What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Stanfordian]

‘The Kicker’ - Bobby Hutcherson
with Joe Henderson, Grant Green, Duke Pearson, Bob Cranshaw & Al Harewood
Blue Note (1963)

[Stanfordian]

‘Fuchsia Swing Song’ - Sam Rivers
with Jaki Byard, Ron Carter & Tony Williams
Blue Note (1964)

[Tenor Freak]

Gary Peacock (with Jan Garbarek, Palle Mikkelborg and Peter Erskine) - Guamba (ECM, 1987)

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Steve Race (remember him?) and the Jazz Stars (Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, Joe Harriot etc) - "The Jazz Scene" (which was I "remember" a BBC programme). Anyway, this was released as a 45 and I think I bought it at the time. It's rather good...http://youtu.be/DyvPH3Ym4tc

Incidentally, I've just discovered that Tony Crombie and Tubby Hayes recorded an early British "Teen" R&R album under the name "The Lord John Anthony Band". It was on Ember (a tie to the Flamingo). A strange affair. Tubbs honks.

[Serial_Apologist]

Steve Race (remember him?) and the Jazz Stars (Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, Joe Harriot etc) - "The Jazz Scene" (which was I "remember" a BBC programme). Anyway, this was released as a 45 and I think I bought it at the time. It's rather good...http://youtu.be/DyvPH3Ym4tc

Incidentally, I've just discovered that Tony Crombie and Tubby Hayes recorded an early British "Teen" R&R album under the name "The Lord John Anthony Band". It was on Ember (a tie to the Flamingo). A strange affair. Tubbs honks.

That tune is very familiar - I have a feeling it must have been used as a theme tune for some programme or other.

[Tenor Freak]

Herbie Hancock - Mwandishi (Warner Bros. Records, 1971)

[Serial_Apologist]

Herbie Hancock - Mwandishi (Warner Bros. Records, 1971)

That's the first, I think, and for me the favourite among those recordings of the sextet of 1971/2. While Herbie was already getting into suite-type compositions, the framework outlinings were still relatively straightforward and self-contained, whereas by the time of "Crossings", which I also have, musical narrative seems to have turned into something more akin to cinematic commentary, prompting for me the question, what is this about? That, and the following LP, did rather over-indulge in the electronics department, which Sun Ra, whose band had once knocked Herbie Hancock out on first impressions, had started indulging around that time. From memory, not having listened to this for some time, there's lovely solo work by Eddie Henderson and Julian Priester. Hancock was slightly disappointed at poor sales from those pre-Headhunters releases.

I'm only at 1961 in my periodic chronological journey through American jazz, (lots of Coltrane and Dolphy!) so, some way still to go!

PS - would you believe it? The place where I bought my two CD replacements for the original (worn) vinyls of "Mwandishi" and "Crossings" was the second-hand rack at Ray's??? OK, maybe someone had died!

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

That tune is very familiar - I have a feeling it must have been used as a theme tune for some programme or other.

"Jazz Scene

BBC Two England, 26 December 1969 21.20
Synopsis

at the Ronnie Scott Club
A special preview of a new series to be seen in the New Year featuring many of the top jazz artists who recently visited Britain for Jazz Expo 69.
Ronnie Scott introduces:
The Clarke-Boland Big Band
'Pentonville'
Guitar Workshop
featuring Barney Kessel, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green
'Blue Mist'
The Miles Davis Quintet
'Free Choice'
The Stephane Grappelly-Teddy Wilson Quartet
'Tangerine'
Sarah Vaughan and her Trio
'Passing Strangers'
The Charlie Shavers Quartet
'Nature Boy'
The Oscar Peterson Trio
'Blues Etude'
The Gary Burton Quartet
'Portsmouth Figurations'
The Stars of Faith
'We shall be changed'
Buddy Rich and his Orchestra
'Greensleeves'"

[Serial_Apologist]

"jazz scene

bbc two england, 26 december 1969 21.20
synopsis

at the ronnie scott club
a special preview of a new series to be seen in the new year featuring many of the top jazz artists who recently visited britain for jazz expo 69.
Ronnie scott introduces:
The clarke-boland big band
'pentonville'
guitar workshop
featuring barney kessel, kenny burrell, grant green
'blue mist'
the miles davis quintet
'free choice'
the stephane grappelly-teddy wilson quartet
'tangerine'
sarah vaughan and her trio
'passing strangers'
the charlie shavers quartet
'nature boy'
the oscar peterson trio
'blues etude'
the gary burton quartet
'portsmouth figurations'
the stars of faith
'we shall be changed'
buddy rich and his orchestra
'greensleeves'"

phew!!!!!

