Art Pepper: The Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings

  Back when I was the tape archivist for Fantasy Inc., I looked after a vault with thousands of tapes from labels including Prestige, Fantasy, Riverside, Pablo, Contemporary, Stax, Specialty, and more. When I would talk to people about the job, nearly everyone would wonder how much of that I got to hear during the work day. Sadly, although this was the coolest possible job for a jazz fan, I really didn’t get to listen to much of it. Much of what I did was to pull reels of tape off the shelves and bring them downstairs to the studio, then bring them back when the engineers were done with them, and make sure the tape boxes ended up where they started. One of the smaller labels under the Fantasy umbrella was Galaxy Records. Originally an R’n’B imprint, it was revived in 1977 as a jazz label. Among their notable artists were Roy Haynes, Hank Jones, and alto saxophonist Art Pepper. When the time came for Fantasy to be sold and the tapes moved away, one of my concerns was to get important tapes that were in the vault, but not owned by the label, to the rightful owners. In this case, Pepper’s widow Laurie Pepper, for whom I was storing a couple of shelves worth of tape. But I still didn’t get to hear it! That’s where the fantastic 7-CD boxed set The Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings comes in. Pepper recorded extensively for Galaxy between 1978 and 1982, with enough material to fill 16 compact discs in the boxed set of his complete recordings for the label. That not quite complete package included the originally issued tracks from a trio of album releases (Roadgame. Art Lives, and APQ) and added more selections for a total of 21 tracks. Now we get every note from the three nights of recording at this Los Angeles nightclub, for a total of 42 pieces, plus Pepper’s introductions to the songs and the musicians. Pepper’s hard-working quartet for these shows had George Cables on piano, David Williams on bass, and his favorite drummer Carl Burnett. Omnivore has put it all into a handsome (if delicate) bound book, with extensive reminiscences by the always enjoyable Laurie Pepper, plenty of photographs of the band from that time, some images of my old friends the tape boxes, and some of Pepper’s own notes on the tunes from hearing rough mixes on cassette. It’s like having a fascinating concert at home from one of the finest alto saxophonists of the era, and the set provides a rare opportunity for the dedicated listener to make his own choices of quality and compare them to the original albums sequenced by Ed Michel and Laurie Pepper, who co-produced all of Pepper’s Galaxy recordings. Definitely worth waiting for, and totally recommended. 

Omnivore OVCD-521; Art Pepper (as, cl on +) George Cables (p) David Williams (b) Carl Burnett (d); Los Angeles, CA, August 13-15, 1981; Disc 1 (77:04): Road Waltz/ Mambo Koyama/ Everything Happens to Me/ For Freddie/ Donna Lee*/ Begin the Beguine#/ Without a Song. Disc 2 (72:25): Samba Mom Mom/ What’s New?*/ “Landscape” Introduction/ Landscape*/ “Valse Triste” Introduction/ Valse Triste*/ Allen’s Alley/ Thank You Blues*/ Band Introductions. Disc 3 (75:54): “Straight Life” Introduction/ Straight Life/ Whims of Chambers/ “Allen’s Alley” Introduction/ Allen’s Alley/ Begin the Beguine#/ “Don’t Play the Clarinet Ever Again…”/ Everything Happens to Me/ “How the Sets Are Going to Go…”/ Landscape. Disc 4 (73:50): “Road Waltz” Introduction/ Road Waltz*/ Band Introductions/ “For Freddie” Introduction/ For Freddie*/ “Yours Is My Heart Alone” Introduction/ Yours Is My Heart Alone/ “Mambo Koyama” Introduction/ Mambo Koyama*/ “We’ll Be Back in Five Minutes…”/ Samba Mom Mom/ Valse Triste. Disc 5 (71:45): But Beautiful*/ “Donna Lee” Introduction/ Donna Lee/ “We’ll Be Back Tomorrow Night…”/ Roadgame/ Band Introductions/ Without a Song/ Everything Happens to Me*/ “For Freddie” Introduction/ For Freddie*. Disc 6 (63:21): “Allen’s Alley” Introduction/ Allen’s Alley/ Road Waltz*/ “We’ll Be Back to Finish the Night…”/ “Samba Mom Mom” Introduction/ Samba Mom Mom/ “Mambo Koyama” Introduction/ Mambo Koyama*/ “When You’re Smiling” Introduction/ When You’re Smiling*. Disc 7 (67:26): But Beautiful* (duet for alto saxophone & piano)/ Roadgame*/ “For Freddie” Introduction/ For Freddie*/ Road Waltz/ Donna Lee/ Arthur’s Blues*/ “The Record Will Be out Soon…”. Tracks with * have been previously issued on the Galaxy label. omnivorerecordings.com

