Playing Favorites: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s

[JSngry]

There were other currents in jazz at the same time listening to people other than Woody, though. Lester Bowie was a shining light for a lot of people, as was Woody for a lot of other people. As were, still, Don Cherry & Freddie Hubbard.

At the time, they might have seemed "separate", but, really, is there any trumpet player of any substance (meaning non-retro/re-creative) from the last generation or two who has not taken freely from both currents?

You can't get around Lester Bowie except by deliberately avoiding him. Same is true of all the people who spoke up and spoke out and left the world with their voice still in the collective ear.

[Dan Gould]

On a separate note Mr. Hutch I am wondering what your stats are on your blog. Do you think that visitors are largely limited to Organissimo members, lurkers and active? Can you see that visits spike right after your weekly update post? 

[HutchFan]

53 minutes ago, JSngry said:

There were other currents in jazz at the same time listening to people other than Woody, though. Lester Bowie was a shining light for a lot of people, as was Woody for a lot of other people. As were, still, Don Cherry & Freddie Hubbard.

At the time, they might have seemed "separate", but, really, is there any trumpet player of any substance (meaning non-retro/re-creative) from the last generation or two who has not taken freely from both currents?

You can't get around Lester Bowie except by deliberately avoiding him. Same is true of all the people who spoke up and spoke out and left the world with their voice still in the collective ear.

Completely agree, Jim.  Bowie is one of THE trumpeters of that decade, no doubt -- right up there with guys like Leo Smith and Freddie and Art Farmer and Woody and others.

No exclusion intended on any front.  

 

 

 

[felser]

Charles Tolliver and Hannibal Peterson too.  But again, not many sideman appearances.

[HutchFan]

1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

On a separate note Mr. Hutch I am wondering what your stats are on your blog. Do you think that visitors are largely limited to Organissimo members, lurkers and active? Can you see that visits spike right after your weekly update post? 

There is definitely a bump after I do my weekly recaps.  For example, yesterday there was 66 visitors to my blogsite, and there's been 52 today.  I gotta assume that most of that traffic was prompted by my recap.

OTOH, the site has more than 16,000 hits since I started on January 1st.  So it appears that most of the traffic comes from "elsewhere."  In fact, I just consulted the site stats, and it appears that only 2% of the visitors come directly from Organissimo.  ... I had no idea.

That said, nearly all of the discussion has been here.  I've had a handful of readers post comments directly to the blog -- with one person in particular posting extensively.  (He's a friend of a friend who is not a member of this forum.) 

... I'm glad that we can kick ideas around over here.  There's SO MUCH collective expertise on this forum.  I love that something I've done prompts some more discussion.  

 

[HutchFan]

41 minutes ago, felser said:

Charles Tolliver and Hannibal Peterson too.  But again, not many sideman appearances.

Hannibal is on six records in my survey, surpassed only by WS.   

Tolliver was indeed limited by his lack of sideman work -- so he only shows up on his own Strata-East date from Slugs. *

 

 * But like kh158 said, one shouldn't read too much into this though, b/c of the methodology I chose.  

 

 

 

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

There were other currents in jazz at the same time listening to people other than Woody, though. Lester Bowie was a shining light for a lot of people, as was Woody for a lot of other people. As were, still, Don Cherry & Freddie Hubbard.

Another thought:  We can't forget about Miles. ... Even though he went into hibernation half way thru the decade, I think you could easily make an argument that his influence exceeded ALL the others -- even if we just focus on the 1970s.

Don't you think?

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by HutchFan

[Rabshakeh]

I have to say that I have really enjoyed reading the blog. I've picked up a lot of records I'd never come across before.

You're almost at the end of the decade. Any plans for what comes next?

[felser]

[HutchFan]

31 minutes ago, felser said:

Oh yes.

Revisiting those records, it hits you again and again, "Man, what would Lee have done if he hadn't been murdered?!?!"  Such a tragically short life.

And it's so uncanny and creepy when you read the notes from the Lighthouse record and they talk about his wife.  Knowing what would happen ...

Ugh.

