Joe Henderson: So Near So Far, Musings For Miles, with John Scofield

Believe it or not, the first Joe Henderson album I ever heard was this album, So Near, So Far, a tribute to Miles Davis.

The album was released in 1993 on the Verve label. In my opinion one of the best jazz albums of the 90's, and it works extremely well.

One thing about tribute albums, they can suffer from the copycat syndrome. Sometimes an artist is so faithful to the original, that you often times think: "Why didn't I just put the original on in the first place?"

Musings for Miles never plays like a mimic at all, it always feels like its own album. Yes, these are Davis compositions for the most part, but Joe doesn't play them like a carbon copy of the Davis studio versions.

 Joe has brought in underrated "is that possible" guitarist John Scofield for an unusual piano-less quartet that has Scofield nearly stealing the show.

Scofield has an unusual sound that really speaks to me, a guitar tone that's blue/green tinted, yet has a rock edge to it. He uses a lot of chorus and flanger type effects, combined with his own natural vibrato that give off that blue green sound I call it, really hard to define. Bill Frisell has this type of sound too to some degree.

Henderson also stays away from the Davis songbook "ringers" here, meaning he has chosen material I don't recall seeing covered too many other places, even 23 years later!

Two tracks from Seven Steps to Heaven "Joshua" and "So Near So Far", two tracks from Someday my Prince Will Come, "Teo" and "Pfrancing", and the rarely covered, compared to "So What" anyway, "Flamenco Sketches" from Kind of Blue.

Also a few tracks from the second great quintet era, "Side Car" and "Circle" offer some unique sounds and actually sound the most like originals to me.

You really will have a hard time finding fault anywhere with this album. Joe is stellar, Sco is killer, Dave Holland is solid on Bass, and Billy Hart on drums is as good as it gets.

Hard to believe it has been 20 years since So Near So Far was released, I think it deserves classic status. It's one of those perfect modern jazz albums.

A fantastic listen.

Image credit:
So Near, So Far (Musings For Miles)
Courtesy of Amazon.com

The Late Bob Belden's Miles From India: A Fitting Tribute to Miles Davis

The late saxophonist arranger Bob Belden really out did himself on this release from 2008 Miles From India. He assembled many former Miles Davis side men for a reworking of many of the Davis classic compositions.

 Drawing on both the Classic modal era and the electric era, but totally reworking them with an East Indian motif. Sitar and tabla, and even some vocals in the authentic Indian tradition highlight the album.

The music is an absolute marvel, it could have been a disaster, it so perfectly melds Jazz with Indian influences.

Many of the tunes are very unpredictable, Using only a rough sketch from the original composition, a bass line or melody for instance. One thing I really got a kick out of was Trumpeter Wallace Roney playing some very unpredictable solos, many times a solo that would be better suited for a classic Kind of Blue tune is used on one of the electric period numbers.

 They cleverly meld the two styles together through out the album, This happens on "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" it is almost as if the solo for "So What" is being used on "Voodoo".

 The colors throughout this album never cease to amaze me, the Indian Influences are never Gaudy, or clash with the music. It's as if Belden created a work along the lines of Gil Evans' reworking of Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. In that, these are well known and well loved compositions, Belden has created a new music worthy of its own accolades separate from the originals.

This may end up being one of those works that gets more respect as time goes by, certainly

this is Belden's own producing masterpiece.

The musicians on Miles From India seem to be in lock step with some sort of special Karma that doesn't happen all that often, and seems increasingly rare in the 21st Century.

Miles From India is more like India Plays Miles, Not necessarily Miles playing India, and that is the key for me.

 Belden Brings in "So What", "All blues" and "Blue in Green" from Kind of Blue, adds the Indian flavoring to create some of the most original sounding music I have heard recently.

Also tunes From Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way get the treatment, One of the real stars for me is Guitarist The Late Pete Cosey who really stands out. Cosey Goes Bananas on "Great Expectation," why doesn't the late Cosey Get more respect"? This guy has been a killer player for 40 years, Check out Miles' Dark Magus or Agharta for proof.

 Also Saxophonist David Liebman, Guitarist Mike Stern Drop, and Chick Corea. Chick only appears on "So What" But delivers a very tasty Piano solo, Gary Bartz is also there to add plenty of authentic electric era Miles flavor.

I went out and purchased the 180 gram 3 LP box set as well. You will not believe how great the vinyl sounds. The colors just shimmer.

What a shame, Bob Belden Passed away May 20, 2015 at age 58.  Bob was a great arranger and instrumentalist, as well as one of the top jazz historians and a monumental champion of the Miles Davis electric period. Bob was a four time Grammy Winner.

This is one that will be tough to stomach. I always enjoyed reading any of his liner notes, and all of his Davis tribute projects managed to add something to the Davis lexicon, and did not take anything away from it.

Ornette Coleman Science Fiction: Everything but the Kitchen Sink

Science Fiction is one of the first free jazz/avant garde albums that ever spoke to me.

It has everything, crazy-ass free funk sounds juxtaposed with free form rhythms. Ornette pounds away on alto and violin. Charlie

Haden's bass sound didn't hurt either. I always liked that bouncy bright sound of his.

Check out "Law Years", I mean who in the heck would ever have a drum & bass duet that early in a tune? 

Science Fiction released in 1972 is the quintessential bridge album if I ever heard one. It does indeed sound like The Shape of Jazz to Come meets Dancing in Your Head.  A perfect balance between the classic Coleman sound and the new funkier world music vibes to come by the middle of the 70's.

I mentioned "Law Years" earlier: I had forgotten this, but I first heard that track on the Ken Burns Jazz Compilation for Ornette, probably the best single disc compilation out there for Ornette to this day.

I was so blown away by the track I bought the Complete Science Fiction Sessions the next day. Of course it took a while to warm up to the rest of the album as varied as it is. That compilation also included Broken Shadows as well, another album Coleman did for Columbia that wasn't released until 1982.

I remember back around the year 2000, when I was first discovering this new to me jazz music, it was exciting to acquire the taste for music like this;  because you know it's not exactly commercial music, and I can hardly think of a niche music more exclusive than free jazz.

