Friday 27 June 2008

Clifford Thornton - The Panther And The Lash

Here's another Clifford Thornton lp - The Panther and The Lash on Amerika from 1970. The title of the lp comes from a collection of political poems by Langston Hughes published in 1967.
More free jazz than spiritual this album challenges but never falls apart, another great lp by this always forward sounding trombonist. @320 comments

Clifford Thornton - The Panther And The lash  Amerika 1970
Clifford Thornton - Cornet,Shenai, Valve Trombone, Maracas, Piano
Noel McGhie - Percussion
Bob Guerin - Bass

Tuesday 24 June 2008

Johnny Lytle - People & Love

A supremely groove orientated jazz funk lp by vibist Johnny Lytle - People & Love on Milestone from 1972.  Here's a good review, and a bio of the late Johnny Lytle. @320 comments ( Here's a copy of The Soulful Rebel by Johnny Lytle also on Milestone)

People & Love Johnny Lytle  Milestone Records 1972
Johnny Lytle - Vibraphone
Marvin Cabell - Flute, Alto Flute, Tenor Sax
Daahoud Hadi (Butch Cornell) - Piano and Organ
Jozell Carter - Drums
Arthur Jenkins - Conga and Percussion

Monday 23 June 2008

Robert Rockwell III - Androids & Natural Life


2 Lp's by saxophonist Bob Rockwell from '74 and '77.  Androids had a track featured on a Soul Jazz comp. -New Thing.  Both records are solid all the way through and musically lean toward a mid 70's hard fusion and free-funk mix. All the players really are stellar even if you haven't heard of some of them. @320 comments (even though some of these albums I post are out of print on cd and lp it doesn't mean a lot of musicians aren't making good music today which is why it never hurts to check out their new stuff)


Robert Rockwell III - Androids  Celebration records  1974
Robert Rockwell III - Tenor & Soprano sax, Bass Clarinet, Waterphone
Willard O Peterson Jr. - Acoustic & Electric Bass
Bill Berg - Drums (album art)
Mike Elliot - Guitar
Steve Kimmel,Bill Buchen, Victor Lewis -Percussion

Natural Life - Natural Life ] ASI records (direct to disc) 1977
Bob Rockwell - Tenor & Soprano sax, Flute
Mike Elliot - Guitar
Bobby Peterson - Pianos
Steve Kimmel -percussion
Bill Berg - Drums

Tuesday 17 June 2008

Tyrone Washington- Roots & Do Right


Here's two really good lp's from Tyrone Washington. The first (his second as a leader) is Roots from 1973 on the Perception Label. The lp is all over the map as far as style from spiritual to free funk to ballad. The second album - Do Right from 1974 on Blue Labor is equally as diverse but mixed with a lot more funk and soul. The last track is pure free noise and worth the whole lp. Here's a link to his first lp as a leader at Orgy In Rhythm. I couldn't find a good bio for him so if anybody knows one I can link to let me know.@320 comments



Roots - Perception 1973
Tyrone Washington - Tenor Sax
Clifford Barbaro Barconadhi - Drums
Hubert Eaves - Piano



Do Right - Blue Labor 1974
Tyrone Washington - Tenor Sax, Vocals, Chimes, Flute, Congas
Clarence Thomas - Tenor, Soprano, Flute
Billy Nichols - Guitar
Hubert Eaves - Piano
James "Fish" Benjamin - Bass

Saturday 14 June 2008

Heiner Stadler - Brains on Fire

If you likelisteningto pretty out there late 60's jazz you'll like this record. I should try to compare and contrast with other like artist of the day but you'll get the idea. If not here's a few gooddefinitionsof thegenera. The biographies of Heiner Stadler are incomplete at best so I copied the one off the lp.
Heiner Stadler was born in 1942 in the occupied Poland; he was raised in Hamburg, Germany, where he studied harmony and piano at the conservatory for music and composition with the contemporary composer Walter Steffens. In 1965, he moved to New York where he recorded the fugue (rehearsals for it included musicians like Thad Jones, John Gilmore, Tom McIntosh, Roger kellaway, Reggie Johnson, etc.) But because of the uncompromising quality of his music, it wasn't until now that any of his compositions could be heard. In addition to the piece on this record he continued to compose mainly for sextet and, by now, has accumulated material for quite a few records (in 1967/68 he created probably the longest piece ever written in the history of jazz-over 160 score pages). In 1967 the New York Jazz Sextet(Jimmy Owens, Benny Golson, Tom McIntosh , Roland Hanna, Barre Phillips, Freddie Waits) played his composition " No Exercise" but did not have the opportunity to record it. In 1969 James Moody played one of his arrangements ("Main Stem" by Duke Ellington) on his record (Milestone MSP 9023):"The Blues and Other Colors" Chris White Jazz Studies Rutgers Univ.
These pieces where recorded from 1966 to 1971 and released in 1973 on Labor Records@320 in comments
Heiner Stadler - Piano
Jimmy Owens - Trumpet
Garnett Brown - Trombone
Joe Chambers - Drums
Tyrone Washington - Tenor Sax,Flute
Lenny White - Drums

Thursday 12 June 2008

Kawaida - Kuumba Toudie Heath

A real tasteful spiritual jazz lp from 1969, with moments of expansive beauty and open space. I included a bioand review from DustyGroove , but they seem to like everything. Kuumba Toudie Heath - Kawaida 1969 Obe Records @320 in comments
Toudie Heath - Kuumba - Drums
Buster Williams - Mchezaji - Bass
Don Cherry - Msafari - Trumpet
Mtume - Conga Drums
Herbie Hancock - Mwandsi - Piano
Jimmie Heath - Tayari - Tenor and Soprano Sax
Ed Blackwell - Bells and Percussion
Billy Bonner - Fundi - Flute and percussion

Wednesday 11 June 2008

Rolf Kuhn - Total Space

If you were to read allmusic's bio of Rolf Kuhn you'd think he only playedbig-bandclarinet and not hard driving free funk fusion.Fortunately it's the latter. Rolf Kuhn - Total Space MPS 1975 @320 in comments.

Rolf Kuhn- Clarinet
Gerd Dudek - Tenorsax, soprano
Joachim Kuhn - e-piano, piano
Bo Stief - Bass
Kasper Winding - Drums