Sunday Music Muse Day - Tony Williams, Larry Young

This Sunday Muse Day find us remembering the birthday of the late jazz legend Tony Williams born December 12, 1945,and died February 23, 1997, much too soon at the age of 51.  Many tributes are popping up my Facebook feed. I was a fan from his days with Miles Miles and then his solo career as leader and pioneer of jazz fusion with his group Lifetime with John McLaughlin on guitar, Larry Young on organ, and later Jack Bruce (of Cream) on bass, and New Lifetime with Alan Holdsworth on guitar. I was lucky to see the New Tony Williams Lifetime group live at the Bottomline in NYC.  Today's selection Arcana Arc of the Testimony, with Tony Williams, bassist Bill Laswell, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, and others. This was William's last project as the liner notes states he died before it was completed.  Putting Arcana in perspective in Tony long disography, it is more in the early Lifetime recording in it's edgy more free-jazz leanings. You'll have to be in an adventurous mood for this one.

My second selection is Larry Young Of Love and Peace. The late jazz organist was member of first Tony William Lifetime.  He also had releases as a leader. Of Love and Peace released by Blue Note in 1966 was a year after his best know Unity album.  Young, too, die much too soon, at the age of 37. This recording has a touch of free jazz the Young and others were exploring in the 1960s.  His sense of adventurous playing shows why Tony Williams sought him out for Lifetime.

Sadly, this weekend find the country wishing the best for survivors recovering from the deadly tornadoes the ripped through the midwest.  Our hearts goes out to all families of the victims them.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Larry Young, John McLaughlin, Bill Frisell, and Gary Burton Quartet

Here's my Sunday Music Muse Day post on Easter Sunday/April Fool's Day.  I thought I'd be writing about the John Abercrombie Tribute Concert I had planned to attend last Monday in NYC, but that didn't happen (a tale share with friend elsewhere).  But during the New York trip was able to pick up my first two picks.  Larry Young in Paris: The ORTF Recording is the excellent 2 discs Resonance Records release of the late organist concerts in 1964-65.  This CD set is getting 5 star reviews for critics, and well worth every star.  This set is a much ore straight ahead jazz than my first exposure to Larry from the original Tony Williams Lifetime, Tony's high energy fusion group (with John McLaughlin on guitar) he formed  after leaving Miles Davis.  Only much lately did I realized he had stellar position the jazz world.  This is great set with Resonance's wonderful packaging including a 66 page booklet of info.

By next pick is slight embarrassment, as I actually already own a copy. John McLaughlin Trio Live at the Royal Festival Hall November 27, 1989.  The title sounded familiar, but the packaging was totally different, so I took a chance.  Only after opening the cardboard case and seeing the insert, that is the same as the other copy's CD cover, did I realize my error. Still great music from a favorite guitarist of mine.

Yesterday, I visiteda local Vinyl Record fair and found a Japanese CD release of The Gary Burton Quartet Duster album. Duster is often considered to be one of the first jazz fusion albums, with guitarist Larry Coryell, bassist Steve Swallow, drummer Roy Haynes, leader Burton on vibraphones, recording in 1967.  Even 51 years later the music still sounds fresh.

Rounding out my weekend CD shopping I was happy to find Bill Frisell Music IS, his latest release.  Bill played at the Abercrombie Tribute I missed, so I think of this as a consolation prize for missing him there.  If you're a guitar gearhead you'll have to check the efx boxes Frisell uses in this solo outing. It's really impressive, as is the music.

So, Happy Easter to all, hope your April Fool's Day was a pleasant one.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Miles Davis, Tony Williams's Lifetime, John Scofield Band, and Patrica Barber.

Happy Sunday Music Muse Day.  This week features some favorite artists that I thought I have the albums of, but in fact, I didn't.  Case in point, Miles Davis Sketches of Spain, a re-issue CD of the classic LP with music arranged and conducted by Gil Evans.  I really thought I had the LP.   I know I heard the music.  I'm thinking I might have borrowed it from the Lincoln Center Music library years ago in NYC. Actually in reading the liner notes for the CD, I might have still bought this because it contains four tracks not on the original LP, plus it has a informative booklet with nice photos of the recording session.