Norman Connors Love From The Sun: Buddah Records 1974

Norman Connors is best known out side of jazz for his R&B hit "You are my Starship" which went to #4 on the R&B chart in 1976.

Norman is also an exceptional drummer, and played with Sam Rivers on his albums Hues and Streams, as well as Pharoah Sanders' Village of the Pharaohs.

This album, Love From the Sun from 1974 features a pretty heavy duty jazz lineup.

 Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Carlos Garnett and Gary Bartz on saxophones, Buster Williams on bass, and Dee Dee Bridgewater on Vocals on a several tracks.

If you like the quiet storm style of funk that artist like Lonnie Liston Smith and Bennie Maupin laid to tape in the mid to late 70's you'll like Love from the Sun.

A perfect balance of modern jazz instrumental seriousness, and the more commercial element that jazz funk and rock brought to contemporary jazz. Certainly not an antiseptic sterile album by any means, think nice grooves and shifting rhythms.  Sometime they sit in the pocket to set a mood.

If you like the Hancock Mwandishi band, I think this Connors album would be worth picking up. If you are a mega Dee Dee Bridgewater fan you'll want this, quite frankly her voice is used as an instrument, it colors the tune to a great effect she appears on, damn near steals the show.

I like the sultry mood the music possesses, this mood I think is close to what you would identify as quiet storm, but there are plenty of modern jazz chops on this album too, it's not light-weight at all. 

Good luck trying to find Love From the Sun on CD, as of this writing it's only available on Vinyl and digital download

Return to Forever Romantic Warrior: Irresistible 70's Jazz Rock Fusion Vinyl

Romantic Warrior is the album I believe that turned many a progressive rock artist into jazz fusioners.

Of course I like the style and don't have a problem with that, but fans of prog groups like PFM and Iceberg probably would disagree with me.

Even  Phil Collins had a side project away from Genesis called Brand X that reminds one of this album in spots.

Chick Corea is quite simply one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time and he owns the genre of jazz fusion in the 70's in my opinion.

All due respect to Weather Report, but anything they did after Jaco Joined the band is too light weight for my tastes,  not that it is bad music or anything. I just happen to think RTF was the pinnacle of 70's fusion.

A few bands like Caldera went unsung that rivaled RTF, then RTF guitarist Al Di Meola produced his own classic albums, drummer Lenny White and bassist Stanley Clarke also added to the style with their own classics from the genre.

Romantic Warrior is the pinnacle of the genre in my opinion, with crystal clear production. This pictured vinyl sounds incredible, the CD doesn't even come close to the warmth and
heavy natural bass sound.

It really is amazing looking at the back of this cover, talk about a super group! This group was actually just a working band at the time, but in hindsight it is obvious how great this music and band was.

Romantic Warrior is so complex in spots, you wonder how this band could ever pull it off live, but they did and still do with various reunions.

I know some will undoubtedly point to Mahavishnu Orchestra and some of their complex fusion albums, but even they I don't believe topped this Romantic Warrior.

It's hard to argue how guitarist Di Meola is the star of the show here, this guy was a schred guitarist before the term was even coined, as much as I marvel at Eddie Van Halen, I always thought Di Meola was more interesting to listen to.

Les Baxter's Moog Rock: Chill Out Exotica, Moog Style

Les Baxter (1922-1996) was known primarily for being one of, if not the originator of the genre of exotica. Baxter was also known for various film scores through out his career.

Baxter's "Quiet Village" which was covered by exotica legend Martin Denny became the bellwether for the genre.  Denny probably ended up overshadowing Baxter in the end.

This pictured vinyl copy of Baxter's Moog Rock is a stone classic of early Moog and just oozes 60's kitsch.

Totally infectious classical compositions reworked in a way that really gets under the skin. I was thrilled to find this record in a thrift store bin. In fact, I have found copies several times over the years, and sold them on eBay for at least 15 dollars each time. I won't sell my original copy, but you can now get the music on CD at Amazon.com.

The haunting music is part exotica, part chamber jazz, with just a smattering of rock. The music isn't some over the top hard rock album like the title could mislead, Moog Rock is laid back chill-out music.

Moog Rock delivers some heat every now and then, I feel a Moody Blues vibe on this but don't think full blown orchestra or anything either, the music is small group intimate music.

"Rachmaninoff - Prelude C# Minor" is the best track in my opinion. Enjoy the clip of the tune, and don't forget to add this one to your collection of chill out, exotica, or 60's lounge music.

You won't be disappointed.

Island Dreaming With Sonny Rollins: What's New? 1962 RCA Vinyl

Oh what a gorgeous record this is: Sonny Rollins' What's New? A record I found for the insane price of .99 cents, a vintage pressing at that.

 Honestly you don't expect to find a near mint beauty like this in thrift store bin, especially this particular thrift store "which will remain nameless", as most of their records are unplayable or water damaged, but not this one.

 I also found a copy of Rollins' The Bridge at the same shop.  What's new starts off with a fantastic Bossa Nova "If Ever I Would Leave You" with Jim Hall on guitar.

 10 minutes plus of Sonny playing over top the light island rhythm is always a good thing, with enough heat to not get monotonous. Sonny's in his "St. Thomas" groove. Candido stops by for track 2, "Jungoso" boils and bubbles with plenty of real Latin heat. Candido's primitive sounding Conga playing and the call and response with Sonny set this apart from your standard bop fare.

This "Jungoso"solo might be my favorite on record from Sonny. His husky tone really melds well with the conga drums.

The duo really play off of each other to fantastic effect. This is an underrated record for sure, I am really digging it! then back to the main theme and damn is it a
sultry groove.

Side 2 starts with "Bluesongo" again with Candido, this track is a little lighter and about half the length of "Jungoso".

"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" back with Jim Hall on guitar and Bob Cranshaw on Bass, then finally "Brown Skin Girl" a real Calypso style send up that honestly might be the only track that keeps this Gem from being and absolute masterpiece.

