Harold Mabern fans

[Hardbopjazz]

I love how Harold Mabern and George Coleman play so well together. This started me on a hunt for some recording of him as a leader. Any suggestions?

[marcello]

This is the one to get:

1. They Say It's Wonderful (11:24)
2. Good Morning Heartache (8:38)
3. Laig Gobblin' Blues (4:05)
4. Io (6:36)
5. Up Jumped Spring (12:14)
6. Father (7:10)
7. Soul Eyes (16:42)

Total Time 66:49

- George Coleman / tenor saxophone

- Harold Mabern / piano
- Ray Drummond / bass
- Alvin Queen / drums

Reissued on Evidence ECD-22021 (CD) 1992
Theresa - TR 126 (LP) 1987

Recorded Live at Yoshi's Night Club, Oakland (Aug 1987)
Tracks 3 & 6 Recorded Studio In San Francisco, CA (Aug 1987)

Edited August 29, 2013 by marcello

[John Tapscott]

These are several I like.

Edited August 29, 2013 by John Tapscott

[ghost of miles]

HBJ, for some early Mabern (some of which are leader dates), here's a Night Lights show I did a couple years back:

http://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/miles-memphis-harold-mabern/

[jlhoots]

I'll second Straight Street.

[kh1958]

His newest one. Live at Smalls, is good.

[Eric]

This is the one to get:

1. They Say It's Wonderful (11:24)

2. Good Morning Heartache (8:38)

3. Laig Gobblin' Blues (4:05)

4. Io (6:36)

5. Up Jumped Spring (12:14)

6. Father (7:10)

7. Soul Eyes (16:42)

Total Time 66:49

- George Coleman / tenor saxophone

- Harold Mabern / piano

- Ray Drummond / bass

- Alvin Queen / drums

Reissued on Evidence ECD-22021 (CD) 1992

Theresa - TR 126 (LP) 1987

Recorded Live at Yoshi's Night Club, Oakland (Aug 1987)

Tracks 3 & 6 Recorded Studio In San Francisco, CA (Aug 1987)

[BFrank]

Straight Street is a keeper, for sure.

Not a leader date, but certainly one of his greatest sessions.

[clifford_thornton]

How are the Prestige titles? Seen, never bought.

[Gheorghe]

One of the great piano players !

About Mabern with Lee Morgan, I´d also recommend the double CD "Night of the Cookers" with Freddie Hubbard + Lee Morgan and Harold Mabern on piano. Though the sound quality is not the best, it has it´s great moments and Mabern really stretches out on those long tracks.

Really, the first listening experience with Mabern I had a long time ago, I think it was some Wes Montgomery from Europe, Paris I think from 1965 with Harold Mabern on it. I still remember he was especially strong on "Impressions".

[sidewinder]

First port of call..

The DIW 'Straight Street' and Prestige 'A Few Miles From Memphis' CDs are good too. Great memories of seeing him in performance at Lincoln Center with George Coleman.

Edited August 29, 2013 by sidewinder

[disaac]

I'll third Straight Street and add another DIW title "Mabern's Grooveyard" as well. When I lived in NYC about 10 years ago, you could go to Smoke on many evenings and find Mabes there either playing or enjoying (as he was on the night I caught John Patton). As a sideman, he also shows up on a number of terrific Eric Alexander recordings. He's also one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet in jazz and this thread will serve as a reminder that I need to see him as much as humanly possible given his advanced age.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I've got a lot of CDs with Mabern on them. Not a dud in the bunch.

If you like George Coleman with him, be aware that Eric Alexander was George's student and as mentioned above, he uses Mabern on a lot of his dates, so look at Alexander's discography for some great Jazz. Also, check your local club for the next time Alexander comes to town. Harold Mabern is incredible live.

