HutchFan

Yeah, I bet that'll be really good. Same band as heard on this archival release: Redux ´78

"Oh jeez. He's having another heart attaaaack."

Now: Earlier:

Now: Johnny Hodges & Wild Bill Davis - Jazz Tribune: Vol. 1 - 2 / 1965-1966 (RCA) Disc 1 - originally released as Con Soul and Sax Earlier: Duke Ellington - The Piano Player (Storyville)

This favorite again: Those two -- Hells Bells and Inc.1 -- are among Hicks' most exceptional outings, for sure. "Avojca" !!! I'd probably put one other Hicks trio record up there at the top of the heap as well:

Ah. That makes sense.

Why that song, Chuck? (asked the Georgian)

How about Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues" with James P. Johnson? Maybe we haven't had flooding -- but the sense of apocalypse and sadness is right on the mark.

Prompted by John Hicks discussion elsewhere on the board: Absolutely!

I don't think anyone's mentioned this one: Top shelf stuff.

Another concert that I would've loved to have heard. I wonder if there's a recording of the concert you saw in the BBC's archives -- and, if so, will it ever see the light of day? I think Garrick was brilliant, unique.

Michael Garrick Band - Home Stretch Blues (Argo/Vocalion, 1972) I love this -- and all of Garrick's records with Norma Winstone. Wish I could have seen/heard that! I only had the opportunity to see Sonny one time, about ten years ago. Unfortunately, it was at an auditorium here in Atlanta with very poor acoustics, and I was sitting near the back of the hall. A less than ideal experience ...but at least I got to see him perform.

Cool! Gotta get that.

I know that you needed a Quadrophonic receiver for Quad LPs to "work as designed" -- but you could still listen to them on a regular stereo receiver, of course. As a kid, I remember pushing a button on my dad's Quad receiver, and the display would toggle between a big green "2" and a big green "4" -- indicating the number of speakers in your set-up. Since my dad only had two speakers, he never took advantage of the Quad functionality. No different than most people, I guess. One of the reasons it faded so fast. Four speakers cost more than two.

Sonny Rollins - Easy Living (Milestone/OJC, 1977) and Doug Carn featuring Jean Carn - Spirit of the New Land (Black Jazz/Real Gone Music, 1972)

Interesting! I've only heard a bit of Rubinstein's Schumann -- Fantasiestüke and Carnaval -- on this LP: Immaculate performances, as I'm sure you gents know. That's why I assumed Rubinstein's other Schumann recordings would be crazy-good too.

and

Interesting cover illustration. I've never seen that before. I bet the music is good too.

I've heard some of Hutchings other records -- Wisdom of Elders -- but I haven't listened especially closely. We Are Sent Here by History is his first that I've really gotten to know. That's going to be changing though. NP: Now this is a different cuppa altogether. Such a great band. Always great to hear Frank Strozier. And Shelly Manne is so easy to overlook. What an excellent drummer he was.

Fascinating article. Thanks for sharing this, Mark. Along with the issue of gender representation, I think this article also raises some broader, interesting questions about both canonicity and critical consensus -- and how those come to be formed. These were questions that I wrestled with as I was developing my 70s jazz blog. I'm still convinced that the idea of a numbered list of "best" discs of the year is bunk. But, obviously, I love the idea of lists as a means of exploring what other listeners enjoy and value. I think all of these lists would become much more valid if we acknowledged the subjectivity of our/their selections, how rooted they are in each list-maker's particular experiences, predilections, circumstances, and tastes. Naturally, gender is part of this equation too. Coming to terms with this subjectivity would free all of us from the folly of calling any art "best." IMO.

Shabaka & the Ancestors - We Are Sent Here by History (Impulse) Very, very impressive. And totally rooted in a late-60s/early-70s jazz vibe/aesthetic. All sorts of echoes -- not a coincidence that this is on the Impulse imprint -- but re-swizzled and contemporary. Along with Pharoah and Shepp and Marion Brown and the rest, S. African "township jazz" is also a huge part of their equation: the Blue Notes, Brotherhood of Breath, Moholo, Pukwana, Dyani. (The bassist is killer à la Dyani. Terrific GROOVE but more than just groove.) Love the poetry, the freedom to fly around ignoring borders of genre, the visionary aspect. This doesn't operate like "normal" jazz, nor is it trying to. And I think that's exciting, especially when the music coalesces as well as this does.

More Diz:

Dizzy Gillespie - Jambo Caribe (Limelight) Hooray for Diz !!! And Moody too !!!