ERIC DOLPHY — Muses (2013) MONO | Historical Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Marshmallow release in its Historical Series features Eric Dolphy's previously unreleased studio recordings from the so-called "Douglas Sessions," supposedly produced by Alan Douglas who was an A&R man for United Artists. Some materials from these sessions have been released over the years from several different labels, including the album Conversations from the FM label and Iron Man from the Douglas label.
Tracks 1 and 3-5 are previously unreleased alternate takes from these sessions, and Track 2 is a newly discovered tune that was supposedly "rejected" and therefore thought to have been erased. The album opens with two stunning duo performances by Dolphy and bassist Richard Davis. Their interplay is intimate and at times telepathetic. "Iron Man" and "Mandrake" are played by a quintet featuring Woody Shaw on trumpet and Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone. "Love Me" is a searing alto sax solo performance by Dolphy.
Tracklist :
1    Alone Together 12:07
Written-By – A. Schwartz
2    Muses 8:48
Written-By – E. Dolphy
3    Iron Man 8:27
Written-By – E. Dolphy
4    Love Me 3:39
Written-By – V. Young
5    Mandrake 4:18
Written-By – E. Dolphy
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Eric Dolphy (tracks: 3 to 5)
Bass – Eddie Khan (tracks: 3), Richard Davis (tracks: 1, 2, 5)
Bass Clarinet – Eric Dolphy (tracks: 1, 2)
Drums – J.C. Moses (tracks: 3, 5)
Trumpet – Woody Shaw (tracks: 3, 5)
Vibraphone – Bobby Hutcherson (tracks: 3, 5)
Recorded in New York, July 1st (1,2), July 3rd or 4th, 1963.

ANDREW HILL — Grass Roots (1968-2014) RM | SHM-CD | Serie Blue Note Masterworks | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As the '60s drew to a close, Blue Note spent less time than ever with adventurous music, since it didn't sell as well as soul-jazz or mainstream hard bop. So, it may seem a little strange that the label invited Andrew Hill back to record in 1968, two years after he last cut a session for the label. Hill's work for the label stands among the most challenging cerebral post-bop of the '60s, but there was another side of Hill that wasn't showcased on those records: He also had a knack for groove and melody, as indicated by his composition "The Rumproller," a hard-grooving hard-bop classic made famous by trumpeter Lee Morgan. That was the side that Blue Note wanted to showcase on Grass Roots. Hill and his band were working from the basic template of making a commercial hard-bop album, but nevertheless pushed themselves to challenging territory. Blue Note sat on the session however, and Hill went back to the studio four months later with a new group of musicians: trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Freddie Waits. This group was every bit as adventurous as the last, but they laid down a solid groove without compromising the music. The end result may not be as bracing as Hill's earlier works, but it's a pleasure to hear him in such a genial, welcoming mood. Furthermore, the record is hardly insubstantial musically -- the songs have strong melodies, even hooks, to bring casual listeners in, but they give the musicians the freedom to find a distinctive voice in their solos. It's the best of both worlds, actually -- accessible, just like Blue Note wanted, without compromising Hill's integrity. [Blue Note's 2000 CD reissue contains the entire first draft of the album as a bonus.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1. Grass Roots 5:41
 Andrew Hill
2. Venture Inward 4:46
 Andrew Hill
3. Mira 6:20
 Andrew Hill
4. Soul Special 8:22
 Andrew Hill
5. Bayou Red 7:45
 Andrew Hill
- Bonus Tracks -
6. MC 9:11
 Andrew Hill
7. Venture Inward 4:34
 Andrew Hill
8. Soul Special 8:51
 Andrew Hill
9. Bayou Red 5:59
 Andrew Hill
Credits:
Bass – Reggie Workman (tracks: 6 to 10), Ron Carter (tracks: 1 to 5)
Drums – Freddie Waits (tracks: 1 to 5), Idris Muhammad (tracks: 6 to 10)
Guitar – Jimmy Ponder (tracks: 6, 8, 9)
Piano, Composed By – Andrew Hill
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin (tracks: 1 to 5), Frank Mitchell (tracks: 6 to 10)
Trumpet – Lee Morgan (tracks: 1 to 5), Woody Shaw (tracks: 6 to 10) 