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by HutchFan

[Rooster_Ties]

Terumasa Hino is another trumpeter who's import to that decade seems pretty staggering to me.  Easily one of my top-5 trumpeters of those who were notably active in the 1970s.  I'm up to about 30 CD's worth (sideman dates included) - just between 1967-1977 (plus a handful after '77).  Shaw is my #1 of course, but it's a pretty close tie between Tolliver and Hino after that (if only because Tolliver did relatively little sideman work, and Hino put out SO many albums in that timeframe.  I guess Miles (clearly) fits in there too somewhere - but he sorta transcends the instrument in my mind, and I really think of him as being more of a jazz "auteur" that goes/went way beyond just his playing ability.

Now Hino's output can be a little unruly and (arguably) a little bit unfocussed - but it also reminds me of Joe Henderson's entire Milestone output, in that the playing is all uniformly of such a high caliber (and I adore Henderson's Milestone stuff, and really all his 70's output/appearances). Hell, I suppose one could almost argue that Miles' 70's output is a little like that too (much as I love all of it).

Hino was a monster in that decade from 1967-77, and it's really a shame that he isn't better known, imho.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Rooster_Ties

[HutchFan]

9 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

I have to say that I have really enjoyed reading the blog. I've picked up a lot of records I'd never come across before.

You're almost at the end of the decade. Any plans for what comes next?

Thanks Rabshkeh.  I'm glad you're enjoying it.  It's been a helluva lot of fun.  

Not sure what'll be next.  

Before I begin anything new, I expect I might go back and flesh out some of the entries without any commentary.  But I'm not certain. 

 

[JSngry]

If you wanted Terumasa Hino records here in the states in the 1970s...unless you had a source for imports (in no way as easy as it is today), you ha VERY limited options/exposure.

[felser]

2 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

 

Hino was a monster in that decade from 1967-77, and it's really a shame that he isn't better known, imho.

+1

[HutchFan]

5 minutes ago, JSngry said:

If you wanted Terumasa Hino records here in the states in the 1970s...unless you had a source for imports (in no way as easy as it is today), you ha VERY limited options/exposure.

That's a good point -- and it's one of the benefits of looking back on the decade from the present.  With the passage of time, some of those "non-musical things" -- like availability -- can get sorted out.

We can re-contextualize the picture.

 

BTW: Completely agree, Rooster, regarding Hino.  It really pained me that I couldn't include his duo record with Mal Waldron in my survey.  (I had to make Waldron's duo record be with Lacy.)  But it is an amazing record.  Somebody's gotta reissue that thing b/c it's still impossible to find.  I've only heard because I snagged it off someone's blog a long time ago.  I'd buy a legit copy if they didn't go for ridiculous amounts of money!  ... I was glad that I was able to include one of Hino's other records in survey, the live Enja, Taro's Mood.

Just curious: If you were to pick one of Hino's LPs during the 70s, what would it be?  

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by HutchFan

[Rooster_Ties]

10 minutes ago, HutchFan said:

BTW: Completely agree, Rooster, regarding Hino.  It really pained me that I couldn't include his duo record with Mal Waldron in my survey.  (I had to make Waldron's duo record be with Lacy.)  But it is an amazing record.  Somebody's gotta reissue that thing b/c it's still impossible to find.  I've only heard because I snagged it off someone's blog a long time ago.  I'd buy a legit copy if they didn't go for ridiculous amounts of money!  ... I was glad that I was able to include one of Hino's other records in survey, the live Enja, Taro's Mood.

Just curious: If you were to pick one of Hino's LPs during the 70s, what would it be?  

RE: Hino's "duo record" with Mal - are you talking about Reminiscent Suite? Or is there some true "duo" record with just the two of them only (no other band) that's somehow never been on my radar all these (recent) years??!!

Gosh, far as Hino's best album from the 70's goes, I'll have to give that some thought.  I'm tempted to say the double studio-LP Into Eternity (CBS/Sony 1974).  And(or) even though it's more understated, May Dance (Flying Disk/Inner City, 1977) with John Scofield, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams is really fantastic too (and only gets better and better with time).  There's also the live date with Joe Henderson too (co-billed as Joe "and" Kikuchi/Hino, 3 leaders technically, I suppose).  But really almost every one of Hino's 70's albums has one or sometimes two tracks that stand with the best of his entire output - and it's so hard to keep them all straight!  Then again, so many of the tunes are fairly long, and (I have to admit), a little "sprawling" too.

