What vinyl are you spinning right now??

[paul secor]

Betty Carter: Social Call (Columbia)

Listening to this, I heard a complete mastery of rhythm and tonality, along with a lack of emotional involvement. Perhaps that lack of emotional involvement is on me - perhaps it's on her.

[Leeway]

I hadn't played this in a while and was really surprised how straight-ahead this session was. Prettily played and all, but still...

[paul secor]

Phillip Wilson (w. Olu Dara): Esoteric (Hat Hut)

[JSngry]

Betty Carter: Social Call (Columbia)

Listening to this, I heard a complete mastery of rhythm and tonality, along with a lack of emotional involvement. Perhaps that lack of emotional involvement is on me - perhaps it's on her.

The great ones make it look easy...and to reach total mastery of anything takes no small emotional involvement, although not always of the "extroverted" variety.

Having said that, I love BC (the later the better, for me, and will fully stipulate to the "eccentricities" found therein), but this is not her best session, not even close. I think it was her first, though, at least as a featured artist? I've always looked at it as "first session hesitation" or whatever you want to call it.

And yet, having said that, the title tune is one of those things that gasses me so much, still, because the tune itself is wonderful, the lyrics are so cool, and she is perfect in delivering them. That, and the concept of a "social call" in general is so quaint in its present day obsolescence and so wonderful in its natural manifestation that its disappearance is one thing that I file under "World Gone Wrong" without any fear of being called nostalgic or whatever.

Hey, if you love somebody, wrap 'em up tight, ok, but if you got friends of any gender (or species), pay them a good old-fashioned social call and reap the rewards of the intangoible feelgood. Drop by chat a while, have a glass of lemonade or a cup of coffee, bid adieu, and then get back on with your day. It's a good thing, the social call is.

[JohnS]

Ahmed Abdullah Quartet - Liquid Magic [silkheart]

Such a good band, Malachi Favors, Alvin Fielder and of course, Charles Brackeen

Yes, super session.

Glad there's another fan , do you know the other Silkheart "and the Solomonic Quintet" by any chance? I'd be interested to know how it compares

Been seeking that one too. The quartet is great.

Just spent a couple of hours interviewing Abdullah the other day - cool guy, of course!

I have both of those, to my tastes the one I prefer is the Solomonic Quartet release, it is excellent.

Another excellent date. Like all of Ahmed Abdulah's recordings I know it can be safely purchased and satisfaction guaranteed

[tomatamot]

Arnett Cobb & Guy Lafitte - Live Chateauneuf du Pape March 16" 1980

[paul secor]

Ray Anderson-Mark Helias-Gerry Hemingway: You Be (Minor Music)

[paul secor]

Pee Wee Crayton: Volume Two - Rocking Down on Central Avenue (Ace)

[paul secor]

James Newton: Axum (ECM)

[paul secor]

Satoru Oda/Teddy Wilson: All of Me (Lobster)

[clifford_thornton]

Kalaparusha - s/t - (CMC/Trio, JP)

on fire, this one.

[Homefromtheforest]

Kalaparusha - s/t - (CMC/Trio, JP)

on fire, this one.

Great album

[clifford_thornton]

I don't know if it's Kalaparusha's "best," but it's up there.

Now,

Alan Silva - Pieces for Bass and Voice: Inner Song - (Center of the World, FR)

[Homefromtheforest]

Art ensemble of Chicago "nice guys" (ECM, Germany)...a recent upgrade on my slightly crackly American pressing that didn't have the foldout poster insert

[Homefromtheforest]

And now:

Evan Parker/Derek Bailey/Han Bennink "topography of the lungs" (incus, UK)

I don't know if it's Kalaparusha's "best," but it's up there.

Now,

Alan Silva - Pieces for Bass and Voice: Inner Song - (Center of the World, FR)

I think it's better then the "kwanza" lp on baystate...but only by a bit

[soulpope]

I hadn't played this in a while and was really surprised how straight-ahead this session was. Prettily played and all, but still...

since hearing this for the first time in the early eighties still one of my chico freeman faves...what a fitting contrast beetween freeman`s loose playing and the tight rhythm section(s).........

[uli]

[JohnS]

I had the urge to play this yeserday, first time in many years. Still doesn't do anything for me.

I hadn't played this in a while and was really surprised how straight-ahead this session was. Prettily played and all, but still...

since hearing this for the first time in the early eighties still one of my chico freeman faves...what a fitting contrast beetween freeman`s loose playing and the tight rhythm section(s).........

MIne too, as ballad albums go this one takes some beating.

[mjazzg]

Vinyls of each

(Looking at other posts I'm wondering why my Google Image searchs are seemingly returning far fewer and smaller images of late?)