JOE ZAWINUL — Zawinul (1971-1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Conceptually, sonically, this is really the first Weather Report album in all but name, confirming that Joe Zawinul was the primary creative engine behind the group from the beginning. It is also the link between WR and Miles Davis' keyboard-laden experiments on In a Silent Way; indeed, the tune "In a Silent Way" is redone in the more complex form in which Zawinul envisioned it, and Miles even contributes a brief, generous tribute to Zawinul on the liner. Two keyboardists -- Zawinul and the formidable Herbie Hancock -- form the underpinning of this stately, probing album, garnishing their work with the galactic sound effects of the Echoplex and ring modulator. Earl Turbinton provides the Wayne Shorter-like beams of light on the soprano sax, spelled by Wayne himself on "Double Image." The third founder of WR, Miroslav Vitous, checks in on bass, and hard-bopping trumpeter Woody Shaw proves to be perfectly adept at the jazz-rock game. Two short-lived standards of the jazz-rock era, the aforementioned "Double Image" and "Doctor Honoris Causa," are introduced here, yet it is mood pieces like "His Last Journey" and "Arrival in New York" that with the help of tape-speed manipulation, establish the lasting, murky, reflective ambience of this CD. Richard S. Ginell      Tracklist & Credits :

JOE ZAWINUL — Concerto Retitled (1976-2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As Joe Zawinul's electric band Weather Report gathered momentum in the '70s, Atlantic put together a single-LP anthology of Zawinul's earlier two albums for Atlantic and one for Vortex. The irony, of course, is that the Zawinul of most of these tracks basically did not exist as of 1976, nor has this compulsively forward-looking musician returned to his acoustic jazz roots since. Fully half of the tracks - the Tatumesque solo number, "My One and Only Love," the straight-ahead "Riverbed," and trio numbers "Del Sasser" and "Sharon's Waltz" (with Cannonball Adderley's rhythm section, Sam Jones and Louis Hayes) come from the Money in the Pocket album. "From Vienna with Love" and "Concerto Retitled" (both from The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream) are backed by William Fischer's brooding neo-classical arrangements for cello and three violas. From these relatively conventional pursuits, it is a jolt to hear two hauntingly spiritual tracks - the electronically slowed-down "His Most Journey" and "In a Silent Way - " from the Zawinul album, the prelude to Weather Report. Though all of this stuff is out on CD in complete form, this is still useful as a quick trip through Zawinul's extraordinary changes over a short span of time. Richard S. Ginell    Tracklist & Credits :  

LARRY YOUNG — Unity (1966-2014) RM | Serie Blue Note The Masterworks | SHM-CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

On Unity, jazz organist Larry Young began to display some of the angular drive that made him a natural for the jazz-rock explosion to come barely four years later. While about as far from the groove jazz of Jimmy Smith as you could get, Young hadn't made the complete leap into freeform jazz-rock either. Here he finds himself in very distinguished company: drummer Elvin Jones, trumpeter Woody Shaw, and saxman Joe Henderson. Young was clearly taken by the explorations of saxophonists Coleman and Coltrane, as well as the tonal expressionism put in place by Sonny Rollins and the hard-edged modal music of Miles Davis and his young quintet. But the sound here is all Young: the rhythmic thrusting pulses shoved up against Henderson and Shaw as the framework for a melody that never actually emerges ("Zoltan" -- one of three Shaw tunes here), the skipping chords he uses to supplant the harmony in "Monk's Dream," and also the reiterating of front-line phrases a half step behind the beat to create an echo effect and leave a tonal trace on the soloists as they emerge into the tunes (Henderson's "If" and Shaw's "The Moontrane"). All of these are Young trademarks, displayed when he was still very young, yet enough of a wiseacre to try to drive a group of musicians as seasoned as this -- and he succeeded each and every time. As a soloist, Young is at his best on Shaw's "Beyond All Limits" and the classic nugget "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise." In his breaks, Young uses the middle register as a place of departure, staggering arpeggios against chords against harmonic inversions that swing plenty and still comes out at all angles. Unity proved that Young's debut, Into Somethin', was no fluke, and that he could play with the lions. And as an album, it holds up even better than some of the work by his sidemen here.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1 Zoltan 7:36
Woody Shaw
2 Monk's Dream 5:45
Thelonious Monk
3 If 6:42
Joe Henderson
4 The Moontrane 7:18
Woody Shaw
5 Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise 6:20
Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
6 Beyond All Limits 6:00
Woody Shaw
Credits :
Drums – Elvin Jones
Organ – Larry Young
Tenor Saxophone – Joe Henderson
Trumpet – Woody Shaw

