Alan Shorter: Orgasm

I managed to score a copy of Orgasm when Verve briefly reissued the album as part of its short-lived "Elite Edition" series. It's kind of an odd album in that in the middle of recording Alan apparently switched producers, and also had to replace some of his players. In spite of the behind-the-scenes turmoil, Orgasm is a consistent sounding recording, and one of the more beautiful statements from the free jazz community. I've heard of comparisons between this album and Ornette Coleman's early work (the two composers share a common bassist, Charles Haden), and I find that I can play this album fairly comfortably side by side with some of Coleman's classics (Change of the Century comes to mind). Much has been made about his apparent lack of training and technique, although honestly I can't really hear any deficit in his flugelhorn playing. He seems to get the job done within the parameters of his compositions, which I would suppose is pretty much what matters. It's a painfully hard to find album, but worth finding and spinning. Shorter would go on to record Tes Esat, which was reissued briefly a few years ago.

Alan apparently had a number of personal problems that made him difficult to work with, and he died in obscurity in the late 1980s. His brother Wayne had this to say about him:

The strongest thing you can say about Alan is that he was an original, as original as you can get. He didn't want any academic guidelines to equip him to reinvent the wheel. He was always in confrontation, or there was confrontation on the horizon...with record executives, rehearsal places, front offices, professors in school. Teachers would mark on his papers, and he would ask "Why?" on top of the teachers' remarks.

I gather that Alan did quite a bit of composing during his brief life, and left behind scattered remains of those compositions as his legacy. Wayne once commented that he would one day look through Alan's work and do some of his compositions (Wayne used his brother's "Mephistopheles" on one of his mid-1960s albums), although as far as I am aware that has yet to bear fruit.

Personnel:
Alan Shorter - Flügelhorn (all tracks except track 4), Trumpet (track 4), Tambourine (track 4)
Gato Barbieri - Tenor Sax
Charlie Haden - Bass (tracks 1, 6)
Reggie Johnson - Bass (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5)
Rashied Ali - Drums (tracks 1, 6)
Muhammad Ali (Drums (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5)

Tracks:
1. Parabola
2. Joseph
3. Straits of Blagellan
4. Rapids
5. Outeroids
6. Orgasm

Recorded at A&R Recording, NYC, September 23, 1968 (tracks 3 & 4); September 25, 1968 (tracks 2 & 5); and November 6, 1968 (tracks 1 & 6). Released on Verve, catalogue # V6-8768.

Download Orgasm

Don Sleet: All Members

How about a little change of pace. All Members was Don Sleet's only recording as a leader. Too bad, as the music and playing are as bad-ass as anything you'd hear on Blue Note during the era. Why Sleet never caught on is one for speculation, though perhaps Derek Taylor's explanation is plausible: he was just one among many highly talented musicians and composers, making the odds of standing out difficult at best.

Personnel:
Don Sleet - Trumpet
Jimmy Heath - Tenor Sax
Wynton Kelly - Piano
Ron Carter - Bass
Jimmy Cobb - Drums

Tracks:
1. Brooklyn Bridge
2. Secret Love
3. Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise
4. Fast Company
5. But Beautiful
6. All Members
7. The Hearing

Recorded March 16, 1961 at Plaza Sound Studios, and released that year by Jazzland, catalogue # JP-945.

Download All Members

Gato Barbieri and Dollar Brand: Hamba Khale

Here's an interesting pairing: Gato Barbieri just before transitioning to a world fusion and later jazz-lite saxophonist and legendary South African pianist Dollar Brand. Lots of interesting jazz coming out of Europe in the late 1960s.

Personnel:
Gato Barbieri - Tenor Sax
Dollar Brand - Piano, Cello, and Tambourine

Tracks:
1. The Aloe and the Wild Rose
2. Hamba Khale
3. To Elsa
4. 81st Street

Download Hamba Khale.

Jacques Coursil Unit: Way Ahead

Jacques Coursil Unit - Way Ahead

Released on BYG/Actuel, catalogue # 529319.

Personnel:

Beb Guérin - Bass
Claude Delcloo - Drums
Arthur Jones - Saxophone [alto]
Jacques Coursil - Trumpet

Notes: Recorded July 7 & 8, 1969 at Studio Saravah, Paris, and produced by Jean Georgakarakos and Jean-Luc Young.