Sonny Clark: The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions

  In the mid-Eighties, Giovanni Bonandrini of Black Saint Records prodded pianist Wayne Horvitz into recording an album dedicated to the music of pianist and composer Sonny Clark. With John Zorn on alto saxophone, Ray Drummond on bass, and Bobby Previte on drums, The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet recorded seven of Clark’s distinctive originals as Voodoo. Most of them first appeared on albums that were out-of-print at the time (1987). The release somehow made Clark’s music hip for a new generation of jazz fans. Zorn, in a trio with trombonist George Lewis and guitarist Bill Frisell, went on to record News For Lulu and More News For Lulu (both on hat Art) with songs by Clark, Kenny Dorham, and Hank Mobley, among others. Now comes what seems like the ultimate accolade for the undeservedly obscure pianist, a Mosaic boxed set. The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions compiles nine albums, including a few that were first issued in Japan, as well as all the bonus tracks and alternates that have appeared on CD reissues of this material over the years. The big attraction here, besides the sheer pleasure of having it all in one place, is the phenomenal sound quality of this collection. Every session was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, with all but the final date done at his original studio in Hackensack. (The 1961 album Leapin’ And Lopin’ was made in Englewood Cliffs.) As earlier Blue Note reissues have noted, “No multitrack recording was used and consequently no mixing was required.” In other words, the session tapes became the masters with no intermediary steps. New high-resolution transfers of the original analog tapes were mastered with 24-bit technology. The results are stunning, and since the stereo spread reproduces the actual spatial orientation of the performers, listening to these CDs puts you right into the room with the musicians. As Bob Blumenthal, tells us in his typically fine and informative liner notes, Clark arrived in New York with Dinah Washington’s group after a few years of work on the West Coast. Clark’s first appearance on Blue Note was on a Hank Mobley sextet date, recorded on June 23, 1957. An impressed Alfred Lion of Blue Note signed him to a contract, and just a month later, on July 21, Clark did his own first date as a leader for any label with Dial “S” For Sonny. While this box is devoted to Clark’s sessions as a leader, he also appeared regularly in this period as a sideman with the likes of Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Stanley Turrentine, Jackie McLean, Curtis Fuller and Dexter Gordon. He’s also been featured on previous Mosaic collections, including The Complete Recordings Of The Buddy DeFranco Quartet/Quintet With Sonny Clark and The Complete Blue Note Recordings Of Grant Green With Sonny Clark. What distinguishes Clark’s music is the “sustained level of melodic invention” (Blumenthal), his “bright, irresistible swing” (Michael Cuscuna) and his “finesse and an exceptional technique, too” (tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin).  What’s sad about it is that as busy as he was playing music, he was also, like so many of his contemporaries, a heroin addict who overdosed at the age of 32. Clark himself was quite self-aware. ''Your soul is your conception,” he said to Nat Hentoff, “and you begin to have it in your playing when the way you strike a note, the sound you get and your phrasing come out of you yourself, and no one else.'' Sonny Clark always sounded like himself, and this marvelous anthology is his enduring testament. Absolutely recommended.

Mosaic MR6-276; Disc 1 (78:28) Dial “S” For Sonny + Sonny’s Crib; Disc 2 (77:34) Sonny’s Crib concluded + My Conception; Disc 3 (49:06) Sonny Clark Trio; Disc 4 (75:26) Sonny Clark quintet + Cool Struttin’; Disc 5 (62:38) singles session + Blues In The Night; Disc 6 (55:37) Leapin’ And Lopin’. For complete discographical details, go here. Limited edition available from mosaicrecords.com

Looking in the Rear View Mirror, Part 3: Location Location Location, Pirog, Gray, Simone

