Late

I imagine most people here (pre)ordering this set already are familiar with the music. I'd like to read more opinions/reviews on the playing. Here's my 2¢: I've always been fond of this set for Miles' soloing. In fact, I find his improvisations here a lot more interesting than on the Plugged Nickel set. His chops are right on (as they aren't for the Plugged Nickel date), and his playing, to me, reveals a lot of confidence. That said, I would have to cast my vote with the I-think-I-would-rather-have-a-different-second-horn-than-Mobley's group. Of course, I like Hank's playing, but my ears have never really been able to adjust to his approach in the context of a Miles Davis band. I don't think Hank lessens the musicality of the set at all, but, for some reason, I keep thinking of other horn players I'd like to hear instead. For some reason, Frank Strozier's name keeps popping up in my mind. He played with Miles close to this time, and I think (perhaps) he could have brought a little more fire to this gig. Just speculation, of course. History can't be changed, and I'm still very eager to pick up this set. Other feelings about the music?

When Andrew Hill turns 66 this June 30th, I will be exactly half his age. I don't know what it is about sharing a birthdate with someone you admire ... you just feel (sound of Fred Rogers' voice) "special." Wasn't Hill born in Haiti? I'm trying to imagine that country in the 30's.

I was listening to Freddie's Blue Spirits yesterday — what a marvelous session. Very glad to see it receiving the (J)RVG treatment. I hope the two bonus tracks ("The Melting Pot" and "True Colors," both from 1966) make it onto the upcoming Japanese remaster! Here's what I stumbled upon. Listening to "The Melting Pot" on headphones, I noticed a third horn (an alto saxophone) just under Freddie's horn on the left channel. Joe Henderson's on the right channel on tenor. Now ... Cuscuna makes special mention of this track in his 1987 liner notes for the album's initial reissue on compact disc. And he calls it a quintet track. The third horn doesn't solo at all, so I can see how "quintet" would come to mind right away, but I'm 99% sure that this is actually a sextet session. The question is ... who's on alto? My immediate response would be James Spaulding, not only because he was a Hubbard regular, but because the alto (which blends exceedingly well into the ensemble, and is easy to miss) actually has Spaulding's tone. Can anyone with a discography do a check to see if Spaulding was at (or was listed as being at) the session? The cd liners don't list him as being there. Hosea Taylor (on bassoon), however, was there, and I wonder if perhaps he doubled on alto just for the ensemble passages. The actual date of the recording session is March 5, 1966 — apparently Freddie's last studio session for Blue Note (before he came back in the 80's). Only two tracks were completed, according to Cuscuna's note. "The Melting Pot," as I'm sure a lot of you already know, is a wonderful track (and composition), and I wish there had been more from this session! Bertrand? Kevin? Others?

Had to go with The All Seeing Eye. Ten years ago I lived in London (only for three months, but it seemed longer), and, for whatever reasons, had only five albums to listen to. One of them was The All Seeing Eye. For me, it's not only the most progressive Shorter album from the 60's, but it also contains his most expressive soloing ... though my favorite Shorter solo will always be the title track from "Speak No Evil" — a complete short story in that improvisation. Fitzgerald, Joyce ... would have been proud.

First post to this board! (After four years at the BNBB, I finally reached the hallowed 1,000 post mark. A few days later — of course this old news — the board went tumbling down. Now it's back to square one.) I voted for Involution. This album, along with Andrew! has always been my favorite Hill. Rivers seems to have an intuitive sense about Hill's music, and the compositions seem to me to contain some of Hill's most poignant, while perhaps less complicated, writing. The titles also seem to add a lot to the session's overall feel. In addition, the rhythm section (with Richard Davis noticeably absent) is a nice change of pace. This particular quartet session, more than any other Hill session I've heard, continues to pay the most handsome dividends. There's always something new to explore. Even the occasional moments of harpsichord begin to feel essential. I'd love to hear others' perspective on this one. Now ... what I really want to hear is that unissued trio session with Ron Carter. Glad to have joined the group, Late