Herman Foster - Explosive Piano of Herman Foster / Have You Heard?

As a thirteen year veteran of Lou Donaldson's band, pianist Herman Foster developed a style of playing that one can only describe as "percussive" and "animated." Foster explores Latin, jazz and blues on these two original Columbia albums from the 1960's.


Personnel:

Herman Foster (piano)
Earl May (bass)
Grassella Oliphant, Drnkie Dunlop (drums)

Recorded in 1960-61. Originally released on Epic (17016) & Epic (17010)

Booker Ervin - TEXBOOK TENOR

Booker Ervin’s Tex Book Tenor finds the tenor saxophonist surrounded by a talented cast consisting of Woody Shaw (trumpet), Kenny Barron (piano), Jan Arnet (piano), and Billy Higgins (drums). Tex Book Tenor is indeed a “textbook” of harmony, rhythm and cohesion. Of course, Ervin shines, but his partners are equally astounding, particularly the delicate notes of Barron on Gichi. Gichi is a swaying, bluesy track that has Ervin and Shaw working congruently while Barron and Arnet lay down the melody. Higgins, the master technician, provides fresh, timely accoutrements while Arnet’s steady bass line maintains a flowing tempo. This track is just over seven minutes, but seems to fly by much too soon thanks to delicious solos by Shaw and Barron.

--Reviewed by Eddie Becton


Personnel:

Booker Ervin – tenor saxophone
Woody Shaw – trumpet
Kenny Barron – piano
Jan Arnet – bass
Billy Higgins – drums

Alice Coltrane - World Galaxy

One of Alice Coltrane's most ambitious albums of the early years -- recorded with a full set of heavenly orchestrations! The core group features Alice on piano, organ, and harp -- alongside Frank Lowe on saxes, Reggie Workman on bass, Leroy Jenkins on violin, and Ben Riley on drums. Added to this combo is a much larger set of strings -- swirling around in a rich musical backdrop that gives Alice's work a sense of majesty and power we could have never imagined. This is the album that really showed the world that she was far far more than just the wife of the late great one -- a true mystical visionary with a sound that demanded to be heard! Side 2 features a recitation by Alice's spiritual mentor, Swami Satchdiananda -- and the album features a wonderful version of "My Favorite Things", done with both organ and harp, plus the tracks "Love Supreme", "Galaxy In Turiya", and "Galaxy In Satchidandana".

---Dusty Groove



Personnel:
Alice Coltrane : percussion, piano (2), organ (1,4,5), harp (1,3,4,5), tamboura (4) Reggie Workman : bass
Ben Riley : drums
Elayne Jones : timpani
Frank Lowe : saxophones, percussion
Swami Satchidananda (5) : voice
Leroy Jenkins (5) : solo violin

STRING ORCHESTRA - David Sackson : concertmaster; Arthur Aaron, Henry Aaron, Julien Barber, Avron Coleman, Harry Glickman, Edward Green, Janet Hill, LeRoy Jenkins, Joan Kalisch, Ronald Lipscomb, Seymour Miroff, Thomas Nickerson, Alan Shulman, Irving Spice, William Stone : strings

Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda

Direct inspiration for Journey in Satchidananda comes from my meeting and association with someone who is near and dear to me. I am speaking of my own beloved spiritual perceptor, Swami Satchidananda. Swamiji is the first example I have seen in recent years of Universal Love or God in action. He expresses an impersonal love, which encompasses thousands of people. Anyone listening to this selection should try to envision himself floating on an ocean of Satchidanandaji's love, which is literally carrying countless devotees across the vicissitudes and stormy blasts of life to the other shore. Satchidananda means knowledge, existence, bliss.

-Alice Coltrane, from the liner notes to Journey in Satchidananda

Donald Byrd & Booker Little - Third World

Renowned trumpet players on their own, Byrd and Little joined their considerable forces in this musical collaboration of legends. This album, first released in 1959, features session work from other jazz greats such as "Philly" Joe Jones, Curtis Fuller, and Paul Chambers.


Personnel:

Donald Byrd, Booker Little (trumpet)
Curtis Fuller (trombone)
Mal Waldron (piano)
Paul Chambers (bass)
Philly Joe Jones (drums)
Armando Perazo, Willie Rodriguez (congas)

Donald Byrd & Gigi Gryce - Jazz Lab / Modern Jazz Perspective

In 1957, horn player Donald Byrd and alto sax player Gigi Gryce formed the Jazz Lab to experiment with composition and harmony. The pieces in this collection are truly ensemble works which paved the way for the jazz fusion movement.

JAZZ LAB:

Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Sahib Shihab (baritone saxophone); Julius Watkins (French horn); Benny Powell, Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Don Butterfield (tuba); Tommy Flanagan, Wade Legge (piano); Wendell Marshall (bass); Art Taylor (drums).

MODERN JAZZ PERSPECTIVE:

Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Jackie Paris (vocals); Sahib Shihab (baritone saxophone); Julius Watkins (French horn); Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Wynton Kelly (piano); Wendall Marshall (bass); Art Taylor (drums).


