New icon! 🥃 – Drunk ass music
VA – Bossa Copa: Un Show de Bossa en Bossa Copa – Historia De la Bossa Nova, 1966.
🇧🇷 ❂ ✺🎟️:
A collection of live Bossa Nova that appears as if it were a concert recording, but seems to actually be a sampler from the Copacabana label. I’m into it because none of the artists are familiar to me, but it is Pop-Bossa heavy, with a mixture of a few instrumentals and 3-4 featured singers They blend well enough, but I might prefer an actual recording of a shared concert more. The curation might be smoother. “Garota Moderna” by the Banco Trio.
Overall = 4.3 (10) – A nice, and light, Bossa collection.Get it!
Mel Brown – Chicken Fat – Impulse!, 1967.
🎺 ⏺I! 🪄🏙️🎸🫀🪦 🥃 ⚙︎ 𖫪:
I think Mr. Brown’s sound can be distilled into a Bluesy/Rock influenced guitarist who performs in an Organ Combo context, but one that is guitar led/forward – not organ led. He is kind of plunky, with a heavy picking style and he riffs more than builds stories in his solos. The band plays the groove thang, some boogaloos and it has a juke joint vibe. All good things. I would say Impulse was looking to attract the youngs with this record, I don’t think they really succeeded, but it’s a fun try. “Greasy Spoon”
Overall = 4.6 (10) – Dance, drink or fuck?Get it!
Art Blakey – Jazz in Paris – Verve, 1960.
🎺 ⏺🎟️𝍍🎶🥁🪄 🗝️🗝️🗝️🗝️🫂:
Art Blakey was an important collaborator with Bud Powell and he has a few recordings in Europe where Bud was welcomed as a guest artist. It also features a top front line from the Jazz Messengers: Lee Morgan & Wayne Shorter. Additionally, there is a bonus guest of Barney Wilen here on Alto(?). I think of him as a tenor player, but he sounds great and Boppish on the first 2 tracks, both important Powell originals. This recording is probably listed under Blakey’s name, rather than the Messengers, because it was a European release (originally) and he was most likely under contract with a different label with the Messengers. “Dance of the Infidels”
Overall = 7.2 (10) – That’s some Hard Bop there! And with a classic combo. Get it!
Bob Brookmeyer Quintet – Traditionalism Revisited – Pacific/Blue Note/Capitol, 1957.
🎺 ⏺ ♫🪄 ⎄🎨🦴🆒🫂:
Delicate, West Coast Jazz, with a surprising amount of instrumental range for a Quintet. The sensibilities are well matched between Brookmeyer and Jimmy Giuffre, who both double (play multiple instruments), compose and arrange music. Jim Hall the guitarist also has some similar sensibilities. The ensemble is like minded, which creates a distinctive sound for what is likely a one off recording session with this particular group. The Traditional part, from the title, is the curated songs. All but one are songs from an older generation and the album was recorded at a time when most West Coast artists were looking to Bop and create original material. Mr. Brookmeyer’s treatment of this material is both respectful and yet also forward looking, featuring sparse arrangements and varied timbre. The charts offer how much arranging can be achieved even with a Quintet of musicians, lots of color. “Some Sweet Day”
Overall = 7(10) – Every player, as well as the collective group shines, possibly outside the scope of the intended audience, but it retains the contemporary sensibilities of its time despite using historically curated material. Get it!
Willie Colon – Crime Pays – Fania, 1972.
🌶️💃🏽🪘 🗝️ ⎄🦴🫂🥃:
R.I.P. Willie Colon. A favorite trombonist and one of the heartbeats of Salsa & Fania, recording with his critical collaborator Hector Lavoe. Both artists have serious energy and a tone that cuts through everything around it, together they reach something bigger than themselves. Based on the title I am surprised that many of the songs sound so sunny and happy, I was expecting dirtier, grimier music. I don’t speak Spanish so perhaps the lyrics are depicting those qualities, or maybe the “criminal” profile is more of a jest. “Juana Pena”
Overall = 8.7 (10) – Hard Salsa! Get it!
