More Vault Treasures:From Yusef Lateef, Ahmad Jamal, Joe Henderson & Mal Waldron

     Nobody runs a jazz club to get rich. Impresarios like Todd Barkan (Keystone Korner in San Francisco), Max Gordon (The Village Vanguard in New York), and Joe Segal (The Jazz Showcase in Chicago) were all fans of the music they presented on their stages. One of the semi-hidden perks of running a club is having the man in the sound booth tape the show. I should know, because I did precisely that when I worked at Keystone Korner in the late Seventies. By now, it’s no surprise at all, and so many Keystone tapes have been spruced up for official release (including an earlier Resonance release by Jaki Byard and Tommy Flanagan) that it’s hard keeping track of them. It turns out that Joe Segal, who opened his Jazz Showcase in 1947 and subsequently moved the location many times over the years, amassed a collection of between 8,000 and 10,000 tapes. As producer Zev Feldman writes “The path to releasing this material has been long and, at times, complicated ... I’m very lucky to have known Joe over the course of many years ... he always knew I was looking for tapes to release. In 2011, I began to work with him to delve into his archives and go over his collection of tapes, and now, 13 years later here we are.” Working closely with Joe Segal’s son Wayne Segal, who continues to operate The Jazz Showcase, Feldman has settled on an initial four releases, available on vinyl for Record Store Day and on CD one week later. Each booklet in these sets comes with an introduction by producer Feldman, reminiscences by Wayne Segal, and Joe Segal’s neighbor, friend and lawyer Stu Katz, plus some comments by Sonny Rollins on Joe Segal, who he describes as “one of a kind.”

    The earliest music in the batch comes from multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef on Alight Upon The Lake: Live At The Jazz Showcase. As Lateef biographer Herb Boyd writes in his liner essay, Lateef put his quartet, with Kenny Barron on piano, Bob Cunningham on bass, and “Tootie” Heath on drums, back together in order to bring some income into his life. Boyd says that “Yusef and his crew settled in for a live recording.” It’s finally out, as a 3-LP/3-cd package. Lateef took an unusual approach to a live record date, starting off with the nearly half-hour excursion through pianist Barron’s The Untitled. Only one tune in the lengthy program, Lateef’s I Remember Webster is under 10 minutes. The band is hitting hard from the start of The Untitled, with Lateef on tenor, but it breaks down in the middle for a very long piano solo before erupting into a wild passage as the drums come in, and Barron and then Lateef steer the piece to a close. I’ve always thought of Lateef’s most successful work as hard bop with a personal slant, and so a burner like his original composition Mutually Beneficial is one of the highlights of the music for me. The tempo is ferocious, the rhythm section is giving it all they’ve got with an explosive Lateef on top. Over the course of the concert, Lateef also plays bamboo and transverse flutes, and oboe. A solo on bamboo flute leads off Roy Brooks’ Eboness, which features a well-recorded arco solo by Cunningham. The second half includes a long look at Kenny Barron’s bouncy Inside Atlantis, followed by I Remember Webster, a beautiful and otherwise unrecorded Lateef original ballad dedicated to Ben Webster. The half-hour long Opus 1 & 2, written by Akira Inoue, sustains the mellow mood as Lateef wields his transverse flute after a long introductory passage featuring Cunningham’s bowed bass. The set winds up with a romp through Nat King Cole’s Straighten Up and Fly Right, and then the oft-recorded set closer and the “going home number” Yusef’s Mood, an r’n’b flavored number that has everybody feeling all right. Your guides to contextualize both the music and the man are producer Zev Feldman, who knew Lateef many years ago, Herb Boyd, and saxophonist Bennie Maupin. Maupin describes Lateef as “a great mentor to me.” The most important things he learned from him, he says were “how to be truthful, to speak your mind creatively ...” The booklet also includes a great photo spread of old Joe Segal concert posters, with an engagement by the Yusef Lateef band on each one. Alight Upon The Lake has plenty to offer for fans of this influential figure in improvised music. 

