PlayMix *Notes: This PlayMix sounds like something I would have done when I had a few hours on my college radio station – except virtually none of this music I was aware of in 1993! I could also do all my chores to this PlayMix, or road trip! 🧴🚘
Banda Black Rio – Maria Fumaca – Warner Arquivos,1977.
🇧🇷 🌎🫧𖫪🪨 ⚒️ 🪩 🔌 🧀:
A sort of Bar-Kays-like (in that they record as a band and back up others, (Caetano Veloso)) Brazilian band wearing the scars of Disco/Fusion/Funk. They are a clean, well rehearsed, back up band with horns, that has their own recording identity and occasionally venture into Game Show/Fantasy Island territory. It’s all well played, but often too clean and showy. There are too many cool sounds that needed more development and instead splash in, then veer in other directions, featuring other cool sounds. It’s abruptly creative only to leave desire on the dance floor. “Casa Forte” (by Edu Lobo)
Overall = 4.6 (10) – Maybe they need a galvanizing talent for their best side, they have the chops, arrangements and songs, it just needs a focus. Get it!
Count Basie – And the Kansas City Seven – Impulse, 1962.
🎺 ⏺I! 🏌🏿♂️ 🗝️:
Basie from ’62, with a large group, not a big band. One of the most iconic bandleaders of the Big Band era, Basie will only record a few more albums with a big band after this recording. The sway of popular interest would swing the other way, away from the feasibility of large touring bands. This rhythm section refines Swing to the most finger popping beat, and features 4 horns: a trumpet and 3 reed doublers. Despite the reeds being 3 tenor players, the flute is actually more featured here, I think they all play flute too. Everything is perfectly played, but this is probably not the best Basie to hear. “Senator Whitehead”
Overall = 4.7 (10) – Good not great Basie, interesting to here him on Impulse!, but nothing of great necessity. Get it!
Kenny Barron – Things Unseen – Verve, 1997.
🎺 ⏺🪄🎹:
Another later Barron album, this one has a more cohesive band sound, but maybe a less cohesive song collection. It has a twist of “contemporary jazz” to its sound, and the song selection reinforces that. There is still too much improvising at its heart to be considered that style of music, but the overall sound and the type of songs selected seem to check some of the same boxes. Mr. Barron is always playing from the heart, even at his most technical and the side members are all top notch. There are plenty of moments of brilliance that don’t really culminate into something I love as a whole. Eddie Henderson sounds particularly amazing and several of the tracks really ignite, but I still recognize the recording style as the late 80’s Jazz sound, overly polished and gleaming. “Marie Laveau”
Overall = 3.7 (10) – Nothing really wrong with this, but I think we will arrive at some excellent Kenny Barron recordings in the near future. Get it!
Art Blakey – At the Cafe Bohemia vol. 1 & vol. 2 – Blue Note, 1955.
🎺 ⏺ ♫𝍍🎶 🎟️🗝️ ✪🪄:
Strange to re-listen to two (three) recordings with “Bohemia” (see below) in the title. These are primal recordings of live Art Blakey and they include the formalization of the Messenger’s sound. The Messenger name bounced around a little bit until it became “Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers” – he was the remaining constant from the initial Messenger bands and an iconic band leader as well as one of the most fiery of drummers. They were the Kings of Hard Bop! This album features the Kenny Dorham and Hank Mobley front line. It was released as 2 separate albums, vol. 1 & vol. 2 , rather than a double album. Great, historic music. ”Prince Albert” & “Hank’s Symphony”
Overall = 7.5 (10) – This sets the tone for Hard Bop bands, the sound, the intensity and the fine young minds of music.Get it!
& Moanin’ – Blue Note, 1958.
🎺 ⏺ ♫:𝍍🎶🎗️🗝️ ✪ 🆑 🕸️ 🪄:
A testament to Blakey, is how many classic recordings he made. Listening to the previous albums, then to this album, created unavoidable comparisons. I favor this one. I consider it an all time classic, and Lee Morgan’s solo break on the title track (both takes!) is one of the most iconic trumpet moments in history, to my ear. There are a few other “most” favorite Blakey recordings of mine to come, but I would offer this album to someone who wants to hear Jazz. It is a “gateway” Jazz album. “Moanin’”
Overall = 8.2 (10) – Jazz gateway album.Get it!
Ruben Blades – Bohemia Y Poeta – Fania, 2006.
🌶️💃🏽🪘 ✪ ⎄:
This album is good, but it also wears the dressing of a contrived, celebratory recording. There is often too much going on. It is over-arranged, features too many “with Strings” songs and has several awkwardly dropped in electronic instruments – it’s too big a party. Blades is deserving of celebration, but the album cover projects his more Folk-y roots and the rustic style photo is offered, but sonically it reveals too much sugar in the musical recipe. Still great songs, particularly during any Coro-pegron section, a few of the tunes focus more on Blades and they are the best of the bunch. “La Mora”
Overall = 5.3 (10) – Good, but there is a lot of classic Blades to get!Get it!$$$
John Patton – Mosaic Select #6 – Blue Note/Mosaic, 1963-1968/2003. (Along Came John, The Way I Feel, Oh Baby!, That Certain Feeling & Understanding)
🎺⏺️ ⏺🫀✊🏿🪄:
Insane grooves! A collection of Patton’s Blue Note recordings, all high quality examples of soulful organ combo music with great sidemen like Grant Green and Harold Vick. Mosaic box sets usually collect difficult to find albums within a particular stretch off time, or specific collaborations, bands, or featuring work within one label. These sets are all generally stupendous, collector’s items. They are limited edition sets that feature well researched, detailed, rejuvenations of classic material. I think only 2 of these original albums were available when this came out and i’m unsure if the others have been reissued since. Patton is not the most popular organ player, but I am into him, his energy is in the right place. “Gee Gee” and “I Want To Go Home”
Overall = 8.3 (10) – Some of my favorite Organ combos.Get it!$$$$
Rabih Abou-Khalil – Roots & Sprouts – Enja, 1990.