1. Duke (10:07)
2. Fidel (7:37)
3. Paper (18:08)

Here's a review by Brandon Burke at AMG:

Trumpeter Jacques Coursil's Way Ahead is a highly overlooked and absolutely stunning free jazz session. The cacophonous spazzery that marks much of the BYG/Actuel series (ex: Alan Silva's Luna Surface, Dave Burrell's Echo) is almost nonexistent on Way Ahead. Whereas many of the others in this series -- as stunning and powerful as they are -- tend to be star-studded anything-goes blowing sessions, Way Ahead is a quartet date and thus, even at its most fevered moments, only sounds like four musicians letting loose as opposed to, say, twelve. Again, while these ensemble dates are enjoyable and of great historical significance, Way Ahead simply allows for more space. In this sense, while quite free, it still retains an openness that makes dates by AACM associates like Roscoe Mitchell more palatable for those inexperienced with the freewheeling "energy music" of the late '60s. The first side finds the group tackling two Coursil originals, while the entire second side is an extended version of Bill Dixon's "Paper."

Like other other albums on BYG/Actuel featuring Jacques Coursil, either as leader or as an accompanist, this one is absolutely stunning. It is "way ahead" - or perhaps more to the point, the music world was way behind and is only now catching up.

Download Way Ahead.

Jihad Records

Consider this a mini-discography brought to life, thanks to the miracle of mp3s. Jihad Records released only three albums during its existence, but at least a couple of those recordings are well-sought-after by fans of the jazz avant-garde. Each of these albums is radically different from the others, save for one common denominator: the appearance or involvement of beat poet, playwright, and activist Amiri Baraka (in an earlier time known as LeRoi Jones). Here's a brief overview of the Jihad label:

Jihad was a label that was formed by Imamu Amiri Baraka to broadcast the work of the Jihad Cultural Center, Newark NJ. It produced and issued ... three discs ... , but recorded much more. The first two items are the target of most serious collectors of Free Jazz, each for a different reason.

Sonny's Time Now brought together a fantastic group of free improvisors during the ferment of the "New Thing" of the mid Sixties (Don Cherry-tp; Albert Ayler-ts; Louis Worrell, Henry Grimes-b; Sunny Murray-d; LeRoi Jones [now Imamu Amiri Baraka]-recitation on last track) at a time when their work was causing discussion and argument through-out the jazz world. In many ways Sonny's Time Now may be viewed as a continuation of two classic ESP titles: New York Eye & Ear Control (ESP 1016) and The New York Art Quartet (ESP 1004).

A Black Mass is a morality play about the races of man, written, directed and performed by Baraka and a cast drawn from his Cultural Center. The reason it is so greatly sought after is because the incidental music was done by Sun Ra and members of his Arkestra. This disc is truly a rare item in the Sun Ra discography, being even more difficult to find than all but one or two of Sunny's own Saturn lps.

The third release, Black and Beautiful....Soul and Madness featured Baraka reading his poetry, "...backed by a vocal group and an uncredited band (definitely, an artifact from the 60's)", to quote Jihad collector Anthony Rogers.

It has been said that Imamu Amiri Baraka has many other tapes that he was never able to issue on the Jihad label. A Japanese release of Sonny's Time Now has been reported, with an additional track, but it would appear that the CD is as elusive as the original vinyl release. Chuck Nessa said that the DIW release was an "...lp in Japan with a one sided 7" 33 1/3 rpm bonus disc. The bonus disc is #850925 (I.M.-0598 A). The "tune" on the bonus disc is "The Lie". I believe they later issued a CD of all the material." Ed Rhodes states that "...the CD reissue is 35DIW 14CD. There is no selection titled "The Lie" on this disk, just the three titles from the original lp. Page 130 of Baraka's Black Music refers to "The Lie" but the short promo on page 177 does not. I believe there is a reference somewhere that refers to "The Lie" as part 2 of "Justice", which was split between sides 1 and 2 of the original lp. Will post again if I find it."

Baraka has stated that he would like to see all of the material gathered by Jihad to be released correctly. I hope that this can be done while I'm still far enough away from senility to enjoy the music.

The version of Sonny's Time Now presented here is the one with "The Lie" included. If you groove on mid-1960s free jazz, such as the recordings released at the time by ESP-Disk, you'll dig on this. If the lineup looks intense on paper, it is even more intense to actually here. This music is raw energy. As Thurston Moore put it:

his recording is super-lo-fi and is awesome. On it play Ayler (tenor) and Don Cherry (trumpet) as well as Leroi Jones (now known as Amiri Baraka) reading a killer poem called "Black Art". This music is very Ayler but more fractured and odd.