"Brown Skin Girl" seems a little too showy, like the producer needed one last dose of the island, and they darned near jumped the shark with Fonzie.

The final track aside, Sonny is muscular, and so is Candido on the 2 tracks he appears on. You must have What's New if you are smitten with Sonny, I think Sonny's RCA label records are vastly undervalued.

Art Blakey Free For All: Heavy Metal Hard Bop

Talk about a monster of a hard bop album. Art Blakey's 1964 masterpiece Free For All just might be the the quintessential hard bop album.

"Free For All" the title track is not only "Hard" it's Heavy. I am talking about heavy in the most powerful sense.

Saxophonist Wayne Shorter's composition is seriously in your face, it will nearly take your breath away, it plays like a run away freight train.

 In fact, listening to my vintage vinyl copy of the album, one notices the recording equipment of the day, barely can take the pounding of the sextet.

Blakey's drums and Cedar Walton's piano sets the brisk tempo, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Shorter on tenor sax, and Curtis Fuller on trombone blow up a hurricane playing the hell out of their instruments.

Shorters "Hammerhead" is a bluesy soul jazz work, that offers fine solos from Fuller and Hubbard. Hubbard's "Core" A tribute to the Congress of Racial Equality, is also a powerful vehicle for the band to get heavy.

 Finally Pianist Clare Fischer's "Pensativa" was brought to the session by Freddie Hubbard, He also arranged the track for the album. The slightly down tempo number turns out to be the perfect way to end this aptly titled powerhouse, with its laid back island-rhythm style.

B.B. King Live at the Regal 1965: The King of Live Blues Albums

Live at the Regal is certainly one album, that does grab and stir you. If you don't have the hair stand up on your neck at least 5 different time during Live at the Regal  you might not have a heart, or soul for that matter.

B.B. is at the peak of his powers here, the guttural growl, the high pitch squeals.

 He is the absolute beginning and end for male blues singers. I don't think it is possible to eclipse this live performance, I really don't.

Here are a few highlights: B.B. leads off the track "Worry Worry" with one of the most incredible blues guitar solos I have ever heard.

The guitar tone and B.B.'s portly fingers deliver some sort of straight to the heart arrow that makes you week in the knees, Oh to play with that type of emotion and vibrato once in my life?  Also "How Blue Can You Get", see the video below, is an absolute masterpiece of human story telling, and the audience is eating it up with a spoon.

This guy can do no wrong, the suspense builds as B.B. tells the story of a unappreciative woman, with all the gifts he showers her with to no avail. Finally B.B. blows the roof off the Regal with an uproarious crescendo, just listen to it, you won't be disappointed.

I was very fortunate to see B.B. King at Riverbend Music Theater near Cincinnati Ohio in the year 2000, Buddy Guy and Susan Tedeschi were special guests too, a hell of a show let me tell you. B.B, even back then was all ready having to perform while sitting in a chair, his vocals not what they once were, but not bad at all.

 He really doesn't hit those high note like he once did. but he still made up for it with his expert charm, and I doubt any artist has more of that.

That first vibrato laden note he hit, sounded like a bolt of lightning to me, as good as Buddy Guy was, this was totally different, almost like God stepped down from the heavens and exclaimed "let there be music"

B.B. is nearly 90 years old now and still performing, I am sure all that weight he lost 20 years ago saved his life, and gave us 20 or more good years to enjoy this master of the up town sound. King is one of the greatest entertainers in the history of recorded music.

I paid .25 cents for this ABC Paramount label copy, the vinyl was a strong VG+ and it just sounds perfect, analog sound can not be beat for classic recordings like this.

 After all, it would stand to reason the original format for which the music was made would sound the best. Believe me it does.

CD's many times are tinny and compressed, and lose much of the original depth and warmth, why would any one listen to a CD copy when Vinyl is readily available? Both reissue and vintage copies at your finger tips . Let the blues live on...

Update: I would be remiss if I didn't mention the passing of B.B. King on May 14th 2015 at the age of 89. B.B thanks for teaching us what playing guitar is all about: It's not about how many notes you play, but rather how much feeling you put into them.

Alice Coltrane: An Underrated Jazz Composer and Instrumentalist

Why is Alice Coltrane ignored by the jazz critical establishment? I don't read too much praise for her being the ground breaker she actually was.

Those critics also at times belittle John Coltrane's "later" period, many times considering it as secondary, or unimportant in the grand scheme of his legacy.

This is a double slap to Alice's Coltane's legacy.  For some reason, she is pushed to the back seat as John Coltrane's wife, or  Ravi's mother in recent years, as if she wasn't as great as she was, like she only had a voice because of her husband?

Her Passing in January of 2007 was particularly tragic for the jazz community as she had recently began to record again, and as far as the media was concerned she was starting to step out of the gargantuan shadow of her late husband John Coltrane.

When I first got around to the John Coltrane catalog during my on going jazz  journey, I would read all these after thought statements: "Alice is no McCoy Tyner", or "Alice urged John into free jazz", they opine that she led to the dissolving of the quartet?

 They very much say some of the same sort of things that were said about Yoko Ono and the break up of the Beatles.

The first Alice Coltrane album I purchased was Universal Consciousness, not exactly a 4/4 shuffle blues album? Really pretty high brow spiritual influenced post bop/world music stuff "avant-garde astral jazz" if you will? I like a challenge, and still enjoy that album quite a bit.

I then turned to Ptah the El Daoud  with Joe Henderson and Pharaoh Sanders, a real gem of an album on impulse records. Alice also did a date fore Milestone Records with Joe Henderson called The Elements which is also a killer free bop style session.

Alice also appeared on several of her husbands mid to late 60's albums up until his death in 1967. These albums include Live Again at the Village Van Guard, Stellar Regions, and Expressions.

She also did some very controversial overdubbing on a mid 60's sessions release Infinity. They are not nearly the disaster I was lead to believe, very interesting string arrangements over top of free form blowing. The main upheaval comes from Jimmy Garrison's Bass parts being replaced on the 1966 sessions by Charlie Haden.  