Resonance HCD-2088 ; Yusef Lateef (ts, fl, oboe) Kenny Barron (p) Bob Cunningham (b) Albert “Tootie” Heath (d); Chicago, IL, June 1975; Disc 1 (55:26): The Untitled/ Mutually Exclusive/ Eboness. Disc 2 (55:28): Inside Atlantis/ I Remember Webster/ Opus 1 & 2. Disc 3 (51:21): Golden Goddess/ Straighten Up and Fly Right/ Yusef’s Mood. resonancerecords.org

    The influential pianist Ahmad Jamal is heard At The Jazz Showcase: Live In Chicago in his usual trio format, with John Heard on bass and Frank Gant on drums. Gant spent over a decade playing with Jamal, mostly with Jamil Nasser on bass. Heard was a member of the trio for just a year. Jamal was a frequent performer for Joe Segal over the years. Jamal, of course, grew famous in the Fifties when he recorded At the Pershing: But Not for Me in Chicago in 1958. He could always be sure of a receptive audience when he played there, and the tracks included here prove it. Jamal’s music was changing in the mid-Seventies, but his innate melodicism and firm touch never abandoned him. The repertoire encompasses Johnny Mandel’s Theme From M*A*S*H (also a Bill Evans favorite in this period), Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Wave, and Herbie Hancock’s Dolphin Dance plus a few standards. At 9:28, Jamal’s solo rendition of Duke Ellington’s Prelude to a Kiss, is a very long prelude to what one hopes is a fantastic kiss. His other solo excursion, a calm and deliberate version of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, closes the show on a graceful note. Jamal’s frequent tendency on stage to turn the tunes into marathons of twists and turns doesn’t always grab me, and I wish the piano didn’t sound quite so tinny. Eugene Holley, Jr.’s liner notes, John Heard’s memories, and appreciations by pianists Fred Hersch and co-producer Joe Alterman all help to put this concert in perspective. 

Resonance HCD-2085; Ahmad Jamal (p) John Heard (b) Frank Gant (d); Chicago, IL, March 20-21, 1976; Disc 1 (50:08): Ahmad’s Song/ Wave/ Have You Met Miss Jones?/ Theme From M*A*S*H. Disc 2 (52:26): Dolphin Dance/ Prelude to a Kiss/ A Time For Love/ Swahililand/ A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. resonancerecords.org

     Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson was between labels at the time of Consonance: Live At The Jazz Showcase. No longer a Milestone artist, he would record his sole Contemporary release in 1979. He was probably touring at the time of this show with pianist Joanne Brackeen (her name is on the poster for this gig), adding a new rhythm section in each town. Bassist Steve Rodby and drummer Danny Spencer were called upon in Chicago, and as Rodby told producer Zev Feldman, Henderson “made you sound good just by playing with him.” Rodby was the house bassist at the Jazz Showcase for a spell, and backed many of the headliners. Another interviewee, Danny Spencer, notes that he knew Joe Henderson through his brother Leon, when Spencer and Leon Henderson were both members of the Contemporary Jazz Quintet. Playing with Joe, Spencer feels, was like having a conversation in music on stage. Joanne Brackeen, was Henderson’s pianist of choice from 1972-1975, and obviously performed in his groups after that. She told Feldman these performances “reflect a way we often played, but which was never captured on recordings.” The elements are all in place for an inspired (and long) evening from the quartet. And so it proves to be. They come on strong with an almost impossibly fast and extended version of Coltrane’s Mr. P.C., with solo space for all. The quartet proceeds to tackle a trio of Henderson’s best-known compositions (Inner Urge, Recorda Me, and Isotope), Bird’s Relaxin’ at Camarillo, Monk’s 'Round Midnight, and a few of his favorite standards. Among the high points are Henderson’s unaccompanied opening to the Monk tune, the joyous finger-snapping approach the quartet brings to Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise, and the evolved hard-edged bebop of Relaxin’ at Camarillo. Co-producer John Koenig contributes a set of informative liner notes and there’s an array of photographs of the musicians as well. Henderson was always regarded as a top tenorman by other musicians, but he didn’t really achieve more visibility and recognition until his The State Of The Tenor albums for Blue Note in 1985. He was always a star to those in the know, and this collection of live performances is further proof. Recommended. 

