Joe Henderson Quintet - 1970 [2006] "At the Lighthouse"

Joe Henderson Quintet at the Lighthouse is a live album recorded at the Lighthouse Café, Hermosa Beach, California, between September 24, 1970 and September 26, 1970. Personnel include Woody Shaw on trumpet and flugelhorn, George Cables on electric piano, Ron McClure on acoustic bass (electric bass on track 8 only), and Lenny White on drums. Tony Waters plays congas on tracks 1, 8 and 9 only.

This is a live album from the famous Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach CA. This venue has hosted many live albums over the years by Lee Morgan & Cannonball Adderley to name two of my favorite albums recorded there.
This recording is special in my opinion due to the presence of trumpeter Woody Shaw as Henderson's frontline partner and George Cables on Fender Rhodes EP and acoustic piano. Lenny White on drums is in inspired form.

This music is similar in style and content to the music Freddie Hubbard composed for his Cti album "Red Clay" that Henderson and White played on so its not a big surprise to me to hear him coping Red Clay's sound for his group. The sound if I had to label it would be hard bop with subtle traces of R&B and early fusion especially on the track "If you're not part of the problem you're part of the solution". The group performs several of Henderson's most well known tunes that have become jazz standards & jam session favorites in the many years after this was recorded such as "Blue Bossa", Recorda Me and "The Shade of Jade" If you're a fan of live albums and jazz in general then you should have this album in your collection.

I cut my musical teeth back in the 1960s and 1970s, soaking up the Rock, Pop, and Soul sound of that era, and I didn't hear a lot of jazz growing up. So, I've somewhat belatedly been discovering some of the great jazz artists of the past several decades, and Joe Henderson ranks as one of those that I enjoy very much. I can't really pinpoint what it is about his syle of playing that appeals to me, but it just does. The tone, the mood, the vibe, whatever you want to call, it works for me.

In addition to Henderson, I've also become a fan of Woody Shaw, and both of those great musicians feature prominently on this live recording. And a good, clean recording it is, not even sounding like a typical noisy club show. You can read the other rave reviews for a rundown of the songs and who does what. If you've heard any Joe Henderson albums from this period (this was recorded in 1970) I think you'll dig it.

The CD comes with a booklet that includes the original liner notes written by Orrin Keepnews. It also includes a newer essay about Henderson and this recording, written by Jeff Kaliss for the reissue of the CD in 2004. I love the description of the music in liner notes: "... the dominant mood is effervescent, with the soloists at the tops of their respective games." Indeed, these guys are all in top form. A jazz treat!

If you're new to Joe Henderson, you need to check him out and this is a fine place to start.

I hear his improv style as a blend of Parker (master of changes), Rollins (exploits the tenor range and grabs the unexpected, but right note) and Coltrane (great intensity and lots of notes when he cuts loose.) In other words, he plays lots of well chosen notes, plays very quickly and clearly, has great intensity and can make very musical noise. I think of him as an earthier (more authentic?) sounding Michael Brecker.

On this disk, he covers a lot of stylistic territory. There's a lot of hard bop, bossa nova, some free blowing, modern jazz standards interpretation, even one cut ("If You're Not Part of") that is fusion...this CD is like a jazz sampler playlist all in one.

Regarding the other players, Woody Shaw is fine in the style of Freddie Hubbard. He's a very good match for Joe, so you get a lot of great trumpet at no extra charge.

The rhythm section is very tight. For the most part, Lenny White plays straight ahead drums here (vs. his better known fusion style with Return to Forever.) Ron McClure mostly plays the string bass. He has a very clear and harmonically informed touch. So no worries on the bottom end of the band. (The exception, of course is the "If You're Not Part of" cut where Lenny and Ron funk and Fender out.)

For me the electric piano is a nice touch throughout the CD. It gives the tunes a little of the original Chick Corea/Return to Forever sound (i.e. back when Chick played with Joe Farrell; prior to adopting an electric guitar into the band.) So, if you're worried that this is a dreaded "jazz fusion" album, you can relax.