I have a dozen vinyl copies of her records from the 60's and 70's, the above mentioned sessions as well as Huntington Ashram Monastery, Eternity, and Journey in Satchidananda, these are all very worthy of your jazz or world music collections.

You know, when I think about how satisfying Alice's music is as jazz, world music, and even
experimental improvised music, it's a cryin' shame she doesn't always get her due.

If you think Alice isn't a first rate instrumentalist, you need to check out the double live album on Warner Brothers called Transfiguration, an album has her going completely bananas on an organ; playing some very advanced improvised music in a trio setting, with Roy Haynes on drums, and Reggie Workman on bass, a fantastic album from 1976 at UCLA.

These records were all purchased online at one time or another, they are apart of my personal collection.

Vintage copies of most titles run from 20-50 bucks most times, reissues can be had a fairly reasonable prices too. check em' out. Watch out though, you might never get it out of your blood that vinyl.

Truth! Some Serious Soul Jazz with Houston Person

I love this album, Truth! it sure starts off on the right foot with "Cissy Strut", a monster fast paced bogaloo that almost overheats, you can't help but get moving on this track.

Houston Person never gets mentioned with the all time greats, it's a shame because Person is a fine Soul Jazz player in the vein of Stanley Turrentine.

 Person has a sweet tone, but he does tend to harden it up some, so you never would confuse him with the sugar man.

I think one of the problems soul jazz artists like  Person had, was the hard ass jazz critics of the day, they just couldn't stand anything that didn't fit into that "other musicians playing for other musicians box".

Soul Jazz was about connecting with the people, and these records sold very well, and you could have very likely heard a track like "Cissy Strut" in a rib joint in the deep south, they probably wasn't hearing to much free jazz in those venues.

You get danceable boogaloo's and medium blues, and sentimental ballads, and all played top notch. Sonny Phillips on Hammand organ plays flawlessly if not anonymously, but who cares.

I like the guitar, organ, and sax sound, this is up beat happy music, that anybody should enjoy adding to their collection. "If I Ruled the World"turned out to be a pretty nice ballad, if just a tad over done, it only lasted  3 minutes and then it's back to cookin'.

"On the Avenue" is a nice upbeat blues, and the side 2 opener "Wadin" struts its self along perfectly in a medium tempo blues way.

This vinyl copy cost me only $4.99, beat that!  for a 40 year old classic soul jazz record? If you can't get into this album, you might not have a soul, and that's the Truth!

Black Pearls: John Coltrane with Donald Byrd and Red Garland Prestige LP

Black Pearls is a fine session from 1958, that catches Trane in an ultra swingin' mood, right smack in the middle of his "Sheets of Sound" period.

 I really like this straight ahead bop session quite a bit.

The centerpiece of the album, which wasn't released until 1964 is "Sweet Sapphire Blues", an 18 Minute producer Bob Weinstock vehicle.

 The blues was almost entirely improvised by Coltrane on the spot, and the track shows off pianist Red Garland to a great extent.

Then Coltrane digs into this blues, along with trumpeter Donald Byrd to offer some very spirited classic jazz, I like the simplicity of the music, Side one seems almost like bop rather than hard bop and quite frankly fizzles out compared to the side 2 side long blues jam.

If you are a Coltrane nut, you want this for the 18 minute jam alone, plus the Red Garland Trio providing backing support is nice, think The Believers and Lush Life, both nice straight ahead bop albums worth acquiring along with Black Pearls.

This particular vinyl copy of Black Pearls is a mid 70's green label prestige that sonically sure sounds sweet, nice crisp bass, well recorded instruments, with hardly any distortion in the upper register.

Don Ellis' Electric Bath: A Great Album From an Underrated Band Leader

Is the Don Ellis Orchestra the Most underrated Big Band Jazz group of all time? Honestly I have a hard time thinking any other band was less recognized during its day.

After the trumpeter leader Don Ellis' death after suffering a massive heart attack in 1978 at the age of 44, the band seems to have had its fame extinguished along with its leader.

I think that had Ellis lived and the band continued, eventually Ellis would have received a lot more recognition.

Don Ellis could have been a house hold name, He did the film score for the Oscar winning The French Connection, as well as a similar Roy Scheider vehicle The 7 Ups. What I like about Don Ellis the most is his sense of humor, he really doesn't take himself too seriously, as many jazz musicians in particular can.

 I like the jovial way Don would introduce songs, especially those with unorthodox time signatures. Many a critic at the time did not warm up to this part of Don's personality, go figure?

Don did a few live albums for Pacific Jazz, Live at Monterey being the one that put the orchestra on the map. That success drew the eye of John Hammond of Columbia Records, where don put together the orchestra's first studio album Electric Bath.

I still believe Electric Bath is Don's Magnum Opus, an album that fused the Middle Eastern and Indian styles Don was into with just enough of a pop sensibility to make the album and the orchestra a pretty big hit, and an even bigger hit on college campuses.

Don was also an above average trumpet player who cut his teeth in the bands of George Russel in the early 60's. One such record was Ezz-thetics, an album that also included the great altoist Eric Dolphy.

The Highlight of this album Electric Bath is "Turkish Bath" I just love Ray Neapolitan's sitar throughout the track, the music feels like it could derail at any moment, as it ebbs and flows nearly out of control, such is the complexity.

 The entire album actually feels this way, the difficult time signatures on the edge of what these musicians could accomplish I suppose, but accomplish they did.

"Open Beauty" is an important track as Don uses an atmospheric back drop to highlight his echo-plex electric trumpet, and the music sounds more like something Miles Davis would do a year later on In a Silent Way, yet another example of how Don's innovation and ultimate genius goes unnoticed even today.

Every single track on Electric Bath is a keeper, no filler at all. This particular vinyl copy will run you in the $10-15 range for a VG+ or better copy, the reissue CD also sounds
remarkable.

If you like modern progressive big band, don't allow the Don Ellis Orchestra to slip through the cracks of your music listening play lists.

 You should have this featured album, as well as the Pacific albums, and Soaring from MPS records. All of Don's albums are worth exploring.

