Blue Serge
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Audio CD (08 September, 1998)
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Reviews (11)

Essential Listening
Blue Serge is essential listening.Not just for jazz fans, but for all lovers of music regardless of category. There is not one flaw in the entire recording.It is total perfection.Chaloff's performance on the baritone saxophone combines extreme technical mastery with tremendous emotional expression.It is also incredible how all the members of the band work so well together, even though they had never played together before this session.

Even if you have sworn off all music except heavy metal, I suggest you obtain Blue Serge as soon as possible.Your attitudes toward music, and what it is capable of achieving, will never be quite the same after listening to this album.

On no account
should you spend another day without owning this. I urge you to buy this now, this is perfection on cd. Do yourself the biggest favour you've ever done and click on buy this now. Do it now before they're all gone!

Bari like it's supposed to be
For a long time I was frustrated as a bari player. Gerry Mulligan just didn't do it for me. Serge Chaloff, on the other hand, is one bad mofo. This is definitely the type of sound I've been looking for. This is a really great album. Every note sounds perfect, and Philly Joe Jones is such a great drummer. Nobody else swings that hard. ... Read more

Asin: B000009OHC
Sales Rank: 44949
Subjects:  1. Bop    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. World Music   

Coltrane Time
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 June, 1991)
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Reviews (8)

Why god??
I'm not certain how an album featuring John Coltrane and Cecil Taylor could be so incredibly underwhelming.And yet...it happened here.

This entire album just feels [sluggish], as though none of the players are willing to take any risks or play with an ounce of emotional intensity - with the possible exception of trumpet player Kenny Dorham, who comes off as the star of this show.Cecil Taylor's playing occasionally is simply overbearing in terms of the entire group, and Coltrane sounds like somebody poorly imitating Coltrane.It's truly bizarre.

That said, the fact still remains that a poor Coltrane album is still a good album by anyone else's standards - hence the 3 stars.Nevertheless, after albums like Blue Train, Giant Steps, Crescent, and Interstellar Space, I think we can expect a lot more than this.

the mood is there
This is the famous recording that features the two giants of jazz John Coltrane and Cecil Taylor.It also has Kenny Dorham, who I understand wasn't too shy at expressing badvibes on the fact that Cecil was on the recording.Rounding out the date is Chuck Israels on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums.They do two standards, plus a blues by Kenny Dorham and another by Chuck Israels.

Some people will no doubt think Cecil wanders too much harmonically, but I think that the music here ultimately succeeds because Israels maintains a strong time feel, focuses on the roots of the chords and generally doesn't follow Cecil's harmonic excursions (as Charlie Haden might have).Therefore, the music holds firm in its forward moving drive.I think it works better than Coltrane and Cherry's Avant Garde recording.

The thing is, Cecil is a beautiful comper rhythmically, the way he latches on some rhythmic element of the soloist and takes off with it....being supported the way he is by the rest of the rhythm section, that is where the balance lies.In fact, on this recording, I think his comping is more interesting than his soloing.

And KD, badvibes and all, is at his most potent.Oh, and yes, the tenor playeer also sounds good.

CECIL KENNY JOHN AND CHUCK
The title is misleading for its actually a Cecil Taylor date (described in the liner notes). Eerie piano throughout...reminiscent of a muddy riverbed drying in January. Kenny Dorham is in fine form, takes a special solo on the first track (his own tune). Coltrane seems tame at times but fullfills all obligations sparring with Taylor...shadow boxing each others shadows rather. A strange inspired record. ... Read more

Asin: B000005HDQ
Sales Rank: 178801
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

The Beginning and the End
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 August, 1994)
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Reviews (9)

Absolutely incredible playing from a jazz master
The first Clifford Brown record I ever heard was his 1953 Blue Note version of "Cherokee," and it totally overwhelmed me.This, however, was the first complete Brown album I bought, and though the two early tracks are interesting it is the 1956 session that pulls us in. Especially in "Night in Tunisia," the by-then standard Dizzy Gillespie tune, Brownie's improvisations are so breathtaking, so well-sculpted and musically secure, that one is left breathless by his powers of invention.Unfortunately, saxist Ziggy Vine is just an OK improvisor, certainly not on the level of a Sonny Rollins, and so once Brownie is done playing there's a bit of a letdown when Vine comes in.Nevertheless, this is highly recommended to any serious student of jazz as how to improvise in a way that is both logically structured and exciting.Wynton Marsalis, take note!

Clifford Brown as we all remember him.
Clifford's first and last performances make up this album.It only makes one think what Clifford would have done had he lived.He was improving so much, and had taken the trumpet world by storm.Today, there are few trumpet players who can even hold a candle to Clifford's greatness.It was fun to hear Clifford in the Reggae/R&B band because you can tell there is something there in his solos.He sounds intense, almost as if he was a great, uncovered secret at the time."I Come From Jamaica" reminds me a bit of a tune Rafael Mendez played called "Bo Bo Baila".These are amusing songs.Clifford's last performance, a guest showing, features the tunes "Walkin'", "A Night In Tunisia" and "Donna Lee".Clifford solos brilliantly on all of them, especially "Night In Tunisia", where he plays one of the greatest recorded solos I've ever heard.On "Donna Lee" he goes absolutely nuts and they play the tune with such speed and precision, proving why Clifford is the man."Walkin'" is simply a warm-up, everyone sounds great but it's less intense than the following performances.This shows what a great night out could be back in the 1950's.The painful irony is the end where Clifford says he "must go now and it's been a pleasure being here".Truly an ominous omen.Clifford was a tragic loss for the music world, and this last performance is a wonderful thing to remember him by.

