Late

One of the greatest live trio (saxophone-organ-drums) recordings.

Very much agreed. I'm gonna spin the whole album again right now.

My favorite Halloween tune. I love this track. I think I've played it five times today.

Let us know what you think after you've had a chance to spin it. Hopefully the Varitone doesn't get in the way of the groove! 😁 Stitt & Patterson could be considered The Anatomy of Hip. Oh, wait-a-minute...

Bad! Bossa Nova had three additional covers on Prestige. (The tiger cover was the second.) Weird. It was even issued on reel-to-reel!

Excellent! I've been spinning this disc in the mornings for the last four days. Such good grooves.

I didn't know until recently that "Onaje" means "Sensitive One" in Swahili. Thank goodness this record was made. 1976. Solo piano. The centerpiece of the album, for me, is the longest tune, a Gumbs original called "Street Life." I usually prefer trio records to solo, but man. This album is not your usual piano fare. What pianists do you hear as influences when you spin this record? Some Jaki, some McCoy, and maybe even a little Stevie Wonder? Another note—covers of "Giant Steps," no matter how brilliantly played, are usually forgettable, but not Gumbs' version. He makes it his own. I think this is more than a good record. It might very well be great.

I noticed—while browsing eBay, Amazon, and discogs—that the entire Legends of Acid Jazz series is now pretty scarce. Some discs are going for weirdly high prices. I came to the series many years after its initial run and don't have that many. I'd say you can safely skip that Stitt disc pictured above if you don't like the Varitone. Stitt's solos are excellent, but it's one of the worst Varitone sounds I've heard—the octave doubling isn't there, and it sounds like Sonny has a drawer-full of socks stuffed down the bell of his horn. That said, the music is amazing, and Muhammad just kills on the record. I love that guy's playing. I wish Craft would find a way to re-release their catalog of late 60's-early 70's organ dates.

Idris Muhammad is TIGHT on this record, part of Prestige's long-gone Acid Jazz series. Has anyone here listened to a disc from that series lately? I'm enjoying the few I have all over again. Stitt fit in so seamlessly with Don Patterson. His use of the Varitone doesn't bother me. Another thing I realized—Sonny Stitt almost NEVER played out of tune. The guy was like Johnny Hodges—flawless solos.

Listened to the entire disc of this concert yesterday. Absolutely magnificent. I think it's actually the strongest of the three available 1961 concerts. The Graz show was before the Bremen and Stuttgart shows—this trio was on fire from the start. The Tübingen concert needs to be released! Jimmy Giuffre 3: Live In Tübingen, 1961

Thank you guys for the recommendations and tips! 👍

I was actually trying to imagine how Giuffre's sound would (or wouldn't) blend with Robinson's. I imagine, mid-60's, the music would be great. Oh! Prime Perry Robinson from 1978 can be heard here: You can listen to the whole album here. Highly recommended.

I was thinking about Perry Robinson today. For some reason I was creating an unlikely and imaginary quartet in my head: Robinson, Jimmy Giuffre, Steve Swallow, Pete LaRoca.

Good to know and much agreed. I listened to Capra Black just this afternoon. Yeah, the Bellaphon disc is really showing its age. I wonder why the Strata East Bandcamp page lists Virgil Jones though? Weird typo. All I can think is that Virgil Jones was in Harper's band when he made Black Saint. At any rate, Kevin Gray is doing the digital transfers of the Strata East stuff for Mack Avenue. I'm hopeful a CD will eventually emerge. There's one (upcoming) of Izipho Zam.

I'm excited for Capra Black to see a new reissue on compact disc—at least I assume we'll see a CD issue. The 1993 Bellaphon issue is alright, but a little tinny sounding. It's such a great album. Here's a question—on my compact disc (of Capra Black), it states that the trumpet player is Jimmy Owens. On the Strata East Bandcamp page, it says that the trumpet player on Capra Black is Virgil Jones. Uh?

