Thelonious Monk - 1969 [1990] "Underground"

Underground is a 1968 album by Thelonious Monk. It features Monk on piano, Larry Gales on bass, Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, and Ben Riley on drums.
Although this album is most widely known for its provocative cover image, which depicts Monk as a fictitious French Resistance fighter in the Second World War, it contains a number of new Monk compositions, some of which appear in recorded form only on this album. This is the last Monk album featuring the Thelonious Monk Quartet, and the last featuring Charlie Rouse (who appears on only half the tracks, having missed a recording session to attend his father's funeral).

This release has long been considered Thelonious Monk's acknowledgement to the flourishing youth-oriented subculture from whence the collection takes its name. Certainly the Grammy-winning cover art -- which depicts Monk as a World War II French revolutionary toting an automatic weapon -- gave the establishment more than the brilliant swinging sounds in the grooves to consider. Underground became Monk's penultimate studio album, as well as the final release to feature the '60s quartet: Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), Ben Riley (drums), and Larry Gales (bass) behind Monk (piano). One of the motifs running throughout Monk's recording career is the revisitation of titles from his voluminous back catalog. The tradition continues with the autobiographical leadoff track, "Thelonious." The instantly recognizable stride piano lines are delivered with the same urgency and precision that they possessed over two decades earlier when he first recorded the track for Blue Note. The presence of Charlie Rouse throughout the album is certainly worth noting. "Ugly Beauty" best captures the sacred space and musical rapport that he and Monk shared. Each musician functions as an extension of the other, creating solos that weave synchronically as if performed by the same pair of hands. Newer material, such as the playful "Green Chimneys" -- named after the school Monk's daughter attended -- as well as the unbalanced hypnotism of "Raise Four," asserts the timelessness and relevance of Monk's brand of bop. The disc ends as it begins with a new twist on an old favorite. Jon Hendricks -- who provides lyrics and vocals on "In Walked Bud" -- recalls the hustle and bustle of the real and spontaneous underground Harlem jam sessions of the late '40s. It is likewise an apt bookend to this chapter in the professional life of Thelonious Monk. 

Underground was recorded in 1967, about 20 years into the career of this wholly distinctive and unorthodox pianist-composer. Whenever the understated saxophone talents of Charlie Rouse accompany Thelonious Monk, one is assured of an invigorating set of music--and this collection is no exception. Supported by Larry Gales on bass and the inimitable Ben Riley on drums, Monk and Rouse elaborate on immortal compositions like "Ugly Beauty." On "In Walked Bud," the quartet is joined by vocalist Jon Hendricks. With jagged themes and unusual variations of meter and key, Underground showcases an aging Monk's still-brilliant eccentricity on the piano. A good bit looser than much of Monk's earlier work, he and Rouse infuse this date with their tag-team humor and unrelenting musical enthusiasm.

Definitely not what you'd label as an inaccessible album, this album (which counts "Ugly Beauty", Monk's only recorded waltz-time piece, among its works) constitutes in essence a musical comeback for Monk, who at the time had not released any albums with more than four original compositions since the mid-fifties (more than a decade before).
It's packed with works that range from melancholic and blue ("Easy Street") to joyful ("Green Chimneys"); from "simple" and straightforward (such as the opening track, which actually dates a couple of decades before) to complex and filled with accents (such as "Boo Boo's Birthday.")
All in all, it's an exquisite work of music that you can tap your day away to or sit down and listen carefully to in order to disect it in detail. 

I got this CD as a gift -- this was my introduction to Monk. First couple times I listened to it, I was shocked with his unique style, with his approach to jazz, and with his compositions. The quality of this record is nothing short of stellar. Monk sounds fresh and energized. He seems to be very well-synchronized with the rest of his band, and they make magic. Every musician on this recording is terrific. The rhythm section is solid. The bass player does a few improvisations, especially on Ugly Beauty and Green Chimneys, and it is something you don't hear much of, at least not of this quality. These guys don't miss a beat. Monk is a truly creative player and composer, and this recording really showcases that.
I don't suggest this record as an introduction to jazz, but if you enjoy jazz, this is a good place to start with Monk's work, in my opinion. You may not get into this record until you make a couple passes at listening to it and possibly listening to other good jazz in between different attempts at this record. I feel that listening to Miles Davis really helped me appreciate Monk even more, as weird as this sounds.
I just love this CD. I especially enjoy listening to it over a great pair of headphones because it makes you feel like it's just you and them, without any kind of disturbances or sounds from the outside to distract you from catching and enjoying every tune that emanates from this record.
Buy this remastered version with extra tracks. The sound couldn't be better, and the extra tracks provide more takes of the great tunes that appeared originally on this record.

The remastered sound of Underground's reissue is much cleaner and crisper. The songs were restored to the original recorded length and there are a few bonus tracks added. Oh yeah, the album cover is clearer and closer (which is very important).

I agree with the reviewers that say this is not Monk at his peak, but regardless of that, I think this is one of his best albums. The musicians sound like they are having fun performing and the relaxed approach to the recording takes away from some of the intensity sometimes expressed in some of the classic Monk albums.

There are some nifty liner notes including an explanation behind the album cover and the story surrounding the making of the album.

(about the editing)

I somewhat prefer the edited versions of these songs from the previous release because the songs feel concise to the compositions. That may upset some jazz purists, but frankly a decent solo can get lost in the translation of the recording and end up hurting the overall performance and composition. I think back in those days the musicians expected the solos to get edited (it was a natural part of the recording process). These "unedited" versions that we hear in these re-issues are not necessarily what the musicians intended as the final versions.

Overall, Thelonious Monk's Underground is a terrific album; one of his best and I highly recommend checking it out- edited or unedited.

Track listing (later CD issue)

All songs composed by Thelonious Monk unless otherwise noted.

    "Thelonious" – 3:13
    "Ugly Beauty" – 3:17
    "Raise Four" – 5:47
    "Boo Boo's Birthday" – 5:56
    "Easy Street" (Alan Rankin Jones) – 5:53
    "Green Chimneys" – 9:00
    "In Walked Bud" (Jon Hendricks, Monk) – 4:17

Personnel/Musicians

    Thelonious Monk – piano
    Charlie Rouse – tenor saxophone
    Larry Gales – bass
    Ben Riley – drums
    Jon Hendricks – vocals on "In Walked Bud"

Tribal Tech - 1985 [1990] "Spears"

Spears is the 1985 debut album by fusion band Tribal Tech, a project led by guitarist Scott Henderson and bassist Gary Willis.

Scott Henderson's perfectly summarized his outlook when, in 1991, he told L.A. Jazz Scene: "Fusion isn't a dirty word to me. I'm proud to call myself a fusion player." Indeed, real jazz-fusion -- spontaneous, risk-taking and improvisatory -- is exactly what the electric guitarist passionately and enthusiastically embraces on Spears, his debut album. Drawing on such influences as Return to Forever, John McLaughlin and Weather Report, the hard-edged guitarist set the uncompromising tone for his career and that of his band Tribal Tech which, in 1985, included Gary Willis on electric bass, Pat Coil on electric keyboards, Michael Brecker-disciple Bob Sheppard on tenor and soprano sax and flute, Steve Houghton on drums and Brad Dutz on mallets & percussion. Often showing a complex and cerebral sense of melody and harmony, this CD (first released on Passport and reissued by Relativity in 1990) underscores the fact that when fusion is played with integrity, it's very much an extension of the jazz tradition.