Into Eternity seems a little like Hino's Bitches Brew, in terms of scope and scale - and being his only studio double-LP (that I'm aware of), that might just give it the tiniest nudge above all the others.  It's also a nice mix of free and less-free tunes (and playing) -- I mean, it's all fairly free, but only about 1/3rd of it is really fairly "out" (maybe just 1/4th even).  If you cut the really "out" stuff, you'd be left with a single (long) CD's-worth of an album that might sit well (better) with more people -- and maybe THAT album (a slightly edited Into Eternity) might be my choice, if one of the criteria was also the ability of an album to be "eminently recomendable" as being an artist's highest achievement.  I don't mind the "out" stuff, don't get me wrong, but I think the album - as an "album experience" - might be a little stronger without it.

I also (often) feel like I could curate some stronger albums to represent Hino's output.  For one, so damn many of them are like 32-34 minutes long.  Hell, I think one of them is even slightly less than 30 minutes (one of those two albums that originally ONLY came out on reel-to-reel, that were later released on a 2CD set -- even though the total time of BOTH CD's (combined!) is like barely 63 minutes long!! - ugh, each CD in the set is barely 30 minutes).

That, and Hino's penchant for starting quite a number of albums (side 1, track 1) with ballads - also leaves me wishing those albums had been sequenced differently.  Not the end of the world, and in the end, I'm just thankful I've been able to track down so damn much of his output - regardless of how it was originally programmed on LP.  But I think Hino could have benefited from someone like a Teo Macero, perhaps even going so far as to edit/cut-up his live recordings into stronger presentations.

[HutchFan]

37 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

RE: Hino's "duo record" with Mal - are you talking about Reminiscent Suite? Or is there some true "duo" record with just the two of them only (no other band) that's somehow never been on my radar all these (recent) years??!!

Yes, I meant Reminiscent Suite.  It's "co-led" by Hino & Waldron, rather than a duo record.  I should've been more clear.   

 

Regarding your recommendations: I have a DL of Into Eternity.  I'm going to pull that out and listen today.  It's been a long while since I last heard it.  Will keep an eye out for May Dance too.  I've never heard that one.  Thanks!

Are you familiar with Hino's Fuji ?  I have it on a Catalyst LP, but it was originally released on Victor Japan in '72. ... I only ask because Fuji and Taro's Mood are the two Hino records that I pull out most frequently.

 

[Rooster_Ties]

27 minutes ago, HutchFan said:

Are you familiar with Hino's Fuji ?  I have it on a Catalyst LP, but it was originally released on Victor Japan in '72. ... I only ask because Fuji and Taro's Mood are the two Hino records that I pull out most frequently.

Afraid not, Fugi is one of the very few (less than 4, maybe less than 3?) pre-1978 Hino leader-dates I *don't* seem to have.  Everything I have is on CD (amazingly, even I'm shocked at that), with one exception - Hino At Berlin Jazz Festival '71 (which I only have on a Catalyst LP).

I even have one of the two weird movie soundtracks he did (the better one - I think I was able to sample both before I dropped mad money to get just the one).  I can't quite recommend the entire soundtrack I do have - but one of the tracks (12 minutes, thankfully), is absolutely STUNNNNING, imho.  It's like a track straight out of the Fille de Kilimanjaro sessions, or Miles in the Sky (though the first 2 minutes is a sedate bass-intro/solo) - but those last 10 minutes almost made the pricetag for the whole CD worth it.  The whole flippin' thing is in Japanese though (meaning the packaging) - the title of the movie, and every track/song title, the players, all the liners, everything.  FWIW, here's the discogs listing for it...

日野皓正クインテット* ‎– 白昼の襲撃 (Original Soundtrack)

Edited September 9, 2020 by Rooster_Ties

[HutchFan]

Weekly Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s 

Andy LaVerne Trio – Another World (SteepleChase, 1978)
Lou Levy – Tempus Fugue-It (Interplay, 1977)
Sheila Jordan & Arild Andersen – Sheila (SteepleChase, 1978)
Cecil McBee Sextet – Music from the Source (Enja/Inner City, 1978) and Compassion (Enja/Inner City, 1979)
Kenny Wheeler – Deer Wan (ECM, 1978)
Shakti with John McLaughlin – Natural Elements (Columbia, 1977)
Roland Hanna & George Mraz – Sir Elf Plus One (Choice, 1978)

 

A word about Sir Roland Hanna, one of the faces on my personal MOUNT RUSHMORE of jazz pianists: Check out his entry on my blog.  It includes a list of Hanna's recordings from the 1970s, when (from this listener's perspective) he was making his finest music.  If you're unfamiliar with his work, I urge you to listen.  Hanna never made a splash like McCoy or Chick or Herbie -- in the 1970s or at any time.  ... But Sir Roland is a poet!  His music is full of warmth and humanity.  To me, he's just as "important" as anyone you can name. 

