Santana - 1968 [1997] "Live At The Fillmore"

Live at the Fillmore 1968 is a live album by Santana, recorded between December 19 and December 22, 1968 and released in 1997.

Two-CD package drawn from performances at the Fillmore West in December 1968, with an early lineup including Bob Livingston on drums and Marcus Malone on congas (both of whom would be gone by the time the group recorded their official debut in 1969). The band sound only a bit more tentative here than they would in their Woodstock-era incarnation, running through several of the highlights of their first album ("Jingo," "Persuasion," "Soul Sacrifice," and "Treat"). More interesting to collectors will be the five songs that have not previously appeared on any Santana recording, including covers of songs by jazzmen Chico Hamilton and Willie Bobo and a half-hour original jam that concludes the set, "Freeway." The sound is excellent and the arrangements a bit more improv-oriented than what ended up on the early studio records. Its appeal isn't solely limited to committed fans; on its own terms it's a fine release, highlighted by some burning organ-guitar interplay in particular. Live at the Fillmore 1968.

More than 100 minutes of unreleased live Santana from when they were just a glimmer in Bill Graham's eye! Seriously, the band's almost a full year away from their breakthrough performance at Woodstock when they performed these nine songs, five of which they never subsequently recorded. Includes the hits Jingo and Soul Sacrifice , plus notes and unseen photos. 

Had this 2 CD set, recorded just prior to the band's Columbia debut in 1968, been released in the mid-'70s, it would have been a multi-platinum certainty. Today it's an object lesson in how time can turn white-hot acts into stone cold catalog filler. Pretty cool version of "Soul Sacrifice," though.

Fans of early Santana will love this. It has great versions of Santana standards such as Jingo, Soul Sacrifice, Persuasion and Treat. It also has some rare tunes which I don't think are on other Santana albums such as Fried Neckbones, Chunk A Funk and Conquistadore. The songs are mostly lengthy jam-style tunes with plenty of improvisation. Freeway alone is 30 minutes long, but doesn't hardly seem like it. I only have a couple of complaints about this release. Soul Sacrifice is awesome as always, but actually has very little guitar soloing. Fortunately, Gregg Rolie's organ soloing makes up for it. It's still not as good as the awe-inspiring woodstock version. Second, the absence of Mike Shrieve, future Santana drummer. The drummer from these performances isn't bad, but not as great as Mike Shrieve. Petty complaints aside, this is a great CD which fans of Santana's peak era ('69 to '72) will love. Anyone who likes jam band music (early Allman Brothers, Phish) will enjoy this also. 

These are some of the earliest recordings of Santana, before they hit it big with their classic debut and the show-stopping performance at Woodstock. The band's Afro-Latin sound hasn't really gelled yet -- Mike Shrieve's absence on drums is obvious, and the lack of the Latin percussionists (just a conga player here) makes the rhythms a little less exciting. Carlos's playing shows signs of his future greatness but on some of the jams he sounds a little tentative. The live versions of tunes that would appear on the debut are much looser and the band really stretches out compared to the studio. "Jingo" and "Treat" are especially nice. I'm not sure I'd say this version of "Soul Sacrifice" is better than the one performed at Woodstock, but it's still interesting. Some of the never previously released tunes are really just jams that sometimes work ("Chunk-a-funk") and sometimes overstay their welcome (the 30 minute "Freeway Jam"). There's also a smoldering version of Albert King's "As the Years Go Passing By" and a groovy cover of Chico Hamilton's "Conquistadore Rides Again". All in all, these live recordings find Santana halfway between the 60s San Francisco sound of long, drug-soaked jams and their trademark Latin Rock. These performances must have made some very stoned kids very happy back in '68. It's not perfect, but it's fun to listen to!

Six months before recording their great debut album and 21 years before his recent world wide sucess, Carlos Santana, Gregg Rolie and band played their hearts out for four nights at the Filmore West in December of 1968.
This album is not only a great Santana album but one of the great live albums of the 60's. I often agree with the Amazon staff but their review here is way off. This CD contains 9 songs four of which would show up on the debut album and 5 were unreleased until now.
My favorite song on the CD is the totaly different version of "Treat" here than on the debut album. Gregg Rolie's piano introduction is great. It is easy to forget how magical Carlos Santana and Rolie were togeather. Of the unreleased songs "Conquistadore Rides Again" is a highpoint. Great version of "Persuasion" too.
Amazing sound for a 60's recording but Columbia Legacy always seems to do a great job. Forget the various live albums by The Doors, The Byrds, Joplin and the Airplane. This one ranks with Dylan live at The Royal Albert Hall, Hendrix and Redding at Monterey and the Stones at Madison Square Garden. That it was unreleased Until 1997 is all the more remarkable because most unreleased rock albums should stay that way. Enjoy! 

Track listing
Disc one

01   "Jingo" – (Babatunde Olatunji) – 9:38
02   "Persuasion" – (Gregg Rolie) – 7:06
03   "Treat" – (Carlos Santana, Rolie, Dave Brown) – 9:37
04   "Chunk a Funk" – (Santana, Rolie) – 5:58*
05   "Fried Neckbones" – (Willie Bobo, Melvin Lastie) – 10:10
06   "Conquistadore Rides Again" – (Chico Hamilton) – 8:40*

Disc two

01   "Soul Sacrifice" – (Santana, Rolie, Marcus Malone, Brown) – 14:30
02   "As the Years Go Passing By" – (Deadric Malone) – 7:49*
03   "Freeway" – (Santana, Rolie) – 30:15*

(The four tracks indicated with an asterisk were never released as studio tracks)
Personnel

    Carlos Santana – guitar, vocals
    Gregg Rolie – organ, piano, vocals
    David Brown – bass guitar
    Bob "Doc" Livingston – drums
    Marcus Malone – congas

Ray Barretto 1979 "La Cuna"

Producer Creed Taylor has inspired everything from praise to anger among jazz fans. His work has been brilliant at times, detrimental at others (his worst flaw being a tendency to overproduce). Taylor plays a mostly positive role on La Cuna, a jazz-oriented effort uniting Ray Barretto with such first-class talent as Tito Puente (timbales) and the late Joe Farrell (tenor & soprano sax, flute). As slick as things get at times on La Cuna (originally released on vinyl by Taylor's CTI label and reissued on CD in 1995), Taylor wisely gives the players room to blow on everything from the haunting "Doloroso" and the driving "Cocinando" (a piece by Carlos Franzetti that shouldn't be confused with Barretto's major salsa/cha-cha hit) to a somewhat Gato Barbieri-ish take on Mussorgsky's "The Old Castle." Barretto successfully moves into soul territory on Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise" (which rapper Coolio recast as his hit "Gangsta's Paradise" in 1994). Barretto may hate the term "Latin jazz," but make no mistake: La Cuna is one of his most memorable contributions to that genre. All Music

For those looking for Salsa this record will dissapoint. In fact Ray Barretto offers us a supreme effort by some of the finest musicians of the time and the result is in my opinion some of the best latin jazz funk ever recorded. In many ways this is more exciting and adventurous music than the salsa hits that Barretto can produce on a whim. Any wonder that "Pastime Paradise" and "The Old Castle" consistently make the most saught-after latin jazz and rare funk compilations and dj playlists? In fact these tunes boast white hot guitar by a brilliant John Tropea, Charlie Palmieri's tasty piano on "La Cuna" & "Pastime Paradise" Tito Puente swingin' on "Cocinando" and Joe Farell on sax reminiscent of Gato Barbieri, as exciting as it is melodic and passionate, just check out "The Old Castle". I'll ride this elevator any time!!!  By Michael Saltiel