Duke Ellington & John Coltrane: An Impulse Records Classic You May Have Missed

Duke Ellington and John Coltrane:  The Impulse album from 1963, is one of a string of self conscious albums done by John Coltrane after his recent Village Vanguard concerts of 1961.

Both critics and fans were not universally enamored with the new tones coming out his horn.

 Ballads, this album, and his pairing with the silky smooth  Johnny Hartman, were decidedly more palatable to the critic. All of these albums sold well, and reaffirmed Coltrane's roots in the tradition.

I also happen to think all of those records are quite underrated.

Duke Ellington & John Coltrane begins with the simplest of piano accompaniment from Duke:  "In a Sentimental Mood" bleeds romance, the up front in the mix piano sets this almost ominous mood to me. Coltrane enters and just sings the plaintive lyrics with his tenor in a way only Trane could. Understated, and tasteful.

Only Dexter Gordon affects me the same way Coltrane does, as far as a sax tones go. The sound just goes straight to that place where God lives within you.  The entire album is really as basic as you can get, Duke's old fashioned sort of stride piano sound, I love how Duke sounds like that on the album, you know it's Duke, and you know it's Coltrane.

Xavier Cugat's Cugi's Cocktails: A Jazzy/Lounge Dance Album Circa 1963

 Xavier Cugat (1900-1990) first showed up on my radar during an episode of the 1970's Emmy Award Television Show ALL in the Family.

Cugat was mentioned during a game between Archie (Carrol O'Connor) and Meathead (Rob Reiner) where they would mention a band leader's initials, and then the other would try to guess the name.

Anyway, Archie submitted E.C., when Meathead could not come up with name, Archie replies Eggsavier Cugat of course, Meathead went nuts repeating "Xavier begins with an X".

Funny what kids remember? When I noticed this vinyl copy of Cugi's Cocktails, I immediately harkened back to that All in the family episode. Turns out this is a pretty good pop big band album as well.

Drinks like "Zombie" for you Walking Dead Fans, "One Mint Julip" for you folks from Louisville, and "Cuba Libre"my personal Favorite.

Cugi's C0cktails is just a sublime jazzy lounge/dance album. Many of these songs are meant to be dance numbers, "not my cup of tea," but dances like "the Rhumba", "the Mambo", and "the Cha Cha" are mentioned. The music is quite good, and well recorded.

Vinyl Copies like this Stereo version of Cugi's Cocktails are very tough to come by right now, I don't know why exactly.

 The album was a big seller in 1963,  you would think there would be an ample amount of copies out there?

 

Chet Baker, She Was too Good to Me - CTI LP: Nice 70's Jazz Session From the Jazz Cult Icon.

Trumpeter Chet Baker may have the biggest cult following in jazz history, he may also be the music's most tragic figure.

Baker had it all, rugged good looks, and a smooth as silk singing voice, and a sensitive ballad style on trumpet second only to Miles Davis, if not directly lifted from Davis..

Chet Baker could have been a household name, yet outside of jazz, he was more known for his dances with heroin and death, while being pursued by the long arm of the law than he was for his music, that is the sad fact.

I would consider myself a member of the baker cult, his vocals can be an acquired taste though.

The underrated trumpeter was actually a fine cool jazz and bop player, who even dabbled a little into the funk fusion realm, with albums to follow this one, that actually are quite good for the genre.

This album, She Was Too Good to Me, was a comeback album, that did have commercial aspirations,  using pop elements like strings to augment the straight ahead jazz throughout, but don't worry, it's not overly syrupy at all.

Paul Desmond shows up for 2 tracks, "Autumn Leaves" and "Tangerine", Ron Carter from the Great second quintet of Miles Davis is on bass. Bob James plays piano and Don Sebesky arranged and conducted the album.

Chet Baker really did have matinee idol good looks, but by the time of this album, he looked as if he had been to hell and back, and indeed he had been.

He was in and out of rehabs and jail, with long stints away from music in a haze of drug induced debauchery.

Chet was not unlike Miles Davis in some respects, but Miles could bring it back from the cliff, and put a lid on the destructive behavior for the most part, and get back to building a career and setting the tone for the world of jazz.

Chet finally lost his battle with drugs in 1988: On May 13th he was found dead in the street underneath his second story hotel room in Amsterdam Netherlands. Chet was only 58.

This particular LP has become a nice record to have as it is one of the better late career albums Chet did, and the high quality supporting cast adds to the appeal. Altoist Paul Desmond himself would be dead only a few years after offering fine support on this recording.

All Photo from my own collection.

Billy Paul War of the Gods LP: Killer Soul Vinyl

Billy Paul is a beast of a soul singer, and one of the most underrated of all time in my mind.

Known primarily for his Grammy  winning "Me and Mrs. Jones" #1 hit from 1972, and this all time classic album War of the Gods.

Billy Paul can deliver a vocal in a higher pitched sweet style as well as a lower gruff bluesy voice.

War of the Gods is known most for the combination of elements it comprises, Funk, Jazz, Soul, and electronic psychedelic styles.

All tracks on the album were composed by the duo Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

The title track, a soul funk and electronic synthesizer jazz influenced epic complete with religious end times over tones is worth the price of the album alone.

The intro to the title track is so 70's, you just have to love it with the wash of over the top synths delivering a fanfare to allow all who hears know, "listen up"

Then a soothing acoustic piano brings it back down and female background singers enter to pave the way for Billy.

Oh yes, Billy I feel ya, smooth as silk vocal delivery, I really like the build up of the mood, then the funky bridge, hard to beat. Vibraphone and various percussion instruments give "Gods" a Latin jazz vibe I find irresistible.

"Peace Holy Peace" is also a powerful gospel influenced soul number, that rounds out the album superbly.

You can still find vinyl copies of this quite easily and at reasonable prices, I found this copy at a local used book seller for $3.99. Talk about a steal.

 The album cover you might recognize, has a lot in common with Santana's Abraxas and Miles Davis' Bitches Brew.

 Surrealist artist Mati Klarwein designed those covers as well as
the War of the Gods album cover.