After stints with Chick Corea and Jean Luc Ponty, Scott Henderson goes bandleader, and the results are excellent. A bright spot in the blight known as 80's fusion. Opening and closing tracks Caribbean and Big Fun ended up being well regarded enough to be mainstays in their live set all the way til the bands demise in 2002. My favorites though, would be Punkin Head and Spears. The only beef with this record would be really low mastering, so just crank it up

Fantastic debut of one of the most important bands in the history of fusion music!Real fantastic alchemy between over the top musicians,amazing technical chops and an album who is different compared to all the other TRIBAL TECH albums!Scott Henderson and Gary Willis will remain the core of thie amazing project  for many years to come!Great sound and  especially a wonderful guitar sound!Almost a perfect album!4

I am a great fan of jazz, especially jazz-fusion from the late sixties, seventies and early eighties. This particular album is from the latter time and features one of the greatest guitarists ever, Scott Henderson, who was an admirer of my favorite all-time guitarist (Ritchie Blackmore) from whom, it is obvious, he learned a few tricks of the trade. I'm looking forward to getting the rest of the band's cds which have better sound than my old albums.

Courtesy "Original uploader"

Track listing

    All Songs Written By Scott Henderson, except Tribal by Scott Henderson & Gary Willis.

01    "Caribbean" – 8:13
02    "Punkin Head" – 6:10
03    "Ivy Towers" – 4:49
04    "Tribal" – 2:12
05    "Spears" – 7:10
06    "Island City Shuffle" – 7:28
07    "Big Fun" – 7:58

Personnel

    Scott Henderson - Guitars
    Pat Coil - Keyboards
    Gary Willis - Bass
    Steve Houghton - Drums
    Brad Dutz - Percussion
    Bob Sheppard - Sax, Flute

Stanley Turrentine - 1971 [2010] "Sugar"

Sugar is an album by jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, his first recorded for the CTI Records label following his long association with Blue Note, featuring performances by Turrentine with Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, Ron Carter, and Billy Kaye with Lonnie Liston Smith added on the title track and Butch Cornell and Richard "Pablo" Landrum on the other two tracks on the original release. The CD rerelease added a live version of the title track recorded at the Hollywood Palladium in 1971.

If ever there were a record that both fit perfectly and stood outside the CTI Records' stable sound, it is Sugar by Stanley Turrentine. Recorded in 1970, only three tracks appear on the original album (on the reissue there's a bonus live version of the title track, which nearly outshines the original and is 50 percent longer). Turrentine, a veteran of the soul-jazz scene since the '50s, was accompanied by a who's who of groove players, including guitarist George Benson, Lonnie Liston Smith on electric piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, bassist Ron Carter, organist Butch Cornell, and drummer Billy Kaye, among others. (The live version adds Airto, flutist Hubert Laws, drummer Billy Cobham, and organist Johnny Hammond.) The title track is a deep soul blues workout with a swinging backbeat and the rhythm section fluidly streaming through fours and eights as Benson, Hubbard, and Turrentine begin slowly and crank up the heat, making the pace and stride of the cut simmer then pop -- especially in Hubbard's solo. This is truly midnight blue, and the party's at the point of getting really serious or about to break up. By the time Benson picks up his break, full of slick, shiny, warm arpeggios, the seams are bursting and couples are edging into corners. Butch Cornell's "Sunshine Alley" is a solid, funky groover, paced by organ and double fours by Kaye. Turrentine and Hubbard stride into the melody and keep the vamp in the pocket, riding out past the blues line into a tag that just revs the thing up even further. But the big surprise is in the final track, one of the most solidly swinging, from-the-gut emotional rides of John Coltrane's "Impressions" ever taken. Turrentine is deep inside his horn, ringing out in legato with everything he has -- and it is considerable. Ron Carter's bass playing flows through the modal interludes, creating a basis for some beautifully intervallic invention by Benson and Smith by building a series of harmonic bridges through the mode to solos. It's hard to believe this is Turrentine, yet is could be no one else. If jazz fans are interested in Turrentine beyond the Blue Note period -- and they should be -- this is a heck of a place to listen for satisfaction.

There are two sides to Stanley Turrentine. One we touched on before with our review of Blue Hour was his stint at Blue Note during the early 60s where he contributed his warm, breathy sax tone to countless jazz classics. The other side of Turrentine was his work at CTI records in the early 70s where his trademark sax sound was now found in a funkier, glossier environment.
Sugar, released in 1971, was Turrentine’s first foray into what would become a new era of jazz punctuated by all star backing musicians, glossy packaging with sultry cover art, and the general warm rich sound that became a hallmark of CTI. As time went on this sound would dwindle into smooth jazz, but in the early 70s it was new and exciting and wholly satisfying.
Things kick off with the groove laden title track that became somewhat of a jazz standard over the years. The drums sound full and thick, rolling in like thunder and maintain a churning, slow boiling momentum throughout the song. The horn lines are fantastically moody and harken back to something you would have heard on one of Turrentine’s Blue Note albums although here, in the funky glaze that was CTI, they take on a whole new life. Turrentine wastes no time jumping right into his solo which is ripe with strong melodious lines that groove with an almost gutbucket panache.
Freddie Hubbard follows on trumpet, his joyful lines and bright sound forming an excellent contrast to Turrentine’s heavier sax. The band maintains a steady groove throughout and delightfully manages to keep everything at a foot tapping simmer that is just so darn satisfying you can’t help but revel in it. Guitarist George Benson floats in for a short but satisfying solo while the horns dance around the main theme behind him. As the groove fades out at the end you pray it’s not really over because this is the sort of groove that could go all night and leave everyone satisfied.
“Sunshine Alley” features the horns doing their thing with wonderful aplomb and sound especially nice when the band drops out for a moment. Organist Burch Cornell gets a chance to shine with a funky late night solo that burns in all the right places without ever overplaying. Meanwhile the drums and percussion contribute a steady rolling, somewhat Latin flavor that only adds to the excitement. Billy Kaye is a fantastic drummer that doesn’t get anywhere near enough mention. His steady rolling rhythms serve the music well and he continually comes up with tasty, classy fills.

Benson rolls in with another slippery solo on guitar while Hubbard soars in with a majestic trumpet solo that almost sounds like Lee Morgan for a moment or two. Very nice. Turrentine comes back in and reminds everyone whose album this really is – his solo smokes without ever being too flashy. So many players sometimes take “the more notes the better” approach but Turrentine has a unique ability to lay back and let his sax tell the story in short bursts of creativity.
“Impressions,” the Coltrane classic, is the third and final track on the original album. Coming in at a satisfying 14 minutes, it is the cornerstone of the album and gives everyone a chance to strut their stuff as the band tackles the tune at a lively medium tempo that is simply breathtaking. What really drives this track for me is the rhythm section – the bass, drums, and congas all working together as some sort of three headed jazz dragon. Bassist Ron Carter is in especially fine form here, delivering classic jazz walking bass lines with the slightest touch of funk, all while weaving in and around the percussion with remarkable skill.
Everything comes together all at once and for the entirety of the 14 minutes it is eternal jazz bliss. There is something in the air, something in that warm sound, that is just indescribable. Turrentine’s muscular, economical lines, Cornell’s groovy organ, Hubbard’s soaringly majestic trumpet, Benson’s glassy smooth solo, it all works together to complete a whole piece where no one musician stands out greater than the other. The only thing that matters is the groove of the song, the feeling of late night electricity in the air. For 14 minutes there is nothing and no one else, only these very fine jazz players in a recording studio in New Jersey somewhere, grooving the night away. It is everything good jazz should be and succeeds where so many others fail.
Sugar is one fine album that never seems to overstay its welcome. It’s funky, jazzy, warm, and cool. If you’re looking to branch out from the Blue Note era of Turrentine’s work, or get into hip early 70s jazz, this would be a fine place to start. The performances are solid and the music is stellar – everyone involved is in it purely for the music and nothing else. And really, isn’t that how great jazz should be?
Note: The 2002 CD release adds a 14 minute version of “Sugar” played live on July 19, 1971, just a day after the now available California Concert: The Hollywood Palladium. The 2010 40th Anniversary version of Sugar includes the same live track and also adds “Gibraltar” as an additional track.