  What can a musician do to stay active during a pandemic that severely restricts gatherings and performing spaces? Location Location Location, a trio of guitarist Anthony Pirog, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Mike Pride came up with a solution. For Damaged Goods, the group’s first effort on Cuneiform, each man recorded his parts in different locations: Pirog in California and Maryland, Formanek in New Jersey, and Pride in upstate New York. The three players bring widely varied musical experiences to bear on this project. Since his first appearance on CD with Michael Formanek and drummer Ches Smith (Palo Colorado Dream, 2014), Pirog has recorded with the likes of saxophonists Jon Irabagon and James Brandon Lewis, the late trumpeter Jaimie Branch, and fellow guitarist Henry Kaiser. Formanek’s credits are legion, going all the way back to a 1976 album with the Dave Leibman Quintet, while drummer Pride, since his debut with his own quartet in 2002, has played with everyone from Anthony Braxton to Jon Irabagon to Kirk Knuffke. Pirog’s effects-laden guitar sound is the project’s main focus. Given the odd circumstances of its creation, and the need not to makes things overly complicated, Damaged Goods becomes a largely fusion-oriented set. Most of the tracks are credited to the trio, with one piece each written by Formanek (Verdigris) and Pride (the cheerfully grooving 79 Beatdowns) plus two by Pirog (The Door and Apperceptions). The lengthy opening track, Branch, Breezy, keeps shifting gears and showcasing each member of the trio, complete with a short and unexpected burst of electric guitar at the very end. Formanek’s Veridgris, gliding along with Pride’s stately beat, Pirog’s emphatic guitar lines, and the composer’s steady bass, is one of my favorites. Another is the brief Drips, which makes a brief departure from the big beats of the surrounding tracks. Pride leads the way on marimba, shadowed by Formanek’s calm and responsive lines on acoustic bass. The wild finale, Crisis of Attention, is another highlight, as Pirog rages on guitar, Pride rumbles on drums, and Formanek holds it all together. Big fun, indeed! Cuneiform RUNE 518; Anthony Pirog (guitar, guitar synth, synthesizers: recorded in Monterey, CA, & Silver Spring, MD) Michael Formanek (4 & 5 string electric and double bass, guitar: recorded in West Orange, NJ) Mike Pride (drumset, marimba, bongos, dub: recorded in Chester, NY; Branch, Breezy/ Verdigris/ Trap Door/ Ground Zero/ Drips/ 79 Beatdowns/ Apperceptions/ A Sound That Shapes a Thing That Thinks/ Damaged Goods/ Crisis of Attention; 49:12. cuneiformrecords.com

Guitarist Anthony Pirog had another pandemic idea, a combination thought experiment and music smorgasbord. Pirog asked musicians from a broad spectrum of styles what the word “ambient” meant to each of them, and requested a piece of music that reflected that understanding. Pirog then added his own ideas, for The Nepenthe Series, Vol. 1. Per Wikipedia, “figuratively, nepenthe means 'that which chases away sorrow,'" an apt description of the project’s purpose. For this first foray, Pirog mostly contacted a group of fellow guitarists in a broad spectrum of styles, with contributions from Nels Cline, John Frusciante, Andy Summers, Brandon Ross, Wendy Eisenberg, and Ryan Ferreira. There’s also one track pairing Pirog with Luke Stewart on electric bass, another with Pirog’s wife and producer Janel Leppin on pedal steel guitar, and a lone solo piece for guitar synthesizer, Bernal Heights. The music ranges from the organ-like swells of Ripples of Light (with Cline) to the relatively bouncy Dense Blazing Star (with Stewart) to the melancholy melodicism of Inflorescence (with Summers) to the droning electronic soundscape of Bernal Heights to the mysterious haze of Night Winds (with Eisenberg), and more. The Nepenthe Series, Vol. 1 is a well-conceived and boldly provocative collection, well worth a listen. Is it “ambient”? That depends on how you mean it. Otherly Love Records (digital album & vinyl); Ripples of Light (Nels Cline, AP - guitars)/ Aurora (John Frusciante - monomachine, AP - guitar)/ Dense Blazing Star (Luke Stewart - electric bass, AP - guitar)/ Inflorescence (Andy Summers - guitar, AP - guitar, guitar synth)/ Glowing Gesture (Janel Leppin - pedal steel guitar, AP - guitar)/ Bernal Heights (Pirog) (AP - guitar synth)/ Cirrus (Brandon Ross - guitar, AP - guitar, guitar synth)/ Night Winds (Wendy Eisenberg, AP - guitars)/ The Eternal River (Ryan Ferreira, AP - guitars); 40:48. anthony-pirog.bandcamp.com

