McCoy Tyner Trio [Feat. Michael Brecker] - 1995 "Infinity"

Infinity is an album by McCoy Tyner released on the Impulse! label in 1995. It was recorded in April 1995 and features performances by Tyner with Michael Brecker, Avery Sharpe, Aaron Scott and Valtinho Anastacio. The album won the 1996 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance (Individual or Group), while Michael Brecker won the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for the track "Impressions".

It seems only fitting that the initial new release on the latest revival of the Impulse label features McCoy Tyner and Michael Brecker. When Impulse started out in 1960, John Coltrane and Tyner were the first artists to be signed, and when Impulse was briefly brought back by MCA in the 1980s, two of its most important albums were recordings by Brecker. There are not a lot of surprises on this quartet matchup (with bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Aaron Scott) except perhaps for how well Tyner and Brecker mesh together. The music is somewhat similar to a set by the pianist's regular trio with a solo piece ("Blues Stride"), a generous amount of Tyner originals and colorful versions of Thelonious Monk's "I Mean You" and "Good Morning Heartache," but Brecker's presence and consistently powerful playing does inspire Tyner and his sidemen. For a strong example as to why today's saxophonists have such a high opinion of Michael Brecker, his roaring statement on the extended "Impressions" will suffice. Highly recommended.

This is one of my favorites when in the mood for high intensity tenor sax. While I like the entire album (great musicians, good mix of songs) two particular cuts simply blow me away: Flying High (another fine McCoy Tyner composition) and Impressions (Coltrane classic). On those two cuts Michael Brecker shows why he is one of the best all-time tenor sax players. His incredible tone, phrasing, and intensity on those songs are some of the best sax work I have ever heard. I find myself sitting with jaw dropped in disbelief at Brecker's solos. Tyner as always provides beautiful backup for his sax bandmate as well as fine solo work. I can't imagine any fan of real jazz that wouldn't like this album.

There are so many great McCoy Tyner albums (I have about 25, am impressed by all of them, and still feel as if I'm missing a bunch of classics) that it can be a challenge to choose among them. A couple of early Blue Note titles are universally-acknowledged classics -- 1967's The Real McCoy, in a quartet with Joe Henderson, and 1968's Time for Tyner, a quartet with Bobby Hutcherson. Other than that, his best-known albums are probably from his time making high-energy Afrocentric music on the Milestone label during the 1970s -- albums like Sahara (1972), Enlightenment (1973), and the dazzling solo testament Echoes of a Friend (1972) are frequently recommended to Tyner beginners.

This one is from 1995 and it finds Tyner back "home," on Impulse Records where he started his career, and in a quartet format modeled on the one that brought him to fame, with John Coltrane in the early '60s. The comparison is further invited by the presence of the late Michael Brecker, a player of awesome power and unparalleled technical excellence for whom Coltrane was the obvious main influence. Brecker first came to notice playing breezy funk with his brother Randy in the '70s,and then as a session musician; he had a slow road to carving out the edgy jazz credentials that he's now best remembered for. Although his high register sound and sweeping figures unmistakably evoke Coltrane, his snub-nosed tone in the middle register suggests a close study of Dexter Gordon.

Brecker more or less steals the show here. Brecker plays some of the best solos I've heard by him on "Flying High," the Monk chestnut (one of Tyner's favorites) "I Mean You," the grooving "Mellow Minor," and of course Coltrane's "Impressions." Tyner brings some nice original compositions to the table -- "Mellow Minor" in particular is up there with his classics, somewhat reminiscent of "Fly with the Wind" -- and a couple that are a little more rote, such as "Happy Days" (amusingly, or annoyingly, based on "Deck the Halls").

http://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=McCoy+Tyner

Track listing
All compositions by McCoy Tyner except where noted.

1. "Flying High" - 10:14
2. "I Mean You" (Hawkins, Monk) - 7:19
3. "Where Is Love" - 5:31
4. "Changes" - 9:46
5. "Blues Stride" - 3:38
6. "Happy Days" - 9:42
7. "Impressions" (Coltrane) - 11:13
8. "Mellow Minor" - 5:26
9. "Good Morning Heartache" (Drake, Fisher, Higginbotham) - 9:21

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, April 12 (track 1 & 6), 13 (tracks 4, 7 & 8) and 14 (tracks 2, 3, 5 & 9), 1995

Personnel:

McCoy Tyner – piano
Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone
Avery Sharpe – bass
Aaron Scott – drums
Valtinho Anastacio – congas, percussion

McCoy Tyner - 2000 "McCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke and Al Foster"

McCoy Tyner - 2000 McCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke and Al Foster

McCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke and Al Foster is an album by McCoy Tyner released on the Telarc label in 2000. It was recorded in April 1999 and features performances of by Tyner with Stanley Clarke and Al Foster. The Allmusic review by Richard S. Ginell states that "This is Tyner reaffirming most of his strengths: the massive tone quality, the two-handed control over the entire keyboard, and the generally uplifting attitude conveyed through the shape of his melodic invention".

No longer trying to push the envelope of innovation, Tyner settles down with a pair of experts and carves out a very nice, fairly orthodox piano trio album. This is Tyner reaffirming most of his strengths: the massive tone quality, the two-handed control over the entire keyboard, and the generally uplifting attitude conveyed through the shape of his melodic invention. He does so in a program of six originals, three standards, and one tune by Stanley Clarke, mixing modal tunes, blues, funk, ballads, and a mildly Caribbean ringer. Only once does he evoke memories of the classic John Coltrane Quartet -- not in "Trane-Like" but in "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes." Clarke takes a break from the film studios and turns in one of his rare sessions on acoustic double bass, producing solid, faultless, relatively conventional support. He doesn't leave the electric bass entirely at home, however; his funky side bumps through one of the two versions of "I Want to Tell You 'Bout That," and he exercises low-key, electric subtleties on his "In the Tradition Of" and "Caribe." Foster throws himself skillfully into every situation; he is at ease in all idioms. The sound is excellent, with each instrument, even Tyner's formidable piano, in perfect balance. 

Track listing

1. "Trane-Like" - 9:12
2. "Once Upon a Time" - 5:31
3. "Never Let Me Go" (Evans, Livingston) - 4:19
4. "I Want to Tell You 'Bout That" - 5:19
5. "Will You Still Be Mine?" (Adair, Dennis) - 6:46
6. "Goin' 'Way Blues" - 6:31
7. "In the Tradition Of" (Clarke) - 7:38
8. "The Night has a Thousand Eyes" (Bernier, Brainin) - 4:53
9. "Carriba" - 5:41
10. "Memories" - 3:43
11. "I Want to Tell You 'Bout That" [alternate take] - 5:57

All compositions by McCoy Tyner except as indicated

• Recorded at Clinton Recording Studio "B", New York, New York on April 27 & 28, 1999

Personnel

• McCoy Tyner: piano
• Stanley Clarke: bass, electric bass
• Al Foster: drums

McCoy Tyner - 1967 [1999] "The Real McCoy"

The Real McCoy is the seventh album by jazz pianist McCoy Tyner and his first released on the Blue Note label. It was recorded on April 21, 1967 following Tyner's departure from the John Coltrane Quartet and features performances by Tyner with Joe Henderson, Ron Carter and Elvin Jones. Producer Alfred Lion recalls the recording session as a "pure jazz session. There is absolutely no concession to commercialism, and there's a deep, passionate love for the music embedded in each of the selections".

In the liner notes, Tyner talks about the pieces selected for this album. The titles for "Passion Dance" and "Contemplation" came to the pianist only after he'd written the pieces. Whilst the former sounds like "a kind of American Indian dance, evoking trance-like states", the latter has "the sound of a man alone. A man reflecting on what religion means to him, reflecting on the meaning of life." Tyner titled the fourth piece "Search for Peace" because of its tranquil feeling; it "has to do with a man's submission to God" and the "giving over of the self to the universe". The album closes with an upbeat, merry piece called "Blues on the Corner", a reminiscent musical portrait of Tyner's childhood: "When I was growing up in Philadelphia, some of the kids I knew liked to hang out on the corner [...] youngsters talking, kidding around, jiving.

Two and a half years after his last recording as a leader for Impulse, pianist McCoy Tyner emerged to start a period on Blue Note that would result in seven albums. Having left John Coltrane's Quartet in late 1965, Tyner was entering a period of struggle, although artistically his playing grew quite a bit in the late '60s. For this release, the pianist is teamed with tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Elvin Jones for five of his originals. Highlights of the easily recommended album include "Passion Dance," "Four by Five," and "Blues on the Corner."