Track listing

    All compositions by Stanley Turrentine except as indicated.

    "Sugar" - 10:03
    "Sunshine Alley" (Butch Cornell) - 10:48
    "Impressions" (John Coltrane) - 14:14
    "Gibraltar" - 9:35
    "Sugar" [Live] - 14:29 Bonus track on CD reissue

Personnel

    Stanley Turrentine - tenor saxophone
    Freddie Hubbard - trumpet
    George Benson - guitar
    Ron Carter - bass
    Lonnie Liston Smith - electric piano (tracks 1,4)
    Butch Cornell - organ (tracks 2,3)
    Billy Kaye - drums (tracks 1,2,3,4)
    Richard "Pablo" Landrum - congas (tracks 2,3,4)
    Hubert Laws - flute (track 5)
    Hank Crawford - alto saxophone (track 5)
    Johnny "Hammond" Smith - organ, electric piano (track 5)
    Billy Cobham - drums (track 5)
    Airto Moreira - percussion (track 5)

Larry Coryell - 1979 [2002] "Return"

Larry Coryell made his earliest recordings as a leader for Vanguard and most of his sessions from 1968-75. After working for a variety of other labels, he came back for this lone effort in 1979. Coryell's basic sound was still the same as in his early fusion days, but the setting had changed. Joined by three of the Brubeck brothers (keyboardist Darius, electric bassist Chris and drummer Dan), along with percussionist Ray Mantilla, the guitarist performs three of his originals (including "Cisco at the Disco"), two Darius Brubeck numbers, and a selection co-written by Al DiMeola and Paco DeLucia. Although not one of his most significant dates, Larry Coryell sounds in fine form throughout this modern mainstream LP, stretching himself a bit.

This is one of my favourite Larry Coryell albums. Dangerously close to soft jazz this is an album with the Brubeck brothers that is irresistably energetic. There is so much passion and joy in this and Larry's trademark chunky sound together with technical playing which is clearly by a man back at the top of his form makes this a must buy. In my opinion Larry is always stronger when he avoids too much technical pyrotecnics and just burns from the heart. The melodious nature of the tunes means that Larry has a platform from which he effortlessly churns out singing, soulful and inspirational solos side after side. And the sidemen aren't half bad either. A shortish recording but each and every song is a gem...what more could you want?

I first met the Larry Coryell/Brubeck Brothers band on a rare, direct-to-disk recording ("Better than Live") that would become my all-time favourite musical moment. And it still is. So I spent a few years looking for another collaboration, even asked Larry himself(!) until I found this one. Although there's not as much magic in "Return" than in "Better than Live", the former still deserves the best appreciation. Larry has the Magic Touch. He is the Divine Guitar, and the he and the Brubeck Brothers are the best of the late-70s Jazz-Rock bands.

Larry Coryell came back for this lone effort with Vanguard Records in 1979. Joined by three of the Brubeck brothers (keyboardist Darius, electric bassist Chris and drummer Dan - yes, they are Dave Brubeck's sons!), along with percussionist Ray Mantilla, the guitarist performs three of his originals (including "Cisco at the Disco"), two Darius Brubeck numbers, and a selection co-written by Al DiMeola and Paco DeLucia.
Now many critics will state that this effort by Coryell was not one of his most significant projects, but I challenge the listener/buyer to check it out regardless of what a few critics may say.
Larry Coryell, always in fine form throughly kicks it up many notches on the CD title cut, 'Return', which, when I blast this song from my car while riding down the street, I'm always asked, "Who's that jammin' on the axe?!" Obviously, guitar aficionados recognize "GREATNESS" when they hear it!

Tracks Listing

1. Cissco At The Disco ( 5:46 )
2. Rue Gregoire Du Tour ( 4:36 )
3. Three Mile Island ( 5:49 )
4. Return ( 5:34 )
5. Sweet Shuffle ( 6:20 )
6. Mediterranean Sundance / Entre Dos Aguas ( 5:48 )

Total Time : 32:55

Recorder June 4-6 at Vanguard Studios, NYC

Line-up / Musicians

- Larry Coryell / Guitar
- Darius Brubeck / Piano
- Chris Brubeck / Bass
- Dan Brubeck / Drums
- Ray Mantilla / Percussion

Airto Moreira - 1972 [2007] "Free"

Free is an album by Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist Airto Moreira (who was credited simply as "Airto") featuring performances recorded in 1972 and released on the CTI label. The album reached number 30 in the Billboard Jazz albums charts.

Other than a couple of obscure efforts for Buddah in 1970, this was percussionist Airto's debut as a leader, and this is still his most famous record. A brass section arranged by Don Sebesky is heard on two tracks, and such all-stars as keyboardist Chick Corea, flutist Hubert Laws, the reeds of Joe Farrell, and even pianist Keith Jarrett and guitarist George Benson make worthwhile appearances. Flora Purim joins Airto in the one vocal piece ("Free"), and "Return to Forever" receives an early recording. The music combines together jazz, Brazilian music, and aspects of fusion and funk quite successfully.

Airto Moreira's first album for Creed Taylor's nascent jazz-fusion label CTI contributed magnificently to Taylor's modus operandi--expanding the boundaries of jazz to include elements of indigenous cultures, rock, and even classical modes. FREE is Airto in full, unencumbered flight.

His version of Chick Corea's own genre-defining classic "Return to Forever" sets the listener adrift in a choppy sea of vocal atmospheres, crests of electric piano, and Airto's simmering squall lines of percussion. The title track conjures the Brazilian rainforest with a thick underbrush of rhythm, tribal howls, and chatter. Airto and his cohorts play a wonderful array of ceremonial woodblocks, wood flutes, and other natural Brazilian noisemakers. Accompanying the percussionist are such stellar figures as Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter, and George Benson.

I have a lot of Airto's stuff, particularly the CTI and Arista recordings, but I never owned this one. Originally I thought "How different could this one be from the rest?", but one listening proved I was mistaken in that notion. Airto brings an all-star cast that includes his associates in the original Return to Forever (the album for ECM had just been recorded so this was captured at an amazing period for Airto's development) Chick Corea and the amazing Joe Farrell, as well as Keith Jarrett (a rare guest appearance for him) and the CTI stable of Ron "The Rock" Carter on bass, George Benson on guitar, Hubert Laws on flute and others. Airto plays ALL PERCUSSION heard, including drum kit -- something only rarely heard like on the original RTF ECM recording but something we should hear more of-- I saw Airto play standard kit in the 90s and his feel is amazing, particularly on the Brazilian-infused selections, of course (as a jazz drummer myself, I know a little bit about such things). There is lots of tasty flute on these cuts, giving an airy, light feel to the music. A great choice of material as well, better than the other CTIs of Airto because it really has an ensemble feel and the Sebesky arrangements lend a beautiful feel to the whole thing-- I hear a lot of the same approach on Jobim's masterwork from the same period "Stone Flower"... so, killer musicians + great tunes= one hell of an outing for the pioneering percussionist and grand master of all things struck with a stick. Salud Airto!  

