Michael Garrick 1933 - 2011

Sad news to hear of the passing of Michael Garrick — one of the greats of British jazz. Bacoso has posted a very fine appreciation of the man on the ever-essential Orgy in Rhythm — along with an excellent mix of Garrick's music by Black Classical. 
RIP — and thanks for all that music!

Toshiko Akiyoshi / LewTabackin Big Band - Salted Gingko Nuts

barabara sounds sez:  

Autumn's here: time for one of my favorite seasonal snacks. Great with beer, even better with sake, and perfect too with Toshiko's peerless big band music. This one (on Baystate from 1978) is particularly nutritious. It's a 16-piece aggregation, but they played together so much over the course of that decade that they sound like one seamless unit. There are also some great solos from Bobby Shew on trumpet and Gary Foster (alto). Tasty... 

Yawno sez: 

The Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Orchestra's first few recordings were made for RCA (usually released first in Japan and then later in the U.S.) but, after that association ended in 1978, most of the big band's recordings ended up being released by their own private Ascent label. The orchestra (based in Los Angeles) was one of the finest big bands of the era, as can be heard on this superior outing with Akiyoshi on piano, Tabackin displaying very different styles on tenor and flute, altoists Gary Foster and Dick Spencer, and trumpeter Bobby Shew. The leader's arrangements reflect both her roots in swinging bop and her Asian heritage. Highlights of the excellent set are "Chasing After Love" (based on "Lover"), the lyrical "Elusive Dream," and "Son of Road Time."

There's lots more about Toshiko over here on Susan Fleet's web site.

And All About Jazz has some nice interviews, including this one here...

Kampai!

Pharoah Sanders - Journey to the One + Rejoice

barabara sounds sez:

The great great Ferrell just finished the second of a two-night stand here. So, in honor and awe, here's a couple of his finest mid-period sides on the Theresa label. Rejoice is of course a bonafide barabara classic – just look and marvel at the outstanding line-up of musicians he has with him here – and without question cause for outright exultation.

As for Journey to the One, it's a bit of a cosmic cocktail of textures – from spiritual-jazz anthems and all-out trademark Pharoa-nics to ballads, and using koto, sitar, synths and more – but there are plenty of special moments here, not least the stately magnificent Bedria that closes out side 4. One of my favorites, in fact...

dusty sez (on Rejoice):

Fantastic 80s work from Pharoah Sanders – with a vibe that's a perfect extension of his classic work for the Impulse label! The album has Pharoah working with an amazing group – Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, John Hicks and Joe Bonner on piano, Art Davis on bass, and either Elvin Jones or Billy Higgins on drums. The sound is remarkably fresh – soaring and spiritual, but also more focused than in earlier years, with a great amount of soulful warmth. And although extra elements are added – like vocals, vibes, and added percussion – Pharoah's solos still dominate the whole album beautifully.  

amg (Scott Yanow) sez (on Journey):

…all ten of Pharoah Sanders's performances from the sessions. As usual, Sanders shifts between spiritual peace and violent outbursts in his tenor solos. The backup group changes from track to track but often includes pianist John Hicks, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Idris Muhammad. Sanders really recalls his former boss John Coltrane on "After the Rain" (taken as a duet with pianist Joe Bonner) and a romantic "Easy to Remember"; other highpoints include "You've Got to Have Freedom" (which has Bobby McFerrin as one of the background singers) and the exotic "Kazuko" on which Sanders is accompanied by koto, harmonium and wind chimes.

Abbey Lincoln - That's him!

barabara sounds sez:

Abbey's work from the 60s and on is probably better known, but this is a lovely early side notable for the stellar cast of musicians backing her, billed here as the Riverside Jazz Stars. I never heard Rollins sound so lyrical! At this point in her career the Billie Holiday comparisons are inevitable — but that's the finest kind of recommendation in my book.

cduniverse sez:

Abbey's first early peak [is] a wonderful and confident set with a stunning ensemble... Lincoln opens with Oscar Brown Jr.'s "Strong Man" — she was one of the performers who regularly recorded his songs prior to his own debut as a recording artist in the early '60s... The gorgeous and dramatic "Tender as a Rose" is presented acapella. Throughout, Lincoln's singing easily mingles jazz, blues and folk influences and phrasings. This strong album pointed the way to her ABBEY IS BLUE, her essential work recorded two years later.

AMG (Scott Yawno) sez: 

[On] Abbey Lincoln's second recording and first for Riverside, [she] is accompanied by quite an all-star roster... and, even this early, she was already a major jazz singer with a style of her own. Lincoln was careful from this point on to only interpret lyrics that she believed in. Her repertoire has a few superior standards (including several songs such as "I Must Have That Man!" and "Don't Explain" that are closely associated with Billie Holiday) plus Oscar Brown, Jr.'s "Strong Man" and Phil Moore's "Tender as a Rose"; she takes the latter unaccompanied. "Don't Explain" is slightly unusual in that Paul Chambers is absent and Wynton Kelly makes an extremely rare appearance on bass.

personnel: 

Abbey Lincoln vocals; Kenny Dorham trumpet; Sonny Rollins tenor saxophone; Wynton Kelly piano; Max Roach drums.

Dizzy Gillespie's Big 4 + Oscar Peterson & Dizzy Gillespie

barabara sounds sez:

I don't listen to bebop too much, never have.    
It's probably a generation thing – it was already over and passe by the time I discovered it. And 
I was probably taking the wrong drugs anyway.   That said, I've always had lots of time for Dizzy, especially the Cuban connection, plus he was such a great showman, though I only caught him in the 70s. Though it was rather past the peak of his prime, he'd no way lost  his amazing chops. Just check out the tempo of some of the tracks on this excellent side from 1974 on Pablo, especially the tour de force that is Bebop (Dizzy's FIngers) which opens side 2. Bravissimo!