I bought the vinyl album version when it first came out back in '81 (I think). I was overseas on a military base and with some friends, played latin music on our time off. When we got our hands on this at the BX, we went nuts as Barretto is one of the greatest congueros ever. The music on here is just incredible - it ranges from a soft, melancholy ballad, to an uptempo furious set that will leave you drenched in sweat. It also contains an excellent cover of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise" with Willy Torres doing a nice job on vocals. "Cocinando" on the CD was not on the vinyl album - it's a bonus track - and what a bonus! A very uptempo and furious jam session - if you like to play congas or percussion in general, you will love this track - it will leave your hands raw. As another reviewer noted, this is not the same track as Ray's salsa song by the same name. For those of you looking for Salsa, this CD IS NOT IT! It's Latin Jazz - and excellent Latin Jazz at that with some of the best Jazz musicians around. With a lineup of Joe Farrell, Tito Puente, Charlie Palmieri, Jeremy Wall, John Tropea, Steve Gadd, and others, this is a classic, period. Enjoy. By NYCSteeler  

An all star crew: Barretto (master conga player and true pioneer); Puente (the king of latin music, best timbalero ever and great musical conductor), Tropea (I always enjoyed his solos in Deodato's albums); Steve Gadd (a kick ass drummer, the white version of Lenny White); Joe Farrell (a fantastic flute and sax player; a classic studio musician who I enjoyed when playing with Corea); and, Charlie Palmieri (a tremendous piano player with identical genes of his brother Eddie). "La Cuna" - spanish for The Cradle. It figures... Great album. Que VIVA Barretto!.  By Alberto Rodriguez.

Track listing:

1     La Cuna     5:08
2     Doloroso     5:55
3     Mambotango     5:57
4     The Old Castle     8:40
5     Pastime Paradise     8:31

Personnel:

Ray Barretto (congas, percussion);
Willy Torres (vocals);
Joe Farrell (tenor & soprano saxophones, flute);
Carlos Franzetti (piano);
Charlie Palmieri (piano, percussion);
Jeremy Wall, Suzanne Ciani (synthesizers);
John Tropea (guitar);
Francisco Centeno (bass);
Steve Gadd, Mark Craney (drums);
Tito Puente (timbales). 

Deep Purple - 1976 [1995] "King Biscuit Flower Hour"

King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert is a live album taken from a Deep Purple performance originally broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour, released in July 1995. It contains concert material featuring the Mark IV line-up with Tommy Bolin. The concert was recorded at the Long Beach Arena on 27 February 1976. The album contains four bonus tracks recorded at a Deep Purple concert in Springfield in January, 1976. This concert was originally intended to be used for the King Biscuit broadcast, but imperfections in the recording made the entire show unsuitable for airing and forced the second taping in Long Beach one month later.
The album was released in the U.K. under the title On the Wings of a Russian Foxbat. In 2000, a partial set consisting of ten songs was published by BMG under the name Extended Versions. The album was remastered and re-released with new cover art as Live at Long Beach 1976 on 24 February 2009 by Purple Records.
Note the CD1 track listing quotes "The Grind" as being performed; this is incorrect as it is the Bolin solo song "Homeward Strut".

This live album captures a complete show by Deep Purple Mach IV, featuring Tommy Bolin on guitar, recorded at Long Beach Arena, with two bonus tracks from a show in Springfield, MA. This lineup was not always good in concert -- Bolin, who had a drug problem, was erratic -- but they've got it together here, though David Coverdale isn't in great voice. Bolin has a different canvas of sounds and ideas than his predecessor Ritchie Blackmore, but he's a very fine player, and he does a good job fitting into Purple classics like "Smoke on the Water." There are several songs from this lineup's only studio album, Come Taste the Band, as well as one from Bolin's solo album, Teaser. Bassist Glenn Hughes' soul-influenced singing is more prominent than in the past, and Jon Lord plays clarinet and Keith Emerson-style synthesizers in addition to his trusty Hammond organ. Hughes and Bolin shine on "This Time Around," but Hughes' over-the-top "Georgia on My Mind" is just grating. All of this makes for an album unlike any other live Purple recording. [King Biscuit Flower Hour: In Concert was also released in Europe under the title Live in California 1976: On the Wings of a Russian Foxbat.] 

The King Biscuit Flower Hour in association with the DIR Network, is a one hour weekly radio broadcast of live concert performances. Deep Purple Mark IV - Tommy Bolin, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice was recorded live on February 27, 1976, in Long Beach, California, for the KBFH. The live tracks are included on this two-CD set, which also includes four bonus cuts, taken from a show in Springfield, Mass., on January 26, 1976.
This is a noteworthy live collection, as it is the only authorized concert release featuring the Mark IV lineup. The recording is taken from tour dates in support of Purple's Come Taste the Band album.
The initial plan was to record the Springfield concert and air the tracks a few weeks later on the radio show. However, most of the material from the Springfield show had to be scrapped, due to a severe buzz from Bolin's guitar amp. The few songs that were salvaged from this date, are included as noted above as bonus material.
As a result of the recording problems, another Deep Purple show had to be recorded. Therefore plans were made to tape the Long Beach performance.  Fortunately there were no problems laying down the live tracks from the California show. The King Biscuit Flower Hour broadcast, featuring Deep Purple aired a few months later.
The highlights from the pair of live disc's include the searing opening action of "Burn", "Gettin' Tighter", "Love Child", the lenghty "Lazy", "This Time Around", "Stormbringer", and the rubber-burnin' "Highway Star".
At the end of Deep Purple's 1976 tour, the band called it a day. Tommy Bolin went on to pursue his solo career, but sadly Bolin passed away in December of '76. David Coverdale formed Whitesnake, along with Jon Lord and Ian Paice, while Glenn Hughes undertook a variety of projects. 

People most likely pass on this do to the inclusion of Coverdale on vox, and Tommy Bolin on guitar But I'm here to tell you this is a kicker, with every song being some hard rock brilliance. Coverdale and Hughes are both great singers, Bollin rips, and todays favorite Purple tunes are "Burn" and "Stormbringer". On top of all that, sound quality is excellent. Recorded Jan. 1976.

