webbcity Posted December 4, 2019 Report Share Posted December 4, 2019 Finally! My apologies for the delay. Rough start to the week here. I may keep my comments spare, we'll see... I had wanted to write a bit about each piece but I just haven't had any time. I had a few different semi-intentional themes here... women in jazz, Chicago, Coltrane...and I guess Odean Pope. 1. "Holy Waters" (Carlos Garnett) from NORMAN CONNORS - Love From the Sun (1974) Norman Connors - drums Dee Dee Bridgewater - vocals Onaje Allan Gumbs - piano Buster Williams - bass Carlos Garnett - soprano sax Gary Bartz - alto sax Hubert Laws - flute Eddie Henderson - trumpet Bill Summers/Kenneth Nash - percussion I actually learned about this album right here on this forum back in 2010. I was trying to ID this track from an online playlist and JSngry helped me out! -- 2. "I Remember Clifford" (Benny Golson) from MAX ROACH - Chattahoochee Red (1981) Max Roach (doesn't play on this tune!) Cecil Bridgewater - trumpet Odean Pope - tenor sax Calvin Hill - bass Incredibly, I have only recently discovered this album. How is it possible this has never been issued on CD? I can't describe in words how much I love this record. -- 3. "Saxophone Shop, Part 2" (Pope) from ODEAN POPE - Out For a Walk (1990) Odean Pope - tenor sax Gerald Veasley - 6-string elec bass Cornell Rochester - drums Odean part two. Love this record. But yes, the first thing that made me go "wow" was that bass solo. -- 4. "Ecstasy" (Hope) from ELMO HOPE ENSEMBLE - Sounds From Rikers Island (1963) Elmo Hope - piano Lawrence Jackson - trumpet John Gilmore - tenor sax Freddie Douglas - alto sax Ronnie Boykins - bass Philly Joe Jones - drums Classic Elmo Hope...a favorite of mine. Thom Keith nailed Gilmore on this! -- 5. "Portrait of Light" (Bankhead) from FREQUENCY - Frequency (2006) Ed Wilkerson - clarinet, bells Nicole Mitchell - flute Harrison Bankhead - cello, bells Avreeayl Ra - kalimba, percussion I don't see a lot of people talk about this album, but it's fantastic. This is one of the mellower tracks...I find it beautiful. If you are at all into Nicole Mitchell and/or the AACM you need to check this out. -- 6. "Jihad" (Rene McLean) from DOUG CARN (feat. JEAN CARN) - Revelation (1973) Doug Carn - keys Jean Carn - vox Olu Dara - vox, trumpet Rene McLean - vox, alto sax Nathan Page - guitar Walter Booker - bass Earl McIntyre - bass trumpet Ira Williams - drums A personal favorite. -- 7. "All the Things You Are" (Kern) from CONNIE CROTHERS - Perception (1974) Connie Crothers - piano Joe Solomon - bass Roger Mancuso - drums Yes, Crothers was a disciple of Tristano, which is obvious here. But is it wrong to say I like her better? I believe this was her first album. On later records she evolved to an amazing level, IMO. -- 8. "Gloria" (Williams) from MARY LOU WILLIAMS TRIO - Free Spirits (1975) MLW - piano Buster Williams - bass Mickey Roker - drums Been checking out a lot of Mary Lou Williams the past several years and this is a favorite. Love the easy, soulful feeling of this tune. There are other tracks on this album that better showcase Williams' piano prowess, but for whatever reason I went with this one. This is a bonus track on the CD, it's not on the original LP. -- 9. "Central Park West" (Coltrane) from ERNEST DAWKINS - Afro Straight (2012) Ernest Dawkins - alto saxophone Willerm Delisfort - piano Junius Paul - bass Isaiah Spencer - drums Ruben Alvarez - percussion Dawkins is one of my favorite modern saxophonists, I've seen him 5 or 6 times, mostly in Chicago where he hails from. In fact I bought my copy of this disc from the man himself and he kindly signed it for me. I love his take on this tune and his solo in particular. This album is much more inside than most of what he does. -- 10. "Dear Lord" (Coltrane) from MARILYN CRISPELL TRIO - Live in Zurich (1990) Crispell - piano Reggie Workman - bass Paul Motian - drums I think Crispell must love this tune, judging by the way she plays it and the fact that I have another recording of her doing this with Joseph Jarman. I feel the spirit of Trane in this. -- 11. "Solo for Unaccompanied Bass" (Brown) from RAY BROWN - Bass Hit! (1957) Brown - bass Ray Brown will always be the man. Sadly this is the only solo bass track from this LP, and I believe the only solo bass track he ever recorded. It's a beautiful piece of work, IMO. -- 12. "Cultural Differences" (Reid) from HEAR IN NOW - Not Living in Fear (2017) Mazz Swift - violin, voice Tomeka Reid - cello Silvia Bolognesi - bass I'm still becoming familiar with this album but it's pretty incredible. This particular track is just stunning to me. I think someone on Twitter mentioned it and when I knew Tomeka Reid was involved I knew I had to have it. -- 13. "Arashi No Yoru Kimi Ni Tsugu"* (Watanabe) from KAZUMI WATANABE & RESONANCE VOX - Pandora (1991) Kazumi Watanabe - guitars Vagabonde Suzuki - electric bass Rikiya Higashihara - drums Tomohiro Yahiro - percussion Asuka Kaneko - violin Zakir Hussain - tabla * "To the Stormy You"? (according to Google Translate) Yes, I know this was the wildcard. What can I say? I love Kazumi. And Asuka Kaneko on violin is absolutely ON FIRE here. -- 14. "Have Mercy Upon Us / Chant" (Myers) from AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS - Song for Mother E (1980) Amina Claudine Myers - organ, voice Pheeroan AkLaff - drums, gong, little instruments, voice Words are going to fail me on this one. Myers is beyond category and there are no superlatives I can use that will be enough for her. This piece is an 11 minute trip to somewhere beyond this world...a trip I want to take as often as possible. -- And there it is! Thanks to all who listened and commented. Phew! Now I can go check out BFT 189! