HutchFan

Earlier: Tito Puente & His Latin Jazz Ensemble - Sensación (Concord Picante) Now: Chico O'Farrill - Cuban Blues: The Chico O'Farrill Sessions (Verve)

That's very interesting, Allen. Didn't Betty Carter also famously rail against Ornette? You could probably say the same thing about some of her music too -- just like Moody in your anecdote. You can't always trust what an artist says. Far more important is what they create. For example, Miles said many, many ridiculous things. But it's hard to argue with what he made. Or at least that's how I try to think about it.

The first Mingus record I ever heard. Made me an instant fan of both Mingus and Booker Ervin. (Took me longer to hear the beauty in Eric Dolphy, but I eventually found my way in.) To this day, Antibes is my desert-island pick for Mingus. No love like a first love.

Today's entry on my Jazz-in-the-70s blog: Donald Byrd - Electric Byrd (1970) Wow! What an amazing alignment of circumstances for you guys, hearing all that great music so inexpensively, so early in your lives. I have a wonderful collection of music now. But I still can't help being "retroactively" jealous! Seriously!

Maybe. Just maybe!

Lee Morgan - Live at the Lighthouse (Blue Note, 1970)

Fascinating maps & images.

Prompted by some Woody Shaw talk elsewhere on the board:

Eddie Palmieri - Vortex (TropiJazz, 1996)

IMO, every single one of Woody's records in the 1970s was -- at a minimum -- very, very good. And many were much better than that. ... One of the most remarkable and consistent artists of the decade. Those two Moody Muses are outstanding, for sure. This Perception release -- from right around the same time -- is killer too.

Oh. You did. Whoops! As for which Woody Shaw I chose, you'll just have to wait and see.

Earlier this evening: Charles Tolliver's Music Inc. recordings from Slugs' Saloon are the subject of today's post on my blog, PLAYING FAVORITES.

That very well may have been the case, Ken. None of the (recorded) music that Woods made for the rest of his life was quite like the ERM stuff. Seems like he could've returned to something like it if he'd wanted to -- at least at some point. Larry, I wholeheartedly agree with you that Phil's soloing with Quincy's big band is terrific.

I think I only own one Mood Records release: Larry Coryell's Standing Ovation. My LP is actually a U.S. release. I guess Novus licensed the music from Mood. In any case, it's outstanding (assuming you like Coryell in "acoustic" mode). I've always wanted to hear this: Anyone have it?

Interesting. I wish I could have seen that band. Or the ERM. Either one! I've read similar things about Phil's assessment of Musique du bois. To be honest, I think he judges the music more harshly than it deserves. He may not have liked where the Byard/Davis/Dawson rhythm section took the music -- but I think it sounded great. That version of "Willow Weep for Me"! Phew!!!

Now streaming (via Amazon Prime): A compilation of Barretto's jazz-oriented music that he made while he was with Fania. Selected by Bobby Sanabria.

Wow! That was a STEAL.

Oh, his playing was more traditional. But I think it was still good. Live at the Showboat is a SOLID record -- and very influential. And, since it came out on RCA, I bet it sold ten times the amount the ERM records did. ... Not that sales are everything. ... But sales are something. No? EDIT: Still mulling this. It's interesting -- and maybe a bit sad (?) -- to think about the fact that the "brand" of music that Phil was making in Europe didn't / couldn't make the transition back to the U.S. I suppose those studio cats out there in Cali who came to see him with his new band expected him to sound just like he did before left for Europe. ... I wonder if it would have been different if Woods had tried to start again in NYC. Or would people expected him to stick to the bop bag there too? An irony. Most people associate idea of "compromise" or (worse yet) "selling out" with electric instruments and moving in non-traditional jazz directions. Especially when it comes to jazz in the 1970s. Maybe this is an example of it happening in the opposite direction. Was Phil compromising when he returned to bop? ... I don't mean this in a judgmental way, btw. It's just interesting and ironic that Phil had to STAY AWAY from electric instruments to make money, while others had to PICK THEM UP to make money. As usual, things are more complicated than they're made out to be.

Thanks for sharing that, Jim. Phil was a good writer. He puts across his personality well. Does anyone have any news about the autobiography that he was writing? Did it ever get published?

Rooster, I remember when you posted your reactions to the music when you got that set. You thought Never Let It End was amazing, the best of the five in the set. At that point, I'd already decided to include Never Let It End in my survey -- but it was nice to hear from someone else who had the same "Wow!" reaction that I did. It's one of many MPS recordings that deserve to be regarded as "classics," IMO. And, sadly, most of them are completely ignored -- at least here in the U.S.

Interesting. I've heard that music but I've never seen those liner notes. It's odd to think that Woods had to "regain his footing" when he returned to the U.S. I recall reading something similar years ago, when Woods would share content on the web that he was planning to use for his autobiography.

Yeah! It was tough for me to choose which Woods to include. I think he made several excellent (and quite different) records during the decade. I kept going back-and-forth between Frankfurt, Musique du bois, and Live at the Showboat. Not sure I'd go as far as you in calling The Free Slave the "very best" Muse album -- but it's certainly ONE OF the label's best.

I agree. The balance of the group changed after Wayne left. Honestly, if Miles had decided to make studio records with the Wayne/Chick/Holland/DeJohnette band, I bet they'd be known as the "Third Great Quintet" instead of the "Lost Quintet." I think they were THAT good.

Yes. A "perfect" record. Earlier today: