scott's occasional swinging old jazz thread (moldy figs to 1980)

any love for the philly quartet CATALYST?

"ain't it the truth" (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9i7rO1WYaA

that was their "hit"; a kind of ramsey lewis-esque soul jazz instrumental. funky as they come and always a mixtape favorite for me. the rest of their stuff was a lot more wild, but always retaining some semblance of a groove. kind of reminiscent of mwandishi/crossings era herbie hancock. all four of their albums are really good and recommended if you've never heard them.

in a similar vein, i've always really dug the two sessions buster williams led on muse in the mid 70s (pinnacle + crystal reflections) for many of the same reasons as catalyst. it's kind of weird and skronky in spots, but never full on insanity. and always funky enough to remain fairly accessible. they'd be right at home on strata east or black jazz.

here's "the hump" (1975):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR0KRb8IC9k

Prompted by ilxor Dan Peterson, I revisited Ike Quebec's classic early 60s Blue Note run and have discovered organist Freddie Roach. I always knew him from the Quebec albums, but never knew about any of his albums as a leader. Have only gotten through the Blue Note ones so far, but this is some seriously strong stuff. He preferred to work with guitarists it seems and Mo' Greens Please (1963) features Eddie Wright and Kenny Burrell in peak soul jazz mode (though they never duet on the same track; album probably sourced from multiple sessions). Even better, Brown Sugar (1965) finds Joe Henderson sitting in and proving once again that he really could play anything and he could play it all pretty damn well. More soul jazz than all out funky, it definitely feels like one of those standard classic Blue Notes that just transcends time. Crazy that the Blue Note catalogue still has "new to me" stuff of this calibre.

Here's them riffing on Lloyd Price's "Have You Ever Had the Blues?" from Brown Sugar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBgUuTmDRoU

Freddie Roach — "Lion Down" (1962)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLpfmg-qX_w

Kenny Burrell kind of vamps for most of his solo, then right around the two minute mark just fucking blacks out. Does Freddie cut him off???!!?! The amount of mutual disrespect captured on tape lol.

I know the title track from Brown Sugar from a Blue Note organ jazz comp but had never heard the whole thing.

Thanks for keeping this vintage Scott thread alive. This is where I will put jazz things that interest me, currently the intersection of Latin and bossa nova, where it verges on easy listening. Most folks around here want to talk about Sonny Sharrock or whatever, but sometimes I just want to relax and pat my foot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcPWqO9-juU

Heh to me it sounds like Freddie Roach was coming in with backgrounds behind the guitar and meant for him to keep soloing, but instead they ended up with that little co-comping chorus.

Reminds me of a jam session I was at over the summer led by Victor Goines, where he kept coming in with backgrounds behind other soloists and they would always stop playing, because no one uses backgrounds anymore and is shocked when they hear another horn player during their solo.

(whereas in New Orleans music, it's standard practice and that's how you know you hit your last chorus)

i agree w jordan, it sounds like roach just starts comping behind him but instead of propelling burrell forward he backs off and settles into a little groove

i got the reissues of Thelonious Monk's 10-inch Prestige 'albums' btw and they are fucking glorious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7y1nMkYeRE

Somehow only just learned about Hazel Scott (via Arthur Taylor’s Notes and Tones book of interviews. Relaxed Piano Moods with Mingus and Roach is extremely nice.

Dan, "Flame and Frost" is excellent! Very haunting theme. I really liked the guitar playing on that tune, so I looked it up and the guitarist was Joe Diorio, who just passed away a few weeks ago. Time flies. There's so much of that Argo/Cadet/Chess stuff that I've never heard so I definitely appreciate hearing it. This one's even on Spotify, so it's in the queue.

brimstead, checking out that album right now and my initial impression is that you are 100% accurate in your assessment. kind of awesome to hear mingus in such a sustained mellow mode.

Thank you again, brimstead! Have had that Hazel Scott in steady rotation ever since you posted. It really is a remarkable album. It has a very classicist kind of sound on the surface, but every so often she hits these beautiful minor phrases (minor seventh variants? Not sure about the theory aspects) that are so gorgeous. What a wonderful find.

Revisiting an old favorite today: Sahib Shihab's Jazz Sahib from 1957. The first tune is "S.M.T.W.T.F.S.S. Blues" and it's just infectious:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxPYex25G7k

So funky in that bluesy, early James Brown, chillin` in your car at a red light noddin` at your folks sort of way — just straight to the heart of cool with no effort.