[clifford_thornton]

I haven't listened to Spirit Sensitive in quite a while. I remember thinking it was pretty mellow but nice. The cover is cool-looking.

[JSngry]

[Leeway]

I had the urge to play this yeserday, first time in many years. Still doesn't do anything for me.

I hadn't played this in a while and was really surprised how straight-ahead this session was. Prettily played and all, but still...

since hearing this for the first time in the early eighties still one of my chico freeman faves...what a fitting contrast beetween freeman`s loose playing and the tight rhythm section(s).........

MIne too, as ballad albums go this one takes some beating.

It just struck me as a retreat from more adventurous possibilities, and since this was 1979, that was what was happening as the 80s loomed, with Chico individually, and a lot of others on the scene as well. Pretty but edge-less.

I haven't listened to Spirit Sensitive in quite a while. I remember thinking it was pretty mellow but nice. The cover is cool-looking.

Mellow but nice, yes agreed, that's what I was hearing, but that was not working for me the other day. Again, it just seemed there was a lack of edge and a bolder spirit. It sounded like surrender to me.

Edited April 9, 2014 by Leeway

[clifford_thornton]

I think you'd have to ask Chico what his motives were and what he was going for with that record. He did move in a more commercial direction in the 80s after all. That said, in 1978 he was still bringing it with Abdullah's group, among others, so there wasn't any reason to "count him out" as an interesting player.

There were quite a few "modal plateau" records from that period that did sound good, though, and it brings to mind titles issued on Whynot and East Wind in Japan during that period. Chico's "Morning Prayer" is maybe a little toothier than "Spirit Sensitive," but generally related and that did come out first in Japan.

[Leeway]

I think you'd have to ask Chico what his motives were and what he was going for with that record. He did move in a more commercial direction in the 80s after all. That said, in 1978 he was still bringing it with Abdullah's group, among others, so there wasn't any reason to "count him out" as an interesting player.

There were quite a few "modal plateau" records from that period that did sound good, though, and it brings to mind titles issued on Whynot and East Wind in Japan during that period. Chico's "Morning Prayer" is maybe a little toothier than "Spirit Sensitive," but generally related and that did come out first in Japan.

All I can say is that by the time I got around to "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," the last cut of the album, I had pretty well had it. But I do appreciate your thoughts on the album, CT.

NP: I'm a fan of the Human Arts Ensemble in its various permutations:

THE HUMAN ARTS ENSEMBLE LIVE, VOL. 1. Circle Records. Recorded live Holland, May 1978.

I'm still not completely certain who played on this album. The album credits only Charles Bobo Shaw Jr on drums; Luther Thomas on alto sax; and, John Lindberg (misspelled Linberg) on bass. The picture of Lindberg on the back cover is amusingly postage stamped size, while the picture of Joseph Bowie on trombone is the same size as those of Gray and Shaw, even though Bowie is not official credited on the album. At the end of Side 1, Bowie is mentioned by the announcer, as is James Emery on guitar, seen in one of the photos, as part of the ensemble. Officially though, they are not part of the recording. Anyway, these guys really bring it here.

[mjazzg]

I think you'd have to ask Chico what his motives were and what he was going for with that record. He did move in a more commercial direction in the 80s after all. That said, in 1978 he was still bringing it with Abdullah's group, among others, so there wasn't any reason to "count him out" as an interesting player.

There were quite a few "modal plateau" records from that period that did sound good, though, and it brings to mind titles issued on Whynot and East Wind in Japan during that period. Chico's "Morning Prayer" is maybe a little toothier than "Spirit Sensitive," but generally related and that did come out first in Japan.

All I can say is that by the time I got around to "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," the last cut of the album, I had pretty well had it. But I do appreciate your thoughts on the album, CT.

NP: I'm a fan of the Human Arts Ensemble in its various permutations:

THE HUMAN ARTS ENSEMBLE LIVE, VOL. 1. Circle Records. Recorded live Holland, May 1978.

I'm still not completely certain who played on this album. The album credits only Charles Bobo Shaw Jr on drums; Luther Thomas on alto sax; and, John Lindberg (misspelled Linberg) on bass. The picture of Lindberg on the back cover is amusingly postage stamped size, while the picture of Joseph Bowie on trombone is the same size as those of Gray and Shaw, even though Bowie is not official credited on the album. At the end of Side 1, Bowie is mentioned by the announcer, as is James Emery on guitar, seen in one of the photos, as part of the ensemble. Officially though, they are not part of the recording. Anyway, these guys really bring it here.

I've been puzzled by that cover too. I don't have vol.2 but aren't Emery and Bowie on vol.2? I assumed it was a shared back cover for both volumes.

Someone must have both volumes......