LONNIE LISTON SMITH & THE COSMIC ECHOES — Astral Traveling (1973-2014) RM | Flying Dutchman Jazz Classics Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Lonnie Liston Smith was 32 when, in 1973, he finally got around to recording his first album as a leader, Astral Traveling. By that time, the pianist/keyboardist had a great deal of sideman experience under his belt, and this superb debut made it clear that former employers like Pharoah Sanders, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Gato Barbieri, and Betty Carter had taught him well. One hears a lot of Sanders, John Coltrane, and McCoy Tyner influence on Astral Traveling; Smith obviously shares their passion for all things spiritual. Nonetheless, this LP leaves no doubt that the improviser is very much his own man and has a wealth of brilliant ideas of his own; thankfully, he has a cohesive band to help him carry them out. On Astral Traveling, Smith's 1973 edition of the Cosmic Echoes includes George Barron on soprano and tenor sax, Joe Beck on guitar, Cecil McBee on bass, David Lee Jr. on drums, James Mtume and Sonny Morgan on percussion, Badal Roy on Indian tabla drums, and Geeta Vashi on the Indian tamboura. An impressive lineup, and one that shows a great understanding of Smith's spiritual nature. Ninety-five percent of the time, Astral Traveling is serene and tranquil; but on "I Mani (Faith)," the unexpected interesting happens when Barron goes outside during his sax solo and gets into the type of dissonant, forceful screaming one would expect from Albert Ayler or late-period Coltrane. "I Mani (Faith)" has a hauntingly peaceful melody, but Barron's out-of-left-field solo makes it the most avant-garde track that Smith ever recorded as a leader. Produced by the late Bob Thiele -- an eclectic heavyweight who worked with everyone from Coltrane, Ayler, and Charles Mingus to Coleman Hawkins, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong -- Astral Traveling is among Smith's most essential and rewarding albums. Alex Henderson
Tracklist :
1. Astral Traveling (Smith) - 5:30
2. Let Us Go into the House of the Lord (Smith) - 6:22
3. Rejuvenation (Smith) - 5:36
4. I Mani (Faith) (Smith) - 6:11
5. In Search of Truth (Smith) - 7:12
6. Aspirations (Smith) - 4:23
7. Astral Traveling (alternate take) (Smith) - 5:38
8. Rejuvenation (alternate take) (Smith) - 6:33
9. I Mani (Faith) (alternate take) (Smith) - 5:57
10. In Search of Truth (alternate take) (Smith) - 6:23
Credits :
Lonnie Liston Smith - Piano, Electric Piano
George Barron - Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
Joe Beck - Guitar
Cecil McBee - Bass
David Lee, Jr. - Drums
Badal Roy - Tabla
Sonny Morgan, James Mtume - Congas, Percussion
Geeta Vashi - Tamboura

ORNETTE COLEMAN & PRIME TIME - Tone Dialing (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ornette Coleman's first album in several years and first recording for a major label in quite some time features his 1995 version of Prime Time with two guitars, two bassists, son Denardo Coleman on drums and Badal Roy on tables and percussion. In addition the band includes Dave Bryant, Coleman's first keyboardist in decades (although his part is actually fairly minor). The ensembles are funky and quite dense, Coleman really wails on alto (also playing a bit of violin and trumpet) and, despite the inclusion of one obnoxious rap, this free funk set is well worth picking up by open-minded listeners. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Street Blues 4'58
Ornette Coleman
2     Search for Life 7'32
Ornette Coleman
3     Guadalupe 4'10
Ornette Coleman
4     Bach Prelude 5'40
Johann Sebastian Bach
5     Sound Is Everywhere 3'34
Ornette Coleman
6     Miguel's Fortune 6'04
Ornette Coleman
7     La Capella 4'32
Ornette Coleman
8     O.A.C. 3'47
Ornette Coleman
9     If I Knew as Much About You (As You Know About Me) 2'36
Ornette Coleman
10     When Will I See You Again 2'46
Ornette Coleman
11    Kathelin Gray  4'41
Ornette Coleman / Pat Metheny
12     Badal 4'42
Ornette Coleman
13     Tone Dialing 1'45
Ornette Coleman
14     Family Reunion 4'07
Ornette Coleman
15     Local Instinct 2'56
Ornette Coleman
16     Ying Yang 2'56
Ornette Coleman
Credits :    
Acoustic Bass – Bradley Jones
Arranged By – Ornette Coleman
Bass, Keyboards – Chris Walker (tracks: 2)
Electric Bass – Al McDowell
Guitar – Chris Rosenberg, Ken Wessel
Keyboards – Dave Bryant
Lyrics By [Poem Written By] – Ornette Coleman (tracks: 2)
Saxophone, Violin, Trumpet – Ornette Coleman
Tabla [Tablas], Percussion [Percussions] – Badal Roy
Vocals – Moishe Naim (tracks: 2)
Vocals, Written-By [Rhyme Written By] – Avenda "Khadijah" Ali (tracks: 2)