It's one of those albums drawn from multiple sessions with different band members, so Bill Evans is on piano for side two. It opens with "Blu-A-Round":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxKn0mv8mJM

Can't help but be reminded of Kind of Blue by that one, especially on Bill's solo. Pretty hypnotizing stuff.

Both of the tunes are originals by Sahib. I've found that he is highly spoken of by those who know of him, but that he isn't overall that well-known. Oh well. For years, I've used his name in the credits as a guide for finding great music, regardless of which continent he was on. Love him so much.

Postscript—

Jazz Sahib is not on Spotify that I can find. It was originally a Savoy session, so it could be located under another artist.

Discogs has it for just a hair under 900 euros.

Or $10 on CD.

Also on these compilations:

https://www.discogs.com/release/1760012-Sahib-Shihab-Jazz-Sahib-Complete-Sextets-Sessions-1956-1957

https://www.discogs.com/release/8745667-Sahib-Shihab-Five-Classic-Albums-Plus-Bonus-Tracks

Checking out this Randy Weston album because of the Sahib Shihab connection and it's pretty great. Definitely inspired by Duke Ellington's long form works of the period, but kind of filtered through Dizzy's percussion-heavy "big ensemble" sound. Hall of fame cast of characters. Last track is a killer. I can't seem to find it on Spotify or YouTube, unfortunately.

Did a bit more digging. The album is listed on Spotify as part of a two-fer CD.

Of course half of the tracks are unplayable and those are the tracks from Uhuru Afrika.

Fell down a Japanese smooth funk rabbit hole and ended up with this and kind of holy shit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc-pIH0CBxM

Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media - "Breeze" (1975)

Because it's Sunday, why not some 80s private press spiritual goodness?

(It's on the internet jukebox, if you're so inclined.)

This is very niiice. I see the OG is currently on sale for $1000 <scream face>.

Thank the streaming gods on this one, I suppose.

(I enjoyed it, as well. Very pleasant vibe. The spirituality of later Coltrane with none of the skronk.)

Yeah, so Randy Weston was an internationalist way back there--back when some artists were sometimes promoted as "jazz ambassadors," prob with some CIA bucks in there somewhere, as tended to happen w hands-across-the-water arts projects, but wth; anyway, he followed the African diaspora back to the Motherland and forward, what with elements of highlife and Caribbean and blues and weirdo Monk as given prob more than some Gov officials liked---live LP Carnival was the only one I ever owned, and some friends said title opener sounded like naval recruitment commercial, but 7:28 or thereabouts "Tribute To Duke Ellington" was an amazing microcosm, deep into and all around solo piano---Side B is "Mystery of Love," piano, bass, drums, flute, and the moon, also all around.
Also try Blue Moses, where Creed Taylor made him play electric piano (he didn't like it, but lots of people loved it). And his albums feat. trombonist-arranger Melba Liston.

Man I miss Randy Weston, along with some people and venues associated with him.

Yeah, I wanna go to this joint!

In 1967 Weston traveled throughout Africa with a U.S. cultural delegation. The last stop of the tour was Morocco, where he decided to settle, running his African Rhythms Club in Tangier[25] for five years, from 1967 to 1972. He said in a 2015 interview: "We had everything in there from Chicago blues singers to singers from the Congo.... The whole idea was to trace African people wherever we are and what we do with music."[26]

Yes, he was such a great presence too.

Thanks for the word, dow! I checked out some other Randy Weston stuff after I liked Uhuru Afrika so much and found that it was all pretty good. Special shout for African Cookbook. Admittedly didn't get to Blue Moses, but curious to give it a listen now!

Also, here's the live one referenced.

(This post is mostly for my own reference.)

I love unique lineups, so I've always been a huge fan of the Gary Burton collaboration with Stephane Grappelli from 1972. Vibes and violin right up front on some really excellent tunes — most notable for me is the rendition of "Blue in Green":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puqp5Z-dQpI

Just dreamy. Album as a whole is a bit more swingin`, but the other ballads do not disappoint. One of the first jazz albums I heard past the introductory Blue Train - Kind of Blue - Somethin` Else starter pack, so I have very fond memories of it. Highly recommend checking out the back cover of the LP in that link above. xpost to photos where one band member refuses to play along.

I'm extending the timeline from 1980 to 1986 for this one. Later 80s was when I started listening to less alternative rock and more bluesy jazz from guys (and gals) who had been playing for decades previous, falling out of fashion, sometimes struggling with 70s smooth/fusion/disco crossover attempts, and then sticking around as elder statesmen of their craft. They literally were soul survivors.

