Weekly Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s
03/10/20 - Claude Hopkins – Soliloquy (Sackville, 1972)
03/09/20 - Julius Hemphill – Dogon A.D. (Mbari/Arista-Freedom/IPI, 1972)
03/08/20 - Sonny Stitt – Endgame Brilliance (32 Jazz, 1997)
03/07/20 - Chick Corea – Return to Forever (ECM, 1972)
03/07/20 - Hugh Masekela – Home Is Where the Music Is (Chisa/Blue Thumb, 1972)
03/05/20 - Larry Coryell – The Offering (Vanguard/Wounded Bird, 1972)
03/04/20 - Weather Report – Live in Tokyo (CBS Japan/Wounded Bird, 1972)
I was hoping to get caught up on my write-ups this week. No such luck. In fact, I've fallen further behind. ... Work has been incredibly busy. I work in corporate communications (internal, employee-focused), and we've been scrambling to keep our employees informed in response to COVID-19. Hard to sprint thru the workday and then come home and focus on this project. Plus family responsibilities. Argh.
As for the music... Some unbelievable records this week:
Dogon A.D. A blazing masterpiece. Live in Tokyo. Scarcely less impressive.
Return to Forever and Home Is Where the Music Is are both records that are very close to my heart.
And do NOT sleep on that Claude Hopkins record. It's like eavesdropping on someone quietly ruminating on the past. SUPER-understated -- but also vivid and unforgettable. I love it.
And so much diverse music in such a short span! Blues & Bop. Free jazz. Fusion. Latin. Stride. South African soul-jazz/Cape-jazz. New, new, new and old too. All recorded in a period of five months: January to May 1972.