GA Russell

I noticed last week that BMG is now carrying Jackie McLean's Consequence. Has that been noted here yet by all you Jackie Mac fans?

Here's the Cryptogramophone bio of Maupin: Bennie Maupin is best known for his atmospheric bass clarinet playing on Miles Davis’ classic “Bitches Brew” album, as well as other Miles Davis recordings such as, “Big Fun” “Jack Johnson,” and “On the Corner.” He was a founding member of Herbie Hancock’s seminal band The Headhunters, as well as a performer and composer in Hancock’s influential Mwandishi band. Born in 1940, Maupin started playing clarinet, later adding saxophone, flute and, most notably, the bass clarinet to his formidable arsenal of woodwind instruments. Upon moving to New York in 1962, he freelanced with groups led by Marion Brown, Pharoah Saunders, and Chick Corea, and played regularly with Roy Haynes and Horace Silver. He also recorded with McCoy Tyner, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Jack DeJohnette, Andrew Hill, Eddie Henderson, and Woody Shaw to name only a few. Maupin’s own discography as a leader includes a well-received recording for ECM Records, “The Jewel in The Lotus” (1974), “Slow Traffic to the Right” (1976), “Moonscapes” both on Mercury Records (1978), and “Driving While Black” on Intuition, (1998). The instrumentation of Maupin’s current group The Bennie Maupin Ensemble, harkens back to the tradition of great saxophone-bass-drum trios, such as the group led by Sonny Rollins with Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones. While echoes of the great John Coltrane can be heard in Maupin’s work, one can also discern the influences of Yusef Lateef, Sonny Rollins, and Eric Dolphy, as well as Maupin’s contemporaries like Wayne Shorter and the late Joe Henderson. Maupin’s approach to his music is intentional and profound, yet alive in the interpretation of the moment. He maintains active performing and teaching careers in Europe, and the US. Bennie Maupin currently resides in the Los Angeles area. The Bennie Maupin Ensemble came about as a result of Bennie’s continuing musical association and friendship with drummer/percussionist Michael Stephans. Internationally renowned bassist Darek Oles was a natural addition because of his open approach to interpretation and improvisation, as well as his masterful bass playing. In early 2003 world class percussionist Munyungo Jackson joined the group, and the Bennie Maupin Ensemble was born. Penumbra -. Woodwind player Bennie Maupin has recorded with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Lee Morgan, Jack DeJohnette, Andrew Hill, and Eddie Henderson, to name only a few. His highly personal bass clarinet sound has helped define such important jazz albums as Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson, Big Fun and On the Corner, as well as recordings by Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band, and the Headhunters. Penumbra is a profound musical statement by an important jazz artist who is at the pinnacle of his artistic powers. Penumbra is dedicated to the memory of Lyle “Spud” Murphy.

