In the early '60s, flutist Prince Lasha's work with alto saxophonist Sonny Simmons was often compared to the trailblazing free jazz that Ornette Coleman was exploring at the time. To be sure, Coleman was a major inspiration to both of them. And yet, The Cry! demonstrates that Lasha's work with Simmons had an avant-garde energy of its own. Coleman is a strong influence on this 1962 session -- which Lasha co-led with Simmons -- but The Cry! isn't an outright imitation of Coleman's work any more than Phil Woods' recordings are outright imitations of Charlie Parker's. For one thing, The Cry! is slightly more accessible than the albums that Coleman recorded for Atlantic in the early '60s. Free jazz performances like "Bojangles," "A.Y.," and the rhythmic "Congo Call" are abstract, cerebral, and left-of-center, but they're still a bit more accessible than Coleman's harmolodic experimentation. The same thing goes for the Latin-influenced "Juanita" and the bluesy "Red's Mood," which is Coleman-minded but also has a strong Charlie Parker influence -- in fact, the tune successfully bridges the gap between Bird and Coleman and shows listeners what those altoists had in common. It should be noted that, even though The Cry! (which employs Gary Peacock or Mark Proctor on acoustic bass and Gene Stone on drums) is free jazz, it isn't the blistering, ferocious stuff that Albert Ayler, Cecil Taylor, and late-period John Coltrane were known for in the 1960s. This album is quirky and dissonant, but it isn't harsh or confrontational. In avant-garde circles, The Cry! went down in history as one of Lasha's finest accomplishments -- and deservedly so. Alex Henderson
Tracklist :
1 Congo Call 5:02
Written-By – Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons
2 Bojangles 7:00
Written-By – Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons
3 Green And Gold 4:52
Written-By – Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons
4 Ghost Of The Past 4:49
Written-By – Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons
5 Red's Mood 5:04
Written-By – Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons
6 Juanita 5:32
Written-By – Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons
7 Lost Generation 5:15
Written-By – Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons
8 A.Y. 4:46
Written-By – Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Sonny Simmons
Bass – Gary Peacock, Mark Proctor (tracks: 1, 3 to 6)
Drums – Gene Stone
Flute – Prince Lasha
25.9.24
PRINCE LASHA QUINTET ft. SONNY SIMMONS – The Cry ! (1963-2001) RM | Original Jazz Classics Limited Edition Series | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
31.7.24
STEVE KUHN TRIO — Waltz Blue Side (2002-2004) Two Version | RM | Venus Jazz Special Campaign Jazz Giants Series | FLAC & APE (image+.cue), lossless
20.5.24
PAUL BLEY | JOHN GILMORE | PAUL MOTIAN | GARY PEACOCK — Turning Point (1975-1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue) lossless
Recorded for Muse Records in 1967 as Grant Green was on an extended recording hiatus -- it was his only record between 1965's His Majesty, King Funk, his only album for Verve, and 1969's Carryin' On, his return to Blue Note -- Iron City actually captures the guitarist in fine form, jamming on six blues and R&B numbers with his longtime cohorts, organist Big John Patton and drummer Ben Dixon. The trio members had long ago perfected their interplay, and they just cook on Iron City, working a hot groove on each song. Even the slow blues "Motherless Child" has a distinct swing in its backbeat, but most of the album finds the trio tearing through uptempo grooves with a vengeance. Green's playing is a bit busier than normal and he solos far more often than Patton, who lays back through most of the album, providing infectious vamps and lead lines. The two styles mesh perfectly with Dixon's deft drumming, resulting in a fine, overlooked date that showcases some of Green's hottest, bluesiest playing. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1 Calls 6:10
Carla Bley
2 Turning 6:30
Paul Bley
3 King Korn 6:00
Carla Bley
4 Ictus 4:05
Carla Bley
5 Mr Joy 3:50
Annette Peacock
6 Kid Dynamite 3:40
Annette Peacock
7 Ida Lupino 5:20
Carla Bley
Credits :
Paul Bley - Piano
John Gilmore - Tenor Saxophone
Gary Peacock - Bass
Paul Motian - Drums
Billy Elgart - Drums on Nr. 5 & 6
11.2.24
PAUL BLEY | GARY PEACOCK | TONY OXLEY | JOHN SURMAN — In the Evenings out There (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
This is a remarkable encounter between four top-notch musicians: Paul Bley on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, Tony Oxley on drums, and John Surman on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet. All four appear together only on "Interface" and "Article Four." Otherwise, they play solo and are paired off in twos or threes. Peacock's unaccompanied features, "Portrait of a Silence" and "Tomorrow Today," are technical marvels. Surman's baritone solo flight on "Alignment" is well-formed and unusual. Bley's solo pieces are varied: "Married Alive" and the ironically titled "Soft Touch" are busy and intense, while "Note Police" and "Afterthoughts" are more placid and lyrical. Oxley interacts brilliantly with Peacock on "Speak Easy," and with Bley on the very brief "Spe-cu-lay-ting." His percussive textures are unpredictable, enticing, and quite unlike those of any other drummer.