PHAROAH SANDERS - Love In Us All (1974-2007) RM | Japan Mini LP | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded near the end of Pharoah Sanders' tenure at Impulse, Love in Us All consists of two extended compositions. Together, they serve as an aural representation of the way Sanders' music polarized the jazz world at the time. Like many of his "New Thing" peers, the saxophonist sought the sound world beyond the constraints of conventional harmony. This often translated into music played at the grating, far reaches of his instrument. "To John" finds Sanders in this territory. His solo begins with Coltrane-isms of short motive development before stretching out into a more personal sound. Finding himself engulfed by a rising musical tide, he plays like he's fighting desperately to stay above it. Soon his saxophone takes on a sorrowful tone as if admitting inevitable defeat. With little optimism apparent, it ultimately communicates a sense of emptiness. However, the often one-dimensional criticism of Sanders as an angry, confrontational musician fails to take in the ragged beauty of a work like "Love Is Everywhere." The song offers little explanation as to what the furor was all about. It begins with an exquisite bass vamp that the song builds from. "Love is everywhere" is repeatedly and passionately shouted as the music escalates into a disorienting swirl of sound. Sanders enters midway through with a surprisingly restrained and lyrical solo on soprano. These two songs hardly seem to belong on the same album and are best approached separately. Many of the players who took musical and philosophical inspiration from John Coltrane failed to translate it into resonant works of their own. Sanders' unsuccessful attempt on "To John" falls in this category. Yet, in a way, Coltrane himself never created a work as emotionally direct as "Love Is Everywhere." Nathan Bush
Tracklist :
1    Love Is Everywhere    19:52
2    To John    20:42
Credits :
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Norman Connors
Flute – James Branch
Percussion – Badal Roy, James Mtume, Lawrence Killian
Piano – Joe Bonner
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Pharoah Sanders

