Sonny Phillips - Black On Black (1970) [re-rip]

Sonny Phillips' third and final album for Prestige, coming just over a year after his first, shows the soul-jazz organist moving in a somewhat funkier direction than his first two efforts. The roiling title track actually has an edge of menace to it, an idea his other albums never even entertained. Of the five tracks, the most surprisingly effective is the nine-minute take on Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary"; even more so than Ike and Tina Turner, Phillips and band completely reshape the song, taking off the edge of distance from Creedence Clearwater Revival's original and the campy showbiz of the better-known cover in favor of a pure soul-jazz workout that's among the finest things Phillips ever did in his short recording career. The other highlight is "The Doll House," a showcase for Rusty Bryant's tenor sax with the album's most satisfying soloing. Sonny Phillips isn't highly rated by some soul-jazz historians, but his unique and characteristic light tone -- heavily influenced by his early teachers, Jodie Christian and Ahmad Jamal -- makes his albums far more interesting to listen to than the usual barrage of Jimmy McGriff lifts. ~ by Stewart Mason, AMG.

This 1970 album "Black On Black" is another fine soul-jazz recording. It features Phillips with tenor saxophonist Rusty Bryant, guitarist Melvin Sparks, electric bassist Jimmy Lewis and drummer Bernard Purdie. The music is blues-and groove-oriented. Bryant in particular showcases some fine solos, while Phillips' chugging organ is always appealing.

Prestige Records, PR 10007, 1970

Recorded 27^th July, 1970 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Tracks:

A1. Black On Black {Phillips, Bryant, Sparks, Lewis, Purdie} (5:34)

A2. Check It Out {Sonny Phillips} (6:20)

A3. Blues In Maude's Flat {Grant Green} (6:30)

B1. Proud Mary {John Fogerty} (8:01)

B2. The Doll House {Jimmy Lewis} (7:40)

Personnel:

Sonny Phillips - Organ

Rusty Bryant - Tenor Saxophone

Melvin Sparks - Guitar

Jimmy Lewis - Bass [Fender]

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Drums

Credits:

Producer [Supervision] - Bob Porter

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Design, Photo - Don Schlitten
Liner Notes - Tom Curry (December 1970)

Ted Curson Quartet - Live At The Willow (1982)

The late great jazz trumpeter Ted Curson (3rd June, 1935 - 4th November, 2012) in a performance at 'The Willow Jazz Club' in 1982. He is joined by the amazing pianist Hugh Lawson, dynamic bassist John Lockwood and fabulous drummer Dave Calarco. The quartet perform six wonderful tunes and placed at the end is an interview with Ted giving an insight to his life and touring activities. Original tape acquired from trade, ripped to WAV, edited, trimmed, cleaned-up (A-) and transferred to FLAC. Concert play list created and interview kept separate, not to be missed by any Ted Curson fan!

Recorded 13^th November, 1982 Live At The Willow Jazz Club, Somerset, Massachusetts

WERS Radio Broadcast, Emerson College, Boston

Musicians:

Ted Curson - Trumpet

Hugh Lawson - Piano

John Lockwood - Bass

Dave Calarco - Drums

Tracks:

1. Ted Curson Introductions (0:28)

2. Confirmation {Charlie Parker} (10:46)

3. Quicksand {Ted Curson} (12:28)

4. Tears For Dolphy {Ted Curson} (9:27)

5. Cherokee {Ray Noble} (11:47)

6. Carrot Cake {Peter Bernstein} (11:39)

7. Summertime {Dubose Heyward, George Gershwin} (9:17)

8. Interview (7:35)

Ted Curson - Snake Johnson (1980) [vinyl]

a-01 Snake Johnson - 7:25 (Ted Curson)
a-02 Searching For The Blues - 5:33 (Ted Curson)
a-03 Blue Piccolo - 10:40 (Ted Curson)
b-01 Dwackdi Mum Fudalik - 7:01 (Ted Curson)
b-02 Marjo - 6:40 (Ted Curson)
b-03 LSD, Take A Holiday - 5:25 (Ted Curson)

Ted Curson (t, fh, pt), Nick Brignola (ss, bar), Charles I. Williams (as), Bill Barron (ts), Jim McNeely (p), David Friesen (b), Steve McCall (d), Lawrence Killian (per)
Probably NYC, Late 1980
Chiaroscuro LP 12": CR 2028