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

That's the first, I think, and for me the favourite among those recordings of the sextet of 1971/2. While Herbie was already getting into suite-type compositions, the framework outlinings were still relatively straightforward and self-contained, whereas by the time of "Crossings", which I also have, musical narrative seems to have turned into something more akin to cinematic commentary, prompting for me the question, what is this about? That, and the following LP, did rather over-indulge in the electronics department, which Sun Ra, whose band had once knocked Herbie Hancock out on first impressions, had started indulging around that time. From memory, not having listened to this for some time, there's lovely solo work by Eddie Henderson and Julian Priester. Hancock was slightly disappointed at poor sales from those pre-Headhunters releases.

I'm only at 1961 in my periodic chronological journey through American jazz, (lots of Coltrane and Dolphy!) so, some way still to go!

PS - would you believe it? The place where I bought my two CD replacements for the original (worn) vinyls of "Mwandishi" and "Crossings" was the second-hand rack at Ray's??? OK, maybe someone had died!

This is a fine HH date that often gets overlooked, by me for a looooong time. Some lovely Johnny Coles and fine orchestration...
"THE PRISONER
Blue Note, 1969
The end of Herbie's Blue Note phase, with his most ambitious compositions to date underpinned by a civil rights agenda, played by an unorthodox line up with Jerome Richardson's bass clarinet and Hubert Laws’ flute pitched in alongside Joe Henderson and Johnny Coles. The band contains the embryo of the sextet that moved to Warner Brothers and became the Mwandishi group."
"

[Serial_Apologist]

This is a fine HH date that often gets overlooked, by me for a looooong time. Some lovely Johnny Coles and fine orchestration...
"THE PRISONER
Blue Note, 1969
The end of Herbie's Blue Note phase, with his most ambitious compositions to date underpinned by a civil rights agenda, played by an unorthodox line up with Jerome Richardson's bass clarinet and Hubert Laws’ flute pitched in alongside Joe Henderson and Johnny Coles. The band contains the embryo of the sextet that moved to Warner Brothers and became the Mwandishi group."
"

The Warner move produced "Far Albert Rotunda", which I had at one time but was very sniffy about. Since when I've changed my mind! No Sun Ra/Bitches Brew influences in that one!

[Richard Barrett]

Now: Eric Dolphy, Musical Prophet: the expanded 1963 New York Sessions. I know I've said this here before, but every Dolphy solo is a lesson in composition for me (alongside all the other things it might be). If only there'd been an album of unaccompanied solos. I guess that might have happened eventually.

[Tenor Freak]

From memory, not having listened to this for some time, there's lovely solo work by Eddie Henderson and Julian Priester. Hancock was slightly disappointed at poor sales from those pre-Headhunters releases.

Yes indeed, Julian Priester does a fine job on "Wandering Spirit Song".

I was starting a Spotify playlist of Herbie's material. One that would tip the hat to the well-known compositions such as "Watermelon Man" and "Dolphin Dance" but also include Mwandishi and some of his lesser-known later works. I'm probably the only person in jazz fandom that digs his vocoder work. Because that's the first time I had ever heard of him. Little did I know of the stellar career he'd had previously.

[Tenor Freak]

This is a fine HH date that often gets overlooked, by me for a looooong time. Some lovely Johnny Coles and fine orchestration...
"THE PRISONER
Blue Note, 1969
The end of Herbie's Blue Note phase, with his most ambitious compositions to date underpinned by a civil rights agenda, played by an unorthodox line up with Jerome Richardson's bass clarinet and Hubert Laws’ flute pitched in alongside Joe Henderson and Johnny Coles. The band contains the embryo of the sextet that moved to Warner Brothers and became the Mwandishi group."
"

Time to do a bit of name dropping. Some time ago I had a saxophone lesson with Iain Ballamy, who lives just down the road from here. Before we started he played me a couple of things, one of which was "I Have a Dream" from "The Prisoner". As I recall he was really into the bass playing (Buster Williams I think?). The other was Kenny Wheeler's "What Now?". Needless to say I bought copies of both. "I Have a Dream" really is a jaw-dropping piece, the melody alone takes some two minutes to unfold and everyone in the band gets a little piece to shine courtesy of the arrangement. Joe Henderson is on top form, though he provides a bit of unintended comedy as he has to put his tenor down very quickly after his solo and pick up his alto flute for the recap of the head...he doesn't quite manage it.

[Tenor Freak]

The Warner move produced "Far Albert Rotunda", which I had at one time but was very sniffy about. Since when I've changed my mind! No Sun Ra/Bitches Brew influences in that one!

NP: "Fat Albert Rotunda" - sure it's got a groove but there's a lot of jazz going on under the hood.