflection, maybe just the choice of a certain tune, is informing us that he and the music are alive and growing.
The phenomenon of Lester Young's enveloping influence on young saxophone players between 1940 and 1950, and beyond has, perhaps, been over-simplified. The shadow of Pres was cast far beyond the generation of white tenor players who emerged from the wartime big bands, a refuge for many who were either too young or too clever to be drafted. The young, and not-so-young, black players were equally touched by Lester whose conception, let it be noted. penetrated deeply into all corners of jazz and was by no means an exclusive source for reedmen. Trumpeters, pianists. trombonists, singers and drummers all learned invaluable lessons from digging Young gliding out of the Basie section or riming those deceptively nonchalant gems behind Billie.

One can only generalize about how, why, when and where Pres seemed to permeate jazz and help to lead the music from swing into bebop in the most relaxed and logical way. Charlie Parker was on hand to crystallize and extend the direction, and meanwhile Pres went right along his own easy and supple path. His music changed, too, and young guys picked up on those shifts. But, unquestionably, Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, Teddy Edwards. James Moody, Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt were just as aware of/and affected by Pres as were their white contemporaries Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Allen Eager, Brew Moore and Herbie Steward. So too were older men like Flip Phillips, Illinois Jacquet, Buddy Tate and Georgie Auld.
Perhaps the key difference between, say Dexter and Getz, was that Gordon had also listened profitably to Hawkins, Webster and Byas, while Stan appeared to be a Pres man and a Dexter Gordon admirer! Ideas were exchanged more readily in those days and to unravel the cross-pollination of musical thought that went on between the guys involved would be impossible now.
But we can examine a goodly slice of recorded evidence, enjoyable clues and pointers and fine music to boot, within the covers of this key reissue. In this set can be heard a superstar in embryo (Stan Getz). a living legend (Allen Eager), two departed legends (Brew Moore, Serge Chaloff), Mr. Swing (Zoot Sims), and the complete musician, composer/arranger/soloist (Al Cohn), They all happened to be saxophonists who came to prominence immediately after the war. Four-Cohn, Getz, Sims and Chaloff-were Brothers in the famous Herman bebop hand. Moore (he never worked with Herman) was a brother by adoption while Eager had been a member of Woody's saxophone section in 1944...."
CONTINUED

Various Artists - Dixieland Main Stem New Orleans

Wait!!!  Don't scroll yet!!!

I know it says "Dixieland" and you are probably uninterested, but there's more than meets the eye here.  This is a recording of a live show at the Savoy Cafe in Boston, 1949.  The music is essentially mainstream, but more of a hot jazz/Chicago style, and the tunes are far from typical Dixie fare.  The Dixieland in the title would have been more for marketing than representation.

That said, this album is a really fun romp which maintains a jam feel throughout.  Side 2 plays like a medley, right up to Limehouse Blues which is infact a superb drum solo by Crawford.  Crawford's solo is a real banger too, something to behold.  Everybody gets a ton of shine, including Braff who is described as "new to the jazz scene" in the notes.  

The crooked cover is due to the application of the stickered sleeve, which was done at the factory.  Like most live recordings from this era (originally on 78), the sound quality is far from perfect.  However I think it's more than listenable.  I won't share anything which doesn't meet a certain standard.  The music is super fantastic and enjoyable as such.  This was ripped at 24/48 wav and transferred to 24/48 FLAC for your convenience.  I have it tagged under Edmond Hall.  As you probably assumed, it's in glorious mono... enjoy!!!

Regent MG 6076

"Savoy Cafe", Boston, MA, 1949

Ruby Braff (trumpet) Vic Dickenson (trombone) Ed Hall (clarinet) Kenny Kersey (piano) John Field (bass) Jimmy Crawford (drums)

Careless love
Please don't talk about me when I'm gone.
Bugle call rag.
Black and blue.
When a woman loves a man.
You made me love you.
My ideal.
Limehouse blues.