Indeed, Ayler smears and skronks like a man possessed, and in a manner that anticipates such cats as Kaoru Abe. Don Cherry is quite recognizable, playing much as he would during the period. Murray is the pulse driving the rest of the music. Bassists Worrell and Grimes are a bit hard to hear in the mix, save for the quieter passages. Baraka's contribution to this group of free jazz power players is "Black Art" which features such strident passages as, we want "poems that kill." Assassin poems, Poems that shoot guns. The words, like the music, are as far from peace and love as anything from the stereotyped and romanticized 1960s that has been packaged by the corporate media since.

Jihad 663

Personnel:
Sunny Murray - Drums
Albert Ayler - Tenor Sax
Don Cherry - Trumpet
Louis Worrell - Bass
Henry Grimes - Bass
LeRoi Jones - Voice (on "Black Art")

Tracks:
1. Virtue
2. Justice
3. Black Art
4. The Lie




A Black Mass is typically sought-after more for the inclusion of Sun Ra's Arkestra as musical accompaniment. Truth be told, you barely get much of Sun Ra except for a flourish here and there. So if you're a Sun Ra fan looking for a lost gem, you'll be a bit disappointed. The sound quality is also a bit dodgy, so you'll have to strain to hear the dialog. Those with the patience to hear the words will be treated to a portal to one particularly volatile period in the struggle for civil and human rights that still continues to this day.

I'm not sure about the personnel on this one, beyond Baraka and members of Sun Ra's crew at the time. The piece itself is broken up into two parts due to the constraints imposed by LP format.

Credits

Catalog # Jihad 1968

A play by Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones)

Carl Boissiere - Jacob
Barry Wynn - Tantil
Jacquie Bugg - Eulalie
David Shakes - Beast
Yusef Iman - Nasafi
Elaine Jones - Olabumi
Sylvia Jones - Tilla
Bob Washington - Narrator

and the Sun Ra Myth-Science Arkestra



Black and Beautiful, Soul and Madness (credited to The Jihad) is a recording that would have fit in with recordings by contemporaries such as Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, and The Watts Prophets. The musical backing might be a bit dated, but the words still pack a contemporary punch. If one is interested in the historical origins of rap and hip-hop, one can find here some of the Zietgeist that would produce some incredibly powerful rhymes and tunes a generation later by such cats as Public Enemy and KRS-One, and today's underground rappers such as Common and Mos Def. If I recall correctly, this one was posted by Reza at one of his blogs a while back.

Jihad LP1001

Spirit House, Newark

Personnel:

Bobby Lyle - Bass
Russell Lyle - Saxophone [Alto], Flute
Aireen Eternal - Vocals [2nd Tenor]
Gilbert Monk - Vocals [Baritone]
Yusef Iman - Vocals [Bass], Congas
Freddie Johnson - Vocals [Lead Tenor]
Leonard Cathcart - Vocals [Tenor]
LeRoi Jones - Voice [Poetry]

Weusi - Liner Notes
Daniel Dawson - Photography

Tracks:
1. Beautiful Black Woman
2. Miss Natural Soul
3. Form is Emptiness
4. Mishap (So Much Soul)
5. Madness
6. Nineteen Sixty-Something
7. Sacred Chant
8. Unity
9. Fight

The music on these three albums portrays a 1960s far different from the version shoved down our throats like so many commercials with Peter Fonda pitching compilation cds of folk rock and psychedelia from the era. It's a 1960s that deserves a hearing and a viewing all the same. It is a 1960s that is arguably as timely as ever at a time when so many seem bound and determined to pretend that the issues of the day have been "resolved."

