A Jazz Thread

[gjw100]

Finally, one for imp, from the ‘Complete Jack Johnson Sessions’ boxed set, this is ‘Willie Nelson (remake, take 1)’, recorded on 27th February 1970 at Columbia Studio B, New York with Miles Davis on trumpet, John McLaughlin guitar, Steve Grossman soprano saxophone, Dave Holland bass and Jack DeJohnette drums.

[gjw100]

‘Sanctuary’ from 2020’s ‘The Lost Septet’, an archive recording of Miles Davis’ 5th November 1971 concert at the Vienna Konzerthaus with a band that never appeared together on record and as it turned out weren’t together for very long at all before Miles shifted the personnel around as was his regular practice throughout this period. Featuring Miles on trumpet, Gary Bartz soprano/alto saxophones, Keith Jarrett electric piano and organ, Michael Henderson bass, Ndugu Chancler drums, Don Alias percussion and Mtume percussion. Jarrett, whose playing here may well be the best of his relatively brief tenure with Miles, was famously dismissive of this particular band (“Miles and I were in a duo with a group who had no idea of what they were doing”), which was unnecessarily harsh. I would certainly concede that Henderson was a fairly limited player (which Miles actually preferred), who occasionally sounded out of his depth live, but Bartz and the others are perfectly fine and right at home in this setting.

[gjw100]

‘Santana’ from the most recent of the Miles Davis Bootleg Series, ‘That’s What Happened - 1982-85', a boxed set of previously unreleased and live material from the first and best half of what started out as a 1980’s comeback but turned into a last hurrah with his death in 1991. This features Miles on trumpet and keyboards, Bill Evans soprano saxophone, Mike Stern guitar, Marcus Miller bass, Al Foster drums and Mino Cinelu percussion.

[gjw100]

‘Nomen’ from composer Keitaro ‘Kei’ Miho’s 1971 Jazz Eleven album ‘Kokezaru Kumikyoku’, featuring Takehisa Suzuki trumpet, Takeru Muraoka soprano/tenor saxophones and flute, Minoru Muraoka shakuhachi, Suma No Arashi koto, Mutsumi Masuda vocals, Ryo Kawasaki guitar, Masahiko Sato keyboards, Yasuo Arakawa bass, Akira Ishikawa drums and Takeshi Inomata drums.

[gjw100]

‘Recollection’ from saxophonist Kohsuke Mine’s 1974 album ‘Out Of Chaos’, with Masabumi Kikuchi piano, Tsutomu Okada bass and Motohiko Hino drums.

[gjw100]

‘Gingerbread Boy’ from drummer Motohiko Hino’s 1971 album ‘First Album’, with Kohsuke Mine alto saxophone, Takeo Uematsu tenor saxophone, Hideo Ichikawa electric piano and Yoshio Ikeda bass.

[gjw100]

‘Drought’ from trumpeter Charles Tolliver’s 1970 album ‘Live At Slugs’ Vol. 1’, with Stanley Cowell piano, Cecil McBee bass and Jimmy Hopps drums.

[gjw100]

From the Miles Davis ‘Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel’ box set, this is ‘Milestones’ (Third Set, December 23 1965), with Miles on trumpet, Wayne Shorter tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock piano, Ron Carter bass and Tony Williams drums.

[gjw100]

The title track from the 1964 album ‘Evolution’ by trombonist Grachan Moncur III, with Lee Morgan trumpet, Jackie McLean alto saxophone, Bobby Hutcherson vibraphone, Bob Crenshaw bass and Tony Williams drums.

[diggedy derek]

Some fantastic sounding selections here. Kenny Dorham is a huge favourite but I've rarely listened to the 70s stuff. Clifford Jordan's Glass Bead Games is one of my very favourites. I've got to check these.

[gjw100]

‘Ouagoudougou’ from tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan’s 1972 album ‘In The World’, recorded in 1969 with Kenny Dorham trumpet, Julian Priester trombone, Wynton Kelly piano, Richard Davis bass, Ed Blackwell drums and Roy Haynes drums.