Dexter Gordon - Wee Dot (1965)

Recorded live in 1965, Wee Dot is one of saxophonist Dexter Gordon's many European dates, recorded in Stockholm, with a rhythm section comprised of the hottest cats on the Swede scene at the time. The program is standard swinging bop that opens with a particularly fiery rendition of "Take the 'A' Train." Gordon introduces each tune with his gracious, hipster vernacular and trademark dry elegance. There are only four tunes on the set, but they are all extended workouts. The closer, an updated, finger-popping redo of "Second Balcony Jump" (recorded by the saxophonist during his Blue Note years) is surely the finest moment of an already excellent set. by Thom Jurek, AMG.

SteepleChase Records, SCCD 36031, 2003

Recorded 10^th June, 1965 "Live" at Montmartre Jazzhus, Copenhagen, Denmark

Musicians:

Dexter Gordon - Tenor Saxophone

Atli Bjørn - Piano

Benny Nielsen - Bass

Finn Frederiksen - Drums

Track Listing:

1. Take The "A" Train {Billy Strayhorn} (9:24)

2. Introduction By Dexter Gordon (0:33)

3. My Melancholy Baby {Ernie Burnett, George Norton} (8:30)

4. Introduction By Dexter Gordon (0:32)

5. What's New? {Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke} (11:05)

6. Introduction By Dexter Gordon (0:34)

7. Wee Dot {Jay Jay Johnson} (14:33)

8. Introduction By Dexter Gordon (0:40)

9. Second Balcony Jump {Billy Eckstine, Gerald Valentine} (1:44)

Credits:

Recording - Danmarks Radio

Producer, Restoration - Nils Winther

Photography - Kirsten Malone

Liner Notes - Mark Gardner

Dexter Gordon Quintet - Ladybird (1965)

The latest offering from the seemingly bottomless Danmarks Radio Archive, this disc presents another air shot of Gordon’s lengthy mid-1960s Cafe Montmarte stint. Dex’s sizable cachet as an expatriate jazz icon prompted a nightly spooling of the tape machines. The resulting cache, so far doled out one set at a time, documents a particularly fertile time for the saxophonist. Shortly after arriving on European shores he teamed with pianist Kenny Drew and a topflight pair of locals in the persons of Pedersen and Riel, set up shop and enjoyed a more relaxed lifestyle than the scuffling of his earlier Big Apple years. This package is a bit different from the previous ones in that it presents trumpeter Donald Byrd, a fellow NYC emigre, sitting in with the working group.

The top-heavy program revolves around extended readings of two standards: the Tad Dameron-penned title track and a blue-chip modal number from the best-selling jazz album of all-time. After a brief ensemble stroll through theme Gordon essays a hungry, if slightly boilerplate solo that swallows up a healthy string of choruses. Byrd follows, cooler in cast and surfing across Riel’s frothy snare and cymbal-driven fills with a succession of slightly smeared runs. Pithy Drew and Pedersen statements follow. Riel lends steady hi-hat and sharp, textured brushwork to the latter’s deft pizzicato exposition and the two wear their advanced postbop pedigrees proudly. The piece winds up with a short spate of robust exchanges between Riel and the rest. These closing minutes are marred by a recurring and intrusive tape warble that ends up sounding oddly like a third remedial horn.

“So What” receives a comparably elongated reading with Pedersen paying homage to and capaciously expanding on Paul Chambers’ original epochal role. After the familiar bass invocation and riffing theme Gordon breaks away and spools out a sultry solo flanked briefly by just Pedersen and Riel at a brisk, but effervescent tempo. As on the previous cut, Drew delivers deft complementary chords that push the action without prodding it. Byrd’s improvisation unfolds in the leader’s wake, displaying a bit of the gelid clarity that was the composer’s calling card. Pedersen brings up the rear with another compact colloquium on killer contrabass technique. The horns wisely abstain from reentry and let it stand as the denouement.