Here are the liner notes: In this day and age of homogenization, compartmentalization, and relentless labeling of the musical arts, those among us who need the comfort of a “genre” or a “style” in order to say something like, “Oh, he’s a bebopper,” or “an avant-garde player,” can be easily confounded. Some of the best and most forward thinking of today’s young musicians clearly find ways to avoid being locked into a stylistic corner by self-proclaimed mavens of jazz and improvised music. Here on the left coast for example, guitarist Nels Cline in a single performance, can pay beautiful mellifluous homage to Jim Hall one minute, venture into the outer realms of Derek Bailey the next, and conclude with a searing, Hendrix-styled inspired burner (check out his wonderfully eclectic work on Cryptogramophone to see what I mean). Such eclecticism has to come from somewhere. Two of the major breeding grounds for this kind of imaginative diversity were and are, of course, the many musical odysseys of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Both were restless seekers, never satisfied with the status quo, always reaching beyond themselves for new and uncharted improvisational geographies. Both men, each in his own way, sounded a clarion call for musicians and listeners alike to wake up, shake off their complacency and, as J. Krishnamurti would have said, free themselves from the known. It’s safe to say that among those who were first to hear the call was woodwind virtuoso and master improviser, Bennie Maupin. To be a seeker in any art is a full-time thing. As a creative musician, one never stops listening, testing the waters, pushing the envelope, expanding the language. Bennie Maupin exemplifies the best of such things, and has embodied the spirits of both Miles and Coltrane as he forges his own unique sonic path and musical vision. His friendships and tutelage with Yusef Lateef, Sonny Rollins, and ‘Trane helped shape his musical personality; and the amazing breadth of his experience is reason enough to immerse yourself in his musical offerings. Bennie has played and recorded with a wide variety of musical icons, including trumpeters Davis, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard; pianists McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill; saxophonists Lateef and Marion Brown; and drummers Roy Haynes, Jack DeJohnette, and Lenny White - to name only a few. He has played in all manner of musical settings and configurations, from solo performances to large orchestra concerts; from chamber recitals to Broadway shows. There is simply nothing the man can’t do and do brilliantly. Early on in the metamorphosis of the Ensemble, Bennie began exploring the trio format, and we were aided by some great bassists; however, once Darek Oles entered the picture, Bennie was certain that his was the voice that would enable the compositions and improvisations to breathe in a way that would illuminate the music and take it to another level. Darek is the core of so much of what we do. His dark, beautifully resonant sound moves around and through the musical tapestry, warping and woofing, creating lovely and always intriguing harmonic and rhythmic counterpoint. Malleable and intensely creative, Darek is a joy to make music with, and brings so much beauty to Bennie’s vision. As if there were no end to his gifts, Darek is a gifted composer as well, as evidenced by his debut disc for Cryptogramophone, Like a Dream. Munyungo Jackson is a wonder, a wizard of sound and feeling, a virtuoso percussionist, and an empathetic, endlessly inventive musician. His deep and abiding musical and personal relationship with Bennie spans at least thirty years, and he has been a member of virtually every one of Bennie’s groups since the mid-70’s. Munyungo is an affable, worldly man whose persona and music are so irrepressible that he could play the air and make meaningful music. Everything has musical potential to him, from the conventional families of percussion instruments to thunder sheets and water glasses, to vox humana. Whatever sound source or rhythm Munyungo chooses to play, is realized in the most musical way. His improvisational sensitivity and lyricism make him one of the most sought after percussionists playing today. To bear witness to Bennie’s remarkable musicality as a listener is a wondrous thing. To be an intimate part of its creation and flowering is a gift and a blessing. I have been playing with Bennie for almost a decade, and the journey has been challenging, inspiring, and deeply rewarding. Bennie’s music and his approach to group playing have allowed me to expand my own musical lexicon, and it has afforded me the opportunity to better understand the notion of interconnectivity, both in music and in life. To play the drums in Bennie’s ensemble is to transcend playing the drums. One leaves one’s ego at the door, so to speak, and becomes a musical presence, focusing inward and outward simultaneously, always in a state of becoming. The Ensemble continues at this writing to grow and thrive. We play concerts in museums, churches, galleries, and universities, and we conduct master classes. We even play for elementary school children, giving them their first real exposure to improvised music. Yet, no matter where we play or who we play for, we invariably go where the muse leads us at that moment. And each time we play, we breathe together, as though we were one body. Thanks to a common aesthetic, mutual trust, and like-mindedness, the Ensemble has evolved to the point that we no longer play the music; the music plays us. It has been a truly remarkable experience. And like Miles did with his great bands, Bennie is the metaphysical glue that holds us all together. His clear vision shines brightly as we traverse these musical landscapes. For us, this organic music is a four-way conversation among old, dear friends. What could be better than that? -- Michael Stephans Bennie Maupin - bass clarinet, tenor & soprano saxophones, alto flute, piano Darek “Oles” Oleszkiewicz - bass Michael Stephans - drums Daryl Munyungo Jackson - percussion Track Listing 1. Neophilia 2006 4:31 2. Walter Bishop Jr. 6:32 3. Level Three 3:15 4. Blinkers 1:20 5. Penumbra 7:01 6. Mirror Image 1:14 7. Message to Prez 6:02 8. Tapping Things 5:35 9. Vapors 4:44 10. One for Eric Dolphy 2:33 11. See The Positive 2:48 12. Trope on a Rope 3:48 13. The 12th Day 2:52 14. Equal Justice 7:15 Total: 60:30 Album Credits All music by Bennie Maupin (Benpin Music BMI) except “Penumbra” by B. Maupin (Benpin Music BMI) D. Oleszkiewicz (L.A. Jazz Quartet Music BMI) M. Stephans (Endemic Music BMI) & D.M. Jackson (Djembe Music BMI). Produced by Bennie Maupin Executive Producers: Bennie Maupin & Jeff Gauthier Recorded by Nolan Shaheed, June 16,17 2003, at No Sound Studios, Pasadena,CA Except for “Equal Justice” - recorded by Wayne Peet, December 11, 2006, at Crypto Studios, Los Angeles, CA, and mixed by Rich Breen Mastered by Rich Breen Graphic Design by Alex Cline and Gareth Jiffeau Cover Art - “Penumbra” © 2006 by Martha Castillo (www.marthacastillo.com) Black and white photograph by Barbara DuMetz Color photograph by Dietmar Halbauer

Happy Birthday!

Happy belated Birthday!

CD Universe says: List Price $17.98; Their Price $14.29; Pre-Order Price $12.59.

I'm sorry that race is part of the picture. Let's suppose she was white. I don't think a stripper with that history should be able to ruin the reputations of college students.

I've listened to it every night since I opened it up, and with each listen I like it more.

I'd like to tell you about a new album I'm very excited about. Of all the albums (both new and reissues) I have opened up since Christmas, this is my favorite. It's called Penumbra by The Bennie Maupin Ensemble. I was given an advance copy. It goes on sale May 9. The group is a quartet with Maupin on bass clarinet, tenor and soprano saxophones, alto flute and on the last track piano. The others I am unfamiliar with: Darek Oleszkiewicz does a great job on bass, with Michael Stephans on drums and Daryl Munyungo Jackson on percussion. The sound is very 70s ECM. Ethereal. I haven't noticed any overdubbing. Jackson provides more in the way of interesting sounds than he does rhythm. Like most of my ECMs, I prefer to listen to this late at night. It's quiet. The 14 tracks total 60 minutes of music. It is on a label I have never heard of before called Cryptogramophone. I've been busy with work and haven't had a chance to search the internet about Cryptogramophone, but I'll get back to you on that. I suspect that AAJ will have in its archives some press releases about the label. I'm confident that Maupin will forever be remembered as the clarinet on Bitches Brew. Not to fault him, but I never liked him on that record. I thought the clarinet sounded out of place. I have a Mike Nock record called Almanac that he is on, playing tenor sax, and I like his work on that one. I'll plan to top this thread as May 9 approaches, to remind you to consider pre-ordering this one.

