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Pure Pleasure reissue

\My bros and I

Not good enough to recommend.

Just play the first seconds of "My name is Albert Ayler"...

Any idea what's on deck?

I have that "First Recordings" LP too (must have been 16 when I bought it - my first Sonny Rollins LP ever). But I haven't spun it for some time, so after I had snapped up that 10-incher I started hoping (before I got home) that the contents of the 10-incher would not be duplicated on that LP. Luckily they aren't (the contents of Prestige 190 were reissued on two different 12-inch Prestiges). And you are right - both photos look like they came from the same session.

Apologies for taking 3-1/2 weeks to get to this. Whatever I was expecting, it was not this. track 01 - The Wedding. Abdullah Ibrahim (and further proof what absolute shit American pop music is -- this song was on the charts in South Africa). Not sure which version this is, none of them are bad, it's a great tune. 4/5 track 02 - First reaction is Bobby Shew, but seems a bit more energetic than I'm used to hearing him, so perhaps a younger player I should know better? Rhythm section has that Harold Mabern feel, but I think these guys are a generation or two younger than HM. Disciple of Woods on alto. Dude can play. I'm not in love with it, but the ability is legit. Definitely not Mabern. This is cookin', but I'm wondering how a full album would measure up. Could be I'm just in curmudgeon mode. I'm not convinced, but I'm listening. This is good. I'm being too harsh on these guys. They're in this, and it works. Got a bit of polish, but it's working. Bass solo didn't wow me, but wasn't a knock, either. Drummer has his Billy Higgins down. Maybe Farnsworth? 4/5 (upgraded from 3.5, because I felt I was being a bastard) track 03 - Getting serious Strata-East MPS vibes from this. If not for the trumpet, I'd guess this was a Dick Griffin project, meaning, I'm a very happy boy. Well, this tune could be either McCoy's Sahara, or Don Pullen's Kadji. It's neither, but it borrows from either or both. Not a bad thing. Mix in a little impressions breakdown to break it up, I'm listening. Still on the head, but alto has Jackie's sound down. Hmmm... and his Dudu. The choppy swing, that sound, is this a South African band? Mix in a little Threadgill with that sound. Now I'm wondering if this could be a Muhal project. Why do I not have this? Trumpet sounds like one of the Murray guys, so much that I'm a little cheesed of that it's not Murray on tenor. I'm going to stick with the SA line on this, but no idea who it is. Must have this. 4/5 (but SQUARELY in my wheelhouse) track 04 - Cheek to Cheek. Always makes me think of The Purple Rose of Cairo, but my favorite version is Ray Anderson (in 3!). Very capable musicians. Guessing just outside of my listening ring. Might be worth bringing back the Bobby Shew guess, as that could be Makoto Ozone. I feel like this album is definitely in Dan's stacks. 4/5 track 05 - I like the feel of this overall. Tenor feels a bit polished for this, but I guess that's par for the course. Sounds a bit like Jeff Coffin, but I'm fairly familiar with his output, and this player's sound is bit more trad Jazz than Jeff. No denying the musicianship. Not sure I want a whole album of this, though. For a single tune? Yes, please. I'd prefer he (she?) didn't go all Brecker-ish around the 3:00 mark, but overall, this still works. 4/5 track 06 - A little tango? Full disclosure, the whole song played with minimal interaction on my part. Had to replay it because the first run made zero impression. Not news that I'm not a fan of the clarinet, but this neither disturbed nor engaged me. It's good musicianship (second run through), but not in a way that makes me care. 2.5/5 track 07 - Not sure what head the trumpet started with, but then overlayed over Groovin' High. Younger generation players, but doing it well. I don't believe I know the trumpet. Don't recognize the tenor, which is what bugs me about this. Could be [fill in conservatory-trained tenor here] or any number of people, but I'm not hearing anyone unique. Guitarist sounds like someone who's listened to a lot of Martino (and realized how impossible it is to play like that). There's nothing wrong here, but this could be a well-crafted band-in-a-box track. I just don't hear the balls. 3/5 track 08 - Sounds like Kenny Barron's band. Really like this, but no idea what it is. 4/5 track 09 - Love this. No idea what it is. Bit like a David Murray head, but that voice captures that Tom Waits feel (before he trashed his voice completely). This is a bit weird, but in a good way. I'm in. Full in. No idea who it is. ROAR! ROAR!!! ROOOOOOARRRR!!!! Love it! 5/5 track 10 - I know the song, but not the version. I know it was Al Jarreau, but I know it from a guy from this area, Chris Humphrey (check out his Cadence relief, you won't be disappointed). I like her voice. Unsure who it is. I like that they stayed right with it, no BS. 4/5 track 11 - Uhm, perfect? Okay, that explains much. Assume that's Sweets, but that's DEFINITELY Jaws. Certifed Bad MF. 5/5 track 12 - Piano makes this a bit new agey, but that tenor sound is NOT that. Ah, but now it's getting a little smooth for my taste. Early on I was getting shades of Buck Hill, but the little grace note thingy is more Chad LB than Buck. It's not "bad", just a little too glossy covered for my taste (and doesn't fare well in the shadow of the previous track). Yeah, sorry, this is a full pass for me. I'm sure this guy was the envy of the practice room, but I'm full on not caring about this cut. 3/5 By and large, I really liked this set. A couple of tracks that didn't hit me in the feels, but most of it was firmly in the other (preferred) category.

