More Favorites: Reflections on Jazz in the 1980s

[HutchFan]

7 hours ago, mjazzg said:

Nice to see 'Jumpworld' on there. It made a big impression on my early Jazz listening when I was hoovering all things M-Base and JMT, although I think 'Days Aweigh' ifs stronger. I must listen to them both again.

I'm not familiar with Days Aweigh.  I have several of Wilson's JMT releases -- but not that one.  I'll add it to my list.  

 

[Pim]

On 11/22/2022 at 3:09 AM, HutchFan said:

My posts for last week:

- Mal Waldron Quintet - Crowd Scene (Soul Note, 1992)
- The Original Chico Hamilton Quintet - Reunion (Soul Note, 1991)
- Charlie Haden with Paul Bley and Paul Motian - The Montreal Tapes (Verve, 1994)

 

It was difficult for me to choose between three Waldron releases, all on Soul Note: What It Is (rec. 1981, with Clifford Jordan), The Seagulls of Kristiansund (rec. 1986, with Woody Shaw & Charlie Rouse), and Crowd Scene (rec. 1989, with Sonny Fortune & Ricky Ford).  In the end, I couldn't resist the the smoking two-sax front-line of Fortune & Ford -- but all three of these are five-star records, IMO.  One note: I'd already addressed Waldron's collaborations with Steve Lacy earlier in the survey with At The Bimhuis 1982 (Daybreak, 2006).

From this listener's perspective, the 70s and 80s were Waldron's most productive years.

 

Still waiting for you commentary on that Waldron album  I LOVE Crowd Scene. It got the full 5 stars on my blog but so did Seagulls and What It Is got 4,5. All great albums and I could see why it was difficult making a choice. Both Ricky Ford and Sonny Fortune are on fire on Crowd Scene. The whole band is. I think youre right about the '70's and 80's being his most productive years. But there was still some very joyful stuff to come (the Tutu's, the duets with Lacy, Shepp and Murray for example). Hope you'll be able to pen some things down fast on the Soul Note album

Also saw a very nice Billy Harper selection last week by Dan: Destiny is Yours... 😍

Edited December 4, 2022 by Pim

[HutchFan]

Last week's entries:

- Shirley Scott - Oasis (Muse, 1990)
- Tony Williams - Native Heart (Blue Note, 1990)
- Steve Kuhn - Oceans in the Sky (Owl, 1990)

Now, there's just one final set of three albums remaining to reach my total of 150 for the decade.

After that, I plan to post a "bonus list" of 50 albums, many of which I only discovered this year -- too late for inclusion in my survey.

Then... done! 

 

[HutchFan]

On 12/4/2022 at 10:58 AM, Pim said:

Hope you'll be able to pen some things down fast on the Soul Note album 

Pim - I'm not sure that I'd have anything to add to your already considerable Waldron-knowledge.  

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by HutchFan

[Pim]

7 hours ago, HutchFan said:

Pim - I'm not sure that I'd have anything to add to your already considerable Waldron-knowledge.  

 

I’d love to hear how you experience his music

So now that you’re almost done with the eighties…. Time for the next decade? 

[Peter Friedman]

On 12/5/2022 at 2:30 PM, HutchFan said:

Last week's entries:

- Shirley Scott - Oasis (Muse, 1990)
- Tony Williams - Native Heart (Blue Note, 1990)
- Steve Kuhn - Oceans in the Sky (Owl, 1990)

Now, there's just one final set of three albums remaining to reach my total of 150 for the decade.

After that, I plan to post a "bonus list" of 50 albums, many of which I only discovered this year -- too late for inclusion in my survey.

Then... done! 

 

I like the Steve Kuhn, though prefer his trio albums on Venus and Concord and Reservoir.

Not sure if I have heard the Shirley Scott, but will check it out.