Terrific, but a correction
The commercial reggae-Jamaican music is an interesting curiosity, and shows how even the greatest geniuses had to scuff in their early years.The closing music is wonderful (though Clifford's companions obviously don't match up to the personnel of the incredible Rollins-Roach Quintet of the EmArcy years, with the drummer here particularly monotonous), but one serious correction: recent research has shown this session is NOT the last session Clifford participated in at Music Inn in Philadelphia before his fatal car crash.It was done a year earlier in New York.After his death, some opportunist started hawking this tape as "his last hours" and it stuck... ... Read more

Asin: B000002ATP
Sales Rank: 59539
Subjects:  1. Bop    2. Hard Bop    3. Jazz    4. Pop   

Shape of Jazz to Come
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Editorial Review

On this highly influential 1959 album, Ornette Coleman's unique writing style and idiosyncratic solo language forever changed the jazz landscape. On classics such as "Lonely Woman," "Congeniality," and "Focus on Sanity," Coleman used the tunes' moods and melodic contours, rather than their chords, as a basis for his improvisations. In so doing, he opened up jazz soloing immensely and ushered in new freedoms--both individually and collectively. Lest these innovations sound too dry or abstract, it must be noted that both Coleman and trumpeter Don Cherry play with a deep-felt emotion and joy that is as infectious today as it was then. This is truly an essential jazz recording, marking the end of one era, providing the blueprint for the next. --Wally Shoup ... Read more

Reviews (21)

An Indespensable Jazz Classic!!!
Although Ornette Coleman had already made two albums for the Contemporary Jazz label, it was his 1959 debut for Atlantic Records, "The Shape Of Jazz To Come" that thrusted the young alto saxophonist into the limelight.
Coleman's piano-less quartet was unique for its time and his approach to structure and improvisation was quite controversial amongst jazz critics and musicians alike. Despite all the differences of opinion, "Shape.." is actually quite a melodic album full of catchy hooks amongst the free improvisations and it's easy to see why the album is still such a milestone 46 years later.
The haunting "Lonely Woman" and the upbeat "Congeniality" are Coleman staples while the ballad "Peace" features one of Coleman's most beautiful and lyrical melodies ever written. "Focus on Sanity", another staple, shows off the versitility of Coleman's quartet with each member taking turns as soloist one after the other. "Eventually" is a fast-paced frentic piece with some wild improvisation from Coleman and trumpeter Don Cherry and offers a sign of things to come on future Coleman albums while the closing piece "Chronology" is a upbeat catchy tune with a melody that sticks in the brain long after its over.
Like other reviewers have mentioned, "The Shape Of Jazz To Come" is perfectly in line with the other 1959 jazz classics such as John Coltrane's "Giant Steps", Dave Brubeck's "Time Out" and Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue". The music on this album is still as fresh as it when it was first released and it will never fully grow old.
Applause must be given to Ornette Coleman, Charlie Haden and the late Billy Higgins and Don Cherry for creating such a monumental masterpiece.
Truly, this was The Shape Of Jazz To Come!!

Ornette Coleman, The Shape Of Jazz To Come
Ornette Coleman pioneered free jazz. He was one of the firsts to throw away the "rule books," as one might call it. He left chords behind and made the most free musical art form even more free.

This was the album that started it all. As opposed to Cecil Taylor, the other free jazz pioneer, Ornette wasn't as badly cut up from the criticism he got from main stream players, and especially Miles Davis, who called Coleman, according to Ken Burns, "All screwed up inside."

Many people respected and loved Coleman's music as Jackie Mclean, Lionel Hampton, Percy Heath, and John Lewis.

This album is clearly like no other in jazz before it. You hear the musicians more free, and though not the most listener friendly, the improvisations seem to wrap themselves around you.

The album opens up with Lonely Women. The band is truely one and they compliment each other pefectly. The music is evidence they were on the same wave length during the recording of the album.

The haunting "Eventually" is next. The tune is a very fast piece. It is very challenging, and very exciting. The more laid-back, "Peace," is just as adventerous and all the other songs, but has a certain subtleness to it.

In the Ken Burns Jazz Documentary, this whole album was basically played through Ornette's somewhat brief segment. Which is why I knew all the melodies before I even bough this cd. One of the melodies that stuck out the most for me in hearing most of this album on the documentary is "Congeniality." Chronology, is perhaps the most well known song on the album. "Focus On Sanity," was appropriately titled, as the haunting intro builds up to Charlie Haden's bass solo.

There will never be four musicians that interacted with each other as well as Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins did during their run as a quartet. This is a jazz classic. And should be treated as such.

Free Jazz?
The title of this review will probably scare the living daylights out of fans who can't stand a whole bunch of dissonant, skronking noise. But, fear not, because this landmark 1959 album by the great Ornette Coleman isn't all that noisy in the least; in fact, I think it's one of the most beautiful pieces of music to be experienced - jazz or otherwise.