Here is a jem of an album. Airto Moreira, or Airto, as he was known in the early days, was a fusion pioneer who participated in the most important projects, has recorded some superb albums under his own name. When you think Miles, Weather Report, Chick Corea - think Airto. This album is one of his very best, for its subtlety, depth of feeling and lush arrangements with flute, piano, guitar, electric piano, lots of percussion, voices as well. You get a superb rendition of Return To Forever, gorgeous Flora's Song, the wild, almost savage Free, the rest of the album some pretty elegant and hip Brazilian fusion with a variery of rythms. Dreamy, exotic music.

Track listing

    "Return to Forever" (Chick Corea) - 10:17
    "Flora's Song" (Flora Purim) - 8:30
    "Free" (Airto Moreira) - 11:50
    "Lucky Southern" (Keith Jarrett) - 2:36
    "Creek (Arroio)" (Victor Brazil) - 6:12
    "So Tender" (Jarrett) - 5:01
    "Jequié" (Moacir Santos) - 2:57
    "Creek" (Arroio) (Altenate Version) - 9:23 

    Recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on March 23 and April 12, 13 & 20, 1972

Personnel

    Airto - percussion, vocals
    Hubert Laws - flute
    Joe Farrell - soprano saxophone, flute alto flute, bass flute, piccolo
    Chick Corea - piano, electric piano
    Keith Jarrett - piano
    Nelson Ayres - electric piano
    George Benson - guitar
    Jay Berliner - guitar
    Ron Carter - bass
    Stanley Clarke - electric bass
    Flora Purim - vocals
    Burt Collins, Mel Davis, Alan Rubin - trumpet, flugelhorn
    Wayne Andre, Garnett Brown, Joe Wallace - trombone
    Don Sebesky - arranger

Miles Davis - 1969 [2001] "The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions" [3 CD Box]

The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions is a three-disc box set by trumpeter Miles Davis, featuring recordings from the sessions that would produce his 1969 album In a Silent Way, as well as transitional pieces from the era. Besides material previously released on the 1968 album Filles de Kilimanjaro, the trilogy of outtake compilations released by Columbia Records during Miles' 1975-81 recording hiatus, and the completed In A Silent Way, the box set features previously unreleased music, mostly from the In A Silent Way sessions proper. As well as the CDs, it includes essays by Michael Cuscuna and Bob Belden and details of the recording sessions. It is number five in the Legacy series of Miles Davis' Complete Sessions box-sets.

It is notable since it includes several previously unreleased tracks on CD, namely "Splashdown", "The Ghetto Walk" and "Early Minor", plus a longer and different version of "Shhh/Peaceful" and two "In a Silent Way" alternate takes.

    - "Mademoiselle Mabry" and "Frelon Brun" can be found on Filles de Kilimanjaro.
    - "Two Faced" and "Dual Mr. Anthony Tillmon Williams Process" on Water Babies, the first outtake compilation released by Columbia during Miles' hiatus.
    - "Splash" on Circle in the Round, the second Miles Davis outtake compilation released during his hiatus.
    - "Ascent", "Directions, I" and "Directions, II" on Directions, the third of the hiatus-era outtake compilations.
  
  Of all the recording sessions completed by Miles Davis with his various bands, the sessions surrounding In a Silent Way Sessions in 1968 and 1969 are easily the most mysterious and enigmatic. For starters, they signified the completion of his transformation from acoustic to electric sound, and secondly, they marked the complete dissolution of the "second" quintet of Davis, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, and Ron Carter that had begun on Filles de Kilimanjaro. The addition of Chick Corea as a second keyboard player and the replacement of Ron Carter with Dave Holland had changed the sound of the band's dynamic, textural, and rhythmic palettes. The final break with Davis' own previous musical sound happened when he added guitarist John McLaughlin and keyboardist/composer Joe Zawinul (for a temporary three-keyboard sound).

    The music on the In a Silent Way Sessions comes packaged three ways, all of it chronologically ordered: there is the material used to finish Filles de Kilimanjaro ("Mademoiselle Maby" and "Freon Brun"); material that has been, up until now, unissued in any form; session outtakes that appeared, in edited form, on Circle in the Round, Water Babies, and Directions; unissued and rejected takes; and finally, the music recorded for In a Silent Way itself as it was rehearsed, played, and finally, heavily edited into the released album, which also appears here.

    This was an ambitious undertaking, even if it only covered six months in the recording life of Davis (September 1968 through February 1969), whose musical inspirations and directions were crisscrossing as they were changing direction. With the exception of one tune, Davis or Zawinul composed everything here. Zawinul, though a jazz veteran, was discovering new ways to write -- particularly since the advent of the electric piano -- and proved to be a profound influence on his employer. The other heavy influence on Davis during this volatile, fertile period was Tony Williams, who was soaking up the pop music of the day, from the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's album (via a girlfriend's suggestion) to the in-his-prime James Brown, to Jimi Hendrix.

    On disc one the set begins with the missing tracks from the quintet box set: "Mademoiselle Mabry" and "Frelon Brun." Hearing them in this context, as the first complete expressions of Davis' new sound, is revelatory. For the first time the three-chord vamp in "Mademoiselle Mabry" comes across as the fitting tribute to Hendrix it should have been, echoing the turnaround tags in "The Wind Cries Mary." These tracks mark the entrance of Dave Holland into the band and the first marked absence of Hancock. The contrast in styles, from Hancock's chunky, groove-laden chords and single-note runs and Corea's deep, cerebral spaciousness, is remarkable; it's a wonder they were issued on the same record at all. The simple, slow jam riff the former tune evokes was, in some way, the cornerstone on which the material for these sessions would be built, while the latter provided the space and pace for its establishment.
    The elegantly spaced-out "Two Faced" and "Dual Mr. Anthony Tillmon Williams Process" were recorded as a sextet with Hancock. Both tunes are a showcase for the interplay between both keyboardists and Holland, whose near-mystical lyricism was exactly what Davis was looking for in a bass player -- one who could change the role of the instrument in an ensemble setting. The loose-jam feeling on these tunes could be heard by some as meandering, but it would be shortsighted to assume this for the entire picture. The various extrapolations on blues-feel and meter -- moving them into modal settings and then deconstructing these for a streamlined, open music that allowed for both improvisation and direct musical interplay between various members -- were integral, and created in Davis' music a space that changed jazz forever.

    Disc one ends with the full version of "Splash" that appeared on Circle in the Round. Here, all of its four interludes are included after the unedited version of the tune. All of the interludes were recorded as scripted fragments with no improvisation and featured Hancock playing electric harpsichord and Corea on organ. Lastly we get "Splashdown," the first Davis recording that features Zawinul and the three-keyboard lineup. Here, too, the track was unissued and one has to wonder why because the dialogue between the three principals, and Holland and Williams, is remarkable -- Davis is all but absent, but it hardly matters as Shorter covers his territory well. With two electric pianos and an organ, the tune is so psychedelic and fat; full of a kind of inherent funkiness brought by the rhythm section, and Shorter underscores the jazz element in his solo by taking two cues from Coltrane and turning them into modal paragraphs. Both interludes that follow the tune were also rejected.