Rabih Abou-Khalil – Morton’s Foot – Enja, 2003.
🎺🪄🇱🇧 🌎📣🔮 🎨⎄🪗🗣️:
A larger ensemble than the previous recordings, featuring accordion, vocals and a nasty clarinetist with his working trio of Oud, Tuba and Drums. Mr. Abou-Khalil’s song titles are often humorous, but also sound intense over silly and there is always an example blissful musicianship. The vocalist has a strange, sour voice that reminds of Froggy from Our Gang. It adds to the humorous feel, but still seems serious in tone and forbidding. Overall there is a strange mix going on here and repeatedly Mr. Abou-Khalil shows he is experimental in an expansive way. I’m not sure any other discs of his have repeated the same instrumentation. The trio is the core and then his instrumental color & timbral decisions add range. “Dr. Gieler’s Wiener Schnitzel”
Overall = 8.2 (10) – Always grooving, blends an odd assortment of sounds and feelings to ride that groove. Get it!
Art Pepper – Mosaic Select #15 – Mosaic (Jazz West/Intro/Blue Note/Pacific/Nadja), 1956-1957. (The Return of Art Pepper; Collections – Joe Morello; Modern Art; Just Friends – Bill Perkins & The Art of Art/The Art of Pepper)
🎺⏺️ ⏺🎷🪄 🆒:
Art Pepper, one of THE post-Bird West Coast Alto players, in his “return” after an early stint of incarceration for drug offenses. Mr. Pepper has a little more bite and sourness to his tone than his peers. Lee Konitz probably is on the most legendary recordings and Paul Desmond is probably the most popular of the three players, but Art balanced the sweetness with visceral grit. His tone is sleek and biting and he can spin lines at any tempo. I’m a big fan of his career, both this style and his later, more Coltrane-influenced approach
I think Modern Art is my favorite of these recordings, based strictly on how he sounds. They are all good recordings, but for me they lack some of the distinction found in his finest work. “Blues In” & “Summertime” but what a beautiful version of this song!
Overall = 6.7 (10) – Pepper sounds great here, the recordings sound similar and are not his finest work. That doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with them, but I’d recommend several other Art Pepper recordings ahead of these. This is for Pepper heads, but also solid West Coast Jazz if you are a fan. Get it!
Muhal Richard Abrams – Young at Heart/Wise in Time – Delmark, 1969.
🎺🎹🪄 ⎄🎨🧫⌛️🫂🕳️👣⚰️:
I thought this was Mr. Abram’s first album, but the following title is actually earlier. This album is split between two long tracks: a solo piano and a Quintet featuring the brightest minds. These are formative recordings of Chicago’s Avant Gard improvising musicians. Mr. Abrams is one of the ring leaders of that scene. He is almost 40 at the time of this recording, a bit older than the group of musicians that would form around him, and generally he was perceived as a leader and inspirer. Someone who offered guidance, opportunity, recommended material to study and administratively developed community structures. He, with others, would form the AACM in 1965. The AACM offered a formal, social, design community for experimental creators and improvisors. The piano piece is beautiful, it flashes traditional moments and sustains interest for its full 30+ minutes. The ensemble piece is textural and the improvisational solos are subjugated for group interplay through most of the its length. I associate that type of ensemble play with the AACM, and an alternative to the long, high-energy solo focused earlier Jazz avant gard. “Wise in Time”
Overall = 5.9 (10) – Committed listening, music that challenges the listener.Get it!
& Levels and Degrees of Light – Delmark, 1967/1991.
🎺🎹🪄 ⎄🎨🧫⌛️🫂🕳️👣⚰️:
The beginning, and a recording affirming Mr. Abrams role as a conceptualist who brought concepts of arranging improvised pieces, mixing composition and improvisation and pushing improvisation into a more formal role. These ideas really expand the emotional range possible and offer the artists direction, though free interpretation is still an element. There is voice and poetry here as well as striking, vivid, orchestral colors from a not too large ensemble. There are well purposed concepts that create a vibrant palate and contrasts. In a sense the balls out style of energy music is one of these palates, that is featured on the second half of “Bird Song” after a poem and some quieter texture work. “Levels And Degrees Of Light”
Overall = 6.7 (10) – Lots of big personalities effectively joined into ensemble play. Get it!