ARCHIE SHEPP - For Losers + Kwanza (2011) RM | Impulse! 2-On-1 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Though the two titles featured on this Impulse two-fer were originally issued four years apart, they were recorded pretty much at the same time. For Losers, released in 1970, reflects Archie Shepp's deep fascination with rhythm & blues and soul, as well as showing how vanguard jazz drew directly from the tradition. Produced by Ed Michel, this album (and Kwanza) features Shepp in the company of Grachan Moncur III, Jimmy Owens, Woody Shaw, Charles Davis, Dave Burrell, Cedar Walton, Andy Bey, Robin Kenyatta, Cecil Payne, James Spaulding, Wilbur Ware, Beaver Harris, Bernard Purdie, Joe Chambers, Leon Thomas, and Doris Troy, to name a few. It ranges from the funky stomp of "Stick 'Em Up" with Thomas up front and which draws equally on James Brown and Rufus Thomas, through to an avant version of Duke Ellington's "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)," with Troy's vocal atop a warm but angular and elastic harmonic arrangement, to a nearly straight version of Cal Massey's classic ballad "What Would It Be Without You," with beautiful interplay between Shepp's tenor and Payne's flute. The entire second side is taken up by "Un Croque Monsieur (Poem: For Losers)," an outside jazz jam of epic proportions. Kwanza, though it was recorded at nearly the same time, was not released until 1974. Its cuts display the same lineups as those on For Losers. While on the surface it would seem to be a collection of outtakes and leftovers from the earlier album, it doesn't doesn't play like one. With Michel producing only one track, and the balance by Bob Thiele, it sounds more like a direct follow-up. Shepp composed three tunes here; two of which ("Back Back" and "Slow Drag," with killer trumpet work by Shaw) reflect the tough, nasty soul and rhythm & blues foundations of the earlier album, while the other, "Spoo Pee Doo," while brief, is a curiously strange midtempo jazz ballad sung by Thomas. Moncur's modally based free workout "New Africa" appears as the set's longest and most satisfying number, with another Massey number, "Makai," which has its repetitive, labyrinthine counterpoint played to the hilt by Shepp and bassist Walter Booker. Together, For Losers and Kwanza are hotly debated but essential parts of the Shepp Impulse discography; they embody not merely the paradoxes of his vision, but the enormity of it.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
For Losers    
1    Stick 'Em Up 2:05
Alto Saxophone – Robin Kenyatta
Bass [Fender] – Albert Winston, Wilton Felder
Drums – Beaver Harris
Guitar – Bert Payne
Organ, Guitar – Mel Brown
Piano – Andrew Bey
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Martin Banks
Vocals – Doris Troy, Leon Thomas, Tasha Thomas
2    Abstract 4:20
Alto Saxophone – James Spaulding
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass [Fender] – Bob Bushnell
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Guitar – Wally Richardson
Organ – Dave Burrell
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Jimmy Owens
3    I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 5:16
Alto Saxophone – Clarence Sharpe
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Vocals – Chinalin Sharpe
4    What Would It Be Without You 4:05
Baritone Saxophone, Flute – Cecil Payne
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
5    Un Croque Monsieur (Poem: For Losers) 21:49
Alto Saxophone – Clarence Sharpe
Baritone Saxophone – Cecil Payne
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Matthew Gee
Trumpet – Woody Shaw
Vocals – Chinalin Sharpe
Kwanza    
6    Back Back 5:45
Alto Saxophone – James Spaulding
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass [Fender] – Bob Bushnell
Drums – Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie
Guitar – Wally Richardson
Organ – Dave Burrell
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens
7    Spoo Pee Doo 2:37
Bass – Albert Winston
Drums – Beaver Harris
Guitar – Bert Payne
Piano – Andrew Bey
Trumpet – Martin Banks
Vocals – Doris Troy, Leon Thomas, Tasha Thomas
8    New Africa 12:47
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass – Walter Booker
Drums – Beaver Harris
Piano – Dave Burrell
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens
Vocals – Archie Shepp
9    Slow Drag 10:08
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Trumpet – Woody Shaw
10    Bakai 9:57
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass – Walter Booker
Drums – Beaver Harris
Piano – Dave Burrell
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens