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Oscar Pettiford - Another One

Don't let the Another One title make you think this is some passable record that repeats earlier ideas -- because the set is a real gem in the 50s catalog of bassist Oscar Pettiford, and one of his strongest dates as a leader! Pettiford really sparkles here -- leading a great group that features key 50s modernists like Gigi Gryce on alto, Jerome Richardson on tenor, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, and Donald Byrd on trumpet -- all tightly arranged at most moments, but given enough space on the set to strike out and state their own ideas. Pettiford's bass is wonderfully upfront in the mix, leading off most tunes with a nice sense of force -- and titles include some really wonderful original material -- like "Oscalypso", "Don't Squawk", "Bohemia After Dark", "Minor Seventh Heaven", and "Kamman's A Comin".
---Dusty Groove


**** Some of the Tracks got Misnamed...Sorry ****



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Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Lookin' at Monk

When the two tough tenors waxed this record in 1961, the idea of a Thelonious Monk tribute was fresh, daring, and affectionate--not at all the overdone and uninspired exercise that it can often be decades later. Johnny Griffin had already been an integral part of Monk's late-1950s quartet; bassist Larry Gales and drummer Ben Riley would wind up joining Monk's band just three years later. The contrasting but compatible styles of the two leaders teach a valuable lesson in what makes Monk's music special: Davis offers soulful, blues-based, earthbound lines while Griffin tends toward feisty, soaring, far-reaching sounds, but both capture the essence of Monk's compositions. Pianist Junior Mance's chord-feeding isn't as jagged as Monk's, but is no less effective. As fiery as the five hot numbers are, the two ballads--Griffin on "'Round Midnight" and Davis on "Ruby, My Dear"--are just as impressive. Both Davis and Griffin are capable of having their own unique voices shine through while still upholding the spirit of Monk's ideas.
--Marc Greilsamer (Amazon.com)



Personnel:

Johnny Griffin, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (tenor saxophone)
Junior Mance (piano)
Larry Gales (bass)
Ben Riley (drums)

Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York, New York on February 7, 1961



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Grassella Oliphant - Grass Roots/Grass is Greener

Two soulful jazz albums on one CD from the vastly underrated Grassella Oliphant. The Grass Roots and The Grass is Greener were released by Atlantic in 1965 and 1967 respectively. Featured tracks include an inspired cover of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo" and a groovy rendition of Allen Toussaint's "Get Out Of My Life Woman."


Personnel:

Grassella Oliphant (drums)
Grant Green (guitar)
Harold Ousley (tenor saxophone)
Clark Terry (trumpet)
John Patton (organ)
Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone)
Major Holley, Ray McKinley (bass guitar)



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Charles Mingus - Timeless

Personnel:

Charles Mingus (bass)
John La Porta (alto saxophone & clarinet)
Shigeo Suzuki (alto saxophone)
Teo Macero (tenor & baritone saxophones)
Bobbie Jones (tenor saxophone, clarinet)
George Barrow (tenor saxophone)
Eddie Preston (trumpet)
Wally Cirrillo, Masahiko Sato (piano)
Rudy Nichols, Kenny Clarke (drums)



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Al Cohn & Zoot Sims - Easy as Pie (Live at the Left Bank)

Al Cohn was initially known in the 1940s for playing in Woody Herman's Second Herd as one of the Four Brothers, along with Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, and Serge Chaloff. Unlike his the better known tenors Sims and Getz, Cohn contributed arrangements to the Herman band. Cohn has a reputation as a lyrical flowing soloist.

Zoot Sims developed into an innovative tenor saxophonist. Throughout his career, he played with renowned bands, including Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich. Sims was also one of Woody Herman's "Four Brothers", and he was known among his peers as one of the strongest swingers in the field. He frequently led his own combos and sometimes toured with his friend Gerry Mulligan's sextet, and later with Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band.

In the 1950s and '60s, Sims had a long, successful partnership as co-leader of a quintet with Al Cohn, which recorded under the name "Al and Zoot". That group was a favorite at the New York club "The Half Note." Always fond of the higher register of the tenor sax, Zoot also liked to play alto and late in his career added the soprano saxophone to his performances, while recording a series of albums for the Pablo Records label of impressario Norman Granz.


Personnel:

Al Cohn, Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone)
Dave Frishberg (piano)
Victor Sproles (bass)
Donald McDonald (drums)

Recorded live at the Famous Ballroom, Baltimore, Maryland on October 27, 1968




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Edward "Sonny" Stitt - Deuces Wild

Sonny Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist. He was a quintessential saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom and was also one of the most prolific saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 records in his lifetime. He was nicknamed the "Lone Wolf" by jazz critic Dan Morgenstern in tribute to his relentless touring and his devotion to jazz. Although his early career was overshadowed by Parker, Stitt was never a copyist. Indeed, his was a highly original musical mind, as became apparent after he switched to tenor and forged a new and appreciative audience for his work.


Personnel:

Sonny Stitt (alto & tenor saxophones)
Robin Kenyatta (soprano & alto saxophones)
Rufus Harley (tenor saxophone, bagpipes)
Wilmer Mosby (organ)
Billy James (drums)

Recorded in 1966



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