I spin a lot of this stuff, a soulful, supremely comfortable mix of classic ballads ("The Second Time Around") and swinging R&B inflected jams ("One Mint Julep.") You can't possibly go wrong with a band including George Benson or Jimmy Ponder on guitar and Bernard Purdie on drums.

I wish there was a supper club or lounge where I could still hear organ jazz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hUux41Fe1g

often think about the Purdie anecdote (as retold by Donald Fagen in the Aja doc) that when Bernard was hired for a session he would put up a sign on each side of his drum set, one reading “You done it" and the other reading: “You done hired the hit-maker, Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie”

I love those early 60s organ-drums-guitar records. This Jack McDuff set is about as classic as it gets for that sort of thing. Wasn't Purdie the one who claimed to have played (uncredited) on some early Beatles stuff?

Do you guys like Ahmed Abdul-Malik? He was Monk's bassist for a bit, but on his sessions as a leader, he played oud and went off into some really unique eastern textures. Still retains a strong jazz foundation, but check his rendition of "Summertime" from 1963 for a good example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebru71tMvzw

The earlier ones almost recall similar vibes to some of the Ethiopiques stuff. Very highly recommended.

"Captain" Jack spent his final years in my city, Minneapolis, and used to play clubs here regularly. I saw him a number of times, but wish I would have gone to many more.

Yes it was Purdie who made those (afaik unsubstantiated) claims.

I recently bought a cheapo set of (all?) four of Ahmed Abdul-Malik's albums. Good stuff.

I remember seeing Jack McDuff at a Milwaukee jazz festival many years ago, it was great. I think it was on the same bill as Kevin Eubanks, where he freaked out all the Tonight Show fans by only playing crazy M-base fusion?

I totally believe that Purdie played on Beatles sessions btw, but who's to say if they ended up using those tracks on the final records or not.

Purdie’s drums were overdubbed onto some pre-Ringo Hamburg-era Beatles recordings that Atco pushed out as a cash-in in 1964:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain%27t_She_Sweet_(album)#/media/File%3ABeatlesatco.jpg

That’s not remotely close to Purdie’s claims though.

absolutely cannot believe i'm linking this place BUT, here's an okay and very vintage pedantic steve hoff thread about it. they've got the most details over there, i'm told.

This is a pretty good dissection: http://www.jimvallance.com/03-projects-folder/purdie-project-folder/pg-purdie.html

Weinberg: Everyone knows the Monkees were a fabricated band, but The Beatles?

Purdie: Ringo never played on anything.

Weinberg: Ringo never played on anything?

Purdie: Not the early Beatles stuff.

lol

but anyway, ahmed abdul-malik is rad. here's one of his oud jams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IluGjySRBs0

"farah' alaiyna" (1958)

the rest of the album has johnny griffin on tenor.

or if that's not your flavor, you can get down with some slick 70s yusef lateef.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmRKJo4XLaU

"mystique" (1976)

the band holy smokes. whole album is excellent. unexpected turn into straight up phasered out synth funk. very solid.

I've been liking this one a lot lately, a compilation of Willis Jackson cuts from his early 60s albums Bossa Nova Plus, Neapolitan Nights, and a few other stray tracks. Stellar backing cast, as you can see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSeKMwdQ_bc

Excellent, Dan! He's a player whose records I've seen around a lot but have never checked out — that one's piqued me! Also I'm convinced that Roy Haynes played on every non-Blue Note session from about 1958 until 64 or 65. Geez, that guy was everywhere!

I'm jamming a soul jazz classic this Sunday morning. This cover photo has got to be one of my alltime favs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUIIzQ4P9Yk

Ivan "Boogaloo Joe" Jones — "Right On!" (1970)

Here's one I heard for the first time a few Saturday nights ago, after American Routes' replay of their excellent Freddie Hubbard interview x music:
Lou Donaldson, "Blues Walk"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liy9tw03p1I

Which reminded me of the Night Lights interview x music with Bob Porter, re his book Soul Jazz, which unperson says is not all it could be, but still a valuable resource for learning more about music that hasn't gotten much fair (if any) comment from critics. They play a lot of good selections that he talks about here and in the book: https://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/bob-porters-portraits-soul-jazz.php
(Night Lights could be catnip for you, Austin! I've learned sooo much from their fun music docs, which are mostly music.)

And here's the American Routes Freddie Hubbard segment, at the beginning of Hour 2---whole show is well worth hearing: American Routes indeed!
http://americanroutes.wwno.org/archives/show/1278/Sounds-of-Freedom-Fontella-Bass-and-Freddie-Hubbard

Ivan "Boogaloo Joe" Jones — "Right On!"