 

[Rooster_Ties]

18 minutes ago, HutchFan said:

Andy LaVerne Trio – Another World (SteepleChase, 1978)

I really love that Andy LaVerne Trio date. Did you know that in 1999 he remade the entire album with Tim Hagans added to the group? - with wonderful results.

https://www.discogs.com/Andy-LaVerne-Another-World-Another-Time/release/6000964

YouTube playlist of entire album:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJvR5kinShQ&list=OLAK5uy_lZX3U9iSogGa3GxT6982RYxeuGR5_z8FM

 

Edited September 13, 2020 by Rooster_Ties

[JSngry]

19 minutes ago, HutchFan said:

Weekly Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s 

Andy LaVerne Trio – Another World (SteepleChase, 1978)
Lou Levy – Tempus Fugue-It (Interplay, 1977)
Sheila Jordan & Arild Andersen – Sheila (SteepleChase, 1978)
Cecil McBee Sextet – Music from the Source (Enja/Inner City, 1978) and Compassion (Enja/Inner City, 1979)
Kenny Wheeler – Deer Wan (ECM, 1978)
Shakti with John McLaughlin – Natural Elements (Columbia, 1977)
Roland Hanna & George Mraz – Sir Elf Plus One (Choice, 1978)

 

A word about Sir Roland Hanna, one of the faces on my personal MOUNT RUSHMORE of jazz pianists: Check out his entry on my blog.  It includes a list of Hanna's recordings from the 1970s, when (from this listener's perspective) he was making his finest music.  If you're unfamiliar with his work, I urge you to listen.  Hanna never made a splash like McCoy or Chick or Herbie -- in the 1970s or at any time.  ... But Sir Roland is a poet!  His music is full of warmth and humanity.  To me, he's just as "important" as anyone you can name. 

 

Ok, first week this year that there's not one record on the list that I'd go out of my way to listen to "since then". Not one!

You made it significantly longer that I would have expected, but ,on a technicality, I would certainly not mind hearing either one of the McBee records again. Just wouldn't go out of my way to do so.

[HutchFan]

23 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

I really love that Andy LaVerne Trio date. Did you know that in 1999 he remade the entire album with Tim Hagans added to the group? - with wonderful results.

https://www.discogs.com/Andy-LaVerne-Another-World-Another-Time/release/6000964

YouTube playlist of entire album:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJvR5kinShQ&list=OLAK5uy_lZX3U9iSogGa3GxT6982RYxeuGR5_z8FM

 

Yep, that's another good one!  I suppose it's indicative of how important the record was that they chose to revisit it in toto decades later.

I should've mentioned the re-make in my blog entry.  Maybe I'll go back and add it. 

 

 

16 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Ok, first week this year that there's not one record on the list that I'd go out of my way to listen to "since then". Not one!

You made it significantly longer that I would have expected, but ,on a technicality, I would certainly not mind hearing either one of the McBee records again. Just wouldn't go out of my way to do so.

Oh well.  That's fine.  Just another sign that we all hear things differently.  And vive la différence!   

 

Edited September 13, 2020 by HutchFan

[JSngry]

I surprised that you made it this far. I can't think of very many who could!

[HutchFan]

I never would have been able to do it if I hadn't worked out my entire survey before starting, all 366 recordings.  I have them listed in a spreadsheet -- with the dates of recording in chronological order and sidemen.

It took a several years to put the spreadsheet together.  Lots of sifting and sorting, adding one LP and deleting another.  It kept evolving over time.

Plus, it was a great excuse to buy and listen to lots and lots of records from the 70s.  

 

[felser]

Love the McBee's, great Chico Freeman playing.  Criminal that 'Compassion' has never been on CD.

[HutchFan]

32 minutes ago, felser said:

Love the McBee's, great Chico Freeman playing.  Criminal that 'Compassion' has never been on CD.

I agree 100%.  Music from the Source should be more readily available too.

 

 

 

And, I'll say it again to all who will listen: Don't sleep on the wonderful Sir Roland!