Most of the music is entirely improvised, although the Bley/Peacock duet "Fair Share" is in tempo and sounds more or less like a pre-written piece. Although the record falls solidly within the "free jazz" category, it has a mysteriously soothing, meditative quality. Fans of these four greats shouldn't miss it. David R. Adler Tracklist & Credits :
8.2.24
6.2.24
PAUL BLEY | GARY PEACOCK | PAUL MOTIAN — Not Two. Not One (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Like a good wine, Paul Bley seems only to improve with age. Re-united with bassist Gary Peacock and percussionist Paul Motian (their last recording together for ECM was made more than two decades earlier), the trio revisits the quirky "Fig Foot," and explores colors, moods, and even a touch of blues on a set of all original compositions. Bley is especially effective exploring the lower sonorities, while Peacock's full-sounding bass throbs with joy. Motian is characteristically exquisite, his soft, layered, sensitive strokes prodding his colleagues. None of the pieces drift, as these three masters contribute a mature perspective that comes from varied experience. Remarkable interplay, chamber-free harmonies, and loose improvisations add up to some special sounds. Steve Loewy Tracklist & Credits :
4.2.24
PAUL BLEY | GARY PEACOCK | PAUL MOTIAN — When Will The Blues Leave (2014) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
In 1999, a year after recording the splendid reunion album Not Two, Not One, Paul Bley’s highly innovative trio with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian took to the road with concerts on both sides of the Atlantic. When Will The Blues Leave documents a terrific performance at the Aula Magna di Trevano in Switzerland. Included here, alongside the angular freebop Ornette Coleman title track, are Paul Bley’s “Mazatlan”, brimming over with energy, Gary Peacock’s evergreen “Moor”, Gershwin’s tender “I Loves You Porgy” and much more. All played with the subtlety of master improvisers, recasting the music in every moment. ECM
Paul Bley, Gary Peacock, and Paul Motian had been musical associates for more than 30 years when they recorded the studio offering Not Two, Not One for ECM in 1998. They had recorded together as early as 1963 for the Paul Bley with Gary Peacock session issued by the label in 1970 (including three tracks from a 1968 session with Billy Elgart instead of Motian). They worked together again in 1964 in a studio quartet with altoist John Gilmore released by Improvising Artists in 1975. The three players worked in various duos in concert and studio until Peacock suggested the reunion for Not Two, Not One, which they supported with a transatlantic tour the following year. This music dates from a show in 1999 in Lugano, Switzerland.
Some of the material will be familiar to longtime fans of the pianist and/or bassist, though it has all been thoroughly reworked. A fine example is Bley's "Mazatlan." It was first recorded for Touching from 1965. Already a free-ish number whose intro is framed by bop changes, this version commences with a quick thematic piano statement followed by a brief, swinging, elegant solo by Motian. During the ensemble play, Bley paints the middle and upper registers with his pointillistic brush as Peacock rumbles along the neck of his upright bass exchanging fours and eights with him, investigating the harmony as Motian carves out the space between. "Flame" is a delightful improvisational extrapolation on the jazz ballad form -- particularly for Peacock and Bley. "Told You So," a long Bley piano solo, commences as a stride blues before opening onto Eastern modalism, then a children's lullaby before returning to blues and spreading them incrementally across the body of the entire improvisation. Peacock's "Moor" is a chestnut that made its first appearance on the 1970 album; it has also graced his catalog several times since. This one is drenched in a modernist appropriation of bop. Motian's hi-hat and cymbals, accented by his snare as bassist and pianist, dig through the tune's head, engaging in a call-and-response dialogue before branching off toward free play. This version of "Dialogue Amor" -- that originally appeared on Not Two, Not One -- is looser, with Motian's ride cymbal haunting the foreground as Bley articulates melodic fragments that Peacock instinctively embellishes before guiding toward development, leaving Bley to quote from Charlie Parker's "Ornithology" in his solo. Ornette Coleman's title track is a hard-swinging post-bop exploration led forcefully by the rhythm section and artfully illustrated by the pianist. George Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy," taken solo by Bley, traverses the New Orleans piano tradition, Tin Pan Alley, the New York cabaret lineage, and even the songbook of Stephen Foster in its elegant and canny illustration of lyric harmony and textural space to close the set. When Will the Blues Leave is a remarkable archival document that underscores how much potential this trio displayed, and what they might have accomplished had they played together more often.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist & Credits :
16.12.23
GIL EVANS — The Individualism of Gil Evans (1964-2003) RM | Serie Jazz The Best | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Although Gil Evans had gained a lot of acclaim for his three