Happy Birthday!

I picture the Church of John Coltrane to be a bunch of guys sitting around smoking dope and listening to records and calling it a worship service with the attendant tax breaks. Any here ever been to one of their services?

Happy Birthday Aggie!

Footprints has arrived in the mail, and I can tell you that after a couple of listens I like it a lot. It's not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it may end up in my Top Ten for the year. The strongest aspect of it is not the performances but the song selection. Good songs, almost all jazz standards. My favorite is the title track. Nancy King is a singer from Portland. The pictures indicate that she is getting up there in years, but she has not lost her voice. She sings harmony on I think five of the thirteen songs. Jon Hendricks also makes an appearance, and unfortunately his age is beginning to show. He is still more youthful than a lot of singers, but his best days are behind him. His performance is not an embarassment, but if he doesn't stop now he will one day embarass himself. Lyricist Chris Caswell is a pianist and the former musical director for Melissa Manchester, Hal David (when did he ever perform?), Alan Bergman (ditto) and Jimmy Webb. Oscar Brown, Jr., was going to be on the album, but died before the session was made. They used two of his songs. I note that Dan quotes AMG listing "Gillespie" as the composer of Footprints, but of course it was Wayne Shorter. Allyson shares the spotlight a great deal with King and Hendricks. I think I would have preferred it if she had not shared it so much. If you like vocalese, I can recommend this.

Thanks CJ. I'll give it a closer listen.

Jim, I haven't heard enough of Blake to be sure.

Tranemonk, that CD is misidentified. Concord/Fantasy will release in late June a box (I think 2 CDs) of The Complete Riverside Recordings of Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane. With your name, that ought to interest you, unless you already have everything!

Happy Birthday!

Soul Stream, I was referring to Alexander's post about it being the best new album of the year so far. I don't see anywhere in the liner notes that says who is playing on what cuts. How do you know that Coleman is only on two? Is it just from listening? I'm enjoying it more with each listen. I don't think I like the way they ordered the songs though. About half the songs are modern like I expected, and half are more traditional. The traditional ones remind me of the Jimmy Smith Houseparty album I mentioned above. The copy I have of that is the reconfigured CD version I bought in 1989, with all of the songs recorded at the August 25, 1957, date. I think I will burn a copy for the car with all of the modern tracks first, and then follow up with the ones that remind me of Jimmy Smith. By the way, at the end of I Thought About You, somebody (I presume Hutcherson) says, "If you don't like that you don't like (something), haha! Can anybody understand what the word I'm missing is?

Well, whoever it was who said a year ago that Django was one of their best albums, I'm grateful. As stated above, I got the new RVG of Django. I don't have any previous release to compare it to, but it sounds great to me on my inexpensive system, except for a brief passage where Percy Heath's bass is overmodulating (I suspect that was a problem from the original recording). The group's sound is not as lush as the later recordings I have heard. Perhaps that is a reflection of how Milt Jackson had his vibes set up, or perhaps John Lewis changed his desires over the years. I expect that I'll be playing this one a lot on Sunday afternoons. By the way, Percy Heath's bass is quite loud, reminding me of Scott LaFaro's equal footing with Bill Evans on the Village Vanguard, 1961 box. I wonder if that is something Van Gelder did in the remastering, or whether it was always as loud and up front as this.

I hope that everyone has enjoyed a happy Easter today! ...and remembered the reason for the season!

I'm enjoying Organic Vibes, but it's going to take me a little longer to appreciate it fully. I realize now that it is as advertised - a Joey DeFrancesco album with Bobby Hutcherson. I had unconsciously anticipated a Bobby Hutcherson album with Joey DeFrancesco. This is more mainstream than that. I still hear plenty of Jimmy Smith, notwithstanding the liner notes to the contrary. I don't get too many newly recorded albums, so I can't say whether I agree if this is the best of the year so far or not. The last great "new" album I got was Sonny Rollins' Without a Song (The 9/11 Concert). This might be the best newly recorded album I've listened to since then - I'll need more time to make up my mind.

As promised, I waited until today to open up the box. I'm on my second listen of disc 1, and I'm enjoying it. I've seen comments that disc 1 is the worst, and I'm looking forward to hearing the others in the future. However, IMO the bass is too loud.

I received word today that Little Johnny C by Johnny Coles is no longer available and has been removed from my queue. No warning.

Happy Belated Birthday, BM!

I'm not Jim, so it's not official, but there you go http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?...=lk_organissimo Thanks Claude!