This is very nice. The great Bernard Purdie (well known to Steely Dan fans) on drums!

(Night Lights could be catnip for you, Austin! I've learned sooo much from their fun music docs, which are mostly music.)

Noted and appreciated! Into the bookmarks it goes — thank you!

~UNLESS I AM BAD AT USING THE SEARCH FUNCTION, AM I TO UNDERSTAND THERE IS NO CANNONBALL ADDERLEY TOPIC?~

anyway, music contains wormholes. or rather: it contains the concept of how wormholes work.

(or maybe some of it actually *does* and we haven't decoded it yet - i mean "as slow as possible" exists and who knows wtf stockhausen and coltrane were actually doing sometimes? it's a group effort is all i'm saying.)

anyway. phenix from 1975 by cannonball adderley is one of his best, even though it hardly gets mentioned. pretty much his final statement, as he was gone less than a year later. basically cannonball plays the hits, except it's all mid-70s studio funk'd out. has that very distinct FANTASY RECORDS 1975™ sound, so you get the feeling that he really was trying to make these the definitive recordings of the songs in some cases. and it sounds fantastic. i've listened to the drumbreak on "domination" on loop so many times and for so long that i know there's a part where you can hear cannonball off mic coaching roy mcurdy on how exactly he wants his funk shuffled. of course, some of the electronics sound 'wacky' or maybe a little too vintage in moments, but it's not like any disrespect was present. intentions feel genuine and good here. he made extremely happy music and it's one of the best examples of that.

it's been pretty frequently reissued and available on most formats for a long time. i bought a used vinyl copy mail order for around $20 (probably from dusty groove) in 2002 because i couldn't find one around where i lived and i had not the gas money nor the courage for such lengthy road trips. it was snowing when the mailman tried to deliver it and i was supposed to fly out the next day to meet a person whom i had never met before. i was extremely nervous and pacing in a dark room, figuring how did i get myself into this and how was i going to get myself out. i guess the mailman had attempted during this time. my pattern must have been disturbed by something, because when i went to see what was going on out the window, there was one of those "missed delivery" things on the box.

fuck. my album.

went and stood out in the biggest fucking april downpour snowstorm i've ever seen i mean honestly how is this even happening and met the mailman as he was going up the opposite side of the street. immediately ran inside and threw it on the turntable super loud. all really good versions, like i said. always a ton of soul in his playing and he's really chewing the scenery here in the best way. whole band changes throughout, but it's mostly all the guys who played on the original recordings, so you know the deal: very solid (only person they didn't get was joe zawinul; other obligations at the time iirc). it calmed me down, so i started to realize i'm still here, and made an attempt at packing my bags.

then the last track came on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLT6SkZ2TE8

("walk talk/mercy mercy mercy")

both acknowledged classics in their own right, but when medley'd together like this, something else ignites. it's that real tight, real big funk sound that he helped create, but rolled into all of the high fidelity mojo that fantasy studios at the time allowed for. it was already my favorite track on the album the moment the refrain hit, but then the second section began and it threw me off — we're slowin it down???

it was shortly after that moment, friends, that i can safely say i entered a wormhole. that moment hit me so hard that it felt like something had flashed inside my brain — like a different area had just been newly accessed. i kept it to myself. i had no clue that's where the sample was from and when i finally submitted that to whosampled around 7 years ago, it easily earned the tag _Sample Discovered More Than 10 Years Later_

which is still just wild to me. it's not even a rare album. whatever, the trip went great, i made a lifelong friend, it's one of my favorite records of all time. highly recommended, especially if you like wah wah sounds in your soulful funky jazz.

wow. fantastic post thank you Austin

George Coleman is still going strong! Amazing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClJmhumJPNB/

thanks for the DY link. love this line from the bandcamp copy:

Despite his talent, he had one album he recorded as a lead which was released on mainstream Records.

ouch!

Obsessed with Jakob Bro's records with Lee Konitz...Balladeering (w/Bill Frisell and Paul Motian), Time (different bassist and no drums), and December Song (Craig Taborn on piano). Incredible autumn music.

