Obscure, In Print Gems In Your Collection

[skeith]

John McLaughlin - My Goal's Beyond

[Joe]

Three albums featuring one of the finest tenor saxophonists you've *never* heard, Ernie Krivda

Cadence All-Stars, LEE'S KEYS PLEASE

Edited July 23, 2003 by Joe

[rockefeller center]

Rudolph Johnson, "The Second Coming" (1973)

Kent L. Brinkley b; Douglas J. Sides, dr; Kirk Lightsey p; Rudolph Johnson ts, arr.

http://www.blackjazz.com/

[skeith]

Hey Joe,

Thanks for bringing up Ernie Krivda, my homeboy is definitely a TDWR, as downbeat likes to say.

I love his Cadence LPs : tough tenor/red hot, and Well you Needn't

[vibes]

This isn't very obscure, but I don't see it mentioned very often and I think it's a great album. I was just listening to it again and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys jazz guitar, or who just wants to add a little extra Bobby Hutcherson to their collection.

[mikeweil]

Lastly, I think this album was mentioned in a bass clarinet thread some time ago ...

Bass clarinet, cello, and either zarb or berimbau (which are, to the best of my knowledge, Middle Eastern percussion instruments). Wonderful interplay here, and Colin is perhaps the perfect foil to the Eric Dolphy school of bass clarinet playing. Colin plays the bass clarinet as his main horn (in fact I think he only plays the bass clarinet), and has mastered some of this horn's finer nuances in sound and overtone production. Warmly recommended.

Sounds interesting, but to my knowledge the ADDA label is out of business.

The zarb is a drum used in Iranian music, but the berimbau is an afro-brazilian music bow with a gourd resonator, struck with a stick held by the right hand, together with a caxixi basket rattle.

[Bright Moments]

this thread is too good to disappear! B-)

[mikeweil]

Danny Gatton & Joey DeFrancesco - "Relentless" is a "must have" for everyone on this board. It just smokes!

BTW, it is back in print (for how long, who knows?) at: Big Mo Records.

Later,

Kevin

.... honestly, it really does. But Gatton was real crazy to play like that!

[mikeweil]

Lastly, I think this album was mentioned in a bass clarinet thread some time ago ...

Bass clarinet, cello, and either zarb or berimbau (which are, to the best of my knowledge, Middle Eastern percussion instruments). Wonderful interplay here, and Colin is perhaps the perfect foil to the Eric Dolphy school of bass clarinet playing. Colin plays the bass clarinet as his main horn (in fact I think he only plays the bass clarinet), and has mastered some of this horn's finer nuances in sound and overtone production. Warmly recommended.

Sounds interesting, but to my knowledge the ADDA label is out of business.

The zarb is a drum used in Iranian music, but the berimbau is an afro-brazilian music bow with a gourd resonator, struck with a stick held by the right hand, together with a caxixi basket rattle.

The existing part of the ADDA catalogue was taken over by Arion, another French mostly classical label. I received this last month after four months of patiently waiting. It will not remain the last Colin CD in my collection.

[Larry Kart]

Soulful and quite individual but also somewhat Charlie Mariano-esque veteran altoist Kim Richmond (he also plays soprano) has a gem in "Ballads" (CMG [i.e Chase Music Group -- whatver that is], rec. 2000--probably available through Richmond's website). Utterly locked-in rhythm section -- pianist Reggie Thomas (a bit gospel-ish and/or hip R&B-like at times, a la Donald Brown), bassist Trey Henry, drummer Jo LaBarbera (who makes ballad grooves move in just the right ways) -- is a big plus, nice guest contributions by trumpeter Clay Jenkins, Bill Perkins, Vinny Golia, terrific choice of tunes (e.g Never Let Me Go, Young and Foolish, I Wish I Knew, Lazy Afternoon, Street of Dreams are the first five tracks) and tempos/moods. Maybe I shouldn't like this one as much as I do, but it knocked me out the first time I heard it and still does every time.

[BruceH]

Larry, what do you think of his other albums, Refractions, Look At the Time, and so on?

