Bennie Maupin - Jewel in the Lotus

This record was a rare find at Cedarburg's Maxwell Street Days (think gigantic flea market). Has some hissing and snaps (record is scratched up a bit) which is typical for a Maxwell Street record. Later on, I will listen to some Styx records that I picked up at Maxwell Street Days that made a big mark on me in 8th grade.

This record has a lot of electronic piano (Herbie Hancock... his only appearance on ECM?)

I like that Bill Summers is credited as playing waterfilledgarbagecan.

This record is pretty much Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band, but no Julian Priester or Eddie Henderson.

This is a very reflective record. No wildly intense grooves... very meditative.

Wynton Marsalis - Think of One

Wynton Marsalis - Think of One. This is a great record of a great trumpeter early in his career. Much before any of the backlash that came with being such an outspoken voice of "Jazz" and what was/ wasn't. With a classic group including his brother - Branford, Kenny Kirkland, Tain, Ray Drummond/ Phil Bowler on Bass...

What do you call Wynton Marsalis when he can't find his glasses? Squintin' Marsalis

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire

Apologies to the neighbors, because this record can only be enjoyed at FULL VOLUME!!

Highlights are Birds of Fire (in a crazy 9/8 pattern that make Blue Rondo Alla Turca sound like Hot Crossed Buns) and Miles Beyond.

Soooooo Electric!!!!

Dave Liebman plays the Aebersold Scale Syllabus

No doubt about it, if anyone possesses this record, they are a jazznerd. This is a double album of Dave Liebman playing all of the scales in the Aebersold scale sylllabus (while Jamey Aebersold channels his inner Alice Coltrane with lush, floating, sustaining chords.

Dave plays the scales straight, then improvises on them. Kinda cool to get acquainted to the different sounds.






... it was only 99 cents!

Dave Liebman - Lookout Farm

Dave Liebman (saxophones/ flute) recorded this in the mid 1970's with a bunch of his closest musical buddies. World fusion/ rock/ exploratory free jazz. If Miles Davis "On The Corner" is fusion high on cocaine, this is what it would sound like in a sober state - which is to say that it is still wild at times, but still rather reserved compared to MD 1970's MADNESS.

Lieb's cohorts on this are:
Richard Beirach - Electric and Acoustic Piano
Frank Tusa - Electric and Acoustic Bass
Jeff Williams on Drums

John Abercrombie on Guitar - Armen Halburian on Percussion - Don Alias on Congas and Bongos - Badal Roy on Tablas - Steve Sattan on Tambourine and Cowbell - Eleana Sternberg on Voice

P.S. I appreciate how much time Lieb gives the percussion time to do some of there stuff.

A more full review of Lookout Farm can be found here

The Leaders - Out Here Like This

Unfortunately, I don't feel like the sum of the parts add up to more than the whole on this record. This is like the Black Saint / Soul Note All Stars: Chico Hamilton, Arthur Blythe, Don Moye, Lester Bowie, and more. It's a good record, but not a great one. Anytime a Black Saint record is available, I'm going to purchase it.


This one's worth a listen, but I don't think it will receive too many repeated listenings...

Oliver Lake - Life Dance Of Is

So

Much

Silence

on this

Rec-

ord

Great playing - great

resting

Oliver L. Michael Gregory Jackson guitars, Pheeroan akLaff percussion, Anthony Davis piano

Leonard Jones and Buster Williams (Buster is on Comous only)

Arista NOVUS records

Oliver Lake - Expandable Language

This album is the creme de la creme of 80's avant garde jazz:

Oliver Lake - alto and soprano saxophone, flute

Kevin Eubanks - guitar

Geri Allen - piano

Fred Hopkins - bass

Pheeroan akLaff - drums

I have pretty much only heard Kevin Eubanks in the tonight show band, so it is nice to hear his performance on this record. He works well in tandem with Geri Allen on piano. Pheeroan akLaff is a percussion wizard, and any time I see Fred Hopkins is on a record, I simply add it to the must purchase pile.

Steve Lacy Plays Monk

This is such a true statement. Steve Lacy loved to play Thelonious Monk. This record has some intense high register experiments that often sound like he switched over to flute/dog whistle.

Here is a documentary in which Lacy talks about Monk and things:

Steve Lacy - Evidence with Don Cherry

This record is in my top ten. Lacy is the best soprano saxophonist I've yet heard. Mystery Song is a strange Duke Ellington song that I've never heard before, but Lacy and crew really jam on it.

This record is in the "Hey Ornette, I'm stealing your band" category. Billy Higgins and Don Cherry obviously were a huge part of the Ornette Coleman 4tet, and they really give this record it's attitude. Nice Bass playing from Carl Brown (I've never heard of him... is it a pseudonym?)

2 Duke songs, the rest are Lacy playing Monk, which he was wont to do on occasion.

Highly recommended, especially if you like Ornette circa 1959 (this album came out in 1961)

King Crimson - Court of the Crimson King