Best jazz vocal I've heard in a while---lots of folks have the chops and spirit, but there's a world in here, for now:
Kate Kortum - Dreamsville

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btQNuSQZxWM

Jakob Bro is indeed fantastic, have had the pleasure of seeing him quite a few times, once with Lee Konitz!

his first three ECM albums also great

did you catch Music for Black Pigeons? wonderful footage

Pulling up Michael Brecker - Time Is Of the Essence this morning. I'm not a huge Brecker fan but this is sounding great...the drum chair is either Elvin (!), "Tain" Watts, or Bill Stewart and it's a good exercise in comparison (they all sound amazing). Larry Goldings on organ, no bass player.

And "good Metheny records" is a topic that's come up on a few threads recently, and this might be one of the best. His solo on "Half Past Late" is ridiculous.

I never really think about The Brecker Brothers as music for me, lumping them in with stuff like The Yellowjackets, but I heard this cut on the radio the other night that was beefy enough and had enough twists for me to take notice. Guitarist is great, Barry Finnerty, who I don't know but research shows me has played on a ton of records.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUcPJ8Wop5o

Is 'Work Song' on Live in Tokyo widely accepted as the definitive version? If not, it should be, killer band and much better than the studio version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q88M5gwgGPI

can't listen now but will listen later. such a great lineup. i've been so high on nat adderley records for awhile now. he made so much good stuff and i kinda didn't pay attention to them. better late than never. cannonball rules so hard. what a mind.

That's a great album. I just got two live Cannonball albums that will be coming out on Record Store Day — one is from 1969, with almost that same lineup, and the other is from 1972, when George Duke was in the band.

Forgot to mention that I heard the Tokyo recording on some cd comp I had in high school (maybe a Rhino Records thing? I remember a yellow cover). I've never had the full set but it was a great cd-era discovery.

Would love to hear those RSD records.

you can read every issue of nat hentoff's jazz review here. i know i did. i like that he had artists write reviews. one of these days i will find a complete run in real life. i could buy them one at a time when they pop up on ebay but i always forget about ebay.

https://www.jazzstudiesonline.org/content/jazz-review

Wow, thank you, that's fascinating. The first one I clicked on (Feb '59) has a pre-Coltrane article about Elvin Jones, written by a European sax was playing with him in J.J. Johnson's group, that's comes very close to speculatively describing the invention of the Coltrane Quartet. Or rather, it correctly recognizes everything Elvin is already doing (the power, flowing across the bar lines without giving the soloist easy signposts) but that eventually he'll probably have to simplify his style.

"...I have often had the same trouble with Elvin...the tension would build to a point where I had trouble finishing my choruses, and I would begin trembling with internal excitement, but completely unable to tell where we were any longer...that is obviously a situation to be avoided."

...until you find a group other musicians who always know where 1 is and can maintain the tension indefinitely. Now I wanna listen to a bunch of early Elvin.

oh wow the very first issue has the (in)famous Gunther Schuller article about Sonny Rollins.

The reviews are hilarious too:

Relaxin' (with the Miles Davis Quintet) and Musings neither disappoint nor do they set the world on fire. Both call for no excess wordage on the part of a reviewer; they should be enjoyed and not analytically picked apart. I enjoyed them. —Mimi Clar

His (Coltrane's) solo on Giant Steps particularly shows a rhythmic stiffness and melodic tameness. He does not construct any real line with the arpeggios.

--H.A. Woodfin

I didn't know this album -- These Are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly. It's sick, Richard Davis is going hard (and really keeping tracks like Goodnight Irene from being too straight), the late Tootie Heath on drums & tambourine, Cedar Walton, and amazing vocals by Sandra Douglas on a couple tracks.

Damn, this version of Black Girl (aka Where Did You Sleep Last Night)

Way better than the title suggests, great album

the title makes it sound awesome in my opinion! lol. checking it out now

but then i have a lot of time for Clifford Jordan

I can't find anything about Sandra Douglas besides this album, which she steals.

it seems like you're not the first one to wonder

i've pulled this album out more than once this year. pepper adams and curtis fuller together is such a beautiful pairing. i love them both.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyQVtVH-dYQ

Damn, this version of Black Girl (aka Where Did You Sleep Last Night)

Damn indeed so good

that Clifford Jordan record got me wondering what other jazz albums of the era had folk revival themes ... this one, "Jazz Impressions of Folk Music," is not terrible, but sounds more like "The Harold Land Quintet Plays The Kingston Trio":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvV73nA1-gg

both albums have versions of "Take This Hammer" and Land's really suffers by comparison ... "Kisses Sweeter than Wine" and lol "On Top of Old Smokey" sound better, but "Hava Nagila" sent me running to Dick Dale

fairly undistinguished and uninspired bop, but like every 1963 jazz album I've ever heard, beautifully played and recorded