Indeed, my guess is this: what lends the "free" title to this album is the notion of implied chords. You see, most jazz records feature instruments like the piano - instruments that are capable of -- and are often -- producing full chords (a "full" chord typically consists of at *least* three notes to be considered as such.) On this album, there is not a single piano in site, nor is there any other instrument here that can produce a full chord, or at least not in the typical sense. So, instead, these "implied" chords are only hinted at, by some of the sequencing of notes coming from the lead instruments, and the solos they tend to produce.

But, through all of this, you would expect to hear a bunch of sloppy, nonsensical riff-raff. Not a chance. The way Ornette and the other players comprised of this quartet pull this technique off is nothing short of astounding. What's more amazing? Some of this stuff is absolutely gorgeous. The melodies are a bit unusual, yet somehow hypnotic and entrancing.

Ornette's later albums would become more extreme in the "free" category, and would be hard to approach for the casual fan. But, here, you can get a glimpse of what would be found in some of Ornette's later, more extreme efforts: The supercharged, free-flowing, rapid-fire, yet elegant dueling/soloing between Ornette (sax) and Don Cherry (trumpet) heard on "Eventually" echoes many of the musings found in a lot of his later work; this is the equivalent of Ornette's signature sound. Yet, on here, it doesn't get so extreme, as to become unbearable to sit through.

You'll probably want to add this to your collection alongside such other 1959 classics (e.g. Dave Brubeck's _Time Out_, John Coltrane's _Giant Steps_, Miles Davis' _Kind of Blue_.) It comes highly recommended - jazz novice or diehard fan.
... Read more

Asin: B000002I4W
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

Matador
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 April, 1990)
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Reviews (8)

great session, not so great remastering
potential buyers: ok, this session is really awesome, but the 1990 remastering does not really help. (let us) hope for a new edition of this session...

Ole, Dudes!!
Some might say that it takes guts to use Coltrane's rhythm section from "My Favorite Things" and go into the studio to do that song as the centerpiece of an album, but Grant Green was a musician to pull it off--with spades. Maybe it's just that I spent so many hours of my wasted youth in listening to Coltrane, but I find Green's rendition of the song as interesting as Coltrane's. And there are some tracks that surpass that even. "Matador" showcases Green as among the most inventive and skillful improvisors of his generation. The title song is a catchy melody replete with improvisational possibilities, and Green exploits them to the fullest. This was a guitar player who could turn a song inside out and discover the possibilities of a simple structure. On the popular front he was eclipsed by Wes Montgomery and George Benson, but his skills are more on the level of Jim Hall (the consummate guitar master to my mind). Tyner's solo on the title track is an excellent example of his improvisational technique at its best. "Matador" is a fine recording, and to my hearing Green's version of "My Favorite Things" is equal to Coltrane's. The rhythm section sounds familiar, but Grant Green's guitar has a linear fullness that washes Coltrane's soprano saxophone from my ear. The solos that emerge from the little riff of Green's "Green Jeans" are magnificently clear and clean--linear in movement and coherence. In Duke Pearson's "Bedouin" Green's explicit statement of the theme is followed with intricate variations. Tyner follows, and Elvin Jones' drum solo is a Jones solo--full of texture and variety. It's a Jones solo. Not as predictable as Blakey, man. The bonus track is Bert Bacharach's "Wives and Lovers," and it's not bad.

A Jewel of a recording
I felt very surprised when I heard Green's version of "My Favorite Things", and backed by Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner.
Having Green's inventive guitar work in place of Coltrane's passionate sax, allows one to better compare this music with some of the more transcendental, guitar-influenced, polyrhythmic rock music that came out around the time of this recording
(Hendrix, Doors, Santana, etc.). One can really hear the influence of artists like Coltrane, Green, Tyner, and Jones on rock musicians. Actually on this recording Green makes a strong case for the belief that all the good riffs and sounds in rock music have been sampled or stolen from jazz and blues greats. I mean, listen to Bedouin, or My Favorite Things, and ask yourself if you've ever heard more thoughtful, enlightening jam sessions. Green, Jones, Tyner, and Cranshaw are all very lyrical musicians, and to have them come together on this recording represents a truely special occassion in Jazz. It doesn't get much better than this in a quartet setting. ... Read more

Asin: B000005HDH
Sales Rank: 37957
Subjects:  1. Guitar    2. Hard Bop    3. Jazz    4. Pop    5. Soul-Jazz   

Bitches Brew
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 June, 1999)
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Editorial Review

The revolution was recorded: in 1969 Bitches Brew sent a shiver through a country already quaking. It was a recording whose very sound, production methods, album-cover art, and two-LP length all signaled that jazz could never be the same. Over three days anger, confusion, and exhilaration had reigned in the studio, and the sonic themes, scraps, grooves, and sheer will and emotion that resulted were percolated and edited into an astonishingly organic work. This Miles Davis wasn't merely presenting a simple hybrid like jazz-rock, but a new way of thinking about improvisation and the studio. And with this two-CD reissue (actually, this set is a reissue of the original set plus one track, perfect for the fan who's not so overwhelmed as to need the four-CD Complete Bitches Brew box), the murk of the original recording is lifted. The instruments newly defined and brightened, the dark energy of the original comes through as if it were all fresh. Joe Zawinul and Bennie Maupin's roles in the mix have been especially clarified. With a bonus track of "Feio"--a Wayne Shorter composition recorded five months later that serves both as a warm-down for Bitches Brew and a promise of Weather Report to come--this is crucial listening. --John F. Szwed ... Read more

Features

• Extra tracks
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (95)

WOW!Love Miles Davis....I'm a new listener...
...of Jazz that is.Never paid it much attention though I did like a lot of Glenn Miller's Big Band stuff.Anyways, I saw Miles music previewed in a scene in a jazz club of the movie "Collateral" with Tom Cruise and Jamie Fox.So then on the soundtrack is the song "Spanish Key" I believe it was...anyways I was hooked!!