[Larry Kart]

Bruce: The only other Richmond album I have is "Range" (Nine Winds) -- from 1994, with Jenkins, Henry, LaBarbera. pianist Dave Scott, and trombonist Joey Sellers. It's very good, but "Ballads" is better IMO. I also listened once to part of a Richmond big band album that got a rave in the Penguin Guide -- "Waves," I think was the name. What I heard had its moments, but at times it seemed a little too stage-bandish, at least for my tastes. BTW, I first heard Richmond back in 1968 or '69, when he was a member of the celebrated U. of Illinois big band led by John Garvey, a very un-stage-bandish outfit.

[BruceH]

Thanks, Larry. The albums I mentioned got huge raves from somebody on CD Universe, so I thought I'd ask someone whose opinion I respect.

[A Lark Ascending]

Acoustic Ladyland!

Not obscure in the UK - one of the up and coming 'young turk' bands that seem to be flooding out of the UK at the moment - but probably unknown beyond.

As the name implies they started off doing jazz versions of Hendrix and the album is all Hendrix tunes (with not so cunningly disguised titles - I think the Hendrix estate denied them the right to record so they did what jazz musicians have done over the decades...). They also do other covers and original material.

A very exciting band - raw, muscular, subtle, funky. Think of all that the publicity surrounding the Bad Plus promised, delete the plodding rhythmic approach, add a strong saxophone and you're about there.

Pete Wareham (saxes),

Tom Cawley (piano)

Tom Herbert (bass)

Seb Rochford (drums).

Rochford, Herbert and Wareham also play with Mark Lockheart in the quartet Polar Bear who also have a fine, slightly more abstract disc out:

Seb Rochford is very much the drummer of the moment in the UK. He also has the best hair style. No trendy billiard table baldy cut for him:

Oh, and going back to Acoustic Ladyland, here are the tunes. Spot the originals...

1. Some Other Sky

2. Marching Dice

3. Something Beautiful

4. Routinely Denied (No Return)

5. Nagel

6. Remote Impression

7. Little Miss Wingate

8. Brave Reply

Have a look here for some details:

http://www.jazzcds.co.uk/store/commerce.cg...d=1119544.16730

[A Lark Ascending]

Also, from Irish flute/sax player Michael Buckley:

Michael Buckley on tenor and soprano saxes and flute

Edward Simon on piano

Jeremy Brown, bass

Stephen Keogh drums (He of the lovely Louis Stewart/Bill Charlap disc mentioned earlier)

Very nice, melodic yet sinewy improvisations. Two Irishmen, a Brit (I think!) and an American.

And not a jig or a reel in sight!

[ejp626]

This was discussed earlier, but is still pretty obscure:

Al McKibbon Black Orchid

[Bright Moments]

this thread is too good to disappear! B-)

[Hot Ptah]

"Electrifying Miles" by the Umo Jazz Orchestra with special guest Tim Hagans. The cut "High Speed Chase" is quite exciting, and the rest is excellent, to my ears.

"Drab Zeen", by Toufic Farroukh. A very appealing combination of jazz, Arabic sounds, and more contemporary elements. It is what I imagine Jim Sangry might be talking about when he discusses the need for fresher approaches in jazz.

[White Lightning]

Soulful and quite individual but also somewhat Charlie Mariano-esque veteran altoist Kim Richmond (he also plays soprano) has a gem in "Ballads" (CMG [i.e Chase Music Group -- whatver that is], rec. 2000--probably available through Richmond's website). Utterly locked-in rhythm section -- pianist Reggie Thomas (a bit gospel-ish and/or hip R&B-like at times, a la Donald Brown), bassist Trey Henry, drummer Jo LaBarbera (who makes ballad grooves move in just the right ways) -- is a big plus, nice guest contributions by trumpeter Clay Jenkins, Bill Perkins, Vinny Golia, terrific choice of tunes (e.g Never Let Me Go, Young and Foolish, I Wish I Knew, Lazy Afternoon, Street of Dreams are the first five tracks) and tempos/moods. Maybe I shouldn't like this one as much as I do, but it knocked me out the first time I heard it and still does every time.

I second that recommendation. This is indeed an obscure gem.