    Disc two is where the In a Silent Way project begins in earnest. The next set is from the album issued in 1981 as Directions. The three tracks that comprise it reveal just how far Davis was willing to take the massive keyboard section. With slow, drifting, methodical improvisation concerned more with the development of sound and texture than riffs and intervals, the Davis group drifts through "Ascent," with Zawinul keeping the color hushed and silvery as Hancock improvises and Corea plays a series of modulated, though very subtle, changes. The most noticeable change is on the driving "Directions," both pieces one and two. Williams has been replaced, for this session at least, with Jack DeJohnette, and the driving, slippery force of DeJohnette's drumming with Shorter's precisely punctuated soprano solo is overwhelming in its glorious intensity. These are both unedited takes, recorded as they happened without studio trickery from Teo Macero. The second take is slower, more defined; the intimate speech that developed between Shorter and Zawinul here offers a first glimpse of the sound that would be the genesis of Weather Report a little over a year later. For the time being, largely due to the intuitive improvisation of DeJohnette's drumming, the sound of "Directions" was a rock sound with wild intervalic fanfare and slippery rhythms shifting under the explosive interplay between soloists and ensemble.

    From the middle to the end of disc two, the In a Silent Way project begins to take shape. The first version of "Shhh/Peaceful" rings with the presence of John McLaughlin's guitar. The first version is a bit faster from the jump than the one released later -- and heavily edited. There is no chord structure to the tune; there's just a small groove figure with solo vamps appearing all over it. The bassline is doubled by Corea's electric piano; Hancock's silky piano accompaniment fills in the shapes. The hi-hat and McLaughlin's guitar shimmer colors and nuances as Davis enters with the only solo he could play to such beautiful accompaniment. There is an accented chordal passageway from the middle to the end where Zawinul enters, creating a series of overtones with his organ that lend a spectral, eerie presence to the proceedings. It dissolves eventually, only to give way to the intro to Zawinul's gorgeous "In a Silent Way/It's About That Time." The rehearsal version has a ton of chords compared to the way it was written; they were added as coloration devices to involve the instrumentalists in a deeper way. First, there is the reductionism of McLaughlin playing the melody in just one chord, and then Davis and Shorter enter to play over the Rhodes and doubled bassline.
    When the early recorded versions are set in place, and McLaughlin opens the tune, you can feel how much the tune has developed from the rehearsal tape. The pace is tortoise-like; everything is gone from the mix, and there's just that guitar with Zawinul eventually adding his organ and Hancock slinking his piano into the intervals. When the band does enter, it's via Shorter's sweet, singing soprano rather than Davis' trumpet. It's reduced to essence as a melodic frame with no foundation to hook onto, as transitory and elegant as it is beautiful.

    The suspended vamp that begins "It's About That Time" is a floating one; it never anchors itself to either E-or F-sharp. Hancock offers the chords and Corea and Zawinul join him, playing shifting, ghostly fills before McLaughlin jumps in and doubles the keyboards sleepily with a bluesy graciousness. The piece was recorded in sections, so everything we hear has an illusory quality to it, because Macero edited it all into one tune. Solos and density structures mark the individual takes; Hancock and McLaughlin deconstruct tonalities in favor of sound, creating overtonal ambiences.

    The rest of the set offers finished, wonderfully remastered versions of both "In a Silent Way/It's About That Time" and "Shhh/Peaceful": those that appeared on the original LP. Bob Belden's revealing, insightful, and authoritative liner notes tell the fascinating story of how the recorded tracks were edited into final versions, so we won't go into it here. But the two other tracks recorded with the same band minus Tony Williams -- replaced by Joe Chambers, of all people -- are both unissued: "The Ghetto Walk" and "Early Minor." Both are deeply Hendrix-influenced, using his choice of keys and a series of sevenths around E-flat, B-flat, and A-flat, and finally shifting themselves, in transmuted form, to the big daddy of all rock keys, E. Both of these tracks, filled with space, blues, rock, and killer piano and organ fills, are rhythmically carried by Holland and danced through the pocket by Chambers, who, while not as muscular as either Williams or DeJohnette, was more nuanced as a blues player, which is what these two awesome numbers called for, as they turned out to be -- especially "Ghetto Walk" -- the precursors to the material that would be recorded for Jack Johnson a year later.

    There is nothing extra in this set in terms of fluff, viscera, or detritus. All of the material included from these sessions offers perhaps the most fascinating look to date into the musical mind of Miles Davis, who was undergoing a revolution of his own -- he looked to the younger players for inspiration and guidance in how to handle the new forms; the liner notes bear this atypical personification out. Each track is an audible step in that development, and a step toward the goal of what would be the first Miles Davis "groove" album -- not in the Blue Note sense of the vernacular -- one of atmosphere and ambience and texture and drift -- not of melodies and changes. The package is handsome and well-illustrated to be sure, but the music alone is worth the package price. In many ways -- far more so than the Bitches Brew sessions -- this is the long-sought key that unlocks the door to the room that has the answers as to why and how Davis made such a complete break with his own music on In a Silent Way -- a music which he never returned to -- at least on record. It's the first box set in a long time that's been worth playing from beginning to end.

Track listing:

Disc 1

    "Mademoiselle Mabry" - 16:37
    "Frelon Brun" (Brown Hornet) - 5:40
    "Two Faced" - 18:03
    "Dual Mr. Anthony Tillmon Williams Process" - 13:23
    "Splash: Interlude 1/Interlude 2/Interlude 3" [rejected] - 10:08
    "Splashdown: Interlude 1 (no horns)/Interlude 2" (no horns) - 8:03 unreleased track

Disc 2

    "Ascent" - 14:54
    "Directions, I" - 6:50
    "Directions, II" - 4:53
    "Shhh/Peaceful" - 19:17 unreleased
    "In a Silent Way" (Rehearsal) - 5:26 unreleased
    "In a Silent Way" - 4:18 released for the first time in unedited form
    "It's About That Time" - 11:27 released for the first time in unedited form

Disc 3

    "The Ghetto Walk" - 26:49 unreleased
    "Early Minor" - 6:58 unreleased
    "Shhh/Peaceful/Shhh" (LP Version) - 18:18
    "In a Silent Way/It's About That Time/In a Silent Way" (LP Version) - 19:52

Personnel:

    Miles Davis – trumpet
    Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone (Disc 1: All), soprano saxophone
    John McLaughlin – electric guitar (Disc 2: Tracks 4-7; Disc 3: All)
    Chick Corea – electric piano
    Herbie Hancock – electric piano
    Joe Zawinul – organ (Disc 2; Disc 3)
    Dave Holland – double bass
    Tony Williams – drums
    Jack DeJohnette – drums (Disc 2: Tracks 1-3)
    Joe Chambers – drums (Disc 3: Tracks 1 and 2)

Dave Holland - 2013 "Prism"

Prism is a studio album by English jazz bassist Dave Holland. The record was released via the Dare2 label on September 2, 2013. This album is a milestone of Dave Holland’s career as a leader—the forty year anniversary of his debut, free jazz album Conference of the Birds released in 1973

For “Prism”, Dave’s latest recording, he’s assembled a quartet of outstanding players and composers who are also leaders in their own right, Kevin Eubanks on guitar, Craig Taborn on piano and Fender Rhodes, and Eric Harland on drums. The recording is representative of the wide range of musical references that these musicians incorporate into their music and it features compositions written by each of them for the group.

The album takes the listener through many musical landscapes starting with the infectious funky groove of the Eubanks’ composition “The Watcher” followed by one of Holland’s compositions, “The Empty Chair”, a soulful blues that hints at references to the music of Jimi Hendrix. Craig Taborn’s “Spirals” creates an intriguing setting for the group that moves through a series of dramatically changing musical developments and Eric Harland’s hauntingly beautiful composition “Breathe” provides a musical space that seems to suspend time.

