Howard Roberts - Antelope Freeway (impulse!)

[JSngry]

Well, yeah!

I mean, look at the participants on this album & there's some crossover between what Klemmer was up to at the time, a little Don Ellis-weirdness influx w/Pete Robinson, soime of the LA Express in-training, and you look at other things that were happening among these same players (and those around them) in and around the same time, and a picture somewhat emerges of musicians who played damn near everything for money not really caring about "playing jazz in their spare time for personal satisfaction" and shit like that. Age Of Steam comes to mind too, and there's a little crossover in personnel there, too.

No, it's not "deep", not by any stretch of the imagination, but there's a musical catholicity at work that I don't think should be immediately or wholly dismissed as a cynical cash-grab either. It was LA - different world, different life, different music.

I still don't get Mike Deasy, though. But oh well about that.

[jazzbo]

Seemed to have a Lateefan "Part of the Search" feel to part of it.

'Salright. Man could PLAY.

[Hot Ptah]

From listening to the album, my subjective impression is that Howard Roberts was put in the middle of a producer's vision and played well in it. It does not strike me as a sell out, either as a common street whore or high priced escort. The album does not seem very commercial to me. If anyone involved thought that this was going to be a big seller, a huge payday for the participants, they were deluded, I think. This was always destined to be a very minor cult favorite at best.

To call this a commercial sellout reminds me of the criticism Miles got for his albums like "Live at Fillmore" and "Get Up With It'--no way was the rock audience of the time going to buy them at gold or platinum levels. They were electric and loud, but not commercial.

The talking part on Roberts' album reminds me a lot of Zappa's spoken word sections on the original "Lumpy Gravy" and "Uncle Meat"--staged, scripted talking which was supposed to seem like mere "slices of life" in real time.

Edited June 3, 2009 by Hot Ptah

[robviti]

"Antelope Freeway, one mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one half mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one quarter mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one eighth mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one sixteenth mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one thirtysecondth mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one sixty-fourth mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one one-hundred-and-twenty-eighth mile"

...

thank you! you made my day!

oh how can you be in two places at once, when you're not any-where at alllll, bum bum bum bum.

[Shawn]

I love this album...at some point I need to listen to it in the proper "mental state".

[JSngry]

Anybody heard Mel Brown's Fifth, also on impulse!, and also with at least some involvement by Mr. Szymczyk, and also kinda "untypical" for the artist in question, although far less so than AF?

[king ubu]

Bumping this thread up... just gave the recent Impulse 2-on-1 twofer a first spin and enjoyed it!

Enjoyed reading this thread, too - thanks for the ride, guys!

Got to dig out the Kahn book and read the pages on the album again.

[six string]

"Antelope Freeway, one mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one half mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one quarter mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one eighth mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one sixteenth mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one thirtysecondth mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one sixty-fourth mile"

"Antelope Freeway, one one-hundred-and-twenty-eighth mile"

...

thank you! you made my day!

oh how can you be in two places at once, when you're not any-where at alllll, bum bum bum bum.

So hop in your wife and head in any direction on the freeway of your choice and we'll see you in a couple of hours at Ralph Spoilsport Motors.

[Shawn]

This truly AMAZING twofer of Antelope Freeway/Equinox Express Elevator is also on Spotify for those curious.

[rostasi]

[king ubu]

So hop in your wife

Huh?

Will the wife drive you there then, once you've hopped in?

[Teasing the Korean]

I don't have this, but I have all of Howard Roberts' Capitol albums and love them all.

[six string]

So hop in your wife

Huh?

Will the wife drive you there then, once you've hopped in?

Yes she will as long as you "hop in" the right place.

(It's another bit from the Firesign Theater album that opens with Antelope Freeway sign markers)

On a more serious note I recently bought a copy of Howard Roberts' first album on Capitol Color Him Funky. It's not a "great" jazz album but it's ok and I enjoy it enough to keep it. It was pretty cheap and in good shape so I decided to take a chance as I see his albums pretty frequently in the used bins and most of them have something about them that tell me to leave them on the shelf. This one seemed to have a little more going for it and I was pleasatly surprised by the content.

He does a version of Sack O' Woe by Cannonball Adderley. Paul Bryant and Earl Palmer are on the album too.

[AfricaBrass]

I don't have this, but I have all of Howard Roberts' Capitol albums and love them all.

I really enjoy his Capitol albums too! I have a bunch on lp and was glad that I was able to pick up the Sundazed reissues when they were available cheap.

I bought the Antelope Freeway twofer last year and have enjoyed it. It's a lot different than the Capitol albums and feels much like a rock album of its time. I had read about it in the Kahn Impulse book. This and the fact that my grandparents used to live off of the Antelope Valley Freeway convinced me to get it.