[Late]

Two more "obscure" discs, both in-print, both by John Tchicai:

The "strings" here are really John Coxon and Ashley Wales of Springheel Jack — creating soundscapes (both acoustic and sampled) that Tchicai improvises over (on alto and/or bass clarinet). Tchicai really pours his heart into the proceedings, unleashing some beautiful and fragile solos. Every track's a winner, except perhaps the last: Tchicai recites a poem a la Yusef Komunyakaa. It's alright, but I would have preferred an all-instrumental set. Still, it's the last track, and that's what the stop button is for (!)

Then there's this title on Black Saint:

Tchicai on tenor with two basses and drums. Freakin' great. If you think Tchicai fizzled out after the 60's, this is the disc to get to challenge that assumption. Tchicai's use of space and off-meter fragments to create a string of "melodies" is simply haunting.

[Peter Friedman]

The late Charles Thomas was a legendary bop piano player from Memphis. He was a big influence on James Williams, Donald Brown and Mulgrew Miller. Thomas has three marvelous trio CDs on the French label - Space Time.

The Legend Of Charles Thomas (Ray Drummond & Alan Dawson)

Charles Thomas Trio - Live In Europe (Essiet Essiet & Ben Riley)

Charles Thomas - The Finishing Touch (Ron Carter & Billy Higgins)

***************************************************************************************

Dave Glasser is a fine "young" alto player who has been playing with Clark Terry quite frequently.

Glasser has two very good CDs out that I greatly enjoy.

Dave Glasser - Dreams Anew - Art Inis label (with Kurt Weiss, Barry Harris, Peter Washington, Lewis Nash)

Dave Glasser - Begin Again - Chiaroscuro (Tardo Hammer, Lee Hudson, Tony Jefferson)

[paul secor]

Dom Minasi's Quick Response (CDM) deserves a mention. It's an organ-sax-guitar-drums quartet, but probably not what you'd expect from that format. The tunes are Minasi's, with a few standards mixed in. The playing lies somewhere between "in" and "out", but honestly so - with none of the "safe" playing that that sort of description might connote. The other musicians - alto saxophonist Mark Whitecage, organist Kyle Koehler, and drummer John Bollinger are all on the same page with Minasi. I enjoyed hearing Whitecage in this setting, and I'd like to hear more of Kyle Koehler.

Recommended to anyone who wants to hear an organ group stretching it out, or to anyone who digs well played, adventurous jazz.

edit - just checked and Quick Response is out of stock at both Cadence and CD Universe. I hope that means it sold well enough to be repressed.

Edited September 5, 2006 by paul secor

[ep1str0phy]

Two more "obscure" discs, both in-print, both by John Tchicai:

The "strings" here are really John Coxon and Ashley Wales of Springheel Jack — creating soundscapes (both acoustic and sampled) that Tchicai improvises over (on alto and/or bass clarinet). Tchicai really pours his heart into the proceedings, unleashing some beautiful and fragile solos. Every track's a winner, except perhaps the last: Tchicai recites a poem a la Yusef Komunyakaa. It's alright, but I would have preferred an all-instrumental set. Still, it's the last track, and that's what the stop button is for (!)

Then there's this title on Black Saint:

Tchicai on tenor with two basses and drums. Freakin' great. If you think Tchicai fizzled out after the 60's, this is the disc to get to challenge that assumption. Tchicai's use of space and off-meter fragments to create a string of "melodies" is simply haunting.

The Black Saint album is a favorite of mine. This is perhaps my favorite of Tchicai's post-post-Ornette-alto-phase albums--a subtle, simply beautiful album. Tchicai has a decisively 'electric' aesthetic, and it shows through the proceedings--there's hard groove, beats, and bottom everywhere. The difference is in the relative sensitivity of the ensemble; there's a slight sort of delicacy to the album, as if the instrumental transparency were letting some light into Tchicai's brighter, less brazen spots.

[Peter Friedman]

These two CDs were issued fairly recently and are both first rate.

P.J. Perry - Time Flies - Justin Time

Perry is a major saxophone player who is Canadian. He has been around for many years, but is not at all wellknown. I saw him live once in Toronto playing in a quintet with Jimmy Knepper. The music that evening was definitely memorable.

Hank Jones & Frank Wess - Hank and Frank - Lineage

A really delightful CD by two living jazz masters with a top level rhythm section.

I heartily recommend both of these CDs.

[king ubu]

What Denis Colin Trio disc is the one being discussed above? I'm asking since the images have disappeared...