king ubu

well, amazon says this: Johnny Mbizo Dyani was a South African bassist and composer who came to London as an apartheid exile with his compatriots in the racially-mixed Blue Notes group in 1964, and played a key role in the creative impact they made on British jazz in that era, before his death in 1986. This double album, also celebrating the 40th birthday of London jazz label Cadillac, catches the nimble and dramatic Dyani in a scorching free-jazz trio with the likewise shortlived trumpeter Mongezi Feza and classically trained Turkish drummer Okay Temiz, and a hollering, joyous, township-grooves septet including the great Blue Notes saxophonist Dudu Pukwana. Feza, a fizzing blend of Miles Davis and Don Cherry, leads the trio set with his fast, impulsive, fearlessly haphazard attack, while Dyani fuses implacable walks, richly sombre chordwork and audacious free-jazz countermelody. But the septet tracks are this collection's most openly attractive features featuring Dyani on electric keys and vocals, the robustly sublime Pukwana on alto sax and whistles, and a powerful electric lineup. It's mostly about catchy Dyani songs and a party vibe, but there's enough of the inimitable Pukwana's talkative, cajoling, and sometimes romantically smoky horn to keep the jazzers smiling. --The Guardian This first release in Cadillac's '40th Anniversary Series' brings together two albums by the great South African bass player Johhny Mbizo Dyani, both originally released by Cadillac on vinyl and never before issued on CD. REJOICE is a trio album with Dyani's compatriot Mongezi Feza and Turkish percussionist Okay Temiz, recorded at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm in October 1972, during a Swedish tour. Sadly by the time the album was actually released in 1988 only one member of the group remained, Feza having died in 1975 aged 30 and Dyani in 1986 aged 39. Both musicians had left South Africa as members of the Blue Notes group, settling in London never to return to their apartheid homeland. TOGETHER was also recorded in Stockholm, where Dyani was by then living, in Dec 1979 / Jan 1980. The group was put together specially with Dyani's old cohort Dudu Pukwana invited over from London to play. 'The music is very special. Transcending the boundaries of nations and cultures, Mbizo s enthusiasm spread and inspired the sessions with his intense passion. A passion which revelled in a nostalgia for the myths and melodies of Marabi and Kwela. Mbizo s life was music, he gave his life for music. These sessions are Mbizo s own testimony to the spirit of hope for the future, for a better world. It is a statement so filled with vitality and with the joy of rediscovered roots that it will stand as a signpost to the whole of his life and work.' (from the sleevenotes) _______ of course I had no idea (I'd miss any Ogun if not for this place, those websites have been useless except maybe to look up what else I've missed out on) - but this is seriously great news to me!

Sad news! Never managed to hear him live, but The Crusaders were part of what ultimately drew me to jazz!

Yes indeed! I don't think I've heard anything bad by Ellington anyways ... even the drabber sessions usually contain some hidden pleasures! Same goes for the box I've started listening last night and in the middle of by now:

Thanks - I try not to re-buy as well, so I can surely understand! The ones you mention (Scott, McDuff, Fathead/McDuff, Scott, Hubbad, some of the Jobims and Jacos and the Hubbard) I all have in the old european digipack series ("Atlantic Masters", "Warner Masters", the Hubbard may actually be an "Atlantic Original Sound" one). I think those aren't exactly loved for sonics, either, but they're good enough for me (and frankly none of the albums is important enough that I'd consider upgrading - I love McDuff, but his Atlantics aren't my favourites by far, the Scott and one or two of the Jobims are my favourites of these). One that I did get a while ago, in its proper Japanese version, is Robin Kenyatta's "Until" - pretty interesting album! (links: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/WPCR-27317)

Oh, great! Will have to look for it, too, then!

Yeah, because it's different, it's all the worse it's not really succesfull all 'round! Could have been a truly good one, but the organ's just too much! The two Grassella Oliphant (what a name!) ones are pretty good though - agreed on that! And the Jimmy Scott is a classic, I guess ... Now, where's the Jimmy Owens/Kenny Barron Atlantic, please? Has that one been included in any of those recent series?