The groups of Dave Holland have always reflected a collaborative spirit with the goal of creating a musical context that allows the musicians to express their creative individuality. “Prism” brings together four musicians who are each forging their own musical path and together have created a unique and contemporary musical statement on this recording.

It’s a great record. Part of what makes Prism sound specifically like “fusion” is the preponderance of tunes that do not “swing” in the usual sense but are instead built on tricky riffs that interlock with a groove that is heavy on backbeat. The opener, Eubanks’ “The Watcher”, begins with a funky line from the left hand of Taborn’s Fender Rhodes electric piano, and then Eubanks doubles it before he climbs on top with a distorted but very simple melody. The sound is thick with fuzz and buzz from both Eubanks and Taborn. All of it would make for a satisfying track, but then a tricky and precise bridge section comes along for pleasing relief. Taborn’s solo is the standout here: mathematical and intriguing as it moves and reverses, surges forward and doubles-back on itself.

Bassist Dave Holland first became a leader-on-record with Conference Of The Birds (ECM, 1973), a now-classic outré quartet session. That initial leader date portrayed Holland as a restless seeker, willing and eager to explore the inner workings of group dynamics and the outer reaches of convention, and he's done little to alter that perception of himself in the intervening years. Holland has, with band after band and album after album, continually broadened his outlook, creating a vast and enviable body of work along the way. Now, he celebrates four decades of leadership by introducing another potent foursome to the world.

On Prism, Holland reunites with three musical spark plugs from his past: guitarist Kevin Eubanks, who appeared on the bassist's Extensions (ECM, 1989), drummer Eric Harland, who worked side-by-side with Holland in The Monterey Quartet and then joined him for Pass It On (Dare2 Records, 2008), and pianist/Fender Rhodes man Craig Taborn, who's shared the stage with the bassist on a number of occasions over the past few years. As individuals, these gentlemen rank high on many a critic and fan's list of players; together, they form the most exciting and awe-inspiring quartet to debut on record this year.

The music this band delivers on Prism is like a vortex, sucking in everything within earshot. Interlocking patterns, excoriating lines, killer grooves and blazing solos are par for the course. Democracy prevails in all aspects, as each band member contributes music, muscle and more along the way. "The True Meaning Of Determination" is the perfect example of this one-for-all and all-for-one philosophy. Holland draws focus with his bass introduction, melodic delivery is a joint venture between two band mates, Eubanks' guitar singes everything in sight, Taborn takes the spotlight and has a blast chopping up the time with Harland, and everybody comes together to drive it home. It's nine-plus minutes of pure, heart-pounding bliss, and it doesn't even stand above the other tracks; nearly every performance here has a similar endorphin-producing effect. The band does operate in other areas, from the bluesy and soulful ("The Empty Chair (For Clare)") to the contemplative and free floating ("Breathe"), but they retain a group identity no matter where the music takes them. They sound best when they burn, but they still sound like the same unit when they simmer or stay put.

Prism isn't simply a great album by a great band; it's as good as jazz records come. Four months may separate this album's release and the close of 2013, but this one may have already sealed it up for "Album Of The Year" honors.  

Track Listing:

01   The Watcher [6:56]

02   The Empty Chair (For Clare) [8:31]

03   Spirals [8:46]

04   Choir [4:49]
05   The Color Of Iris [7:27]
06   A New Day [7:51]
07   The True Meaning Of Determination [9:19]
08   Evolution [10:24]
09   Breathe [5:40]

Personnel:

Dave Holland, bass;
Kevin Eubanks, guitar;
Craig Taborn, piano and Fender Rhodes;
Eric Harland, drums.

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)

CAB - 2000 "CAB 2"

CAB 2 is the second studio album by the rock/jazz fusion band CAB, released on February 20, 2001 through Tone Center Records. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary Jazz Album at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

Unlike some Tone Center offerings, which can be thinly masked excuses for a fusion-blowing workout, Cab 2 succeeds on both compositional and soloing levels. With drummer Dennis Chambers, organist Brian Auger, and bassist Bunny Brunel (once of Chick Corea's '80s band), here joined by speed-king guitarist Tony MacAlpine, the album revels in the Holdsworth-Elektric Band-Vital Information format, retaining high levels of spontaneity throughout. The lineup is well balanced: Chambers is both incredibly funky and creative with his blazing drum romps, while Brunel is consummately lyrical and able to comment on Chambers's furious feet and finger explorations. Melodically, old-timer Auger keeps his head down with lush R&B stabs of B3 organ riffage--the perfect complement to MacAlpine's often hyperbolic, dazzling fretboard mayhem. Mostly, the quartet keeps it high, hard, and fast, running the voodoo down over Brunel and MacAlpine tracks such as "Decisions," "Top Spin," and "Song for My Friend," which employ brisk odd-meters and (what else) serpentine melodies. It's only when this fusion supergroup dwells on midtempo material ("Temperamental," "Sunday") that they run short on fuel, plodding where they should be pummeling, snoring on the job when fusion demands high-speed mental acuity. For its pure soloing prowess, often bittersweet melodies, and boiling arrangements, Cab 2 goes all the way.

All the arm chair critic snobs here who can't play, should just break out their old IOU and Stanley Clarke albums, have a Coke and a smile, and admit that they have become their parents. Yeah, you're old!
The whole band is amazing, the tones are rich, the playing stellar, and Tony MacAlpine is the God of Hell Fire. This is a nice move for Tony. From Neo-Classical to Planet X, (Have you seen him with Vai!!!) and now this. He's pushing the envelope and his guitar tone on Cab 2 is the best he's ever had. It's very refreshing to hear Tony play with more sense of funk, and with Dennis Chambers on board how could he not?
Dennis Chambers?! Oh my God! Brian Auger?! Oh Yeah! Bunny?! Boo-Ya!!!
If only Scofield could play more like this. Like he had some fire in his belly (Mustard in his soul!) and stopped playing tired, cerebral, scholastic, white bread, funk jazz.
MacAlpine comes from a whole other direction joining this band which makes it so fresh. I dig that he's not coming from a post bop clone school attempting to break free of it like so many others. MacAlpine brings the fire of Malmsteen and the jaw dropping facility of Holdsworth but sounds like neither. In context, the band in on a whole other level because of their different influences.
It's the mixing of genres that makes it special. Not a bunch of Miles Davis alumni being allstars with nothing to shake anyone up with.
Greg Howe's Extraction with Dennis Chambers and Victor Wooten wasn't even this successful. Howe wants to be so hip when he should just shred and let the rhythm section do their thing. It's the contrast in musical styles that makes projects like this special. Not everyone coming from the same place.
We need more unadulterated shredders doing projects with funk jazz guys. Enough with the bop clones trying to impress dead people.
I will definetly be buying more Cab releases.

I love this disc. I have owned it for nearly a year now and still enjoy listening to it. I feel sorry for the other reviewers that they can't seem to catch it. I have gotten alot of satisfaction out of listening to these guys. Dennis is one of my favorite players of all time.
Brian Auger (who I listened to alot in the late 60s and early 70s) also is a nice addition to the band. Great stuff, even just for listening.