70's funk and soul records are still priced reasonably right now, you could put together a nice collection in no time.

John Coltrane's Giant Steps Was Not Released in 1959: Try 1960 Instead

I suppose the effort to shoe horn in John Coltrane's Giant Steps among the historically great jazz albums from 1959 seemed like a good idea?

 After all, How could such a legendary year for jazz not have a Coltrane album right?

Giant steps was released in the year 1960, in the month of January.

I know, I know, it looks good seeing the album on the same list as Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, and Dave Brubeck's Time Out.

Not to mention Charles Mingus and his masterpiece Mingus Ah Um, and maybe the biggest ground breaker of them all in 1959, Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come.

 I know the Atlantic Records release is every bit as groundbreaking as all these mentioned records, and Coltrane pretty much moved the saxophone ahead 100 years by himself with the album. Coltrane actually eclipsed the Great Charlie Parker as the guy everybody had to sound like, has anyone eclipsed Coltrane since?

There really is a fantastic DVD out right now that highlights the jazz year 1959, and Yes you guessed it, Giant Steps was not released in 1959 on that DVD.


I have seen at least a half dozen articles about 1959, and people constantly include Giant Steps, which always amused me.

 I feel their vibe though, they want it to be 1959 so bad, they want to act as if Jan 1960 started a month earlier, but alas, it was not to be.

This pictured vinyl copy of Giant Steps is a mid 70's pressing, and sonically sounds pretty good. I would love to obtain a first press black label to judge the sound difference.

This green and red Atlantic label only set me back around 20 bucks, very reasonable price for a classic album more than 30 years old.

Charles Mingus Tijuana Moods LP 1957-1962

Tijuana Moods is a strange album to me, I don't think it sounds like the typical Mingus album. At least not the way I think of Mingus.

I think about Blue & Roots, and Mingus Ah Um, and The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady.

Tijuana Moods is still an exceptional piece of music.  Judging by the amount of edits needed to piece it together, this album had to have been a labor of love for Mingus.

Mingus does mention on the back cover no less, that Tijuana Moods was the best album he ever made.

One wonders exactly when Charles was meaning this best album claim, as this music was made in 1957, and not released until 1962, did he mean this for 1957 or 1962?

 I like Tijuana Moods, its an interesting, if some what flawed listen.  I certainly don't consider it as great as Mingus Ah Um or The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, the latter in my estimation the greatest of all Mingus works. But I hold so much of his legacy so high that you begin to grasp at straws trying to pick a best Mingus record anyway.

Tijuana Moods seems like a work in progress, which honestly is something I don't mind, as Mingus' best work always seem raw and unrefined.

Saxophonist Shafi Hadi (Curtis Porter) shines very brightly on the album, he plays with a pissed off fire that you might expect coming from a Mingus side man.

Hadi completely dropped out of site in the early 60's, he can be heard on another Mingus album The Clown.

This early 60's copy, I presume it is a first pressing was a great find? I purchased a huge lot of Mingus albums several years ago, the covers were all on the worn to rough side. I gambled on it, the dealer had a generic VG grade on the lot, turned out most of the vinyl was VG+ to near mint in all honesty, I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.

You can get a copy like this pictured copy in the 50 dollar price range if you shop around, this has also been reissued on high quality vinyl with bonus tracks added.

One Down One Up: John Coltrane Live at the Half Note 200 Gram Vinyl

Here is one of my favorite vinyl reissues: 

One Down One Up is a lavish 200 gram double vinyl set that really adds something special to the experience.

Thick Audiophile quality LP's pressed on 200 gram virgin vinyl, with a 12 inch  brimming with life booklet that also makes the CD look puny by comparison.

The title track, by in large a duet between drummer Elvin Jones and John Coltrane is the centerpiece of the album, the track offers some atonal inside out playing that was legendary on the bootleg circuit.

John's son Ravi Coltrane gave the OK for an official release, and I was excited, as I had not heard this stellar music. The sound quality album wide is still very good, and hard to complain about, if you understand that these are indeed not audiophile quality.

I happen to think the sound is better than average, and except for a few drop outs here and there, not bad at all.

 The music is indeed of historic proportions, as the quartet had just come off of A Love Supreme and they are really pushing the boundaries of post bop.

In fact, it wouldn't be too long until Trane went too far for Pianist McCoy Tyner, and
Drummer Elvin Jones and they hit the road, then Drummer Rashied Ali and Coltrane's pianist wife Alice joined the band.

This Half note performance was documented for radio broadcast by DJ Alan Grant, he does become a tad annoying talking over the music, but honestly, if he hadn't recorded the music, I wouldn't be talking  about how great it is.

The title track is 28 minutes of fury and fire,  and the first 35 minutes of it wasn't even recorded as DJ grant showed up 35 minutes into the track, but at the 10 minute mark Tyner and Garrison drop out and Jones and Coltrane take the track where no man has gone before.

The title track has almost become mythical in stature because of the duet, since I am just a lowly blues rock guitarist, I can't adequately describe music this advanced other than describing what's going with the mood.

 The spiritual urgency seems palpable, I swear Coltrane seems like he's playing with a passion that's needed to gain entry to paradise or something, He "would" be dead 2 years later?

Coltrane was asked once by a Japanese reporter what he hoped to accomplish with his life or music, He simply said: "To be a saint".

Check out this article with a little more background on the context of the now legendary "saint" comment.

"Afro Blue", the Mongo Santamaria vehicle is always a keeper every time I hear the track, somehow Coltrane manages to keep the essence of the original while all concerned show their prowess as advanced "from another world" musicians.

 Elvin Jones once said:" You got to be willing to die with a motherfucker" when asked what it was like, and how to play with such intensity. Man, this music does sound like life and death! I can't complain one bit about this reissue, it's one of my favorites,  I originally purchased on CD.

Once I returned to vinyl a few years later, I jumped on this vinyl copy as quickly as I could. I paid $40 dollars for this copy, I have noticed it selling for twice that much at times on eBay. Being a limited edition, I doubt it will get any cheaper than the $40.