The upbeat tempo coupled with The way Miles smoothly and sleekly attacks the wind with his trumpet's sound is just a pure form of art as well as a great overall musical experience.

As I said before, I'm not a Jazz expert, but I find Miles music, specifically on this album, to be superb.Songs that are lengthy, chillin', "cool" and fun are Bitches Brew, Spanish Key, and Pharoah's Dance.They are all great and I'm glad I was able to turn a new leaf and begin enjoying a genre of great music that I had pretty much ignored before.You can throw this CD into your player and listen to it for the duration more than once, whether at work, home, or in your car!Check out Miles Davis, you won't regret it!

1. Pharaoh's Dance
2. Bitches Brew
Disc: 2

1. Spanish Key
2. John McLaughlin
3. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down
4. Sanctuary
5. Feio [*]

The New Direction of Jazz
Here's all I'm going to say about this album, "Bitches Brew," it marked the new direction in jazz and this album along side of "Kind of Blue" are the only two Miles Davis albums that matter.

This album broke the barriers of music. It broke all the misconceptions, rules, and any other formality that went along with music at that point in time. It's an essential! For serious fans only!

Extremely Important Listen
This is not my favorite Miles album.I really don't even like it all that much, save a track or two.I personally prefer early Miles over jazz/rock-fusion Miles, but I give Bitches Brew 5 stars because this is one important jazz album.It doesn't matter whether Davis was the first to try to marry jazz and rock, what matters is that he was the most influential and classic jazz artist to try to do it--therefore calling the world's attention to it.Even if you don't buy it, every jazz head needs to hear this once and compare it to Miles' earlier works of art and the music that has come after it. ... Read more

Asin: B00000J7SS
Subjects:  1. Avant-Garde    2. Drums    3. Fusion    4. Jazz    5. Jazz-Rock    6. Pop    7. Trumpet    8. United States of America   

Aja
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 November, 1999)
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Editorial Review

History gives Steely Dan's Walter Becker and Donald Fagen the last, hearty laugh on this, the crown jewel in their remarkable canon of '70s Mensa pop.Sneaking onto the charts a half-decade earlier with sinuous, jazz-inflected "rock," the dysfunctional duo's acerbic, anti-heroic visions had been critically lauded for their band identity and killer guitar riffs, then promptly challenged when the two songwriters retired from the road, dissolved any formal band lineup, and used the studio as laboratory. Aja carried the added indignity of its increased focus on sophisticated jazz models and musicianship, which carried the Dan's ambitions even further in terms of suave harmonies, intricate song structures, and brilliant playing.Time has proven them wiser than their rock crit detractors: These seven songs abound in knotty plots, sneaky imagery, and drop-dead brilliant performances from a blue chip studio repertory studded with first-call jazz players epitomized by Wayne Shorter's towering solo on the title song.From the hard-boiled jazz romance of "Deacon Blues" to the twisted Homeric vamp of "Home at Last," the veiled but ominous swing of "Peg" to the sci-fi eroticism of "Josie," Aja is a modern pop classic and the coolest fusion record no one ever thought to lump in that category. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (136)

Aja
Steely Dan is my favorite band, so it's only natural for me to like Aja. Only a fool wouldn't. This is the big one, a fushion of jazz and rock that no one's ever done before (unfortunately no one else tried) It's got an impressive starting lineup, one of Black Cow, Aja, and Deacon Blues. Three impressive, amazing songs that just blow me away. Black Cow is bitter, Aja seems a bit more reminiscent (but who or what is Aja?) and Deacon Blues is a masterful work about someone who wants to break the musical barriers.
However, I'd be commiting a sin not to mention side two. Or, to be more accurate, Home at Last and I Got the News. Home at Last is one of the best songs anybody ever did aand is a nice tale of homecoming. I especially enjoy the jam that makes up the better part of the song, with the tenor and the guitar. Absolutely hypnotic song.
Then there's I Got the News. I Got the News is another kick-you-know-what song by the Dan. One of the songs that makes me want to get up and at least move, if not dance.
Peg and Josie are the two major hits, the songs you normally hear off Aja, but I don't really like either of them as much as the rest of the album. Do I like them? Yes, but they don't seem to match the rest.
It's funny how not many can release an album as good as this. Look toward the Dan! Donald Fagen for President, Walter Becker for VP! Hey, they make as much sense as any other politician...

