A Jazz Thread

[gjw100]

Neue Grafik might sound like a German kosmiche musik group from 1971, but it’s actually a Swiss graphic design journal formed in 1958 according to Wikipedia. It’s also the assumed name of London-based French musician/producer Fred N’Thepe. This is ‘Voodoo Rain’ from Neue Grafik Ensemble’s 2019 EP ‘Foulden Rd’, with Neue Grafik keyboards, Nubya Garcia tenor saxophone, Matt Gedrych bass, Dougal Taylor drums and Bradley Zero percussion.

[gjw100]

‘Mellowdrama’ by the Heath Brothers, from their 1978 album ‘Passin’ Thru’, with Jimmy Heath saxophones/flute, Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath drums, Percy Heath bass, Stanley Cowell keyboards, Jim Buffington French horn, Howard Johnson tuba, Wayne Andre trombone, Tony Purrone guitar and nephew Mtume on percussion.

[gjw100]

Bassist Percy Heath played with many great musicians over the course of his career, but is best-known for his longstanding membership of the Modern Jazz Quartet. The MJQ really were a love ‘em or hate ‘em outfit, with many critics deriding their restrained, classical style as little more than polite cocktail jazz and a waste of talent (particularly so in the case of vibraphone player Milt Jackson, who was counted as one of the best in his field). I’m not a huge fan myself, but for the sake of completeness this is ‘The Jasmine Tree’ from the 1967 album ‘Under The Jasmine Tree’ (released on the The Beatles’ Apple label), with Heath, Jackson, pianist John Lewis and drummer Connie Kay.

[gjw100]

From Jimmy Heath’s 1972 album ‘The Gap Sealer’, this is ‘A Sound For Sore Ears’, with Heath on soprano and tenor saxophones, Kenny Barron piano, Tootie Heath drums, Bob Cranshaw bass and Mtume percussion.

[gjw100]

Tootie Heath’s 1970 album ‘Kawaida’ featured both Don Cherry and Herbie Hancock, and on at least two subsequent reissues has been incorrectly but no doubt intentionally credited as a Cherry or Hancock recording. This is ‘Maulana’, with Heath on drums, Hancock piano, Cherry trumpet, Jimmy Heath saxophones, Buster Williams bass, Ed Blackwell percussion and seemingly regular fixture Mtume on percussion. ‘Kawaida’ really is a superb album and deserves to be more widely-known

[gjw100]

Another opportunity to indulge my love for Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band by covering the four members of the group yet to feature here in their own right. From the 1975 album ‘Pinnacle’ by bassist Buster Williams, this is ‘The Hump’, with Earl Turbinton channelling Bennie Maupin on bass clarinet, Sonny Fortune soprano saxophone, Onaje Allan Gumbs keyboards, Billy Hart drums and Guilherme Franco percussion.

[gjw100]

This is the side-long title track from trombonist Julian Priester’s 1974 album ‘Love, Love’, with Priester on various trombones and horns, flute and synthesizers, Bill Connors guitar, Hadley Caliman saxophones & bass clarinet, Patrick Gleeson synthesizers, Ron McClure bass and Eric Gravatt drums/percussion.

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‘Rahsaan Is Beautiful’ from drummer Billy Hart’s 1977 album ‘Enchance’, with Eddie Henderson trumpet, Oliver Lake saxophones/flute, Don Pullen electric piano, Buster Williams bass and Michael Carvin percussion.

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The seventh and often overlooked member of the Mwandishi band was Dr Patrick Gleeson, who possessed one of the earliest Moog synthesizers (at a time when they cost upwards of 20K and looked like a telephone switchboard). Gleeson so impressed Herbie with the sounds that he was able to create that he was asked to overdub the second Mwandishi album ‘Crossings’ (1972) that was currently in production, and joined the band shortly after. This is ‘In Re: Nude Orbit’ from ‘Driving While Black’ a duo album that he and Bennie Maupin made in 1998, with Gleeson on synthesizers & drum programming, and Maupin saxophones & bass clarinet.

[gjw100]

‘Kadji’ from Don Pullen’s 1977 album ‘Tomorrow’s Promises’, with Pullen on piano, George Adams tenor & soprano saxophones, Hannibal Marvin Peterson trumpet, Alex Blake bass, Tyrone Walker drums, Bobby Battle percussion and Ray Mantilla percussion.

[gjw100]

‘Elephant Boy’ from bassist Richard Davis’ 1980 album ‘Way out West’, with Joe Henderson tenor saxophone, Eddie Henderson trumpet & electric trumpet, Stanley Cowell piano & electric piano and Billy Cobham drums & synthesizer.