[HutchFan]

My final set of three:

- Marty Ehrlich, Anthony Cox - Falling Man (Muse, 1991)
- Poncho Sanchez with special guest Tito Puente - Chile con Soul (Concord Picante, 1990)
- Paul Bley, Gary Peacock - Partners (Owl, 1991) 

A strong conclusion, I think.  Both of the duo albums are excellent.  And that Poncho record is muy sabroso.

 

[Rabshakeh]

Chile con Soul’s a great record.

[HutchFan]

On 12/9/2022 at 3:56 PM, Peter Friedman said:

Not sure if I have heard the Shirley Scott, but will check it out.

Peter, it's well worth the search.  I think you'd enjoy it. 

On Oasis, Scott sticks with the Hammond B3.  On some of her final albums, she switched over to piano--but I much prefer to hear her play the organ.  She has such a distinctive sound on the instrument.

 

3 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

Chile con Soul’s a great record.

I agree!   

 

[HutchFan]

For good measure, here are 50 bonus selections from the decade.  Many of these are recent discoveries, albums I have only heard since Dan and I finalized our blog selections in November 2021.  Others just barely missed the cut.

I've listed them alphabetically.

- Rabih Abou-Khalil - Between Dusk and Dawn (MMP/Enja, 1987)
- The Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band - Tanuki's Night Out (JAM, 1981) aka From Toshiko with Love (Baystate, 1981)
- Lorez Alexandria - Sings the Songs of Johnny Mercer, Vol. 2: "Harlem Butterfly" (Discovery, 1981)
- Ernestine Anderson - Big City (Concord, 1983)
- Azymuth - Cascades / Rapid Transit (Milestone, originally released 1982 & 1984); 2 LPs reissued on 1 CD in 2001
- Ran Blake & Jeanne Lee - You Stepped Out of a Cloud (Owl, 1989)
- Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Straight Ahead (Concord, 1981); reissued in full as part of Blakey's Beat (Concord, 2 CDs, 2004)
- Alan Broadbent Trio - Everything I Love (Discovery, 1986)
- Kenny Burrell & Grover Washington, Jr. - Togethering (Blue Note, 1985)
- Betty Carter - Whatever Happened to Love? (Bet-Car/Verve, 1982)
- Albert Dailey - Textures (Muse, 1981)
- Franco D'Andrea - Quartet Live / My Shuffle (Red, originally released 1986 & 1987); 2 LPs reissued on 1 CD in 1996
- Lars Danielsson - New Hands (Dragon, 1986)
- Marty Ehrlich - The Traveller's Tale (Enja, 1990)
- Maurício Einhorn & Sebastião Tapajós - Maurício Einhorn & Sebastião Tapajós (Barclay Brazil, 1984)
- Russ Freeman & Shelly Manne - One on One (Atlas/Contemporary, 1982)
- Graciela, Mario Bauza and Friends - Afro-Cuban Jazz (Caiman, 1986)
- Al Grey & Jimmy Forrest - O.D. (Out 'Dere) (Greyforrest, 1980)
- Jim Hall Trio featuring Tom Harrell - These Rooms (Denon, 1988)
- Nancy Harrow - You're Nearer (Tono/Baldwin Street, 1986)
- Conrad Herwig - New York Hardball (Ken Music, 1990)
- Jay Hoggard  - Mystic Winds, Tropic Breezes (India Navigation, 1982)
- Dave Holland Quintet - Seeds of Time (ECM, 1985)
- Shirley Horn - I Thought About You: Live at Vine St. (Verve, 1987)
- Freddie Hubbard - Outpost (Enja, 1981)
- Daniel Humair, François Jeanneau, Henri Texier - Akagera (Disques JMS, 1982)
- Dick Hyman - Plays Harold Arlen: Blues in the Night (Musicmasters Jazz, 1990)
- Jackie and Roy - East of Suez (Concord, 1981)
- Tone Janša Quartet featuring Woody Shaw - Dr. Chi (Timeless, 1989)
- Etta Jones - Save Your Love for Me (Muse, 1981)
- Joachim Kühn, Daniel Humair, Jean-François Jenny-Clark - Easy to Read (Owl, 1985)
- Johnny Lytle - Fast Hands (Muse, 1980); reissued in full as part of Easy Easy (32 Jazz, 1997)
- The Manhattan Project [Wayne Shorter, Stanley Clarke, Michel Petrucciani, et al] - The Manhattan Project (Blue Note, 1990)
- Marian McPartland - Willow Creek and Other Ballads (Concord, 1985)
- Carmen McRae - For Lady Day, Volume 1 (Novus, rec. 1983; rel. 1995)
- Misha Mengelberg, et al - Change of Season (Music of Herbie Nichols) (Soul Note, 1985)
- Helen Merrill & Gordon Beck - No Tears ... No Goodbyes (Owl, 1984)
- Mark Murphy - Beauty and the Beast (Muse, 1986)
- Manny Oquendo's Libre - Sonido, Estilo y Ritmo (Montuno, 1983)
- Bill Perkins Quartet - Journey to the East (Contemporary, 1985)
- Reflexionen [Urs Leimgruber, Don Friedman, Bobby Burri, Joël Allouche] - Reflexionen (Timeless, 1984)
- George Russell's New York Band - Live in an American Time Spiral (Soul Note, 1983)
- Norman Simmons - I'm... The Blues (Millijac, 1981)
- Carol Sloane - Love You Madly (Contemporary, 1989)
- Jimmy Smith - Go for Whatcha Know (Blue Note, 1985)
- The Super Jazz Trio [Tommy Flanagan, Reggie Workman, Joe Chambers] - The Standard (Baystate/Sony, 1980)
- Sarah Vaughan - Crazy and Mixed Up (Pablo, 1982)
- Marlene VerPlanck - Sings Alec Wilder (Audiophile, 1986)
- Miroslav Vitous - Miroslav Vitous Group (ECM, 1981)
- Kenny Werner - Introducing the Trio (Sunnyside, 1989)