When someone uses the word “idyllic” to describe a scene, we think of Monet’s Water Lillies or another classic of impressionism – a work in summery shades that pretty much demands a daydream. But there are different kinds of idylls – as “Search For Peace,” one of five McCoy Tyner originals here, suggests. The tempo is slow, stately, deliberate. The harmony, outlined first by piano trills and broken chords, has purpose behind it: The title implies an ongoing and perhaps unattainable quest, not some easily abandoned momentary pursuit. The theme, when it arrives, enhances this sense – it’s at once solemn like a hymn, and contemplative, and also floatingly free. It puts forth an idealistic vision of what “peace” might feel like, and in the same breath holds the full awareness of possible (likely) futility. Crucially, it’s not the jingoistic sloganeering of a peace rally; it’s a meditation on the potentiality of peace, and what it means to pursue it.

Of course “peace” as a concept meant something different on April 22, 1967 than it does today. When Tyner and his group gathered at Rudy Van Gelder’s place to record this landmark, war was raging in Vietnam and the social upheavals over civil rights, race and the fast-emerging hippie culture were simmering throughout America. The jazz community responded to this heady time in all kinds of ways – song titles became commentary, and inevitably the “heat” of the cultural moment informed recordings and performances. Tyner, who departed from the Coltrane group in 1965, evidently felt that there was a need for music that looked inward and invited reflection. In Nat Hentoff’s original liner notes, the pianist explains that when he wrote the piece, he perceived it as outlining a spiritual mission, “the giving over of the self to the universe.”

The Real McCoy is Tyner’s Blue Note debut, and though it starts in a frenzied mood with “Passion Dance,” much of it finds the pianist and composer creating zones of reflection, offering musical refuge from the tumult of the times. Tyner has said that he left the Coltrane group because of its increasingly chaotic dissonance; his compositions here utilize the open block-chord harmonies Coltrane loved, channeled into tightly focused rhapsodies. There is a vibe of serenity in the writing, not just in the ascending theme of “Search for Peace,” but also the gentle, affirmative modal journey entitled “Contemplation” – this album contains five tunes, and two of them are riveting downtempo ballads. The other three are equally poised and thoughtful, and each is defined by its own internal logic. “Passion Dance” is an essay in rhythmic upheaval: Tyner’s spikes and Elvin Jones’ jabs establish an obstacle course, and the challenge for tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson is to navigate the shifting patterns while creating a cogent ad-libbed testimony. (Of the many Blue Note sessions featuring strong work by Henderson, this might be his shining hour, in part because of his patient impossible-to-notate inventions on “Passion Dance” and “Contemplation.”) “Four By Five” offers polyrhythmic daring in a different hue, while the entrancingly settled “Blues on the Corner,” the session’s lone blues, suggests that even this formidable group understood the importance of kicking back once in a while.

The peak statement of Tyner’s solo career, The Real McCoy is also one of a handful of recordings that define hard bop. Lots of records from this genre have interesting tunes and blazing solo performances, but few attain such an interconnected synergy. Listening to these these rich, beautifully realized atmospheres, and how they inspire deep, passionate, strikingly collective improvisations, you realize we are far removed from the anxieties – and the idealistic quests for peace – that governed 1967. That’s a mixed blessing.

Tyner first appeared on the scene in 1960 with the Golson/ Farmer Jazztet, moving to the John Coltrane Quartet for most of the early sixties up to 1965, when Coltrane  was becoming more atonal and free. Tyner is said to have been unhappy about that change in direction: “I didn’t see myself making any contribution to that music… All I could hear was a lot of noise. I didn’t have any feeling for the music, and when I don’t have feelings, I don’t play.” (So, I guess that is him and me both)

Tyner released six of his own titles whilst under contract to Impulse up to 1964 , and after leaving Coltrane, recorded for Blue Note with many bop greats in their second wind, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Donald Byrd, Stanley Turrentine, Lou Donaldson and Bobby Hutcherson. In 1967, he recorded this, his first title for Liberty/ Blue Note, The Real McCoy, followed by a string of albums: Tender Moments, Time for Tyner, Expansions, Extensions,  and Cosmos, you can tell by the meditative album titles where this was heading: Enlightenment.

Track listing:

"Passion Dance" – 8:47
"Contemplation" – 9:12
"Four by Five" – 6:37
"Search for Peace" – 6:32
"Blues on the Corner" – 5:58

Personnel:

McCoy Tyner - piano
Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone
Ron Carter - bass
Elvin Jones - drums

Michael Brecker - 1996 "Tales from the Hudson"

Tales from the Hudson is Michael Brecker's fourth album as a leader. It was recorded at the Power Station in New York City. It was recorded in 1996. The album also won Brecker two Grammy awards for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (for his solo on "Cabin Fever") and Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.

Michael Brecker, a major influence on today's young saxophonists, shows off his own influences a bit throughout this fine modern straight-ahead set. Brecker sounds surprisingly like Stanley Turrentine on parts of "Midnight Voyage," and otherwise displays his roots in Ernie Watts and John Coltrane. With the exception of Don Grolnick's "Willie T.," the music on the CD is comprised of group originals (five by the leader) and falls into the 1990s mainstream of jazz. While the tenor saxophonist has plenty of blowing space (really letting loose on the exciting closer, "Cabin Fever"), Pat Metheny is mostly pretty restrained (in a Jim Hall bag) except for his wild solo on guitar synth during "Song for Bilbao." Pianist Joey Calderazzo starts out sounding a bit like McCoy Tyner on "Slings and Arrows" before his own musical personality is revealed. When Tyner himself plays on "Song for Bilbao" (one of two guest appearances), one can certainly tell the difference between master and pupil. All of Michael Brecker's recordings as a leader (as opposed to his cameos as a sideman on pop records) are easily recommended and show why he is considered a giant by many listeners.

In the crowded field of excellent tenor players, Michael Brecker rises to the top of my list. I think the thing that gives Brecker an edge over the others is the fact that he is a master of so many genres of jazz. Many people are no doubt familiar with the electric, funky side of Michael Brecker as the co-leader of the Brecker Brothers and former member of Steps Ahead. He has done significant pop dates with Paul Simon, Carly Simon, and Joni Mitchell. One could easily fill a CD collection with albums on which he has performed as a sideman in many jazz contexts.

Yet this is only his fourth CD as a leader. All of them have been in the modern, progressive, straight-ahead jazz vein. This one is, to my ears, his most successful outing yet. I think the difference is that this one is a little less "progressive" or "outside." The melodies here are a little more accessible and memorable, yet the soloing is just as creative and adventuresome as we have come to expect from Brecker and the other jazz luminaries on this CD. The top-notch team of sidemen here are Pat Metheny on guitar, Jack DeJohnette on drums, Dave Holland on bass, and Joey Calderazzo on piano. Pianist McCoy Tyner and percussionist Don Alias are added on two tunes.

Six of the nine compositions are Brecker's. They are varied, thoughtful, and provide great vehicles for improvisation. Metheny contributes "Bilbao" from his Travels album, Calderazzo contributes a medium tempo swinger, and "Willie T." comes from the late pianist Don Grolnick, who produced Brecker's first two solo albums and performed with Brecker frequently.

I would especially recommend this album to those who have come to jazz through the "new adult comtemporary" door and are ready to take the next step towards discovering what real jazz is all about.

Brecker, whose tenor saxophone has graced pop performances by James Taylor and Paul Simon as well as plenty of straight-ahead jazz sessions, can be as exciting as any jazzman alive. His solos have a way of rising to a quick boil and catching you up in their immediacy. This happens several times on this album, an all-star date with guitarist Pat Metheny, pianist Joey Calderazzo or McCoy Tyner, bassist Dave Holland, drummer Jack DeJohnette and guest percussionist Don Alias. It happens on Metheny’s “Song for Bilboa,” where Brecker chomps at the chord changes in a manner reminiscent of John Coltrane on “Out of This World” (from the album, Coltrane). It happens on “Willie T.” as he sweeps up to a swirling, raspy-toned climax with the drums knocking heatedly underneath. And it happens on “Cabin Fever,” an uptempo tour de force with Brecker cruising like a high-speed steamroller.