Byrd sits out on a luxurious “Who Can I Turn To?”, but the band returns to full-size for the closer, another Miles Davis’ tune, “Blues By Five.” The trumpeter’s presence and the high degree of rapport shared by the rhythm section make this date one of note. Coupled with a tune choice that strays dexterously in more challenging directions than the band’s usual diet of bop standards it’s a welcome program that finds Gordon in a limber and exploratory mode. Foibles in fidelity aside, Dex aficionados will be sold on the disc’s face value. But casual listeners will probably also be pleasingly surprised by the caliber of this classic conclave. ~ Bagatellen.com

SteepleChase Records, SCCD 36035, 2005

Recorded 19th August, 1965 Live at "Jazzhus Montmartre", Copenhagen, Denmark

Personnel:

Dexter Gordon - Tenor Saxophone

Donald Byrd - Trumpet (#1,2,4)

Kenny Drew - Piano

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen- Bass

Alex Riel - Drums

Track Listing:

1. Ladybird {Tadd Dameron} (19:59)

2. So What? {Miles Davis} (18:00)

3. Who Can I Turn To [When Nobody Needs Me] {Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley} (5:25)

4. Blues By Five [Inc.] {Miles Davis} (4:12)

Credits:

Producer, Restoration - Nils Winther

Photography - Kirsten Malone

Blue Note 1959

1959 is an interesting year at Blue Note. Not a huge number of releases compared to 1957 or 1960, but quality stuff. With the passing of Sonny Clark, the 'house trio' duties are eventually taken up by Horace Parlan's trio the following year, but on these sessions the core changes constantly.

Blue Note 1959 by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Al Haig,Jamil Nasser - Interplay 1976 (aka Milestones) 24/48 vinyl rip

Okay folks...here we go with a genuine LP rip of this one!

Review by Ron Wynn

"Fine duets featuring pianist Al Haig during a busy period in the mid-'70s. He'd overcome personal problems and was cranking out albums left and right for both domestic and foreign labels. These were cut for Interplay, a small West Coast firm, but then were mostly issued in Japan. They are mostly excellent examples of Haig's surging bop style."

Not as good a copy as it appeared to be on visual inspection. Even after repeated cleaning you will hear the occasional noise that I didn't choose to pursue more aggressively for sound considerations. This was recorded in 32/9600 using IsotopeRX3, Cleaned using IsotopeRX3, Re-sampled and Dithered to 24/4800 using IsotopeRX3, smoothed, separated and exported to FLAC via Audacity and FLAC front-end.

Earl Hines Quintet - "Fatha" Blows Best

Hey gang.  This is a re-up from three years ago at the "old" Crypt.  Been spinning it recently and thought that perhaps some of you missed the original post.  You will notice that three out of four members of the JPJ Quartet appear on this album together.

Next up is the curiously titled "Fatha" Blows Best. Since we all know that Earl Hines was a pianist, I am not exactly sure what he blows...I will leave that up for you guys to figure out.

Title aside, this is another hard swingin winner. The group are all veterans of jazz, and it shows on the album. This quintet doesn't rush much of anything as they cook their way through ballads and mid tempo numbers.

Thinking Of You raises the fever, but only for a couple minutes. Infact most of the tunes don't exceed 3 minutes with the exception of Shine On Harvest Moon. On that tune, the group must have really been feelin it as it almost triples any other song on the album in length.

Hines mostly comps for his front line although he does throw in a pinch of hot pepper every now and again. Budd Johnson is excellent here, and fans will want to hear him tear through these numbers on both tenor and soprano. Infact his soprano work is excellent and it adds a nice dimension to the recording, expanding the realm of possibility and keeping things interesting. Buck Clayton was also having a fine day and compliments his partner well. Pemberton and Jackson mostly just keep things swingin for the group, which is fine by me.

This session could easily have appeared as a Swingville or Moodville side. The overall vibe gives me a visual of a hot southern day. This group had been together for some time, with the exception of Clayton, and clearly knew how to use their rapport to paint a picture.

This minty LP was ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC. A wonderfully swingin album...enjoy!!

