Freddie Hubbard

What i like about Freddie is how his music and his playing constantly changed. He was one of the first trumpet players that applied rhythmic cycles on his horn. He would do things like take 4 or 5 notes out of a chord and take those notes and keep this rhythmic phrase going over and over on those notes. ( i think trane was probably the first horn player to actually do this ) It's not a line, it's a rhythmic sequence. Freddie started doing that and it really opened up a lot of stuff. Sometimes he would be playing and then he would stop and he would leave a space for the whole band to punch in. You could see him breathing, thinking. You could see him almost playing the correct note and then he would play the correct note. He does that a lot.

Bobby Hutcherson

Knucklebean can be found in the comments

Walt Dickerson Trio : Serendipity 1976

Walt Dickerson

Serendipity. Recorded live at the Player's Palace, Philadelphia.

Steeplechase Records, 11th August 1976.

Picked up this gem for peanuts a couple of months ago, and what a find.

Awesome stuff from '76, with Walt playing with Rudy McDaniels on Bass, and Edgar Bateman on Drums.

The atmosphere on this recording appears close, tight and compact.

A great example of what this blog is all about.

Taken from the liner notes by Chris Sheridan;

This is not easy, avuncular music. These are living, breathing creations, pulsating with everyday emotion: tranquility rubs shoulders with excitement: violence with wit: melancholy with joy. The forces that motor this music sometimes disquise the easy grip Walt has both on the vibraharp's tradition and it's future. This in turn, may suggest that Walt's work is "difficult", but, be not dismayed, it passes the ultimate test, in that it yealds up more of itself with every successive replying.

Side one

1: My Prayer

2: Magnificent Glimps

Side two

3: Serendipity

4: This way, Please

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
3 Blind Mice, vol 2.

More good stuff courtesy of jazzme
Highly recommended quality jazz from the old school.

It's Only a Paper Moon
Mosiac
Ping Pong
The Promised Land
Arabia

The Warm Voice of Billy "C"

The Warm Voice of Billy "C".
Where have you been Billy Boy. Strata East SES 7610.

Recorded at Minot Sound Studios. 1976.

Finally sat down and recorded this one fo Ish and Arkadin recently. To be perfectly honest, i've been putting it off ever since i'd first listened to it. I wouldn't go as far as to say the album has grown on me, but you cannot deny the quality of the musicians supporting Mr Campbell.

Stanley Cowell, Bill Lee and the core members of the Brass Company were always going to provide superb arrangements for Billy to lay (or should that be, swamp) his deep baritone over the top of each title. Maybe that's the problem. Billy rarely steps back and allows an instrumental solo from any of the very capable musicians present. What you're left with is "Billy Campbell sings Standards" in a very standard way. Which for me is a shame.

When you look back at the Strata East catalogue, it is easy to find many examples of where a little imagination and freedom has changed fairly standard/gospel outings, into breath-taking and haunting albums. The Decendants of Mike and Phoebe being a prime example.

1 : Where have you been Billy Boy
2 : Just a Gigolo
3 : Thank heaven for little Girls
4 : Both sides Now
5 : A fellow needs a Girl
6 : True
7 : Beware my heart

8 : Now or Never
9 : Love has gone Away
10 : We'll remember those Years
11 : Drink to me only with Thine Eyes
12 : No Carol

Khaliq Al-Rouf and Salaam

The Elephant Trot Dance.

Nilva Records.

NQ3404.

Recorded at Minot Studios, White Plains, NY 18th June 1975.

(Tracks 1 and 5)

Recorded at Platinum Factory, Brooklyn, NY 8th March 1979.

(Tracks 2, 3 and 4)

1 : The Elephant Trot Dance

2 : Sweet Eve

3 : Sunset in Venus

4 : Malcolm, the Call

5 : Libra

Bill Dixon : 1981

Bill Dixon : 1981.

With Alan Silva, Mario Pavone and Laurence Cook.

Another example of Igor's great taste and supreme generosity.

This one was loitering around in the comments, and that's just not good enough!

Highly recommended as ever.

Bobby Hutcherson and Harold Land live!

Bobby Hutcherson and Harold Land.
Recorded live in Hamburg, Germany 1969/1970.

Been saving the best till last, with this Dynamite set from Bobby Hutcherson.
Four tracks from 2 different dates. Infomation for these is a little hard to come by, with the pianists changing from Hal Galper on the '69 set, to Stanley Cowell on the 1970 set.

Oleo 11:58
Four 10:39
Recorded 5th May 1969.

Same Shame/Blow up 36:00
Oleo 7:17
Recorded 19th August 1970.

The recording is not as polished as the previous Hutcherson posts, and for me, all the better for it. Needless to say, all 4 tracks are incredible, but you need to hear Same Shame. 36 Minutes of of pure jazz heaven.

Forgot to mention, the excellent artwork is by that man Greg again.

Stone Cold, Solid Gold!