Second, is another CD that I thought I had the LP but, I checked, and I don't.  Tony Williams Lifetime Emergency, a CD of the milestone 2 LP set, with John McLaughlin on guitar, and Larry Young on organ.  This is the group Tony left Miles to form, and interestingly John Mclaughlin  turned down Miles' offer to join his group to join Lifetime, instead.  Another interesting note was the that the original recording was consider by all as "badly botched" with "poor balance and rampant distortion".  Many felt that it add an "raw edge" to it.  This CD was re-mastered in an attempt to, as engineer Phil Schaap states, "getting the audio presented here up to its meager but acceptable level".   As it shows the birth of Jazz Fusion (for better or worse) the rawness offer authenticity.

Next is another favorite guitar of mine, John Scofield Band Uberjam.  There's not much I can say about this except that John is having a fun time playing fusion that mixes a lot of different influences in an interesting way.  Just by the cover art (Hessdesignworks.com) you can tell this is not a straight ahead jazz session.

Last is the jazz songwriter, pianist, and bandleader, Patrica Barber, Mythologies. According to allmusic.com, "in 2003 ...received a Guggenheim fellowship to create a song cycle based on Ovid's Metamorphoses.  ( Barber )has taken the heart of Ovid's text (he was a Roman poet doing his own intertextual take on Greek mythology) and created 11 pieces, each based on one character in his cycle. She's in turn written a different piece -- in style, linguistic content, and feel -- for each character she was drawn to" The site goes on to call this Barber's masterpeice. I enjoy her music, but she can be pretentious at time.  That said I  have several of her CDs and like her enough to try more.

I also, shuck in so Brazilian music this weekend to mark the start of the Rio Olympics.  But I cover those before.  Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Stan Meets Chet, Chick Corea Vigil, and Jack Bruce Spectrum Road

This week's Sunday Music Muse Day features three interesting CDs, a pleasant surprise, mild disappointment, and an exciting find.

The pleasant surprise was the Verve Records re-issue CD, Stan meets Chet, as in Stan Getz, and Chet Baker.  Both men legendary jazz figures on their respective instruments, Stan Getz on the tenor saxophone, and  Chet Baker on the trumpet.  I couldn't pass up this CD as the liner notes states the LP of their meeting was long out-of-print.  I admit I've been late in getting to know the music  of both more closely.  So this CD will help in making up for that.

My mild disappointment is by Chick Corea, The Vigil, a CD some critic said was his best since the hay day of Return to Forever.  I had seen this CD several times and debated buying it, but after listening to the Return to Forever Anthology, which included the full Romantic Warrior album cuts, this past week.  I relented.  Well, let's just say there are echoes of the best RTF tunes in the CD, but unfortunately the bad excesses of the later RTF albums, like Musicmagic, are present, most annoying is the vocals of Gayle Moran Corea (a nice enough singer) singing Chick horrible lyrics.  I posted them so you can judge for yourself.  Even just as poetry, the lyrics just don't work.  I can console myself with the cover art, at least, Chick in a shiny suit of armor.   I think Chick has "thing" for that image.  Romantic Warrior has a knight in armor on it.

The exciting find is the CD, Spectrum Road, featuring the legendary Rock / Jazz bassist, the late Jack Bruce.  Jack, of course, is best known for being a member of Cream, the premiere Rock power trio, with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker (FYI- one of my all time favorite Rock groups).  Those who know of Jack Bruce's jazz connections will know he played with an early version Tony William's Lifetime, with guitarist John McLaughlin, and organist Larry Young. Lifetime was truly a groundbreaking Jazz-Fusion group, playing a very raw and intense brand of music.  Spectrum Road is sort of a tribute to the late Tony Williams.  Eight of the ten tunes are Tony Williams compositions, from the Lifetime albums, and one each from William's "Believe it" and "Joy of Flying". The other players on Spectrum Road are guitarist Vernon Reid, of the Black Rock  group Living Color, on organ is John Medeski, of the "post-Fusion trio" Medeski, Martin and Wood, and finally drummer Cindy Blackman Santana, who I'm not familiar with, but she's on my musical radar now.

All in all, not a good collection.  Even the Chick Corea CD has some moments to enjoy.  With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I'll have more free to give these another listen.  Enjoy your turkey day.