Don Cherry - Hear & Now

barabara sounds sez:

Wow, did/does this album ever polarize the self-styled critics...

Dusty terms it important and righteous; Julian Cope is conflicted; CD Universe says it's average, respectable and inoffensive; and AMG hyperventilates, damning it as bombastic cock-rock, lumbering, leaden, warbling, a truly gross example of shtick, a faddish veneer of exotic mysticism — and then compares it to Spinal Tap for good measure! (I've posted the best bits below for a laugh)

As for me... I like it. Clearly it's no classic; and definitely it's dated. But it's worth a few spins for sure. Let me know what you make of it...

dusty sez:

Important 70s work from Don Cherry – one of the first albums to bring his overseas experiments to a larger US audience! The set builds nicely off of styles that Don forged earlier in France and Scandinavia – a freer style of music than his work with Ornette Coleman, and a richly organic groove that builds up strongly from the bottom, often with elements of world music settled in alongside the jazz – but there's also some funkier moments here too, a bit like the Brown Rice album, but looser overall!

The groups on most numbers are relatively large and spiritual – almost like Alice Coltrane at times, but a bit more electric and funky at others… Narada Michael Walden produced, and the whole set's got a very righteous feel...

julian cope's head heritage (aether) sez:

The indecision and lack of confidence affecting Cherry at the time is totally understandable; unfortunately, it also permeates most of this LP - his one real stab at major label acceptance.

That said, a Don Cherry LP bowing to commercial acceptability is a damn sight better than many other artists of the time reaching for similar acceptance, and there are moments of high-brilliance amongst the clotted, over-sentimentalized, clinical pap.

cduniverse sez:

Hear and Now's cover depicts a smiling Cherry posing like Buddha, and holding a trumpet with a bent mouthpiece — an indication of some meditative sounds, but it's really a mishmash of styles with a leaning toward African rhythms... An average collection from Cherry, respectable and inoffensive.

AMG (Chris May) sez:

That multi-instrumentalist and world jazz pioneer Don Cherry was able to adopt such a beatific countenance for the cover shot of Hear And Now says much for the power of yoga, given the horrors that follow. The disc has now been reissued as part of Warner Jazz's Atlantic Masters series. But non-yogis should heed this warning: if you only acquire one Don Cherry album in your life, don't acquire this one.

Recorded in December 1976, Hear And Now was produced by drummer/keyboardist Narada Michael Walden, whose crimes against music—particularly at the height of the 1970s fusion era—are of a scale similar to those of pianist Bob James. The album is a truly gross example of Walden's schtick: bombastic cock-rock lead guitars, lumbering bass ostinatos, leaden drums, warbling background vocals, a faddish veneer of exotic mysticism and a sub-Wagnerian taste for dramatic shifts in dynamics. Walden himself is only heard on two tracks, but unfortunately one of them, the opening "Mahakali," features him on tympani.

If Spinal Tap had been a jazz-funk band, and if it had recorded the jazz odyssey talked about in the movie, this is what it would have sounded like.

[and so it goes on...]

Track listing

Mahakali; Universal Mother; Karmapa Chenno; California; Buddha's Blues; Eagle Eye; Surrender Rose; Journey Of Milarepa / Shanti / The Ending Movement--Liberation.

Personnel

Don Cherry: trumpet, flute, vocal; Michael Brecker: tenor saxophone (1); Stan Samole: guitar (1-5, 7, 8); Ronald Dean Miller: guitar (1, 3); Cliff Carter: keyboards (1-5, 7, 8); Narada Michael Walden: keyboards (7), tympani (1); Colin Walcott: sitar (1); Lois Colin: harp (2, 7); Moki: tamboura (1); Marcus Miller: bass (1, 3); Neil Jason: bass (2, 4, 5, 7, 8); Lenny White: drums (1, 3); Tony Williams: drums (4, 5); Steve Jordan: drums (7, 8); Raphael Cruz: percussion; Sammy Figuero: congas (2-6, 8); Cheryl Alexander: vocals (2); Phoenix Volaitis: vocals (7); Patty Scialfa: vocals (7).

Update (Jan.'11)

Another of Cherry's very best albums, Sangam, is now up at Jazz Archives. Highly recommended.

The Dave Pike Set - Noisy Silence Gentle Noise

barabara sounds sez:

A lot of people rate the early work by Dave Pike, but for me it's the MPS era that I listen to. Especially this album. The track everyone knows is Mathar, classic sitar jazz courtesy of sidekick Volker Kriegel. But there's also a lot of excellent vibes/guitar interaction throughout, like on the title track. Great vibes, in both/all senses of the word. Did I say classic? Yes, well maybe it is...

amazon sez:

Pike's move to Europe and tenure at MPS/Saba records produced some of the most original jazz of the period. With the collaboration of Voker Kriegel (guitar), J.A. Rettenbacher (acoustic and electric bass), and Peter Baumeister (drums), he formed the Dave Pike Set. The group recorded 6 brilliant records from 1969-1972 that spanned the gamut from funky grooves to free, textural territory. The group, though short-lived, created a unique identity and textural palette. Kriegel's compositional and instrumental (playing acoustic, classical, and

electric guitar as well as sitar) contributions to the group helped set the Dave Pike Set's sound apart, organically incorporating influences from jazz, soul jazz, psychedelia, avant garde music, and world (Indian, Brazilian, Latin and MIddle Eastern sounds) music.

reminded by Simon's comment:

Mathar was the source of the sample used by Towa Tei in his 'Son of Bambi'. More here...