🎺🇱🇧 🌎📣🔮 🕳️👣 🪄 🤿:
This Rabih Abou-Khalil album starts us on a path to revisit his work for the next few ItS “Jazz” editions. I have quite a few of his recordings because he is a modern musician that I include on my list of who to be aware of and who is creating new works of interest. This ensemble leans more traditional, but Abou-Khalil usually features a fusion of styles, instruments and a Modern/Traditionalist approach to composition. My meaning for Modern/Traditionalist is he seems to be creating music that very much grows from traditional Lebanese and Arabic traditions, but it is infusing modern concepts of composition, improvisation within a Traditional approach. He also features musicians known for creating in other genres crossing over into his sound world. The result is something new that also sounds old, (that is a feature of most of my favorite music) familiar, yet surprising. He consistently offers sounds of great quality and value, with excellent cover art. “Caravan” A rare cover song/Standard in his catalogue, by Ellington & Juan Tizol.
Overall = 7 – (10) – Explore different traditions of improvisation and composition.Get it!
& Bukra – Enja, 1989.
🎺🇱🇧🌎📣🔮 🕳️👣 🪄 🤿:
One of Abou-Khalil’s earliest albums and the beginning of a stretch of almost yearly recordings, for the Enja label, until 2012 – creating an expansive artistic statement! These early recordings still feature his recipe for Modern/Traditionalist recordings, drawing heavily from Lebanese music, Jazz and Classical. They also feature a lot of improvisation and great guest improvisors. Abou-Khalil is a very experimental composer, but these compositions don’t feel like they are outside of the culture of music he is drawing from. Sometimes, like Sonny Fortune’s saxophone on this recording, he uses unusual, for the style, instruments as a foil for the composition’s traditional sound and they always fit naturally. Abou-Khalil is a leader of cultural Jazz fusion and composing in a way that feels old, but uses new devices, every album sounds great and contains valuable artistic creations. “Remember the Desert”
Overall = 7.1 (10) – It is fun to hear American Jazz artists performing this music. Get it!
& Arabian Waltz – Enja, 1996.
🎺🇱🇧🌎📣🔮 🕳️👣 🪄 🤿:
Abou-Khalil varies his ensemble for almost every album. Here he uses the Balanescu Quartet with his pretty standard tuba/percussion rhythm section to great effect. We will be spending a few rounds of Abou-Khalil’s work at In the Stacks, I have a quantity of his recordings, but they consistently feature a variety of both timbral palate and quality of collaborations. The violin feels like a natural instrument for this music, but the ensemble strings less so. The tonal palate is more obviously matched here than some of the other guest musicians on Abou-Khalil’s projects and maybe less interesting for me. “Dreams of a Dying City”
Overall = 6.6 (10) – Abou-Khalil’s recordings always feature a fresh cast of characters and sonic variety. Get it!
Pat Bowie – Out of Sight!/Feelin’ Good – Jazz Beat, 1964/1965.
🗣️🥁:
Pat Bowie was a fine singer, sporting a couple of fabulous album covers, here paired on a single disc. They are pretty rare albums, but with very good bands. I pretty much buy: Unknown Vocalists with Good Covers + interesting song choices; every time. Her version of “Lilac Wine” (which wasn’t available on YouTube) was an interesting contrast to Jeff Buckley’s. I’m sure Buckley was influenced by Nina Simone, both as a curator of songs and as a singer, but Bowie’s version preceded Nina’s. As did Eartha Kitt’s. Bowie handles herself well and this collection was a rewarding find. “I’ve Got Your Number”
Overall = 5.1 (10) – Solid vocals album(s) with good song choices and bands playing them. Get it!$$$
The Band – Stage Fright – Capitol, 1970.
🪨🪩 🌳🇺🇸📣:
I enjoy this Band album less, it has some good songs on it, but in comparison to the others I’m less of a fan. I’m not sure why? Possible the production is a little too clean and the instrumental parts start to stiffen and cliche. They definitely have it still, but something changes here. I do love their first two albums and work with Dylan, being comparative doesn’t really mean there is anything wrong with this album – it’s just not up to the previous standards for me. “Stage Fright”
Overall = 4.3 (10) – There are some jams, but it will be a pick up and play whenever I remember I have it (and also forget it lacks the mustard!), where the earlier Band albums I actually listen to because I like them. Get it!
Erykah Badu – Southern Gul (Single) – Motown, 1999.
🫧 🪩 🔈:
Strange for a Single to be in my collection, but there are a couple and this tune was worth snapping it up when it appeared. “Southern Gul”
Overall = 6.5 (10) – Just 1 song, but an irresistible groove.Get it!
Tony Allen – “Holy Smoke Babe” – Titanic, 1993.
🔈🪨:
Primal Rock & Roll, from when it was a conjoined twin with Rhythm & Blues. Allen’s lack of recognition is probably for a few reasons, including that he is not the Tony Allen of Afro-Pop fame, but this is a solid collection of songs. The song I wished to include was “Strange Talk” with some wonderful gibberish lines, instead “Rockin’ Shoes”.
Overall = 3.5 – (10) – Probably won’t get out of the hutch too often! Get it!
Found Sounds 