Heath Bros. - Expressions of Life

Smooth jazz with some muscle to it. Ruby My Dear is such a beautiful song.

I thought this was the Heath Bros record that Nas sampled... turns out it was an earlier Heath Bros album.

Hey some of the tunes on this album are very straight ahead... I mentioned Ruby My Dear, then there is Then What, Confirmation.

Mtume (son of Jimmy Heath, and producer of two of the smewth jazz jazz tracks) knew what he was doing as a producer in the 1980's. One only needs to listen to this:

Charlie Haden and Hampton Hawes - As Long As There's Music

This is another late Hampton Hawes duo recording. He recorded these duets with Charlie Haden not long before he passed. There is some very sensitive playing. I love the groovy-latin tinged funk on the opening song, "Irene." This really sounds like Keith Jarrett (I'm sure due largely to the presence of Haden).

The back of the liner notes says "8 Page Booklet Enclosed." Alas, the used vinyl that I purchased does not have such 8 page booklet. I would really like to explore Hampton Hawes recordings more in depth. Maybe in the future...

Hampton Hawes - At The Piano

Tragic. This album is very good, but it captures the tragedy of life. The liner notes on the back of the album is a transcription of a conversation between Hampton and Lester Koenig in 1977. Hampton died on May 22nd and Lester Koenig died on November 21.

The album cover is stark. Hampton is looking downward, forlorn, almost as if he knows time is running out.

The music on the album is very high quality. Ray Brown on Bass and Shelly Manne on drums. The music they play is wonderful; I saw "Killing Me Softly With His Song" on this (another foreboding allusion), which my generation knows all so well from Lauryn Hill and the Fugees.

Sunny is a real highlight (very funky)

This is a great trio record that reminds me a lot of the Keith Jarrett trio records (with Motian and Haden) of which, I am very fond. It's time to flip the record!

Billy Harper Quintet - In Europe

I'm really proud to own this record, which is Soulnote SN 1001. Soulnote is the sister label to Black Saint, an Italian avant garde jazz label. It is fitting that Billy Harper is the first record on Soul Note, as his album "Black Saint" is the first record in the Black Saint catalog.

This record is great, vamp-filled, spiritual exploratory, Coltrane-inspired jazz. In the 1970's (even up until present time, and I'd be willing to wager well into the future), so many tenor sax players were exploring the sounds that John Coltrane was developing. Sometimes, that gets old... one of the goals for many jazzers is to discover YOUR OWN sound. That being said, Billy Harper has his own sound -- one can differentiate Billy from Coltrane, but still hear the influences.

There are some sidemen on this record that I'm unfamiliar with, but an interesting sideman is pianist Fred Hersch, who is by now a very well known pianist. Here are the instrumental credits:

• Billy Harper - Tenor Saxophone
• Everett Hollins - Trumpet
• Fred Hersch - Piano
• Louie "Mbiki" Spears - Bass
• Horacee Arnold - Drums

Different group, but from the record "Black Saint" (I don't have it, but I wish I did)

Herbie Hancock - Crossings

This record features Herbie's Mwandishi band (I learned at work that Mwandishi is swahili for writer). The Mwandishi band all adopted swahili names. The band includes:

Mwandishi Herbie Hancock - Keyboards

Jabali Billy Hart - Drums

Mchezaji Buster Williams - Bass

Mwile Benny Maupin - Reeds, Flutes

Pepo Mtoto Julian Priester - Trombones

Swahile Eddie Henderson - Trumpet

I bought this record on spring break in 2007 in Chicago. I believe it was at a Virgin record superstore or Tower Records... I believe both do not exist any longer :( This record, I believe, is a reissue. There is no information that I can find on the sleeve that would indicate which year it was reissued. The only information I can see that it isn't original is that it says Remixed by David Rubinson, Fred Catero, Jerry Zakin... 

The music is very exploratory, sci-fi (Features Patrick Gleason on synthesizers), and vamp heavy. All of the 3 songs are long suites that include many short segments that transition into different sections. I feel like maybe Herbie was hearing people say "You should let the music develope more..." Well this is hyperbole, but his following albums (Sextant to some extent, but definitely on Headhunters and Thrust) seem to settle on a groove or a feeling for a longer period of time.

This record seems like an AACM record with a bigger recording budget (five vocalists are also listed in the credits, plus congas, certain keyboards were recorded at different studios... I could imagine this record costing quite a bit to be created.)

If you are interested in hearing the music on the album, here is a link to it:

Here is a cool video of the Mwandishi sextet:

Egberto Gismonti - Solo

This record has a similar feel to the previous Egberto Gismonti album I listened to. However, this record is clearly Egberto solo. Something interesting about this record is Egberto plays a "Super 8 Guitar. The liner notes thank Ralph Towner, essentially, for letting Egberto use the guitar on this record. There is another note in the liner notes, "There are no guitar overdubs..." I understand why he would include this, it often sounds as if two guitars are playing at the same time.

I wish that Egberto Gismonti could have had the chance to work with Codona when they were around. He would have fit in musically with them, and his solo record has a Codona feel to it, but a little more Brazilian/Villa Lobos.