Well I managed to erase the whole post while attempting to add the postscript about Towa Tei :–(

Thanks to all the people who dropped comments (now retrieved)

The Dave Pike Set - Noisy Silence Gentle Noise

barabara sounds sez:

A lot of people rate the early work by Dave Pike, but for me it's the MPS era that I listen to. Especially this album. The track everyone knows is Mathar, classic sitar jazz courtesy of sidekick Volker Kriegel. But there's also a lot of excellent vibes/guitar interaction throughout, like on the title track. Great vibes, in both/all senses of the word. Did I say classic? Yes, well maybe it is...

amazon sez:

Pike's move to Europe and tenure at MPS/Saba records produced some of the most original jazz of the period. With the collaboration of Voker Kriegel (guitar), J.A. Rettenbacher (acoustic and electric bass), and Peter Baumeister (drums), he formed the Dave Pike Set. The group recorded 6 brilliant records from 1969-1972 that spanned the gamut from funky grooves to free, textural territory. The group, though short-lived, created a unique identity and textural palette. Kriegel's compositional and instrumental (playing acoustic, classical, and

electric guitar as well as sitar) contributions to the group helped set the Dave Pike Set's sound apart, organically incorporating influences from jazz, soul jazz, psychedelia, avant garde music, and world (Indian, Brazilian, Latin and Middle Eastern sounds) music.

reminded by Simon's comment...

Mathar was the source of the sample taken by Towa Tei for his 'Son of Bambi'. More here...

David T Walker - Press On

dusty sez:

Warmly chromatic and nicely tripped out guitar work from David T Walker – laid out over some great larger arrangements from the legendary Jerry Peters! The style here is a great blend of studio jazz and soul – a completely new recasting of the role of the guitarist in the soul instrumental field, and one that's clearly inspired by the styles of CTI and Kudu, yet a bit more straight ahead overall. Walker's guitar is amazing throughout – laidback, yet always filled with a strong sense of "voice" that really comes through – and other players on the set include longtime studio associates, like Harvey Mason on drums, Ernie Watts on alto, Tom Scott on tenor, and Oscar Brasher on trumpet. Titles are mostly covers, but done in really great versions – and tunes include "If You Let Me", "Superstition", "Work To Do", "Brother, Brother", "Press On", "Didn't I Blow Your Mind", and "If That's The Way You Feel".

barabara sounds sez:

Probably my favorite album of all from David T Walker, this funky joint from 1973 sees him lay down a fine groove from start to finish. A great cover too, with those sepia photos. Mr David T (as he's known over here) still visits Japan just about every year – and he's still playing with Clarence McDonald. This was the set list for last year's Xmas shows (check down the bottom of that page for English titles).

Natural Food - Natural Food

barabara sounds sez:

Back in the early 70s the barriers were less rigid, and jazz cross-pollinated readily with blues and folk and rock. When it worked well, the results were righteous — as on this fine set which briefly saw the light of day on a limited edition private pressing. This rip is from the CD reissue: because it's still in print, I'll only keep the link up for a limited time. When it's gone, you'll just have to get it here...

AMG (Thom Jurek) sez:

Natural Food was one of those bands that sprung up around Boston in the late 1960s and early '70s in the latter squalls of hippiedom... This album is a blues record like no other blues record that has ever been cut, because it was essentially made by group of blues players, jazz players, rock players, and a vocalist who wasn't a formal singer. It also features [pianist and composer Mait] Edey's Fender Rhodes in the forefront, making it funky as all get out...

The players in this band are perhaps not well known, but have interesting pedigrees nonetheless: saxophonist (one of the two here, the other is Billy Thompson) Bill Hurd is an award winning player and already was by then; he is also Charles Lloyd's nephew. Those who follow jazz guitar closely will know guitarist Lance Gunderson, who by this time had already performed with Joe Henderson and Chico Hamilton. Bassist Phil Morrison was a veteran of T-Bone Walker's road band; the other bassist (they alternate), Charlie LaChapelle, was part of Hal Galper's band. There is this other guy who you may know as well. They called him John Crumbles back then; he is known by his real name now: John Abercrombie, and he guested on a track here, and there's also drummer Craig Herndon, who's part of the Heikki Sarmanto quartet! The third guitarist was Paul Lenart. As far as we know, singer Brenda "Latifah" James hasn't been heard from since her excellent performances on three of these tunes.

Read the full version of Thom Jurek's excellent review here...