Resonance HCD-2084; Joe Henderson (ts) Joanne Brackeen (p) Steve Rodby (b) Danny Spencer (d); Chicago, IL, February 1978; Disc 1 (80:00): Mr. P.C./ Inner Urge/ Invitation/ Relaxin’ at Camarillo. Disc 2 (79:31): Recorda Me/ ‘Round Midnight/ Good Morning Heartache/ Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise/ Isotope. resonancerecords.org

   Pianist Mal Waldron had a fascinating career. He was first heard on record as a house pianist for the Prestige label in the late Fifties. He was the regular accompanist for Billie Holiday from April 1957 until her untimely death in July 1959. In 1963, he suffered a breakdown from a heroin overdose which left him unable to play or remember any music. But the human brain is remarkable, and through hard work and perseverance, he relearned the piano and returned to the scene. He made a few records in Europe in the late Sixties, with a more obsessive and forceful style than he’d exhibited in the Prestige years. His philosophy was expressed in his ECM album Free At Last, the initial release of the iconic label. By the time of Stardust & Starlight At The Jazz Showcase, Waldron was splitting his time between Europe and the United States. A glance at his recordings in this period reveals that his repertoire on the two continents was equally divided. In February 1979, he recorded Mingus Lives, a solo piano concert in Belgium of original compositions. That April, he appeared at Jazzbuhne Berlin 1979 with European modernists like Manfred Schoof and Gerd Dudek, again playing his own tunes. By contrast, while back in the United States, he was playing standards plus a couple of older originals. On a piece like his much admired Fire Waltz, originally recorded in 1961, the link between his early playing and the freer, more hypnotic style he developed in the second half of his career becomes clear. Waldron was touring as a single, and Joe Segal hired Steve Rodby on bass and the well-established Wilber Campbell on drums. They get to relax for a long stretch of solo piano as Waldron explores the standards I Thought About You and It Could Happen to You, and Monk’s classic ‘Round Midnight. At times during Waldron’s week in Chicago, Sonny Stitt would step up for a couple of numbers, and after a swinging rendition of Stella By Starlight by the trio, Stitt takes over on the final two performances. Old Folks dates back to 1938; and Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust is older still, composed in 1927. Waldron hadn’t recorded either one in decades, and he supports Stitt’s florid soloing with a minimal touch. Stardust & Starlight presents an almost mainstream side to Waldron’s playing, in contrast to the many European albums of the period, and to an avowed Waldron fan, this music is a true revelation. Liner notes are by the esteemed Howard Mandel, who must have witnessed dozens and dozens of shows at the Jazz Showcase, There’s also an appreciation of Waldron’s sound by pianist Lafayette Gilchrist, plus memories of the week with Waldron by bassist Rodby. Definitely recommended. 

Resonance HCD-2087; Mal Waldron (p) Steve Rodby (b) Wilber Campbell (d) Sonny Stitt (as); Chicago, IL, August 1979; All Alone/ All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm/ Fire Waltz/ I Thought About You/ It Could Happen to You/ ‘Round Midnight/ Stella By Starlight/ Old Folks*/ Stardust*; 67:37. resonancerecords.org
 

Rahsaan Roland Kirk : Live in NY (1963) & Seattle (1967)