collaborations with Miles Davis in the 1950s and his own albums, this CD
contains (with the exception of two tracks purposely left off), Evans's
only dates as a leader during 1961-68. The personnel varies on the six
sessions that comprise the CD (which adds five numbers including two
previously unreleased to the original Lp) with such major soloists
featured as tenorman Wayne Shorter, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland,
trumpeter Johnny Coles and guitarist Kenny Burrell. Highlights include
"Time of the Barracudas," "The Barbara Song," "Las Vegas Tango" and
"Spoonful." Highly recommended to Gil Evans fans; it is a pity he did
not record more during this era. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Time Of The Barracudas 7:26
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
French Horn – Julius Watkins, Ray Alonge
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Harp – Bob Maxwell
Reeds, Woodwind – Al Block, Andy Fitzgerald, Bob Tricarico, George Marge, Wayne Shorter
Trombone – Frank Rehak
Tuba – Bill Barber
Written-By – Gil Evans, Miles Davis
2 The Barbara Song 9:59
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
French Horn – Julius Watkins, Ray Alonge
Harp – Bob Maxwell
Reeds, Woodwind – Al Block, Andy Fitzgerald, Bob Tricarico, George Marge, Wayne Shorter
Trombone – Frank Rehak
Tuba – Bill Barber
Written-By – Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill
3 Las Vegas Tango 6:35
Bass – Paul Chambers, Ron Carter
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Bob Simpson
French Horn – Ray Alonge
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Reeds, Woodwind – Bob Tricarico, Eric Dolphy, Garvin Bushell, Steve Lacy
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland, Tony Studd
Trumpet – Bernie Glow, Johnny Coles
Tuba – Bill Barber
Written-By – Gil Evans
Flute Song / Hotel Me (12:29)
4a Flute Song
Bass – Ben Tucker, Paul Chambers, Richard Davis
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Phil Ramone
French Horn – Don Corado, Gil Cohen, Julius Watkins
Guitar – Barry Galbraith
Harp – Margret Ross
Reeds, Woodwind – Al Block, Bob Tricarico, Eric Dolphy, Steve Lacy
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland
Written-By – Gil Evans
4b Hotel Me
Bass – Paul Chambers, Ron Carter
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Bob Simpson, Phil Ramone
French Horn – Ray Alonge
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Reeds, Woodwind – Bob Tricarico, Eric Dolphy, Garvin Bushell, Steve Lacy
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland, Tony Studd
Trumpet – Bernie Glow, Johnny Coles
Tuba – Bill Barber
Written-By – Gil Evans, Miles Davis
5 El Toreador 3:26
Bass – Milt Hinton, Paul Chambers, Richard Davis
Drums – Osie Johnson
Engineer – Phil Ramone
French Horn – Jim Buffington, Bob Northern
Reeds, Woodwind – Bob Tricarico, Eric Dolphy, Jerome Richardson, Steve Lacy
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland, Tony Studd
Trumpet – Ernie Royal, Johnny Coles, Louis Mucci
Written-By – Gil Evans
– BONUS TRACKS –
6 Proclamation 3:55
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
French Horn – Julius Watkins, Ray Alonge
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Harp – Bob Maxwell
Reeds, Woodwind – Al Block, Andy Fitzgerald, Bob Tricarico, George Marge, Wayne Shorter
Trombone – Frank Rehak
Trumpet – Johnny Coles
Tuba – Bill Barber
Written-By – Gil Evans
7 Nothing Like You 2:36
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
French Horn – Julius Watkins, Ray Alonge
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Harp – Bob Maxwell
Reeds, Woodwind – Al Block, Andy Fitzgerald, Bob Tricarico, George Marge, Wayne Shorter
Trombone – Frank Rehak
Trumpet – Johnny Coles
Tuba – Bill Barber
Written-By – Bob Dorough
8 Concorde 7:39
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Bob Simpson
French Horn – Julius Watkins, Ray Alonge
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Reeds, Woodwind – Andy Fitzgerald, Bob Tricarico, George Marge, Phil Woods
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland, Jimmy Knepper
Trumpet – Bernie Glow, Louis Mucci, Thad Jones
Tuba – Bill Barber
Violin [Tenor] – Harry Lookofsky
Written-By – John Lewis
9 Spoonful 13:46
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – Elvin Jones
Engineer – Bob Simpson
French Horn – Julius Watkins, Ray Alonge
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Reeds, Woodwind – Andy Fitzgerald, Bob Tricarico, George Marge, Phil Woods
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland, Jimmy Knepper
Trumpet – Bernie Glow, Louis Mucci, Thad Jones
Tuba – Bill Barber
Violin [Tenor] – Harry Lookofsky
Written-By – Willie Dixon
Credits : Arranged By, Conductor, Piano – Gil Evans
6.3.23
