Doug & Jean Carn - Spirit Of The New Land

[felser]

3 hours ago, BFrank said:

 

I already have earlier CD releases of 3 of his albums, so I'm not sure I would need new copies of Infant Eyes, Spirit of the New Land and Adam's Apple, anyway.

But you sure do need a CD of Revelation!

3 hours ago, HutchFan said:

Yep, that's confused me before too.    Real Gone Music = Quality.   Real Gone = PD junk.

 

The PD label renamed themselves to "Reel To Reel".

Edited July 3, 2020 by felser

[BFrank]

7 hours ago, felser said:

But you sure do need a CD of Revelation!

The PD label renamed themselves to "Reel To Reel".

I'm sure I DO! Not sure why I never got that one.

In the meantime I'll check it out on Amazon Music (they have all the Carn albums).

 

[sidewinder]

Other than having the ‘Coral Keys’ on vinyl and passing acquaintance with the Doug/Jean Carn LPs, I’m not too familiar with this label. Some of it can sound a little dated these days but there’s no doubting the quality of much of the music. Pleased to find that much of it is on Spotify so I’m having a bit of a Black Jazz binge.

Jean Carn made a good appearance at the London Barbican concert some years ago, along with Charles Tolliver and Billy Harper in the line up. An excellent show.

Edited July 4, 2020 by sidewinder

[felser]

5 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Jean Carn made a good appearance at the London Barbican concert some years ago, along with Charles Tolliver and Billy Harper in the line up. An excellent show.

Color me insanely jealous.  Three of my all-time favorites.

[sidewinder]

2 hours ago, felser said:

Color me insanely jealous.  Three of my all-time favorites.

To complete the lineup, Stanley Cowell was on piano, Cecil McBee on bass and Alvin Queen on drums !  The first part of the concert featured Tolliver and co., then Jean Carn joined them.

There was also a projection show going on in the background featuring drawings of various Strata-East LP art. I bought one of the concert posters based on this theme but have yet to frame it up.

Edited July 4, 2020 by sidewinder

[sidewinder]

Yes, Gilles Peterson organised it and did the concert intro. A full house too !

They played Harper’s ‘Capra Black’ and Cowell’s ‘Effi’ and a number by McBee which I can’t recall. Tolliver’s ‘On The Nile’ too I think.

Edited July 4, 2020 by sidewinder

[mjazzg]

That was a very special night indeed.  I forgotten about Jean Carn which is odd because at the time her untrailled [?] appearance was a bit of a cherry on top of everything else. What a band

[felser]

9 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Yes, Gilles Peterson organised it and did the concert intro. A full house too !

They played Harper’s ‘Capra Black’ and Cowell’s ‘Effi’ and a number by McBee which I can’t recall. Tolliver’s ‘On The Nile’ too I think.

My favorite composition by each of them.  Maybe Willpan's Walk by McBee?

[BFrank]

12 hours ago, sidewinder said:

To complete the lineup, Stanley Cowell was on piano, Cecil McBee on bass and Alvin Queen on drums !  The first part of the concert featured Tolliver and co., then Jean Carn joined them.

There was also a projection show going on in the background featuring drawings of various Strata-East LP art. I bought one of the concert posters based on this theme but have yet to frame it up.

2 hours ago, felser said:

My favorite composition by each of them.  Maybe Willpan's Walk by McBee?

Sure wish I had seen THAT! All those musicians and ALL those great tunes, too!

[sidewinder]

3 hours ago, felser said:

My favorite composition by each of them.  Maybe Willpan's Walk by McBee?

 No, it was ‘Mutima’.

Here’s an article about the show and some photos. Wish I was back there..

https://www.jazzwise.com/news/article/strata-east-live-sounds-sublime-at-barbican

I’d forgotten about that Scott-Heron tribute and that Jean Carn sang ‘Sprit of the New Land’.

Some more photos here -

https://londonjazznews.com/2015/03/23/photos-strata-east-night-at-the-barbican/

Edited July 5, 2020 by sidewinder

[kh1958]

I did see Doug Carn at the Zinc Bar in NYC in 2014. The crowd was sparse for the first couple of sets and by the third set, rather late on a week night, the place was nearly empty. Over the course of three sets, he performed most of the repertoire on his Black Jazz records. It was Duane Eubanks on trumpet, Stacy Dillard on tenor and soprano saxes, Lonnie Plaxico on bass. The drummer was unfamiliar and there were a couple of guest vocalists and a guest flute player over the course of the evening. Doug Carn stuck to piano. 

