CJ Shearn

wow, this sounds great! The fusion of Chinese instrumentation with a jazz group is pretty hip. I'm sure there are other musicians who have integrated such a sound, but my familiarity with it is small, only the Chinese opera type thing with Indonesian gamelan on PMG's "Imaginary Day"comes closest for me. The vocals remind me a little bit of "A New Perspective". I am definitely picking this up!

great post. I only have him on JOS' "Home Cookin" but he was a great player. Did he call Sugar, the Turrentine tune?

CHEWY, ARE YOU ON CRACK? YOU KNOW YOU CAN TONE DOWN THE CAPS a little bit please!

this Mozambique session is growing on me more and more. The grooves, and this is what I like about the Christian McBride Tonic album too, is that they don't let up. Soulive has definitely taken the influence from this kind of boogaloo material, but..... GG and company do it way better. Also, Clarence Thomas and Houston Person, as well as Ronnie Foster (to an extent) keep the one chord grooving from getting too boring. I never thought I'd dig a version of "Walk on By" as I find the Dionne Warwick version very corny, but Grant makes it work. And another point of yours Soulstream, when you were in your bad mood you said there wasn't much stretching but I think on the last 5 tunes in particular, Grant and Houston dig in particularly well. If I had another chance to see Houston again soon, and hes not getting any younger, I'd have him sign it. I wonder if he knows Blue Note has just put it out. The second time I saw him at Binghamton University, he remembered me, by name, and that was so cool.

a new KB on BN? I'm there. Please record a trio with Joey D. Kenny has always been one of my fav. guitarists, his tone, touch, phrasing and subtlety are unbelievable. Still, my fav. album of his is "Blue Lights", excellent blowing date.

I agree with much of what you are saying monkboughtlunch re: Grant's studio records of the period but this Mozambique set is about butt shaking groove music, and there is some meat with the sax solos, which I think add more interest to the songs. Chewy/Aric........ I think your dismissal of those who don't like funky Grant is a little short sighted, and its incredibly hard to understand anything in your posts.

he was a damn good hard bop player though! And nobody could play those single note horn lines like Grant. Repetitions or not, it was wonderful, IMHO. And, listening to this Mozambique side, its very clear how much of an influence GG had on George Benson. "I Am Somebody" smokes!

anyone pick this up yet on CD? I ordered it from wherehouse music last night w/ Coconuts store credit. How is the sound generally on Wounded Bird reissues?

just got mine, I agree with jazzypaul, Green in 1961 and 1971 are different animals. Man, the best thing about this album are the sax solos, they just go out of control. More than once Clarence Thomas' playing made me laugh out loud. Like Harold Alexander on "Understanding", hearing Coltrane and various out licks over a one chord vamp crack me up.

I dig her fro on the cover!

I had the box for years and sold it. I just plan to buy the original albums of sessions I like the best, I am starting to prefer individual albums over boxsets, unless its live stuff.

the Mehldau collaboration should be interesting, looking forward to picking it up, but what I'm really waiting for is The Way Up: Live DVD being released this fall.

oh wow. maybe someone has additional live shows of these guys? I know some radio/TV stations in Europe broadcast stuff from Northsea often. So, on the album review subject you think Tesser (who I've seen write in Downbeat and Jazz Times I think) missed the point of the music and this "tribute"? And Lazaro, I agree! the way they do the head is just amazing, like "holy shit!!"

awesome. Was the setlist similar to the album?

isn't one of the future releases supposed to be 1969 Juan Les Pins concerts?

I heard a strange review of this on NPR's Listen Here by Neil Tesser yesterday. He said he felt the album was lacking something and the trio failed to live up to expectations "both live and on record". Is this guy off his rocker? It seems he missed the point of the music, the trio not playing Lifetime verbatim, but doing their own thing, which is the best form of tribute. They also said "Saudades" is a Brazillian tinged title track, where do they hear that? To my ears I hear it as a loose funk-rock tune. Jazztimes also gave this one a weird review too, stating the music is more "Back At the Chicken Shack than Lifetime".

my friend ordered this for me as a belated b-day gift, hope it comes soon.

great! I will be checking his new one out for sure. I have this live show from the Pursuance tour recorded at the Knitting Factory, man it cooks! Pat Metheny on "Wayne's Thang" is great. One of the best guitar synth solos I've heard him do, ever.

"Every Day (I Thank You) is one of Pat's best ballads IMO, I was listening to it last night, such pretty changes and a great Brecker solo. David Sanchez played this with the Pat Metheny Trio recently and it did not have the same effect. I also love Brecker's solo on "Two Folk Songs" it's really funny too, a bassist I am friends with who's in a few local bands, we talk about that tune the first thing we talk about is how out Mike's solo is. "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOO" Jack DeJohnette man!" at the end of "The Turnaround" is priceless. Calling Joe Gloss, calling Joe Gloss!

I have never heard of Nigel Kennedy, perhaps b/c I have been out of classical for a long time, but something with Jack DeJohnette is hard for me to say no to! Actually, the soundclips sound really nice.

wow, a boxset would be interesting. What group does this document?

ok, I will give it that Prayer Meetin and Rockin the Boat have similar feels, and, they were contractual obligation records. But, I have to disagree with The Sounds of Jimmy Smith being weak, I don't have the RVG b/c I have the Mosaic. I enjoy the Date with Jimmy Smith session, though to me its not as polished as the later jams to come, and there are balance issues with the sound, especially noticeable with the organ on "Falling in Love with Love".

I'm with Parkertown on this one. Robert H., would you care to expand on what you feel makes JOS BN's "tired", and which ones?

......ok an RVG of Workin, after the box just came out?

this is a well known bootleg released from the Midem jazz fest several times under different titles. Features the Heath brothers. Pat has no connection with releasing this material.