Download Sonny's Time Now

Download A Black Mass

Dowload Black and Beautiful, Soul and Madness

Jacques Coursil: Black Suite

Here's Eugene Chadbourne's review in Allmusic.com:

This amazing trumpeter led two album sessions for BYG, both highly respected projects. This might be the one to take off to the desert island, as the presence of Anthony Braxton as part of the band really makes for an intoxicating brew, if abstract free jazz is the cup of tea on order. Braxton is just fantastic in a collaboratory role, cutting loose with even more of an edge than when leading the band and adding texture with his contrabass clarinet that brings to mind the fog rolling into the forest right before the scene where the villagers storm the evil castle. Arthur Jones cuts loose on alto sax in the manner that makes all his appearances on this label so delightful -- fiery, full of spirit, always an exciting presence. As kind of the lost voice of the trumpet in modern jazz, Coursil is not only a great discovery for the modern jazz fan, but a fine creative vintage that holds up to repeat visits over the years. His control of the difficult horn and totally original melodic thinking really makes his playing stand out among the admittedly thin ranks of avant-garde trumpet players. None of the players who have Coursil's technical mastery play with as much heart and soul. He also proves himself a great bandleader, passing some of the key tests of this distinction with the music featured on this album. One composition after which the record has been titled takes up the entire slab of vinyl, clocking in at a bit over a half-an-hour. Only a good bandleader can pull off an epic of this sort, and only a good bandleader can pull together a rhythm section that on paper promises the excitement of the local newsboys sitting in. The French bassist and drummer featured here were this label's Grade Z rhythm section, and sound better playing quietly than they do when hitting loudly. That's because of the recording, which distorts the drums and bass after a certain level of attack. On the other hand, the quiet sections are not picked up as well by the microphones -- assuming there were microphones -- and, as a result, the horns have even more room to maneuver. Let's allow the artist to serve as his own critic in the case of pianist Burton Greene, who would later publicly dismiss all of his playing from this era as being claptrap. Like another much more famous and prolific modern jazz trumpeter and bandleader, Coursil takes even questionable music contributions, such as the entire existence of this rhythm section, and turns it into a highly useful musical function. Jazz scholars who feel rhythm sections are unimportant can, of course, gloat over the musical success of this particular album. At any rate, it is one of the best examples of just how beautiful modern jazz can be.

Released on BYG/Actuel, catalogue # 529349.

The crew on this album:
Jacques Coursil - trumpet
Arthur Jones - alto sax
Anthony Braxton - bass clarinet, soprano sax
Burton Greene - piano
Beb Guerin - bass
Claude Delcloo - drums

The music is a continuous piece broken into two parts due to the necessary constraints of the old vinyl LP format. There's not much I can add to the Chadbourne's review. Suffice it to say that music on this recording lives up to the hype. It's not a noisefest (as free jazz is often stereotyped), but rather the emotional intensity gets expressed through the open spaces and abundant quiet passages. Highly recommended for fans of Arthur Jones' recordings Scorpio and Africanasia.

Download Black Suite.

Marion Brown: Le Temps Fou

Marion Brown: Le Temps Fou Polydor 658142 (France)

Tracks:

1. Le Temps Fou 5:24
2. Cascatelles (Phillips) 5:31
3. Song For Serge And Helle 6:39
4. Boat Rock 4:59
5. Ye Ye 6:08
6. En Arricre 11:31

Personnel:

Ambrose Jackson, trumpet, percussion;
Marion Brown, alto saxophone, bells;
Gunter Hampel, vibraphone, bass clarinet, percussion;
Barre Phillips, bass, percussion;
Steve McCall, drums;
Alain Corneau, percussion on 6

recorded September 1968, Studio Davout, Paris

A film soundtrack composed by Marion Brown, with the exception of the track "Cascatelles". It's pretty standard late-1960s Marion Brown - which means if you're a fan, you'll be pleased to find this. The music stands up quite nicely - there aren't any tracks that would qualify as incidental music or filler. The tune "Boat Rock" is a bit of an oddity in that it is more of a rock tune, with jazz instrumentation.

Enjoy another of the jazz underground's grails!

Download Le Temps Fou.

Archie Shepp & Philly Joe Jones

ARCHIE SHEPP AND PHILLY JOE JONES America 30 AM 6102

Recorded November-December 1969, Paris, France

Side One

1. The Lowlands

Side Two

1. Howling In The Silence;

a. Raynes or Thunders
b. Julio's Song

Personnel

Anthony Braxton; soprano, alto sax
Chicago Beau; soprano sax, harmonica, vocal
Archie Shepp; tenor sax, piano
Julio Finn; harmonica, vocal
Leroy Jenkins; violin
Earl Freeman, bass, vocal
Philly Joe Jones; drums

Here's another out of print gem from Archie Shepp's canon. Shepp always seemed to have a deep reverence for the music's history even during his most avant-garde days, and by 1969 the journey was taking him into blues territory (certainly quite apparent on this album and also tracks from another overlooked gem from the time, Blasé).