Some favorites of mine

Harold as a leader:

Don't Know Why (Venus)

Kiss Of Fire (Venus)

Straight Street (DIW)

With Eric Alexander:

Summit Meeting

Extra Innings

Heavy Hitters

The First Milestone

Up, Over & Out

I keep meaning to pick up the CD of Mabern's "A Few Miles From Memphis" but I've yet to find an affordable copy. The Prestige vinyl is very nice.

Kevin

[Cali]

Two good ones that feature George Coleman:

Wailin' features Hubert Laws, Lee Morgan, George Coleman, Idris Muhammad and Buster Williams.

Rakin' And Scrapin' is only available on vinyl. Personnel includes Blue Mitchell, George Coleman, Bill Lee and Hugh Walker.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I'm not a huge fan of "Wailin'". The electric piano is "meh" and the tunes are just OK. It's not worth paying the big bucks it's going for these days.

[brownie]

Really, the first listening experience with Mabern I had a long time ago, I think it was some Wes Montgomery from Europe, Paris I think from 1965 with Harold Mabern on it. I still remember he was especially strong on "Impressions".

That was in March 1965 at the Théatre des Champs-Elysées. My first and only chance to hear Montgomery live. A great concert it was.

Part of the concert came out on the illegal Esoldun release

[Mike Schwartz]

I'm a big Mabes fan!!

Another vote for Straight Street

This is a good one too on Japanese DIW

.

[Head Man]

This is a good one too on Japanese DIW

.

Another vote for this one...Jack DeJohnette on drums makes it for me.

[Clunky]

Two good ones that feature George Coleman:

41544V8KZDL._SL160_.jpg

51F7Is0jR9L._AA160_.jpg

Wailin' features Hubert Laws, Lee Morgan, George Coleman, Idris Muhammad and Buster Williams.

Rakin' And Scrapin' is only available on vinyl. Personnel includes Blue Mitchell, George Coleman, Bill Lee and Hugh Walker.

Rakin' and Scrapin' is a good one.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Two good ones that feature George Coleman:

41544V8KZDL._SL160_.jpg

51F7Is0jR9L._AA160_.jpg

Wailin' features Hubert Laws, Lee Morgan, George Coleman, Idris Muhammad and Buster Williams.

Rakin' And Scrapin' is only available on vinyl. Personnel includes Blue Mitchell, George Coleman, Bill Lee and Hugh Walker.

'Rakin' and scrapin'' is (or was) available on the PR twofer 'A few miles from Memphis' (PRCD24288). (Just looked at Amazon UK Jeez, what fuckin' prices!)

I like his Prestige material a lot, but REALLY like his Venus albums. Got the first one in 2002, when visiting Tokyo: 'Kiss of fire', which I still think of as my favourite Mabern album. But 'Fantasy', 'Don't know why' and 'Falling in love with love' please me very greatly, too.

Don't forget, Mabern goes way back in Soul Jazz. He was on Jimmy Forrest's 2 Delmark albums, with Grant Green - 'All the gin is gone' and Black Forrest'.

Real power in that piano playing!

MG

[Head Man]

'.

Real power in that piano playing!

Too much power for me sometimes.

[Ted O'Reilly]

Here's a two-piano effort: Harold with the young Geoff Keezer...a live recording in Toronto that I did for Sackville Records.

[John Tapscott]

Here's a two-piano effort: Harold with the young Geoff Keezer...a live recording in Toronto that I did for Sackville Records.

It's a good one, but for me most two piano recordings are one piano too many. Generally too much effort required to figure out who's playing what and when. I'm lazy.

[Brad]

I saw Harold and Eric Alexander a few years ago -- just the two of them -- and it was great. Got my photo taken with Harold.

[BillF]

Here's a two-piano effort: Harold with the young Geoff Keezer...a live recording in Toronto that I did for Sackville Records.

It's a good one, but for me most two piano recordings are one piano too many. Generally too much effort required to figure out who's playing what and when. I'm lazy.

Hope you exempt Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson from that, John!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIVJw8yX6GY