I find the Stitt only half-good ... organ's a textbook example of heavy handed, clogging ... too bad, as the mid-size band and some of the arrangements are pretty nice indeed!

agreed.... Not that I really care all that much, but did you guys actually compare any albums that were released both in the proper Japanese and the Euro versions? Or is that just a general statement? Which no doubt I don't doubt, just wondering ...

Joe Chambers - one of the unsung heroes of the Blue Note avantgarde!

thx, was indeed unaware of that one!

Okay, I skipped "Chris in Person" since I have some Collectables of that one ... I also have "A Portrait of Chris Connor" from the series though, so there were at least four of them. And as they cost 4€ a pop I didn't think twice.

violin, I guess .... but not an easy call!

Is this about proper Japanese Chris Connor reissues or about those "made in Europe" ones? Or are those identical to Japanese reissues anyways? (I have bought a couple of the Euro ones, at least one was new to me ... will need to dig them up, so far I've not noticed anything, but I guess by now I'm notorious here for not bothering about these things too much.)

There are two fine volumes of live music by the Ventura/Harris band on Highnote ... and there's one of those Baldwin Street/Devil's Music thingies, too - some *great* stuff there, "Live at Birdland" (that's the CD's title, too) from 1952 with Lockjaw (one date) and Ray Abrams (two) on tenor, the final one has Horace Silver and Chubby Jackson, too, Ed Shaughnessy's on drums all the way. As a bonus you get some Keynote sides (from 1945/46).

I know! Still, pre-J.J., Harris was one of the most musically refined. Maybe not timbre and phrasing-wise, but if that keeps you (impersonal "you" - not you, Steve!) from hearing all his great ideas and his advanced style, well, your loss! And I also agree with the sentiment above that Fuller at least early on had a tonal quality pretty different from Johnson's, much bigger sound and more of that typical 'bonish slightly awkward delivery, which Johnson got rid off (Winding didn't, to my ears - he often sounds like a hack next to Johnson, at least to my ears, but I don't know their recordings all that well yet, so my judgement may be off and/or may change). But some of those guys Larry mentioned, most notably Teagarden, probably were technically further evolved than some of the early modern jazzers, I assume? Can't quite judge that myself as I don't know how to play the trombone (or any brass instrument), but aural impression makes me think so.

Harris "vulgar"? Pretty ridiculous!

Only LP you have? Only Trovesi you have? Only Trovesi you know? If either of the latter two, do change that! How about Italian Instabile Orchestra?

Sad news - but I guess he had quite a life indeed and left us with some great music! Much obliged, Mr. Wilson!

Paul Desmond's RCA albums, one with strings and several in quartet with Jim Hall.

Grant Green's wonderful "Am I Blue" also ... there are more organ dates, but soul-jazz organ dates I wouldn't really know. "Am I Blue" is pretty darn soulful though, but that's not what soul jazz is about

Remondini was a regular Trovesi sideman at some point, "Electric Five" is duplicated between this and the Rava set (and it's good no great, I'd say), don't think I've ever heard of Alfredo Impulliti ... Anyway, re: Trovesi on ECM, I guess I agree - the Trovesi/Coscia on Egea is better than their ECMs I've heard. But add Enja to the game, if only for "Round About a Midsummer's Dream" - that, to me, is probably one of the finest jazz albums of the nineties.

Well, whatever it is, this was my first Blakey album and still is my favourite - I'll get this new edition for sure!

some good stuff coming up ... Freddie Roach - Brown Sugar http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=UCCQ-5046 Freddie Roach - All That's Good http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=UCCQ-5064 Art Blakey - Free for All (+ 1 - what would that be?) http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=UCCQ-5047 Wayne Shorter - Super Nova http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=UCCQ-5054 Larry Young - Unity (+ 4 here - again, those are new alternates I assume?) http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=UCCQ-5049 there are many more, but I did some "manual" digging and those are the ones that ended up in my wantlist ...