LEE KONITZ - Rhapsody (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Lee Konitz's Evidence release has seven selections from the veteran altoist that utilize different all-star personnel. The performances all have a similar commitment to relaxed and melodic freedom, but some work better than others. "I Hear a Rhapsody" (featuring a haunting vocal by Helen Merrill) precedes a more abstract "Rhapsody" (titled "Lo-Ko-Mo-And Frizz") which has wandering interplay by Konitz (on alto, soprano, and tenor), Joe Lovano (switching between tenor, alto clarinet, and soprano), guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummer Paul Motian. Jay Clayton's beautiful voice and adventurous style is well displayed on "The Aerie," and baritone great Gerry Mulligan sounds reasonably comfortable on a free improvisation with Konitz and pianist Peggy Stern, but a fairly straightforward vocal by Judy Niemack on "All the Things You Are" is followed by an overlong (19-minute) exploration of the same chord changes (renamed "Exposition") by the quartet of Konitz, clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre, pianist Paul Bley, and bassist Gary Peacock; their different approaches never really mesh together, and this selection is a bit of a bore. The final performance, an extroverted duet by Konitz (on soprano) and flügelhornist Clark Terry (titled "Flyin': Mumbles and Jumbles") adds some badly needed humor to the set. While one can admire Lee Konitz for still challenging himself after all this time, some of the dryer material on the CD (especially the two quartet numbers) should have been performed again; maybe the next versions would have been more inspired. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 I Hear a Rhapsody 4:31
Jack Baker / George Fragos / Dick Gasparre
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Piano – Peggy Stern
Vocals – Helen Merrill
2 Lo-Ko-Mo-And Frizz 12:05
Bill Frisell / Lee Konitz / Joe Lovano / Paul Motian
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Drums – Paul Motian
Guitar – Bill Frisell
Tenor Saxophone, Alto Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone – Joe Lovano
3 The Aerie 7:11
Peggy Stern
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Ben Allison
Drums – Jeff Williams
Piano – Peggy Stern
Vocals – Jay Clayton
4 Trio, No. 1 8:52
Lee Konitz / Gerry Mulligan / Peggy Stern
Baritone Saxophone – Gerry Mulligan
Piano – Peggy Stern
Soprano Saxophone – Lee Konitz
5 All the Things You Are 5:07
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
Guitar – Jean François Prins
Soprano Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Vocals – Judy Niemack
6 Exposition 19:00
Paul Bely / Paul Bley / Jimmy Giuffre / Lee Konitz / Gary Peacock
Bass – Gary Peacock
Clarinet – Jimmy Giuffre
Piano – Paul Bley
Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
7 Flyin': Mumbles and Jumbles 5:55
Lee Konitz / Clark Terry
Flugelhorn, Scat – Clark Terry
Soprano Saxophone, Scat – Lee Konitz
26.2.23
ALEXANDRA GRIMAL | LEE KONITZ | GARY PEACOCK | PAUL MOTIAN - Owls Talk (2010) FLAC (tracks), lossless
"An incredible encounter. A moment suspended in time. I don't have the words to describe what happened on those cold days in December 2009. Singular emotions, beyond anything language can express. A waking dream… or the awakening of a dream?
They entered the studio one by one. We got going very soon. The mood was joyful. On Lee’s sweater, a cat swathed in a scarf. Paul, true to form, in sneakers and dark glasses. Gary, with an infinitely gentle smile. We took out the instruments. Paul fixed the cymbals on the drum kit. Silence. "Begin anywhere," John Cage would say. Leap into space: first sound, second sound, off we go. Producing a sound is a way of expressing one's existence in the world. The sound rends the silence. The silence is not the same afterwards. It is still heavy with sound, as if marked by its emotion. Sound as an identity, a genetic code. The sound of each instrument speaks of itself." Alexandra Grimal
Tracklist :
1 Horus 3:13
Written-By – Gary Peacock
2 Breathing Through 2:19
Written-By – Alexandra Grimal
3 Awake 4:05
Written-By – Alexandra Grimal
4 If This Then... 4:23
Written-By – Gary Peacock
5 Owls Talk 4:57
Written-By – Alexandra Grimal, Lee Konitz, Paul Motian
6 Petit Matin / Envol (4:37)
6.1 Petit Matin
Written-By – Alexandra Grimal, Gary Peacock
6.2 Envol
Written-By – Alexandra Grimal
7 Moor 4:26
Written-By – Gary Peacock
8 Mélodie Pour João 3:55
Written-By – Alexandra Grimal
9 Blows II 4:24
Written-By – Lee Konitz
10 December Green Wings 4:20
Written-By – Gary Peacock
11 A.H. 3:52
Written-By – Alexandra Grimal
12 Dance 5:19
Written-By – Paul Motian
13 Awake (Alternate Take) 3:24
14 Indicible 2:28
Written-By – Alexandra Grimal, Gary Peacock
15 Éclipse 4:00
Written-By – Alexandra Grimal
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Paul Motian
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Producer [Artistic] – Alexandra Grimal
LEE KONITZ | BRAD MEHLDAU | CHARLIE HADEN | PAUL MOTIAN - Live at Birdland (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
"Boring" feels like such a pejorative description. It's better to call this all-star summit conference of sleepy time jazz players, led by alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and including pianist Brad Mehldau and bassist Charlie Haden, in addition to Paul Motian on drums, "stately," "refined," or "relaxed". The fact that the tunes -- all standards -- are virtually indistinguishable from each other, and go on at least five, and in one case, ten minutes too long in order to make room for just one more lugubrious bowed bass solo from Haden or one more slow-motion Mehldau keyboard interlude, should not be taken as prima facie evidence of the emptiness of this sort of pseudo-event, all too common in New York jazz clubs. After all, the live audience eats it up, as can clearly be heard. But is this album of any value to jazz as a whole? It is not. This is the sound of three men whose reputations rest on work done decades earlier, and one younger man whose reputation is difficult to explain, delicately tiptoeing through six pieces, some of which have been recorded hundreds if not thousands of times already. It is as far as possible from the sound of jazz moving forward, or preserving the creative vitality that is supposedly the heart of the genre. If all you want is to hear four accomplished musicians playing standards, this album provides an hour's worth of that. If you want more from jazz, you're out of luck. Phil Freeman