Minimalist perfection
Without exception this album is a masterpiece.Totally unrivaled,unparalleled.A sumptuous feast of elegance,sophistication,urban cool,bubbling vitriolic undercurrents,and minimalist instrumental precision you won't find anywhere else.
Nobody beats Steely Dan when it comes to setting a groove or a hook in a song that "you can hang your coat on",and this album ups the ante considerably."Peg" is a spectacular example of this,"Deacon Blues" too,and my favourite "Home at Last",with the swinging horn section,and Bernard Purdie's pulsing beat. In many ways the latter part of the songs is the best part,anchored with a rock steady rythm section,and a tasteful, measured solo.
Check out Walter Becker's? guitar solo on "Home at Last",a showcase of perfect timming and space.
But most of all,check out Steve Gadd's drum solo on the closing moments of "Aja"..... crank up the volume,and listen to a master at work.He is going absolutely flat out,listen carefully to the fade out and the cymbal work is just astonishing.......apparently it was done in one take,and everybody stopped what they were doing they were so stunned.
This album is just simply a must for any Dan fan,and for any Steely Dan newbie it is an EXCELLENT place to start.
I cannot say enough about this album.It is pure stunning brilliance,utter genius that has stood the test of time.
BUY IT!

Karl Rothko,
Auckland,
New Zealand

The smirking duo at their peak
Man, I loved Steely Dan. One of the luckiest coincidences of my life is that my college years pretty much tracked the career of Donald and Walter. Freshman year - Can't Buy a Thrill. Sophomore year? Countdown to Ecstasy. And so on - every year brought a new album from two guys whom I was convinced were stalking me. And the general disillusionment felt by all liberal arts grads in '76 was exactly summed up by The Royal Scam.

Skip a year - my live-in GF of three years has left, I'm working 60 hour weeks, my best friend's father has died suddenly and I drove 14 hours straight to get her home in time for the funeral. I get back from all that and want nothing more but to sleep for a couple days. But my main man is waiting for me with a copy of Aja, hot off the press. We put it on and begin to deconstruct the music. Or attempt to, anyway - we're still listening almost 30 years later, trying to figure out how they did it.

This is a document, a text (for all you lit crit fans) of brilliant form and function. I sincerely hope that musicologists and sociologists are studying this album in 100 years. Why sociologists?As the old joke goes, it's hard to explain the late 70s unless you were there. Post Nixon, post Vietnam, post everything. America at that point was a truly ugly place, a kidney stone of a decade. And here comes Aja to prove that artistic endeavor wasn't dead after all. There was something in that smooth cynicism that was actually hopeful.

And the music hasn't lost any of it's allure. It's a wonderful CD to have in the car on a long trip and I'll always catch myself wondering how they got those harmonies on Peg.

After Aja? I found Gaucho to be a little too self-conscious, as if Walter and Dan were a bit puzzled at their critical acclaim. In truth, I thought The Nightfly was a better album and heralded a new direction to their work. But after that, silence for a long time.

True story: in the early days of the web, SD had a website on the old Pathfinder network, tended by Walter behind his usual facade. I sent a note expressing the hope that he had fully recovered from his injury and illness. To my great surprise, he responded. After a paragraph or two of murky allusions, he admitted it was indeed good to be alive and well. Good on ya, Walter. Long may you run. ... Read more

Asin: B00003002C
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Components
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (12 July, 1994)
list price: $17.98 -- our price: $14.99
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Features

• Limited Edition

Reviews (2)

One of Blue Note's Brightest at His Best
This was one of Hutcherson's few truly challenging dates as leader, an amalgam of mid-60's post bop sensibilities and mind-blowing "New Thing" esoterics. It is perhaps his most consistently engaging, focusing the experiments on "Dialogue" into a vision more wholly personal--all the while retaining the sense of exploratory exhiliration that made that earlier session so great.

Hutcherson is--fittingly--a far more prominent voice here, composing half the album and taking greater liberties with his solo space. Joe Chambers, whose thoughtful accompaniment and propulsive drive provided the backdrop for numerous "salad-era" Blue Note sessions, penned the other half; his decisively "free" compositions, much like his drumming, furnish the foundations for some truly intricate, engaging group communication. The improvisation itself is more compact, the tracks shorter, the scope more synoptic--a sort of manifesto for the vibist's future and past, cut clean down the middle and made ready for consumption.

Suffice it to say, the group is killer and delivers the goods. The rhythm work is rock solid, the front line of Spaulding and Hubbard as fiery and captivating as it was or would be anywhere else. Each might go on to bigger and better things, but nowhere did these musicians better fit Bobby's world, sound so sympathetic, emphatic, enthused.

This is Hutcherson's DEFINITIVE Blue Note session, a watermark for the label... and I'll bet that few can say otherwise.

Best Hutcherson Blue Note still in print
Bobby Hutcherson is rightfully considered one of the best vibraphonists in the history of jazz. He's also one of the most innovative and esoteric as his recordings for Blue Note in the mid to late 60's display. Hutchersonled sessions are most commonly called 'post-bop' with interestingcompositions and outstanding playing from all-star lineups.Components isone of these sessions. The lineup includes James Spaulding on alto sax andflute, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Joe Chambers ondrums. As an LP the album two sides were split into compositions Hutcherson(the first four) and Chambers the last four. Its interesting to hear howtheir compositional styles vary and how the group tackles these originals. The standout performer here is Spaulding who has several top notch solos.