Crank up the volume, break out the platform shoes, and put on a black t-shirt reading either "The Ultimate" or "Wild West Clothing Company" for this fabulous 2-CD set recorded early in 1976 on Deep Purple Mark IV's tour of America! It just rips Last Concert In Japan to shreds. After a rough start in the East, the Bolin/Coverdale/Hughes/Lord/Paice lineup hit the States in early 1976 and played some decent shows; the Purple magic was back even if Blackmore was gone. Sadly, when the hit the UK in March, the problems began again and then it was all over...but on February 27, 1976 it was time for DP to rock the mutha------' house! CD 1: 1. Burn--everyone in the band is clearly glad to be off the bus tonight. Bolin's rhythm work is turned up in the mix, far different from the Japan album. His solo exhibits his fusion-y side. Coverdale and Hughes sound just okay here. 2. Lady Luck--a song about a lady who sells herself for money (own up, gentlemen, we love 'em, intones Coverdale). Very tight and punchy, great slide guitar solo. Oww! 3. Gettin' Tighter--here Glenn Hughes comes to fore in a version much longer than the album. Hughes and Bolin do some great guitar-and-bass duelling which gets funky at times, before they launch into that "You got to dance, to the rock-n-roll" riff/jam which we'll soon get to here in abundance on the June 1975 California rehearsals CDs. Perhaps funk was not what DP was about, but here it's just too fun to criticize. 4. Love Child-here Bolin gets to interact with Lord in a slower funk groove. Much better than the LCIJ version. 5. Smoke on the Water--not the highlight of the album, but a decent rocker nonetheless. Towards the end Coverdale improvises on Bad Company's Wild Fire Woman (I start to shiver an' shake, I just can't wait), and then everything quiets down so Glenn can sing an ear-piercing version of Georgia On My Mind (take that, Michael Bolton!) Again, not very Purple-like, this gospel ballad, but oh well... 6. Lazy/The Grind--perhaps Lord's solo which begins it is overly long, but he gets to do some neat sci-fi effects I've never really heard on any other '70s Purple live set. Then the rest of the band comes in, and Coverdale and Hughes trade the vocals off quickly, leading up to one of Paice's best drum solos (although I haven't mentioned little Ian til now, rest assured he plays as good if not better on this whole album than anywhere else). When the band comes in, they do some of Tommy's solo tune Homeward Strut (NOT The Grind, as the notes claim). It sounds pretty cool, especially since Lord gets to jam on it. CD 2: 1. This Time Around--I don't like it as much as the album version, but the soloing at the end is pretty intense. 2. Tommy Bolin guitar solo--Here Tommy gets to stomp on his echoplex and do a little delay/overdub work to the delight (or is it chagrin?) of the audience. The audience seems to be heckling him a bit. By the way, does anyone else here think some of his licks here sound kind of like Ace Frehley's? 3. Stormbringer--the most powerful version ever. YES, even better than live versions with Blackmore. Everyone is just slamming into this one. Then comes a breakdown where Coverdale starts improvising to the tune of Sly's "Thank You For Lettin' Me Be Mice Elf Agin." When the power chords come back in, it's as doomy as anything by Sabbath or Pantera, and Coverdale's final scream towards the end rivals the one he does in Whitesnake's "Still of the Night." 4. Highway Star/Not Fade Away--decent version, similar to the one on LCIJ. Bonus Tracks (recorded at a different show on the same tour): 1. I'm Going Down--Coverdale and Hughes display some rather racy language from here on out, so send the kids to bed. This version is just okay, not quite as good as the one on the Final Mk. III Concerts. 2. Highway Star--see above. 3. Smoke On The Water--not as good as the version on disc one, but still better than LCIJ. 4. Georgia On My Mind--Glenn once again tries to shatter glass with his Stevie Wonder meets Rob Halford vocal tones. Whew...what a live disc. Yes, Mk. IV could play some great shows when they laid off the sex and drugs and concentrated on rock and roll! 

For fans of Tommy Bolin in Deep Purple this release comes as a godsend. For fans of the the Blackmore Deep Purple this release comes as a chance to hear the man fill in what was claimed to be unfillable shoes. This concert isn't the band at it's finest nor was it going to win over hard-core Blackmore fans who saw the show. This concert is however showing Tommy Bolin in top-notch form and his playing is steller throughout the entire show. He plays the older Purple songs with the same charisma as the newer material off "Come Taste the Band",the album the band was touring behind. For the rest of the band Jon Lord and Ian Paice never let you down as they are the two mainstays in this rock n' roll machine. Glenn Hughes voice hits notes into the atmoshere and at sometimes it's almost annoying. Finally, frontman David Coverdale sounds tired and going up agains't Hughes doesn't make him sound like he's the lead vocalist anyway. But don't be discouraged by this, the band present themselves in rare jazz-funk-fusion form due in large part with the addition of Tommy Bolin. A rare opportunity to hear since no other incarnations of this band ever pulled this off. Highlights include Gettin' Tighter in all of it's jam packed funk glory. Tommy and Glenn are inseperable throughout this track, Glenn singing his heart out and Tommy playing his heart out. Smoke on the Water, just hearing someone other than Blackmore will give you shivers. Other highlights include the opener Burn, Lady Luck, Strombringer, and Highway Star. All-in-all a terrific show. The band is laid back and Tommy Bolin shines all over. A must own for Tommy Bolin fans, and other Purple finds will find out that Tommy was the man who could do the impossible...replace Mr. Blackmore.

Tracks Listing

Disc One: (62:28)
1. Burn (8:15)
2. Lady Luck (3:12)
3. Gettin' Tighter (13:41)
4. Love Child (5:49)
5. Smoke On The Water / Georgia On My Mind (8:58)
6. Lazy / The Grind (featuring Organ & Drum Solos) (22:31)

Disc Two: (58:03)
1. This Time Around (7:05)
2. Tommy Bolin (Guitar Solo) (10:31)
3. Stormbringer (10.27)
4. Highway Star / Not Fade Away (7:17)
Bonus tracks:
5. I'm Going Down (7:29)
6. Highway Star (5:35)
7. Smoke On The Water (6:44)
8. Georgia On My Mind (2:52)

Total Time: 120:31

Line-up / Musicians

- David Coverdale / vocals
- Tommy Bolin / guitars
- Glenn Hughes / bass & vocals
- Jon Lord / keyboards
- Ian Paice / drums 

Ed Mann - 1988 "Get Up"

Ed Mann is a musician who is "a drummer and piano dabbler since childhood." He is best known for his mallet percussion performances onstage with Frank Zappa's ensemble from 1977 to 1988, and his appearances on over 30 of Zappa's albums, both studio recordings and with Zappa's band live. Mann also has released a number of CDs as a bandleader and composer.

Mann formed a band with Tommy Mars in mid 1973. By the end of that year he was studying with John Bergamo at CalArts. In 1977 Frank Zappa asked Bergamo to do some overdubbing on the Zappa In New York album and Bergamo in turn recommended Mann.
A few months later Ruth Underwood told Mann that Zappa was looking for a second keyboard player. When Ed called to recommend Tommy ("at midnite, the only time when you could reach Frank by phone"), Frank invited him to "come up to the house". Mann went to the house, where Terry Bozzio, Patrick O'Hearn, and Adrian Belew were jamming with Zappa. By 2:00am Ed was "in the band". Ed Mann later commented: "It took a few days for that all to sink in."
Mann can be heard playing gongs on J21's Yellow Mind:Blue Mind album.
Until mid-2014 Mann was a member of The Band From Utopia which has featured many Zappa alumni such as Robert Martin, Chad Wackerman, Albert Wing, Tom Fowler and Ralph Humprhries over the years. In 2008, Ed Mann toured with Project Object and sat in with Agent Moosehead at the New York Harvest Festival and Freedom Rally. In 2013 Mann began performing on percussion and electronics with The Z3, an organ, guitar and drums trio that adapts Zappa music to the Hammond Organ-centered jazz-funk tradition.

Ed Mann is probably best known for playing percussion, marimba, vibraphone, etc. for Frank Zappa in the eighties, starting with 1978's Live in New York. He has done work for a number of other musicians, including Kenny Loggins.
This is an album of very good jazz fusion compositions. Some of it is in the vein of Zappa's jazz music, only it is more coherent and accessible. The tracks are nice.long flowing pieces, played with a lot of energy. Some jazz fusion can be boring or repetitive. That is not the case here.
The CD is 39 minutes long. Most tracks are around 5 to 6 minutes, but the last track is 10 minutes. Also featured on this CD is Chad Wackerman (drummer for Zappa) and the Fowler brothers (trombone and trumpet sessions players, and also played for Zappa).