ARCHIE SHEPP - Kwanza (1974-2006) RM | Serie : Impulse! Originals | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Kwanza is a curious Archie Shepp recording. Released in 1969 on Impulse, it features cuts recorded between September 1968 and August 1969 with an assortment of lineups. Four of the album's five cuts were produced by Bob Thiele, and one, "Slow Drag," by Ed Michel. Shepp composed three tunes here, and he is in the company of musicians such as Grachan Moncur III (who composed "New Africa"), Jimmy Owens, Dave Burrell, Wally Richardson, Bob Bushnell, Bernard Purdie and Beaver Harris, Leon Thomas, Charles Davis, Woody Shaw, Cedar Walton, Wilbur Ware, Joe Chambers, Cecil Payne, and others. As the title might suggest, Kwanza is a joyful record, full of celebration in blues and jazz. "Back Back" opens the set with a colossal funky blues that feels like an out version of the JB's with Burrell kicking it on B-3. The all-too-brief "Spoo Dee Doo," showcases Thomas' unique, and truly awesome vocal stylings along with Tasha Thomas and Doris Troy providing a swinging backing R&B chorus. "New Africa" is the most vanguard track here, with a different rhythm section than on "Back Back," and no guitar, Burrell returns to his piano. It begins in a manner that suggests anger, but not rage. It becomes an edgeless, rounded meditation on joy and gratitude, a statement of purpose at realization and transcendence with Shepp, Owens. and Davis playing alongside Moncur as a monumental choral line in timbres; textures, big harmonic reaches and ultimately resolution. "Slow Drag," is a funky blues tune, it struts a minor key line that feels like a mutated "Wade in the Water," but its Latin rhythms and the killer bass work of Wilbur Ware make the cut a standout. The set closes with Cal Massey's "Bakai," a tune that walks a fringed line on the inside and swings like mad. Kwanza may not be one of Shepp's better known recordings, but it is certainly one of his fine ones.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     Back Back 5'45
Alto Saxophone – James Spaulding
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass – Bob Bushnell
Composed By – Archie Shepp
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Guitar – Wally Richardson
Organ – Dave Burrell
Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens    
2     Spoo Dee Doo 2'38
Bass – Albert Winston
Composed By – Archie Shepp
Drums – Beaver Harris
Flute – Robin Kenyatta
Guitar – Bert Payne
Piano – Andrew Bey
Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Trumpet – Martin Banks
Vocals – Doris Troy, Leon Thomas, Tasha Thomas
3     New Africa 12'50
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass – Walter Booker
Composed By – Grachan Moncur III
Drums – Beaver Harris
Piano – Dave Burrell
Tenor Saxophone, Vocals – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens
4     Slow Drag 10'09
Alto Saxophone – Clarence Sharpe
Baritone Saxophone – Cecil Payne
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Composed By – Archie Shepp
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Matthew Gee
Trumpet – Woody Shaw
5     Bakai 9'59
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis
Bass – Walter Booker
Composed By – Cal Massey
Drums – Beaver Harris
Piano – Dave Burrell
Tenor Saxophone, Vocals – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens

