Charles Greenlee: I Know About The Life - The Musical Genius Of Charles Greenlee (1975)

Sublimely spiritual work from trombonist Charles Greenlee - a player who's best remembered for work as a sideman with Archie Shepp, but who really sparkles as a leader on this rare Japanese set! The vibe here is totally great - a righteous approach to soul jazz that rivals the best work of the Strata East scene in the US, but which is carried off with the poise and power of some of the best mid 70s Japanese-only dates of this type. Clearly a great deal of respect and freedom given to Greenlee in the studio, but also some good help in putting together the record in as solid a way as possible. Jean Carn makes a great appearance singing on 3 tracks here - with a quality that's even more righteous than her work with Doug Carn on Black Jazz - and one more number features the great Joe Lee Wilson on vocals too. Players include Hubert Eaves and Art Matthews on piano, Charles Sullivan on trumpet, Archie Shepp on tenor and soprano, Buster Williams on bass, and either Charlie Persip or Beaver Harris on drum. (Review courtesy of Dusty Groove)

It's been a while, my friends! But I got a new post comin' up in a few days; "I Know About The Life - The Musical Genius Of Charles Greenlee". See ya soon!

Gary Bartz: Bartz (1980)

After 1978's occasionally gorgeous LOVE SONG and often sluggish LOVE AFFAIR, saxophonist Gary Bartz linked with frequent session associates and production duo James Mtume and Reggie Lucas. Mtume/Lucas had transitioned away from soul-jazz to straight soul/R&B, with Roberta Flack, Phyllis Hyman, and Stephanie Mills as some earlier beneficiaries. Add Howard King (drums), Hubert Eaves III (keyboards), Tawatha Agee (vocals) - this is a "Mtume-the-group" album in all but name. Carrying much more rhythmic oomph than either 1978 Bartz date, the album's clear-cut highlight is "Keep Goin' On" (a Tawatha showcase), but "Need Your Love" and "Music" (where you can hear Eaves revving up for "D" Train) are also bound to move those who love all other late-'70s/'80s Mtume and Mtume/Lucas-produced albums. (review courtesy of AMG)

Shibuya Jazz Classics: Nobukazu Takemura Collection (2005)

Japanese jazz of the 70s - all pulled from the legendary catalog of Three Blind Mice Records, and hand-selected by Nobukazu Takemura himself! During the 70s, the Japanese jazz scene was in an incredibly intense phase - one that had players breaking out of older modes that were often strict copies of American jazz, and working in newer styles that often blended soul, modal, and spiritual jazz with freer-thinking ideas and more Eastern-inspired modes. The result was an incredible batch of music that was probably more strongly recorded by the Three Blind Mice label than any other Japanese imprint - because unlike some of their contemporaries, TBM didn't fill their catalog with work by American players, and often focused exclusively on Japanese artists. Plus, TBM also let their players go a bit more "out" than usual - really pushing the boundaries of modern jazz on the Tokyo scene, at a level that's still only partially acknowledged outside of Japan. This 2CD set is a great overview of those years - and it brings together some of the more groove-oriented material you'd expect from Takemura's selection with other tracks that are much more experimental - often concerned with sound textures and unusual instrumental combinations! 15 long tracks in all - including "One For Trane" by Nosuke Miyamoto Sextet, "Encounter" by Allan Praskin Quartet, "Sketches" by Masayuki Takayanagi, "Be Still My Soul" by Kosuke Mine Quartet, "Tomorrow" by Hideo Ichikawa Trio, "Mr Gabe" by Hideto Kanai Quintet, "Winter Song" by Hiroshi Fukumura Quintet, "Sun In The East" by Masayuki Takayanagi & New Direction For The Arts, "Spring & Swing" by Albert Mangelsdorff Quartet, and "Spanish Flower" by Tee & Company. (Review courtesy of Dusty Groove)

Long time, no see...

Been crazy busy at work, but it's soon time for Nobukazu Takemura's Three Blind Mice-compilation. Solid!