Tracklist :
1 Loverman 11:56
James Davis / Jimmy Davis / Roger "Ram" Ramirez / Roger Ramirez / James Sherman / Jimmy Sherman
2 Lullaby Of Birdland 10:16
George Shearing
3 Solar 11:39
Miles Davis
4 I Fall In Love Too Easily 10:17
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
5 You Stepped Out Of A Dream 11:49
Nacio Herb Brown / Gus Kahn
6 Oleo 15:19
Sonny Rollins
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Double Bass – Charlie Haden
Drums – Paul Motian
Piano – Brad Mehldau
Producer – Manfred Eicher
LEE KONITZ | BILL FRISELL | GARY PEACOCK | JOEY BARON - Enfants Terribles : Live at the Blue Note (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Lee Konitz joined forces with Bill Frisell, Gary Peacock, and Joey Baron for a week-long booking at the Blue Note in New York City in early June 2011 (though no one was officially designated as the leader), with highlights from two nights being selected for this CD. The always-surprising alto saxophonist has worked with numerous configurations of musicians during his six-decade career, always staying fresh and avoiding predictability; this meeting finds the quartet covering six standards in an introspective yet stimulating manner. "What Is This Thing Called Love" often sounds like an exercise for jazz groups as they travel its familiar path, yet only a hint of its structure remains in this version, which deftly utilizes space and darting lines. "Body & Soul" is a bit closer to its theme, with Konitz's brilliant improvisation leading the way as Frisell provides striking backgrounds then solos with equal gusto. It's likely that Konitz has played "I'll Remember April" for most of his career, but Frisell opens it alone with a striking, deliberate solo, followed by the rest of the quartet weaving superb countermelodies around him. Baron introduces "I Remember You" on drums, keeping the audience in suspense until the group reveals it gradually in a manner more humorous than sentimental. There is never a dull moment throughout these brilliant live performances. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1 What Is This Thing Called Love 6:04
Cole Porter
2 Body and Soul 12:07
Johnny Green / Edward Heyman / Robert Sour
3 Stella by Starlight 11:01
Ned Washington / Victor Young
4 I'll Remember April 10:13
Gene DePaul / Patricia Johnston / Don Raye
5 I Remember You 11:43
Johnny Mercer / Victor Schertzinger
6 I Can't Get Started 9:18
Vernon Duke / George Gershwin
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Joey Baron
Guitar – Bill Frisell
9.12.22
ALBERT AYLER - Holy Ghost : Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962-70) (2004) 10CD BOX | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
After listening to Revenant's massive Albert Ayler box set, Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962-70), a pair of questions assert themselves in the uneasily settling silence that follows: who was Albert Ayler, and how did he come to be? At the time of this box set's release 26 years after the Cleveland native's mysterious death -- his lifeless body was found floating in New York's East River, without a suicide note -- those questions loom larger than ever. Revenant's amazing package certainly adds weight and heft to the argument for Ayler's true place in the jazz pantheon, not only as a practitioner of free jazz but as one of the music's true innovators. Ayler may have been deeply affected by the music of Ornette Coleman, but in turn he also profoundly influenced John Coltrane's late period.
The item itself is a deeply detailed 10" by 10" black faux-onyx "spirit box," cast from a hand-carved original. Inside are ten CDs in beautifully designed, individually colored rice paper sleeves. Seven are full-length music CDs, two contain interviews, and one is packaged as a replica of a recording tape box, containing two tracks from an Army band session Ayler participated in. Loose items include a Slug's Saloon handbill, an abridged facsimile of Amiri Baraka's journal Cricket from the mid-'60s containing a piece by Ayler, a replica of the booklet Paul Haines wrote for Ayler's Spiritual Unity album, a note Ayler scrawled on hotel stationery in Europe, a rumpled photograph of the saxophonist as a boy, and a dogwood flower. Finally, there is a hardbound 209-page book. It contains a truncated version of Val Wilmer's historic chapter on Ayler from As Serious As Your Life, a new essay by Baraka, and biographical and musicological essays by Ben Young, Marc Chaloin, and Daniel Caux. In addition, there are testimonies by many collaborators, full biographical essays of all sidemen, detailed track information on the contents, and dozens of photographs.