The New Wave in Jazz LP: Live at the Village Gate March 28, 1965

One of the joke punchlines of 1960's free jazz was: " They call it free jazz because nobody is paying to hear it". It was the New Wave In Jazz and it was not accepted by everyone.

Yes free jazz is a micro niche inside the niche of jazz. Those hardy souls who dare enter the realm of free jazz can gain many rewards, though it is an acquired taste.

 Impulse Records probably came the closest to actually making free jazz a viable commercial music.

John Coltrane's A Love Supreme sold 500,000 records by 1970, a mind boggling number, typically only Miles Davis could command those kinds of sales with a instrumental modern jazz record.

Impulse to their credit, allowed artists like Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and Archie Shepp incredible latitude to create new and mostly noncommercial music.

Some of the best albums from this era were from Sanders, who combined many world music elements along with a new age almost hippie culture aesthetic.  His 1969 masterpiece Karma is a perfect example with vocalist Leon Thomas yodeling his was to free jazz immortality.

The pictured vinyl record is a concert album featuring the young studs of the free jazz movement, Grachan Moncur III, Shepp, Sanders, and underrated trumpeter Charles Tolliver and saxophonist Albert
Ayler.

 I am almost ashamed to admit it I paid through the nose for this one, it was one of the last Coltrane albums I wanted for my collection, $80 was steep.

But the near mint vinyl original does sound pretty sweet sonically. The CD remastered releases adds 23 minutes of music to the album from Grachan Moncur III.  Most people who can't get past the abrasive sound within free jazz, can't get to a point where they hear the blues. I know I hear it.

When I hear Albert Ayler I hear a return to the basics, a sound that goes way back to the fields possibly. Funny how the new thing sounds in many ways like the old thing.

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messenger: Hard Bop, Columbia 6 Eye Vinyl, 1957

I can't think of an album more aptly titled than this session from 1957, Hard Bop.

 Hard bop, a term used to describe this harder and more blues based sound opposed to be-bop, which was a lighter yet more complex music that involved rapid chord changes .

Hard Bop the album, on Columbia Records was one of the few Art cut for the label.

 Jackie McLean on alto sax, and Bill Hardman on trumpet offer a front line support that was one of Blakey's more underrated units.

This, along with the RCA Victor album A Night in Tunisia "not the Blue Note Album" are fine example of this band.

The pictured vinyl copy  is one I found at a Catholic charities thrift shop. I remember  that day fondly, as I spent a good 200 dollars in there, with about 50 of the 100 records I found going directly into my collection.

 A bunch of rare big band mostly from Clare Fischer, Johnny Richards, and Stan Kenton. These were all first presses in excellent condition.

Trumpeter Bill Hardman is a name you don't hear much, I think that might be because he played with Blakey in the 50's and again in the 70's, but never appeared on a Blue Note messengers album. I think this has been a big reason he is lost in the shuffle.

Outside of Blakey, Hardman did not lead that many sessions of his own, just seems to be bad luck and circumstance, because he is a fine player in the Clifford Brown tradition.

John Coltrane: Kulu Se Mama, 1967 Vinyl on Impulse Records

John Coltrane's Kulu Se Mama is one of those later period Coltrane albums that really seems to draw a line between the critics.

 Many would not accept anything after A Love Supreme, and frankly I don't think they could get past anything with an over blow or atonal sound.

Actually Kulu Se Mama turns out to be a bit of a world music album along with some fine free elements.

The title track composed by the vocalist Juno Lewis is the meat of the album and happens to be one of the first Coltrane tracks the caught my ear. The pulsating, and droning percussion of Lewis, and eventually the wild sax of Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders drives this music to very exhilarating heights.

The title track sounds modern and contemporary by today's standards, the world music vibes would fit right in on a college student's iPod.

The other 2 tracks on the original Impulse vinyl are "Vigil" and "Welcome", they are classic quartet tracks, and show the quartet pushing the boundaries of inside outside jazz.


The pictured vinyl record is an original stereo copy, and sounds so good, I spun this one twice.

 These original Impulse albums are rising fast in price, this copy in top condition will set you back 75-100 bucks, second pressings though can be had at very reasonable prices.

I was lucky enough to find this copy to add to my own collection at a local Cincinnati record shop several years ago. near mint vinyl for 15 bucks sure was a welcome deal.

Archie Shepp Four for Trane on Vinyl

Archie Shepp's Four for Trane is one of those free jazz records that is an easy jumping of point for straight ahead jazz fans.

 I always thought Four for Trane owed more to Ornette Coleman than John Coltrane.

The group interplay just reminds me of that type of jazz Coleman brought to jazz 8 years earlier, but the advances here are Shepp's husky tone, and the reworkings of 4 tracks Coltrane originally did for Atlantic Records.

"Syeeda's Song Flute"is the highlight of the album in my mind.  I love the blues gospel rawness of the track, very advanced playing but clearly more rooted in tradition than one would think given the reputation of the new thing movement.

"Mr. Symms" and "Cousin Mary" get fresh make overs, you will recognize the compositions though, I keep thinking back to that Ornette Coltrane quartet influence,  it is there.

The lone Shepp number here is the seriously felt "Rufus, Swung His Face at Last to the Wind, Then His Neck Snapped" This track seems to fit in well with the Coltrane tracks, It also sort of solidifies the album as a brand new work, separate from John Coltrane.

I always liked Archie Shepp's tenor sax tone, sort of the Ben Webster of free jazz. Other musicians of note are Alan Shorter on trumpet, Reggie Workman on bass, John Tchicai on Alto, and Roswell Rudd on trombone.

This pictured vinyl copy I won in an auction, for 12 bucks, it is not an original pressing, likely a second press, late 60's. In any event, still a fantastic sounding record with much more warmth than the CD can muster.

The ultra cool cover is also nice to have in its original 12 inch form.

John Coltrane: Live! at the Village Vanguard (1962)

One of the things that fascinate me the most when writing about modern jazz, is reexamining the music and comparing my initial reaction upon my own discovery of the music, with that of the critical and fan reaction at the time of its original release.