From the liner notes for the track, "The Lowlands":

"THE LOWLANDS is a musical portrait of live in the black ghettos and southern black communities. The music begins with shouts and screams because shouts and screams are a sure sign of life. Whether one is shouting for joy or screaming in pain life and feeling for whatever is expressed here.

Archie Shepp, tenor, takes you on a tour of the Lowlands which hopefully is an unforgetable one. The rest of the orchestra breaks into a line rhythm, as Shepp and Philly Joe Jones blend in. And then, I begin the recitation of the Lowlands with the participation of the rest of the orchestra: Earl Freeman, bassist, in particular. After the recitation, I join Leroy Jenkins on violin, Julio Finn, Harmonica, Anthony Braxton, Alto-sax and myself, Soprano-sax, providing an interesting, mad, black, wild background for Shepp’s solo. After solos the rhythm resumes and the final verses are recited ending in a series of lone screams.

My thanks go to all who made my composition possible.
- L.T. Beauchamp [my note: aka Chicago Beau]
Paris, December 11th, 1969"

It's fiery music, a bit low-fi, and raw.

Download Archie Shepp & Philly Joe Jones

Marzette Watts Ensemble

Here's another Holy Grail from the 1960s free jazz scene. Marzette Watts' other album, Marzette and Company (recorded for ESP-Disk in 1966, but not released until 1971) goes in and out of print, but is relatively easy to find.

Savoy dropped this eponymous joint in 1969, but never saw fit to reissue it. A shame, because it is a nice slab of vinyl that fits in nicely with much of what ESP-Disk was offering at the time. The recording includes three Watts originals, a couple Ornette Coleman tunes (including the standard, "Lonely Woman") and a Bill Dixon tune. Thurston Moore held this album in high esteem for good reason. It rocks - not as a full-throttle noise assault, but as a varied, subtle recording that kicks out the jams in all the right places. The cover of "Lonely Woman" in particular stands out, partially because of the Patty Waters vocal.

Tracks:
Side A
1. Octobersong (Dixon)
2. Play It Straight (Coleman)
3. F.L.O.A.R.S.S (Watts)

Side B
1. Medley (Watts)
2. Lonely Woman (Coleman)
3. Joudpou (Watts)

Personnel:
Marzette Watts - tenor sax
Marty Cook - trombone
Tom Berge & J. C. Moses - drums
Juny Booth, Steve Tintweiss, Cevera Jehers - basses
Frank Kipers - violin
Robert Fews [sic?] - piano
George Turner - cornet
Patty Waters, Amy Schaeffer - voices

Bill Dixon - producer; cover design; liner notes; piano on "Play it Straight"
Jerry Newman - engineer
James Mannis - cover photo

Recorded at Stereo Sound Studios, New York, New York.

As an aside from the great minds think alike department: when I upped this album in August, I was expecting to be able to post it right away - but that was before some local school board matters hit the fan. I just couldn't get into doing much with music until after all that got settled. Turns out that the cats over at Destination Out upped a sampler of tracks from Marzette Watts Ensemble last week, along with an excellent summary.

I'm assuming that the cat listed as Robert Fews is actually Bobby Few.

Download Marzette Watts Ensemble

Dewey Redman - Unreleased 1969 Session

This is a cool find:

Dewey Redman
Unreleased Blue Note or Strata East / dolphy Series Session [no label, 1CD]
Record Plant, NYC, December 19, 1969

The thing about jazz, and about free-jazz especially, is that there is something timeless about it. Recorded 38 years ago, Apple-itis, the opening track on this CD, still has the ability to astound today as it probably did so many years ago. To recall a comment someone made on the internet, "Dewey Redman enters with a shattering roar, literally screaming while playing the saxophone. The earth opens up and you contemplate the multitudes of strange large brown insects that burrow and feed near the ancient runes." It is a tough work out with Redman making the saxophone bleed while ably supported by Chris Capers on trumpet.

While Look For The Black Star would eventually be released in 1975 with a different lineup, the two versions here carry a lyrical (samba-ish) swing and indicate what Redman could do to a composition along a more "traditional" jazz line. And because of Redman's musette (or the Chinese suona), certain passages carry an Asian feel.

Dewey Redman is best known for his work with Ornette Coleman, appearing on the recording New York Is Now, among others. He also played in Keith Jarrett's American Quartet, and was a member of the collective Old And New Dreams. (Younger jazz fans will probably know of Dewey as the father of saxophonist Joshua Redman.)