[Dave Garrett]

On 7/3/2020 at 2:48 PM, HutchFan said:

Yep, that's confused me before too.    Real Gone Music = Quality.   Real Gone = PD junk.

The cofounder of Real Gone Music, Gordon Anderson, was also the guy that started Collector's Choice Music. 

[HutchFan]

1 minute ago, Dave Garrett said:

The cofounder of Real Gone Music, Gordon Anderson, was also the guy that started Collector's Choice Music. 

Did not know that.  Interesting.   

[jazzbo]

From the Zev Feldman facebook page:

'BLACK JAZZ RECORDS' VINYL REISSUE SERIES! I'm excited and honored to be a co-producer with my good friend

Gordon Anderson

at

Real Gone Music

on a vinyl reissue series from the underappreciated Black Jazz Records catalog. The first 3 releases (by

Doug Carn

, The Awakening and

Walter Bishop Jr.

) are due out August 28th (plus Gene Russell's "New Direction" to be released on August 29th for

Record Store Day

) drop #1. Read the full press release below.

Black Jazz is considered to be the first black-owned jazz label since the 1920s and its mission statement was "to promote the talents of young African American jazz musicians and singers." Gordon and I first started talking about this project back in 2017 when we were thinking about labels to reissue that are deserving of wider recognition. Black Jazz seemed like an obvious choice for many reasons, but tracking down information about who had the rights was an adventure. Luckily things came together eventually last year and I'm thrilled to be rolling these out now. Each LP and CD includes liner notes by the acclaimed author

Pat Thomas

("Listen Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975") and is remastered by Mike Milchner at

Sonic Vision Mastering

, and pressed on black vinyl at

Gotta Groove Records, Inc.

with lacquer cutting by Clint Holley and Dave Polster at Well Made Music. Also, with each Black Jazz album release, Real Gone Music will donate $500 to the

Equal Justice Initiative

. Video by A.J. Dickerson.

************************

FULL PRESS RELEASE:

Black Jazz Records

Highly sought-after Oakland based jazz label that ran from 1971-1975 founded by pianist Gene Russell and percussionist Dick Schory

Three vinyl releases from the catalog available August 28 on Real Gone Music

Featuring the work of keyboardist/composer Doug Carn, Chicago group The Awakening and pianist Walter Bishop Jr.

Plus Gene Russell’s New Direction will be released on August 29 for RSD

In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the art form we call jazz exploded into endless permutations, including free jazz, spiritual jazz, soul jazz, fusion, and funk. At that time, a number of black-run collectives organically sprang up across America. In Chicago, there was the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), which spawned among many other artists the Art Ensemble of Chicago. In Watts, Horace Tapscott founded UGMAA (Union of God’s Musicians and Artists Ascension). In Brooklyn, the CBA (Collective Black Artists) included Reggie Workman, Donald Byrd, and Stanley Cowell (co-founder of the Strata East Record label) among its members. In Detroit, Wendell Harrison, Phil Ranelin, and others formed a collective called The Tribe.

And from Oakland came Black Jazz Records, founded by pianist Gene Russell and percussionist Dick Schory. Reputed to be the first jazz record label started by an African-American since 1921, its mission statement was "to promote the talents of young African American jazz musicians and singers." Under Russell’s artistic direction, the label only put out about 20 albums during its short, 4-year (1971-1975) tenure; and then, due to ownership issues and general neglect, the label went underground. Way underground, in fact…but not so far down that a new generation of crate diggers and DJ’s weren’t able to discover the label’s incredible array of modal, soul, funk, and free jazz, much of it imbued with the political and spiritual concerns of the day (and selling for a pretty penny online). Finally, in the ‘90s and early ‘oughts, the Black Jazz catalog emerged on CD in Japan; but for the most part, the entire label’s output was never reissued on vinyl anywhere.

