John Surman - Flashpoint: NDR Jazz Workshop - April 1969 (Cuneiform, 2011)

Saxophonist and composer John Surman was at the beginning of a lengthy and successful career when this was taped with the star-studded British group which had the likes of Ronnie Scott, Kenny Wheeler and Mike Osbourne on board. The big band frames the music nicely, and Surman is featured as a soloist, playing soprano and baritone saxophone, and getting extensive solo space on four of the five tracks. "Mayflower" opens the album nicely with some blazing pinched soprano saxophone revolving around the larger horn ensemble. "Once Upon a Time" features some fine fine trumpet with deep and burly baritone following hot on its heels. "Puzzle" is powered by fast strong big band riffing led by trumpet, developing a strong fast full band sound, making room for sputtering trombone and a tough drum solo. Things slow down a bit with "Gratuliere" with it's lilting melody just right for pointed soprano shining through, like the Sun through a layer of clouds. Horns frame the sax very well as Surman switches to baritone, improvising off the gentle melody and setting up a thick bass solo. "Flashpoint" concludes the album with the group at its wildest. A cacophonous free opening swirling vortex resolves into string of fast riffing. Surman's saxophone swirls and glides on thermals, with his unique squeezed sound going all out in a Coltrane like fashion. Torrid lengthy gales of saxophone, gives everyone a chance to stretch out and blow in an exhilarating fashion. Apparently there is a DVD included in the CD package as well, but since I downloaded the mp3's from Amazon, I didn't get the chance to view it. If anybody checks it out, let me know how it is. Flashpoint: NDR Jazz Workshop April '69 - amazon.com

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Hal Singer feat. David Murray - Challenge (Marge, 2010)

This was a very interesting collaboration between saxophonists Hal Singer and David Murray. Aided my Murray's core band of Lafayette Gilchrist on piano, Jaribu Shahid on bass and Hamid Drake on drums, the group develops a nice swing feel that is less of a tenor battle and more of a friendly conversation. The saxophone tones contrast nicely, with Singer's lighter Pres like tone counteracting nicely with the gruff Hawkins like feeling of David Murray. Occasionally I longed to hear them let rip with a Kansas City like tenor sax battle of history, but that's not the point of this disc. Rasul Siddik sits in on trumpet on two tracks, enlivening Murray's "Hong Kong Nights" and "Stressology" with strong brassy accents. Gilcrest is excellent throughout with a bright and strong tone. Drake, as always, is a joy mixing rhythm and pace, getting his own feature on the aptly named "Hamid's Time," composed by Singer. But the focus is really on the two saxophonists throughout, trading solos and ideas and sparking off of each other with ebullient energy and taste. Singer tends to reign in Murray's occasional over-exuberance, and Murray in turn challenges Singer to a high level. Classy photographs of the sessions and liner notes in English and French round out an excellent package.

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John Coltrane

Cool drawings of John Coltrane on display at No Ordinary Joe's coffee shop in Red Bank, NJ.

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Books - Saxophone Colossus: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins by Bob Blumenthal

Saxophone Colossus: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins by Bob Blumenthal

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The great saxophonist Sonny Rollins has been an iconic figure in jazz for nearly sixty years but has never been the subject of a proper biography. This book does not fill that void either but is a very worthy volume regardless, featuring the amazing photography of John Abbott who captured Rollins in public performance and private moments for the past several decades. Abbott's photography is combined with Blumenthal's text to create a celebration of the great musician rather than a proper biography. It's interesting that the text of the book centers for the most part on Rollins' classic albums of the 1950's, particularly Saxophone Colossus, which is considered the saxophonist's ultimate masterpiece. While the text focuses on the past, the beautiful color photos focus on the recent past and present, with the majority having been taken from 1994-2008. But this collaboration works well with both photography and text given equal space. Blumenthal mixes technical analysis of Rollins' music with history and commentary to good effect. While the jazz world still waits for the definitive Rollins biography, this book works well as a celebration of the life and music of a revered figure. Saxophone Colossus: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins - amazon.com

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Book review: Notes and Tones by Arthur Taylor

