Arthur Blythe - Lennox Ave. Breakdown

This is a classic jazz album. Fine musicians, fine songs, fine solos. Bob Stewart plays Tuba while Cecil McBee plays upright bass. They play well off each other, and they create a huge low end sound - a base. With this base, Blood Ulmer is able to bounce his angular guitar jabs, Jack Dejohnette can syncopate like crazy, and Arthur can soar on top of it all.

Great liner notes from Stanley Crouch. I can't wait to read through his Charlie Parker biography. Crouch is a bit of an enigma; I've always pinned him as a curmudgeon that only liked a very specific classic jazz type, but he calls it like he sees it. Arthur is the man, and Crouch knows it.

This album, at least the title track, would even make good party music. I almost forgot James Newton is on this album! With some crazy electronic sounding flute effect on some long tones... I'm not sure why James Newton's star seemed to burn out so quickly. He's one of the most talented flutists in the history of Jazz... Is he still playing?

Cool album cover: "Come check out my apartment, it is shaped like an alto saxophone."

Again, I don't think I can do it justice. I just feel this album is an absolute classic. Here is a vid of the title track the entire album on youtube:

For those that do not know, Arthur Blythe is battling Parkinson's Disease. Please consider a donation to help offset the medical costs: http://gusttsilis.com/arthurblythe/

George Benson - Beyond the Blue Horizon

This is a great George Benson album, from the time before he became really poppy, and before he started singing. This is the album cover that I have, although it appears there is a different cover (this may be because the one I have is stamped Demonstration Not For Sale on the back)

This is the other cover (more common?):

Kinda like Gary, Indiana?

Side one has a cool version of "So What." It is funky in a Jack Dejohnette kinda way, which is to say it's not as down and dirty as the Isley Bros.* Ron Carter channels Scotty Lafaro with a bass part reminiscent of "W.R.U." by Ornette. The other song on side one, "The Gentle Rain," is a Bossa reminiscent of "Besame Mucho." There is an instrument throughout this album that sounds like a fiddle playing a tremolo sliding up and down, and I can't figure out what exactly it is (is it Benson on his guitar... nope I'm hearing it while Benson is improvising... It could be electronic, almost like a theremin?) There is no credit for violinist on the back...

Side two is actually my favorite side of this album (this album is so good, but I often overlook it.) And side two has this weird fiddle thing going on throughout (I'm going to feel like an idiot when I find out that the sound is probably not a fiddle at all. There are two percussionists listed in the credits: Michael Cameron and Albert Nicholson, could it be percussion? electric cuica?) "All Clear" has a feel good groove to it. The head sounds very much like "Grazing in the Grass" but a little more uptempo. This is happy music :) 

"Ode to a Kudu"... I think I read an interesting anecdote about this song in a guitar magazine. Benson said that this random dude came up to him and showed him an alternate tuning on guitar, but the trick was to play the guitar just the way you normally would and it will sound exotic. Maybe it was about the next song, "Somewhere in the East..." "Ode to a Kudu" is such a reflective melody, in a way reminiscent of Miles' "In a Silent Way." This is good, mellow music. *CUE NEIL YOUNG: BAYBE MELLOW MY MIND OUT...* Anyways... "Kudu" is really a beautiful song.

"Somewhere in the East" sounds like a quasi Eastern/tribal jam. Great conga playing. Weird sound effects from Benson on guitar (This time I'm sure it's Benson). I love how Ron Carter harmonizes with Benson's guitar melody (way up in the high register on his bass) The only regret is that it kinda trails off at the end

I don't think my words can do justice to how good "Kudu" and "Somewhere in the East" are. Here are some vids to check out the tunes in all their splendid glory:

I give this record 150 out of 5 stars. So good.

*I maybe should have compared Apples to Apples. Here is a down and dirty CTI track with Ron Carter, but Billy Cobham is laying down the down and dirty funk on drums: Milt Jackson - People Make The World Go Round

Richie Beirach - Eon

I bought this album out of curiosity, and I don't listen to it too much. They play an interesting version of Nardis. This is what I understand the history of Nardis to be:

Bill Evans wrote Blue in Green, but Miles claimed it and is listed as the songwriter (got royalties)

Miles wrote Nardis for Bill Evans... but Miles name is still listed as the composer.

I don't think Miles ever played it.

I think Nardis sounds a lot like the theme from Resolution (A Love Supreme)

The cover of the album is cool, but the music isn't as moving. I just bought Chick Corea's Now He Sings Now He Sobs on CD, and I feel like that is the high standard for jazz trio albums. This album doesn't get free enough, groovy enough, exploratory enough, trance-inducing enough... but it has a cool cover...

Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 4 & Sonata no. 14 in C# minor - Guiomar Novaes piano

I'm pretty sure one of my friends brought some of his records over to my house one day, and he forgot this Beethoven record. I may have listened to this record once before. I am sure I will read a little bit about Guimar Novaes, who is the pianist on this record. This must have been a popular record to purchase because of the B side, which contains the Sonata in C# minor commonly known as "The Moonlight Sonata." The "moonlight" nickname actually came about 5 years after Beethoven's death. Again, wikipedia has some information on the topic: Moonlight Sonata.
My record has quite a bit of crackle and sibilance...