For Dewey Redman, it was the sound that mattered. In an interview, he said: "In my world, that's the first thing I reach for is the sound. Technique is OK, but if you got the technique and I got a good sound, I'll beat you every time. You can play a thousand notes and I can play one note and wipe you out. That's what I reach for is a sound." Redman was 75 when he died of liver failure in Brooklyn, New York on September 2, 2006.

[snip]

As far as we can ascertain, this recording has never been officially released.

Note: Due to the length of some of the files, please be patient when downloading the tracks.

Track 01 Apple-itis 12:32 (17.2MB)

Track 02 Interconnection (take 2) 10:06 (13.9MB)

Track 03 P.S. (take 1) 7:49 (10.7MB)

Track 04 Look for the Black Star (13:25) (18.4MB)

Track 05 Look for the Black Star (take 2) 13:25 (20.7MB)

Lineup:
Dewey Redman (as, musette)
Chris Capers (tp)
Bob Cunningham (b)
Ed Blackwell (dr)
Rashied Ali (dr)
Eddie Moore (dr)

Download it here.

David Burrell - Echo

Thurston Moore sez:

In the fall of 1969 Free Jazz was reaching a kind of nadir/nexus. Within the industry it was controversial. Classic traditionalists (beboppers included) were outraged by men in dashikis and sandals jumping on stage and just BLOWING their guts out creating screaming torrents of action. Most musicians involved with this crying anarchy could get no bookings beyond the New York loft set. The French lovers of the avant-garde embraced this African-American scene wholly. This recording is one of many in a series of LP's with consistent design. BYG released classic Free Jazz documents by Archie Shepp (at his wildest), Clifford Thornton, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Grachan Moncur III, Sunny Murray, Alan Silva, Arthur Jones, Dewey Redman and many others. A lot of these cats are present on this recording where from the first groove it sounds like an acoustic tidal wave exploding into shards of dynamite. If you can locate Alan Silva's "Lunar Surface" LP (BYG 529.312/Actuel Vol. 12) you'll find a world even that much more OUT.

Released on BYG/Actuel, catalogue #529320.Tracks

1. "Echo" — 20:01
2. "Peace" — 22:04

Personnel

Band:

Dave Burrell — piano, arranger, liner notes
Arthur Jones — saxophone (alto)
Grachan Moncur III — trombone
Sunny Murray — bass, drums
Archie Shepp — saxophone (tenor)
Alan Silva — bass
Clifford Thornton — cornet

Production:

Jacques Bisceglia — coordination
Claude Delcloo — executive producer
Claude Jauvert — engineer
Philippe Gras — photography
Jean Luc Young, Jean Georgakarakos — producers

Download Echo

Archie Shepp - Pitchin Can

Personnel:
Archie Shepp-ts,ss
Bobby Few-p
Bob Reid-b
Clifford Thornton-valve tb,tp
Muhammad Ali-d
Al Shorter-flh
Djibrill-cga
Ostaine Blue Warner-perc
Lester Bowie-tp
Sunny Murray-d
Julio Finn-harm
Noah Howard-as
Leroy Jenkins-vla
Dave Burrell-p
Earl Freeman-b
Chicago Beau-voc

America 6106 F rec Paris 11/9/69 7/23/70

Fans of Archie Shepp's BYG output from the same time period will dig on this one as well.

Download Pitchin Can

Arthur Jones: Scorpio

Since I'd posted the Claude Delcloo/Arthur Jones album, Africanasia earlier, this seemed like a reasonable one to follow. The music is definitely well-worth hearing and deserves a much wider audience than it has had thus far.

Tracks:
1 C.R.M.
2 B.T.
3 Sad Eyes
4 Brother B.

Credits:
Bass - Beb Guerin
Drums - Claude Delcloo
Saxophone [Alto] - Arthur Jones

Producer - Jean Georgakarakos , Jean-Luc Young

Recorded in Paris, France, August 1969 and released on BYG/Actuel, catalogue #529350.

Download Scorpio

Claude Delcloo/Arthur Jones: Africanasia

Tracks:
1. Africanasia, part 1 (Claude Delcloo) [19:16]
2. Africanasia, part 2 (Claude Delcloo) [17:36]

Personnel:
Claude Delcloo (drums)
Arthur Jones (alto sax)
Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Kenneth Terroade (flutes)
Clifford Thornton (conga)
Malachi Favors (log-drum)
Earl Freeman (gong, bell, percussion)

Recorded August 22, 1969 at Studio Saravah, Paris, France

Released by BYG/Actuel, catalogue # 529306.