[Tony C]

Not sure if this belongs specifically in a jazz thread - it’s kind of an electronica/Jazz/funk/ambient mix but it is superb. The album is Leifur James’s ‘A Louder Silence’ and I beseech you to take a listen.

[gjw100]

I really enjoyed that, Tony C, thanks for the recommendation. It reminded me of some of the great bands who were on Hull's Pork record label in the 1990's - Fila Brazillia, Baby Mammoth, Bullitnuts, etc.

[gjw100]

‘Croquet Ballet’ from Billy Harper’s 1975 album ‘Black Saint’, with Harper on tenor saxophone, Virgil Jones trumpet, Joe Bonner piano, David Friesen bass and Malcolm Pinson drums.

[gjw100]

'Revelation’ from trumpeter Hannibal Marvin Peterson’s ‘Hannibal’, also from 1975, with Michael Cochrane piano, Deidre Murray cello, Stafford James bass and Michael Carvin drums/percussion/vocals. A great album cover too.

[Tony C]

I really enjoyed that, Tony C, thanks for the recommendation. It reminded me of some of the great bands who were on Hull's Pork record label in the 1990's - Fila Brazillia, Baby Mammoth, Bullitnuts, etc.

Yes I get the Fila Brazilia link. I’ll look up the others.

[gjw100]

From their 2020 EP, ‘Mutual Attraction Vol. 1’, this is High Pulp with versions of Alice Coltrane’s ‘Journey To Satchinanda’, Pharoah Sanders’ ‘Astral Travelling’ and Sun Ra’s ‘There Are Other Worlds’. Chris Littlefield trumpet, Victory Nguyen tenor saxophone, Andrew Morrill alto saxophone, Isaac Poole trombone, Antoine Martl keyboards, Rob Homan keyboards, Gehrig Uhles guitar, Scott Rixon bass and Rob Granfelt drums.

[gjw100]

The title track from the 2020 album ‘Kamala’s Danz’ by Swiss brothers George and Christopher Kiss aka Okvsho, featuring George on keyboards/drums, Christopher keyboards, Rachid Freudemann trumpet, Elias Kirchgraber bass and Sreya vocals.

[gjw100]

‘Rain Dance / Wisdom’ by the multi-talented Emma-Jean Thackray, taken from her 2020 EP ‘Rain Dance’, with Thackray on trumpet, Lyle Barton electric piano, Ben Kelly sousaphone, Elliot Galvin synthesizer and Dougal Taylor drums.

[gjw100]

‘Puppet Song’ from the Henry Lowther Band’s 1969 album ‘Child Song’, with Lowther on trumpet/flugelhorn, Tony Roberts tenor saxophone, Mike McNaught electric piano, Darryl Runswick bass and Mike Travis drums/percussion.

[gjw100]

‘Cry Of Triumph’ from the 1972 live album ‘Themes For Fega’ by Harry Beckett’s S&R Powerhouse Section, with Beckett on trumpet/flugelhorn, Mike Osborne alto saxophone, Alan Skidmore tenor & soprano saxophones, John Taylor electric piano, Frank Ricotti vibraphone/percussion, Chris Laurence bass and John Webb drums.

[gjw100]

‘Picture Tree’ from John Surman and John Warren’s 1971 album ‘Tales Of the Algonquin’, with Surman on soprano & baritone saxophones, Warren on baritone saxophone & flute, Kenny Wheeler, Harry Becket and Martin Dover: trumpet/flugelhorn, Malcolm Griffiths, Ed Harvey and Danny Almark: trombone, Stan Sulzmann alto & soprano saxophones, Mike Osborne alto saxophone & clarinet, Alan Skidmore tenor saxophone & flute, John Taylor piano, Barre Phillips bass, Harry Miller bass, Alan Jackson drums and Stu Martin drums.

[gjw100]

From the 2019 album ‘Mosaismic’ by Swiss band Ikarus, this is ‘Cirrus’, with Anna Hirsch vocals, Andreas Lareida vocals, Ramon Oliveras drums, Luca Fries piano and Mo Meyer drums.

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‘Come Back Home’ from Hania Rani’s 2020 album ‘Home’, with Rani on vocals & keyboards, Ziemowit Klimek bass and Wojciech Warmijak drums.

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‘The Forgotten Village’ from pianist Shai Maestro’s 2018 album ‘The Dream Thief’, with Jorge Roeder bass and Ofri Nehemya drums.