There is great playing on this recording, but I am by no means an expert on the music, and I don't know how it compares to other artist's renditions.

AEC - Full Force

I'm not trying to shed too much light on the music provided on all of these records, I'm merely attempting to listen to my entire record collection (Which I keep in alphabetical order). I'm still only at the A's (Art Ensemble of Chicago is the last of the A's). This is another ECM release that came out a few years after Nice Guys, and I feel like the record is actually Nice Guys part II.

The cover is cool for having the AEC insignia on the bottom: Art Ensemble of Chicago: Great Black Music, Ancient to the Future.

Everyone plays at least four different instruments, but Lester Bowie sticks with his trumpet on this one.

"Magg Zelma" really develops into a nice groove (similar in some ways to "Dreaming of the Masters" from Nice Guys), but one has to patiently wait for the groove to enter after a cacophony of little instruments. I wonder where they found bike horns that sound like little laughing monkeys?

I got this record at the same time as Nice Guys, so I wonder if my opinion is largely connected to that fact, or if others feel the same way?

Next up is a Beethoven record, which I don't know if I've ever listened to!

Art Ensemble of Chicago - Nice Guys

I first heard this record in college, when I had checked it out from the university library, which had a strange array of random jazz records. I was glad when I finally purchased this record earlier this year. I was able to take a trip down memory lane. The album contains some pretty wild sounds of (bike)horns, with some bird calls, some Jamaican folk singing that borders on minstrelsy, and alarms (like a Chicago traffic jam). My favorite track on this recording is "Dreaming of the Masters" which is the last song on side two, which is a more straight ahead jazz jam.

There is great album artwork on the cover as well as the back (the back shows the group in studio with their collection of percussion instruments. They look to be in mid rehearsal of one of their pieces. Inside the sleeve is a photo of the group in a dressing room, looking into a mirror, and preparing the makeup for a performance.

If you haven't heard the Art Ensemble of Chicago, there are a million and a half videos on youtube. Here is one clip that I enjoy:

FYI, Gary Burton is not a fan of the AEC for personal reasons. I guess he missed a flight because they had to load up all of their instruments onto the same plane. If you read this blog, you will find out that I have a few Gary Burton recordings. I like the AEC and G.B. the same. There is some great vibraphone work on the two ECM AEC albums that I have (next up is Full Force.)

Air - Air Lore

The Legend, and the Lore

Oh how I love Air. It's disappointing that many people think of the French Duo Air before they think of Mr. Threadgill, Mr. McCall, and Mr. Hopkins. Ornette Coleman released an album called "The Shape of Jazz to Come." Air embodies the best of what Jazz had become by the mid 1970s- mid 1980s.

I have had a hard time finding Air records at used record stores, although I recently asked a local store owner if he ever comes across them, and he assured me they are not as rare as I may have thought. This may be the most I've paid for a record - $17. Not bad - that's about the typical price for a CD. The music is priceless (cheesy, I know)...

I just heard a classic Threadgill solo ending - in which he sustains a tone, adds subtle vibrato, and makes his saxophone sound like a distorted guitar trailing off (end of his solo on King Porter Stomp).

Others have written about the music on this album. All of the songs are early jazz hits by the likes of Jelly Roll Morton and Scott Joplin. The repertoire is played with modern extended improvisations that are respectful to the history, but modern and creative at the same time (another great example is Klang's Other Doors, which uses Benny Goodman tunes as vehicles for modern improvisation.)

I cherish this record, and I am looking forward to adding more Air to my record collection. I have Air Raid and Air Song in my CD collection, and I have not been disappointed by this all star lineup.

PS - Henry Threadgill performed at the Chicago jazz festival with Jack Dejohnette, Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell, and Larry Gray. I read in Downbeat that this was recorded and may be released on ECM! I was very mad at myself that I did not attend this historic concert, but I would love to hear it on a recording!

George Adams Don Pullen Quartet - Live at Village Vanguard

I have been fascinated with Don Pullen lately. Don was a highly underrated pianist/organist, comfortable playing the funkiest blues or in completely free chaos. A presumptive equation would be Monk + Cecil Taylor = Don Pullen, but that doesn't completely cover all that is Don Pullen. Don Pullen co-leads this album with Tenor Saxophonist and long time Pullen collaborator George Adams. The other two outstanding musicians are Dannie Richmond (long time Mingus workshop drummer), and Cameron Brown on Bass. I haven't heard of Cameron Brown before, but he gives a great performance on this album.
The first track on side one is called "The Necessary Blues (Thank You Very Much, Mr. Monk)." The head of the song has me thinking, "I can't believe it's not Monk!" The bluesy, straight 16th notes come right out of the Monk playbook. The group also performs Ellington and Mingus on this album.
In trying to spread the word on Don Pullen, I have realized he didn't record a lot of standards, but I think this album may be the closest, in which the group performs "Solitude" and "Diane" by Ellington and Mingus respectively. Don played a lot of original music, as well as music written by his peers.
This jazz is very in and very out, which is at the heart of all of my favorites. I recommend this one to everyone. It's a Soul Note record; I'm always trying to pick up records on the Black Saint/Soul Note (they are sister labels).