George Cables is the pianist and he does a fine job when given the opportunity. Unlike Chick on Return to Forever, he's much less intense, which fits his supporting player role.

To wrap up, I can only say that I wish I was in the audience when Joe and co. were blowing the roof off.

I took a few lessons from the late great Joe Henderson in the mid 70's when he resided up north in the San Francisco bay area near Colma. In my opinion, he was one of the best of the post-Coltrane saxophonists along with Wayne Shorter. This set culled from his performances at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, 22 miles from L.A., represent one of his best live performances along with the "Live in Japan" date. The greatly under-rated trumpeter Woody Shaw, George Cables on Rhodes electric keyboard, Ron McClure on bass and Lenny White on drums composed a power house group with some Henderson originals (Isotope, Inner Urge, Recorda-Me) and some of the Blue Note tunes like "Blue Bossa", "Mode for Joe" and standards like "Round Midnight", "Invitation" ( a tune I've heard Joe play many times live and on record). If you're a fan of Joe Henderson or a hard bop buff, do get this one--it smokes!!

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

 Track listing:

01     Caribbean Fire Dance     5:37
02     Recorda-Me     8:18
03     A Shade Of Jade     10:28
04     Isotope     4:28
05     'Round Midnight     9:02
06     Mode For Joe     8:34
07     Invitation     7:32
08     If You're Not Part Of The Solution, You're Part Of The Problem     11:29
09     Blue Bossa     9:43
10     Closing Theme     0:47

Personnel:

Saxophone – Joe Henderson
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Woody Shaw
Bass – Ron McClure
Congas – Tony Waters (tracks: 1, 8, 9)
Drums – Lenny White
Electric Bass – Ron McClure (tracks: 8)
Electric Piano – George Cables

Frank Zappa - 1971 [1997] "200 Motels"

The 200 Motels soundtrack to Frank Zappa's film 200 Motels was released by United Artists Records in 1971. Like the film, the album covers a loose storyline about The Mothers of Invention going crazy in the small town of Centerville and bassist Jeff quitting the group, as did his real life counterpart, Jeff Simmons, who left the group before the film began shooting and was replaced by actor Martin Lickert for the film.

The soundtrack to Frank Zappa's strange early-'70s film 200 Motels was always doomed to be a peripheral entry in his discography. The movie's story was not easy to follow, and neither is the record (not that plot was ever a big focus of the production). It's typically wacky Zappa of the era, with unpredictable sharp turns between crunchy rock bombast, orchestration, and jazz/classical influences, as well as interjections of wacky spoken dialogue. Those who like his late-'60s/early-'70s work -- not as song-oriented as his first albums, in other words, but not as "serious" or as silly as his later records -- will probably like this fine, although it's not up to the level of Uncle Meat. It's funny in spots as well, especially the part where a disgruntled sideman gets tempted away from the band to do his own thing (a libretto that was, apparently, based on real-life incidents concerning Zappa sideman Jeff Simmons, who left during the project). On the other hand, there's a growing tendency to deploy the smutty, cheap humor that would soon dominate much of Zappa's work.

Typically zany Zappa for the period. If you're looking for serious rock, like Overnight Sensation or Apostrophe, this isn't for you. While it has some good rock numbers, they are far too few and far between and don't last long enough for my taste. However, if you liked the film, you will enjoy the album. For me, it brings back fond memories of watching the film in a small college auditorium with a great sound system, stoned on my ass.

The album peaked at No. 59 on the Billboard 200, though reviewers deemed it a peripheral part of Zappa's catalog.