Clearly, 150 selections was NOT enough!   

 

Thoughts?!?

I'd love to hear from you about your favorites from the 80s -- particularly those that I may have overlooked.

 

[felser]

I like these two a LOT:

- Dave Holland Quintet - Seeds of Time (ECM, 1985)
- Freddie Hubbard - Outpost (Enja, 1981)

[HutchFan]

16 minutes ago, felser said:

I like these two a LOT:

- Dave Holland Quintet - Seeds of Time (ECM, 1985)
- Freddie Hubbard - Outpost (Enja, 1981)

I only discovered Seeds of Time this summer.  It's fantastic.  I can't believe I somehow missed it for so long.  

It sorta reminds me of Holland's (and Wheeler's) work with Braxton... but updated to the 1980s.

 

[soulpope]

10 hours ago, HutchFan said:

- Ran Blake & Jeanne Lee - You Stepped Out of a Cloud (Owl, 1989)
- Betty Carter - Whatever Happened to Love? (Bet-Car/Verve, 1982)
- Shirley Horn - I Thought About You: Live at Vine St. (Verve, 1987)
- Tone Janša Quartet featuring Woody Shaw - Dr. Chi (Timeless, 1989)
- Misha Mengelberg, et al - Change of Season (Music of Herbie Nichols) (Soul Note, 1985)
- Helen Merrill & Gordon Beck - No Tears ... No Goodbyes (Owl, 1984)
- Manny Oquendo's Libre - Sonido, Estilo y Ritmo (Montuno, 1983)

All indispensable .... btw a special (!!!) for the Mengelberg platter ...

[Pim]

Thanks for doing this great project Hutchfan! 