Stanley Turrentine - Nightwings (1977) [vinyl>flac]

Review by Dave Gelly, Jazz Journal, August 1978:
There are those who would be very sniffy and po-faced about this record, but I am not among them. It consists of Turrentine's tenor playing simple, but not puerile, melody over a highly orchestrated backing, with occasional choruses and half-choruses by the string section. It's a thing he has done many times before and always brings off to perfection.
To say that this is ideal music to play in the car or while doing the washing-up is by no means to condemn it. It is light music, certainly, but there is a crying need for good, workmanlike, elegant light music and Turrentine is a master of his craft. He never cheats, never goes in for cheap rhetoric or phoney dramatics, and the occasional phrase will catch your ear and charm you with its simplicity and Tightness.
Henry James put it as well as anyone, in his essay on the Wallace Collection. Speaking of Watteau he says: 'His clear good faith marks the distance, in art. between the light and the trivial; for the light is but a branch of the serious'. The remark applies exactly to Turrentine's work here. Faced with the usual late-night radio drivel, we can discern with depressing clarity the extent of that distance.

1. Papa T
2. If You Don't Believe
3. Joao
4. Birdland
5. There's Music In The Air
6. Nightwings
7. Don't Give Up On Us

Stanley Turrentine (ts) with orchestra arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman.
New York City. June & July 1977
(Fantasy F-9534)

Ted Curson Quintet - Traveling On (1996) [re-rip]

Here we have another fine album by late Ted Curson. He assembles as per usual another great quintet. The majority of the tunes are his and he doesn’t waste any time showcasing his trumpet playing virtuosity through some brilliant solos. The pianist and flutist also show off their excellent versatility. In addition the listener gets to hear Ted vocalise on three numbers. Overall any fan will be pleased to scoop this one up just hear newer versions of Quicksand, Flatted Fifth, Tears For Dolphy and Song Of The Lonely. Enjoy!

Some people may never get past referring to Ted Curson as "the other soloist" in the great Charles Mingus bands with Eric Dolphy, but that hasn't deterred the trumpet player from pursuing his own, albeit less commercially and critically acclaimed, path. He just keeps Traveling On, the title of his twentieth album and his first release in seventeen years. Even though Curson is Traveling On, he looks back long enough to pay tribute to several of the magnificent musicians with whom he's been partnered in the past with "Tears for Dolphy," "Reava's Waltz (More Mingus)" and the set-ending "Song of the Lonely One (Ode to Booker Ervin)" (another Mingus-Curson connection). This set also includes well-executed covers of Herbie Hancock's venerated "Watermelon Man," the traditional "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Flip Flop and Fly." Curson's playing is confident, taut and swinging throughout, and, on four of these nine selections, it benefits greatly from the addition of four percussionists to the traditional bass/drum/piano backing. Traveling On proves worth the seventeen-year wait. ~ by Chris Slawecki, AMG.

Evidence Records, ECD 22182, 1997

Recorded 23^rd June, 1996 at Sound On Sound, New York City

Personnel:

Ted Curson - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Piccolo Trumpet, Vocals (#6-8)

Mark Gross - Flute, Soprano & Alto Saxophones

Misako Kano - Piano

Ray Drummond - Bass

Sylvia Cuenca - Drums

Everald Brown, Guilherme Franco, Ricky "Bongo" James, David Williams - Percussion (#1-3,6)

Tracks:

1. Lin's Garden {Ted Curson, Graham Collier} (7:51)

2. Quicksand {Ted Curson} (6:55)

3. Flatted Fifth {Ted Curson} (5:50)

4. Tears For Dolphy {Ted Curson} (9:17)

5. Reava's Waltz {Ted Curson} (6:03)

6. Watermelon Man [Lyrical Version] {Herbie Hancock, Jon Hendricks} (7:28)

7. When The Saints Go Marching In {Traditional} (2:42)

8. Flip Flop And Fly {Charles E. Calhoun, Lou Willie Turner} (2:08)

9. Song Of The Lonely One [aka Ode To Booker Ervin] {Ted Curson} (7:20)

Shirley Scott - Satin Doll (1963) [re-rip]

This 1963 release, which was recorded two years earlier, was one of two Duke Ellington tributes that organist Shirley Scott (1934-2002) recorded for the Prestige label. It was Scott's second album of Duke Ellington compositions after Scottie Plays the Duke (1959). The bare bones session had Scott backed by just bass (George Tucker) and drums (Mack Simpkins) and the music is a little more sedate than what you'll find on most of the organist's LPs. The Satin Doll album has not been released on CD. ~ Guitars and All That Jazz

With George Tucker on bass and Jack Simpkins on drums. A bit more prim, though Scott still burns. ~ by Ron Wynn, AMG.