Decca (DL75048) Mar. 8/11, 1968 NYC

Earl "Fatha" Hines - piano and vocal; Budd Johnson - soprano/tenor sax; Buck Clayton - trumpet; Bill Pemberton - bass; Oliver Jackson - drums

Don Patterson with Booker Ervin - Hip Cake Walk (1964) [vinyl>flac]

A massive pairing of the tenor of Booker Ervin and Hammond of Don Patterson – a record that's got a very famous cover image, and which marks for one of the greatest meetings of soul and modernism at mid-60s Prestige Records! There's no bass at all on the set – just lots of quick, tight rhythm lines from Patterson on the pedals of the Hammond – mixed with drums from Billy James, and served up with plenty of space for Ervin to open up on tenor – blowing with more soul than on some of his modernist sides of the time! The title cut – "Hip Cake Walk" – is a 16 minute groover, and other tracks include "Rosetta", "Sister Ruth", and "Donald Duck". Very cool cover, too! © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Organist Don Patterson went through a richly productive period in the 1960s, fashioning a fortress of funky organ jazz hi-fi on the Prestige label. Various brave knights marched forth through the massive gates which can be imagined as fronting this real estate, their identity at times key to decisions made by fussy collectors regarding which Don Patterson album to own, which to stroll on by. Hip Cake Walk can also get the nod based on album title coolness, a set of standards promoted by individuals who absorb this kind of information as if blotting up anaesthetic. Meanwhile the aforementioned scouts have identified brave knight Booker Ervin, a favourite of tenor saxophone fans one and all, the man who plays a beat as if winning the penalty kick, whose horn was once used to cook fish soup for Pancho Villa. The presence of one solid Patterson original after the other, from the title tune through the holistic introduction of 'Sister Ruth' and the webbed-foot swing of 'Donald Duck', trumps any previously stated reason for this album's special status. 'Hip Cake Walk' is sliced and strolled with for more than a quarter-of-an-hour, alto saxophonist Leonard Houston jousting, knocking burning candles off drummer Billy James' head which he then replaces with icing dripped off his sticks. Cover material is also nicely selected, an Earl Hines classic given a clever updating and 'Under The Boardwalk' allowed to conclude the program with an enduring vision of the Drifters drifting out to sea, clinging to the keys of Patterson's organ, a lifesaver indeed. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide.

Prestige Records, PR 7349, 1965

Recorded 12^th May (#B1) 10^th July (#A1-A3,B2), 1964 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Don Patterson - Organ

Booker Ervin - Tenor Saxophone (#A1-A3)

Leonard Houston - Alto Saxophone (#B1)

Billy James - Drums

Track Listing:

A1. Sister Ruth {Don Patterson} (4:56)

A2. Donald Duck {Don Patterson} (5:48)

A3. Rosetta {Earl Hines, Henri Woode} (8:02)

B1. Hip Cake Walk {Don Patterson} (16:30)

B2. Under The Boardwalk {Arthur Resnick, Kenny Young} (3:02)

Credits:

Producer - Ozzie Cadena

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Liner Notes - Walter Catt (Oct. 1964)

Taft Jordan - The Moods Of Taft Jordan

Hello everybody!!!  Hope you've all had a great summer, I sure have.  Aside from summertime fun, my computer had some issues - both of which conspired to keep me away from blogging.  Well, I'm back and with a nice gem of an album on offer.

The only issue with "Moods" is that its too short.  If you enjoyed the Erskine Hawkins album, then you will enjoy this.  Overall I find it has that carefree and fun vibe to it.  The tunes cover a range of tempos, feels and styles.  That said, I wouldn't describe Jordan as an adventurous player.  He plays with lots of feeling and makes his notes count.  So yes, when I likened this to the Hawkins sides, I was referring to the soulful approach.

The supporting players don't display much in the way of fireworks (save a couple tunes), but the band is tight, tight, tight.  They show creativity in subtle ways that often help Jordan to sound better.  Lots of harmonizing and tons of fantastic rhythm.  If you're looking for something light, fun & swingin - then this is an album for you.  I captured this glorious, near-mint mono LP in 24/48 wav and then transferred it to 24/48 FLAC.  I hope it helps to kick up your weekend... enjoy!!!