Track listing:

1     This Is Tomorrow     5:41
2     Shattered Illusion     5:51
3     God Saves The Elephants     5:55
4     Get Up (Vocals – Xander Mann)  4:29
5     By Chance     6:43
6     The Final Tone     10:07

Personnel:

    Marimba, Vibraphone, Keyboards, Percussion, Producer, Written-By – Ed Mann
    Bass – Doug Lunn
    Drums – Chad Wackerman
    Guitar – Mike Hoffman
    Trombone – Bruce Fowler*
    Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Walt Fowler

Kevin Eubanks - 1986 "Face to Face"

Kevin Eubanks' first album with a string section is a triumph of good taste, both in the guitarist's gently swinging work and in GRP chief Dave Grusin's unobtrusive, intelligent, unsentimental string charts. Grusin's gorgeously recorded strings seem to seep into the texture, filling the spaces with just enough mortar. The backings alternate between an electric group -- with Marcus Miller on bass and Grusin applying the Yamaha DX7 electric piano sound -- and often just Ron Carter on acoustic bass (plus the strings, of course). The treatment of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Wave" is a beaut, with a lot of rapid acoustic guitar figurework in mid-track. Even unreconstructed beboppers will enjoy the fluid duo-only exchange between Carter's 4/4 bass and Eubanks' electric guitar on Wes Montgomery's "The Trick Bag" and Bird's "Relaxin' at Camarillo," the latter of which Eubanks immodestly calls attention to in his liner notes. But he's entitled; it is impressive.  All Music.

This is nice basic jazz. Some classics are played, like "that's what friends are for", "wave" -originally by A. Carlos Jobim, and "Moments aren't moments" originally by stevie wonder. Dave Grusin is on keys, Marcus Miller on Elec. Bass, Ralph McDonald on Percussion, Paulinho Braga on percussion, Buddy Williams on drums ,Ron carter on stand up bass.Kevin Eubanks does a fine job leading with electic and acoustic guitar.  By eagle spirit.

Track Listing :

1. Face To Face (Kevin Eubanks) 5:25
2. That's What Friends Are For  (Burt Bacharach)  5:05
3. Essence  (Kevin Eubanks)  5:22
4. A Silent Waltz  (Kevin Eubanks)  4:54
5. Moments Aren't Moments  (Stevie Wonder)  5:30
6. Wave  (Antonio Carlos Jobim)  3:17
7. Relaxin' At Camarillo  (Charlie Parker)  3:17
8. Ebony Sunrise  (Kevin Eubanks)  3:49
9. Trick Bag  (Wes Montgomery)  3:08

Musicians / Personnel :

Kevin Eubanks - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Marcus Miller - Electric Bass
Ron Carter - Double Bass
Dave Grusin - Keyboards
Buddy Williams - Drums
Ralph McDonald, Crusher Bennett, Paulinho Braga - Percussion 

Herbie Hancock - 1977 "V.S.O.P."

V.S.O.P. is an April 1977 jazz-funk fusion double live album by keyboard player Herbie Hancock featuring performances by the V.S.O.P. Quintet (Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter & Tony Williams), the Mwandishi band with Eddie Henderson on two tracks, and The Headhunters featuring Bennie Maupin and Paul Jackson.

Excerpt from the LP liner notes:
"I thought it would be impossible to get people like Tony Williams or Ron Carter or Wayne Shorter or Freddie Hubbard in the same room at the same time, because so many of them are band leaders themselves. Wayne had told me later that he hadn't played that style in years - lots of fast eighth notes and long running flowing lines. This was really straight ahead jazz - walking bass, a swinging drum beat - but expressed through experiences of the musicians today. I thought of the days at Birdland when I used to sit in with Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard. Freddie actually played on my first album, "Taking Off," and then played on 'Empyrean Lsles' and 'Maiden Voyage.' I played on Freddie's albums, and it made logical sense to me to have Freddie Hubbard on trumpet. A strange thing happened when I went on stage with the first group. As we started to play, I got the feeling that no matter what I would play, these musicians were so gifted that they could make music out of anything. The feeling of freedom that came over me was overwhelming.
The Sextet that I used to have from 1969 through 1973, played not only the music it had created, but all of the very first music from when I first left Miles Davis in 1968, and got my own band together. The Sextet has a special place in my heart. I was doing the album 'Speak Like a Child' and I used flugelhorn, also flute and bass trombone as an experiment. The sound killed me so much I realized, that's the sound I want for my own band. The most difficult conception to recapture was the Sextet, because of how it was originally built. The Sextet's very foundations was the intuition, empathy, teamwork, unity, and spontaneous creativity of the members of a true ensemble. From the late sixties until 1973 we had been hanging out together, studying not only music but life. We explored together, trying to analyze the creative process. We grew on each other; we became like one and the music became like one. Billy Hart had to come the farthest. He was working in London with Stan Getz, and the 29th was his one night off. Somehow he managed to fly right from London to New York, rehearse, play the concert and get back on a plane for London. When the Sextet was at its best, the whole group was like a living body. It was a music of the moment, no regular changes, bars, or even tempo - but somehow, almost miraculously, the music would have a flow and order that made me feel like I was listening to the sound from all the planets. Trying to recapture that spirit was difficult, but it came off - it was really swinging.
I suppose somebody from the twenties or thirties wouldn't call any of the three groups Jazz. There are people today who don't call the funk group a Jazz group. I hear that group incorporating jazz and funk into a very happy marriage. The third band is actually my present band. At that time I had been using Ken Nash on percussion, and in addition to Wah Wah we had Ray Parker on guitar, since he had been recording with us. Of course Bennie Maupin was one of our sextet, and is still playing with me now. The funk - now that music has such strong roots in the Earth. With all the earthiness there's always room for flight. The biggest reason I enjoy playing this new kind of funk is the contrasts between the wide open improvisation and the funky foundation at the bottom. It gives the music a character that is broad, vast, yet in touch with people."

- Herbie Hancock

Track listing

1. "Piano Introduction" - 4:33
2. "Maiden Voyage" (Hancock) - 13:18
3. "Nefertiti" (Shorter) - 5:17
4. "Introduction of Players/Eye of the Hurricane" (Hancock) - 18:35
5. "Toys" (Hancock) - 14:00
6. "Introductions" - 1:47
7. "You'll Know When You Get There" (Hancock) - 7:00
8. "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" (Hancock, Jackson, Ragin) - 11:54
9. "Spider" (Hancock, Jackson, Ragin) -10:12

Recorded Live At Newport Jazz Festival - New York City Center - New York, New York - Tuesday, June 29, 1976.
Tracks 1-4 performed by V.S.O.P., Tracks 5-7 performed by Mwandishi, Tracks 8-9 performed by the Headhunters.

Personnel

Musicians

• Ron Carter – bass
• Herbie Hancock – electric piano
• Billy Hart – drums
• Eddie Henderson – flugelhorn, sound effects, trumpet
• Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
• Paul Jackson – electric bass
• James Levi – drums
• Bennie Maupin – alto flute
• Kenneth Nash – percussion
• Ray Parker, Jr. – guitar
• Julian Priester – bass trombone
• Wayne Shorter – soprano sax, tenor sax
• Wah Wah Watson – guitar, synthesizer
• Buster Williams – bass
• Tony Williams – drums

Derek and the Dominos - 1970 [1994] "Live at the Fillmore"

Live at the Fillmore is a live double album by Derek and the Dominos, recorded in two performances in October 1970 at the Fillmore East and released on 22 February 1994. It includes live material previously released on the In Concert album, live material previously released on Eric Clapton's Crossroads box set, and several previously unreleased numbers.
The set-list contains eight Derek and the Dominos songs (seven from the album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs plus "Got to Get Better in a Little While"), three tunes from Clapton's first solo album (on which the other three band members had played), and one song from two bands to which Clapton had previously belonged ("Presence of The Lord" from Blind Faith; and a different arrangement of Robert Johnson's song, "Crossroads" that Clapton had previously covered with Cream).