Notes and Tones: Musician-To-Musician Interviews by Arthur R. Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks a lot pianist Ethan Iverson and his blog Do the Math for pointing me toward this wonderful and eye opening book of musician to musician interviews conducted by the drummer Arthur Taylor. Speaking to Taylor as a colleague as well as a friend, musicians open up about a wide variety of issues from how they play their instrument to the social and racial environment of the United States in this period. Since the interviews were conducted during the late sixties and early seventies, many of the most provocative questions and answers deal with racial issues including protests, black nationalism, and the nature of the word "jazz." Musicians were quite divided about their enthusiasm for the use of electronics in jazz and the impact of pop groups like The Beatles, but were unanimous in their reverence for bop icons Charlie Parker and Bud Powell. Taylor is a perceptive and thoughtful interviewer, asking open ended questions that allow the musicians to expound at length on different topics. This book made a huge impact on me and really made me re-think the nature of music, musicians and race relations. Notes and Tones: Musician-to-Musician Interviews - amazon.com

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The Modern Jazz Quartet - Bluesology: The Atlantic Years 1956-1988 (Warner Archives, 2009)

The Modern Jazz Quartet had a lengthy run of successful albums and concerts and their most well known work was done for the Atlantic Records label during the 1950's and 1960's. At this time, the core members of the group had solidified: Milt Jackson on vibraphone, John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Connie Kay on drums, and became a very popular recording and touring unit that mixed the Holy Trinity of Jazz: bebop, blues and ballads with some third stream experiments and film music scoring. This two disc compilation takes a look at the band and captures the highlights, one disc of studio recordings and one disc of live music. Their most famous songs are well represented, Jackson's deeply soulful classic composition "Bag's Groove." There are some interesting collaborations on this disc, the Quartet with clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre and Sonny Rollins among others, and the band leading a full orchestra. Overall this makes for a fine introduction for a much loved group, cutting through their vast discography and cherry-picking highlights from their lengthy career. Bluesology: Anthology/Atlantic Years 1956-1988 - amazon.com

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Louis Hayes Jazz Communicators - Lou's Ideas (American Showplace, 2010)

Drummer Louis Hayes has one of the strongest hard-bop pedigrees in the music, with lengthy stints in the Cannonball Adderley and Horace Silver bands during the 1950's and 60's before striking out to form his own groups. Recently he has been leading the successful Cannonball Legacy Band in addition to his own group which is featured on this album with a nice group of modern mainstream players: Mulgrew Miller on piano, Steve Nelson on vibraphone, Abraham Burton on saxophone and Santi DeBriano on bass. Together they make a fine unit, playing swinging ego-less hard-bop, with everybody playing for the band. The music is a nicely integrated mix of originals like the deftly swinging “Lou's Idea” to jazz and popular standards such as Mal Waldron's “Soul Eyes” which is played with a deeply emotional reverence. Hayes calls his band the Jazz Communicators and it's really true. He plays swinging and accessible music that should reach a wide range of people. Overall, this was an enjoyable disc by a very together unit of musicians. Nelson's vibraphone adds excellent accents to the music and Miller, DeBriano and Haynes form a superb rhythm unit. Definitely something mainstream hard-bop fans should check out. Lou's Idea - amazon.com

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Donny McCaslin - Perpetual Motion (Greenleaf Records, 2011)

Saxophonist Donny McCaslin mines the same electric jazz territory that has recently been explored by the likes of Chris Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Dave Douglas. He integrates his strong and agile tone into a group that includes a mixed cast of musicians on Fender Rhodes electric piano, electric bass and drums. "Five Hands Down" opens the album with strong saxophone and keyboards prodded on by powerful bass and drums. The title track, "Perpetual Motion," is one of the album's highlights, beginning at a medium tempo and then building to a strong saxophone statement. Thick bass keeps the music moving briskly, and encourages McCaslin to even greater flights of improvisation, framed by cool Rhodes accents. "Claire" is a probing improvisation with just saxophone, bass and drums recalling Sonny Rollins' great trio flights of the past. McCaslin builds to some heavy, feverish blowing before the keyboards glide into the wide open improv. "Energy Generation" brings funk into the mix with strong deep drumming, leading a full band performance. Things get even grittier on "L.Z.C.M." with the Rhodes and drums combining to mine the mid-70's Herbie Hancock vibe to good effect. This was a very exciting and creative album that make excellent use of the wider musical palette that the electric instruments offer. The music draws from the modern rock of Radiohead and Coldplay while thoroughly keeping its jazz aesthetic firmly in place. Very fine forward thinking music. Perpetual Motion - amazon.com