The Merger of Scott and Ellington is a delight in harmonic contrasts. Miss Scott retains her warm, blues-rooted feeling which gently mingles with the lyric quality of these great Ellington standards, and she is both individual and sophisticated in her interpretations. Shirley’s ability to attack lyrical tunes without forfeiting her verve, fire or personal feelings of lament, herald her arrival as a major figure in the world of modern jazz. ~ Excerpts from Liner Notes by Les Davis (July 1963).

This LP is another beautiful tribute by Shirley Scott to the great Duke Ellington. For this album Scott remains within a tight trio grouping. George Tucker’s bass lines, backed up by Mack Simpkins’ deft drumming, beautifully accentuate Shirley’s organ romps. In Essence it is another brilliant soul jazz excursion from the 'Queen of the Organ'.

Prestige Records, PRLP 7283, 1963

Recorded 7th March, 1961 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Shirley Scott - Organ

George Tucker - Bass

Mack Simpkins - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Satin Doll {Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Billy Strayhorn} (5:10)

A2. It Don't Mean A Thing [If It Ain't Got That Swing] {Duke Ellington, Irving Mills} (5:34)

A3. C Jam Blues {Barney Bigard, Duke Ellington} (5:18)

B1. Perdido {Ervin Drake, Hans Lengsfelder, Juan Tizol} (4:32)

B2. Mood Indigo {Barney Bigard, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills} (3:38)

B3. Things Ain't What They Used To Be {Mercer Ellington, Ted Persons} (3:48)

B4. Solitude {Eddie DeLange, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills} (4:24)

Credits:

Supervision - Esmond Edwards

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Liner Notes - Les Davis (July 1963)

Mose Allison - Mose Alive! (1965) [vinyl]

One of Mose's mid 60s albums for Atlantic - recorded live, with a bit more of a hip flair than some of his earlier work for Prestige and Columbia, but still with those great vocals that went onto influence a generation of beatnik jazz singers. Mose has more than a bit of New Orleans in his tone – but he's also got some northern distance from his material, bringing a nice bit of wit into the recordings. There's a total of 11 tracks including "Parchman Farm", "Smashed", "Seventh Son", "Fool's Paradise", "Baby Please Don't Go", and "The Chaser". ~ Dusty Groove, Inc.

Atlantic Records, SD 1450, 1966

Recorded 22^nd-31^st October, 1965 Live At The "Lighthouse Café",
Hermosa Beach, California

Musicians:

Mose Allison - Piano, Vocals

Stan Gilbert - Bass

Mel Lee - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Smashed {Mose Allison} (2:26)

A2. Seventh Son {Willie Dixon} (2:35)

A3. Fool's Paradise {Jesse Fuller} (3:44)

A4. I Love The Life I Live {Willie Dixon} (2:32)

A5. Since I Fell For You {Buddy Johnson} (2:54)

A6. Love For Sale {Cole Porter} (5:23)

B1. Baby Please Don't Go {Joe Williams} (2:44)

B2. That's Alright {Jimmy Rogers} (2:32)

B3. Parchman Farm {Mose Allison} (3:17)

B4. Tell Me Somethin' {Mose Allison} (2:34)

B5. The Chaser {Mose Allison} (6:52)

Credits:

Supervision - Nesuhi Ertegun

Recording Engineer - Wally Heider

Cover Design - Haig Adishian

Cover Photo - Nick Samardge

Liner Notes - John Tynan

Shirley Scott - Like Cozy (1960) [re-rip]

Here we have a classic Moodsville LP showcasing an early Shirley Scott Trio and yes for all those listeners that aren’t so keen on the organ we get to hear Shirley [Side A] reveal her prowess on the piano with a salient performance of some well-known jazz standards. In many ways her sound appears almost more lyrical than her organ work [Side B]. In this regard we hear the sweet Hammond groove that was to become her forte, conveyed as always in a soulful and mellow manner. The overall mode of the album is a more laidback and intimate staging of Scott’s talents compared to some of her other work on Prestige. She is backed by her then renowned rhythm team George Duvivier on bass and Arthur Edgehill on drums - and titles include "My Heart Stood Still", "Once In Awhile", "Laura", "Like Cozy", "Little Girl Blue", and "More Than You Know".