In his liner notes, Anthony DeCurtis calls Live at the Fillmore "a digitally remixed and remastered version of the 1973 Derek and the Dominos double album In Concert, with five previously unreleased performances and two tracks that have only appeared on the four-CD Clapton retrospective, Crossroads." But this does not adequately describe the album. Live at the Fillmore is not exactly an expanded version of In Concert; it is a different album culled from the same concerts that were used to compile the earlier album. Live at the Fillmore contains six of the nine recordings originally released on In Concert, and three of its five previously unreleased performances are different recordings of songs also featured on In Concert -- "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?," "Tell the Truth," and "Let It Rain." The other two, "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" and "Little Wing," have not been heard before in any concert version. Even when the same recordings are used on Live at the Fillmore as on In Concert, they have, as noted, been remixed and, as not noted, re-edited. In either form, Derek and the Dominos' October 1970 stand at the Fillmore East, a part of the group's only U.S. tour, finds them a looser aggregation than they seemed to be in the studio making their only album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. A trio backing Eric Clapton, the Dominos leave the guitarist considerable room to solo on extended numbers, five of which run over ten minutes each. Clapton doesn't show consistent invention, but his playing is always directed, and he plays more blues than you can hear on any other Clapton live recording.

With all due respect, it is borderline criminal that this terrific live album only receives a 3 star rating. I would like to refer to it as legendary, but this album is not as well known or critically acclaimed as The Allman Brothers Band's “At Fillmore East" (and expanded editions thereof) from the same (certainly legendary) venue and following year in 1971, but rivals it in terms of quality. If you are a fan of Clapton's music or more particularly his guitar playing, this is the definitive album. He and the Dominos perform numbers from their brilliant studio album, Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs, along with a few numbers that were to be released on their second album which never materialized. Clapton's playing is phenomenal, with extended solos and jamming that can get a bit tedious at times (“Let it Rain”), but otherwise his note choice is impeccable and his Fender Stratocaster (the infamous "Brownie" I believe) guitar tone has never sounded better, even while implementing his wah-wah pedal on the first two numbers. The Dominos are an experienced and more than capable rhythm section, with Bobby Whitlock's supporting vocals making up for Clapton's inexperience and deficiencies as a lead singer. Clapton tears through several blues numbers highlighted by “Key to the Highway” and “Have You Ever Loved a Woman,” playing with a fire and passion that he subsequently lost and never quite regained, cementing his legacy as an all-time great guitarist and at the forefront of greatest blues players. By far his greatest best album and an absolute must for any E.C. fan worth their salt.

Derek & The Dominoes was one of rock's first jam bands. Whereas their classic album LAYLA (1970) can be best remembered as the prime mixing of the blues and dual rock lead guitar, IN CONCERT is the testament of their impressive jamming abilities. They were associated with the Allman Brothers Band due to Duane Allman's crucial contributions on the Layla CD. However, the core quartet(Clapton, Whitlock, Radle & Gordon) were on their own for the subsequent 1970 tour. The Allmans' spirit was certainly there on the concert stage. In 1973, they released the album IN CONCERT, which is the main source of this more recent box set. Although the 1973 release met little fanfare (the band had already broken up 2 years prior), a listen revealed that this album rivaled the intensity and beauty of the Allman's Fillmore East classic album, which was recorded around the same time. Both albums contain extraordinary guitar solos, extemsive drum solos, essential blues reworkings, and plainly intense jamming. In the early '90s, both albums were remixed and similarly repackaged by Polydor: The Allman's FILLMORE CONCERTS and Dominoes' LIVE AT THE FILLMORE. Each box sets contained new liner notes, extra tracks. Everything sounds brilliant in its remastered glory. Eric Clapton and his American bandmates were at the top of their game when they came to the Fillmore in October 1970. This extraordinary box set faithfully preserves the mind-boggling complete live show they presented.
Very few people actually had a chance to attend a Dominoes concert, so this double CD certainly shows the rest of us what it was like.

Track listing
Disc 1

    "Got to Get Better in a Little While" (Eric Clapton) – 13:52
    "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?" (Bobby Whitlock, Clapton) – 14:49
    "Key to the Highway" (Big Bill Broonzy, Charles Segar) – 6:25
    "Blues Power" (Clapton, Leon Russell) – 10:31
    "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" (Billy Myles) – 8:16
    "Bottle of Red Wine" (Bonnie Bramlett, Eric Clapton) – 5:34

Disc 2

    "Tell the Truth" (Whitlock, Clapton) – 11:28
    "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" (Jimmy Cox) – 5:33
    "Roll It Over" (Whitlock, Clapton) – 6:40
    "Presence of the Lord" (Clapton) – 6:16
    "Little Wing" (Jimi Hendrix) – 7:00
    "Let It Rain" (Bramlett, Clapton) – 19:46
    "Crossroads" (Robert Johnson, arranged by Clapton) – 8:29

Personnel

    Eric Clapton: lead vocals, electric guitar
    Carl Radle: bass guitar
    Bobby Whitlock: piano, Hammond organ, backing vocals
    Jim Gordon: drums, percussion

Jeff Coffin - 1999 "Commonality"

Commonality was the second album released by Jeff Coffin, released in 1999. This album was the first and, so far, only album released by Coffin as a solo artist. His previous album being under the name Jeff Coffin Ensemble and subsequent albums recorded and released by the Jeff Coffin Mu'tet.

Jeff Coffin.If you are searching for the next upcoming original saxophonist in modern jazz, Coffin may be your man. He plays alto and tenor in a manner very reminiscent of a young Sonny Rollins; savvy, brawny, unabashed, and fearless. Four of the nine cuts are with sax-bass-drums, again evoking favorable comparison to the legendary hard bop-edged Rollins-Wilbur Ware-Elvin Jones triad. Trumpeter Rod McGaha is on the other five, and he adds a lot -- his saucy Don Cherry-like smeared solos and pungent harmonic lines run in tandem with Coffin, making a formidable team and an arresting sound. The trio takes on some stiff challenges: a moderate New Orleans shuffle ("First Comes Last"), a fanfare intro to head noddin' bluesy swing to free boppin' title track, and a sweet and sour blues ("Espoo You"). The finale is a hymnal reverent "Prayer" with jingle bell threads woven throughout. But "Angle of Response" is a lengthy barnburner, a modal bassline in five and four beats alternately providing the foundation for Coffin to play alto and tenor simultaneously. The following piece, "Something Quick" (another workout at over ten minutes), has the band chewing up everything in its path, a tour de force hard bop epic. Seamless free sections are included here and there, and the ensemble, with bassist Chris Enghauser and drummer Tom Giampietro, keep the music percolating no matter the tempo. Coffin has a tiger by the tail on this extraordinary, highly recommended disc. 

Track listing

All tracks by Jeff Coffin

1. "First Comes Last" (5:17)
2. "Salt Lick" (4:51)
3. "Commonality" (9:47)
4. "Espoo You" (7:38)
5. "Angle Of Repose" (10:39)
6. "Something Quick" (10:42)
7. "Outside, The Gray Sky Cries" (6:18)
8. "Who's Who" (7:47)
9. "Prayer" (4:45)

Personnel

    Jeff Coffin - alto & tenor saxophones
    Rod McGaha - trumpet
    Chris Enghauser - acoustic bass
    Tom Giampietro - drums

Adam Nitti - 1998 "Balance"

Adam Nitti\'s 2nd release, featuring performances from Dave Weckl, Victor Wooten, Jimmy Herring, Shane Theriot, and many others. High energy instrumental music with an emphasis on musicianship. A diverse collection fusing together jazz, rock, and fusion.