This album is a reissue as part of Blue Note's flighty Conoisseurseries, these are limited editions and become hotly pursued once they goout of print. This one has been in print an abnormally long time (1994reissue) and certainly can't be around much longer. Anyone interested inexploring the Blue Note recordings of Bobby Hutcherson should start here. ... Read more

Asin: B000005GXK
Sales Rank: 61988
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

Unit Structures
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

Uncompromising and endlessly controversial, Cecil Taylor's percussive, intellectual approach to jazz composition, improvisation and piano remain largely outside the mainstream after more than 40 years. A classically trained pianist prior to discovering the music of Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, and Horace Silver, Taylor soon developed a percussive, clustered, impressionistic style that, while taking Monk as a harmonic starting point, charts a course straight for the stratosphere. Indeed, Taylor frequently seems to have dispensed with both melody and form, yet he's brilliant at conveying a broad complex of emotions, from introspection to tenderness to rage.

Unit Structures, through its use of two bassists (Henry Grimes and Alan Silva) and the two-reed front of Ken McIntyre and Taylor-mainstay Jimmy Lyons, suggests a "double band." Yet such structures become almost meaningless in Taylor's world: it is all about energy and exploration. Punctuated by percussive bursts and melodic eruptions, Unit Structures is, despite its title, impressionistic and whimsical, although devoid of all standard structures and romance. Instead, Taylor pushes his band to explore the limits of improvisation where nothing--neither form, nor melody, nor structure--is a given. Still challenging listening after nearly four decades. --Fred Goodman ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Unit Structures
Free jazz isn't noise...it's awesome, so go buy some Cecil Taylor records...right now...your life depends on it.

Challenging but rewarding
Before going into the review I would like to say that the people who claim that this is just noise does not know what they are talking about. I have listened to free- (which this record really isn't) and avantgarde jazz extensively for the last ten years and there are undoubtedly some records that can be described as noise but this isn't one of them. Just because the music puts more emphasis on textures and improvisation than on conventional melodies and "swing" doesn't make it noise. You guys have a lot to learn!!!

About the music, this features one of the best groups Taylor ever led. Drummer Andrew Cyrille, bassists Henry Grimes and Alan Silva
and altoist Jimmy Lyons were "regular"(if that can be said about guys who rarely had the chance to perform in public)band members of taylors various groups over the years. Added to this nucleus was multi-reedist McIntyre and trumpeter Eddie Gale Stevens. Especially the former is crucial to the overall sound of the album. The basses were used in a very cool way:Grimes kept the pulse going, functioning as a "traditonal" bass while Silva was "freer" and played with a bow, often in a very high register, commenting on the soloists various movements.

The first song "Steps" features McIntyre on alto (Stevens does not play on this song). It starts with a very complicated stop-start theme before an almost boogie-woogieish piano line introduces a screaming, intense McIntyre solo. The energy level is VERY high with Taylor variously playing/changing patterns and improvising along with the soloists. The greatest part of the song is Taylors solo which starts as a piano-drums duet before kicking into overdrive with the basses joining in. Awesome!!!

The next song "Enter, Evening" is a ballad of sorts with MCIntyre playing oboe. This could have drifted into impressionistic muzak but Taylors edgy playing keeps everyone on their toes. I have always heard this song as a dialogue between Silva and the soloists. His playing really comes through on this number. I really like the trumpet solo on this one...

The title track is VERY complicated with at least 20 different, short motives being played in various instrument combinations before McIntyres bass clarinet solo begins and the madness starts!!! I don't like the trumpet solo on this one but otherwise it's perfect and as far away from meaningless noise as it gets.

The last song is a Taylor solo piece (with drums and bass) that is brilliantly constructed. Because of the many instruments, Taylors solos on the other songs are quite short and this album seems to focus more on group interactions than individual solos so this song gives Taylor an opportunity to stretch out.

This album is really Cecils big break from the jazz traditon. It was his first proper recording in three and a half years and he had tons of great ideas that he just wanted to get out of his system. Cecil Taylor recorded another album, "Conquistador" a bit later which is even better. That album has only two songs and only one saxophone which means that there are more opportunities for the players (especially Cecil) to stretch out. I's also MUCH more accessible than"Unit Structures" with less rapsodic and more melodic themes. Unfortunately, it's out of print. Blue Note should really reissue that album-it would probably cost them much less than a Norah "BORING" Jones marketing campaign...

Classic Recording Unfortunately Poorly Transferred to CD
Cecil Taylor's "Unit Structures" is an avant-garde classic that documents his creativity in 1966, showing him continuing to push the boundaries of creative music. The sonic intensity and tendency toward collective group improvisation is in full force here. To some extent, this is in contrast to the recordings he did for Candid just a few years earlier, which, although radical, were still largely based around "tunes." The musicians in Taylor's group are legendary in their own right: Jimmy Lyons is on alto; Alan Silva is on bass; and Andrew Cyrille is on drums, to name just a few of the masters who take Taylor's unit structures to incredible heights.