The tenor man’s estimable sidemen are in aggressive jazz form. They, too, seem caught up in the electric

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Michael+Brecker

Track listing:
All tracks composed by Michael Brecker; except where indicated

01 "Slings and Arrows" – 6:19
02 "Midnight Voyage" (Joey Calderazzo) – 7:17
03 "Song for Bilbao" (Pat Metheny) – 5:44
04 "Beau Rivage" – 7:38
05 "African Skies" – 8:12
06 "Introduction to Naked Soul" (Michael Brecker, Dave Holland) – 1:14
07 "Naked Soul" – 8:43
08 "Willie T." (Don Grolnick) – 8:13
09 "Cabin Fever" – 6:59

Personnel:

Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone
Pat Metheny – guitar, guitar synthesizer
Joey Calderazzo – piano
Dave Holland – double bass
Jack DeJohnette – drums
McCoy Tyner – piano (tracks 3 and 5)
Don Alias – percussion (tracks 3 and 5)

Grant Green - 1964 [1995] "Solid"

Solid is an album by American jazz guitarist Grant Green featuring performances recorded in 1964 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1979.

Solid is a companion piece to the Grant Green classic Matador, recorded about a month later with the same rhythm section, and also not issued until 1979. Green is once again accompanied by the Coltrane supporting team of pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones, plus bassist Bob Cranshaw; this time, however, Green is also joined on the front line by James Spaulding on alto sax and Joe Henderson on tenor. Both saxophonists really seem to light a fire under the proceedings, for in comparison with the relatively subdued Matador, Solid is a bright, hard-charging affair.

There's a little modal jazz, but Solid's repertoire is chiefly complex hard bop, full of challenging twists and turns that the players burn through with enthusiasm. Green didn't tackle this kind of material -- or play with this kind of group -- very often, and it's a treat to hear him do so on both counts. The compositions -- highlighted by Duke Pearson's "Minor League," Henderson's "The Kicker," and a storming, ten-minute exploration of George Russell's "Ezz-Thetic" -- provoke some intricate improvisations from Green, and his perfectly controlled soloing is an interesting contrast with the passionate Spaulding and Henderson. Tyner and Jones are once again telepathic in their support, elevating the whole package to one of Green's strongest jazz outings and a unique standout in his catalog. [Oddity: the CD bonus track "Wives and Lovers" seems to be the same one included on Matador, where it was a better fit.]

Grant Green's burning single-note lines out-swung most horn players. In the 1960s, Grant Green was the Blue Note guitarist. He could jam soulfully with organ combos, play bebop with the best, and dig into the most adventurous jazz on Blue Note while sounding perfectly at home. Solid, a memorable gem from 1964, remarkably went unreleased by Blue Note for 15 years because there were so many other Grant Green recordings at the time.

Green is part of a shockingly brilliant sextet (Joe Henderson, James Spaulding, McCoy Tyner, Bob Cranshaw and Elvin Jones) performing music worthy of their talents including George Russell's "Ezz-Thetic" and Henderson's "The Kicker." The playing is full of surprises, the rhythm section displays telepathic interplay, and Grant Green shows in every soulful note that he was a guitar giant.

The selection Minor League is a classic Blue Note composition, with instant recognition of the Blue Note sound. “The head gives off that really hip, quartal harmony that really rose to prominence in the 60’s. “The strong brass presence also eliminates any lingering concern it might be just a guitar album. Joe Henderson!

Green has a soul-jazz feeling on Solid, soft warm tone in unison with the brass, at times sounding more Hammond B3 than guitar, fluid  linear melodic exploration of the compositions. He has an unusual pairing of horns – Joe Henderson’s gruff tenor with James Spaulding’s bright alto. Henderson has a hard, fractious tone, his athletic figures covering the entire register of the tenor, while Spaulding does a credible job just holding his own.

Tyner contributes characteristically elegant sweeping forms, left hand chopping accents against the right hand’s fluid exploration of the upper keys.  Elvin Jones more than hints at the power below, punishing the ride cymbal to mark time. (Jones is a mixed blessing on Green albums. Here he is well controlled, but on Matador – Bedouin, he treats us to a long and out-of-place drum solo – the type which clears the auditorium and fills the bar). As always, the bass is the forgotten hero, Bob Cranshaw modestly holding everyone together.

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Grant+Green

Track listing:

1. "Minor League" (Pearson) – 7:05
2. "Ezz-Thetic" (Russell) – 10:41
3. "Grant's Tune" (Grant Green) – 7:01
4. "Solid" (Rollins) – 7:23
5. "The Kicker" (Henderson) – 6:23
6. "Wives and Lovers" (Bacharach, David) – 9:00 Bonus track on CD reissue, from Matador

Personnel:

Grant Green - guitar
James Spaulding - alto saxophone (tracks 1-5)
Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone (tracks 1-5)
McCoy Tyner - piano
Bob Cranshaw - bass
Elvin Jones - drums

John Coltrane - 1966 [1970] "Coltrane Plays The Blues"

 Coltrane Plays the Blues is an album credited to jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1962 on Atlantic Records, catalogue SD 1382. It was recorded at Atlantic Studios during the sessions for My Favorite Things, assembled after Coltrane had stopped recording for the label and was under contract to Impulse Records. Like Prestige Records before them, as Coltrane's fame grew during the 1960s, Atlantic used unissued recordings and released them without either Coltrane's input or approval.

Coltrane's sessions for Atlantic in late October 1960 were prolific, yielding the material for My Favorite Things, Coltrane Plays the Blues, and Coltrane's Sound. My Favorite Things was destined to be the most remembered and influential of these, and while Coltrane Plays the Blues is not as renowned or daring in material, it is still a powerful session. As for the phrase "plays the blues" in the title, that's not an indicator that the tunes are conventional blues (they aren't). It's more indicative of a bluesy sensibility, whether he is playing muscular saxophone or, on "Blues to Bechet" and "Mr. Syms," the more unusual sounding (at the time) soprano sax. Elvin Jones, who hadn't been in Coltrane's band long, really busts out on the quicker numbers, such as "Blues to You" and "Mr. Day." [Some reissues add five bonus tracks: two alternates apiece of "Blues to Elvin" and "Blues to You," and "Untitled Original (Exotica)." All three were recorded on October 24, 1960.]

An under-appreciated album in the Coltrane discography. I would argue that Mr. Knight is probably the "coolest" song Coltrane ever recorded, meaning that it still sounds fresh and innovative even today. Coltrane's playing on this album is not as muscular as some of his other albums, nor as beautiful as on 'Ballads' or 'with Johnny Hartman', but its some where in-between, and that is what makes it great. I think this some of the quartet's finest work. 

These recordings come from the same sessions that produced 1961's My Favorite Things. This is one of the least well know Coltrane albums, partly because it is an all blues format and partly because it was released at the end of his association with Atlantic records.
Plays The Blues features the talents of McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones and Steve Davis. It is the beginning of his work with Tyner and Jones in quartet form. For that alone this recording would be important.
Although this album is called Plays The Blues, this is by no means the only blues which Coltrane plays. There are blues elements, moods and feelings in all of his best-known recordings. Listen to "Slowtrane," "Blue Train," "Bessie's Blues" among others and one can't help but hear the blues vibe.
The original six tracks are fantastic and have that same blues vibe. They hit the listener right in the heart and soul and don't let go. All six are superb, but "Blues To Bechet," "Mr. Day," "Mr. Knight" and "Blues To Elvin" are absolute classics.

Track Listings:

  1. Blues To Elvin
  2. Blues To Bechet
  3. Blues To You
  4. Mr. Day
  5. Mr. Syms
  6. Mr. Knight
  7. Untitled Origional (Bonus Track For CD Only)

Personnel:

    John Coltrane — soprano saxophone on "Blues to Bechet" and "Mr. Syms"; tenor saxophone on all others
    McCoy Tyner — piano
    Steve Davis — bass
    Elvin Jones — drums

Wayne Shorter - 1965 [1990] "The Soothsayer"

The Soothsayer is the seventh album by Wayne Shorter, recorded in 1965, but not released on Blue Note until 1979. The album features five originals by Shorter and an arrangement of Jean Sibelius' "Valse Triste". An additional take of "Angola" was added to later CD releases.

Part of an explosion of solo albums Wayne Shorter recorded just after he joined Miles Davis' band, The Soothsayer wasn't released until the late '70s. Listening to the album, it is hard to believe because it ranks with the best of his works from this incredibly fertile period. Shorter has been called Davis' "idea man," and the creativity and thoughtfulness that earned him that moniker are quite evident here. The album's five originals and one arrangement (of Sibelius' Valse Triste) show a multi-layered complexity that seems effortless even as it weaves together contributions from a very strong, stylistic sextet. Of particular interest is the interplay of the three horn players, including altoist James Spaulding and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. As a performer, Shorter also shows a lot of strength, with fluid, at times subtly evocative, solos that bloom with energy without ever seeming frantic or harsh. The title track shows Shorter at his most forceful and is one of the most passionate moments on the album, but even here, beauty seems to come first, while his low-key standard "Lady Day" embodies grace and calmness in every moment.