Absolutely gorgeous album that lives up to its title.

Download Africanasia

Colemans Hawkins: Wrapped Tight

Tracks:
1. Marcheta
2. Intermezzo
3. Wrapped Tight
4. Red Roses for a Blue Lady
5. She's Fit
6. Beautiful Girl
7. And I Still Love You
8. Bean's Place
9. Here's That Rainy Day
10. I Won't Dance
11. Indian Summer
12. Out of Nowhere

Personnel:
Colemans Hawkins - tenor sax
Bill Berry - trumpet (#1,2,3,7,8)
Snooky Young - trumpet (#4,5,6)
Urbie Green - trombone (#1,8)
Barry Harris - piano
Buddy Catlett - bass
Eddie Locke - drums
Bob Thiele - production

Recorded February 22 (1 thru 6) and March 1 (7 thru 12), 1965; released on Impulse!

The allmusic.com review:

Hawkins's last strong recording finds the veteran, 43 years after his recording debut with Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds, improvising creatively on a wide variety of material on this CD, ranging from "Intermezzo" and "Here's That Rainy Day" to "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" and "Indian Summer." Best is an adventurous version of "Out of Nowhere" that shows that the tenor-saxophonist was still coming up with new ideas in 1965.

This album is a good example of old dogs proving that they can learn new tricks. Hawk (also nicknamed "Bean") was about as old-school as jazzers got, having been on the scene almost from its beginnings and having weathered, and thrived in, the various changes that occurred over a four-decade career - from swing, to bebop, to bossa nova, to even just a hint of the jazz avant-garde.

My first exposure to his work was on some compilation album that just happened to have "Picasso" - a signature piece for Hawk, and apparently the very first solo sax recording ever. We take unaccompanied sax recordings - whether individual tunes or whole albums - for granted these days, but back in the late 1940s that must have been nothing short of revolutionary. Hawk was arguably the first influential tenor sax player in the jazz world and well worth getting to know.

This particular recording came right at the twilight of Hawk's career, and is considered by music critics to contain his last good recording sessions. As is fitting for an album recorded for the Impulse! label, there is a distinctive John Coltrane influence to be heard on these tunes. That said, there's still plenty of old-school bebop with just enough of an edge to get the listener's attention.

This one's been out of print for a while & CDs of Wrapped Tight seem to fetch between $25-$100 as of this writing. Hopefully the conglomerate that currently holds the Impulse! catalog will see fit to reissue this wonderful recording. Until then, if you're a working stiff like me, these mp3s will treat you right.

Get Wrapped Tight & enjoy the tunes.

Olatunji: Flaming Drums!

Tracks:
1. Abana
2. African Spiritual
3. Uhuru
4. Mystery Love
5. Adofo
6. Hail the King

Partial Personnel List:
Babatunde Olatunji - percussion
Robert Crowder - percussion
Stacy Evans - percussion
Gavin Masseaux - percussion
Montego Joe - percussion
Archie Lee - percussion
George Young - percussion
Scobby Stroman - trap drums
Aquasiba Derby - vocals
Delaora Pearson - vocals
Hosea Taylor - flute, sax, oboe
Clark Terry - trumpet
John Hammond - producer
Fred Carlin - arrangement and conduction
Dr. Akinsola Akiwowo - liner notes

Released as an LP on Columbia Records (CS-8666), 1962

I'm guessing that the album that most people associate with Babatunde Olatunji is Drums of Passion, his breakthrough album - released at the close of the 1950s and typically the sole album from his Columbia Records days to merit a reissue. Too bad, as it makes for pleasant listening. Flaming Drums! is a bit jazzier than his initial claim to fame, and serves as an early recording of afro-jazz.

Download Flaming Drums!

Miles Davis: The Lost Quintet

Here's some Bitches Brew-era Miles to enjoy.

