couw Posted January 12, 2004 Report Share Posted January 12, 2004 There was a slight mess up on the AotW front. Things have been cleared up. In the meantime, I have decided to save the tradition and have agreed with Jim R that I'll call this week's selection and he will announce next week's pick soon. To get a discussion rolling on such short notice, I thought I'd better pick something many will have. So the floor is open for Poppa Lou and his masterpiece Blues Walk! obviously, Lou himself likes this album a whole lot. The below quote is from an interview with Fred Jung that can be found on allaboutjazz (link). FJ: Blues Walk doesn't sound like it needed overtime. LD: Well, that's the best one I made. Oh, yeah. It is not a record that you can critique that well because it is perfect. It is a perfect record. What happened was we had a lot of problems, Fred, as I've told you before, going over to Rudy's house because back then, most of these young people don't know what was happening, but there was a lot of things that messed up the dates. Cats would act up and a lot of them would have to get their "vitamins" or they couldn't play, so eventually, I got tired of that, so I told them that I was going to pick a group. That is why you see all these guys on this record that never recorded before. I added Ray Barretto on the conga drums to steady down the rhythm because most of the bebop drummers were so busy, the rhythm didn't soak through to the people. Playing nightly in clubs, I knew exactly what to do to get that rhythm right, so I brought in Ray. Ray used to come by and sit in with his conga and we would let him play. The rhythm was much better with the conga added in. That is why we tried him on the date. The record, actually, was a hit record for that time. FJ: (I start playing Blues Walk for him) When was the last time you heard this? LD: Oh, I listen to that. I have it in my car in my CD player. When I am traveling, I listen to it all the time (laughing). Sounds better now than it did then (laughing). They redid it and remastered it and they got it up right. It is a great record, an almost perfect record. I listen to it. It was the epitome of jazz music. I have had people tell me that dance groups use this record to dance. It has got a groove, a nice groove from start to finish and it builds up within the record. I myself have always loved this album. It has a great relaxed atmosphere, even during the more up tempo selections. A definitive master piece and I really wonder why it wasn't included in one of the early batches of RVGs, when that series still was supposed to be in honour of Lion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undergroundagent Posted January 12, 2004 Report Share Posted January 12, 2004 Great album, but I prefer Soul-jazz Lou to Hard Bop Lou. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catesta Posted January 12, 2004 Report Share Posted January 12, 2004 Love this session. It was one of those dates that after I got it I said to myself "how the hell did you get by without this for so long?" It is I think my favorite from LD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 A nice album. I don't think it's great but it's very enjoyable all the way through. "Move" is usually an exciting number and Lou makes a good job of it. The spirit of Parker is strong on "..Masquerade..". Herman Foster isn't for me, too many block chords. An afterthought. The sound on my Japanese vinyl is superb. I doubt that a cd would sound better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 Love this LP! I wonder if it's one of his better sellers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 I'd say "better sellers" is right, but not "best"-I'd reserve that for the later 60s soul jazz like Alligator Boogaloo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 And John, thanks a lot for that LD quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted January 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 c'mon Dan, you can do better than that! Give this thread some spice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 Not really familiar w/Lou's total discography, but is it safe to say that this is the album that marked the shift from Lou the "serious bopper" to Lou the Populist? No matter - it does what it set out to do, according to Lou - get a groove that "the people" can dig with no interference, and it does so superbly. Proof yet again that quality and widespread accessibility need not be mutually exclusive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man with the Golden Arm Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 This is a great choce for AOW. While it seems to be so the norm that maybe no one will step out of bounds here. Listening to this at the same time as the BFT5 is just like bein' over at couw's w/o libations. I much prefer this era of Lou to any other. His post bebop stuff always seemed to exercised.(He was in good shape, no?) His soul jazz or rather some of that post soul jazz was obviously the main appeal. To me it's those sides with the conga that do it! Mind you not all of his song selections were great but those originals he penned are some outstanding pieces. I was puzzled by this quote off of the Mosaic website: œ"Solid, enjoyable, uneven--- There is a lot a enjoyable music here. The second reviewer's suggestion to mix quarters and other sessions is a good one, for variety and interest. There is ?too much conga for my ears on these sessions, it flattens the music.? For best Donaldson, you should look elsewhere, particularly to his sessions with Jimmy Smith."œ It really now helps to have read Lou's decision, from the quote above, on bringng in 'hard hands' just to simmer it down into that swanky-ness that he does so well. There's still a bit of dirt when Lou goes down south that I really love. Not really a care to hear Lou do up a standard but his pieces as well as Best's "Move" are shoe-ins for turning any neo into a hipster. I sure do hope that mikeweil levies here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vibes Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 I forgot that I had this album ( ) as a part of the Mosaic set, but am listening to it right now and thoroughly enjoying it. While I really love some of Lou's up-tempo work ("Sputnik" from LOU TAKES OFF comes to mind), I find that I definitely prefer his slower, more bluesy playing. The title track from BLUES WALK really does it for me. For me, one of the best things about this album is the addition of Ray Barretto on congas. I almost always enjoy the addition of the congas to a session. Creates a nice feel as long as the playing isn't overdone, and I find Ray does a nice job of that. If you like Lou and don't have the Mosaic, it's well worth looking into. There's a lot of great music in the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted January 18, 2004 Report Share Posted January 18, 2004 This is a nice album. Not too much in the way of fireworks, but soulful and groovy nonetheless. One thing about Lou, he doesn't waste any notes, does he? Sometimes it seems as if his playing is TOO perfect, y'know? Not trying to knock him, his techincal proficiency is stunning. I guess for me it just sounds too tight, like loosen up a little, willya? But a fine session, and as definitive as you'll find for Lou in this period. But for me, it'll always be the Natural Soul, baby! B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted January 22, 2004 Report Share Posted January 22, 2004 sorry in advance if this is inappropriate for this thread. How does one volunteer to do one of these 'album of the week' posts? I would really like to do it, but I think I have to wait till someone nominates me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted January 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 Geoff, yell real loud you want to have a go. Somebody will notice. I saw in the other thread that next week's caller has nominated JSngry to call for the week after that. You may want to send JSngry a message asking him to nominate you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted January 23, 2004 Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 damn, i still haven't heard this one.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted January 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 you will need to at one point in your life. better do it quick. makes it all (even) more enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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