Mercury MG-20249
1959

1. When Your Lover Has Gone 1:37
2. Night Boat 4:55
3. My Man (Cha Cha) 3:06
4. Do Anything 2:43
5. September Song 3:17
6. It's The Talk Of The Town 3:20
7. Smoky 4:55
8. Mariquita 3:47
9.Second Balcony Jump 3:55

Taft Jordan (tp), Dave Martin (p), Everett Barksdale (g), Joe Benjamin (b), Chick Martin (ds)

Buddy Tate featuring Milt Buckner - Love and Slows Vol.1 (1976) [vinyl 24/48]

Originally issued on the Dutch Riff label as 'A Soft Summer Night'.

Idris Muhammad - House Of The Rising Sun (1976) [vinyl>flac]

Idris Muhammad's House of the Rising Sun is a legendary soul-jazz album, and for good reason. First there's the fact that, Grady Tate notwithstanding, Idris Muhammad is easily the greatest of all soul-jazz drummers. Next, it is revealed that label boss and producer Creed Taylor was at his most inspired here, and wasn't afraid to err on the rhythm and blues side of the jazz equation. The material is top-notch, and David Matthews, who orchestrated and arranged this date with the exception of one track -- "Sudan" was written by Muhammad and Tom Harrell, and Harrell arranged it -- was on fire. As a bandleader, Muhammad is shockingly effective. Not because one could ever doubt his ability, but because of his reputation as one of the great studio drummers in jazz. Finally, this is the single greatest lineup in Kudu's history, and features the talents of Don Grolnick, Eric Gale, Will Lee, Roland Hanna, Joe Beck, David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, Hugh McCracken, Bob Berg, Fred Wesley, Patti Austin, and a dozen others playing their asses off. From the title track which opens the album, with Austin reaching the breaking point in her delivery, to the stunningly funky groove in Ashford and Simpson's "Hard to Face the Music," to the minor key funk of the Chopin-adapted theme in "Theme for New York City," to "Sudan"'s triple-timed drums and killer Eastern-tinged hooks, and a read of the Meters' "Hey Pocky A-Way," with Eric Gale's dirty finger poppin' bass atop McCracken's bluesed-out slide work, this is a steaming, no let-up album. Add to this a gorgeous version of the Ary Barroso Brazilian jazz classic "Bahia," and you have the set for a classic jazz album. But the complete disregard for the political correctness of "Jazz" itself, in order to get the deeply funky and soulful grooves across, is what makes this set so damn special and even spiritual in its inspiration. Jazz purists lost all credibility when they slagged this one off, caught as they were in tainted, even racist views of the past that made no allowances for jazz musicians to actually follow their time-honored tradition of mining the pop music of the day to extend the breadth and reach of jazz itself. Anybody who wants to believe that George Gershwin is somehow more important than George Porter Jr. is already lost in his own cultural fascism. Muhammad, who understands this better than anyone, pulled out all the stops here and blasted out one amazingly tough, funky slab. Brilliant. ~ Thom Jurek, AMG.

Kudu Records, KUDU 27, KU-27S1, 1976
Recorded 18th-27th June; 23rd September-8th October, 1975
at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:
Idris Muhammad - Drums, Percussion [Log Drum] (#A1)
Tom Harrell - Trumpet
Fred Wesley - Trombone
Barry Rogers - Trombone (#B1)
David Sanborn - Alto Saxophone
Ronnie Cuber - Baritone Saxophone
George Young - Tenor Saxophone (#A2)
Mike Brecker - Tenor Saxophone (#A2)
Bob Berg - Tenor Saxophone (#B1)
Leon Pendarvis - Piano (#A1)
Don Grolnick - Piano (#A2,A3,B2)
Roland Hanna - Piano (#B1,A4)
Eric Gale - Bass (#A3,B2), Guitar (#B2)
Hugh McCracken - Guitar (#B2)
Joe Beck - Guitar (#A3)
Will Lee - Bass (#A1)
Wilbur Bascomb - Bass (#A2,A4,B1)
Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken, Seymour Barab - Cello
George Devens - Percussion
Charles Libove, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, Joe Malin, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman - Violin
Frank Loyd - Vocals (#A1,B2)
Debbie McDuffie, Hilda Harris, Patti Austin - Vocals (#A2)