1969 Miles:The Lost Quintet

DISC SEVEN 64:28
November 3, 1969
SALLE PLEYEL, PARIS--ORTF radio broadcast (2 CD)First set
Directions (J. Zawinul) 8:00
Bitches Brew (M. Davis) 14:16
Paraphernalia (W. Shorter) 12:56
Riot (H. Hancock) 2:51
I Fall in Love Too Easily (S. Cahn-J. Styne) 2:07
Sanctuary (W. Shorter-M. Davis) 4:12
Miles Runs the Voodoo Down (M. Davis) 19:17
The Theme (M. Davis) (with applause) 0:47

DISC EIGHT 56:19
November 3, 1969
SALLE PLEYEL, PARIS--ORTF radio broadcastSecond set
Introduction 00:09
Bitches Brew (M. Davis) 12:24 (incomplete)
Agitation (M. Davis) 9:02
I Fall in Love Too Easily (S. Cahn-J. Styne) 3:12
Sanctuary (W. Shorter-M. Davis) 4:00
Masqualero (W. Shorter) 12:41
It's About That Time (M. Davis) 14:49 (incomplete)

Personnel:
Miles Davis (trumpet)
Dave Holland (bass)
Wayne Shorter (Tenor and Soprano Sax)
Jack Dejohnette (Drums)
Chick Corea (keyboards)

Download The Lost Quintet CD 7, and The Lost Quintet CD 8.

Sunny Murray: Big Chief

The Info:

Sunny Murray - Big Chief
(EMI Pathe LP, 1969)

Tracks:

1. Angels and Devils
2. Hilarious Paris
3. Now We Know
4. Angel Son
5. Straight Ahead
6. This Was Nearly Mine

Credits:

Sunny Murray - drums
Francois Tusques - piano
Alan Silva - violin
Bernard Guerin - bass
Bernard Vilet - trumpet
Kenneth Terroade - tenor sax
Ronnie Beer - alto sax
Becky Friend - flute
H.Leroy Bibbs - poem

Recorded January 11, 1969 at studio ETA, Paris

This album starts out with a bang. "Angels and Devils" is pure free jazz cacaphony at its finest, with the fun starting just as soon as the theme is stated and quickly abandoned. "Hilarious Paris" proceeds in a similar manner, this time sticking with the opening theme for the first minute before the collective improv takes over. "Now We Know" puts the sax players in the spotlight, though just barely, as they scream above the rest of the ensemble - followed by an extended solo by Tusques on piano. "Angel Son" takes the volume and tempo down a few notches, but not the intensity. Flute, piano, and violin figure prominently on this piece, that has a dirge-like quality to it. "Straight Ahead" follows on a similar vibe, this time featuring spoken word by Bibbs, and violin, trumpet, and saxes prominent in the mix. The last track, "This Was Nearly Mine" ends the album on a lyrical tip - a free jazz hymnal that one can hum to while listening. Even though Murray doesn't really take any of the spotlight for himself per se, his presence as the drummer and anchor for each tune is always felt.

Some of Sunny Murray's albums are in that hard-to-impossible-to-find category, and Big Chief is one of 'em. Aside from its initial run in 1969, I am under the impression that there has not been a proper reissue of this album. Murray's larger combo albums are quite a ride, so don't miss this one.

Download Big Chief

Here's the re-up of the high-quality (256 kbps) mp3 version of Big Chief.

Frank Wright: One for John

The info:

Frank Wright
One For John

Credits:
Frank Wright - tenor sax
Noah Howard - alto sax
Bobby Few - piano
Muhammad Ali - drums

Recorded 12/5/1969, Studio Saravah, Paris, France

Released on BYG/Actuel, catalogue # 529336

Tracks:
1. China
2. One for John

Frank Wright's ensembles tended to tear the roof off the sucka - in particular those joints featuring Noah Howard. If you're already a fan of Frank Wright's music, you know what to expect. Be forewarned, the sound quality is a bit dodgy in spots, especially near the beginning of "China" where the vinyl sounds as if it's skipped. I keep hoping for a proper digital reissue. So far, no dice. In the meantime, this one will suffice.

Download One for John.

Milford Graves & Don Pullen: Nommo

The info:

Milford Graves (dr,perc)
Don Pullen (p)

Rec. 30.4.1966 in New Haven
LP: SRP LP-290 (1967)

Tracks

Side 1:
P.G.V

Side 2:
P.G. III-P.G. IV

Spirited drum/piano duet, that's been out of print forever. I have no idea when or if it will ever get a proper digital reissue. In the meantime we have this 192 kbps mp3, ripped from vinyl by someone named nonwave. It actually sounds pretty decent. Both Don Pullen and Milford Graves have had fascinating careers.

Download Nommo.