The Soothsayer may be comparably less of a benchmark in Wayne Shorter's discography, and remains to some extent overshadowed by its close contemporary Speak No Evil (Blue Note, 1964), but it's a solid and enduring album—despite 15 years between the recording session and the original LP release.

Things were happening big time for Shorter in early 1965, when The Soothsayer was recorded. After five years with drummer and band leader Art Blakey as musician, composer and, finally, musical director, the saxophonist had recently joined trumpeter Miles Davis' second great quintet. With Davis, Shorter would record six studio albums over the next three years—the first, E.S.P. (Columbia, 1965) was recorded two months before The Soothsayer—plus a further four under his own name.

There was an embarrassment of Shorter riches around, and The Soothsayer was initially shelved to make way for the release of the more structurally adventurous The All Seeing Eye (Blue Note, 1965). When Shorter left Davis and joined Weather Report, The Soothsayer, temporarily, was overtaken by events. It was finally released in 1980.

The album finds Shorter in the company of two Davis quintet colleagues—bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams—together with pianist McCoy Tyner, then a member of saxophonist John Coltrane's classic quartet, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and the relatively unsung alto saxophonist James Spaulding. Hubbard and Carter had been retained from Speak No Evil; Tyner had been featured on the earlier Shorter albums Night Dreamer (Blue Note, 1964) and Ju Ju (Blue Note, 1964). Spaulding and Williams were new recruits.

Shorter's virile playing aside, the album is worthwhile for the presence of drum prodigy Williams (Shorter's regular drummers of the time were Elvin Jones and Joe Chambers)—who turns in an inventive solo on "Angola"—and for the strength of Shorter's writing. The triple meter, medium groove "Lost," the opener, is quintessential Shorter of the period. Eight years before the release of The Soothsayer it was featured on Weather Report's Live In Tokyo (Columbia, 1972). "Angola," which follows, sounds like it could have been written earlier, for Blakey's band. The haunting "Lady Day" is a ballad tribute to singer Billie Holiday.

Of interest too is Shorter's re-arrangement of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius' pretty "Valse Triste"—on Speak No Evil, Shorter had credited Sibelius as a key inspiration for that album's "Dance Cadaverous." The word "deconstruction" may not have been common jazz parlance in 1965, but deconstruct is exactly what Shorter does here, sensitively and engagingly.

http://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=wayne+shorter

http://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=ron+carter

http://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=tony+williams

http://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=freddie+hubbard

Track listing:

All compositions by Wayne Shorter except where noted.

1. "Lost" – 7:20
2. "Angola" – 4:56
3. "The Big Push" – 8:23
4. "The Soothsayer" – 9:40
5. "Lady Day" – 5:36
6. "Valse Triste" (Jean Sibelius) – 7:45
7. "Angola" [Alternate Take] – 6:41

Personnel:

Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
James Spaulding – alto saxophone
McCoy Tyner – piano
Ron Carter – bass
Tony Williams – drums

Chick Corea - 1968 [2002] "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs"

Now He Sings, Now He Sobs is a jazz piano trio album by Chick Corea, released December 1968 on Solid State Records. In more recent times, it was acquired by EMI/Blue Note and reissued on CD with bonus tracks. The musicians on this album are Corea (piano), Miroslav Vitouš (bass), and Roy Haynes (drums). Aside from the jazz standard "My One and Only Love" and Thelonious Monk's "Pannonica", all tracks are original compositions (with some being non-composed free improvisations, such as "The Law of Falling and Catching Up" or "Fragments"). The same line-up recorded on ECM Records in 1981 Trio Music and in 1986 Trio Music, Live in Europe.

Now He Sings, Now He Sobs is among the greatest piano trio albums ever released. Recorded in 1968, the record firmly established Chick as a pianist and composer with a unique vision, one that floated free of traditional genre distinctions and conventions, into new and thrilling territory. With veteran drummer Roy Haynes and brilliant bassist Miroslav Vitous, Chick creates a new language of his own, instantly recognizable from the first, classic cymbal flourish and piano run of “Matrix.” The trio is locked in, totally attuned to each other, and operating at a tremendous level. This is jazz of the highest order.

Corea had been paying his dues for over half a decade, developing great affinity for Afro-Cuban Jazz while working with Mongo Santamaria, and Sonny Stitt among others, composed, arranged and in the process greatly incrementing the dimension of albums such as Blue Mitchell’s “Boss Horn”, seen his compositions recorded by the likes of Hubert Laws, Donald Byrd or by his for a while boss Stan Getz and even released his 1st album as a leader – which was given the title of one of those songs from the Mitchell’ album-, an album where he used a band format to work on his songs;
           he’d been enchanting all those who contacted his music, with his talent, vitality, virtuosity and a new perspective in composing and making the pieces unfold; this perspective had points in common with Coltrane’s open 4tet explorations and in particular with McCoy Tyner’s style, but Corea’s vision eventually included some other stylistic appendices; this album displays several ways of reformulating those concepts while working on  a platform  he hadn’t tested yet and at the end of the day was the beginning of a long lasting and productive trio friendship.

If Corea is adventurous his partners never let him down either: 6 years his junior, Miroslav Vitous the 20 years old Czech bass player is all but conventional, accompanies with intricate and meandering restlessly walking or running lines and his explorative solos as on “Matrix” or even better on the pair of “Now He…” , are the epitome of creative abandon; as for the some 15 years his senior Roy Haynes, his vast experience brought him all but stiffness, as boldly and flexibly he either keeps the beat with unrelenting ride cymbal drive and sporadic, unexpected,  sensitive and perfectly timed inspired rolls or he jumps up front to argument on the meaning of the piece.

Consisting of only five tracks the album is launched at breakneck velocity with Hard-bop virtuosity by the almost 14 minutes long tour-de-force “Steps-What Was”; on the 2nd part after a drum solo, Corea flirts with fragments of and delineates what “Spain” would become, both with overtly similar melodies and in a preview of its harmonic and rhythmic complexity; on the title track the pianist alternatively  conveys joy and pain with open and glad major intervals or with closed, altered minor  and weeping chords; his control of the shades of harmony is incremented with impressionistic Classical instincts on “Now He Beats…” either conveying aggressiveness  or lyricism, before Vitous and Haynes enter midway through the 10 minutes-plus piece and without interfering with the pianist’s shifting states-of-mind, and turning abstraction into organic pulsations install a communal vision which allows them to alter the mood or at the snap of a finger  revert to it;

“The Law of Falling…” are 2 ½ minutes of avant-garde, Musique Concrète, knocking and hammering on piano and bass strings and on the instruments wood proper, sweeping chimes, brisk pizzicato runs and drum rolls, a brief and in no way painful glimpse at still other alternative routes, yet what’s impressive, and if not enlightening definitely stupefying, is  how an album where  only one theme - “Matrix” with its Tyner-esque Hard-Bop adventures -, was rehearsed in a conventional manner, yielded such a bountiful crop of land marking and earmarking case-study material, admittedly mostly spontaneously created by improvising atop and around mere sketches.
This mix of mechanical empathy and creative impetus famously impressed Miles, who a couple of months later would use Corea’s piano talent for the 1st of his participations on “Kilimanjaro”

“Now He Sings…” with Bonus Tracks
…To increment amazement levels  on all of us common mortals, the rest of the pieces recorded during the 3 dates that the sessions for the album lasted ,and which had not been used, have been added as bonus tracks on the CD reissue: from the Oriental tainted and flutteringly Boppish “Samba Yantra”, and the elliptic Bossa with purposely understated but nevertheless solid time-keeping of “Bossa”, to the controlled explosion of 20th Century Classical and Avant-Garde instincts on  “Fragments”, and the modulations on a succession of opening and closing frames on the beautiful and uplifting “Windows”, past the 2 parted improvisational experiment for piano and bass of “Gemini” and up to a new found virtuosity without loosing the sentiment on a take on Monk’s “Pannonica” and a quasi-dysfunctional  but consistently effective love statement on “My One and Only Love”, this is almost a doubling of the pleasure….

In 1999, the single "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs" was given the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

http://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=chick+corea

Track listing:

01 Steps-What Was (13:50)
02 Matrix (6:28)
03 Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (7:03)
04 Now He Beats The Drum-Now He Stops (10:35)
05 The Law Of Falling And Catching Up (2:28)
06 Samba Yantra (2:41)
07 Bossa (4:45)
08 I Don't Know (2:43)
09 Fragments (4:04)
10 Windows (3:12)
11 Gemini (4:24)
12 Pannonica (3:00)
13 My One And Only Love (3:34)

Personnel:

Chick Corea – Piano
Roy Haynes – Drums
Miroslav Vitous – Bass

Jack Dejohnette - 1984 "Album Album"

Album Album is a 1984 jazz album by Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition featuring five compositions by DeJohnette and a cover of Thelonious Monk’s “Monk’s Mood”.