I don't have that disc, but I'm sure other members here do. I listened to the ezz-thetics edition three times today. My ears are getting used to Brändli's transfer. I like it. That said, if one already has the music, then passing on the (relatively expensive) ezz-thetics issue allows for funds to go elsewhere—always a good thing. 👍

Hello All, Bumping this almost 17 year-old thread up. I'll be in Tokyo (first time) in a month, and thought I'd ask the board for any recommendations or suggestions regarding: • a good place to look for used jazz on compact disc; seems like everything on my wishlist would qualify as "used" • any particular bars that are jazz themed; the people I'll be with are only moderately interested in jazz (Shearing, Guaraldi) but are into exploring • any particular restaurants that are worth checking out (within generally reasonable budgetary limits) • any whiskey bars that are off the beaten path • transportation advice I'm very open to any traveler's tips. My friends have been before, but I'm a rookie to the whole scene. There won't be kids on this trip, so we can skip those type of attractions. Thanks!

Dusty Groove still has quite a few Muzak reissues at $8.99. A number are out-of-stock, but some are still available. Bill Holman's In A Jazz Orbit in particular sounds so much better in this new reissue. The Konitz Storyville 2-disc set as well.

I have the compact disc of Footloose! on a Japanese release (COCB 50603), and recently compared it to the new ezz-thetics release. I'd say the new ezz-thetics release is worth hearing. The sound on these recordings was never great. The music of course is near revolutionary at times. Some observations: • The editions I have do sound different. There isn't necessarily a "better" version. The Japanese edition has a wider stereo spread, more noticeable tape hiss, and warmer bass. The piano and drums are slightly recessed. • The ezz-thetics edition is narrower in its soundstage, almost mono sounding at times, and brings out the piano and drums. Brändli seems to have somehow shifted LaRoca's drums from the right channel to the center—but only for some tracks. • The ezz-thetics edition, because the drums are much clearer (while occasionally at the expense of Swallow's bass), really had me focus on how in sync Pete LaRoca was with what Bley was doing. In my mind, I always pair Paul Motian with Bley for this period. But these Savoy recordings, especially in this ezz-thetics edition, reveal how much of a listener LaRoca was. He's clearly into the music and not just keeping time. • I prefer the warmth of the bass in the Japanese edition. The ezz-thetics edition doesn't sound bad, just different for the bass—punchier, I guess. Hearing it with more clarity has made me consider whether Swallow had been listening to Charlie Haden around this time. I've never really noticed the Haden-isms in Swallow's playing. • I'm very familiar with the original 8 tracks of this album, and much less familiar with the additional 5 tracks and 2 alternates. For me, the ezz-thetics edition is valuable for the additional tracks, but they do break up the order of the original album. Not sure why Werner did that. Perhaps this was the original recording order? It's silly that the two alternates were left off when there was plenty of room to include them, but I actually think (though have no proof) that Werner listens to his own product, and wanted the listening experience to omit these tracks. • I doubt very much that Brändli's transfer is from the master tapes. I also doubt that this reissue was licensed from the appropriate estates. When Werner licenses stuff with approval (as he has with Desiree Ayler for all the Ayler reissues), he always prints that on the packaging. • Comparing the two editions I have has made me listen closer to the music. I've always liked these recordings, but now I'm thinking about how forward-thinking they must have been for the time. I'm a big Bill Evans fan, but Evans just can't compare to Bley as far as pushing the music out of the safety zone of the piano trio format. I think Scott LaFaro would've loved this album. Had he lived, I think he would've been open to performing with Bley. Whether Bley would've been receptive...I'm guessing yes, but who knows.

She hired Armando Korea to do some electronic keywork I hear.

👍 My first exposure to Aketagawa. The record that comes right after this one is also good. His piano is almost microtonal. 😁 Crouch informed me that he only listened to Miles Davis up to Phyllis D. Killy Man Jar-Oh.

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Yes. 😁 The one time I met Stanley Crouch, he shook my hand. It was the weirdest of grips. Wynton was there and gave Stanley a look.