Track Listing:
A1. House Of The Rising Sun {Traditional} (4:45)
A2. Baia [Boogie Bump] {Ary Barroso, Ray Gilbert} (4:40)
A3. Hard To Face The Music {Valerie Simpson, Nickolas Ashford} (4:52)
A4. Theme For New York City [Based On Prelude No. 4] {Frederic Chopin} (3:29)
B1. Sudan {Idris Muhammad, Tom Harrell} (10:54)
B2. Hey Pocky A-Way {Ziggy Modeliste, Art Neville, Leo Nocenteli, George Porter, Jr.} (6:07)

Credits:
Producer - Creed Taylor
Arranger - David Matthews, Tom Harrell (#B1)
Recording Engineer - Rudy Van Gelder
Design - Rene Schumacher
Photography - Alen Mac Weeney

Dexter Gordon - Stella By Starlight (1966)

Historically speaking, radio’s been both friend and foe to jazz listener sensibilities. Broadcasts from innumerable venues brought the music into countless homes and establishments. A large chunk of archival recordings are sourced from these classic concert documents. Where a complication lies is in the vagaries of the production customs that sometimes governed these broadcasts. Announcers intrude with regularity over the music (the insufferable Symphony Sid, anyone?). Station breaks edit solos and sets into commercial-friendly morsels. Coupled with the technological limitations of reel-to-reel tape the results can be checkered and sometimes downright vexing when it comes to what’s omitted or lost.

Witness the recent release of Coltrane’s Half Note Recordings from the spring of ’65. What’s there is incredible. But a pang of regret is practically inevitable when the purchaser realizes that nearly 35 minutes of the monumental title cut went unrecorded and the version of “Afro Blue” only survived in fragmentary form (a gaff repeated on Live in Seattle from months later, what’s with the reverse-kismet when it comes to Coltrane’s readings of Mongo Santamaria’s most famous tune?). The same sort of situation colors the music on Stella By Starlight, the latest and purportedly final installment in Steeplechase’s series of vintage Dexter Gordon broadcasts made by Danmarks Radio from the Montmarte Jazzhus, Copenhagen.

This sixth entry differs from the previous ones in a few notable respects. Firstly, there’s the presence of altoist Pony Poindexter in a second horn slot. Poindexter was on European tour at the start of 1966 and found time to sit in with Gordon’s working combo. Neither man was a stranger to two horn team-ups, Gordon locking congenial saxes with the likes of Wardell Gray, Gene Ammons and James Moody among a host of others over the course of his career. Mark Gardner’s exceptionally readable liners also make mention of an earlier meeting between the two in ’62 that included Billy Mitchell, Phil Woods, Gene Quill and Pepper Adams. Man, sign me up for a copy that one!

The program here focuses on three loquacious readings of standards. Solos are routinely lengthy and there are lots of them. Pianist Kenny Drew and bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Gordon’s regular Montmarte confreres make up the rhythm section along with guest drummer Makaya Ntshoko, pinch hitting for Alex Riel who apparently had the night off. The title track commences in media res with the front men finishing the tail end of the theme statement. Gordon takes the floor early, holding forth with a robust extended foray as Drew comps somewhat reticently beneath him. Poindexter’s solo suffers from a somewhat shrill tonality in spots. But he surprises with a lively scat-sung rejoinder as follow-up. Drew and Pedersen have their respective says in succession next as Ntshoko keeps competent, if garden-variety time. A string of loose sax exchanges and final return to theme predictably signs the action off.

Occupying just over a third of an hour “Satin Doll” follows the same general template with minor deviations and includes another priceless Pedersen improvisation. “Round About Midnight” finds the band starting to gel in earnest and contains the finest playing by Poindexter of the date as he adjusts to the smoky ballad tempo of the piece. The tempered work of the rest of the band is gorgeously on target too, Ntshoko whose minimalist brushes add just the right amount of diaphanous texture. Gordon’s sensuous baritone inaugurates all but the title number with sultry spoken prefaces to further seduce the crowd. “Sonnymoon For Two” is present only as a maddeningly abbreviated half-minute taste, those misguided Danmarks engineers possibly fading out for what might have been station identification. Then again, beggars can’t be choosers as they say. And when it comes to recorded work Gordon’s certainly falls under the header “Finite Supply”. ~ Derek Taylor.