Most of Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition's recordings are quite rewarding and this set is no exception. Drummer/keyboardist Jack DeJohnette contributed five of the six compositions (all but "Monk's Mood") and they cover a wide range of styles and moods, from "New Orleans Suite" and "Festival" to the ambitious "Third World Anthem" and a revisit to his "Zoot Suite." This was one of the most stimulating jazz groups of the 1980s and this particular lineup (with John Purcell on alto and soprano, tenor saxophonist David Murray, Howard Johnson doubling on tuba and baritone, and bassist Rufus Reid) was one of DeJohnette's strongest.  - All Music

The title of this 1984 refers to it being Jack DeJohnette's family album of sorts. His mother had died around this time and he composed this set in her memory and dedicated one track ("New Orleans Strut") to his father. Jack DeJohnette is even pictured on the cover with his wife and daughter, and numerous old family photos grace the inside spread.

This version of Special Edition had a powerful three-horn front line, with John Purcell on alto and soprano saxophones, David Murray on tenor and Howard Johnson on tuba and baritone sax. The opening number, "Ahmad the Terrible" features a folkish melody over a rollicking rhythmic base, calling to mind some of the works by Moondog. The set's one cover is Thelonious Monk's "Monk's Mood," here arranged with an extended and gloriously laid-back opening by the three horns, with the drums and bass joining in after a few minutes.

I learned from the liner notes that this album was meant to commemorate Jack's late mother in an effort to imbue a time of mourning with the spirit of joy and celebration. In my opinion, this is achieved! Many of the tunes have tongue in cheek themes and make you smile. At the same time, the musicianship is brilliant and manages for the most part to sound fresh even after 30 years. When the 70s sound appears as such, it is still with panache and cool, so it serves as a monument to that time period as well. Highly recommended.- By Casper Paludan

This is a very special selection, played with genuine involvement, inspiration and commitment, as a felt homage in memory of Jack's mother.
Despite the years this album maintains that touch of remarkable distinction. A genuine run around the essential roots of the beginnings of this genre.
It's useless to talk about the magnificence of this connoted drum' s superstar. The rest of the team plays with enraptured bliss. A celebration of the music by itself. -
By Hiram Gòmez Pardo Venezuela

I first heard of Jack deJohnette as part of the Keith Jarrett trio, but I saw this release on a cassette at a thrift store of all places and snatched it up!! It's wonderful. He's a great drummer not to mention pianist and the tuba is an interesting addition to the overall sound. Monk's Mood is a great piece as are his original sounds.  -
By EarthGoddess

All the songs on this CD are good, but Ahmad the Terrible is an outstanding work of jazz. I find it difficult to explain why I love this piece so much - it so very unique. Every jazz lover should have this CD in their collection. - By Dubarnik

Jack Dejohnette is a wonderful artist and it shows amazingly on this album. My favorite track is "Third World Anthem" that song is one of the best jazz compositions of the late 20th century. I highly recommend owning or just listening to this fine piece of creativity. You won't be disappointed.  - By Mecca Egypt.

Listening to a jazz playlist of mine on shuffle on my pocket computer, I had the pleasure of hearing "Third World Anthem," from "Album Album", a 1984 release by Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition. I first began to listen to jazz extensively when I was a DJ at KZSU, the student radio station at Stanford University. I first did a jazz show in the summer of 1983. When I started, I knew next to nothing. But I knew Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue," and John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things," so I started "So What" from the former and cued up the title track from the latter, and wondered what to play after that.

Jazz albums have good lists of personnel, so I went and got albums by all the sidemen on those two albums. One of the albums was by McCoy Tyner (pianist on the Coltrane album), and one of the sidemen on that album was Jack DeJohnette. I don't remember what Tyner album it was, but I vaguely remember it being a piano trio, which means it was almost certainly "Supertrios" from 1977.

In any case, this use of sidemen to find more records to play had quickly led me to Jack DeJohnette, and when I began to exclusively play jazz in my DJ'ing the following January, his work was a staple of my shows, and when "Album Album" came out that year, I played it to death, especially "Festival," "New Orleans Strut," and "Third World Anthem."

I spent just over a week in New York just after Thanksgiving in 1984, and I went to see Special Edition several times during their week-long gig at the Blue Note. David Murray had already become one of my favorite saxophone players by then, but I was just as impressed by John Purcell and Howard Johnson. Rufus Reid is the bassist on the album, but he was busy elsewhere, so Cecil McBee was replacing him, and I remember him as being especially great. And DeJohnette was, as always, simply a wonder on the drums.

"Album Album": one of the greatest records of the 1980s, to my ears. (Up there with "Seeds of Time," by the magnificent Dave Holland Quintet.) -
by Andrew Shields.

 

Track listing

    “Ahmad the Terrible” – 6:08
    “Monk’s Mood” (Monk) –7:41
    “Festival” – 6:08
    “New Orleans Strut” – 6:49
    “Third World Anthem” – 10:51
    “Zoot Suite” – 5:02

    All compositions by Jack DeJohnette except as indicated
    Recorded June 1984; engineer, Dave Baker

Personnel

    Jack DeJohnette — synthesizer, guitar, drums, keyboards
    Howard Johnson — tuba, baritone saxophone
    David Murray — tenor saxophone
    John Purcell — alto saxophone and soprano saxophone
    Rufus Reid — bass guitar and double bass 

Jack DeJohnette - 1970 [2015] "Have You Heard"

Have You Heard? is an album by Jack DeJohnette featuring Bennie Maupin, Gary Peacock and Hideo Ichikawa recorded in Tokyo in April 1970 and released on the Milestone label.

Devotees of free jazz will want to check out this 1970 release from DeJohnette, the great drummer, who was to go on to build a recording career as varied as the sounds you will find on this album.
"Have You Heard?" recorded in Japan, featured DeJohnette (who also contributes to one tune on piano) with reedman and flautist Bennie Maupin (who played with Miles during this period, as did Jack), bassist Gary Peacock and the Japanese pianist, Hideo Ichikawa. All three were fine players; Maupin and Ichikawa, unfortunately, for the most part slipped from sight in the years following this release.

The release, nearly an hour in length even in the original vinyl, courageously explored abstract sounds and broken rhythms, pushing the boundaries of improvisation in some cases about as far as they will go. For an example, check out the title cut, which features all four players freely exploring ideas suggested by a series of rhythms laid down by DeJohnette at the beginning of the piece. Near the end of the piece, we have sound dissolving into abstract forays and DeJohnette crying out. A harmonica seems to wander in for a few stretch. The 21-minute piece has the quality of a dream.

The 19-minute "Papa-Daddy," similarly takes the listeners through an aural landscape that is not immediately recognizable. Although the sound at times seems to wander aimlessly, there is a superb lengthy section in which all four improvise together. No, it doesn't "swing," but one feels that however disparate the paths the four are following, they are observing, thinking about and responding to the decisions of one another.

The other two cuts, "Neophilia" and "For Jane," are a bit more conventional, but still move closer to abstraction than to conventional form. The former has a fine dark, sonorous refrain from Maupin that forms the core of the tune; "For Jane" gives us a chance to hear DeJohnette at the piano, an instrument on which he has a fine touch. Check out his mid-'80s piano album on Milestone for a full album of his work at the keyboard.

Jack's drumming on this album, though, is the feature, and it is a marvel. Few drummers are more melodic, and he listens wonderfully, as do the best. He juggles rhythms incessantly behind his bandmates, who present very different voices. Maupin has some very fiery, discordant passages, particularly on "Have You Heard?"; Ichikawa offers stretches of melodicism that are a refreshing contrast, much in the same way that McCoy Tyner leavened the fury of Coltrane's last releases. Peacock moves in and out of the changing sounds expertly and offers some fine solo moments.

The audience for this is probably quite limited. However, if you are open to challenging sounds, it offers a very worthwhile listen. These recordings are necessary to keep alive the notion of what music can be.