You know,its so typical for a jazz/fusion player to diss people like Tony MacAlpine.Sorry but I find John Scofield (or whatever) as a drugged-out Pothead.. sorry his music just ain't got that grit.I imagin him as just child from the 60's still on narcotics trying' to record jazz/fusion or something like it.While Tony is straight up level headed and a well progressed musician who puts out good music.Look i bet half of the people that dissed this CD don't even play jazz/fusion,well I take that back cuz some of you people sound like jazz players;Arrogent,Obnocsious(parden the spelling),and down right close-minded(jazzbos..lol thats funny ^_^).Look this band doesn't have to sound like Chic Korea,or that addict John "whats his last name" or even freakin' Miles Davis to be a jazz/fusion band..Oh and to that guy that said about them not expressing the meaning of life (or something like that) dude.. these aren't Coldplay alright? (which fail big time at tryin' to explain "life" )..These guys are musicians that give out some slammin' time changin' maximum fusion that actually know how to play their instruments!Their music is what they're about.See musicians can express themselves through their instruments they don't have to whine,scream,or sing through a mic to get a point across..and if you ACTUALLY listen to the music you'll hear it.Tony MacAlpine came from the 80's : True. Tony MacAlpine can't play fusion: False!..I mean if this isn't fusion what is it?..Progressive? no..If that writer still thinks that about Tony.. then he/she should hear Planet X!The album Moonbabies has some pretty unique fusion songs as well as some hard hittin' Progressive songs (listen to track 3) hence the style the band has been branded with Prog Fusion.. wait oh yeah "there is no such thing as Prog Fusion! it has to sound like the fusion from the 70's/80's or jazz from the 40's to be cool and exist!" people listen,Musicians are creative people (well some of them anyway..)I mean this the 21st century and we can't keep putting the same stuff out and the CAB project isn't.. infact, their music is a step in a new direction.Sorry if some of you are too arrogent and close-minded to see it...Oh! and about the album..its really really REALLY good fusion(sorry i'm at a lost for words its that good ^_^)!I first heard the song "Southside" on the radio and man I fell in love with it!At the time,I didn't know it had people like Tony and Dennis but when i found that out i was even more amazed! :) 5 stars all the way!

Thanks to "Original Uploader"

Track listing

1.     "Decisions"       Bunny Brunel     9:12
2.     "Madeline"       Tony MacAlpine     8:29
3.     "Dennis"       Brunel     5:14
4.     "For Joe"       Brunel     7:11
5.     "South Side"       MacAlpine     7:25
6.     "Song for My Friend"       Brunel     4:41
7.     "Temperamental"       Brunel     9:40
8.     "Top Spin"       Brunel     8:06
9.     "Wah Wah"       Brunel     7:00
10.     "Sunday"       MacAlpine     5:12

Total length: 72:10

Personnel

    Tony MacAlpine – guitar, keyboard
    Brian Auger – keyboard, Hammond organ
    Bunny Brunel – keyboard, bass, engineering, production
    Dennis Chambers – drums

Herbie Mann - 1969 [2002] "Memphis Underground"

Memphis Underground is a 1969 album by jazz flautist Herbie Mann, that fuses the genres of Jazz and Rhythm & Blues (R&B). While Mann and the other principal soloists (Roy Ayers, Larry Coryell and Sonny Sharrock) were leading jazz musicians, the album was recorded in Chips Moman's American Studios in Memphis, a studio used by many well-known R&B and pop artists. The rhythm section was the house band at American Studios. The recording was engineered and produced by Tom Dowd.
Three of the five songs on the album were covers of songs originally released by Soul music artists. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" (by Sam & Dave), who recorded at Stax records (with the Stax rhythm section), and "Chain of Fools" (by Aretha Franklin) who recorded that song with the classic Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section at Atlantic Studios in New York.
Two members of the rhythm section on Franklin's recording (Gene Christman and Tommy Cogbill) perform on Memphis Underground.
A third song, "New Orleans", was also released by R&B artist (Gary U.S. Bonds), who recorded in Virginia.
So though the only one song was certifiably of Memphis vintage, the conglomeration of young New York jazz musicians with one of the most storied Southern rhythm sections proved to be the catalyst for creating strong, fresh music that sounds like neither Memphis Soul nor New York Jazz. This unique sound appealed to a large audience.

The record is one of the best-selling Jazz albums of all time. Rolling Stone said "Memphis Underground is a piece of musical alchemy, a marvelously intricate combination of the "Memphis sound" and jazz lyricism".
Memphis Underground was a favorite album of writer Hunter S. Thompson, who mentions it positively in several chapters of his book Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail. In the article The Battle of Aspen, Thompson states that his "Freak Power" campaign used Mann's recording of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" as the background music for their commercials.
Another writer, the British author Stewart Home, as a tribute to this Mann album, titled his 2007 novel (some call it an antinovel) Memphis Underground. In the novel, Home makes multiple references to soul, northern soul and jazz soul music.

OK, let's get the simple part out of way first--this is a well-made late '60's jazz-pop album played by solid musicians and the title track is infectious and bears repeated listening's. I think that Mann is not an all-time great flute player, but he is a very good one and he's at his best when he gets to work in an easy, lazy groove, like the title cut or "Chain of Fools": he has a nice languid style on those cuts that brings out the essence of the tunes. I'm not that wild about his "Battle Hymn of the Republic", which seems like a pretty corny concept, and the problem is that the album is only 35 minutes long to begin with, so cut out that tune and you're left with 28 minutes. Seems like Rhino could have reissued this on a disc with another of Mann's albums, like they've done with reissues of other Atlantic stuff like Charles Lloyd.

Anyway, that being said, there are some truly unusual things going on in this album. Mann used to get a bad rap for being too pop, too "commercial", and admittedly he can tend to play with a pretty light touch, at least when compared to, say, Roland Kirk. But when he wanted to do this jazz-rock album, he teamed up with a fairly gritty bunch of guys, i.e. the Stax studio hounds, rather than a line-up of the usual jazz studios wizards. This contrast would be unusual enough, but then Mann brought along Sonny Sharrock, one of the most aggressive, "out-there" guitarists around, and let him rip on "Hold On, I'm Comin'". (The song also has Miroslav Vitous, another avant-gardist who was soon playing with Weather Report, on bass.) The Stax guys, who started the song sounding so funky and gritty, wind up sounding like Boy Scouts when Sharrock starts his strafe-and-destroy feedback solo. All this arranged by a flute player who was thought of as "light" and "commercial". You start to wonder what darkness lurked in the heart of Mann. It's worth getting this album just for this outrageous musical moment.

I first got this on vinyl in the mid 70's and was blown away by the jazz rock sound the band put down. The title tune,Memphis Underground, is still on of my favorite songs and I have been listening to it for 25 years. Possibly the best driving song ever. The rest of the album is very good too. Lots of R&B feel and some wondrous jazz riffs. The guitar and vibe sound great with Manns flute, and the rhythm section is rock solid. I replaced the old vinyl album with a cd and if I lost it, I would buy another in a minute. A listening treat.

I love this album, especially side two with Chain of Fools and Battle Hymn. I first heard this on a $20 portable record player outside my barracks in Nam in 1969. We played side two over and over. Imagine hearing Battle Hymn in that setting. The record player was so bad that I thought all those Larry Coryell riffs from Chain of Fools were a Saxophone. I've still never heard a guitarist pull off those kinds of intelligent but driving arpeggios before; not your standard guitar playing. Herbie excels at grooves, not notes so he doesn't have to be some technical machine zombie. Not many jazz albums can boast such a funky groove and rhythm section. I can still get people excited about this album who don't listen to jazz and have never heard it. This for me will always be the penultimate Herbie Mann album and Chain of Fools will probably always remain my favorite Larry Coryell moment, although he's had some other good ones on his own.