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted December 4, 2019 Report Share Posted December 4, 2019 (edited) Totally agree with you on the Max Roach album. Criminal and bizarre that it never made CD. The version of "It's Time" on there is one of my all-timers. I need to check out that Mary Lou Williams album when the CD becomes more readily available/affordable and the Amina Claudia Myers also if it ever becomes available on CD. Also Connie Crothers (who I was not previously familiar with) seems like a good subject for further research. That Rikers Island album has never really worked for me for whatever reason. Thanks so much for the stimulating BFT, and yes, please check out BFT 189! Edited December 4, 2019 by felser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 4, 2019 Report Share Posted December 4, 2019 That Max album was leased to Columbia by Max, via Bruce Lundvall. It's not Columbia's to reissue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Ptah Posted December 4, 2019 Report Share Posted December 4, 2019 I should have identified that Mary Lou Williams' album, even with your inclusion of a bonus cut, because I have it both in LP (purchased when it was first released) and CD (with the bonus cuts). It has been featured on other Blindfold Tests, but not that track. Some great things here are new to me--the Frequency album (I like everything I have heard Nicole Mitchell on), the Ray Brown solo track, that Elmo Hope album with my all time favorite John Gilmore, that Amina Claudine Myers album (I have several other albums by her, and saw her live in the early 1980s). Great, and very intriguing, Blindfold Test!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milestones Posted December 5, 2019 Report Share Posted December 5, 2019 The Roach album can be had at IOMOIO.com. It's vinyl converted into mp3 files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 5, 2019 Report Share Posted December 5, 2019 14 minutes ago, Milestones said: The Roach album can be had at IOMOIO.com. It's vinyl converted into mp3 files. Is that a legit site? Roach produced that record on his own dime and then leased it to Columbia. I find it unlikely (but not impossible) that a site such as this has gotten permission to offer this record. cf: https://www.iomoio.com/help.html#q23 Q: Is your web site legal? Yes, the availability over the Internet of the Iomoio.com materials is authorized by the license # IT - 07/13 No IT - 07 - 1/13 of the Ukrainian Public Organization "Avtor" issued for Iomoio Ltd. All these materials are solely for personal use. Any further distribution, resale or broadcasting is prohibited. All these materials are solely for personal use. Any further distribution, resale or broadcasting is prohibited. Q: If your web site is legal, how can you sell music for $0.16/track compared to iTunes $0.99/track? A: Our company and licensing authority is located outside U.S. area and we do not have to follow $0.99/track minimum regulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjazzg Posted December 5, 2019 Report Share Posted December 5, 2019 I should have listened to this. A fan of the Frequency, Amina, Here In Now and Crispell suggests some coincidence of taste. I had trouble tracking the Dawkins down in UK/Europe when I first became aware of it. This is my prompt to look again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted December 5, 2019 Report Share Posted December 5, 2019 Somebody should track down Maxine or whoever is the caretaker of the Roach estate and work something out to release this on CD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webbcity Posted December 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2019 1 hour ago, felser said: Somebody should track down Maxine or whoever is the caretaker of the Roach estate and work something out to release this on CD! Agreed! I think it's one of that lineup's best albums, if not their best. On 12/4/2019 at 11:43 AM, felser said: Totally agree with you on the Max Roach album. Criminal and bizarre that it never made CD. The version of "It's Time" on there is one of my all-timers. I need to check out that Mary Lou Williams album when the CD becomes more readily available/affordable and the Amina Claudia Myers also if it ever becomes available on CD. Also Connie Crothers (who I was not previously familiar with) seems like a good subject for further research. That Rikers Island album has never really worked for me for whatever reason. Thanks so much for the stimulating BFT, and yes, please check out BFT 189! I definitely will! Have only had time for track 1 so far but based on that alone I can tell it's gonna be a fun one! The Mary Lou Williams CD is fantastic, but yeah, Steeplechase discs are not always as easy to find as one would hope. I also think it's criminal that the Amina album isn't available on CD...that is an AMAZING record. On 12/4/2019 at 1:45 PM, Hot Ptah said: I should have identified that Mary Lou Williams' album, even with your inclusion of a bonus cut, because I have it both in LP (purchased when it was first released) and CD (with the bonus cuts). It has been featured on other Blindfold Tests, but not that track. Some great things here are new to me--the Frequency album (I like everything I have heard Nicole Mitchell on), the Ray Brown solo track, that Elmo Hope album with my all time favorite John Gilmore, that Amina Claudine Myers album (I have several other albums by her, and saw her live in the early 1980s). Great, and very intriguing, Blindfold Test!!! Thank you sir! I think you'd really enjoy that Frequency CD. 4 hours ago, mjazzg said: I should have listened to this. A fan of the Frequency, Amina, Here In Now and Crispell suggests some coincidence of taste. I had trouble tracking the Dawkins down in UK/Europe when I first became aware of it. This is my prompt to look again Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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