Recorded live at Toshi Center Hall, Akasaka, Tokyo, April 7, 1970

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Jack+Dejohnette

Track listing:

All compositions by Jack DeJohnette except as indicated

1. "Neophilia (Love of the New) (Bennie Maupin) - 9:52
2. "Papa-Daddy" - 19:53
3. "Have You Heard?" - 21:26
4. "For Jane" - 7:56

Personnel:

Jack DeJohnette – drums, electric piano, voice
Bennie Maupin – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
Hideo Ichikawa – piano
Gary Peacock – bass

Ray Barretto - 1994 "Taboo"

Ray Barretto's Taboo features a new, smaller version of his New World Spirit ensemble. Hector Martignon, who composes along with Barretto, is still here, as are Satoshi Takeishi, Ray Vega, and Jairo Moreno. Saxophonist Adam Kolker takes the sax chair vacated by Jay Rodriguez, and guitarist Alfredo Gonzales has not been replaced. The material is far jazzier on Taboo. Barretto explored the roots of Latin jazz as it transformed itself into the New York version of son and salsa on 2003's Hot Hands: Ancestral Messages, and Taboo serves as a guidebook to present and future tenses of Latin jazz. For starters, one can read between the lines that Ray Vega's charts have moved far a-field of the standard notions surrounding big band arrangements. Everything here feels fluid and relaxed; the playing leaves spontaneity in the air whether it is on a Barretto or a Martignon original, such as on "Bomba-Riquen," "99 MacDougal St," or something from the hard bop cannon by Nat Adderley and Oscar Brown, Jr., such as the classic "Work Song," or a modal tune like McCoy Tyner's "Effendi." What comes out is a steamy, emotionally moving, reworking of the soul-jazz ethic by Latin rhythmic and sophistication standards. One tune seamlessly moves into another and the trajectory of soloists against the rhythm section is linear; there is no attempt made by anyone here to play beyond the watermark the band sets, thereby keeping the entire process organic and unified. The counterpoint is engaging, the melodic intervention is groundbreaking, and the interplay of rhythm instruments -- hand percussion, drums, bass, and piano, is nothing less than brilliant and innovative. Taboo actually moves past Hot Hands: Ancestral Messages, and gives listeners a solid view of the shape of Latin jazz to come.

This CD exceeded my expectations.

Track Listing:

  1. Taboo
  2. Bomba-Riquen
  3. Work Song
  4. Cancion De'l Yungue (Song For The Rain Forest)
  5. Guaji-Rita
  6. 99 MacDougal St.
  7. Montuno Blue
  8. Brother Tom
  9. Lazy Afternoon
  10. Effendi

Personnel:

- Ray Barretto: Composer, Congas, Drums, Primary Artist, Quinto
- Alfredo González: Guitar
- Adam Kolker: Flute, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor).
- Hector Martignon: Arranger, Composer, Piano
- Jairo Moreno: Bass, Bass (Electric), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric).
- Satoshi Takeishi: Drums.
- Ray Vega: Arranger, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Percussion.

Ron Carter - 1976 [1996] "Yellow & Green"

Yellow & Green is an album by bassist Ron Carter recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Studio in New Jersey in 1976 and released on the CTI label.

 This often overlooked album in the canon of Ron Carter is a pure gem and not often found. With Rudy Van Gelder on the controls, the outright magic of this session was brilliantly captured.This is a spectacular recording with great depth,presecence and separation and sound stage.

Moody, moody stuff from Ron -- who's really opening up his scope on this album, one cut during his strong emergence as an arranger/composer with a bent for pushing the bass way past its traditional jazz role. The record features Ron Carter on a variety of basses, and features different groupings of players that include Billy Cobham, Ben Riley, Kenny Barron, Don Grolnick, and Dom Um Romao. Titles include "Epsistrophy", "Yellow & Green", "Tenaj", and "Receipt, Please".

Ron Carter (born May 4, 1937, Ferndale, Michigan) is an American jazz double-bassist. His unique sound and great swing have made him a long sought after studio man -- his appearances on over 3,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vineger. He also has a large body of classical recorded work as well

Carter started to play cello at the age of 10, but when his family moved to Detroit, he ran into difficulties regarding the racial stereotyping of classical musicians and instead moved to bass. Carter attended the historic Cass Technical High School. He played in the Eastman School of Music's Philharmonic Orchestra, and gained his bachelor's degree in 1959, and in 1961 a master's degree in double bass performance from the Manhattan School of Music. His first jobs as a jazz musician were with Jaki Byard and Chico Hamilton. His first records were made with Eric Dolphy (another former member of Hamilton's group) and Don Ellis, in 1960. Carter also worked during this time with Randy Weston, Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery, Bobby Timmons, Cannonball Adderley and Art Farmer. Carter is an acclaimed cellist who has performed on record numerous times with the cello, notably his own first date as leader, Where?, with Dolphy and Mal Waldron and a date also with Dolphy called Out There with Jaki Byard, George Duvivier and Roy Haynes and Carter on cello; its advanced harmonics and concepts for 1961 were reminiscent of the then current third stream movement on cello by Carter, for he is second probably only to Oscar Pettiford on the instrument in a jazz context.

Carter came to fame via the second great Miles Davis quintet in the early 1960s, which also included Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams. Carter joined Davis's group in 1963, appearing on the album Seven Steps to Heaven and the follow-up E.S.P.. The latter was the first album to feature the full quintet, and also featured three of Carter's compositions (the only time he contributed compositions to Davis's group). He stayed with Davis's regular group until 1968 (when he was replaced by Dave Holland), and participated in a couple of studio sessions with Davis in 1969 and 1970. Although he played electric bass occasionally during this period, he has subsequently eschewed that instrument entirely, and now plays only acoustic bass.

Carter also performed on some of Hancock, Williams and Shorter's recordings during the sixties for Blue Note Records. He was a sideman on many Blue Note recordings of the era, playing with Sam Rivers, Freddie Hubbard, Duke Pearson, Lee Morgan, McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill and many, many others.

After leaving Davis, Carter was for several years a mainstay of CTI Records, making albums under his own name and also appearing on many of the label's records with a diverse range of other musicians, including Wes Montgomery, Herbie Mann, Paul Desmond, George Benson, Jim Hall, Nat Adderley, Antonio Carlos Jobim, J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding, Eumir Deodato, Esther Phillips, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Burrell, Chet Baker, Johnny Frigo and many others.

Carter has also performed and recorded with Billy Cobham, Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Joe Henderson, Horace Silver,Stanley Turrentine, Shirley Scott,Helen Merrill, Houston Person, Red Garland, Antonio Carlos Jobim and many other important jazz artists, and has recorded over 25 albums as a bandleader.

Carter was Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Music Department of The City College of New York, having taught there for twenty years, and received an honorary Doctorate from the Berklee College of Music, in Spring 2004.

Always one of the most in demand bassist and session men. He does not have a large body of work as a featured artist, but here you can catch him in a rare environment. This time he gets to lead and pick the tracks. A great find.

This needs to be added to a serious jazz library, as the important jazz figure he is.

Track listing

    All compositions by Ron Carter except as indicated

    1. "Tenaj" - 7:44
    2. "Receipt, Please" - 7:05
    3. "Willow Weep for Me" (Ann Ronell) - 2:40
    4. "Yellow and Green" - 6:13
    5. "Opus 15" - 6:55
    6. "Epistrophy" (Kenny Clarke, Thelonious Monk) - 6:07

        Recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on May 17, 18 and 20, 1976

Personnel

    Ron Carter - bass, piccolo bass, cowbell, tambourine
    Kenny Barron - piano (track 1, 5 & 6)
    Don Grolnick - piano, electric piano (track 2 & 4)
    Hugh McCracken - guitar, harmonica (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 5)
    Billy Cobham (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 5), Ben Riley (track 6) - drums
    Dom Um Romão - percussion (tracks 2 & 5)

Jazz Funk Unit - 1994 "Beauty Is Only Knee Deep"

The Band: Ivan Bodley and Jazz/Funk Unit
The Cats: Ivan Bodley-Electric & Acoustic Bass, Julian Coryell-guitar, Adrian Harpham-drums, Deji Coker, Jr.
-Alto Saxophone, Peter Adams-Keyboards.

The Guests: Corey Glover-vocals (on "Nature Boy"). Platinum and Grammy award winning singer from the band Living Colour. Raphael Cruz-Percussion (tracks 1-6). Percussionist extraordinaire, Grammy nominee, alumnus to stars like Dr. John, McCoy Tyner, and George Benson.

The Music: Bebop with Bump! Jazz standards redefined with modern funk, Latin, and swing beats: Nefertiti (by Wayne Shorter), Nardis (Miles Davis), Nature Boy (Eden Ahbez), Fee Fi Fo Fum (Wayne Shorter), Stella by Starlight (Victor Young), Anthropology (Charlie Parker, Walter Bishop, Jr.
, Dizzy Gillespie), Just Blues (Kenwood Denard), Blue in Green (Miles Davis).

