Rooster_Ties Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 (edited) Spontoonious and I each just pulled the trigger (combined order from The Bastards™) - on this relatively recent (1998) reissue, on CD. I found some brief audio-clips on AMG, and man -- this sounds like a MONSTER date!! Ted Curson - trumpet Georges Arvanitas - piano Jackie Samson - bass Charles Saudrais - drums Here's a review from the AMG, and then The Hype™ (from The Bastards™). Fortunately they match (for a change ). AMG Review by Thom Jurek This Futura CD issue of vanguard trumpet legend Ted Curson with the Georges Arvanitas Trio in a Paris studio is one of those very special dates where everything seems to go right. Curson is in excellent form here, whether he is playing free improvisation as on "Latin Quarter," which opens the set and is a fiery 13-minute excursion into the outer reaches of free jazz, or turning in a slightly bent but nonetheless streaming hard bop performance as he odes on the next track, "Flip Top." The Arvanitas Trio, an under-celebrated band that backed virtually every major American musician in Paris proves how well it adapts to Curson's muscular style by responding with more muscle. Arvanitas' left-hand rhythm comping is tough and full of fire and edges. On "L.S.D. Takes a Holiday," Arvanitas pushes Curson hard to the edges of a harmonic shelf that finally bleeds off into a blazing symmetry of angles that is propelled into an abyss ( ) by the ferocious bass playing of the under-heralded Jacky Sampson. Also noteworthy are Curson's compositions here that, like much music of their time, leave tradition to the dust. He engages it and the blues in a sort of modal inquiry, where he wraps extant ideas about form, tonal sonance, and intervallic architecture in a phraseology and compositional elegance that was beyond most of his peers. Futura's CD version sounds warm, lovely, and very much alive. Thank goodness this is available again. 1. Ted Curson -- Pop Wine . . . CD . . . $15.99 (Item: 39213) Futura (France), 1971 Condition: New Copy View Cart Ted Curson at his finest! Curson's always been a hell of a trumpeter -- but he's all-out, over-the-top on this amazing session from 1971. The record was cut in Paris -- with backing by the Georges Arvanitas Trio -- and the tracks have a long, open-ended quality that offers a mix of modal grooving and hard spiritual soloing, perfect territory for Curson to show his stuff! Arvanitas' bassist Jacky Samson has this warm, round, wonderful tone that's a perfect foil for Curson's spirited blowing -- and the record grooves in unexpected ways that are a pure delight. Titles include "Quartier Latin", "Pop Wine", "LSD Takes A Holiday", and "Flip Top". (From the Jazz CD (A-D) page.) I'm a total sucker for... 1) Progressive but not entirely "out" dates. 2) Said dates from the late 60's and early 70's. 3) Trumpet-players with The Balls™ to record with a rhythm-section, sans all other horns. This one scores on all counts!!! B-) Edited October 21, 2004 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 The Balls™ snicker ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Well, YOU in turn HYPED ME Rooster...I just placed my order with D.G. (otherwise known as T.B.). This sounds like a winner to me. I almost pulled the trigger on his early live Canadian recording too but went for Lucky Thompson's LUCKY MEETS TOMMY instead. On a totally other type of trip, was also THRILLED to see notice that Hal McKusick's QUARTET and CROSS SECTION SAXES are slated for late November release and that D.G. plans to stock them! WOO HOO! Have my e-mail notification set up.... the Bastards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 In your next Bastards order, don't forget to add this one: Better than Wheaties in the morning ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted October 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Any other opinions on this disc?? How about Ted Curson's other output in the 70's??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Get it, it's very good. Not too "out", but more so than Curson's 60s stuff (also good). And Marge CDs from late 90s tend to go OOP these days (this one might be already OOP, actually). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphie_boy Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Tears for Dolphy is excellent - late '60s I believe, not '70s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 "Tears..." is excellent, indeed! The only other Curson I have is this one (also on Marge/Futura): It's been quite long since I last heard it, though. ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 (edited) Well I THOUGHT this one was on the way...until D.G. (T.B.) sent me an "out of stock" e-mail. They're great and all but this happens WAY too often, I have begun to really suspect that they advertise stuff like this even when they only got a couple copies in stock, in the hopes you'll go there and while "buying" (which later turns out not to be possible because they have no copies even though it's still up on the site) you end up buying other stuff. That's happened to me now several times, and it's not that I mind buying from them but the point is take the damn thing off of the "available" list if it's not available - had I known I would NOT have bought the other CD but would have waited until BOTH were in. Now I gotta pay postage TWICE. Edited October 23, 2004 by DrJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted October 23, 2004 Report Share Posted October 23, 2004 (edited) The only other Curson I have is this one (also on Marge/Futura): It's been quite long since I last heard it, though. ubu According to Futura/Marge website: FUTURA/MARGE, this one is already OOP. Gotta hunt it down fast. Pop Wine is still in print, though. Edited October 23, 2004 by Д.Д. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 I finally picked up "Urge," on Fontana (as the "Tears for Dolphy") and it's way more 'out' than I expected. Booker Ervin is getting into Sam Rivers territory, and it's heavy. For some reason, I always feared the Futura was boring... but now that I know it's worth seeking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 Tears for Dolphy was recorded in '64, Urge in '66. Both were released in '66, the former reissued by Arista-Freedom in the '70s. Just to clarify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 30, 2004 Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 The only other Curson I have is this one (also on Marge/Futura): It's been quite long since I last heard it, though. ubu According to Futura/Marge website: FUTURA/MARGE, this one is already OOP. Gotta hunt it down fast. Pop Wine is still in print, though. And it is very fine! Chris Woods and Curson make a good team, the rhythm section is fine as well. There's a track with false starts in the middle of the disc, which, in fact, isn't really necessary, or should be at the end of the CD. However, the actual tracks are great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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