Like many frustrated musicians during the pandemic, percussionist Devin Gray turned to solo performance. Most Definitely is a compendium of percussive techniques, with Gray exploring a variety of experimental approaches to sound production, plus occasional electronic manipulation. He also includes a few dedications to influential drummers, with the buoyant Blackwell Magic particularly inspired. At seventy-two minutes, this collection is probably not going to be played from start to finish very often, but it seems designed to be something you might dip into for a track or three. With just a few exceptions, most of the 23 pieces last for two minutes or less. For ultimate contrast, two tracks are much longer: Soldier on, Milford, an ultra-dynamic dedication to the late drummer and teacher Milford Graves, is a bit over twenty minutes long, and Tough Love, a meditation on tonal contrasts in the drum kit, fills nearly nineteen minutes. Think of these tracks more as compositions and improvisations for percussion, rather than drum solos, with all the negative baggage that phrase drags along with it. That will put you more in the frame of mind to enjoy your foray into Gray’s uniquely stimulating world of sound. Rataplan (limited edition vinyl & CD; digital album); Devin Gray - drums, percussion; no locations or dates noted; Hunker Down/ Pull To Refresh/ Bad WiFi/ Most Definitely/ Upstate Berlin/ Tailgate Lunches/ Blackwell Magic/ Hoi Polloi/ Digital Nomads/ 2077/ Crypto Punks / Doom Scrolling/ Only the Poets (for Daniel Levine)/ Soldier on, Milford/ Case By Case/ Data Pollution/ Jack De Blues/ Tough Love/ Anthony, Burroughs/ Millennial Hotel/ Vone Call/ Subscription Fatigue/ Vone it in ; 72:11. rataplanrecordsnyc.bandcamp.com

Finally, in You've Got To Learn, we have a newly unearthed performance by the great Nina Simone at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival. Recorded for posterity, deposited at the Library of Congress, it was then forgotten about for decades until it was discovered in the vault. Performing with her regular touring quartet of the era, featuring guitarist Rudy Stevenson, bassist Lisle Atkinson, and drummer Bobby Hamilton, Simone made the most of her half-hour slot on a day that included quartets helmed by Charles Lloyd, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, and Thelonious Monk, the Horace Silver quintet, and the Charlie Byrd trio. Her voice and piano get right into your soul with the preachy original title song, and she remains emotionally direct and affecting throughout her appearance. Her performance that afternoon of Mississippi Goddam is one for the ages, angry as hell, and, sadly, no less relevant today than it was in 1966. I seldom write about vocalists, but You've Got To Learn should not be missed. Verve; Nina Simone (vcl, p) Rudy Stevenson (g) Lisle Atkinson (b) Bobby Hamilton (d); Newport, RI, July 2, 1966; You've Got To Learn/ I Loves You, Porgy/ Introduction to Blues for Mama/ Blues For Mama/ Be My Husband/ Mississippi Goddam/ Music For Lovers; 32:58. www.ververecords.com

Looking in the Rear View Mirror, Part 2: Kell, Mendoza*Hoff*Revels, Sickafoose, Turner

  I’m pretty much of a sucker when it comes to bands of two electric guitars, bass, and drums, which makes bassist Arthur Kell’s Speculation Quartet, captured Live At LunÀtico, a total treat. Nate Radley and Brad Shepik are the guitarists, Allan Medyard is on drums, and the enthusiastic audience, warming up by the band on a couple of February nights, is also a key part of the show. Bar LunÀtico is co-owned by Kell, so it’s no surprise that he feels right at home on the tiny stage. The tight setting, glimpsed in an online video of the quartet at work, provokes this band into intimate instant reactions. Kell’s compositions are essentially frameworks for improvising, and the quartet makes the most of their opportunities. Radley and Shepik trade lead and rhythm guitar duties seamlessly. The surging Dry Delta is a good example of the guitarists spurring one another on to ever more inventive zones while a rock-solid Kell and the hard-driving Mednard provide a potent rhythmic base. Kell has a fairly thin discography since his recorded debut on pianist Peggy Stern’s Actual Size back in 1998, and while I haven’t heard all his work, I really enjoyed his two Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records releases in 2008 (Victoria) and 2011 (Jester), and I’m glad to add this winning session to the shelf next to them. Recommended. Origin 82884; Nate Radley, Brad Shepik (g) Arthur Kell (b) Allan Mednard (d); Brooklyn, NY, February 15-16, 2022; Speculation (Intro)/ Haflat Zifaf/ The Djado/ Lullaby;Omi/ Pisciotta Blue/ Dry Delta/ Dark Green No. 15/ Regatta/ Polyamorphous/ Speculation; 71:17. arthurkell.com