[gjw100]

‘Flying Fish’ from tenor saxophonist Cecil Payne’s 1973 album ‘Zodiac - The Music Of Cecil Payne’, with Kenny Dorham trumpet, Wynton Kelly piano, Wilbur Ware bass and Albert Heath. The album was originally recorded in 1968, but by the time of its release both Dorham (kidney disease) and Kelly (epileptic seizure) had passed away, hence the front cover dedication to both.

[gjw100]

The title track from Harold Vick’s 1974 album ‘Don’t Look Back’, featuring Vick on tenor saxophone, Virgil Jones trumpet, George Davis flute, Kiane Zawadi euphonium, Joe Bonner piano/tuba, Sam Jones bass and Billy Hart drums.

[gjw100]

‘Molten Glass’ from the self-titled 1970 album by the Joe Farrell Quartet – Farrell on flute here, Chick Corea piano, Dave Holland bass and Jack DeJohnette drums.

[gjw100]

A nice take on Chick Corea’s ‘Tones For Joan’s Bones’ from trumpeter Blue Mitchell’s 1967 album ‘Boss Horn’, with Junior Cook tenor saxophone, Jerry Dodgion alto saxophone, Pepper Adams baritone saxophone, Julian Priester trombone, Chick Corea piano, Gene Taylor bass and Mickey Roker drums.

[gjw100]

‘Travel Story’ from the 2010 album ‘Way Of Life’ by the Celine Bonacina Trio – Bonacina on soprano/ alto/baritone saxophones and vocals, Nicolas Garnier bass and Hary Ratsimbazafy drums, percussion and vocals.

[gjw100]

‘Oshun’ from Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s 2014 album ‘XXI Century’, with Pedro Martinez percussion/vocals, Matt Brewer bass, Marcus Gilmore drums and Rubalcaba piano/keyboards.

[diggedy derek]

I'm sure he's on your radar. I really like his new (2023) one – line up of saxophone, cello, drums, and he overdubs saxophones sometimes in the manner of Coltrane's Living Space.

[gjw100]

Yes, he's a great new talent, dd. I thought that I might have posted something by him previous so just checked and, coincidentally, it was almost exactly a year ago. I think that he had a trio album out towards the back end of last year that is supposed to be very good but haven't listened to it yet. Too much music, too little time!

[diggedy derek]

GJW, been checking out James Brandon Lewis at all?

[gjw100]

‘Trapeze’ from the self-titled 1975 album by Noel McGhie’s Space Spies – Jorge Joao soprano/alto saxophones, Itaru Oki trumpet, Georges Edouard Nouel electric piano, Louis Xavier bass and Noel McGhie drums/percussion.

[gjw100]

‘Miroslav’s Tune’, a track from the recording sessions for Weather Report’s 1974 ‘Mysterious Traveller’ that didn’t make the original album and only appeared as a bonus track on a 1997 Japanese re-release. With Wayne Shorter soprano saxophone, Joe Zawinul keyboards, Miroslav Vitous bass, Ishmael Wilburn drums, Skip Hadden drums and Dom Um Romao percussion.

[gjw100]

‘Spring Song’ from bassist Henry Franklin’s 1977 album ‘Tribal Dance’, featuring Charles Owens tenor saxophone, English horn and flute, Jerry Rush trumpet, Al Hall Jr. trombone, Kenneth Climax guitar, Dwight Dickerson piano and Woody ‘Sonship’ Theus drums.

[gjw100]

‘Leap Of Faith’ from the 2017 album ‘Moment Frozen’ by alto saxophonist Dee Byrne’s Entropi, with Andre Canniere trumpet, Rebecca Nash piano, Olie Brice bass and Matt Fisher drums.

[gjw100]

‘The Far Away Ones’ from Scottish tenor saxophonist Matt Carmichael’s 2022 album ‘Marram’, with Charlie Stewart violin, Fergus McCreadie piano, Ali Watson bass and Tom Potter drums.