PHAROAH SANDERS - Village of the Pharoahs + Wisdom Through Music (2011) RM | Serie : Impulse! 2-On-1 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The albums packaged in this Impulse two-fer -- Village of the Pharoahs and Wisdom Through Music -- were both released in 1973, but only the latter was recorded as an album. They share the same basic personnel -- pianist Joe Bonner, bassist Cecil McBee, drummer Norman Connors, and percussionist Lawrence Killian -- while Village, because it was recorded at three different sessions over three years, also contains numerous other players, including vocalist Sedatrius Brown, bassists Stanley Clarke, Jimmy Hopps, and Calvin Hill, percussionists Hannibal Peterson and Kenneth Nash, and flutist Art Webb. Wisdom Through Music simply adds Mtume and Badal Roy to the percussion section, with Killian and flutist James "Plunky" Branch (founder of spiritual jazz-funk pioneers Oneness of Juju). Historically, Village of the Pharoahs has gotten a bad rap because of its wide range of musical approaches. The largest part of the former album is taken up with the three-part title track on which Sanders plays only soprano saxophone, percussion instruments, and sings. It's a cosmic, sprawling jam that seems to lead everywhere through Middle Eastern modalities, but is wonderfully accessible. Other highlights include "Memories of Lee Morgan," with gorgeous flute playing by Webb matching Sanders' soprano, and a wonderfully elliptical piano line by Bonner, and the closing "Went Like It Came," where Sanders pulls out his mighty tenor and makes his brand of vanguard jazz swing like mad. Wisdom Through Music, with its smaller lineup, consists of five tracks. Most notable is "High Life," on which Sanders emulates the West African style of music with roiling, celebratory drumming and singing, and killer flute playing. "Love Is Everywhere" is a shorter version of what is now a Sanders performance standard; it appeared in full on Love in Us All released in 1974. Its rawness and soulfulness simply burst from the musical frame with celebration before Bonner and the ensemble take over and rip it up. The title track is a slow, meditative, drone-like piece with abundant percussion by Roy and gorgeous arco work from McBee. Bonner's "The Golden Lamp" is driven by McBee, Branch, and an uncredited instrument rreminiscent of kora and/or an oud. It closes with the nearly 11-minute "Selflessness," a jam that begins as a sung chant and sprawls out into another Sanders orgy of celebration with excellent tenor blowing, as well as spirited interplay with Bonner and the percussionists. These two recordings belong together, and create a compelling whole, revealing a compelling chapter in Sanders recorded history.
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Village Of The Pharoahs (1971)
Bass – Calvin Hill
Congas – Lawrence Killian
Drums – Jimmy Hopps
Drums [Sakara And Murdunom], Percussion – Kenneth Nash
Piano, Flute, Percussion, Shakuhachi – Joe Bonner
Soprano Saxophone, Vocals, Percussion – Pharoah Sanders
Tambura, Percussion – Kylo Kylo
Vocals, Percussion – Sedatrius Brown
1    Part One    7:14
2    Part Two    4:58
3    Part Three    4:51
4    Myth 1:47
Bass – Calvin Hill
Percussion, Whistle – Kenneth Nash
Vocals, Percussion – Joe Bonner, Lawrence Killian, Pharoah Sanders, Sedatrius Brown
5    Mansion Worlds 9:15
Bass – Cecil McBee, Stanley Clark
Congas, Percussion – Lawrence Killian
Drums – Norman Connors
Percussion – Marvin Peterson
Piano – Joe Bonner
Soprano Saxophone, Bells – Pharoah Sanders
6    Memories Of Lee Morgan 5:38
Bass – Cecil McBee, Stanley Clark
Drums – Norman Connors
Flute – Arthur Webb
Piano – Joe Bonner
Soprano Saxophone, Bells – Pharoah Sanders
7    Went Like It Came 5:09
Bass – Calvin Hill
Congas – Lawrence Killian
Drums – Jimmy Hopps
Percussion – Kenneth Nash, Kylo Kylo
Piano – Joe Bonner
Tenor Saxophone, Vocals, Percussion – Pharoah Sanders
Vocals, Percussion – Sedatrius Brown
Wisdom Through Music (1972)   
8    High Life 4:23
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Norman Connors
Flute – James Branch
Percussion – Badal Roy, Mtume, Lawrence Killian
Piano – Joe Bonner
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Pharoah Sanders
9    Love Is Everywhere 5:21
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Norman Connors
Flute – James Branch
Percussion – Badal Roy, Mtume*, Lawrence Killian
Piano – Joe Bonner
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Pharoah Sanders
10    Wisdom Through Music 5:46
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Norman Connors
Flute – James Branch
Percussion – Badal Roy, Mtume, Lawrence Killian
Piano – Joe Bonner
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Pharoah Sanders
11    The Golden Lamp 4:47
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Norman Connors
Flute – James Branch
Percussion – Badal Roy, Mtume, Lawrence Killian
Piano – Joe Bonner
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Pharoah Sanders
Written-By – Joseph Bonner
12    Selflessness 10:56
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Norman Connors
Flute – James Branch
Percussion – Badal Roy, Mtume, Lawrence Killian
Piano – Joe Bonner
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Pharoah Sanders