 Track listing:

CD 1
1-1     Semi-Fraudulent/Direct-From-Hollywood Overture     1:59
1-2     Mystery Roach     2:32
1-3     Dance Of The Rock & Roll Interviewers     0:48
1-4     This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (Prologue)     0:55
1-5     Tuna Fish Promenade     2:29
1-6     Dance Of The Just Plain Folks     4:40
1-7     This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (Reprise)     0:58
1-8     The Sealed Tuna Bolero     1:40
1-9     Lonesome Cowboy Burt     3:59
1-10     Touring Can Make You Crazy     2:52
1-11     Would You Like A Snack?     1:23
1-12     Redneck Eats     3:02
1-13     Centerville     2:31
1-14     She Painted Up Her Face     1:41
1-15     Janet's Big Dance Number     1:18
1-16     Half A Dozen Provocative Squats     1:57
1-17     Mysterioso     0:48
1-18     Shove It Right In     2:32
1-19     Lucy's Seduction Of A Bored Violinist & Postlude     4:01

CD 2
2-1     I'm Stealing The Towels     2:14
2-2     Dental Hygiene Dilemma     5:11
2-3     Does This Kind Of Life Look Interesting To You?     2:59
2-4     Daddy, Daddy, Daddy     3:11
2-5     Penis Dimension     4:37
2-6     What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning     3:32
2-7     A Nun Suit Painted On Some Old Boxes     1:08
2-8     Magic Fingers     3:53
2-9     Motorhead's Midnight Ranch     1:28
2-10     Dew On The Newts We Got     1:09
2-11     The Lad Searches The Night For His Newts     0:41
2-12     The Girl Wants To Fix Him Some Broth     1:10
2-13     The Girl's Dream     0:54
2-14     Little Green Scratchy Sweaters & Courduroy Ponce     1:00
2-15     Strictly Genteel (The Finale)     11:10
    Bonus Tracks
2-16     CUT1 "Coming Soon!..."     0:56
2-17     CUT2 "The Wide Screen Erupts..."     0:57
2-18     CUT3 "Coming Soon!..."     0:31
2-19     CUT4 "Frank Zappa's 200 Motels..."     0:11
2-20     Magic Fingers (Single Edit)     2:57

Personnel:

    Frank Zappa – bass guitar, guitar, drums, producer, orchestration
    George Duke – trombone, keyboards
    Ian Underwood – keyboards, woodwinds
    Big Jim Sullivan - guitar, orchestration
    Martin Lickert – bass guitar
    Aynsley Dunbar – drums
    Ruth Underwood – percussion
    Jimmy Carl Black – vocals
    Howard Kaylan – vocals
    Jim Pons – voices
    Mark Volman – vocals, photography
    Theodore Bikel – narrator
    Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Jack Dejohnette - 2006 "Golden Beams Collected 1"

While jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette's illustrious career has been marked by great recordings and collaborations for a variety of labels, many facets of his musical life were never represented on disc until the launch of his imprint, Golden Beams Productions in spring 2005. A jazz master with a background rich in diversity, DeJohnette often looks outside the borders of jazz when selecting a collaborator, composing a piece or beginning a recording. "Golden Beams Collected, Volume 1" will highlight the artist's work in a broad range of areas - African, Brazilian, electronic, drum & bass, and meditation music - all informed by the creativity and superb musicianship of what the New York Times' Ben Ratliff calls "one of the most important musicians in the last 40 years of jazz."

Songs / Tracks Listing

1     –Jack DeJohnette     The Elephant Sleeps But Still Remembers... (Excerpt)     6:50
2     –Jack DeJohnette / Foday Musa Suso     Ocean Wave     6:24
3     –The Ripple Effect     Worldwide Funk (DJ Logic Remix)     5:05
4     –Jack DeJohnette     Cat & Mouse     2:21
5     –Jack DeJohnette / Don Alias     Song For The Rainforest     6:41
6     –The Ripple Effect     Na Na Nai (Radio Edit)     4:16
7     –Jack DeJohnette     Music In The Key Of Om (Excerpt)     6:09
8     –The Ripple Effect     Dubwise (Horn Mix)     5:33
9     –The Ripple Effect     Worldwide Funk (Club Mix)     5:34