Stylistically, Shirley Scott is an exponent of the jazz tradition established by Lester young, the great tenor saxophonist, and fulfilled by trumpeter Miles Davis. The French musicologist, Andre Hodeir, describes this quietly cooking, lyrical mode of jazz expression as "the Cool Tendency." As found in the best work of both the Pres and Miles, there is an economy of force in Miss Scott's playing, she does not dilute and diffuse the impact of her jazz message by using too many notes. Like Miles, she achieves a charming relaxation without sacrificing swing. She plays "pretty" without sounding sugar-coated or sentimental. Most importantly, Shirley is able to sustain a cozy, candle-lit mood fit for listening, dancing, or just plain relaxing with someone you like. ~ Extract from Liner Notes by Tom Wilson.

Moodsville Records, MV 19, 1960

Recorded 27^th September, 1960 at van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Shirley Scott - Piano (#A1-A4), Organ (#B1-B4)

George Duvivier - Bass

Arthur Edgehill - Drums

Tracks:

A1. You Do Something To Me {Cole Porter} (5:17)

A2. More Than You Know {Edward Eliscu, Billy Rose, Vincent Youmans} (4:07)

A3. Once In A While {Michael Edwards, Bud Green} (4:33)

A4. Little Girl Blue {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (5:00)

B1. Laura {David Raksin, Johnny Mercer} (5:00)

B2. Like Cozy {Shirley Scott} (4:10)

B3. My Heart Stood Still {Richard Rodgers} (3:48)

B4. 'Deed I Do {Walter Hirsch, Fred Rose} (4:13)

Credits:

Supervision - Esmond Edwards

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Liner Notes - Tom Wilson

Shirley Scott - Sweet Soul (1962) [re-rip]

Reissued from the "Happy Talk" session this features Earl May on bass and Roy Brooks on drums. It includes a nice "Jitterbug Waltz." All are standards. ~ by Michael G. Nastos, AMG.

Here we have another overlooked classic by the ‘Queen of the Organ’. On this date she keeps her trio’s focus on a number of classic jazz standards. Her performance and skills are exceptional and backed perfectly by other veterans; Earl May on bass and Roy Brooks on drums. This album recorded by Rudy van Gelder was to be the 2^nd release of this brilliant LP. The previous being Happy Talk [Prestige PR 7262]

Prestige Records, PR 7360, 1963

Recorded 5^th December, 1962 at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Track Listing:

A1. Happy Talk {Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II} (8:42)

A2. Jitterbug Waltz {Fats Waller} (5:26)

A3. My Romance {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (4:50)

B1. Where Or When {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (5:14)

B2. I Hear A Rhapsody {George Fragos, Jack Baker, Dick Gaspare} (4:59)

B3. Sweet Slumber {Lucky Millinder, Jimmy Woode} (5:25)

Personnel:

Shirley Scott - Organ

Earl May - Bass

Roy Brooks - Drums

Credits:

Producer - Ozzie Cadena

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Liner Notes - Dan Morgenstern

George Freeman - Man And Woman (1974) [vinyl]

While Man & Woman embraces a mellower approach than guitarist George Freeman's other Groove Merchant dates, it's by no means the late-night boudoir record its erotic cover suggests -- the stripped-down, nuanced sound instead adheres to a relatively straightforward soul-jazz formula, more focused and earthbound in its orientation than the average Freeman session. Teaming here with pianists Harold Mabern and Kenny Barron, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Buddy Williams, the guitarist embraces the change of pace, settling comfortably into the music's slow, slinky grooves -- not only are his solos as imaginative as before, but they also boast a rippling sensuality otherwise absent from his previous records. ~ by Jason Ankeny, AMG.