Now here is a fusion feast for the ears - bassist Adam Nitti's second solo release, entitled Balance. Not only do you get Nitti's world class bass work, incuding three amazing solo tracks ("Vic-Dom, Part 1", "Fritter Boy", "Vic-Dom, Part 1"), but you get additional contributions by some outstanding guitarists and other musicians. Bill Hart contributes a slinky guitar solo to the Steve Miller cover "Fly Like An Eagle", as well as adds guitar work to two other tracks. Guitarist Shane Theriot guests on two tracks ("B Squared", "Cheeky"), while guitarist Jimmy Herring adds his six-string edge to the title track. Sax man Sam Skelton is also a standout here - he's featured on seven tracks. Nitti, of course, is center stage on Balance, and with good reason - his active, syncopated finger-funk and tasty solos will keep fretlovers enthralled. Instrumental Guitar (Electric/Fusion),

Adam Nitti has emerged as one of the cutting edge bassists and composers in the world of instrumental jazz and rock. Based out of Nashville, Tennessee, Adam currently has 3 CD\'s released on his own Renaissance Man Records label. Adam has toured with the Dave Weckl band, Jeff Coffin Mu\'tet, the Justice League, and Angie Aparo, and has also performed with such legendary jazz artists as Scott Henderson, Peter Erskine, Jimmy Herring, Mike Stern, Kirk Covington, Wayne Krantz, and many others. He is currently touring with Steven Curtis Chapman, a 4 time Grammy winning artist based .

Folks...if you don't know who this talented individual is yet...WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!!! As bass players go, Stu, Billy, Jonas all rock. Mike Manring, Vic and Adam have brought two hands to the fretboard. Jaco, Gary Willis, Bunny, and Jeff Berlin are jazz monsters. There, of course, are many more, but this is a review of Adams first solo offering. Check out the video footage of some of this albums titles on U-tube and you'll understand. He has surrounded himself with very talented players, Dave Weckl, Kirk Covington, and Tom Knight on drums, Jimmy Herring and Shane TheRiot and Bill Hart on guitar. Vic joins him on bass, Randy Hoexter on keys as well as Sam Skelton on sax. Adam starts with a funky rock/fusion number that shows off some outstanding solo techniques. Next up is Kingpin, a jazzy piece with smooth melody and quick fingers. Yin & Yang, of course, features Vic Wooten and is a must listen. Cry for Peace slows things down and Sam's sax is sweet as is the six string Adam plays. Fly like an Eagle is a plucky 4 string version of Steve Miller's hit featuring Bill Hart and Sam. Vic-Dom 1&2 and Fritter Boy are bass solo pieces. Balance, the title track, features one of the most fascinating fusion guitarists, Jimmy Herring. AWESOME!!! Stephanie's Song is a straight ahead jazz piece, slick, smooth and easy. Nice keys solo. B Squared is a funky bayou fusion piece featuring Shane TheRiot. No one plays like Shane. He also is featured on Cheeky another funky, rockin' number with a lot of techniques, as the tune changes to, sort of, become the summary of Adam's talents. Faith is a nice melodic number that reminds one of The Rippingtons. Be astounded! Tell all your friends! By edzona.

I would say this album holds great things for everybody that takes their music seriously. This is Adam Nitti's first solo release and he's released two others since but I still think that this one is his best. You've got killer top shelf drumming throughout with Dennis Chambers being the most notable of them. This album jams right from the start of the first track schizo which is probably my personal favorite along with track 3 Yin Yang which has Victor Wooten guesting on bass and laying down a sick solo. This album also has three bass solo pieces Fritter Boy & vic doom part 1 & part 2. These solo pieces are mostly two hand tapping style songs with lots of energy and good direction. The guitar playing on here is in the progressive style but with some wah wah funk strumming thrown in for good measure. Nitti's playing on the rest of the songs is tight and groove oriented more in a Jaco Rocco sixteenth note style with solos from his six string and ripping slap grooves. This album is high octane fusion with a progressive rock overtone and it rocks out from start to finish, Buy it! By Jonathan Guarriello.

I've collected a lot of music over the past 20t years... and I can count on one hand the number of times I've had a recording just floor me! Balance from Adam Nitti is one such recording! I can actually remember the first time I heard this Cd. This Cd runs the gamut in terms of styles that are performed. Very few cds exist where every tune on the recording is great. Balance is it! When an artist can blend their technical talent with their tune writing ability and be able to keep the listeners attention from start to finish... what you have is a rare gem of a recording... Balance is it! Thank you Adam for this outstanding recording! By M Lucas.   

Track listing:

01 Skitzo 5:57
02 Kingpin 6:11
03 Yin & Yang 4:43
04 Cry For Peace 5:58
05 Fly Like An Eagle 6:13
06 Vic-Dom, Part 1 (Bass Solo) 2:26
07 Balance 5:45
08 Stephanie's Song 4:55
09 Vic-Dom, Part 2 (Bass Solo) 2:20
10 B Squared  4:37
11 Faith 6:00
12 Fritter Boy (Bass Solo) 3:37
13 Cheeky 3:19

Personnel:

Adam Nitti - 5 & 6 String Bass, Keyboards, 6 String Fretless Bass, $ String Bass
Victor Wooten - Bass and Bass Solo on "Yin & Yang"
Bill Hart - Guitar
Jimmy Herring - Guitar
Shane Theriot - Guitar
Tom Knight - Drums
Sam Skelton - Sax
Randy Hoexter - Keyboard Solo
Dave Weckl - Drums
Kirk Covington - Drums 

Jack Bruce - 1970 [2003] "Things We Like"

Things We Like is a jazz album by bassist Jack Bruce.
The album was Bruce's second solo album to reach the market; it was released in the United Kingdom in late 1970, and in the United States in early 1971. However, it was his first solo album to be recorded, as it was recorded in August 1968, while Bruce was still a member of the rock power trio Cream.
Things We Like is Bruce's only instrumental album, mostly containing tunes that Bruce claims to have composed in 1955, when he was twelve years of age. The album also prominently features Bruce's technique on the double bass, an instrument he rarely otherwise recorded with.
Whereas most of Bruce's recorded work prior to this album was in the rock or blues music genres, Things We Like is jazz-flavoured, in particular drawing from 1950s bebop and 1960s free jazz influences. The album did not chart upon its release.
Bruce had previously worked with two of his backing musicians on Things We Like – guitarist John McLaughlin and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith – during his tenures with the Graham Bond Organisation and Graham Bond Quartet prior to joining Cream. (In particular, the Graham Bond Quartet, including Bruce and McLaughlin, produced a live recording of Things We Like's "HCKHH Blues", under its full title "Ho Ho Country Kickin' Blues", in 1963; this track appears on the 1970 Graham Bond compilation album Solid Bond.) Bond's band was also Bruce's connection to drummer Jon Hiseman, who joined that band after Bruce's departure. Bruce would subsequently work again with McLaughlin in The Tony Williams Lifetime, and completed his last tour with Lifetime in the UK in late 1970, at about the time Things We Like was released there.
The track "Ageing Jack Bruce, Three, From Scotland, England" was recorded during the album's sessions but omitted from the album due to the length restrictions of the LP.
The original album featured a distinctly jazz stereo mix with the drums in the right hand channel only, similar to Miles Davis's 1960s Quintet releases. The 1988 US Polydor CD release featured a more rock-oriented mix with the drums centered, and bass and sax in the left and right channels respectively. The 2003 CD re-issue features the original jazz mix. While both mono and stereo versions of Things We Like were issued as promotional albums to US radio stations in 1971, a mono version of the album has not been commercially issued. Wiki

