When you get up in the morning, you must have a song - Ray Charles

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Walt Dickerson - Unity


I've had a couple of requests to repost this record. So here tis.

The vibes are cool, man. That's all they can be.They can swing. Oh, they can swing like a mother, but they always stay cool. Lionel Hampton was cool. Lionel Hampton was cool. Really cool. Bobby Hutcherson was cool. Probably the coolest of them all.  But in between Dickerson showed 'em how to improvise.
 These side long tracks sport a pair of drummers and not a horn to be seen!! I freaking love these kinds of lps. Not your standard line up but somehow that's OK. This stuff surely has influenced some of my favorite modern lps.
 Grab a cool whiskey and watch the sun go down on these last days of summer. This could be your soundtrack.

1. Unity
2. High Moon

Walt Dickerson - vibes
Walter Davis, Jr. - piano
Andrew Cyrille  drums
Edgar Bateman - drums
George Tucker - bass

The cover photo is of the 1978 vinyl reissue you are currently digging...or at least should be soon.


Sunday, August 24, 2014

Jimmy Rowles - Grandpaws




 I really gave this fine lp the short shrift when I originally posted it 5 years ago. When I was asked to repost it, it seemed like a good time to give it another listen and perhaps offer some better insight.
 I first landed this record when I bought a trunkload of jazz lps. I'm taking car trunk. It's survived several moving culls, so it must have some special qualities. And it really does.
 Rowles piano tends to be lyrical without flashiness and yet he steps it up when called for. Hart and Williams are one of the best rhythm sections to come out of the '70's. This record tends to get buried as do too many fine lps. I was an immense pleasure to dig it out and give a listen as I type this.

Jimmy Rowles Trio
Grandpaws


1. While You Were Young
2.Medley (Take the A Train/I Love You/I Hadn't Anyone Til You/
Chicago/Desert Song)
3. Jam Face
4. Blood Count/Isn't It Romantic
5. Where Or When
6. My Mother's Love
7. Irene

Jimmy Rowles - piano
Buster Williams - bass
Billy Hart - drums



Friday, August 22, 2014

Kenny Wheeler 1994

PARKER/GUY/LYTTON + KENNY WHEELER 1994



Kenny Wheeler plays a mean horn. Makes his home in the UK and has made some smoking records for ECM.  This from another site...

For health reasons, Kenny has been unable to work for most of the year.

He needs our help financially. Please consider donating what you can through PayPal to:

friendsofkennywheeler@gmail.com

Thank you
____________________________________________

EVAN PARKER - tenor and soprano saxophone
BARRY GUY - bass
PAUL LYTTON - drums

Special guest: KENNY WHEELER - trumpet

1. 19:50
2. 21:34
3. 17:19

Vortex, London. 9th January 1994

Photo by Caroline Forbes.
This is posted with the kind permission of Evan Parker.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Joe Harriott Double Quintet - Indo-Jazz Suite


 This is a recent discovery for me. Ran across it at someone's yard sale. Gave em a buck. Took the chance and after a couple of listens, I'm really digging it.
 The title is pretty explanatory as to what you will get, but hey India was big in 1966! I really dig this and can't wait to turn it on to the prog goons.

 FTR as I was getting ready to post this I found that Orgy In Rhythm blog did an awesome write up of this record a few years ago. It has since been re-upped there this past June. Been following that blog for years. I should have been more aware of this.

Never the less, I have my own vinyl copy that I am going to share with y'all. Hope ya like it.

1. Overture
2. Contrasts
3. Raga Megha
4. Raga Gaud-Saranga

Joe Harriott - alto sax
Kenny Wheeler - trumpet
Pat Smythe - piano
Coleridge Good - bass
Allan Ganley- drums
John Mayer - violin and direction
Chris Taylor - flute
Diwan Motihar - sitar
Chandrahas Paiganka - tambura
Keshan Sathe - tabla


Atlantic SD1465  1966 stereo vinyl rip

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Mike Taylor - Remembered



  I gotta confess, most of the Brits jazz leaves me cold and uninterested. The continent and Japan both seemed to have a better grasp on the genre and what it was about in the soul. That said, there comes around someone who breaks the mold,
 Mike Taylor did that but tragically moved on far too early.  Recording only two elusive lps, his fame rest with his collaboration with Ginger Baker on a Cream lp. To this day that lp is still a monster.
 This then is a compilation of his tunes covered by his fellow countrymen. Well worth your listening time, it spotlights not just his jazz tunes but a bit of a penchant of orchestral and show tune type arrangements.

1. Half Blue
2. Pendulum
3. I See You
4. Son Of Red Blues
5. Brown Thursdasy
6. Song Of Love
7. Folk Dance no. 2
8. Summer Sounds
9. Land Of Rhyme In Time
10. Timewind
11. Jumping Off The Sun


recorded 1973, london


Friday, August 1, 2014

Cannonball Adderley - Jump For Joy


 Cannonball's interpretation of Duke's musical, this lp is often paired with the "with strings" lp but that seems a bit of a lazy combination to me. And it gets dissed far too much. Yeah some of the tracks seem bloated at first but they end up balancing out nicely with the more sparse cuts. All around I think is a pretty good lp and a nice tribute to Duke.

 My copy is some weird  release for Sears with this cartoon cover....

I love it. And the lp is great as well. The band is an all star bunch.

1. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
2. Two Left Feet
3. Just Squeeze Me
4. Nothin'
5. Bli Blip
6. Jump For Joy
7. Chocolate Shake
8. If Life Were All Peaches and Cream
9. Brownskin Gal In Calico Town
10. The Tune Of The Hickory Stick

cannonball adderley - alto
emmet berry - trumpet
bill evans - piano
barry galbraith - guitar
milt hinton- bass
jimmy cobb - drums

Leo Kruczek, Gene Orloff - violin
Dave Schwartz - viola
George Ricci - cello

Richard Hayman, Bill Russo - arrangers

recorded NYC 8/58

vinyl rip