And then there was the album he recorded the same year in London with Oscar Peterson, also for Pablo. The pianist got the top billing (it was part of a series of duo sessions with trumpeters he did for the label). But there's no way Dizzy takes second place here. Just the one track this time, but it's a classic: you just can't beat it!

someone else (unattributed) sez [on DG Big 4]:

…superb production values, dynamic acoustic sound, and generally provocative mix of players and musical materials. Dizzy's Big 4 is one of the very best, featuring a dream team rhythm section that responds to all of Gillespie's virtuoso challenges, and then some. Ray Brown is one of the all-time greats, who startled the jazz world when he first emerged as Dizzy's bassist while   still in his teens; drummer Mickey Roker is a commanding percussionist and long-time Gillespie collaborator, while guitarist Joe Pass is a stellar virtuoso, with a series of excellent recitals of his own on Pablo.

Gillespie is in a particularly puckish mood on these sessions. Where the youthful Gillespie might have ordinarily opted for more of the bravura pyrotechnics, represented here by the relentlessly uptempo changes of "Be Bop (Dizzy's Fingers)", Dizzy's Big 4 is distinguished by the ballads "Hurry Home," "Russian Lullaby" and "September Song." Here the trumpeter's rich timbral shadings plumb deep new meaning from these familiar melodies. Most impressive is Dizzy's depth and range as a blues player, which further enlivens his improvisations on Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz," his own latin styled funk on "Frelimo" and the hard bopping "Birks Works." 

jazz.com (Mark Longman) sez [on OC&DG]: 

On Gillespie's second recording for Norman Granz's Pablo label, he joins Oscar Peterson for a set of miraculous duets. Benny Green, who wrote the liner notes for this album, compared this performance of Ellington's classic composition to the Armstrong and Hines rendition of "Weather Bird." Peterson melds a keen sense for complementary accompaniment with dexterous, interweaving polyphonic lines. The breakneck tempo does little to deter Gillespie, who navigates an unaccompanied section without wavering in the slightest. Both musicians bring their best to this date: both show incredible range, flexibility, and complete mastery of their instruments. The result is a well-worn standard transformed through harmonic freshness and rhythmic vitality into an iconic performance.

Art Ensemble Of Chicago & Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy - Live At The 6th Tokyo Music Joy '90

barabara sounds sez:

Back in February of 1990, the Art Ensemble of Chicago came to town to play at the annual Tokyo Music Joy festival – and they shared the stage with Lester Bowie's side project, his Brass Fantasy. This isn't the entire concert so some continuity does get lost, but it certainly gives a great sense of what a fun occasion it was. This is from the Disk Union CD, which gives us three tracks each of the two bands playing separately, and another four tracks of them together creating a rollocking brass-fueled celebration. Great stuff!

the chicago tribune (in 1991) sez:

What a splendid group Lester Bowie's Brass Factory has become. Three recent releases (from the magnificent DIW archives just now becoming available in this country) stake a claim for this ensemble as among the most exciting groups playing today. Bowie’s genius is in marrying edgy post-modern schtick with pure, old-time fun so that the pleasure of listening to themes from the "Phantom of the Opera" or the early rock and roll standard “Great Pretender” (let alone “My Way”) is not wholly in the listener’s head. This music goes right down the spine, which is where feeling begins. For a celebration of what new music can be when it retains its sense of delight, listen to these three discs – especially the one with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, which has never been more wonderful.

an amazon reviewer sez:

The material is wonderful, playful, and varied, with the highest point probably being a truly New-Orleansy workout by the combined bands on "A Jackson in your House," a really goofy song from one of AEC's early BYGs. There are also some free-ish moments, but Brass Fantasy were more about PoMo pastiche and twisted traditionalism than improvisation, so they tend to transform things a bit, bringing Jarman and Mitchell and Favors and Moye "in" from the "outside"... Fans know that one of the most magical things about Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy was their ability to transform a pop song you'd never be caught dead listening to into something really magical and acceptable as music. On this disk, the unexpected bit of cultural salvage is Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Music of the Night."
It's really wonderful, even if you hate Webber.

Masaru Imada Quartet - Now!!

barabara sounds sez:
Now! more from the TBM catalog, but this time not from my archives. Instead, it's another outstanding share from bongohito — who also contributed that awesome threesome over at Bacoso's place just recently. This was (I do believe) Imada's first album as a leader – though he recorded Maki in the same year with the same band – and it's a real corker.

Side 1 gets us under way in languid late-night mood, with Nostalgia, a stately ballad that gives Mimori a chance to open up on tenor. Next up is Alter, which opens with the spotlight on Ozu and Mizuhashi before developing into free exploration with plenty more good work by Mimori. But it's Side 2 that really delivers, two fantastic tracks, the mighty modal Gehi Dorian, which really cuts loose with a righteous groove. To close Imada and his crew dial it back a bit, and go out in lyrical style with The Shadow.

somebody else (can't find an attribution) sez:

Now! by Masaru Imada was the second album released by the fledgling Three Blind Mice label and the pianist's first leader album for the label. All four tunes are Imada's original compositions. The two slow numbers – "Nostalgia" and "The Shadow of the Castle" show his lyrical, "quiet but emotional" qualities. "Alter" is an adventurous tune whose focus is on free improvisation while "Gehi Dorian" is a modal composition as the title suggests.

musicians: 

Masaru Imada piano; Ichiro Mimori tenor & soprano sax; Takashi Mizuhashi bass; Masahiko Ozu drums

tracks:

1. Nostalgia; 2. Alter; 3 Gehi Dorian; 4. The Shadow of the Castle

TBM-2; recorded August 10/11, 1970 at Aoi Studio, Tokyo; reissued on SACD 2000