HutchFan

But that date is clearly led by Reggie Workman, right? It's not "leaderless."

Picking up a long-dormant thread ... Just read an article about Archie Shepp on the Bandcamp site. Nothing out of this world. But worth a read: https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/archie-shepp-album-list

Picked this up recently. Enjoying it very much. If I had to pick just one, I'd go with Capra Black. I love how GRAND it is, how all-encompassing and ambitious, Jazz without borders. All that said, Soran-Bushi, B.H. is extraordinary too!

NP: Billy Harper - Soran-Bushi, B.H. (Denon, 1978) One of Harper's best, I think.

Jay McShann, Buddy Tate - Crazy Legs & Friday Strut (Sackville, 1977) Good stuff!

I think it's his best solo outing too.

Tate with Jacquet, Eldridge, and Mary Lou. Excellent.

Jay Hoggard - The Fountain (Muse, 1992)

Disc 1

Sweet Basil Trio - St. Thomas (Evidence) Cedar's one of my guys, but I only recently heard this particular disc for the first time. I shouldn't have waited so long. It's a doozy. RC plays well, but the Cedar Walton - Billy Higgins hookup is just out of this world. It really is ridiculous. ... Listening to this music, I can't help but think that Walton & Higgins deserve to be regarded as one of the LEGENDARY partnerships in jazz, right up there with Prez & Billie, Coltrane & Elvin, Mingus & Dannie, and all the rest.

It's a great book. I got it for Christmas a few years ago. 👍

Disc 1 of 2

and

More Andrew Hill solo piano:

I think that LP is outstanding, a gem hidden in plain sight. I included it in my 70s jazz survey. You can tell that rhythm section is a long-standing unit -- and Tabackin sounds inspired by their accompaniment.

Andrew Hill - Hommage (Eastwind, 1975) Superb.

Anders Bergcrantz Quartet - C (Dragon, 1997) with Richie Beirach, Ron McClure, and Adam Nussbaum

I'm glad that you've enjoyed the blog, Eric. I didn't start collecting records in earnest until the mid-90s. Until then, I was college student with hardly any cash! Fortunately for me, the UGA library included many, many recordings. BTW, my exploration of 70s jazz is entirely retrospective. I was just a kid at the time. So I missed out on all the cut-outs many of you are describing. No Blood Ulmer. So no harmolodics. ... I considered Captain Black. But -- at the end of the day -- it's just not my bag. Remember, this blog ISN'T history. Or maybe it's a "personal history." It wasn't my aim to be objective.

Blakey's on the list because I dig the records he made in the 70s. I'm surprised you gents don't like Bobby Watson/James Williams Messengers. I think they were TIGHT! IMO, the LPs they made for Concord and Timeless are excellent and very under-appreciated. I like Blakey's Prestige LPs from the earlier part of the decade, but they aren't nearly as compelling to me as the band heard on In This Korner ... Honestly, I don't like the band with Wynton as much either. For example, I'd take either volume of In My Prime over the much more well-known Album of the Year. I could have EASILY chosen Manhattan Symphonie or one of the SteepleChases (say, The Apartment or maybe Lullabye for a Monster). They're GREAT records. But I think there's something special about the LIVE vibe at the Keystone. ... And, more than anything else, it's the LP that I pull from the shelf more frequently than those others. It's my favorite.