I have only given the recording four stars because this session is definitely in dire need of remastering. For such classic and incredibly executed music, it is unfortunate that the sound of this Blue Note CD is fairly muddy and lacking in color. It is almost maddening to hear Taylor's piano sound as though it is underwater. The drums sound dull and Silva's incredible bass playing lacks clarity on this CD. Try to find an original LP copy of this session, because it will sound much better than this CD, which is a poor representation of the session. ... Read more

Asin: B000005HD4
Subjects:  1. Avant-Garde    2. Avant-Garde Jazz    3. Free Jazz    4. Jazz    5. Pop   

I Just Dropped By to Say Hello
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 November, 1995)
list price: $14.98 -- our price: $14.98
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Editorial Review

Johnny Hartman may have been the greatest of the jazz balladeers, his unmistakably rich voice and subtle sense of pitch and diction developing the art of Billy Eckstine and Arthur Prysock. Most know his work only in the superb 1963 collaboration with John Coltrane, but this CD from the same year is as fine a showcase for Hartman's abilities, both on medium swing tunes and the romantic standards that were his forte. The accompaniment is at the highest level, with Hank Jones on piano and brother Elvin on drums, and appearances by the two subtlest guitarists of the era, Jim Hall and Kenny Burrell, embellishing Hartman's cashmerelike voice. The burred sound of Illinois Jacquet's tenor, reminiscent of Ben Webster on ballads, is a fine, grainy complement to Hartman's smooth baritone. --Stuart Broomer ... Read more

Reviews (10)

you lie awake and think about the girl
I was listening to the Carly Simon cover of Wee Small Hours and I said "I bet this person has never heard Johnny Hartman's version of this because they would've never tried it."I am not a comparer but this is easily one of the gems of vocal performance.Yes, Frank is god, yadda yadda yadda, go to Vegas and have a drink for me, but this guy is the full bill of goods.
I would love to use this in a film version Of Catcher in The Rye, because there is such a wonderful atmosphere about this.
The cd as a whole is a little loungier(he covers charade, for god's sake) and purists jonesing for the Hartman Coltrane should just listen to that again....but it is still a great jazz record.Some of the arrangements are amazing.A couple of times the rhythm section drops out, leaving Johnny with one instrument.These moments are simplicity itself, but heartstoppingly gorgeous.
And hartman is a master.Pure and simple

oh, and the cover is why I bought the album...so evocative of a certain period.
check it out

If you love Hartman, you'd hafta be INSANE to overlook this.
Ahhh, Johnny.I jus' can't sing enough praises 'bout this man an' the work he did throughout his career.Findin' a truly rare jazz vocalist outside the realm of the well knowns (i.e. Billie, Sinatra, Nat, etc.) is a trial in itself, but whenever people discover Hartman, they seem 'ta stick with 'em.His voice is relaxed an' tempered, his sound is lush an' quietly beautiful, an' his selection of songs is on point with whatcha would wanna hear from him.Great standards like 'In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning', 'Don't You Know I Care', 'Don't Call it Love' an' the title song are all jus' morose melodies an' Hartman's treatment of 'em evokes jus' that.These're the kinda songs that're for a certain kind'a mood, one extreme or the other.In other words, you can entertain a date with it, but me personally, i'm jus' as well off pourin' some liquor, smokin' some cigarettes, an' layin' on the hood'a my car watchin' the stars at night.I'm prob'ly more prone to do the latter, but both're appropriate circumstances.This release may'a been overshadowed by the 100 million-star Coltrane an' Hartman album which came out the same year, but don't let that sway you, 'cause if the voice on that one reached out an' touched 'ya, then it'll be sure to do the same on here.Hartman's sangin' is outstanding an' his efforts make this a classic to sit between my 'Trane an' Hartman disc an' my Clifford Brown with Strings disc.It jus' gets no better, in my opinion.

I can't believe
That person who complained about the cover is ignoring the spirit of this record ant the whole spirit of the sixties. Things were different then... ... Read more

Asin: B000003N83
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

Falling in Love Is Wonderful
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (2002)
list price: $32.99 -- our price: $32.99
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Features

• Import
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (2)

Beyond Wonderful!
Finally, this great lost LP is now on CD, and everyone can hear the artistry that is Jimmy Scott.It's a tragedy that due to tangled legal issues, "Falling In Love Is Wonderful" was quickly pulled in 1963 shortly after it's initial release.... Jimmy's career was frustrated by this, and so one of the greatest jazz vocal LPs became something of a Holy Grail for those discriminating listeners determined to find a rare copy in music stores or online.But now all the legal issues are resolved and everyone can enjoy this remarkable record on CD.To think of the lost opportunities to Scott's career could make one weep.And to listen to Scott's mesmerizing vocals could bring a tear to one's eye on classic tracks like "They Say It's Wonderful" and "Someone To Watch Over Me".I can't recommend this CD enough!

"Falling in Love..." is Wonderful
Ray Charles wanted to highlight Jimmy Scott's ballad ability, and he does here.What keeps this CD from being rated 5 stars is that there is not much variation in tempi.Otherwise, Scott's ability to get inside a ballad and make it his own is exemplary.The title cut, for example, is the most moving version of this song I have ever heard and I think is the strongest cut.Charles' piano complements and, in fact, comments a bit on the lyrics and there is some great byplay between the vocalist and pianist.The stereo mix is a bit extreme (The mono mix might present a more coherent image, but you might lose Charles' piano, by himself, out in the left channel).

