Late

Finally got around to sleuthing out which live date I thought Morell sounded good on. It's this one from 1974: This was recorded live for CBC radio; it's an excellent recording, even if Gomez seems miked just a little too close at times. Morell is more aggressive than usual, which is why I took notice. When he trades fours with Evans on the opener "One For Helen," he has some good ideas, but I will say the execution feels a little stiff — he plays right on, and sometimes slightly ahead of, the beat. The album, which I think presents Evans at a highpoint in the 70's, won't change anyone's opinion of Morell. But he IS locked in with Gomez, which is nice, and Evans takes more chances than usual. Of those I've heard, I'd say this is one of Evans' best live recordings from the mid-70's. Oh, and the cover drawing is by Tony Bennett!

Listened to the tracks last night where Nelson is part of a quintet on Red Garland's Soul Burnin'. Recommended.

If this current reissue of Sun Ship uses the 2011 Japanese remastering, Coltrane fans will want to hear it. It's the best-sounding version to my ears — much better than the complete U.S. edition. It also follows Ed Michel's (minor and tasteful) edits, which tighten the album.

Very excited to hear this release. I wonder if Ravi will bring to light any of the "lost" recordings from 1967 (assuming there are tapes lying in boxes within boxes inside a trunk up in the attic behind Ray Draper's first tuba).

Bump ... for Coltrane's upcoming birthday party. What other tracks from the Half Note recordings didn't appear on the official release?

Totally agree. "Creation" is one of Coltrane's greatest recorded moments in my opinion. I can't imagine exactly who the target audience is for this current release on hat/ezz-thetics. I'm sure it's a nice reissue, but still.

Let me see if I can find the specific track where Morell's soloing stood out to me. Playing behind Evans, Morell is ... unobtrusive.

Uh? (Release the rest of the Half Note recordings instead!)

Yes. (Both shows are on YouTube, while not under those titles.) The 1979 concert in particular is very good. I look forward to how Resonance will present these concerts, and if there are any additional tracks. On the topic of drummers with Evans — that could probably be a thread to itself! Motian is near-perfect for the original trio, though I would like to have heard what he would've played with Evans in the 70's. I wasn't crazy about Morell when I first heard him, but his playing on some live sets (I think) is quite good; more interesting than Arnold Wise or Joe Hunt. Eliot Zigmund, for me, is the underrated Evans drummer. His triplets on brushes often remind me of Elvin Jones but with a much lighter touch. Joe LaBarbera was a great fit for the final trio, though I would like to have heard DeJohnette guest, say, in 1979.

I've been on a 70's/80 Evans kick lately, so I don't mind more releases. The recording that has really been clicking for me lately is The Sesjun Radio Shows. Some beautiful arco playing by Gomez there, which you don't always hear (usually pizzicato). I'm looking forward to the (official?) release of the Buenos Aires concerts. I just hope there will be CD issues. One thing about Evans concerts/broadcasts — some of them were really well-recorded.

This December, Resonance is apparently releasing the two Buenos Aires concerts on vinyl — 1973 with Gomez and Morell, and 1979 with Johson and LaBarbera. The concerts have been circulating for some time, but I'm guessing these new releases will be with the permission of the Evans estate. I've never owned the bootlegs, so it'll be nice to hear these new versions ... hopefully on CD as well.

Ha! If not the algorists, then it's the abacists ...

As far as I know, it's on CD only as part of the Mosaic. Discussion of DeFranco (on this thread) had me get out my what I have by him on compact disc. It turns out that I have far less than I thought — that is, if I don't count CDRs (vinyl rips, downloads etc.). One disc that I really like is Gone With The Wind, which is a collection of four sessions, all from 1952, on one compact disc, reissued in 1998 through the Japanese market. It has Kenny Drew throughout, and adds Jimmy Raney on quite a few tracks. Bassists are either Curly Russell or Teddy Kotick; drummers are Art Taylor or Art Blakey. The sessions were originally out on MGM. This is the disc in question: Superlative bebop-inflected playing by DeFranco here. Highly recommended. Have you listened to the album on YouTube? It's better than I thought it was going to be. I've bookmarked the upcoming CD reissue on CD Japan ...

Cool cover: Looks like a lot of original compositions on that record ...

If I had to choose just three, these would be my picks: 1. Autumn Leaves (alternately titled "The Artistry of Buddy DeFranco") • Sonny Clark is really good on this one; DeFranco gives him a fair amount of space. 2. In A Mellow Tone • A tasty version of "A Foggy Day" on this one; simple and swinging. 3. Jazz Tones • You can sample the whole album on YouTube. Clark plays organ for some tracks on Cooking The Blues and Sweet And Lovely, so if organ isn't your thing, sample first. I've never heard Odalisque. There are some other DeFranco albums from this period that have Kenny Drew on them. Sometimes, I admit, I forget who's on what album (Clark/Drew).

Nice! Thanks for that. The Mainieri can be heard in full by clicking on that link (directly above). Better than I would have expected. I think a pre-order might be in store for that one. Also will order some DeFranco's with Sonny Clark that I don't have. Plus the Marmarosa which I only have on CDR. I wonder if 200 titles (which is a lot) will be the total amount, or if this series will continue. I wouldn't be surprised if at least 100 more were added later. Just noticed that when you click on a certain title on CD Japan, the description gives you the year of the remaster.

Edit: It looks like the Al Haig album I linked above is only part of Chelsea Bridge. In fact, just two songs ...

Nice! I didn't even know this album existed. Here it is on YouTube: Chelsea Bridge. Also on the reissue list are two other fine trio albums: Dodo's Back! Breakin' It Up!

The Mainieri is new to me ... Insight

I've never dealt with this one. Maybe it's time ... Adderley's Capitol output (well, what I've heard) is uniformly excellent. Accent On Africa is very good. So is the above-mentioned 74 Miles Away. My favorite is actually The Happy People, but I think I'm in the minority on that recording. I'm guessing you've heard/own The Black Messiah? That's the one, in my opinion, that's truly essential, warts-and-all (and there are definitely some warts). In Person is also very good, with cameos by Lou Rawls and Nancy Wilson.

It's all about lasers and Lifesavers.

Nice to see some Adderley Capitol titles reissued again. The Live! date with Charles Lloyd is very good; this will be only the second time it's been out on compact disc (as far as I know). The previous Japanese reissue was around for about 11 minutes. First time for this Hamilton album on compact disc? I've never heard it.

It looks like Universal Japan is planning a fairly extensive reissue campaign of select Blue Note, Pacific Jazz, Liberty, Verve, EmArcy, Impulse!, and Capitol titles. Two batches slated so far: October 20, 2021 November 11, 2021 Looks like some Transition, Argo, Cadet, and United Artists titles too. And one or two Solid State, Decca, and East Wind titles ...

Brian Wilson was at the gig. He lent Donald Garrett his harmonica.