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Brad Shepik Quartet - Across the Way (Songlines, 2011)

Guitarist Brad Shepik takes an intimate, chamberish approach on his new album, in collaboration with Tom Beckham on vibraphone, Jorge Roeder on bass and Mark Guiliana on drums. The sound of the vibraphone and subtly amplified guitar is compelling and mysterious (remember the great tracks Grant Green recorded with Bobby Hutcherson?) and blends well with the bass and drums on this album, making for a tasteful and mysterious sound. The title track "Across the Way" opens with a beguiling medium tempo performance, featuring solo space for bass and guitar. "Down the Hill" has a slow and gentle narrative feel, featuring a nice, think sounding bass solo and a shimmering interlude for vibes. "Xylo" builds a quiet dynamism, pivoting around a cool and restrained guitar solo, and then developing a sweet sounding vibe and guitar accent. "German Taco" builds a fast and intricate groove, building an almost Latin feel, with fine collective improvising from the full band. There was a kind of quiet energy that was at work on this album, like potential energy building up and waiting to be released. The tension and release used by the musicians and the memorable compositions kept the music constantly interesting and mysteriously memorable. Hopefully this band will have the opportunity to do some film scoring, because the noirish accents they give to the music would be a great asset to any atmospheric movie. Across the Way - amazon.com

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John Coltrane - Kind of Coltrane (Brilliant Jazz, 2007)

I was scoping out the Princeton Record Exchange a few weeks ago, dismayed at the lack of music (much of the floor space is given over to DVDs now) and looking for anything to buy when I spied a number of these boxed sets for several different jazz artists including Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey and Stan Getz. They appear to me a mix of bootleg material, radio airshots and studio material that has fallen out of copyright in Europe. The Coltrane set is a mixed bag of material, with no liner notes and only vaguest information available. The diligent may be about to use David Wild's extensive Coltrane discography to performing a little sleuthing and get a better idea of the contents. The sound quality of the music was pretty poor, since the majority of the contents are made up of bootleg concerts of a certain vintage, but that doesn't mean the music itself is without value. Two discs recorded at the Half Note in 1963 have made the rounds many times but still make for compelling listening. An excerpt from the "A Love Supreme" on a later disc features a scalding saxophone solo, and the concert of Coltrane with Miles Davis in London 1960 shows the dramatic contrast in styles that the two musicians were evolving. Two discs of excellent studio hard bop originally led by the trumpeter Wilbur Harden are quite interesting. Recorded just after Coltrane's cleansing of narcotics and his spiritual awakening, it shows the saxophonist lean and lucid. Harden is a revelation too, I was previously unfamiliar with his playing. There's a lengthy essay by Loren Shoenberg about this music here. Overall, there is some very interesting and worthwhile music in this package, but the packaging and session information leave a lot to be desired. For the devoted Coltrane fan, however, the budget price may make it appealing. Kind of Coltrane - amazon.com

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Hip-O Select Reissues

The Hip-O label has specialized in multi-disc reissue packages focusing on particular aspects of an artists career. Their Select series provides well done packaging with re-mastered music and extensive liner notes and photographs.