MILES DAVIS - In Concert : Live at Philharmonic Hall (1973-1997) 2CD / RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Of the myriad double-live sets Miles Davis recorded in the early '70s, In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall is the only one documenting his On the Corner street-funk period, which is immediately obvious from the cover art. Actually, in terms of repertoire, the material from Get Up With It, Big Fun, and A Tribute to Jack Johnson each takes up a greater percentage of space, but the hard-driving rhythms and plentiful effects make it clear which of Davis' fusion aesthetics applied. In Concert begins to move Davis' live work even farther away from jazz tradition, as he largely forgoes concepts of soloing or space. Instead, Davis presides over a pulsating mound of rhythm, expanding his percussion section and using traditional lead instruments more to create texture -- including his own horn, which he feeds through a wah-wah pedal and other amplification effects. Drummer Al Foster, tabla player Badal Roy, and percussionist Mtume are the centers of the recording, and electric sitar player Khalil Balakrishna adds an exotic dimension to the already tripped-out sonic stew. And "stew" isn't too far off -- the individual voices and elements in the music tend to get mixed and muddled together, which may be frustrating for some jazz fans not used to listening for the thick layers of texture in the soundscapes or the furious energy in the grooves. There are few melodies to latch onto, save for a theme from On the Corner that Davis frequently uses during the first disc to signal transitions. But melody isn't the point of this music; it's about power, rhythm, and the sum energy of the collective, and of Davis' electric jazz-rock albums, In Concert does one of the most mind-bending jobs of living up to those ideals. by Steve Huey  
Tracklist 1:

1 Rated X 12:16

2 Honky Tonk 9:18

3 Theme From Jack Johnson 10:12

4 Black Satin / The Theme 14:15

Tracklist 2:

1 Ife 27:54

2 Right Off / The Theme 10:31

Credits:

Bass – Michael Henderson

Drums – Al Foster

Electric Piano, Synthesizer – Cedric Lawson

Guitar – Reggie Lucas

Percussion – James Mtume

Sitar [Electric] – Khalil Balakrishna

Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Carlos Garnett

Tabla – Badal Roy

Trumpet, Composed By – Miles Davis

MAHAVISHNU JOHN MCLAUGHLIN - My Goals Beyond (1970-1987) APE (image+.cue), lossless

The startling thing about My Goal's Beyond is that it points the way toward two directions McLaughlin would take in the future -- exploring Indian music and the acoustic guitar -- and this while he was in the thick of the burgeoning electronic jazz-rock movement. The first half is a John McLaughlin acoustic guitar tour de force, where he thwacks away with his energetic, single-minded intensity on three jazz standards and five originals (including one genuine self-penned classic, "Follow Your Heart") and adds a few percussion effects via overdubbing. The second half is devoted to a pair of marvelously intricate fusions of Indian rhythms and drones called "Peace One" and "Peace Two," with jazz flights from flutist/soprano saxophonist Dave Liebman, a simpatico encounter with future Mahavishnu cohorts Billy Cobham on drums and Jerry Goodman on violin, and Airto blending his sounds seamlessly with the Indian tambura and tabla. Throughout, McLaughlin's acoustic lines faultlessly straddle the line between the subcontinent and jazz, and the ethereal results still hold up beautifully. by Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist:
1 Goodby Pork-Pie Hat 3:15
Composed By – Charles Mingus
2 Something Spiritual 3:28
Composed By – Dave Herman
3 Hearts And Flowers 2:08
Composed By – .D. Bob Cornford
4 Phillip Lane 2:35
Composed By – John McLaughlin
5 Waltz For Bill Evans 2:01
Composed By – Chick Corea
6 Follow Your Heart 3:15
Composed By – John McLaughlin
7 Song For My Mother 2:31
Composed By – John McLaughlin
8 Blue In Green 2:37
Composed By – Miles Davis
9 Peace One 7:12
Composed By – John McLaughlin
10 Peace Two 12:10
Composed By – John McLaughlin
Credits:
Bass – Charlie Haden
Drums – Billy Cobham
Flute, Soprano Saxophone – David Liebman
Guitar, Producer – Manavishnu John McLaughlin
Percussion – Airto Moreira
Tabla – Badal Roy
Tambura – Mahalakshmi
Violin – Jerry Goodman