Groove Merchant, GM 3305, 1974

Musicians:

George Freeman - Guitar

Kenny Barron - Electric Piano

Harold Mabern Jr. - Piano, Electric Piano

Bobby Cranshaw - Bass

Buddy Williams - Drums (#A1-B1,B3)

Bernard Trapps - Drums (#B2,B4)

Tracks:

A1. Till There Was You {Meredith Wilson} (5:03)

A2. You've Changed {Bill Carey, Carl Fischer} (5:53)

A3. I Ain't Got Nobody {Roger Graham, Dave Peyton, Spencer Williams} (4:32)

A4. Groovy Lady {George Freeman} (4:52)

B1. Funny How Time Slips Away {Willie Nelson} (5:05)

B2. Squeeze Me {Fats Waller, Clarence Williams} (6:45)

B3. Stardust {Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish} (4:00)

B4. Georgia On My Mind {Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell} (6:09)

Credits:

Producer - Sonny Lester

Recording Engineer - Malcolm Addey

Mastered Engineer - Sam Feldman

Art Direction - Frank Daniel

Design [Album] - David Lartaud

Photography - Manuel Gonzales

One of the more laidback albums from George Freeman's early 70s run - but still a great little set that shows the mellower side of his talents! Despite the sexy style of the cover, the sound here is relatively straight soul jazz - small combo work with Harold Mabern on acoustic piano, Kenny Barron on electric piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Buddy Williams on drums - all in support of Freeman's snakey guitar lines over the gentle rhythms and slinky grooves. George's sound is slightly less tripped-out than on other records, but still has that undeniable Freeman tone - a raspy edge that's quite different than most of his contemporaries! Titles include "I Ain't Got Nobody", "You've Changed", "Groovy Lady", "Squeeze Me", and "Till There Was You".  © Dusty Groove, Inc.

Roy Hargrove - Family (1995)

This well-rounded set not only features trumpeter Roy Hargrove with his mid-'90s quintet (tenor saxophonist Ron Blake, pianist Stephen Scott, bassist Rodney Whitaker, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson) but with two other rhythm sections and a few special guests. The first three selections (which includes the up-tempo blues "Brian's Bounce") are called "Trilogy" and dedicated to various family members. Hargrove shows off his warm tone on "The Nearness of You" (a ballads with strings album was in the near future), and other highlights include the lyrical "Pas de Trois," a duet by Hargrove and bassist Walter Booker on Larry Willis' "Ethiopia," and a driving version of "Firm Roots." A meeting between Hargrove and Wynton Marsalis on the bop standard "Nostalgia" is disappointingly tame, but otherwise this is a high-quality modern hard bop release. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG.

Verve Records, 314 527 630-2, 1995

Recorded 26^th-29^th January, 1995 At Studio B, Clinton Recording Studios, NY

Musicians:

Roy Hargrove - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Ron Blake - Soprano & Tenor Saxophones

Jesse Davis - Alto Saxophone

David "Fathead" Newman - Tenor Saxophone, Flute

Wynton Marsalis - Trumpet

Stephen Scott, John Hicks, Larry Willis, Ronnie Mathews - Piano

Troy Halderson - Synthesizer

Rodney Whitaker, Christian McBride, Walter Booker - Bass

Gregory Hutchinson, Lewis Nash, Jimmy Cobb, Karriem Riggins - Drums

Tracks:

01. Velera {Roy Hargrove} (2:22)

02. Roy Allen {Roy Hargrove} (3:48)

03. Brian's Bounce {Roy Hargrove} (4:56)

04. The Nearness Of You {Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington} (7:03)

05. Lament For Love {Ronnie Mathews} (4:01)

06. Another Level {Roy Hargrove} (6:23)

07. A Dream Of You {Christian McBride} (6:11)

08. Pas De Trois {Paul Arslanian} (8:39)

09. Polka Dots And Moonbeams {Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen} (5:36)

10. The Challenge {Roy Hargrove} (3:46)

11. Ethiopia {Larry Willis} (3:36)

12. Nostalgia {Fats Navarro} (6:00)

13. Thirteenth Floor {David "Fathead" Newman} (5:57)

14. Firm Roots {Cedar Walton} (6:51)

15. The Trial {Roy Hargrove} (3:38)

Credits:

Producer - Roy Hargrove, Larry Clothier

Executive Producer - Richard Seidel

Engineer - Troy Halderson

Editing, Engineer, Mastering, Sequencing - Ed Rak

Assistant - Mark Agostino, Jonathon Mooney

Photography - Jimmy Katz, Michael Lavine

Art Direction - David Lau

Art Direction, Design - Patricia Lie

May He Rest In Peace