BruceH Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 What are your opinions on this album? One of the seemingly endless semi-obscure Morgan Blue Notes that I didn't really know about (along with The Masturbator and The Certified Public Accountant) I noticed the other day that it's got Hank Mobley and Jackie McLean on it. How bad could it be? How good? Worth getting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 (edited) Funny you should mention this; I was thinking about this title today when I was reading the "Sonic Boom 2nd session" thread. I bought it not too long ago when it was on the verge of going OOP and was pleasantly surprised. Not a TOMCAT or PROCRASTINATOR date, but better (IMO) than your average Blue Note hardbop-by-the-numbers album. The players alone (Mobley, McLean, Pearson, Chambers, etc.) also attracted me to it. Edited October 10, 2003 by ghost of miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 In all honesty, I haven't played it for about a year and a half, but then maybe that's a recommendation of sorts in itself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted October 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 (edited) Yeah, GoM, considering that some thought Sonic Boom to be a distinctly second-or-third-rate Morgan album I'm enjoying the Conn a heck of a lot. I think I'll get Charisma. Nice to have a few opinions, though (and I wish the cover were better). Edited October 11, 2003 by BruceH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 i just threw this one on ... pick it up chambers and higgins ss1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest akanalog Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 i love the tune "sweet honey bee". i llike this "charisma" version better than on said duke pearson album but that might be because of the bad sound on the duke album.... i always lump "charisma" with "caramba". actually i like "caramba" even more but i think both albums are worth owning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 I too like both Charisma and Caramba, liking Caramba a bit more. But both are very nice albums! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 I've heard knocks on Caramba, but it's one of my favorite Morgans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 (along with The Masturbator and The Certified Public Accountant) I'm just glad I'm not in my "Mogie completist" phase anymore, or I probably would have dashed off to look for these without thinking! Although I hear the solos on The Masturbator are hard to beat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris olivarez Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 Jazzmoose.Jazzmoose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 (edited) I too like both Charisma and Caramba, liking Caramba a bit more. But both are very nice albums! Whoops... I think it was CARAMBA that I bought not too long ago (because it was going OOP) and found plesantly surprising. CHARISMA, CARAMBA, sham-a-lam-a-bamba... as Lon says, they're both good! Edited October 10, 2003 by ghost of miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonym Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 As far as standard BN hardbop is concerned (but i'm not as au fait with this genre as many others here) I think it's a good session. I always like Morgan in sextet format; that foil of tenor and alto works well IMO. And secondly, there are good tunes (as mentioned Pearson's classic). On par with many other far more 'revered' sessions I would say. Buy it cheap... then you're laughing. tonym. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 Good side. In the LP days, I listened to Side Two a LOT more than Side One, which in CD terms means it's a record that will likely gain momentum as it goes along, and I always enjoy that. Pick it up. It's fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 It's worth having. Personally I think it's uneven, but the best is damn good Morgan and that is very good after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzdog Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 ANY Lee Morgan is worth having. I would say that everything from '65 or so, onwards, is pretty damn good BN style Hardbop! The albums may be pretty interchangeable, but thats okay by me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 (edited) I hope this doesn't turn into another one of those 'how do you get sticky stuff off a CD' thread. Edited October 11, 2003 by bertrand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted October 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 Well, I got it. Now to get Caramba (aye...) One weird thing that never happened before, it had two booklets inside! Really makes me wish the cover were better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 OK, maybe this should go in the most disappointing thread instead, but here goew: Am I the only one who thinks that Lee with Hank AND Jackie doesn't work as well as Lee with Hank OR Jackie. Don't get me wrong, I love them both and thought they'd be great together in a sweet and sour contrasty kind of way but for me they just tend to cancell each other out. It's not that I'm generally opposed to sextets or other multi-horn lineups, I prefer the sextet editions of Miles and the Jazzz Messengers, but these too pull in opposite directions and leave me torn. OK, I'll quit with the bad metaphors but what do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 I dunno, man. CORNBREAD's a bitch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 (edited) Yeah, I can't endorse that opinion about Hank and Jackie and Lee not meshing as a three man front line either, although it's cool you feel that way. CARAMBA! is an EXCELLENT album...there's a spark there, although it's not the "Latin" influenced album you think it might be when you first pick it up. The spark is Lee beginning to stretch out the forms and his thinking, moving toward his final period style as evidenced on the LEE MORGAN final 2 LP set. Edited October 15, 2003 by DrJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 It's a good pickup, from my point of view. I really dug Rainy Night and Sweet Honey Bee. I really like Lee's stuff from this era. I'm probably one of the few that liked his Standards recording. As to the three horn front line, sounds good to me. It's not this particular grouping but whether any grouping works. Not sure how usual it is though. One that comes to mind and it worked pretty darn well was Bird, J.J. and Miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 (edited) This is a nice enough session. Nothing wrong with it but it doesn't excite me. Edited October 15, 2003 by JohnS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 RE: CARAMBA, "Suicide City" is one of the baddest tunes Lee ever recorded. TOTALLY hip composition, and the band nails it. I like the title tune a lot too, but especially when I can let go of my surroundings and just zone out on it. It's one of those pieces that isn't anything too terribly special unless you can get DEEP into the groove of it, and then it all comes together in a wonderfully stoned way. Side Two (sorry, I'm an LP guy with this one too) doesn't do as much for me. Good, but slightly routine. In this way, it's CHARISMA in reverse for me. But I'd recommend both of them. No reason not to, none at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrdlu Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Bruce, it's a bit late to say so, I guess, but I would recommend "Charisma". The lineup and performances are precious - that era, and those people, are irreplaceable. Plus, the album is great to hear. No, it's not the best-ever album in anyone's collection, but it sure is enjoyable. (There is even a TOCJ of this.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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