If you’re looking for some over-the-top and almost brutal noise, then Echolocation just might be what you’re searching for. In Mendoza * Hoff * Revels, guitarist Ava Mendoza and bassist Devin Hoff are joined by tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and drummer Ches Smith for 49 minutes of crunchy and unabashedly electronic rave-ups. Hoff and Mendoza split the composing chores, with the guitarist and saxophonist Lewis as the main solo voices. Hoff and drummer Smith have recorded together frequently since they first played in San Francisco keyboardist Graham Connah’s Jettison Slinky ensemble back at the turn of the century, so their lock on these dense and lively rhythms comes as no surprise. Mendoza, whose unhinged guitar pyrotechnics have graced albums by the likes of Allen Lowe, Moppa Elliott, and Erik Friedlander, sounds like she’s having a great time mixing it up with her bandmates. Crazy, thunderous, and totally relentless, Echolocation will either have you dancing with abandon or running out of the room. AUM Fidelity AUM117 (CD, DL or vinyl); James Brandon Lewis (ts) Ava Mendoza (e gtr) Devin Hoff (b) Ches Smith (d); Brooklyn, NY, no dates specified; Dyscalculia/ Echolocation/ Interwhining/ Babel-17/ New Ghosts / Diablada/ The Stumble/ Ten Forward; 49:16. aumfidelity.com

It’s been a few years since Bear Proof was recorded, but bassist and leader Todd Sickafoose has been a busy man, with producing, orchestrating, and composing chores, so it seems like this project was on the back burner for a while. The nine original compositions on Bear Proof were intended to be played straight through, and the music was recorded just that way, as one continuous take. This stellar and well-rehearsed ensemble includes cornetist Kirk Knuffke, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, violinist Jenny Scheinman, guitarist Adam Levy, pianist Erik Deutsch, accordionist Rob Reich, and drummer Allison Miller. Over 62 minutes, Sickafoose unveils what he describes in a brief liner note as “a surreal meditation on BOOM and BUST.” Even if that intent never becomes clear to the engaged listener, the shifting textures and intricacies of Sickafoose’s arrangements, along with the manifest skills of his bandmates, will provide a heap of enduring pleasure. With brief solos darting out of the ensemble, and the surrounding support, there’s plenty of details to savor, and I expect that there will be fresh surprises to discover when this stirring set is played again and again. Secret Hatch SH054; Kirk Knuffke (cnt) Ben Goldberg (cl) Jenny Scheinman (vln) Adam Levy (g) Erik Deutsch (p) Rob Reich (acc) Todd Sickafoose (ac b) Allison Miller (d); Berkeley, CA, 2018; The Gold Gate/ Bent Into Shape/ Switched On/ Flush/ Magnetic North/ Boom Bust Startup Ruin/ Turns Luck/ Prospects/ Reverse Fortune; 61:52. toddsickafoose.bandcamp.com

Trumpeter Jason Palmer and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner are beautifully matched in the Mark Turner Quartet, with Joe Martin on bass and Jonathan Pinson on drums. Live At The Village Vanguard, from Jimmy Katz’s Giant Step Arts project, gathers eleven tunes recorded over two nights at the fabled New York nightspot. Turner wrote all the pieces for this date, and he has the knack of composing tunes that hold your interest without being too convoluted as well as proving to be valuable springboards for improvisation. While the closing Lennie Groove first appeared on Turner’s 1998 album In This World, the bulk of the repertoire comes from his well-received 2019 CD Return From The Stars. That ECM release was recorded with the same quartet that appears here, and their deep immersion into the material gives the music a special lift in this live setting. As soloists, Palmer’s fluid and expressive trumpet and Turner’s sensuous and seemingly off-hand tenor are always a pleasure, but it’s their intertwined duo exchanges that really stand out. The performances rely on the penetrating rhythms and unbounded creativity of the Martin and Pinson team. Live At The Village Vanguard is a most satisfying 130 minutes of music; strongly recommended. Giant Step Arts; Jason Palmer (tpt) Mark Turner (ts) Joe Martin (b) Jonathan Pinson (d); NYC, June 18-19, 2022; Disc 1 (63:32): Return From the Stars/ Terminus/ Bridgetown/ BrotherSister/ Nigeria 2/ Lincoln Heights. Disc 2 (67:17): 1946/ Unacceptable/ It’s Not Alright With me/ Wasteland/ Lennie Groove. www.giantsteparts.org