Enthusiasts expecting to hear a continuation of the type of material that Jack Bruce (bass) had been responsible for during his tenure(s) with Cream or the Graham Bond Organisation might be in for quite a shock when spinning Things We Like (1970) for the first time. Instead of an album's worth of blues-based rockers, the seven instrumentals feature Bruce with other former Graham Bond stablemates John McLaughlin (guitar), Jon Hiseman (drums), and Dick Heckstall-Smith (sax) performing post-bop and free jazz. A majority of the compositions were penned by Bruce in his preteen days of formal scholarship at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, where he also mastered the cello and composed a string quartet at the age of 11. After having gained significant clout from Cream, Bruce assembled what was initially a trio. However, after a chance meeting with McLaughlin -- who was so broke he had to refuse an offer to fly stateside to join the newly formed Tony Williams Lifetime -- Bruce incorporated the guitarist into the fold in order to help him finance his journey, which was ultimately successful. The entire effort was recorded and mixed in less than a week during August of 1968 -- less than three months prior to the infamous Farewell Concert of Cream at the Royal Albert Hall on November 26, 1968.
As a testament to Bruce's expansive musical tastes, capabilities, and horizons, this disc sounds more like a collection of Rahsaan Roland Kirk sides than anything even remotely connected with Cream. This is especially true of the frenetic pacing of the brief opener, "Over the Cliff." Heckstall-Smith's ability to perform alto and soprano saxophone simultaneously likewise lends itself to Kirk's distinct reed polyphony. "Statues" is an interesting exercise, again with Heckstall-Smith providing some excellent extemporaneous blows during the darkly toned introduction working well against the nimble melody. While Hiseman's style is decidedly less aggressive than that of Ginger Baker, his drumming helps to amalgamate the song's various sections. McLaughlin's unmistakably sinuous leads are commanding throughout the "Sam Enchanted Dick" medley, with a cover of Milt Jackson's "Sam's Sack" and a Heckstall-Smith original titled "Rills Thrills." The tempo is slowed on the smoky cover of Mel Tormé's "Born to Be Blue." This interpretation is part West Coast cool and part Chicago-style blues. McLaughlin's contributions to "HCKHH Blues" is similar to that of Robert Fripp's jazzy fretwork throughout the Islands (1971) era King Crimson. While it was the first of Bruce's solo records to be recorded, he chose to issue the more rock-oriented Songs for a Tailor (1969) prior to Things We Like, which was perhaps considered an indulgent side project rather than a permanent musical diversion. [The 2003 CD reissue contains the previously unissued track "Ageing, Jack Bruce, Three, from Scotland, England," which is another brilliant Heckstall-Smith piece with all four musicians in top form -- especially McLaughlin, who provokes a variety of sonic imagery, ranging from intense fingerpicking to chiming notes and chord augmentations.] All Music.

I was blown away by this album when it came out, and am thrilled by its release at last on CD. It easily rivals anything by the jazz stars of then or now. (For example, I got the acclaimed album by jazz super group ScoLoHoFo at the same time, and it just isn't as intersting/engaging, despite the star names attached--Scofield, Lovano, etc.). Things We Like features creative, skilled playing by all, and wonderfully novel compositions by Bruce--not the usual post-bop noodlings. By Craig Weatherby

This is a straight ahead jazz ablum with Jack on acoustic double bass and no singing (but some voaclizing,though). It's a brilliant jazz album and can stand shoulder to shoulder with any of the greats. It's too bad he did not pursue at least one more album with this fabulous line-up. It's really amazing when you consider that he was still a member fo Cream when this was recorded and that John McLaughlin, who had played with Jack briefly in the Graham Bond Organization, had little name recognition at this point in his career. All that creative energy really shines - as does long time buddy Dick H-S and Colleseum drummer (and Songs for a Tailor drummer) Jon Hiseman. Jack, himself, sounds as if he never gave up the double bass. His bowing is also quite soulful. I originally bought this album when I was a Jack Bruce fan - not a jazz enthusiast. I've since become one and it makes me appreciate this release all the more.  By Studebacher Hoch.

I have to admit i was VERY surprised when i heard about this (AND when i heard this for the first time!). I did not know such a gem existed until this year (2008). And i am an real fan of old stuff by McLaughlin. How this escaped my attention is beyond me. This is an excellent british jazz 1968 type album that has aged superbly thanks to it's guitar, dr, sax and bass creative, high voltage, energy... always in the free / be bop style of jazz. Bruce is outstanding as are the others, Hiseman & Dick Heckstall-Smith...and McLaughlin plays great on 6 of the 8 titles. Recommended if you liked 'Extrapolation' and the first 2 albums by Tony Williams Lifetime. By Speedy VINE VOICE 

Track listing

All compositions by Jack Bruce, unless otherwise noted.

    1. "Over the Cliff" – 2:56
    2. "Statues" – 7:35
    3. "Sam Enchanted Dick" – 7:28
        a. "Sam Sack" (Milt Jackson)
        b. "Rill's Thrills" (Dick Heckstall-Smith)
    4. "Born to be Blue" (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells) – 4:26
    5. "HCKHH Blues" – 8:59
    6. "Ballad for Arthur" – 7:42
    7. "Things We Like" – 3:38

Bonus track on Polydor's 2003 CD reissue
    8. "Ageing Jack Bruce, Three, From Scotland, England" (Heckstall-Smith) – 5:20

Personnel

    Jack Bruce – double bass, session leader
    Dick Heckstall-Smith – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
    Jon Hiseman – drums
    John McLaughlin – guitar  

Steps Ahead - 1992 "Yin-Yang"

Steps Ahead (originally known as Steps) is a jazz fusion group and the brainchild of vibraphonist Mike Mainieri. According to the liner notes of the group's 1983 debut album (for worldwide release), entitled Steps Ahead, "Steps began as a part-time venture in 1979 at Seventh Avenue South, a New York City nightclub." The group began releasing recordings in Japan as far back as 1980.
The first line-up of Steps in the period 1979-1981, as can be read on the live album Smokin' in the Pit, consisted of Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Steve Gadd (drums), Eddie Gómez (bass), Don Grolnick (piano), Mike Mainieri (vibraphone), and special guest Kazumi Watanabe (guitar). This double live album was recorded on 15 and 16 December 1979 at The Pit Inn Tokyo. A second studio recording was made on 17 December 1979, called Step by Step. Smokin' in the Pit was released in 1980 and awarded a gold record. The studio album Step by Step was released shortly after, followed in the summer of 1980 by another live recording called Paradox. These three albums (see Mike Mainieri's notes in the booklet of the 1999 cd release of Smokin' in the Pit) were the only albums released by the group under the name of Steps. In 1982 they learned that the name Steps had been trademarked by a band in North Carolina, and therefore changed their name to Steps Ahead.
The line-up for the Steps Ahead album consisted of Mainieri, Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Eliane Elias (piano), Peter Erskine (drums), and Eddie Gómez (bass).
The group's members has also included Dennis Chambers, Warren Bernhardt, Rachel Z, Donny McCaslin, Chuck Loeb, Victor Bailey, Tony Levin, Bob Berg, Darryl Jones, Mike Stern, Richard Bona, and many others.
Brecker and Mainieri are featured on the Dire Straits album Brothers in Arms. For rock listeners, the albums Steps Ahead and Modern Times (1984, with Bernhardt replacing Elias in the main line-up, and other guest musicians appearing in limited roles) are a great bridge into a kind of jazz that is energetic and powerful. Reflecting the cooperative, ensemble nature of the band, the Modern Times album included compositions by Mainieri, Brecker, Erskine, and Bernhardt.
According to the website NYC Records, which include's Mainieri's biographical sketch and touring schedule with Steps Ahead, the 2007 instantiation of Steps Ahead includes: Mainieri (vibes), Bill Evans (sax; not to be confused with the jazz pianist also named Bill Evans), Bryan Baker (guitar), Anthony Jackson (bass), and Steve Smith (drums), a former member of the rock group Journey. On some stops of the tour, Etienne Mbappe is listed as filling in for Jackson.
 