This is thoroughly enjoyable and it's great to see it re-released. ... Read more

Asin: B00007JQTY
Sales Rank: 89214
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Torch Songs    3. Traditional Pop    4. Vocal Jazz   

Red Clay [Bonus Track]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 June, 2002)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (4)

Two words: Jam Jazz
You have to hear this album to believe what everyone is saying about it. Red Clay is simply beyond category of words. During the first play of listening to this album I couln't understand why I didn't already own it and why hadn't any of my friends already turned me on to it. Red Clay just comes out and clobbers you over the head with jazz/funk/fusion/bop and whatever until you just shake your head in disbelief. Seriously, don't let this one escape your collection.

Pure genius
This album is Freddie Hubbard at one of his best moments.His provoking solo over the groovin' Red Clay (especially the live bonus track) amazes me every time I listen.Delphia starts with a slow, beautiful melody played by Hubbard, and later transitions into a brilliant Herbie Hancock solo.The solo work on the rest of the tracks is just as impressive.Overall, this is a great album even for the casual listener.

Very Enjoyable and Funky
This is a really enjoyable album.Unlike some albums that are overproduced, this has a raw volatile quality to it that captures the spontaneity and genius of the musicians involved.The bonus track, a live version of red clay, is really awesome. This is one of the best Jazz albums I've come across so far.It has a strong funky edge that keeps sneaking into things without overpowering the jazz feel.This album is clearly underrated in some jazz CD guides, but Freddie Hubbard reportedly considers it his best. ... Read more

Asin: B000068D1J
Sales Rank: 25672
Subjects:  1. Bass    2. Jazz    3. Jazz-Funk    4. Pop    5. Post-Bop   

Search for the New Land
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (02 September, 2003)
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Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (4)

What Lee can be !
This album is just full of great music. On one hand there is the familiar Morgan sound and phrasing, but there are longer and more daring compositions, that bring out other, more contemplative qualities in Lee's playing. Morgan and Shorter are a good combination (see The Gigolo) and the examine new frontiers here. Billy Higgins is great as usual, and Grant Green adds to the ensemble sound.
This is one CD that is recommended to any Jazz fan, as its creativeness deifies definition, and crosses stylistics boundaries.

The search is over for some new inspiration
Just listen to Billy Higgins lay it down! I love the sound on Search for the New Land, it's the quickest fifteen minutes ever! Lee Morgan wrote some great tunes for this one, Morgan the Pirate has such a warm sound.Dig Grant Green hanging with Morgan and Shorter on the front line.If you don't have this and you are getting tired of Sidewinder, Blue Train, etc. pick this up NOW!!

Add this masterpiece to your collection !
This album is fantastic on several levels, musically groundbreaking, yet firmly in the tradition it will please more avant garde listeners and mainstream fans alike.It`s not as sunny as The Sidewinder (Morgan`s other masterpiece), it`s a different shade of Morgan, shining as a composer of great talent. Special mentions go to the leader`s trumpet playing, as well as Herbie Hancock and the great Billy Higgins.The title track is a tour de force of great finesse, Mr. Kenyatta is a standout track, but the rest of the album is just as enjoyable.

Highly recommended. ... Read more

Asin: B0000BV210
Sales Rank: 35469
Subjects:  1. Hard Bop    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Trumpet   

Using two dozen musicians and 26 instruments in varying combinations, Harrell offers a complex and ambitious recording that explores the possibilities of Latin/Caribbean moods. As the tempos, time signatures, and instrumentation shift, Harrell moves gracefully from atmospheric melodies floating atop serene strings to funky modal workouts and densely layered big-band explorations. Harrell's crisp work on trumpet and flugelhorn combines lyrical flair with smoldering intensity, and he's an engaging soloist in a variety of settings. The often cerebral quality of these 10 compositions and arrangements makes it challenging to absorb the album fully, but the effort of repeated listenings is worthwhile. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Asin: B0000064YC
Subjects:  1. Hard Bop    2. Jazz    3. Pop   

True Blue
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Audio CD
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Reviews (1)

True Classic
Tina Brooks din't gain much recognition in his lifetime. Passing away at the age of 42, he recorded four sessions for Blue Note as a leader, leaving behind only one released album, this his crown jewel: "True Blue"(rec. mid 1960). Besides this record, two others: "Minor Move"(rec. 1958) and "Back to the tracks"(rec. late 1960) have been released during the past decade. Together with "True Blue" they document a stunning improviser that didn't gain much recognition partly due to his extreme shyness, but who had an instantly recognisable sound which was both soulful and filled with pathos.

On "True Blue" from 1960, Tina is accompanied by Freddie Hubbard, Art Taylor, Duke Jordan and Sam Jones, and especially Brooks and Hubbard make up a perfect team. All of the tunes are lyrical and most of them quite memorable. Tina has composed five of the six tracks, and his composing skills really shines through here. The way he builds up intensities, his fine phrasing and subtle use of spacing an humourous honks, all demonstrates a confident musician. "True Blue" is without a doubt one of the finest Blue Note records, little known only because of Tinas small reputation. Hopefully Blue Note will soon rerelease it in their RVG-series. A highly recommended album that is suitable for many occasions, since it is a hard bop record that pleasantly swings with ecstatic passion all throughout.

Blue Note will soon release his last and much anticipated session in the US, called "The Waiting game"(rec. 1961). By then all Tina Brooks sessions as leader will be available, and what stunning sessions....! ... Read more

Asin: B00000C2ZT
Sales Rank: 559718