HANK MOBLEY - Reach Out ! (1968-2005) RVG Edition | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Reach Out was one of the few times Hank Mobley left behind driving, aggressive hard bop, choosing to concentrate on lightly grooving bop and soul-jazz instead. Essentially, the session resulted in the most commercially oriented record he made, complete with two pop covers ("Reach Out (I'll Be There)," "Goin' Out of My Head") and a laidback, swinging vibe. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but the band -- an impressive lineup of Woody Shaw (trumpet, flugelhorn), George Benson (guitar), Lamont Johnson (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums) -- sounds constrained by the material and their desire to make the music appeal to a wide audience. Things rarely are worse than on "Reach Out," where the group not only fails to lay down a groove, but they often sound on the verge of falling apart, especially during Higgins' poorly timed breaks. They recover shortly afterward, but no one sounds particularly enthusiastic, including Mobley. In fact, Mobley's presence on the record feels strangely minimal. Only during "Good Pickin's" -- a laidback bop original that's easily the best thing here -- does he come alive, weaving a spell with long, liquid lines, but its subtle grace just illustrates the problems with this curiously bland record. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1     Reach Out (I'll Be There) 6:49
Lamont Dozier / Brian Holland / Eddie Holland    
2     Up, Over, And Out 5:52
Hank Mobley    
3     Lookin' East 5:19
Hank Mobley    
4     Goin' Out of My Head  5:19
Teddy Randazzo / Bob Weinstein
5     Good Pickin's 5:30
Hank Mobley    
6     Beverly 7:01
Lamont Johnson
Credits :
Bass – Bob Cranshaw
Drums – Billy Higgins
Guitar – George Benson
Mastered By – Ron McMaster
Piano – LaMont Johnson
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Woody Shaw

HANK MOBLEY - Thinking of Home (1970-2002) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For what would be his final of over 20 Blue Note albums, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley uses a sextet that also includes trumpeter Woody Shaw, the obscure guitarist Eddie Diehl, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Mickey Bass, and drummer Leroy Williams for a typically challenging set of advanced hard bop music. For the first and only time in his career, Mobley recorded a "Suite" (consisting of "Thinking of Home," "The Flight," and "Home at Last"); the remainder of the set has three of his other attractive originals plus Mickey Bass' "Gayle's Groove." This music was not released for the first time until 1980. It is only fitting that Hank Mobley would record one of the last worthwhile Blue Note albums before its artistic collapse (it would not be revived until the 1980s) for his consistent output helped define the label's sound in the 1960s. Mobley's excellent playing and the adventurous solos of Woody Shaw make this hard-to-find LP (his last as a leader) one to hunt for. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Suite: Thinking of Home/The Flight/Home at Last 10:06
Hank Mobley    
2     Justine 13:04
Hank Mobley    
3     You Gotta Hit It 5:34
Hank Mobley    
4    Gayle's Groove 5:33
Mickey Bass    
5     Talk About Gittin'  8:38
Hank Mobley    
Credits :
Bass – Mickey Bass
Drums – Leroy Williams
Guitar – Eddie Diehl
Piano – Cedar Walton
Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley
Trumpet – Woody Shaw

BOOKER ERVIN - Tex Book Tenor (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tex Book Tenor was recorded in 1968 as a follow-up to Booker Ervin's debut date for Blue Note, The In Between, which was released in January of the same year. (Ervin had made two records for Pacific Jazz, which is now owned, like Blue Note, by EMI.) The album remained unreleased until 1976, when it was issued with an also unreleased Horace Parlan date on a double LP called Back from the Gig. This is its first appearance on CD. The lineup is stellar and includes Billy Higgins, Woody Shaw, Kenny Barron, and bassist Jan Arnet from Czechoslovakia. Barron and Ervin had worked together before, and Arnet had worked with Ervin three years earlier as a touring partner in Germany. The music here includes three Ervin originals, Barron's wonderful "Gichi," and Shaw's "In a Capricornian Way." The Afro-Latin-influenced grooves of "Gichi" display Ervin playing his solo in prime snake-charmer mode. His own "Den Tex" is classic hard bop with Barron and Ervin going head to head throughout. "Lynn's Tune" is a beautiful midtempo ballad with wonderful work by Arnet and a loping solo by Shaw. The closer is "204," a steaming hard bop tune with a killer head featuring the two horns just pushing the tempo before Ervin goes off the map into his solo. Barron's playing is totally inspired, pushing huge chords at both players as they dig into the changes and come out breathing fire. This is a wonderful addition not only to the Blue Note catalog on CD, but to Ervin's own shelf as well, and should be picked up by anyone interested in him as a bandleader and composer.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1     Gichi 7:27
Kenny Barron
2     Den Tex 7:38
Booker Ervin
3     In a Capricornian Way 5:52
Woody Shaw
4     Lynn's Tune 6:16
Booker Ervin
5     204 10:21
Booker Ervin
Credits :
Bass – Jan Arnet
Drums – Billy Higgins
Piano – Kenny Barron
Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin
Trumpet – Woody Shaw