This CD from the part-time fusion band Steps Ahead is probably most notable for introducing the fine keyboardist Rachel Z. Also in the group at the time were leader Mike Mainieri on MIDI vibraharp and synclavier, saxophonist Bendik, bassist Jeff Andrews and drummer Steve Smith. Put out by Mainieri's NYC label, this mostly high-powered performance consists of group originals, generally by Mainieri and Bendik. Unlike other Steps Ahead records, there are quite a few guests on various tracks including guitarists Steve Khan, Wayne Krantz, Jimi Tunnell and Chuck Loeb, electric bassist Victor Bailey and tenorman Rick Margitza. The music has spirit and drive.

Different forms of style here: ballads, rock based backbeats, straight ahead jazz...Mike's vibraphone tells a story and the rhythm section play with great precision and feel. Awesome Steve Smith and Jeff! Racheal Z. and a host of guest artist put the finishing touch on a sexy, sophisticated, beautiful experience. buy it! 

Purchasing this particular album was a bit of a gamble for me since Michael Brecker's Sax is not there, as on previous Steps Ahead albums. Surprisingly, Brecker's absence allows more of a statement from Mike Mainieri's Vibraharp, Synclavier, etc. The result is very cool and rhythmic with more of a melodic presence. Enjoy.

Track listing:

01. Sidewalk Maneuvers(4:49) [Mike Mainieri]
02. Praise (4:47) [Mike Mainieri]
03. Nite Owl (5:32) [Mike Mainieri]
04. Taxi (3:28) [Bendik]
05. Tamarin Lion (5:44) [R.Skår, Bendik]
06. Gory Details (4:55) [R.Nicolazzo, Mike Mainieri]
07. Agitate The Gravel (5:56) [Spencer Cozens, Miles Bould, Mike Mainieri]
08. Okapi (6:20) [Bendik]
09. Orion (4:38) [R.Nicolazzo, Mike Mainieri]
10. Steppish (7:57) [Mike Mainieri]
11. Saras Toush (6:33) [Mike Mainieri]

Personnel:

Mike Manieri (vibraphone, synthesizer, percussion);
Bendik (saxophone);
Rachel Z. (piano, synthesizer);
Jeff Andrews (acoustic & electric basses);
Steve Smith (drums).

Additional personnel:

Wayne Krantz (acoustic guitar, electric guitar);
Dean Brown , Steve Khan, Jimi Tunnell, Chuck Loeb (electric guitar);
Rick Margitza (tenor saxophone);
Spencer Cozens (keyboards, bass synthesizer);
Bruce Martin (synthesizer, percussion);
George Whitty (synthesizer);
Victor Bailey (electric bass);
Miles Bould (percussion);
Victor Bailey (electric bass);
Alan Thompson (bass);
Miles Bould (percussion, programming).

Steve Khan - 1977 "Tightrope"

Steve Khan and the Brecker Brothers coming together. With folks like this, and Steve Gadd and Bob James too, you have a formula for success. What do you get when you have a superb rhythm section, saucy keyboards, a hot and brassy mini-horn section, and one very tasteful jazz- and chops-laden guitarist all come together with some jazz and some fusion in mind? You have the magic of Khan's compositions are smooth yet lively enough not to bore. His unique drive, and pristine flourish and tone on his modded Fender Telecaster, and even his deft acoustic work, all come together to make a very satisfying blend of sexy jazz and funked-up, be bop fusion.

Yet there is that special touch that only Steve Khan can add that makes his releases a signature sound on each outing. If you listen closely, you will hear Larry Coryell-ian riffs and stylings (as Khan and Coryell used to jam together, and did record together).
Much ado is made about Mike Stern's guitar work in the '80s and '90s, but one listen to Khan and you will immediately hear who his big inspiration was. Next time you pick up an old Stern release you stand a good chance of seeing the words "produced by Steve Khan."

You can totally tell that this is a Bob James production. It's not bad at all, and don't get me wrong, James has done some great stuff. But you can also see why Steve Khan made no more Tappan Zee records, even though staying there probably would have guaranteed him more commercial success.

Being a Bob James production, it's far more dated than any other Khan record. It's also got a tighter, more pop-oriented sound, complete with goofy melodies and disco beats. Khan's signature guitar sound is there, but it seems to be less center-stage than his other recordings.

With the support of Bobby Colomby, I was signed by Bob James to Columbia Records in 1977. It was a tremendous thrill to be on the same label with some of the greatest jazz and jazz-fusion artists, one only has to begin with the name, Miles Davis.

At the time, I suppose I felt it was my 'mission' to somehow maintain the original sound and line-up of the Brecker Bros. Band, only featuring my guitar a little more. Of the great jazz-fusion groups from the early '70s (Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Return to Forever), the Brecker Bros. Band was the only group to feature a 'mini' horn section, and what a horn section it was: Randy Brecker(Trumpet); Michael Brecker(Tenor Sax); and David Sanborn(Alto Sax). Along with Randy's brilliant, unique and underappreciated compositions, this horn trio created a style, sound, and approach to phrasing which has influenced all genres of music and players and arrangers from all over the world.

When Dave left the band to pursue his solo career, Michael and Randy decided to continue without a third horn. On "TIGHTROPE," the horn section is featured on the title track as well as the Randy Brecker original, "The Big Ones," and their playing together remains a highlight for me. During these years(through '79), I was still playing my beefed-up, customized Fender Telecaster and probably only using a Fender Super Reverb.

Other highlights for me include: the drumming of Steve Gadd(especially on "Tightrope"); Michael Brecker's harmonizer-colored solo(his idea and his setting) on "Some Punk Funk"; Dave Sanborn's solos on "The Big Ones" & "Darlin' Darlin' Baby"; and the support of Don Grolnick, Bob James, and Will Lee throughout. On each of the three Columbia recordings, I featured one acoustic steel-string solo amidst an electric texture, the first of these features was on the tune, "Star Chamber."

"TIGHTROPE" is the best selling recording I've ever made, and is probably directly attributable to the inclusion of the Gamble & Huff aforementioned tune, "Darlin' Darlin' Baby," originally recorded by the O'Jays. Bob James wrote the gorgeous arrangement the morning of the session. This recording also marked the beginning of my friendship and link via album cover artwork to Jean-Michel Folon, all thanks to Paula Scher.

[1] Some Punk Funk(Steve Khan)(5:20)
[2] Darlin' Darlin' Baby(Sweet Tender Love)(Gamble-Huff)(6:29)
[3] Tightrope(Steve Khan)(5:44)
[4] The Big Ones(Randy Brecker)(6:02)
[5] Star Chamber(Steve Khan)(5:19)
[6] Soft Summer Breeze(Spencer-Heywood)(5:00)
[7] Where Shadows Meet(Steve Khan)(3:40)

Personnel:

Steve Khan - guitar & twelve-string electric guitar
Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone
Dave Sanborn - alto saxophone
Randy Brecker - trumpet
Bob James - Fender Rhodes & synthesizer
Don Grolnick - Fender Rhodes & acoustic piano (1), clavinet
David Spinozza, Jeff Mironov - guitar
Will Lee - bass
Steve Gadd - drums
Ralph MacDonald - percussion