SOme of my personal selections would be:

Archie Shepp & Horace Parlan - Trouble in Mind

AEOC - Urban Bushmen

Billy Harper - The Believer

Takeo Moriyama - Smile

Joe Henderson - Mirror, Mirror

Horace Tapscott - Live at Lobero Vols 1 & 2

Mal Waldron - What it Is

Chick Corea - Three Quartets

Hannibal - The Angels of Atlanta

Joe Bonner - Impressions of Copenhagen

Mal Waldron - Live at Dreher

Steve Lacy - At the Bimhuis 1982

Charlie Haden - Ballad of the Fallen

Khan Jamal - Infinity

Pharoah SAnders - Heart is a Melody

Nate Morgan - Journey Into Nigritia

Michel Petrucciani - Live at the Village Vanguard

Makoto Terashita - Topology

Abdullah Ibrahim - Water from Ancient Well

Cecil Taylor - Winged Serpent

Chet Baker - Diane

Mal Waldron - Seagulls of Kristiansund

Evan Parker - The Snake Decides

Sonny Fortune - Great Friends

Steve Lacy - Morning Joy

Tchangodei - Three for Freedom

 

 

[Gheorghe]

Thank you @HutchFan for that great project and thank you for inviting us to make our own suggestions.

Well the early 80´s was some good time for jazz. 

Living Legends were still alive or in one case had a comeback after long retirement....

Younger Artists had a lot of work to do and record . 

My suggestions would have been.

MILES DAVIS his first two albums "Man with the Horn" and "We Want Miles"
J.J. Johnson "Pinnacles"
Woody Shaw mostly the group with Mulgrew Miller, Steve Turré ......
Jackie McLean - McTyner "It´s about Time" on BN
Archie Shepp 1985 in San Francisco
Ornette Coleman "Virgin Beauty" 
Dexter Gordon "Gotham City" 
Sonny Rollins anything on Milestone
McCoy Tyner anything on Milestones especially "Horizon" and "4 Quartets"
Art Blakey that good group with Donald Harrison , Terence Blanchard and Mulgrew Miller, 
Dizzy Gillespie "Montreux 1981" the one with Milt Jackson and James Moody
Max Roach Double Quartet "Easy Winners" 

Thats some of the stuff I collected then and still enjoy......
You must know I was INTO it: The Musicians I admired still were alive, and I heard them on Festivals and all that And I played acoustic jazz with some name musicians although I was just in my early Twens in the early 80´s , and than for many years a funk band until I returned to acoustic..... , so I was INTO the  stuff as a listener and player and what I have I had bought then. 

 

[HutchFan]

7 hours ago, Pim said:

Thanks for doing this great project Hutchfan! 

SOme of my personal selections would be:

Archie Shepp & Horace Parlan - Trouble in Mind

AEOC - Urban Bushmen

Billy Harper - The Believer

Takeo Moriyama - Smile

Joe Henderson - Mirror, Mirror

Horace Tapscott - Live at Lobero Vols 1 & 2

Mal Waldron - What it Is

Chick Corea - Three Quartets

Hannibal - The Angels of Atlanta

Joe Bonner - Impressions of Copenhagen

Mal Waldron - Live at Dreher

Steve Lacy - At the Bimhuis 1982

Charlie Haden - Ballad of the Fallen

Khan Jamal - Infinity

Pharoah SAnders - Heart is a Melody

Nate Morgan - Journey Into Nigritia

Michel Petrucciani - Live at the Village Vanguard

Makoto Terashita - Topology

Abdullah Ibrahim - Water from Ancient Well

Cecil Taylor - Winged Serpent

Chet Baker - Diane

Mal Waldron - Seagulls of Kristiansund

Evan Parker - The Snake Decides

Sonny Fortune - Great Friends

Steve Lacy - Morning Joy

Tchangodei - Three for Freedom

Fantastic list, Pim!   There's a lot of overlap in terms of our faves -- but there's also quite a few albums here that I don't know. 

I'll give them a listen.   

 

 

6 hours ago, Gheorghe said:

My suggestions would have been.