ANDREW HILL - Grass Roots (1968-2014) RM / BLUE NOTE MASTERWORKS / SHM-CD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As the '60s drew to a close, Blue Note spent less time than ever with adventurous music, since it didn't sell as well as soul-jazz or mainstream hard bop. So, it may seem a little strange that the label invited Andrew Hill back to record in 1968, two years after he last cut a session for the label. Hill's work for the label stands among the most challenging cerebral post-bop of the '60s, but there was another side of Hill that wasn't showcased on those records: He also had a knack for groove and melody, as indicated by his composition "The Rumproller," a hard-grooving hard-bop classic made famous by trumpeter Lee Morgan. That was the side that Blue Note wanted to showcase on Grass Roots. Hill and his band were working from the basic template of making a commercial hard-bop album, but nevertheless pushed themselves to challenging territory. Blue Note sat on the session however, and Hill went back to the studio four months later with a new group of musicians: trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Freddie Waits. This group was every bit as adventurous as the last, but they laid down a solid groove without compromising the music. The end result may not be as bracing as Hill's earlier works, but it's a pleasure to hear him in such a genial, welcoming mood. Furthermore, the record is hardly insubstantial musically -- the songs have strong melodies, even hooks, to bring casual listeners in, but they give the musicians the freedom to find a distinctive voice in their solos. It's the best of both worlds, actually -- accessible, just like Blue Note wanted, without compromising Hill's integrity. [Blue Note's 2000 CD reissue contains the entire first draft of the album as a bonus.] by Stephen Thomas Erlewine 
Tracklist:
1 Grass Roots 5:41
 Andrew Hill
2 Venture Inward 4:46
 Andrew Hill
3 Mira 6:20
 Andrew Hill
4 Soul Special 8:22
 Andrew Hill
5 Bayou Red 7:45
 Andrew Hill
- Bonus Tracks -
6 MC 9:11
 Andrew Hill
7 Venture Inward 4:34
 Andrew Hill
8 Soul Special 8:51
 Andrew Hill
9 Bayou Red 5:59
 Andrew Hill
10 Love Nocturne 7:33
 Andrew Hill
Credits:
Bass – Reggie Workman (tracks: 6 to 10), Ron Carter (tracks: 1 to 5)
Drums – Freddie Waits (tracks: 1 to 5), Idris Muhammad (tracks: 6 to 10)
Guitar – Jimmy Ponder (tracks: 6, 8, 9)
Piano, Composed By – Andrew Hill
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin (tracks: 1 to 5), Frank Mitchell (tracks: 6 to 10)
Trumpet – Lee Morgan (tracks: 1 to 5), Woody Shaw (tracks: 6 to 10)

WOODY SHAW - Solid (1987-2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD serves as a perfect introduction to the memorable but always underrated trumpeter Woody Shaw, who tragically had only three years left to live. Sticking to jazz standards (including "There Will Never Be Another You," a ten-minute rendition of "It Might as Well Be Spring," and a surprisingly effective up-tempo romp through "The Woody Woodpecker Song"), Shaw is heard in a quartet with pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Neil Swainson, and drummer Victor Jones, leading a quintet on two numbers with the up-and-coming altoist Kenny Garrett, and welcoming guest guitarist Peter Leitch to a sextet rendition of Sonny Rollins' "Solid." A gem. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 There Will Never Be Another You 6:55
2 You Stepped Out Of A Dream 5:29
3 Speak Low 8:55
4 Solid 4:39
5 It Might As Well Be Spring 10:00
6 The Woody Woodpecker Song 3:42
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Kenny Garrett (tracks: 1, 3, 4)
Bass – Neil Swainson
Drums – Victor Jones
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Guitar – Peter Leitch (tracks: 4)
Mastered By – Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Kenny Barron
Trumpet – Woody Shaw