How about Albert Ayler?

Sweet! I have this LP, which uses what looke a a shot from the same session:

I think they borrowed some boots from Alphonse Mouzon for this cover photo.

Insane. That seems like way more than what it should be.

Wycliffe Gordon, Cone's Coup (Criss Cross)

I’ve seen Ingrid many times. She’s a force to be reckoned with!

Nice score, BBS!

Good call on the Rivers sessionography; I don’t have the physical book though the online version is easy enough to check into.

Putting this here for anyone who is interested… via the JazzBoston Hot Club which Bill Goldberg directs. 7pm ET tonight https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86215122439?pwd=ZHA5bnpWVFNFVXkxRE01K1I1aWhvZz09

Starting off a warm drizzly morning with a disc released in May that my wife really likes and requested. . . . José James “1978 Revenge of the Dragon” Rainblow Blonde cd From a chatbot description: José James released his 13th studio album, 1978: Revenge of The Dragon, on May 16, 2025, via his own Rainbow Blonde Records. The album, inspired by the year of his birth, explores the rebellious, underground spirit of the late 1970s, drawing from jazz fusion, kung fu cinema, and Blaxploitation films, in contrast to its predecessor, 1978 (2024), which evoked the disco era of Studio 54. Recorded live to tape in one take at Dreamland Studios, a restored 19th-century church near Woodstock, New York, the project features a tight ensemble including Taali on vocals, BIGYUKI on keys and analog synth, Jharis Yokley on drums, bassists David Ginyard and Kyle Miles, and a brass section with Takuya Kuroda, Ebban Dorsey, and Ben Wendel. The album blends four original tracks with four reimagined classics, including Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You,” Herbie Hancock’s “I Thought It Was You,” the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” and the Bee Gees’ “Inside And Out”. The lead single, “They Sleep, We Grind (for Badu),” is a hypnotic groove steeped in dub, funk, and sampledelia, featuring a mantra-like hook and lyrical nods to Erykah Badu, Bob Marley, and Nas, and is accompanied by a kung fu short film. The album’s title and cover pay homage to Bruce Lee and the cultural impact of 1978’s kung fu cinema.

😁 👍 Excellent!

A nice find at a downtown fleamarket last Sunday: Prestige LP 190, Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk, original 10" pressing from the mid-50s Jacket with visibly considerable ring wear, plus (inconspicuously repairable - and now repaired) seam splits, but vinyl sounds fine and plays very well, with hardly any background noise (might even be graded VG+ by some). Cost me 12.50 EUR. But this still seems to be a very good price, judging by Discogs where only one original pressing - in poorer condition - is currently for sale (at 50 EUR), and where even the average prices of past sales are higher than these 50 EUR. Popsike gives the same overall picture. So ... I'm pleased!

Saw her live at the Jazz Od Nowa Festival in Toruń, our twin town in Poland, February 20, 2019