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Playing Favorites: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s


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4 hours ago, felser said:

Strozier was a most underrated player.  Glad he had opportunity to record those SteepleChase albums in the late 70's.

Remember seeing him with George Coleman’s Octet around 1980 so it must have been a rare escape and trip over to Europe. Fine player - indeed, it was a very fine band.

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> Manfred Schoof Quintet – Light Lines (JAPO, 1978)

That Manfred Schoof date is really fantastic, and I also think it is the best of his 70’s output as a leader.

I found a copy on vinyl ~3 years ago remarkably cheap ($10, first JAPO LP I’d ever seen out in the wild), and a year later I broke down and got that 2CD reissue of all three of Schoof’s JAPO dates - called Resonance (on ECM).

The music is quite free at times, but presented in that sort of ECM sheen, production-wise. JAPO was distributed by ECM back in the day, and the overall aesthetic of the labels was somewhat similar, I gather.

It’s probably the ‘freest’ date I know of specifically with horns that won’t scare my wife out of the room:P

Edited by Rooster_Ties
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12 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

It’s probably the ‘freest’ date I know of specifically with horns that won’t scare my wife out of the room:P

Funny you say that because my wife is NOT a fan of the dissonant opening trumpet notes on Schoof's LP Scales

I happened to play that album in the car one day while we were driving down the road, and she immediately responded with, "Something else, please!"  

:D 

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3 minutes ago, HutchFan said:

Funny you say that because my wife is NOT a fan of the dissonant opening trumpet notes on Schoof's LP Scales

I happened to play that album in the car one day while we were driving down the road, and she immediately responded with, "Something else, please!"  

:D 

Not saying my wife was in any way a “fan” of the Schoof.  Just that I’ve played the album twice with her in the room, and I haven’t — at least not as yet — gotten the stink-eye from her at either listening to date.

That said, I was well aware that I was probably pushing my luck a bit both times. ^_^  If there had been any saxophone on the album, though, it would have been an instant ‘game-over’.

She has zero tolerance of ‘out’-leaning saxophone, or almost any standard (non-bass) clarinet. But I think some trumpet reads as almost ‘percussive’ to her (which is at least somewhat better / less bad).

 

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9 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

I bought the Charlie Rouse - Moments Notice - session on LP when it was initially released. Now have it on CD. It is one of my favorite recordings by Rouse.

It's a doozy. :tup 

 

 

 

16 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Looking forward to checking out the Strozier.

Both SteepleChases are primo.

Going back a bit further, I really like Strozier's work with the MJT+3 too.  Can't hardly miss when Strozier & Harold Mabern get together, imo.

 

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Weekly Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s 

Illinois Jacquet – God Bless My Solo (Black & Blue, 1978)
John McNeil Quintet – Embarkation (Steeplechase, 1978)
Kenny Burrell – Handcrafted (Muse/32 Jazz, 1978)
Martial Solal – Suite for Trio (MPS, 1978)
Ronnie Cuber – Eleventh Day of Aquarius (Xanadu, 1978)
Jim Hall & Red Mitchell – Jim Hall/Red Mitchell (Artists House, 1978)
Dizzy Reece – Manhattan Project (Bee Hive, 1978)

 

Helluva lot of great music this week, IMO.

What are your thoughts?

 

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12 hours ago, HutchFan said:

Weekly Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s 

Illinois Jacquet – God Bless My Solo (Black & Blue, 1978)
John McNeil Quintet – Embarkation (Steeplechase, 1978)
Kenny Burrell – Handcrafted (Muse/32 Jazz, 1978)
Martial Solal – Suite for Trio (MPS, 1978)
Ronnie Cuber – Eleventh Day of Aquarius (Xanadu, 1978)
Jim Hall & Red Mitchell – Jim Hall/Red Mitchell (Artists House, 1978)
Dizzy Reece – Manhattan Project (Bee Hive, 1978)

 

Helluva lot of great music this week, IMO.

What are your thoughts?

 

I like the Jacquet, the Burrell, the Jim Hall/Red Mitchell and the Dizzy Reece.

The Cuber is not one of my favorites compared to his many other recordings. The Ronnie Cuber I especially like is "Cuber Libre" with Barry Harris, Sam Jones and Albert Heath. It was recorded on Xanadu in 1976.