     Too many people thought at first that Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s multi-horn approach to Great Black Music was a gimmick. But if your ears are open and ready for his wildly enthusiastic stage presence and command of his various saxophones, you’ve come to the right place with Vibrations In The Village - Live At The Village Gate. Recorded over two late September nights in 1963, his quartet featured Henry Grimes on bass, Sonny Brown on drums, with no fewer than three different pianists (Horace Parlan, Melvin Rhyne, and Jane Getz) on hand. A glance at the selections will give you an idea of the range of Kirk’s material, heavy on the blues, with Charles Mingus’ Ecclusiastics, a couple of standards and originals in the mix. I’ve been a fan of Kirk’s since I heard his wonderful 1971 Atlantic album Natural Black Inventions:Root Strata when I bought a copy in 1974 because I liked the cover! I’m sorry that I never had a chance to catch him in performance, but we’re fortunate to have video of Kirk performances available. The music comes first though, and from the first bars of Jump Up and Down - Fast, you’ll happily be drawn into Kirk’s unique musical world. The presence of the excellent bassist Henry Grimes is another reason to pay close attention to the proceedings. The 32-page booklet in the CD version includes liner notes by John Kruth, reminiscences by Dorthaan Kirk, Rahsaan’s widow, pianist Jane Getz, trombonist Steve Turre, who played with Kirk in the Sixties, a short piece by biographer May K. Cobb, and Adam Dorn, whose father, the late Joel Dorn, was a huge Kirk fan who produced a number of his albums. We also get to read appreciations by saxophonists Chico Freeman and James Carter. Turre’s essay has this insightful quote from Rahsaah: “As far back as you can go, determine how far forward you can go. You got to know where you’re coming from to know where you’re going.” Vibrations In The Village offers more bright moments from the great Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and is seriously recommended. Resonance HCD-2081 (also on vinyl); Rahsaan Roland Kirk (ts, stritch, manzello, fl, vcl, whistles, etc.) Horace Parlan*, Melvin Rhyne**, or Jane Getz*** (p) Henry Grimes (b) Sonny Brown (d); NYC, September 26-27, 1963; Jump Up and Down - Fast*/ Ecclusiastics*/ All the Things You Are**/ Laura**/ Kirk’s Delight*/ Oboe Blues*/ Blues Minor at the Gate**/ Falling in Love With Love***/ Three For the Festival***; 77:35. 

    Equally recommended is Seek And Listen - Live At The Penthouse with Rahsaan Roland Kirk in a pair of broadcast performances from September 1967. By this point in his career, Kirk had a stable quartet with Rahn Burton on piano, Steve Novosel on bass, and Jimmy Hopps on drums. The repertoire has widened to include pop hits like Alfie and Ode to Billie Joe (!), the traditional spiritual Down By the Riverside, and the welcome inclusion of some Ellington tunes. The result is another gem from the era of live jazz on the radio, courtesy of the fine recording skills of Jim Wilke, and unearthed by the indefatigable Zev Feldman. The band is smoking from the opening blast of The Jump Thing. Then Kirk introduces the next tune, and there’s no stopping them after that. One crucial aspect of the Penthouse treasures released by Resonance is that these are real time performances, not stitched together like most studio sessions and many live recordings. Two gloriously exciting medleys conclude the first night’s proceedings. One week later, the quartet is back, leading off with the funkiest treatment of Ode to Billie Joe that you’re ever likely to hear, stretched out to just over 12 minutes. After a Prelude to a Kiss featuring Kirk like a one-man saxophone section, the rest of the set is devoted to four of Kirk’s original tunes. Funk Underneath is a flute feature, with his nose flute involved as well. Lovellevelliloqui is an upbeat burner, followed by the lovely ballad Now Please Don’t You Cry, Beautiful Edith, and ending up with Kirk singing the blues on Making Love After Hours. As any number of his associates will testify, you never knew what would happen next when Kirk and the band hit the stage. Here’s about an hour and a half of genuine surprises. The CD set’s 36-page booklet includes John Kruth’s liner notes, many of the pieces which appeared in the Village Gate recordings, with the addition of reminiscences of Penthouse owner’s son, Charlie Puzzo, Jr., engineer Jim Wilke, and bassist Novosel, who was on the road with Kirk for 3 years. Don’t miss it. Resonance HCD-2080 (also on vinyl); Rahsaan Roland Kirk (ts, fl, stritch, manzello, flexatone, siren, vcl, whistles, etc.) Rahn Burton (p) Steve Novosel (b) Jimmy Hopps (d); Seattle, WA, September 8 (Disc 1) & 15 (Disc 2), 1967; Disc 1 (41:43): The Jump Thing/ Alfie/ Mingus-Griff Song/ Medley: Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye; I’ve Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good); Sophisticated Lady; Satin Doll/ Medley: Blues for C & T; Happy Days are Here Again; Down by the Riverside. Disc 2 (44:55): Ode to Billie Joe/ Prelude to a Kiss/ Funk Underneath/ Lovellevelliloqui/ Now Please Don’t You Cry, Beautiful Edith/ Making Love After Hours. resonancerecords.org
 