Track listing

    "Memphis Underground" (Herbie Mann) — 7:07
    "New Orleans" (Frank Guida, Joseph Royster) — 2:07
    "Hold On, I'm Comin'" (Isaac Hayes, David Porter) — 8:52
    "Chain of Fools" (Don Covay) — 10:42
    "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (Traditional, arranged by Herbie Mann) — 7:12

Personnel

    Herbie Mann – flute
    Roy Ayers – vibes, conga on "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
    Larry Coryell – guitar
    Sonny Sharrock – guitar
    Miroslav Vitouš - "Fender bass" on "Hold On, I'm Comin'"

"The Memphis rhythm section"

    Reggie Young – guitar
    Bobby Emmons – organ
    Bobby Wood – electric and acoustic piano
    Gene Chrisman – drums
    Tommy Cogbill or Mike Leech - "Fender bass" (individual tracks not specified)

Pat Martino - 1987 [1994] "The Return"

The Return is a live album by guitarist Pat Martino which was recorded in 1987 and first released on the Muse label.

Pat Martino experienced a traumatic brain event in about 1980. When he awoke from surgery, he could not remember his parents. He no longer could play the guitar. He had to start over. All seemed lost. (For the details of this and more, see his autobiography, "In the Moment.")

And yet, and yet... After several years of therapy and practice (often listening to his own records) and receiving love from his parents (with whom he stayed), Pat Martino, one of the hottest jazz guitarist on the scene...returned to record this work.

He had performed under his birth name, Pat Assura, several times to warm up. But this time it was Pat Martino. I hear from knowledgeable friends that the venue was filled to overflowing, mostly with musicians (since Pat is a musician's musician, a guitar player's guitar player).

It was a return to undiminished greatness. The band (acoustic bass and drums) had not rehearsed, but knew how to weave it all together stunningly. Inspiration overflows in every tune. The numbers are not tightly structured pieces (as Pat would later return to), but, nevertheless, they all swing with a red hot intensity. There was no meandering, no hesitation, no compensation for a not-up-to par Pat Martino. Pat was back: the return.

Pat plays a flury of notes, chords, octaves--and never loses his way. And it was only up from here--as I observed in Chicago recently at The Jazz Showcase, when Pat performed with organ and drums. It was the best two jazz nights of my life.

The man is a maestro, a virtuoso, one-of-a-kind. Sadly, he is under-appreciated with respect to popularity. However, those in the know, know the genius of his miracle man. For that, I am thankful. There is beauty in the universe. Think on that. 

There's not much to add other than what the other reviewers have written, other than to say that this album is a unique one in Pat's ouevre because his playing is, to my ears at least, a lot more wild and raw here (in positive terms). It also features the unique drumming of Joey Baron. The interplay here is really exciting too.

Pat Martino is the man. This album is chop city from beginning to end. I can't believe the endurance. long, long, long....fast solos. buy it if you can find it. pretty sure it's been reissued on another disc. 

Pat Martino suffered a brain aneurysm in 1980, and after successful surgery, he was left with musical amnesia. He had to completely relearn how to play guitar, and the process of recovery took a long time. Finally, in 1987, he was ready to play in public and record. Showcased in a trio with bassist Steve LaSpina and drummer Joey Baron, Martino performs lengthy versions of four new originals during a live set from Fat Tuesdays, showing no mercy either for his sidemen or toward himself. Eighty percent back at the time (he would continue to get stronger record by record during the next few years), the guitarist's musical courage is admirable, and the music (which can only be classified as "modern jazz") is frequently exciting.

Track listing

All compositions by Pat Martino

    "Do You Have a Name?" - 12:33
    "Slipback" - 8:50
    "All That You Have" - 11:09
    "Turnpike" - 11:24

Personnel

    Pat Martino - guitar
    Steve LaSpina - bass
    Joey Baron - drums

The Moody Blues - 1974 [1989] "This Is The Moody Blues"

This Is The Moody Blues is a two LP (later two CDs) compilation album by The Moody Blues, released in late 1974 while the band was on a self-imposed sabbatical. Though all of the songs were previously released on albums (with the exception of "A Simple Game" which was a 1968 B-side), several of them are heard here in distinctly-different mixes.
This Is the Moody Blues was a commercial and critical success, reaching #14 in the United Kingdom and #11 in the United States before 1974 was out.

It might surprise those coming in late to their story that the original double-LP version of this album from 1974 was the first compilation devoted to the Moody Blues' work. That's seven years after their switch from R&B-based British Invasion rock & roll to psychedelic music, and ten years into their overall history, an awfully long time for a successful band to avoid the compilation route. That fact alone speaks volumes for how healthy their album sales were -- only the group's decision to take a hiatus seems to have prompted the assembling of this collection. The Moody Blues had actually had enough hits and charting singles between England and America since 1967 so that a good best-of could have been assembled, but the makers went far beyond that, encompassing LP tracks that had become favorites on FM radio between 1967 and 1973 and also ignoring the actual release order of anything here. So instead of a tour through their history, listeners get a kind of collage of most of their best work, the songs nicely representative of the various members' most important contributions to the group's work. That said, however, it should also be pointed out that so much of the band's music is connected, conceptually and thematically, with the surrounding songs on their albums that inevitably the listener will feel rushed through some of this history; additionally, there is one excellent number left off for every three that are included. The CD reissue was impressive sonically for its recompiled and remastered tape sources, and the new annotation by digital producer John Tracy was a good bonus feature. To some degree, this collection has been supplanted by the more fully programmed double-CD Gold collection from 2005. Unless all you're looking for is an overview of the group's classic years, in which case one can add a half-star to the rating of This Is the Moody Blues.

This album came out in 1974 during the band's hiatus and was put together by the band's producer Tony Clarke. He went back to the master tapes and put together this wonderful collection remixing and editing the release so that all the songs flow in and out of each other. The nice thing about this is that it doesn't seem like a standard "hits" collection thrown together by the record company to cash in on a band's fan base like most of these albums do, but rather carefully chosen and assembled to fit together well giving all the members room to shine. It's a shame given the fact that there are so many bogus rip-off Moody Blues "hits" collections out there and yet this one which is the best put together is the one that is currently out of print on cd. I should mention that this also was a big hit when it was released sending several songs back into heavy rotation on FM radio.

Tracks Listing

CD 1:
1. Question (5:39)
2. The actor (4:08)
3. The word (poem) (0:51)
4. Eyes of a child (2:35)
5. Dear diary (3:46)
6. Legend of a mind (6:35)
7. In the beginning (2:04)
8. Lovely to see you (2:34)
9. Never comes the day (4:39)
10. Isn't life strange (5:32)
11. The dream (poem) (0:51)
12. Have you heard? Part 1 (1:21)
13. The voyage (4:09)
14. Have you heard? Part 2 (2:09)

CD 2:
1. Ride my see-saw (3:32)
2. Tuesday afternoon (4:01)
3. And the tide rushes in (2:56)
4. New horizons (5:05)
5. A simple game (3:18)
6. Watching and waiting (4:16)
7. I'm just a singer (in a rock and roll band) (4:10)
8. For my lady (3:57)
9. The story in your eyes (2:44)
10. Melancholy man (5:05)
11. Nights in white satin (4:32)
12. Late lament (2:36)

Total Time: 93:19

Line-up / Musicians

- Justin Hayward / guitars, vocals
- John Lodge / bass guitar, vocals
- Michael Pinder / keyboards, vocals
- Ray Thomas / harmonica, flute, vocals
- Graeme Edge / drums, percussion