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9 minutes ago, Peter Friedman said:

The Cuber is not one of my favorites compared to his many other recordings. The Ronnie Cuber I especially like is "Cuber Libre" with Barry Harris, Sam Jones and Albert Heath. It was recorded on Xanadu in 1976.

Yeah, I can see that. Cuber Libre is more traditionally bop-ish. OTOH, Eleventh Day of Aquarius has more of a 70s-acoustic-jazz vibe, which I really dig.

Elemental chose Cuber Libre for inclusion in their Xanadu reissue series, so I guess they agreed with you! ;)

 

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24 minutes ago, Peter Friedman said:

I like the Jacquet, the Burrell, the Jim Hall/Red Mitchell and the Dizzy Reece.

The Cuber is not one of my favorites compared to his many other recordings. The Ronnie Cuber I especially like is "Cuber Libre" with Barry Harris, Sam Jones and Albert Heath. It was recorded on Xanadu in 1976.

I agree with Peter's assessment, except that I haven't heard the Jacquet. I had the Solal record and would say that it is excellent, even though I don't appreciate Solal or listen to him as much as many other jazz fans do.   Also the McNeil, if it's the one I am thinking of, is quite good indeed. 

Edited by John Tapscott
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10 minutes ago, John Tapscott said:

Also the McNeil, if it's the one I am thinking of, is quite good indeed. 

Oh yeah, Embarkation is excellent -- with Bob Berg and an amazing rhythm section: Joanne Brackeen, Rufus Reid, and Billy Hart.

I really like McNeil's SteepleChase follow-up, Faun, too.  It features Dave Liebman, Richie Beirach, Buster Williams, and Billy Hart.  Another killer band!

 

Edited by HutchFan
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2 hours ago, HutchFan said:

Oh yeah, Embarkation is excellent -- with Bob Berg and an amazing rhythm section: Joanne Brackeen, Rufus Reid, and Billy Hart.

I really like McNeil's SteepleChase follow-up, Faun, too.  It features Dave Liebman, Richie Beirach, Buster Williams, and Billy Hart.  Another killer band!

 

Yes, that's the one I was thinking of. Wish I still had it (and a couple thousand others!) Some days I kick myself my selling my LP's, but it was necessary. 

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3 hours ago, soulpope said:

Simply superb ....

Yes!  I think Suite for Trio is one of Solal's very best ... which is saying something because he's made so many astounding records.

Solal is perhaps my single favorite European jazz musician of the 1970s.  ... At the very least, he's right up there with John Surman, Michael Garrick, and a small handful of others.

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Weekly Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s 

Ran Blake – Rapport (Arista Novus, 1978)
Sarah Vaughan – How Long Has This Been Going On? (Pablo, 1978)
Lester Bowie – The 5th Power (Black Saint, 1978)
Zoot Sims – For Lady Day (Pablo, 1991)
Horace Tapscott Conducting the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Orchestra – The Call (Nimbus West, 1978)
Jimmy Rowles – We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together (Xanadu, 1978)
Cecil Taylor – Cecil Taylor Unit (New World, 1978) and 3 Phasis (New World, 1979)

 

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On 10/11/2020 at 5:39 PM, HutchFan said:

Weekly Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s 

Ran Blake – Rapport (Arista Novus, 1978)
Sarah Vaughan – How Long Has This Been Going On? (Pablo, 1978)
Lester Bowie – The 5th Power (Black Saint, 1978)
Zoot Sims – For Lady Day (Pablo, 1991)
Horace Tapscott Conducting the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Orchestra – The Call (Nimbus West, 1978)
Jimmy Rowles – We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together (Xanadu, 1978)
Cecil Taylor – Cecil Taylor Unit (New World, 1978) and 3 Phasis (New World, 1979)

 

I agree with felser, a very good album by Sassy. The Zoot and Rowles are both sessions I like very much.

 

Peter Friedman 

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7 minutes ago, Peter Friedman said:

I agree with felser, a very good album by Sassy. The Zoot and Rowles are both sessions I like very much.

Rowles made his finest records in the late-70s & early-80s, IMO.  

That series with Zoot on Pablo.  The albums he co-led with Al Cohn (Xanadu), Ray Brown (Concord), and Red Mitchell (Contemporary).  His own stuff.  ... LOTS of good things happening during that run. 

Edited by HutchFan
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