Real Gone Music first began tracking down the rights to the Black Jazz label back in 2017. Finally, after a couple of leads went cold, we were able to connect with the rights-holders in early 2020…right before quarantine and the subsequent events that triggered worldwide protests for racial equality. But this music succeeds on a deeper level than just a reminder that the struggle against prejudice continues unabated 50 years later. It offers manifold moments of beauty that remind all of us of our common humanity and the love that, if we let it, binds us all.

Real Gone is proud to present the Black Jazz catalog on LP, remastered by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision Mastering, and pressed on black vinyl at Gotta Groove Records with lacquer cutting by Clint Holley and Dave Polster at Well Made Music. Produced by Real Gone Music’s Gordon Anderson and decorated jazz archivist Zev Feldman, each vinyl reissue features the original black-and-white Black Jazz album artwork, which, on early releases, featured an identical front and back cover, with the back cover turned “upside down.” And, both our vinyl and CD releases will feature added liner notes by Pat Thomas, author of Listen Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 that draw a straight line between what was happening then…and what is happening right now. With each Black Jazz album release, Real Gone Music will donate $500 to the Equal Justice Initiative.

DOUG CARN Featuring the Voice of Jean Carn

Spirit of the New Land

Of All the Artists Who Recorded for the Black Jazz Label, Keyboardist and Composer Doug Carn Was the Most Prolific, Releasing Four Albums for the Imprint

1972’s Spirit of the New Land Was Recorded When Carn Was Also Working with Earth, Wind & Fire

Was His Second Black Jazz Release, but the First One (of Two) Co-Billed to His Wife, Vocalist Jean Carn

Spirit of the New Land Is Arguably the Most Collectible LP in Carn’s Catalog

Features His Knack (as on Miles Davis’ “Blue in Green”) of Adding Lyrics to Modern Jazz Standards, Set to Jean Carn’s Soaring, Five-Octave Range

Star-Studded Cast of Musicians Includes Trumpeter Charles Tolliver, Saxophonist George Harper, Trombonist Garnett Brown, Tuba Player Earl McIntyre, and Drummer Alphonse Mouzon

A Deeply Spiritual and Uplifting Album

Pat Thomas’ Liner Notes Include Excerpts from a Freewheeling Interview with Doug Carn Himself

THE AWAKENING

Hear, Sense and Feel

Chicago-Based The Awakening Were the Only “Group” Recorded by Black Jazz and Released Two of the Most Sought-After Albums in the Label’s Entire Catalog

The Awakening’s Roots Were in the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) Collective That Claimed The Art Ensemble of Chicago Among Its Most Esteemed Artists

Both Bassist Reggie Willis and Tenor Saxman/Flautist Ari Brown Were AACM Members

Other Members of The Awakening Hailed from the City’s Thriving Soul Jazz Scene

Co-Leaders Trumpeter Frank Gordon and Keyboardist Ken Chaney Played for Young-Holt Unlimited

Trombonist Steve Galloway Appeared on Melvin Jackson’s Soul Jazz Classic Funky Skull

Hear, Sense and Feel Inhabits That Sweet Spot Between the Free Jazz and Afrocentric Explorations of the Art Ensemble and the Rhythm-Heavy Soul Jazz Sound of Such Chicago-based Labels as Brunswick and Cadet

Original Copies Sell for Hundreds of Dollars Online if You Can Find Them at All

WALTER BISHOP JR.

Coral Keys

Pianist Walter Bishop, Jr.’s Coral Keys Was the Second Album Released by Black Jazz (the First, Gene Russell’s New Direction, Will Be Released a Day Later on the First RSD Drop August 29)

Bishop Had Led Earlier Dates with Such Legends as Bassist Jimmy Garrison (John Coltrane) and Drummer Jimmy Cobb (Miles Davis)

With Such a Formidable Resume, Bishop Assembled an All-Star Line-Up Featuring Woody Shaw on Trumpet, Reggie Jackson on Bass, Idris Muhammad on Drums, and Harold Vick on Flute, Tenor, and Soprano Sax

All Songs Composed by Bishop, Highlighted by “Soul Turn Around,” Which Later Turned Up on Freddie Hubbard’s 1969 LP A Soul Experiment

Think Herbie Hancock’s ‘60s Blue Note Recordings Gently Polished with a Soul Jazz Sheen