Almost all this material has been, until now, commercially unavailable. Qualitatively, the music here varies, both artistically and mechanically. Some was taken from broadcast and tape sources that have deteriorated or were dubious to begin with, but their massive historical significance far outweighs minor fidelity problems. Chronologically organized, the adventure begins with Ayler's earliest performances in Europe fronting a thoroughly confounded rhythm section that was tied to conventional time signatures and chord changes. Ayler, seemingly oblivious, was trying out his new thing in earnest -- to the consternation of audiences and bandmates alike. How did a guy who played like this even get a gig in such a conservative jazz environment? Fumbling as this music is, it proves beyond any doubt Ayler's knowledge and mastery of the saxophone tradition from Lester Young to Sonny Rollins. Ayler's huge tone and his amazing, masterfully controlled use of both vibrato and the tenor's high register are already in evidence here. Following these, there is finally recorded evidence to support Ayler playing with Cecil Taylor in Copenhagen in 1962. This is where he met drummer Sunny Murray who, along with bassist Gary Peacock, formed the original Ayler trio. Their 1964 performances at New York's Cellar Café are documented here to stunning effect. Following these are phenomenal broadcast performances from later that year that include Don Cherry on trumpet in France.
Other discs here document Ayler's sideman duties: with pianist Burton Greene's quintet in 1966 (with Rashied Ali), a Pharoah Sanders band with Sirone and Dave Burrell, a Town Hall concert with his brother Donald's sextet that also included Sam Rivers, and a quartet with Donald, drummer Milford Graves, and bassist Richard Davis playing at John Coltrane's funeral. These live sessions have much value historically as well as musically, but are, after all, blowing sessions -- though they still display Ayler as a willing and fiery collaborator who upped the ante with his presence. Though he arrived fully formed as a soloist, his manner of trying to adapt to other players and bring them into his sphere is fascinating, frustrating, and revealing.
Ayler's own music is showcased best when leading his own quartets and quintets, and there are almost four discs' worth of performances here. Much of this music is with the classical violinist Michel Sampson and trumpeter Donald Ayler with alternating rhythm sections. Indeed, the quintet gigs here with Sampson and Donald in the front line that used marching rhythms and traditional hymns as their root may not be as compelling sonically as the Village Vanguard stuff issued by Impulse!, but they are as satisfying musically. The various rhythm sections included drummers Ronald Shannon Jackson, Allen Blairman, Muhammad Ali, Beaver Harris, and Bernard Purdie, and bassists Bill Folwell, Steve Tintweiss, Clyde Shy (Mutawef Shaheed), pianist Call Cobbs, and tenor saxophonist Frank Wright. What is clearly evident is that the only drummer with whom Ayler truly connected with, the only one who could match his manner of playing out of time and stretching it immeasurably, was Murray, who literally played around the beat while moving the music through its dislocated center.
The late music remains controversial. Recorded live in 1968 and 1970 in New York and France, it illuminates the troublesome period on Ayler's Impulse! recordings, New Grass and Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe. In performance, struggling and ill-conceived rhythm sections try to comprehend and articulate the complex patchwork of colors, motivations, and adventurous attempts at musical integration with the blues, rock, poetry, and soul Ayler was engaging instrumentally and -- with companion Mary Parks -- vocally. Ayler's own playing remains unshakable and revelatory, stunning for its ability to bring to the surface hidden melodies, timbres, and overtones and, to a degree, make them accessible. His solos, full of passion, pathos, and the otherworldly, pull everything from his musical sound world into his being and send it out again, transformed, through the horn.
Ayler is credited with the set's title, in that he once said in an interview: "Trane was the father. Pharoah was the son. I was the Holy Ghost." While it can be dismissed as hyperbole, it should also be evaluated to underscore the aforementioned questions. Unlike Coltrane and Sanders whose musical developments followed a recorded trajectory, Ayler, who apparently had very conventional beginnings as a musician, somehow arrived on the New York and European scenes already on the outside, pushing ever harder at boundaries that other people hadn't yet even perceived let alone transgressed. Who he was in relation to all those who came after him is only answered partially, and how he came to find his margin and live there remains a complete cipher. What Revenant has accomplished is to shine light into the darkened corners of myth and apocrypha; the label has added flesh-and-bone documented history to the ghost of a giant. Ayler struggled musically and personally to find and hold onto the elusive musical/spiritual balance that grace kissed him with only a few times during his lifetime -- on tape anyway. But the quest for that prize, presented here, adds immeasurably to both the legend and the achievement.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
All Tracks & Credits
7.12.22
ALBERT AYLER QUARTETS 1964 - Spirits To Ghosts Revisited (1964-2019) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Tracklist :
