Larry Young - Unity

Larry Young Unity

Larry Young - Organ
Woody Shaw - Trumpet
Joe Henderson - Tenor Saxophone
Elvin Jones - Drums

1. Zoltan
2. Monk's Dream
3. If
4. The Moontrane
5. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
6. Beyond All Limits




This is one of the all-time great blue note jazz albums. Larry Young was an extremely gifted organist. As is noted, there is no bassist on this recording. Larry Young handles the role of bassist by playing wonderful walking bass patterns on the foot pedals of his b3 organ. Young is certainly not the only organ player to do this; many organ trios, for example, consist of drums, organ, and guitar (Larry Young was part of an intriguing jazz-rock trio consisting of Young, drummer Tony Williams and guitarist John McLaughlin). Listening to Young keep the bass lines going during his solos tends to boggle my mind.

The incredible independence that Young has amongst his limbs is showcased in the duet of "Monk's Dream" with Elvin Jones. Jones is well known for ruling the throne in John Coltrane's classic quartet. Jones would prod Coltrane into hypnotic excursions by use of his incredible poly rhythms. On "Monk's Dream", he uses his sticks to provoke some carnal organ playing from Young.

On a side note, I believe I read somewhere that the saxophonist to organist analogy is thus: Bird is to Jimmy Smith as Coltrane is to Larry Young.

I like all of the tracks, but "Zoltan" stands out to me. This piece was written by Woody Shaw, and it is named after the famous Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly (surely, most music education students should recognize this name). The composition is introduced by a march pattern between Elvin Jones and Larry Young. After the first melody is stated, Young and Jones bring down the house with a nasty latin groove. The dynamic comping from the rhythm section provokes fiery solos from Woody Shaw and Joe Henderson. At 3:20, Henderson unleashes a glorious "outside" lick. Listen for yourself; is it not ballin'?

This album is great. My only complaint is that it only lasts for around forty minutes. I guess, in today's modern compact disc age, I am used to fifty to eighty minutes of music per album. The playing is definitely top-notch, and I recommend it to anybody that is attempting to boost their jazz record collection. 10 out of 5 stars!

Eric Dolphy - Time Out

Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch!

Eric Dolphy - Alto Sax, Bass Clarinet, Flute
Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet
Bobby Hutcherson - Vibraphone
Richard Davis - Bass
Tony Williams - Drums

1. Hat and Beard
2. Something Sweet, Something Tender
3. Gazzelloni
4. Out To Lunch
5. Straight Up and Down

Eric Dolphy would have celebrated his 81st birthday this past Saturday. Although he died in 1964, his recorded music leaves a legacy of a wonderful person that truly enjoyed life. Listening to an Eric Dolphy solo is listening to pure joy exiting a horn. The sounds and noises that he created with his bass clarinet were very unique. In fact, I try to listen to the different timbres that Dolphy creates in his solos more than the melodies that he played. In a way, I feel like Out To Lunch is an early hip-hop album. The rhythm section provide the soloists with a beat for the soloists to pour out their emotions. And I feel that great hip-hop artists can reveal their emotions in their lyrics.

"Hat and Beard" starts off with a shocking bang. Then the bass reveals his odd-meter ostinato that the ensemble will continue to work with for most of the song. Dolphy plays bass clarinet on this track, and he plays a wonderful solo. Some free-blowing, but it doesn't sound like it's free for the sake of being free, it's Dolphy's unique brand of free which can imitate bird sounds or, as I feel, imitate moose sounds. Maybe a yak... Hutcherson and Williams have a great moment of interplay in the vibes solo. It's too hard to explain, but if you listen to the track, you will probably know what I mean.
"Something Sweet, Something Tender" changes up the pace a bit. This slow ballad features another great Dolphy Bass Clarinet solo. The vibraphone gives the piece a nice relaxed ambiance. Richard Davis seems to do a lot of chordal things, and he plays arco bass. A neat track.
"Gazzelloni" picks things up with some energy. This one has Dolphy playing flute. Exciting playing all-around on this track. I like how Tony Williams is never content to play it safe; he is always exploring the possibilities of the drumset. My favorite moment in this song is when Dolphy hands off his solo to Hubbard. It's a really magical moment.
"Out To Lunch" has this great catchy vibraphone ostinato. I'm really glad that there was no pianist on this recording, because Bobby Hutcherson fills the void just fine on his vibes. Dolphy plays the alto sax on this recording, I think. The group goes through a lot of free interplay, but they never lose their way. This piece includes more avant-garde solos than the other pieces; however, it is a prime example of musicians working together to create a group masterpiece.
"Straight Up and Down" closes this album out. This medium paced tune seems to have a swagger when the solos start up, and Dolphy plays another great alto solo that pushes the limits of space and time.

This was the last studio recording that Dolphy recorded. It may be a bit cliche, but this was truly his swan song. I have to reccomend this album to everyone at least slightly interested in avant-garde or free jazz, as I feel this is a very accessible free jazz album. This album is definitely more accessible than some of Ornette Coleman's, Albert Ayler's, Cecil Taylor's, or Anthony Braxton's albums (I still like all of those artists, but I realize many people find it unbearable). I was able to hear Dolphy featured on a public radio station when I was driving yesterday, and I was reminded that people felt he was, "too in to be out, and too out to be in." So if you feel like listening to some exciting, high energy, avant-garde, delicious jazz, then you have got to check out Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch!

5/5 Stars