Jump to content

Blue Mitchell / Sonny Red - Uptown


Chuck Nessa

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Yeah, and I like it for what it is, and because it does add to a better/deeper/whatever picture of Sonny Red. The more that might matter to you, the more you might want this one.

Fair point .... btw John Hicks had already considerable chops at that time ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 81
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

In all fairness, the only real reservation I had wasn't about whether or not it was going to be good or not, I mean, hell, that much is a given, but....I've listened to a lot of this type of music and am trying now to hear more other types of music while I still have the resources to enjoyably do so.

To that end, yes this release was more than just more good jazz of this type, it's actually personally illuminative because, again, Sonny Red. One of those guys for me, always seemed like there was more to the story than was on the records, and sure enouh, here's at least some of that more.

Othrrwise, it's fine music by all hands. If my implication was otherwise, my bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like this one a lot - I think part of the problem is that Red is off mic, but you can hear him, and I love his playing - just so focused and a real sense that he is working out so many smart ideas. It's my favorite kind of playing, Bebop with a New Brain.

Edited by AllenLowe
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think I noticed this thread back in February, so I'm glad that someone bumped it up.  I'm not very familiar with Mitchell's work, but Red's Out of the Blue is an underrated gem.  A rhythm section of John Hicks, Gene Taylor and Joe Chambers further makes this a must-have for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On March 23, 2016 at 9:34 PM, JSngry said:

I mean, it's a neat docunent, but not particularly revelatory. Sonny Red is interesting in a "hmmmm...interesting" kind of way, and you can never have enough Joe Chambers, but I don't know that you leave this one with more than you come in with except for one more nice CO on your shelves.

Imo, etc.

IMO Sonny Red here is way more than interesting in a 'hmmmm...interesting' kind of way. Few Bird-like players of his generation came out the other side, so to speak, as far as he did by 1966 (Jackie McLean, of course, but how many others?) and correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think there's much if any recorded evidence of Sonny Red after this date, plus there's also (I believe) a fair-sized gap between this date and whichever was his most recent previous recording. About "came out the other side," I mean that Kyner seems to be more or less creating shapes here, not playing licks, while still remaining in touch with his former second-generation Bird-like self, though IIRC there always was an incipient shape-maker in Kyner. Also -- and so far I've listened only to "If I Should Lose You" -- the relationship of Hicks and Chambers to Kyner I(and Mitchell, too) is really interesting. Hicks' McCoy-ish harmonic thinking/comping and Chambers very even, almost glass-like beat are both inherently long-lined, and that probably suits what Sonny Red has in mind much better than a more boppish or hard boppish pianist and drummer would have. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎3‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 6:28 AM, Joe said:

It helps to contextualize that Sonny Red Mainstream date in ways I'd not anticipated. The way he's constructing his solos here sounds rather different to me -- less bop, more... what? -- than it does on his Jazzland and BN dates.

That Mainstream date should be better known and/or more available than it has been. Only two more documented recordings with him on it after this, 1974 & 1978.

http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Kyner/kyner-disc.html

Date: 1971
Location: The Record Plant, New York City
Label: Mainstream

Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner (ldr), Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner (f, as, ts), Cedar Walton (p), Herbie Lewis (b, vl), Billy Higgins (d, cga)

a. a-01 Love Song - 05:48  (Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner)
b. a-02 Tears - 07:19  (Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner)
c. a-03 Mustang - 05:49  (Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner)
d. b-01 And Then Again - 04:14  (Elvin Jones)
e. b-02 My Romance - 04:44  (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
f. b-03 A Time For Love - 05:19  (Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster)
g. b-04 Rodan - 04:35  (Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner)
All titles on:

-     Mainstream LP 12": MRL 324 - Sonny Red

On ‎3‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 8:37 AM, JSngry said:

He sounds like he's working on reorganizing his thinking into more motivic-based thinking, obvious a later-ish Trane-ish thing to do, but at times, it seems to me, gettin' kinda Hank-ish about it as well. Phrases more as "blocks" rather than "lines" might be one way to describe it?

Sonny Red seems to have been one of those guys who was always working towards something, and never uninterestingly. Apparently he was often derailed by "personal problems" enough that he perhaps never fully found what he was looking for. But his voice is compelling, always.

Blocks, shapes, whatever.

"hmmmm...interesting" is a pretty high compliment imo. There is so much music, including music that I like/love for whatever other reasons, that is not particularly interesting, not really.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, JSngry said:

That Mainstream date should be better known and/or more available than it has been. Only two more documented recordings with him on it after this, 1974 & 1978.

http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Kyner/kyner-disc.html

Date: 1971
Location: The Record Plant, New York City
Label: Mainstream

Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner (ldr), Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner (f, as, ts), Cedar Walton (p), Herbie Lewis (b, vl), Billy Higgins (d, cga)

a. a-01 Love Song - 05:48  (Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner)
b. a-02 Tears - 07:19  (Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner)
c. a-03 Mustang - 05:49  (Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner)
d. b-01 And Then Again - 04:14  (Elvin Jones)
e. b-02 My Romance - 04:44  (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
f. b-03 A Time For Love - 05:19  (Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster)
g. b-04 Rodan - 04:35  (Sylvester 'Sonny Red' Kyner)
All titles on:

-     Mainstream LP 12": MRL 324 - Sonny Red

Blocks, shapes, whatever.

"hmmmm...interesting" is a pretty high compliment imo. There is so much music, including music that I like/love for whatever other reasons, that is not particularly interesting, not really.



"Blocks, shapes, whatever" ... but not licks. I too use "interesting" as  a high compliment, so much so that friends tend to laugh when I do it. It was your ""hmmmm..." that gave me pause, or paws; to me "hmmmm" sounds kind of reluctant. Your Mobley thought sounds right to me; Trane not so much, but how at that time could there not be some Trane? Basically, Sonny Red c. 1966 and I assume later on basically sounds independent ,self-motivated. Time now for latter-day reports on John Jenkins, if there be any?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...