Highly Collectible and Eminently Tasteful

GENE RUSSELL

New Direction

New Direction Was the Black Jazz Label’s First Release, from the Label’s Producer, Pianist and Composer Gene Russell

Features Sidemen Henry “The Skipper” Franklin and Steve Clover

The Jazz Piano Trio Setting Is More Straight-Ahead Than Later Black Jazz Releases but Hints at the Soul and Modal Jazz to Come

Clear with Heavy Black Swirl Vinyl Pressing

Limited to 1500 Copies

Exclusive to Record Store Day and Coming Out on the First RSD Drop, Saturday, August 29

For Press Inquiries Contact: stephanie@sweisspr.com

[JSngry]

Finally, in the ‘90s and early ‘oughts, the Black Jazz catalog emerged on CD in Japan; but for the most part, the entire label’s output was never reissued on vinyl anywhere.
 

Awwwww...the entire catalog was available on domestic CD for a good while in the early 90s Maybe not in a consistent business sense, but they were there to be had, the same guy licensed them to Snow Bird in Japan. And then the masters were for sale on Craigslist!...why is that part of the story not included, as long as the story is being held?

Why does everything now have to come with a selective back story that distorts the reality of a situation and makes itself appear more heroic than it already is?

[romualdo]

I bought a few Black Jazz CDs (Carn, Bishop Jr, Franklin) round 2013/14 as Japanese releases licenced to Snowdog (2012 reissues)

[felser]

On 7/10/2020 at 0:56 PM, JSngry said:

The entire catalog was available on domestic CD for a good while in the early 90s Maybe not in a consistent business sense, but they were there to be had, the same guy licensed them to Snow Bird in Japan.

IIRC, the CD's were available through a Black Jazz website, and I think I bought the Carn CD's (and maybe some of the others) that way.

[JSngry]

8 hours ago, felser said:

IIRC, the CD's were available through a Black Jazz website, and I think I bought the Carn CD's (and maybe some of the others) that way.

Yeah, the guy who bought the catalog did not seem to have a good business plan and/or a lot of sustaining capital, but there was the website (that got very mixed reviews) and an Amazon store (that appeared to have been quite consistent.

Here's one they need to get to sooner rather than later:

 

[felser]

38 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Here's one they need to get to sooner rather than later:

   + 1.  I would also add the Rudolph Johnson's and Walter Biship's "Coral Keys" (and of course the three Carn's with Jean, I would start with those) to that list.  And then once you have those, keep diving further into the catalog.

 

[jcam_44]

47 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Yeah, the guy who bought the catalog did not seem to have a good business plan and/or a lot of sustaining capital, but there was the website (that got very mixed reviews) and an Amazon store (that appeared to have been quite consistent.

Here's one they need to get to sooner rather than later:

 

This album always frustrated me because it seemed extra short. IIRC it’s well under 30 mins. 

[JSngry]

Coral Keys is coming out:

 

Just now, jcam_44 said:

This album always frustrated me because it seemed extra short. IIRC it’s well under 30 mins. 

As an LP, definitely. In the car, maybe not so much.

[Teasing the Korean]

I remember buying these albums for 25 cents a throw at the flea market.  Those were the days...

[felser]

26 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I remember buying these albums for 25 cents a throw at the flea market.  Those were the days...

I got many as cutouts from 3rd St. Jazz for 99 cents.  Bought many such as the Roland Haynes on faith, which was rewarded.

 

[Teasing the Korean]

46 minutes ago, felser said:

I got many as cutouts from 3rd St. Jazz for 99 cents.  Bought many such as the Roland Haynes on faith, which was rewarded.

 

Ah, Third Street Jazz.  I liberated many Blue Note and impulse! albums from their cutout bin!

[felser]

10 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Ah, Third Street Jazz.  I liberated many Blue Note and impulse! albums from their cutout bin!

Me too.  Jerry Gordon had some kind of sources for fascinating cutouts!   I remember getting all those Arista/Freedom US releases there, the mysterious Blue Note Montreux albums, some 50's Blue Notes that had seemingly been out of print forever, etc.  That was ca. 1974-1981 so I was on strict budget (college, then first jobs), and could stretch my expenditures with cutouts.