SteepleChase Records, SCCD 36036, 2005
Recorded 6th January, 1966 Live at "Montmartre Jazzhus", Copenhagen, Denmark

Personnel:
Dexter Gordon - Tenor & Soprano Saxophones
Pony Poindexter - Alto Saxophone, Vocals
Kenny Drew - Piano
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen - Bass
Makaya Ntshoko - Drums

Tracks:
1. Stella By Starlight {Victor Young} (16:51)
2. Introduction (0:10)
3. Satin Doll {Duke Ellington} (20:05)
4. Introduction (0:15)
5. 'Round About Midnight {Thelonious Monk} (10:23)
6. Introduction (0:16)
7. Sonnymoon For Two [Fade-out] {Sonny Rollins} (0:30)

Credits:
Recording - Danmarks Radio
Sound Restoration - Nils Winther
Liner Notes - Mark Gardner
Producer - Nils Winther

Prestige 1958 sessions

I've got to admit that I'm pretty pleased with this one!

Prestigeous 1958 sessions by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Xanadu At Montreux Volume 4 [24/48 vinyl Rip]

"This four-LP series put out by Xanadu fully documents a marathon concert put on by the label (and featuring ten of its artists) at the 1978 Montreux Jazz Festival. The final volume has all ten of the players popping up in different situations (including an over-24-minute multi-tempoed blues "Royal Madness"). Everyone plays well and they all deserve mention: trumpeter Sam Noto, baritonist Ronnie Cuber, the tenors of Billy Mitchell and Al Cohn, guitarist Ted Dunbar, flutist Sam Most, pianists Barry Harris and Dolo Coker, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Frank Butler. Each of the sets are recommended to straightahead jazz fans with the second volume geting the edge." AMG

Xanadu At Montreux Volume Three [24/48 vinyl rip]

 A LONG overdue re-rip of the albums sent to me by Bluenote97 some 4 years ago.

"The third of four LPs to result from an all-star concert put on by the Xanadu label in 1978 has three features for the underrated but very significant flutist Sam Most ("This Masquerade," "I Thought About You" and "Star Eyes"), a showcase on "Half Nelson" for guitarist Ted Dunbar and a 15-minute version of "Strollin'" that features a full octet including Most, Dunbar, the tenors of Al Cohn and Billy Mitchell, baritonist Ronnie Cuber and pianist Barry Harris. Jazz fans should be aware of Xanadu, one of the very few record companies to be documenting bop in the 1970s; this particular four-volume series has plenty of strong moments." AMG

Xanadu At Montreux Volume Two

This one was provided some 4 or 5 years ago at Kublah's Crib by Kneigh. I figured that since I had re-ripped the other 3 of the set, it was only fair to supply this one too. I don't remember if he had any rip info but thanks to Kneigh.

Primarily a straight quintet session with Al Cohn and Billy Mitchell manning the front line, although Barry Harris, Sam Jones and Frank Butler open and close the set with trio pieces.

Chet Baker - Comin' On & Cool Burnin'

As promised here is the rest of the output of this brief spark in the Chet Baker story. The seven tracks of "Comin' On" and the first 3 of "Cool Burnin'" complete the full sessions. Tracks 4-7 of Cool Burnin' are repeated on the "On A Misty Night" disc.

I wonder what the rest of the story was behind these sessions, beyond Baker's trumpet being 'stolen' (pawned?) and the sessions being played on flugelhorn. His sessions for a year preceding these were on Limelight, those that follow are at World Pacific. This abrupt and short-lived appearance on Prestige (3 days), given what we know about the way business was done at Prestige, sounds like a cash grab for dope or debts. Chet's later complaint sounds suspiciously like those of a junkie who has forgotten he chose cash on the barrel-head.

Blue Note 1958 Sessions

Blue Note 1958 Sessions by Kingcake on Mixcloud