1 Spirits 6:33
2 Prophecy 6:11
3 Holy, Holy 11:09
4 Witches And Devils 12:05
5 Ghosts 7:58
6 Mothers 7:05
7 Vibrations 4:56
8 Holy Spirit 8:29
9 Ghosts 2:06
10 Children 6:52
Credits :
Double Bass – Earle Henderson (pistas: 1, 3), Gary Peacock (pistas: 5 to 10), Henry Grimes (pistas: 1, 2, 4)
Drums – Sunny Murray
Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone (5 to 10), Composed By [All Compositions By] – Albert Ayler
Trumpet – Don Cherry (pistas: 5 to 10), Norman Howard (pistas: 1 to 4)
5.12.22
ALBERT AYLER - Bells + Prophecy (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Combining two of his best ESP recordings on one CD, the 1998 compilation of 1965's Bells and 1964's Prophecy is the tenor saxophonist at the peak of his powers. Bells, originally released as an idiosyncratic one-sided LP, is a live set featuring Albert Ayler, his trumpeter brother Donald Ayler (this was their first recording together), alto saxophonist and ESP labelmate Charles Tyler, bassist Lewis Worrell, and drummer Sunny Murray, recorded live at New York's Town Hall. Although banded as a single track (and confusingly given the same title as an unrelated Ayler composition), Bells actually consists of a 20-minute medley of three Ayler compositions, the incantatory "Spiritual Bells," "Holy Ghost," and the brief coda "No Name," with the middle piece the primary focus. The playing is positively ferocious, with all three reed and horn players swinging from wild solos to some even more out ensemble playing. In comparison, the trio date Prophecy sounds almost normal. The four tracks (plus a second variation of Ayler's early signature piece, "Ghosts") are, oddly, the same that appeared on Ayler's ESP debut, Spiritual Unity. (Prophecy was, in fact, recorded a month prior to Spiritual Unity, although it came out much later.) Though both albums were recorded with the same sidemen, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray, Ayler's relentlessly questing solo style means that these performances differ greatly from the previous album, so thoroughly that other than the initial themes, they might as well be completely different songs. Stewart Mason
Tracklist :
1 Bells 19:55
2 Ghosts (First Variation) 11:21
3 Wizard 8:21
4 Spirits 7:55
5 Prophecy 7:12
6 Ghosts (Second Variation) 7:06
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Charles Tyler (pistas: 1)
Bass – Gary Peacock (pistas: 2 to 6), Lewis Worrell (pistas: 1)
Drums, Percussion – Sunny Murray
Tenor Saxophone, Composed By – Albert Ayler
Trumpet – Donald Ayler (pistas: 1)
3.12.22
ALBERT AYLER AND DON CHERRY - Vibrations (1964-1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
1964 was a busy year for Albert Ayler, who recorded at least seven albums worth of material. This particular session, a quartet date with trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray, was probably his most significant of the period. Switching between tenor and alto, Ayler is often ferocious on the six performances, jumping from simple melodies (of which "Ghosts" is the most memorable) to intense sound explorations overflowing with emotion; he even makes Cherry seem conservative. It helps greatly to have open ears to appreciate this music, although Ayler's jams would become a bit more accessible the following year. Recommended. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Ghosts 2:04
Albert Ayler
2 Children 6:50
Albert Ayler
3 Holy Spirit 8:29
Albert Ayler
4 Ghosts 7:58
Albert Ayler
5 Vibrations 4:55
Albert Ayler
6 Mothers 7:06
Albert Ayler
Credits :
Bass – Gary Peacock
Cornet – Don Cherry
Drums – Sunny Murray
Tenor Saxophone – Albert Ayler
ALBERT AYLER QUARTET - The Hilversum Session (1964-2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
The Hilversum Session by Albert Ayler is one of those legendary recordings in free jazz. It was recorded in a Netherlands radio studio in front of a small invited audience, at the end of the Ayler Quartet's European tour on November 9, 1964. The band -- Ayler, Don Cherry, Gary Peacock, and Sunny Murray -- had been playing Ayler's tunes for months and were uncanny in their ability to hear one another and improvise together at that point. It was also the last time the group would record together under Ayler's name as a quartet, and they went out at a peak. The recording itself remained unissued until 1980, when it appeared on an LP on the long-defunct Osmosis label. Most of the tunes were, and remain, fairly common Ayler creations. "Ghosts" was recorded numerous times in 1964, and "Spirits" first appeared on both Witches & Devils and on a record with the same title; both appeared on Spiritual Unity; while the tune "C.A.C," is actually the original title for the cut "The Wizard," also from Spiritual Unity. According to the liner notes, the closing number, "No Name," was added as a coda to the infamous "Bells," issued in 1965, and in its relatively melodic beauty reveals another dimension to the fierce but inspiring improvisation by this quartet, who would take Ayler's skeletal melodies and move them to the margins of musical language itself. "Infant Happiness," by Cherry, is the only piece not authored by Ayler. The saxophonist kicks it off before he is joined by the trumpeter near the end of bar four in a knotty but wonderfully nursery rhyme-like melody that is reminiscent of the music Cherry played with his former and future boss Ornette Coleman. This set is a defining moment, not just historically, but musically. The intense listening and interplay that goes on here is inspiring. Gary Peacock and Sunny Murray may have played better elsewhere, but they never played with the kind of deep communication they enjoyed together as a rhythm section and with other front-line players than they do here. Ayler is no longer striving to find the outer limits of spiritual expression in his music; it's all on display here, and Cherry, the inveterate and outrageously talented listener/musician is in full bloom, untethered as a soloist, yet, like the other three, remaining an inextricable part of a band. These cats play together with the kind of intuition and foresight only a seasoned group can; they understand the nuances of the language they are speaking and know how to offer those to the listener emotionally, musically, and even culturally. This is a welcome issue.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1 Angels 6'54