MILES DAVIS his first two albums "Man with the Horn" and "We Want Miles"
J.J. Johnson "Pinnacles"
Woody Shaw mostly the group with Mulgrew Miller, Steve Turré ......
Jackie McLean - McTyner "It´s about Time" on BN
Archie Shepp 1985 in San Francisco
Ornette Coleman "Virgin Beauty" 
Dexter Gordon "Gotham City" 
Sonny Rollins anything on Milestone
McCoy Tyner anything on Milestones especially "Horizon" and "4 Quartets"
Art Blakey that good group with Donald Harrison , Terence Blanchard and Mulgrew Miller, 
Dizzy Gillespie "Montreux 1981" the one with Milt Jackson and James Moody
Max Roach Double Quartet "Easy Winners" 

 

Yes indeed.  More great stuff!     

 

[kh1958]

 

You are missing Ronald Shannon Jackson. 

Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society: When Colors Play and Texas (Caravan of Dreams). Personal favorites after hearing the band on these recordings for five sets one weekend.

Also, Chico Hamilton: Euphoria (Swallow). Chico Hamilton hires most of Ronald Shannon Jackson's band.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

I would agree that the Decoding Society was one of the most happening bands in the '80s, but my favorites are from earlier in the decade, Mandance and Bar Be Que Dog.

Did you include Ulmer's Odyssey? 

[kh1958]

https://ronaldshannonjackson.bandcamp.com/music

[HutchFan]

On 12/13/2022 at 9:32 AM, kh1958 said:

You are missing Ronald Shannon Jackson. 

Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society: When Colors Play and Texas (Caravan of Dreams). Personal favorites after hearing the band on these recordings for five sets one weekend.

 

9 hours ago, danasgoodstuff said:

I would agree that the Decoding Society was one of the most happening bands in the '80s, but my favorites are from earlier in the decade, Mandance and Bar Be Que Dog.

Did you include Ulmer's Odyssey? 

 

I agree that Ronald Shannon Jackson and Blood Ulmer are important artists who made important musical contributions during the 1980s.  But I've never been able to find my footing with either of them -- or Ornette's electric bands either.  That aesthetic just doesn't appeal to me.

I've listened to Tales of Captain Black again and again and again.  Same with Odyssey.  No headway.  Same with the Harmolodic disc on Ornette's In All Languages.  ... It's just not my cuppa, I guess.  So that's why they're not included in my survey of faves. 

But thanks for bringing them up.  Just because I don't groove to it doesn't mean that others won't have their minds blown by them.   

 

I wonder: Maybe it would be different if I heard them live?  Because I haven't.  Just records.

 

[JSngry]

I only heard records and they got to me, like, immediately. It all made sense in a way that was, like it says in the Declaration of Independence, self-evident.

[HutchFan]

6 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I only heard records and they got to me, like, immediately. It all made sense in a way that was, like it says in the Declaration of Independence, self-evident.

Fair enough.

I can only respond by saying that it's not self-evident to me.  I try my best to have "big ears" -- but everyone has their limits.  This, apparently, is (one of) mine.

I still spin the records occasionally.  Maybe, one day, it'll take.  Who knows?

And, if not, there are many, many other fish in the jazzsea, no?

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by HutchFan

[JSngry]

Fish?

 

[Rabshakeh]

It's pretty divisive stuff. I find early electric Ornette very hard to handle and Ulmer a little hard baked, but love later electric Ornette, The Decoding Society and Music Revelation Ensemble. Some of it clicketh and some of it don't.

Show Stopper by Jamaladeen Tacuma is a great example of a harmolodic funk record that is still easy on the ears. Love that record and worth a spin.

[HutchFan]

I think this Phalanx record -- with Blood Ulmer & George Adams -- is astounding and magnificent.  I included it my survey.

But it doesn't feel like a "regular" Blood Ulmer record.  With George Adams, they go somewhere else.

So... there's that.