This picture isn't from the LP. This is George Adams playing his heart out, which is how he always played:

And Don Pullen used a technique in which he curled his fingers to glide his right hand up and down the keyboard to make magical glissandi. Whenever he did this he always kept track of the form, and he incorporated this technique in the middle of very lyrical solos. I'm not sure if piano technicians were wild about it. He was so dedicated to this technique, I believe I've read somewhere that his knuckles would typically be bleeding at the end of gigs.

Muhal Richard Abrams - 1-OQA + 19

Now this album has some mystery and intrigue. I wish I understood the meaning of the title/ poem 1-OQA + 19. Maybe some things are best left vague? The composition "OQA" features Henry Threadgill and Anthony Braxton reading Abram's poem. The best term I can think of for it is Cageian, although maybe Abramsian is more proper.

I like this album for it's even balance of complex, modern compositions which involve very orchestrated parts, and it's moments of pure group free improvisation. It never sounds like hell breaking loose... there is always a gameplan that is evident if not obvious.

This is my first foray into Muhal Richard Abrams. It is also one of my first forays into the Black Saint/Soul Note catalog (Great 70's and 80's Avant Garde jazz label from Italy)

I like hearing Henry Threadgill teamed up with Anthony Braxton. Abrams on synthesizer is always a treat. Steve McCall. I love Steve McCall. I always draw a blank when people ask me for great jazz drummers (so many to choose from). I have to remember next time to answer with "Steve McCall." I'm sure we'll hear more about him in my next post, which will be about the group Air.

I adore the picture of Muhal on the back of the record:

On to the next one: Muhal Richard Abrams - Young at Heart and Wise in Time

I have two Muhal Richard Abram records, and this is the newer one to my collection. I also have the CD box set of the Muhal Richard Abram Black Saint/Soul Note large group recordings. One of the most interesting books I've read is George E. Lewis' A Power Stronger than Itself. The book is a comprehensive overview of the history of the AACM. Muhal Richard Abrams is one of the founders of the group, and he includes other key members from the AACM on the second side of this album: Henry Threadgill, Leo Smith, Lester Lashley and Thurman Barker. The ensemble piece "Young at Heart," Is very experimental, but eventually a groove establishes half way through. This isn't my favorite avant-garde recording, but I like hearing early examples of Henry Threadgill and company collaborating with Mr. Abrams. The other side is a piano solo by Muhal. I enjoy it, but I don't feel that it lives up to Amus Mor's liner notes, which states, "the piano plays in blues, marchtime, stride, bop, freedom, and at last stretches on out there."

Next record - John Abercrombie - Gateway

I keep this record filed under John Abercrombie, although I believe the trio of John Abercrombie, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette worked as a collective named Gateway, which is the title of this record. This record was a great find: $1 at Family Sharing. I remember going to Family Sharing to pick up some stuff as I prepared to move out into my own place, so there is a little bit of nostalgia associated with this record for me.

The album cover deserves to be on Crap Jazz Covers, as it is a terrible album cover.

Although I really want to like the whole album, the only song I really enjoy is the first track, "Back Woods Song." The title suggests that they are jamming away in some cabin in the country. The picture of Dave Holland's epic winter beard adds to the effect:

That's Dave Holland on the right.

I have a lot of jazz records which I'm excited to listen to, but I also am excited to relisten to some weird stuff that I have that I don't take out too much anymore. (Star Wars narration, Pras - Ghetto Superstar, Styx, etc.)

My Records - John Abercrombie Timeless

I have decided that I am going to listen to all of my records, and I am going to listen to them in alphabetical order. While listening to them, I'm going to blog about each one.

John Abercrombie - Timeless.
John Abercrombie: guitar; Jan Hammer: Piano, Synthesizer, Organ; Jack Dejohnette: drums

This is a classic ECM record, and it may be one of John Abercrombie's most memorable records. It's fusion and jazz, but not in such a macho, Mahavishnu Orchestra style (even though Jan Hammer played keys with the M.O.). This record has the crystalline, ECM sound (Reverb). My favorite tracks are "Ralph's Piano Waltz" (with Hammer playing organ) and "Timeless."
I remember finding this record at a record convention in Marquette, MI back in my college days. I was made aware of Abercrombie's Timeless by watching this Black Milk production of Slum Village's Reunion. I was excited that I was able to find it in Marquette MI, which didn't have a lot of places to find rare gems. I think my folks were up visiting me, and I think may have spotted me the $4 cost of this record. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Three excellent musicians playing great pieces. When I listen to the title track, I always get excited when I hear the part in Jan Hammer's solo that is sampled in "Reunion."