Albert Ayler
2 C.A.C. 5'00
Albert Ayler
3 Ghosts 7'30
Albert Ayler
4 Infant Happiness 6'06
Don Cherry
5 Spirits 9'10
Albert Ayler
6 No Name 5'41
Albert Ayler
Credits :
Bass – Gary Peacock
Cornet – Don Cherry
Drums – Sunny Murray
Tenor Saxophone – Albert Ayler
ALBERT AYLER - Live In Europe 1964-1966 (1991) Unofficial Release | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Tracklist :
1 Mothers 7:36
Composed By – Albert Ayler
2 Children 8:04
Composed By – Albert Ayler
3 Holy Spirits 8:03
Composed By – Albert Ayler
4 Our Prayer 4:24
Composed By – Donald Ayler
5 Ghosts - Bells 11:11
Composed By – Albert Ayler
6 Truth Is Marching In 7:06
Composed By – Albert Ayler
7 Omega 3:40
Composed By – Albert Ayler
Credits :
Bass – Bill Folwell (pistas: 4 to 7), Gary Peacock (pistas: 1 to 3)
Drums – Beaver Harris (pistas: 4 to 7), Sunny Murray (pistas: 1 to 3)
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax] – Albert Ayler
Trumpet – Don Cherry (pistas: 1 to 3), Donald Ayler (pistas: 4 to 7)
Violin – Michael Sampson (pistas: 4 to 7)
Notas.
Tracks 1-3: Recorded live at Montmartre Jazzhus, Copenhagen (Denmark) on November 5, 1964
Tracks 4-7: Recorded live at Berlin Jazz Festival, Berlin (Germany) on November 3, 1966
However, tracks 1-3 were in fact recorded on September 3, 1964 (subsequently released as part of The Copenhagen Tapes).
ALBERT AYLER TRIO - Spiritual Unity (1965-1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Spiritual Unity was the album that pushed Albert Ayler to the forefront of jazz's avant-garde, and the first jazz album ever released by Bernard Stollman's seminal ESP label. It was really the first available document of Ayler's music that matched him with a group of truly sympathetic musicians, and the results are a magnificently pure distillation of his aesthetic. Bassist Gary Peacock's full-toned, free-flowing ideas and drummer Sunny Murray's shifting, stream-of-consciousness rhythms (which rely heavily on shimmering cymbal work) are crucial in throwing the constraints off of Ayler's playing. Yet as liberated and ferociously primitive as Ayler sounds, the group isn't an unhinged mess -- all the members listen to the subtler nuances in one another's playing, pushing and responding where appropriate. Their collective improvisation is remarkably unified -- and as for the other half of the album's title, Ayler conjures otherworldly visions of the spiritual realm with a gospel-derived fervor. Titles like "The Wizard," "Spirits," and "Ghosts" (his signature tune, introduced here in two versions) make it clear that Ayler's arsenal of vocal-like effects -- screams, squeals, wails, honks, and the widest vibrato ever heard on a jazz record -- were sonic expressions of a wildly intense longing for transcendence. With singable melodies based on traditional folk songs and standard scales, Ayler took the simplest musical forms and imbued them with a shockingly visceral power -- in a way, not unlike the best rock & roll, which probably accounted for the controversy his approach generated. To paraphrase one of Ayler's most famous quotes, this music was about feelings, not notes, and on Spiritual Unity that philosophy finds its most concise, concentrated expression. A landmark recording that's essential to any basic understanding of free jazz. Steve Huey
Tracklist :
1 Ghosts: First Variation 5'16
Albert Ayler
2 The Wizard 7'24
Albert Ayler
3 Spirits 6'50
Albert Ayler / David Hudson
4 Ghosts: Second Variation 10'01
Albert Ayler
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Sunny Murray
Illustration [Cover] – Howard Bernstein
Tenor Saxophone, Composed By – Albert Ayler
2.12.22
ALBERT AYLER - New York Eye and Ear Control (1964-2000) APE (tracks+.cue), lossless
This is a very interesting set, music that was freely improvised and used as the soundtrack for the 34-minute short film New York Eye and Ear Control. Tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler leads the all-star sextet (which also includes trumpeter Don Cherry, altoist John Tchicai, trombonist Roswell Rudd, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray) on two lengthy jams. The music is fiery but with enough colorful moments to hold one's interest throughout. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Don's Dawn 1'03
Albert Ayler
2 A Y 21'21
Albert Ayler
3 ITT 23'23
Albert Ayler
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – John Tchicai
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Sonny Murray
Tenor Saxophone – Albert Ayler
Trombone – Roswell Rudd
Trumpet – Don Cherry
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e.s.t. — Retrospective 'The Very Best Of e.s.t. (2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
"Retrospective - The Very Best Of e.s.t." is a retrospective of the unique work of e.s.t. and a tribute to the late mastermind Esb...