Louis Armstrong - Hello Louis: The Hit Years (1963-1969) By the mid 1960's, trumpeter Louis Armstrong had already had a career and a half. Beginning with his rise to prominence with the legendary Hot Fives and Hot Sevens to his recordings with big bands and all star groups, Armstrong remained active. But by the 1960's, the whole musical landscape had changed, rock and roll music had upended the pop music world, and jazz had evolved through bebop, hard bop, free jazz and beyond. But Armstrong, ever canny, changed with the times and had some of his most popular records ever during this period. The most well known is the #1 hit "Hello Dolly" and ever popular "What a Wonderful World" which rely on Armstrong's completely unique singing voice for their impact. For the majority of this collection, his voice takes precedence over trumpet playing, whether on popular songs or jazz standards, but considering Armstrong had perhaps the most unique singing voice in jazz it works quite well. Often tracks are filled out with string arrangements that can be rather onerous, but the charm and guile of Armstrong comes through regardless of the setting. Hello Louis: The Hit Years 1963-1969 - amazon.com

Dinah Washington: The Fabulous Miss D! The Keynote, Decca and Mercury Singles (1943-1953) Although singer Dinah Washington had a star-crossed life and career, her early singles had massive success and influence on singers and performers to come and make for the majority of this collection. She recorded a wide range of material in addition to blues and jazz standards that were aimed for the jukebox and singles market. But it's the blues and jazz material that has the biggest impact from the charming version of Fats Waller's classic "Ain't Misbehavin'" to the low down darkness of "Evil Gal Blues." She has an excellent roster of sidemen accompanying her on these sides, but the short nature of the format keeps the instrumental solos and breaks to a minimum. The Fabulous Miss D: The Keynote, Decca, & Mercury Singles 1943-1953 - amazon.com

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Weasel Walter, Mary Halvorson and Peter Evans - Electric Fruit (Thirsty Ear, 2011)

Three of the most adventurous musicians on the contemporary improvisation scene, drummer and percussionist Weasel Walter, guitarist Mary Halvorson and trumpeter Peter Evans combine for a fascinating album of collective improvisation that is entirely impossible to categorize (in a good way.) The song titles and the wonderful album artwork give a science fiction/steampunk air to the proceedings, opening with "Mangosteen 3000 A.D." that features splintered, fragmented trio improvisation and sputtering trumpet over strong guitar. Evans' strong brass takes command and converses with Halvorson's guitar in a natural and free flowing manner. "The Stench of Cyber-Durian" begins with fast paced and fragmented collective improvisation, developing into exciting interplay. Trumpet bubbles to the surface before raw and distorted guitar bites through the maelstrom leading to explosive collective improvisation. Things are dialed back a little bit on "The Pseudocarp Walks Among Us" with its light and nimble trumpet, subtle guitar and choppy drums. "Scuppernong Malfunction" signals a return to the scattered free nature of the music that pervades much of the disc. After a strong section of trumpet and drums interacting, urgent guitar fills in with great facility. The lengthy "Yantok Salak Kapok" develops in dynamic movements between spacey sections and driving improvised music. Long abstract sections are punctuated by bursts of intensity. "Metallic Dragon Fruit" ends the album on a quieter note with light cymbals and probing guitar inviting breathy trumpet for commentary. This was a very adventuresome and experimental album that succeeds quite well. Although the song titles might suggest a campy attitude, the music is quite serious and the trio listens to each other closely and develops unusual and thought provoking soundscapes. Electric Fruit - amazon.com

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Mike DiRubbo - Chronos (Posi-Tone, 2011)

Posi-Tone Records is carving out a nice niche for itself by developing a fine catalog of mainstream jazz by up and coming musicians. Mike DiRubbo is an alto saxophonist with a nice dark and burnished tone that is framed well on this album by Brian Charette on organ and Rudy Royston on drums. This is not your average bluesy organ and saxophone date, although the music does come up through the tradition and is very accessible. Particularly interesting is the storming “Rituals” where the music builds to a feverish pitch with the leader over-blowing like Kenny Garrett or Jackie McLean at their most intense in a very impressive performance. But straight-ahead jazz is the order of the day with songs like “Eight for Elvin” and the enjoyable set ending bossa nova Viva O Rio De Janeiro, which finds the group grooving along in a sultry manner and suggests new vistas waiting to be explored on future dates. This was a solid and well done mainstream jazz date, of particular interest to organ/sax devotees, but amenable to all who enjoy subtle well played music. Chronos - amazon.com