Charles Mingus: In Argentina - The Buenos Aires Concerts

     I had the enormous pleasure of seeing the Charles Mingus quintet in performance during the last few years of his career, twice in San Francisco, and once in New York. The last show I caught was at the Great American Music Hall in April 1977, with the same unit that appears on the newly released In Argentina - The Buenos Aires Concerts. The quintet toured the States that year, played in South America in June and then in Europe in July before returning to New York, on the last tour that Mingus would make. This set is not only the first official release of this concert material, but as Mingus biographer Brian Priestley mentions in his essay for the booklet, it’s also the first legitimate documentation of this edition of the quintet. In addition to Priestley’s notes, the booklet includes rare photographs, a long and insightful excerpt from Claudio Parisi’s Grandes del jazz internacional en Argentina 1956-1979, and reminiscences of working with Mingus by trumpeter Walrath and saxophonist Ford. Walrath writes that “playing with Mingus, to quote Dannie Richmond, ‘is a bitch in every sense of the word.’” Mingus, he notes, “always wanted something different.” Ford, who was barely 23 at the time of the 1977 tour, tells the story of how he came to be in the quintet. About Mingus, he writes that “when you played with him, you were walking on eggshells. You never knew what was going to happen. Still, it was a great experience ...” The programs are mostly drawn from tunes recorded on Mingus’ Seventies Atlantic albums: Changes One, Changes Two, Three Or Four Shades Of Blue, and Cumbia And Jazz Fusion, along with two older favorites. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, a 1959 elegy to the great Lester Young, is the first number of the June 2 show. The still relevant 1957 composition Fables Of Faubus, complete with repartee, a very fine bass solo, and a drum solo, comes from the June 3 performance. As an acknowledgment of Mingus’ roots in bebop, the band plays a quick medley of Koko and Cherokee as a theme statement. A brief piano solo by Mingus ends both nights. Although Mingus was ill and in a generally bad humor according to contemporary accounts, the music is powerful on both nights, with enthusiastic audiences loudly approving. Mingus might not have been soloing as much as he had been earlier in his career, but his continued fierce ensemble playing combined with the talents and dedication of this multi-generational unit make this a collection not to be missed. Highest recommendation! 

Resonance HCD- 2077 (2-CDs & 3-Lps); Jack Walrath (tpt) Ricky Ford (ts) Robert Neloms (p) Charles Mingus (b, p on *) Dannie Richmond (d); Buenos, Argentina, June 2, 1977 (disc 1) or June 3, 1977 (disc 2); Disc 1 (77:50): Introduction/ Goodbye Pork Pie Hat/ Duke Ellington’ s Sound of Love/ Noddin’ Ya Head Blues/ Three or Four Shades of Blue/ Koko; Cherokee/ For Harry Carney/ Cumbia & Jazz Fusion/ Solo Piano Improvisation*. Disc 2 (33:32) Sue’s Changes (incomplete)/ Koko; Cherokee; Band intros/ Fables of Faubus/ Solo Piano Improvisation*. resonancerecords.org

Kenny Dorham: Blue Bossa In The Bronx & Freddie Hubbard: On Fire - Live From The Blue Morocco

     Someone really ought to get to work on a biography of Sylvia Robinson. Not sure who she was? She was half of Mickey and Sylvia, with a massive hit in 1957 called Love is Strange; she had another smash hit in 1973 with Pillow Talk. And she went on to co-found Sugar Hill Records in 1979, producing the influential hip-hop songs Rapper’s Delight by the Sugarhill Gang and The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. But what concerns us here is her club The Blue Morocco, a short-lived Bronx nightspot. Two excellent releases recorded at the club have just been release, one by Kenny Dorham and one by Freddie Hubbard. Both sessions were recorded by Bernard Drayton, another fascinating New York personage. When Zev Feldman, known as the Jazz Detective, was introduced to Drayton, he became aware of Drayton’s archive of tapes. Drayton is described by Feldman as “a renaissance man” who not only had a lengthy career in advertising, but was also a gifted photographer and a fine recording engineer. John Coltrane’s last public performance, released by Impulse! as The Olatunji Concert, is one of his efforts. Drayton worked with two mikes, a tiny mixer and a Revox reel-to-reel tape machine, a setup that’s pictured in both of these releases. 