Blossom Dearie – My Gentlemen Friend – Verve, 1959.
🗣️ 🎺🏌🏿♂️:
Pop Jazz vocals or Personality music, Blossom Dearie delivers a lot of iconic songs that I can imagine perfectly placed in film or tv soundtracks. The songs are often drawn from show tunes, or simply written in the Great American Songbook style and she performs them well, telling the little stories in a cute, bright fashion. The arrangements are perfect little creations as well, with great musicians bringing everything together in a young, fresh, feeling of Swing. The songs stick to a theme of Mrs. Dearie looking for a love and also poise her as the perfect girlfriend, or an example of how to be the perfect girlfriend (In 1950). These type of songs identify the inner yearning of being accepted by another, but frequently in a superficial way, you never dig into the relationship – its more a description of how you got there.“You Fascinate Me So”
Overall = 5.2 (10) – Fun album, despite not my favorite voice, or style, excellent songs, arrangements and musicians – including Mrs. Dearie. Get it!
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago – Jagjaguwar, 2008.
🪨🫧 🪩📝 🌾 🛁💰 🌃 ⚰️⚖️:
A stupendous debut album, that sort of set a mark for quieter Pop and attracted a lot of contemporary artist’s to Justin Vernon’s songwriting. Based on the track record of this style, and its massive success, I was surprised because it seems somewhat out of phase with the time period. It’s an album that would have done well in the 70’s and though I think the record was successful I’m not sure any of the songs charted. The success, from my memory, was surprising and somewhat out of nowhere, though perhaps other people were aware of his music. In a sense it both embraced modern recording technology, but eschewed massive production values, which was unusual. Also very solid first 4 songs curation, great albums need to open with several strong songs in a row to capture a listener deeply. “Flume”
Overall = 8.4 (10) – An important recording, Mr. Vernon is not always that interesting to me, but I enjoy his debut album. Get it!
The Brand New Heavies – Brother Sister – Delicious Vinyl, 1994.
🔈🇬🇧🪦 :
The latest of the three Brand New Heavies albums I’ve reviewed. I think it is the best recorded of the three, having the cleanest grooves, but not the best song writing. As the band evolves their look gets shinier, the vibe gets slicker, but I want dirty Funk. There are still a couple songs here, but as the musical refinement grows, the desperate energy recedes. “Dream on Dreamer”
Overall = 3.4 (10) – I really enjoy that one song, and find the rest loses my interest, despite some tight beats. Get it!
Richard Berry – Get Out Of The Car– Flair/Virgin, 1954-1956/1992.
🔈🪨 ❂🪦 :
Music from when Rock & Roll and Rhythm & Blues were just being formed and this music can be described as either. It’s a happy beat, Mr. Berry is expressive, but most songs are in a novelty style and delivered tongue in cheek. Most are silly, singles oriented songs and Mr. Berry is more charismatic than has a stunning voice. He also wrote “Louie Louie” but did not record the most famous version, nor receive much financial benefits from its success. Still it is easy to jam to. “Big John”
Overall = 4.3 (10) – Fun, superficial music for your latest sock hop. Get it!
Richard Beirach – Elm – ECM, 1979.
🎺🌌🎑🎹🪄 ⎄:
R.I.P. Richard Beirach. An exceptional Modern Jazz Piano Trio, arriving on In The Stacks right after the leader, and the drummer (last year), has passed. The music is modern in the way that the composition and improvisation blend and become difficult to discern which is which. I enjoy that, but it also creates ambiguity that I struggle with. A lot of ECM music and Modern Jazz does this for me, I describe it as anything can happen because anything is possible versus everything is possible, but only this could happen. I may struggle with too many options. The musicianship is of the highest calibre and the material was fresh for its day – many have copied this sound since. “Sea Priestess”
Overall = 6.5 (10) – A great trio album.Get it!
Found Sounds 