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Miles Davis - Bitches Brew Live (Columbia Legacy, 2011)

The great trumpeter Miles Davis was at a transitional phase when the music on this album was recorded. As mentioned in the interesting liner notes, Davis’ had noticed that his attendance at club dates had been steadily declining as younger fans de-camped for the visceral thrills of R&B and rock ‘n’ roll. Davis had been slowly moving in a more progressive direction after the breakup of his second great quintet, gradually adding guitar and electric keyboards and evolving toward an entirely new sound that was rooted in jazz but amenable to the new sounds. The first three tracks on this album were recorded during the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival, the first such festival to include rock ‘n’ roll acts as part of the program. Davis was apparently enthralled and was quite interested to see which acts received the biggest response from the crowd. This set was recorded by the so called “lost quintet” minus saxophonist Wayne Shorter who was stuck in traffic and didn’t make it in time. Subsequently, Davis had the front line to himself and plays with a muscular virility that is thrilling to hear. He sounds lean and healthy employing great chops to fill in the extra space. Drummer Jack DeJohnette is particularly killing, while Chick Corea adds accents and fills on electric piano and Dave Holland’s acoustic bass is almost completely lost in the tumult. The second part of the disc is taken from the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival in front of a massive crowd estimated at 600,000. The band had evolved into a righteously funky unit with extra percussion, Holland switching to electric bass and Gary Bartz joining Davis on the front line. The band develops a wilder and much looser feel, playing the music as a continuous suite with Davis giving subtle nods for change in themes and tempos. The music is often drivingly intense and they are rewarded with rapturous applause from the huge crowd. Bitches Brew Live - amazon.com

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The Jazz 100

(Hat tip to A Blog Supreme) The voting came in on the Jazz24.org list The Jazz 100: One Hundred Quintessential Jazz Songs. Damn, I can't remember what I voted for.... I think it was "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane, "Blue Pepper (Far East of the Blues)" by Duke Ellington, "Better Get Hit In Your Soul" by Charles Mingus, "All Blues" by Miles Davis and "Hat and Beard by Eric Dolphy. Does it make anyone nervous that no young (and few living) artists were represented?

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Raise up off me by Hampton Hawes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jazz pianist Hampton Hawes led an extraordinary life (a lot of living crammed into just 48 years! and this biography, published near the time of his death in 1977, details his adventures and mis-adventures. He was a child prodigy on the keyboard, learning from family members with little formal training. Pretty soon he was gigging on the competitive Los Angeles jazz scene on the legendary Central Avenue with the likes of saxophonist Wardell Gray and Charles Migus. Like the man he idolized, saxophonist Charlie Parker, Hawes developed a debilitating heroin addiction which dogged his every move early in his career. Despite this he was able to tour and make records of great renown, even though he served lengthy narcotics related prison sentences both in the Army and in the civilian world. Hawes tells the harrowing stories of his repeated attempts to get off of the drug and wonderful stories of jazz and jazz musicians from the 1950's to the 1970's. This is one of the most unflinching accounts of the jazz life, rivaling Art Pepper's biography Straight Life for the story of the intersection of narcotics and music. Hawes tells a wonderful tale in an excellent straightforward voice. This is a book that all jazz fans should make an effort to track down. Raise Up Off Me: A Portrait of Hampton Hawes

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Koby Hayon Trio - Gemini (KobyHahonMusic, 2010)

Guitarist Koby Hayon is another of the many excellent musicians to emerge from Israel over the past decade. This album shows him in a modern jazz guitar trio setting, performing with Kermit Driscoll on bass and Jerome Morris on drums. Although Driscoll is one of Bill Frisell’s regular collaborators, Hayon has developed his own sound that shows knowledge of past masters while developing his own voice on both electric and acoustic guitars. The trio plays together with great cohesion, with all three members interacting well, and Driscoll and Morris providing excellent support when Hayon steps out to solo. The opening track “Vertigo” displays all of these attributes, with the group playing the complex and shifting melody then moving seamlessly into a fluid improvised section. This song and most of the others on the album are original compositions save the band’s very subtle arrangement of The Beatles “Norwegian Wood” and the brief “Galbi” which explores the groups narrative sense. Narrative interpretation of music is particularly important to the group as the songs flow like smaller chapters in a cohesively constructed book of music. The music on this album is played at a consistently high level, and is warmly recommended to fans of modern mainstream jazz guitar. Gemini - amazon.com