Egberto Gismonti - Sol Do Meio Dia

I'm making breakfast, so no in depth writing here. Egberto is a wonderful all around musician. Master of crazy looking guitars and piano and other Brazilian instruments. He's always incorporating unique harmonies.

Great Jazz Trio - Love For Sale

Side two opens with the most inyourface tom tom roll by Tony Williams. Less familiar standards (to me) on this one. I'm playing catch up here on the blog, so apologies for the lack of a proper write up on this one.

The Great Jazz Trio - Milestones

I have company coming soon. Putting this record on while I tidy up the place a bit. The GJT albums always have fun album covers, which makes them much nicer to pull out and put on the turntable.

Here's the bass solo - I'm testing myself... I know one of the MJT albums I have has Buster Williams, but I think this has gotta be Ron Carter (he and Tony are distinct). Also, I think they played 81, a Ron Carter blues...

And... Checked the liner notes, it is Ron on bass. I guess the next one will be with Buster...

Harmone is such a good song. I forgot about this. It sounds like something I've heard sampled in some hip hop... but I can't identify what.

Tony really plays with the time on Harmone... :)

Herbie Hancock - VSOP

The album cover is so joyous. It's like a freeze frame shot of Herbie doing that thing at the end of the breakfast club:

Herbie deserved to be pumped up. This double record features some of Herbie's best ensembles of then recent time (circa 1976). This includes the Miles Davis Quintet, The Mwandishi group, and "Return of the Son of The Headhunters" (That last name is not the official name, but my own monster movie type name for the group.

So I just got this album with Elvin Jones Live at the Lighthouse and the David Murray record, which is why these recent entries are somewhat out of order. In listening to the record, I was thinking what is up with Herbie's piano? It sounds like it has a tremolo effect going on. In the liner notes he is credited as playing the Yamaha Electric Grand Piano. My wikipedia brown internet sleuthing has lead me to believe that Herbie was performing on a Yamaha CB70. I guess my biggest question is why? Wouldn't the venue (this is live at the Newport Jazz Festival, arguably the biggest Jazz Festival) have a nice acoustic Grand Piano for Herbie to use? 

But, as you can see in the above image, maybe the answer is that Herbie wanted to be able to stack all of his synths so he could have his keyboard world (What a great idea for an amusement park...)

Anyways, I definitely prefer the sound of Herbie on the Rhodes. I wish he would have had a chance to use the Rhodes more with Miles quintet (I think he uses it on "Stuff" from Miles in The Sky).

Time to relax and enjoy the music, and finish up my laundry too!

Elvin Jones - Live at the Lighthouse

This is a somewhat highly regarded album, especially amongst saxophonists. This is a live recording of Elvin Jones' band including Gene Perla on bass, and Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman on saxophones. This was Liebman's (and I think Grossman too) gig before he joined Miles Davis fusion band (On the Corner).

Heck, someone has even transcribed all of the solos from this record and called it the Lighthouse Omnibook:

The record has a lot of good jamming. I'm still listening to it. It is a double album. I find it interesting that side 1 and 4 are on one of the records, and the other record is side 2 and 3. Hey, it's a blue note record!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With a wild album cover. Check out all the crazy fishes hovering around that there lighthouse!

David Murray - Low Class Conspiracy

I think this is David Murray's first record. I just picked this up for 7.99. I feel like if a record has David Murray and Fred Hopkins and it's under $10, I can not justify passing it up. Philip Wilson is the drummer in this trio. I'm giving it a spin for the first time, and I'm enjoying it. Liner notes by Stanley Crouch (David Murray's former drummer)

Great Jazz Trio - At The Village Vanguard

I think I've mentioned that Ron Carter sometimes makes me seasick. This record is another good example. This is jazz at a very high level, with three masters: Tony Williams, Hank Jones, and Ron Carter. I like the album covers that they come up with. I have two more GJT albums, all have unique album covers, which many modern album covers lack.

Genesis - A Trick of the Tail

Back when my name was Proggy McProggerson, I bought this Genesis album on a whim. I noticed it didn't have Peter Gabriel, and I thought that they were only proggy with Gabriel. Boy was I wrong. The opening track apparently does not have a measure of 4/4 (that would be passe?). Yet there is a strong hint of the poppiness that Genesis would go for in the future.

I think this is the first album that Genesis had Phil Collins (drummer) sing lead vocals. They had a long tryout process, only to discover that the best replacement for Peter Gabriel was already in their band.

Here is the full album.

Some of the slower songs on this record are clutch make-out songs, if I do say so myself ("Entangled" and "Ripples")

I'm surprised this is the only Genesis record (CD, casette, etc.) that I own! And I call myself a recovering prog addict... Uh-oh, I maybe relapsing here!

Benny Goodman - Swing Into Spring

A good compilation of Benny Goodman big band throughout the years. Oh I wish it was spring. The weather forecast for tomorrow has a high of -10 degrees fahrenheit.

Some songs including Red Norvo on vibes, another one with Terry Gibbs on vibes. This is a great Sunday morning record, which is prepping me for Dewey Gill's Sunday Big Band Show on WMSE.