The Project: Recorded "live in the studio" (mostly), June, 1994 at Loho Studios, NYC. Produced and arranged by Ivan Bodley. Recorded by Victor and Ed Luke. Mastered by Tony Dawsey.

The Deal: In the Swing Era, jazz was to popular culture what Saturday Night Fever was to the 1970s. It was a wild dance craze, outrageous fashion statement and the popular music of the 1920s and 30s. Neo-traditionalist automatons are now regurgitating the rhetoric of fossils and charlatans, claiming that the only true jazz is that played to a swing beat with certain traditional instruments, denying most rhythmic innovations since about the late 1950s. It's time we all got on with our lives! And who said serious music can't be fun?

The Jazz/Funk Unit are educated musicians, disproportionately talented, who play like all hell. The melodies and harmonies navigated here are largely post bebop, beyond the scope of what Bird and Dizzy were dealing with at the time. And the rhythms? Well, suffice to say this music is designed to vigorously stimulate any part of your body that you care to wave at it.

These cats are the new breed, the young lions, Berklee College of Music graduates with a plethora of professional credits ranging from Larry Coryell and The Osmond Brothers to The Blue Note Club House Band, Harry Connick, Jr.
, and The Shirelles. They know the score.

Reviews of Ivan Bodley and Jazz/Funk Unit:
With Jazz/Funk Unit: "Bassist/bandleader Ivan Bodley lives up to the description of his sound: bebop with bump. He gives backbeat to modern standards." -Billboard

"Bassist/producer Ivan Bodley gets to make syncopated groove music out of jazz standards. It's feisty and fun." -Nelson George, Playboy

Jazz Jackpot! Review: "Impassioned and equally intelligent, featuring Bodley's buzz-like bass work. Hats off to the Jazz/Funk Unit." -CMJ

"**** [four stars]. Jazz/Funk Unit tight and swinging, delightfully different." -The Music Paper
"Ivan Bodley, producer, arranger, and bassist!.

I'm happy to inform you the record is at least twice as interesting as the accompanying story." -Jazziz
Ivan Bodley Biography

Bassist Ivan Bodley is a Magna Cum Laude Berklee College of Music graduate with diverse music industry experience. Specializing in acoustic, electric, fretted, fretless, four-string, five-string, eight-string, and piccolo basses, Ivan is a creative and versatile bassist, performer, producer, musical director, composer, arranger, vocalist, and instructor. He has solid professional experience in diverse musical genres from hip-hop to bebop.

Originally from Chattanooga, TN, Ivan has resided and worked in: New Orleans, Los Angeles, London, Boston, and is now based in New York City.

Ivan has performed in 23 countries to audiences of up to 30,000 people. He has toured and recorded with diverse artists such as (alphabetically): Solomon Burke, The Chiffons, The Coasters, The Crystals, Spencer Davis, Bo Diddley, The Drifters, Gloria Gaynor, Ben E. King, The Marvelettes, Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), The Platters, Buster Poindexter, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Santana, The Shangri-Las, The Shirelles, Percy Sledge, Rufus & Carla Thomas, The Tokens, The Uptown Horns, and Peter Wolf.

Ivan has a BA in Psychology from Tulane University, where he was Musical Director of college radio station WTUL, New Orleans. He was also a publicist with Epic Records/Sony Music.
Ivan endorses and uses Warrior basses, Hartke amplification, Dean Markley strings, Digitech and Line 6 signal processors exclusively. Ivan eats only Little Debbie snack cakes.

Track listing:

1    Nefertiti            
2    Nardis            
3    Nature Boy            
4    Stella by Starlight            
5    Fee Fi Fo Fum            
6    Anthropology            
7    Just Blues            
8    Blue in Green

    Personnel:

 Julian Coryell - Guitar
 Deji Coker - Sax (Alto)
Adrian Harpham - Drums
Ivan Bodley - Arranger, Bass (Electric), Bass (Acoustic), Producer
Peter Adams - Keyboards
Raphael Cruz - Percussion
Corey Glover - Vocals

Chick Corea-Miroslav Vitous - 1968 1972 [1999] "Tones for Joan's Bones" - "Mountain in the Clouds"

This compilation hits a bull's-eye by pulling together two key sessions: Chick Corea's first as a leader, a blazing, advanced hard bop set from 1966, and Miroslav Vitous' Mountain in the Clouds, recorded in 1969 just prior to the bassist joining the original Weather Report. Corea's writing on Tones for Joan's Bones has an affinity with McCoy Tyner's seminal hard bop structures from this period. Tenor player Joe Farrell and trumpeter Woody Shaw are ideal for this music. They deliver virtuoso performances that are both visceral and cerebral. Steve Swallow, while later focusing exclusively on electric bass, often with a melodic, impressionistic approach, is pure thunder here. In a blindfold test his acoustic bass could be mistaken for Buster Williams'. Drummer Joe Chambers is all relentless, propulsive energy, but subtle too. Corea is a torrent of harmonic and melodic imagination, couched in unerring rhythm. On Vitous' fusion classic, Herbie Hancock's electric piano and John McLaughlin's electric guitar merge in a rich, dense, colorful foundation that affords Vitous and drummer Jack DeJohnette considerable freedom. McLaughlin combines the dreamy state he evokes on Miles Davis' In a Silent Way with the juddering rhythm attack heard on his own Extrapolation. Like Chambers, who actually takes the drum chair for two tracks, DeJohnette is powerful, creative, and passionate. The superbly recorded Vitous has a sound, technique, and concept that consistently sustain interest. Tenor giant Joe Henderson is on four tracks, including an intense, open-ended exploration of Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance." Anybody with an interest in this vital and exciting period will find both of these sessions indispensable. 

Both albums are a pinnacle of achievement for Chick Corea and Miroslav Vitous. They foreshadow the direction of both artists and also reflect their influences. "Tones For Joan's Bones" is straight ahead Jazz combined with occasional Latin rhythms, outrageous melodies typical of the period and style, Chick Corea's "Tyneresque" piano voicings and fluid, crystal clear solos. This is all augmented by Joe Farrell on reeds and Woody Shaw on trumpet-two of the best. Check out Chick Corea's solo on "Tones For Joan's Bones". Other recordings from this period featuring these artists are available on Chick Corea's "Inner Space" album.
The compositions and musicians on Miroslav Vitous' "Mountain In The Clouds" are some of the most progressive and innovative ever recorded. The moods range from quiet, cerebral, and transcendental as in "Epilogue" and "Infinite Search", to unrelenting, up-tempo jams as in "Freedom Jazz Dance" and especially "I Will Tell Him On You". The latter featuring one of the best, most astonishing guitar solos by John McLaughlin, very much like his work on Tony Williams' "Emergency" cd. The rest of the musicians on the album are basically a "who's who" in the business: Joe Henderson on sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Miroslav on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums all add their unique personalities to a timeless classic.  

 

Track Listings
1. Litha - Chick Corea
2. This Is New - Chick Corea
3. Tones For Joan's Bones - Chick Corea
4. Straight Up And Down - Chick Corea
5. Freedom Jazz Dance - Miroslav Vitous
6. Mountain In The Clouds - Miroslav Vitous
7. Epilogue - Miroslav Vitous
8. Cerecka - Miroslav Vitous
9. Infinite Search - Miroslav Vitous
10. I Will Tell Him On You - Miroslav Vitous

Credits

• Bass – Miroslav Vitous (tracks: 5 to 10), Steve Swallow (tracks: 1 to 4)
• Drums – Jack DeJohnette (tracks: 5, 6, 9, 10), Joe Chambers (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 8)
• Electric Piano – Herbie Hancock (tracks: 5 to 10)
• Flute – Joe Farrell (tracks: 1 to 4)
• Guitar – Mahavishnu John McLaughlin* (tracks: 5 to 10)
• Piano – Chick Corea (tracks: 1 to 4)
• Producer – Herbie Mann
• Tenor Saxophone – Joe Farrell (tracks: 1 to 4), Joe Henderson (tracks: 5 to 10)
• Trumpet – Woody Shaw Jr.* (tracks: 1 to 4)

John Scofield - 1978 [1988] Rough House

Rough House is a studio album by jazz musician John Scofield.