I remember it well, the first time I heard "Chasin' the Train" from Live! At the Village Van Guard: I was breathless, and I really didn't know what to make of it.

You have to understand, back in the late 90's  I was mainly into hard rock and heavy metal type music, I had no exposure to jazz before 1997 at all .

Ironically I considered "Chasin the Trane" to be free jazz back then, yeah, that's a riot now thinking back to that time period, I had not yet been exposed to Ascension, Coleman's Free Jazz, or even worse Peter Brotzmann's Machine Gunn!

The latter probably being the most brutal and wonderful assault to my ears of all time.

Not long after I heard the 15 minute "Chasin the Train" I went out and purchased to 4 CD Village Van guard box set, with the complete 4 day engagement.

 Reading the original reviews I so blown away at the negative response of the music.

 I think critics really could take the atonal sound of Eric Dolphy, plus this music is modal and somewhat free wheeling, but not at all bizarre or completely over the top.

Why did the critics like John Tynan say this music was "anti jazz"? That is a total stupid statement, maybe it was anti bop, or anti museum music, but the music then and now captures the most important facets of jazz, or just good music in general.

Coltrane's  Live! explores, it stretches the boundaries, it takes risks, while still being accessible. I really don't understand the complaint back then.

I understand that Coltrane and Dolphy actually answered the critics in a Down Beat magazine article as well, I would have told then shove it.

 No wonder Miles had such a hard time by the end of the decade.

 I for one am glad these artists did not care what the critics thought ultimately.

 Some of these guys nearly starved to death trying to play what their heart desired rather than succumbing to critical or peer pressure.

If you have the will to, you really should get the 4 CD Village Vanguard box set, multiple takes of "Chasin' the Train", "Spiritual", and India are all extremely exciting and interesting to hear Jazz music being created for the first time right on the spot, Eric Dolphy plays the bass clarinet in a way no one did at that time, Dolphy was so ahead of his time, I think it took 20 years after his death for fans and critics to get his message.

The Vinyl copy on display is from my own collection, a late 60's or early 70 press.(Notice the ABC records labeling?) for some unknown reason I still see a ton of eBay sellers trying to pass this label off as an original pressing.

 Clearly this label is a second or third press, as all  Impulse Records  releases of John Coltrane prior to 1968 on Impulse will not have the ABC next to Impulse on the label. Yet the deception inadvertent or not, is clearly still a problem. It's a shame.

Impulse original pressings are really rising fast right now, it won't be long before those start rising to the Blue Note stratosphere, it might not be a bad idea to get them now while you still can at decent prices.

Charles Mingus, Blues & Roots (1960): Free Wheeling Blues Whaling

I have always considered Charles Mingus the poor man's Duke Ellington, not meant as a slight at all.

Where duke's music was sophisticated and refined, though still exotic at times, Mingus was earthy and visceral. I prefer the Mingus music over Ellington's in fact.

 Charles' best music sounds like a runway freight train that somehow makes it back to the station in one piece. Without question my favorite Mingus album is Blues & Roots.

 Mingus' response to the critics who had been chirping that he didn't swing enough, he ran a blues flag up the poll, and hear how proudly that flag displays it's gritty down home colors.

"Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting" sounds just like what Sunday morning might sound like in the African American church, the mid point hand clapping and the Booker Ervin Solo are what Jazz dreams are made of.

Can you you think of a ballsier tenor/alto combo than Booker Ervin and Jackie McLean?  these guys love that aforementioned freight train, as their own playing adds to the overall gritty "on the edge" vibe.

Then you throw in the hard tone of baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams.  He starts "Moanin" off in style.

I have always preferred Adams' tone on baritone more than Gerry Mulligan's lighter more sterilized sound. Pepper has this guttural sound that really melds well with the brass.

Blues & Roots may not be the most important record in Mingus' discography, but it is the the most straight ahead no-bullshit album of his career.

 If your just coming into jazz, Check out The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Mingus ah um, and Let My Children Hear Music, the latter being the most underrated in the Mingus catalog.

Don Cherry Brown Rice: A World Fusion Masterpiece

Don Cherry made his bones with the pocket trumpet while in the quartets of Ornette Coleman in the 1960's.

Cherry also released 3 albums on Blue Note, Symphony for Improvisors, Complete Communion, and Where is Brooklyn.

 Those albums were very avant garde and full of free elements, Gato Barbieri and Pharoah Sanders appeared at one time or another on these mid 60's recordings.

Brown Rice on the other hand, doesn't remotely sound like these other albums, the style is an amalgam of jazz, r&b and world music.

The music has an other worldly feel to it, I get this feeling I am listening to a music not yet classified. Brown Rice is indeed a fulfilling and engaging listen.

I believe people who enjoy some of Pat Metheny's work could get into this, yet serious post bop free jazz fans can too, it's both high brow and contemporary at the same time. Brown Rice does have an enigmatic quality throughout the music.

Don Cherry also adds some vocals on the album, I think they work rather well, adding a space cadet vibe of mystery. Make no mistake about it, Brown Rice is a fusion album, just not in the Return to Forever sense.

The title track has long been a favorite of the beat doctors and fans of funk fusion. The rest of the album would really have an appeal to world fusion fans no doubt.

"Maulkens" and "Chenrezig" are lengthy 12 plus minute tracks that really highlight a echo trumpet sound that seems to have reverb drenched into the tapes own properties.

Don Cherry was not universally loved as a trumpeter. Critics and fellow musicians remarked how Don played out of tune and missed notes and played too primitive at times.

 Miles Davis didn't care for him in the 50's, but by 1964, in a Downbeat Blind Fold Test, mentioned how much he respected Don. "Perhaps this speaks volumes", I am not aware of too many musicians Miles didn't Like, then ended up liking?

Of course the harshest critics tend to not like anything that strays to far from the jazz tradition. Many times to them, music theory and perfect pitch are the be all end all, and innovation and experimentation are out the window.

I like Don Cherry, whether with Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, or his fusion albums like Brown Rice.