Byard Lancaster: It's Not Up To Us (1968)

A lesser-known avant-gardist who has been based much of his career in Philadelphia, Byard Lancaster is an advanced improviser who is not shy to show the influence of blues and soul in his solos. He played with Sunny Murray starting in 1965 and worked with Bill Dixon (1966-1967), Sun Ra (off and on between 1968-1971), and McCoy Tyner (1971-1977). Lancaster played for a bit with Memphis Slim in Paris, but has mostly performed jazz locally. All of his own recordings were for obscure labels (including Vortex, Dogtown, Palm, Philly Jazz, and Bellows), but his 1966 ESP date with Sunny Murray has been reissued on CD. (Scott Yanow/AMG)

I first heard Byard Lancaster on a DJ Cam compilation (RENDEZ-VOUS) back in '94 and I've been trying to find his albums ever since! This is about the only review of IT'S NOT UP TO US I've found:

"Lancaster, who recently turned 61, originally recorded this, his debut album, for the Vortex label back in 1966. Lancaster's playful, Pied Piper flute work on the title track delivers an infectious, lightweight melody that's perfect for a walk around the block or a jog through the park; while those of us who remember the fear and trepidation of the final days of summer just before Labor Day as you reticently accept the foregone conclusion that sun and fun are over and it's back to the books and studies, will especially appreciate the forlorn melancholia dripping from Lancaster's flute on "Last Summer." And while it's probably not the version Jessica Walter had in mind when she phoned up DJ Clint Eastwood with the request to "Play 'Misty' For Me," Lancaster's take on the old Errol Garner classic demonstrates his improvisational skills as his alto sax envelops the rudiments of the melody line with fills, trills, thrills and spills right up to the shockingly strangulated three-note conclusion.

Guitarist Sonny Sharrock's "John's Children" (a tribute to Coltrane, not Marc Bolan's pre-T.Rex psych band who were making their debut recordings around the same time) presents the lineup (including Jerome Hunter, bass and particularly Eric Gravatt on drums) with the opportunity to really stretch out. By the middle of the piece, Sharrock's guitar has taken on an almost raga-like quality which, complimented by Keno Speller's congas and Lancaster's syncopated punctuation marks on his alto sax results in, perhaps, the album's closest contact with the burgeoning psychedelia developing within the rock idiom. Although unacknowledged, a young Roger McGuinn may have found some inspiration here for his masterful 12-string workout on "Eight Miles High."

Lancaster's flute on his own composition, "Mr. A.A." ventures into Celtic folk territory and on more than one occasion I found myself drifting back to the early Donovan catalogue, particularly "There Is A Mountain" or any of the childlike fairy tales on the Gift From A Flower To A Garden collection. I also had to check the track listing to confirm my suspicions that Lancaster really was covering "Over The Rainbow," although, even more so than on "Misty," he merely uses the familiar melody line as a springboard for a phantasmagorical display of his improvisational talents. As with Hendrix' interpretation of the "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, the song is there, yet it's not REALLY there...it almost becomes a completely new composition.

And while Lancaster's presence is practically non-existent on the nine-minute closer, "Satan," it's what we've encountered beforehand, from his lilting, melodic flute and occasional forays into folk and rock, to his more-than-competent, yet never ostentatious improvs that results in an album of essentially jazz recordings that will also appeal to non-jazz aficionados like myself." (Review courtesy of Jeff Penczak/fakejazz.com)

Byard Lancaster (as, fl) Sonny Sharrock (g) Jerome Hunter (b, el-b) Eric Gravatt (d) Kenny "Keno" Speller (cga d)
NYC, December 18, 1966 and July 12, 1967.

Kyoto Jazz Massive presents "Star Borne" - A Collection Of Black Fusion From CTI & Kudu (2006)

A great little dip into the CTI and Kudu catalogs of the 70s - put together by Kyoto Jazz Massive, and featuring some of the hippest funky tracks from both labels! The "Star Borne" title here is very apt - as the grooves are often spacey and cosmic - stretching out with plenty of keyboards amidst the funkier drums, and usually produced with a flanged-out way that electrifies the best elements even further! All tracks are long and soulful - and while the collection's not the most all-encompassing CTI set you'll ever buy, it may well be one of the hippest! Tracks include "Gambler's Life" and "Star Borne" by Johnny Hammond, "Povo" by Freddie Hubbard, "Too High" by Joe Farrell, "Skyscrapers" by Deodato, "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" by Idris Muhammad, "People Make The World Go Round" by Milt Jackson, and "Pastime Paradise" and "Mambotango" by Ray Barretto. (Review courtesy of Dusty Groove)