Another album, another band, another chance for the restless, itchy guitar player in his mid-twenties and who was seemingly always seeking renewed challenges to catalyze his youthful bursts of testosterone; because, and  as the title suggests, “Rough House” proposes no effortless solutions; fresh from a series of high-profile collaborations such as an extended stint with the George Duke/Billy Cobham band or a participation in a Charles Mingus project, here is Scofield with his, already at the time,  instantly recognizable, slightly distorted semi-acoustic guitar tone,  extraordinaire ability to improvise intelligent and thoughtful, yet brimming with excitement and passion ,lengthy and inventive solos and owner of an articulate and sharp phrasing that made each note sing.

The album consists of 5 Sco compositions and the vigorous and exuberant “Triple Play” (with its head stated in unison by guitar, piano and bass, hence the title, and which Sco channels into a  Rhythm & Blues inflected section where he can explore alternative instincts) written by seasoned pianist, and the band’s senior member Hal Galper, whose style bears strong McCoy Tyner references and who albeit showing a tendency to double-time tranquil solos that don’t seem to be his terrain of election, strongly contributes to the interactive dynamism of the 4tet which also counts with bass player Stafford James, and the 22 years old Adam Nussbaum, the group’s junior then at career start but owner of valuable arguments and who knew both how to trade bars with the band as on “Ailleron” and how to maintain exciting duet conversations with the leader at airplane speed as on “Air Pakistan”.

Putting his Funky instincts on hold - but not the biting edge-, Sco penned a post-bop motivated set, brisk and turbo-charged as on the title track or “Ailleron”, or flirting with more or less translucent, delicate and introspective leanings as on “Alster Fields” and “Slow Elvin”, ambiances he caresses, nurtures and excites with tasty bends, fragile trills, inspired flourishes and snappy meaningful licks.

Flawless, entertaining, classy, vigorous  and finger-snapping this  seems to be a rather obscure album in Scofield’s discography as I’ve just noticed when opening his RYM page; yet it’s worth every penny you’ll pay for it either you’re a fan of his peculiar style or just a lover of  guitar lead serious and juicy music.

Track listing

1. "Rough House"
2. "Alster Fields"
3. "Ailleron"
4. "Slow Elvin"
5. "Triple Play"
6. "Air Pakistan"

Personnel

• John Scofield - guitar
• Hal Galper - piano
• Stafford James - bass
• Adam Nussbaum - drums

Frank Zappa - 1986 [1995] "Jazz From Hell"

Jazz from Hell is an instrumental album whose selections were all composed and recorded by Frank Zappa. It was released in 1986 by Barking Pumpkin Records on vinyl and by Rykodisc on CD. This is Official Release #47.

All compositions were executed by Frank Zappa on the Synclavier DMS with the exception of "St. Etienne", a guitar solo excerpted from a live performance Zappa gave of "Drowning Witch" during a concert in Saint-Étienne, France, on his 1982 tour.
"While You Were Art II" is a Synclavier performance based on a transcription of Zappa's improvised guitar solo on the track "While You Were Out" from the album Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar (1981). The unreleased original Synclavier performance was done using only the unit's FM synthesis, while the recording found here was Zappa's "deluxe" arrangement featuring newer samples and timbres.
"Night School" was possibly named for a late-night show that Zappa pitched to ABC; the network did not pick it up. A music video was made for the song.
"G-Spot Tornado", assumed by Zappa to be impossible to play by humans, would be performed by Ensemble Modern on the concert recording The Yellow Shark (1993).

Zappa won a 1988 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for this album.

Though Jazz from Hell is an entirely instrumental album, there is an unconfirmed report that the Fred Meyer chain of stores sold it in their Music Market department featuring an RIAA Parental Advisory sticker. This could have been the result of Zappa's feud with the Parents Music Resource Center (which had also inspired the 1985 Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention), an objection to the use of the word "hell" in the album title, or in reference to the track "G-Spot Tornado", describing the erogenous zone in human anatomy commonly known as the G-Spot.

While Frank Zappa had ostensibly been "on his own" since the dissolution of the Mothers of Invention in 1969, never before had he used the term "solo artist" as literally as he does on the Grammy Award winning (in the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance by an orchestra, group or soloist" category) Jazz from Hell (1986). After two decades of depending on the skills, virtuosity, and temperament of other musicians, Zappa all but abandoned the human element in favor of the flexibility of what he could produce with his Synclavier Digital Music System. With the exception of the stunning closer "St. Etienne" -- which is a guitar solo taken from a live performance of "Drowning Witch" at the Palais des Sports in St. Etienne, France on May 28, 1982 -- the remaining seven selections were composed, created, and executed by Zappa with help from his concurrent computer assistant Bob Rice and recording engineer Bob Stone. Far from being simply a synthesizer, the Synclavier combined the ability to sample and manipulate sounds before assigning them to the various notes on a piano-type keyboard. At the time of its release, many enthusiasts considered it a slick, emotionless effort. In retrospect, their conclusions seem to have been a gut reaction to the methodology, rather than the music itself. In fact, evidence to the contrary is apparent as it brims throughout the optimistic bounding melody and tricky time-signatures of "Night School." All the more affective is the frenetic sonic trajectory coursing through "G-Spot Tornado." Incidentally, Zappa would revisit the latter -- during one of his final projects -- when the Ensemble Modern worked up Ali N. Askin's arrangement for the Yellow Shark (1993). Another cut with a bit of history to it is "While You Were Art II," which is Zappa's Synclavier-rendered version of the Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar (1982) entry "While You Were Out." Speaking of guitar solos, as mentioned briefly above, "St. Etienne" is the only song on Jazz from Hell to feature a band and is a treat specifically for listeners craving a sampling of Zappa's inimitable fretwork. The six-plus minute instrumental also boats support from Steve Vai (rhythm guitar), Ray White (rhythm guitar), Tommy Mars (keyboards), Bobby Martin (keyboards), Ed Mann (percussion), as well as the prominent rhythm section of Scott Thunes (bass) and Chad Wackerman (drums). Zappa-philes should similarly note that excellent (albeit) amateur-shot footage of the number was included by Zappa on the companion Video from Hell (1987) home video.

Jazz From Hell may not be one of Frank's most popular albums and I'm sure it's one of the lowest sellers, but it's also one of his finest.
Frank had announced his intention of quitting the liva arena in 1982 and then again in 1984 ( he would be tempted back in 1988 ) but by 1986 he was composing solely on his Synclavier within the comfort of his recording studio, and the results are amazing.
Night School and G-Spot Tornado are among his best ever compositions, nobody else to this day writes such odd and yet beautiful music, it's ironic to note that the title track ( one of the weaker tracks ) won Frank a Grammy !
Probably to placate the fans of his guitar solos he choose to include one very fine ( and delicate ) solo.
This album rewards repeated listenings and and it's great insight into what made the man really tick .

On this solo digital-synth excursion, the indefatigable Zappa takes a breather from R-rated satire and battling the PMRC dragons to cook up one of his periodic classical-jazz-boogie stews. There is nothing particularly hellish about the eight pieces on the album, though it may have been a bitch to program these densely packed parcels of subdivided rhythms and Chinese-checker themes. But while most of Jazz from Hell employs now-standard Zappa compositional devices — abrupt tempo changes, harmonic broad jumps and volcanic polyphonic clusters — there is a deviant playfulness and almost affable melodic resolution about these tracks that is unique in Zappa's serious instrumental canon.

While purchasing this CD:
Just got back from LA and while I was there I went to Time Warp Records, a little record store off of Venice BL. Among the just over 80 CD's I own by Frank I hadn't replaced the "Jazz From Hell" from my lp collection. It was there so I picked it up and there was only one guy there besides the owner and another gentleman walked in just as I was about to leave. Just as I found my last purchase (McCoy Tyner - Infinity (with Michael Brecker) and I over heard the guy that had just walked in that he had been to an event with Moon Zappa the previous night as I'm walking up to the counter with Jazz From Hell, I showed to the guy talking and the owner and we all had a little laugh, :-)
Crimhead420.

http://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=Frank+Zappa

Tracks Listing

1. Night School (4:47)
2. The Beltway Bandits (3:25)
3. While You Were Art II (7:17)
4. Jazz From Hell (2:58)
5. G-Spot Tornado (3:17)
6. Damp Ankles (3:45)
7. St. Etienne (6:26) *
8. Massaggio Galore (2:31)

* Recorded 1982 at Palais des Sports, St. Etienne, France.

Total Time: 34:26

Personnel:

Frank Zappa – lead guitar, Synclavier, keyboards, production
On "St. Etienne":
Steve Vai – rhythm guitar
Ray White – rhythm guitar
Tommy Mars – keyboards
Bobby Martin – keyboards
Scott Thunes – bass guitar
Chad Wackerman – drums
Ed Mann – percussion