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Iron and Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean (Warner Brothers, 2011)

Iron & Wine, originally a pseudonym for singer songwriter Sam Beam began as a solo project for guitar and voice and Beam's spectral and haunting songs. Over the years it has grown into a full band, and this years album features a full rock 'n' roll ensemble that help flesh out the music but still never get in the way of the narrative energy of the songs. There is sort of a time warp feeling here, as if one were listening to AM radio from an1970's alternate universe where the songs were actually cool and meaningful. There is an interesting gospel element that pervades some of the music like the allegorical "Walking Far From Home" and the gently funky "Me and Lazarus." Beam's songs are like short stories set to music and it is that constructive format of his storytelling that keeps the music continuously compelling. "Monkeys Uptown" is the strongest rocking song on the set with a memorable chorus and a driving back beat that propels the song along. The concluding "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me" stretches things out to Dylan-esque proportions an works very well. I thought that this was a very successful and accessible album both for fans of indie rock and those who are time locked on the classic rock station. There has been some criticism that the full band dilutes the power of Beam's lyrics, but I don't believe this. The larger ensemble suits him well and allows a larger palette for him to draw from in his increasingly daring music. Kiss Each Other Clean - amazon.com

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Jeremy Pelt - The Talented Mr. Pelt (High Note, 2011)

Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt has established himself as one of the go-to musicians on trumpet and flugelhorn in the modern mainstream jazz scene. His yearly albums from the High Note label are postcards of classy hard bop played with great facility and style. On this album he is accompanied by J.D. Allen on tenor saxophone, Danny Grissett on piano, Dwayne Burno on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. They take off at a medium tempo on the opening "Pandora's Box" echoing the classic Blue Note Records sound of the 1960's (not surprising since this album was recorded by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder) taking round-robin solos that are immaculately played. Gerald Cleaver makes his presence felt on a couple of the albums finest tracks. First "Paradise Lost" has his strong drumming urging along a mid-tempo groove, and interacting with the trumpet and saxophone in a very dynamic way. On the album's fast paced finale, "David and Goliath," he again proves his mettle establishing an excellent pocket with Bruno for a strong and lightning fast hard bop improvisation. The band tackles ballad material in a subtle and mannered fashion, as on "In Love Again" where spare piano and subtle muted brass conjure a lonely, romantic vibe. Breathy trumpet that is slow and patient glides through the ballad "All My Thoughts Are of You." This is a solid and well played slice of modern hard bop, which mainstream jazz fans will find quite accessible and entertaining. The band plays with panache and a thoughtful energy that makes for a successful recording. Talented Mr. Pelt - amazon.com

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Led Bib - Bring Your Own (Cuneiform, 2011)

Led Bib is an exciting London based quintet made up of Mark Holub on drums, Pete Grogan on alto saxophone, Chris Williams on alto saxophone, Liran Donin on bass and Toby McLaren on keyboards. They play an agile brand of music that is a mixture of jazz, fusion and progressive rock that is never pretentious, but fun and exciting to listen to. This band's forward looking mix of jazz and rock 'n' roll makes it unsurprising that they were nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2009. The opening tracks "Moth Delima" and "Is That a Woodblock" show the band at their hardest rocking with Donin and Holub laying down an excellent throbbing pocket for the horns to swirl and agitiate. "Hollow Ponds" and "Service Stop Savior" slow down the music and fill in some abstract patient improvisation as a contrast to the more uptempo blasting numbers. "Engine Room," appropriately anchored again by the strong bass and drums brings the band back into overdrive leading up to the big finish. This is a very accessible album especially for rock 'n' roll fans looking for an entry point into jazz. The music is strong and intricate but never pretentious and having a full band working together for several years leads to a tight and accomplished ensemble. Bring Your Own - amazon.com

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