    Trumpeter Kenny Dorham was, by all accounts, a cultured and respectful man. The booklet included with Blue Bossa In The Bronx - Live From The Blue Morocco, includes an excerpt from an interview with the late Dan Morgenstern. Back when he was the editor of Downbeat, Morgenstern worked closely with Dorham when the trumpeter was briefly writing record reviews for the magazine. The insightful Morgenstern describes Dorham as “an extraordinarily intelligent person ... a guy who thought about the music and its history...” The single CD or double Lp issue of this quintet date offers what sounds like a complete set from the Bronx club. Kicking things off with Dorham’s best-known composition, Blue Bossa, the stellar unit features Sonny Red on alto along with a marvelous rhythm section of Cedar Walton on piano, the ubiquitous Paul Chambers on bass, and Denis Charles on drums. Charles is usually associated with the likes of Cecil Taylor and Steve Lacy, but remember that he also worked with Gil Evans, Sonny Rollins, and Sandy Bull. His low-key but insistent presence on the drums gives the band a firm foundation for the excellent solo work of Dorham and Walton. Sonny Red plays fluidly, but he doesn’t often sound especially inspired on this night. The typically varied program includes nods to K.D.’s bop roots, with expansive versions of Charlie Parker’s Confirmation and Milt Jackson’s Bags’ Groove, and a pair of standards. Memories of You is a feature for Sonny Red, whose convincingly bluesy approach shows him at his best. The music then slides directly into Dorham’s disarmingly relaxed look at My One and Only Love. We also get to hear Blue Friday, a Dorham original that debuted on his exquisite 1959 album Quiet Kenny, and the set closes, in the bop tradition, with The Theme. Dorham is a classic example of the “musician’s musician.” While he didn’t get a ton of recognition from the public, he was highly thought of by his peers, as well as the many trumpeters who followed in his footsteps. Eddie Henderson, Steven Bernstein, Charles Tolliver, and Jeremy Pelt all offer their praise from different angles in statements included in the booklet. Bassist Reggie Workman also offers his perspective, noting Dorham’s “unique sound and approach” and emphasizing that he also a vocalist, making him especially “able to relate to the lyrics of a song.” The booklet also features liner notes by Bob Blumenthal, short statements from Dorham’s children, and a fascinating remembrance of the night by Bernard Drayton. Frankly, I’ve never heard a Dorham recording that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy, and Blue Bossa In The Bronx is no exception. Happily recommended. Resonance HCD–2072 (CD & 2-lp set); Kenny Dorham (tpt) Sonny Red (as) Cedar Walton (p) Paul Chambers (b) Denis Charles (d); The Bronx, NY, 1967; Blue Bossa/ Confirmation/ Memories of You/ My One and Only Love/ Bags’ Groove/ Blue Friday/ The Theme; 73:35. 

    When the masterly trumpeter Freddie Hubbard was really feeling it, it was obvious from the first note. One night in The Bronx, Hubbard was in fabulous form, as the recently issued On Fire - Live From The Blue Morocco proves. Hubbard at that point in 1967 was signed to Atlantic Records, after a long association with Blue Note.  His formidably swinging quintet at the time consisted of Bennie Maupin on tenor saxophone, Kenny Barron on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Freddie Waits on drums. This Resonance set, on two CDs or three Lps, is the second of Bernard Drayton’s recordings to appear on the label. Considering the recording setup he used, he managed to get a well-balanced result. The wildly exciting program features original compositions by Hubbard (Crisis, Up Jumped Spring, True Colors, and Breaking Point), along with Bob Cunningham’s Echoes of Blue, and a pair of standards in the second set. Bye Bye Blackbird and Summertime each are explored at length, with superb solo work by Hubbard, Maupin, and Barron. Freddie Waits could drive a small group with finesse and unstoppable propulsion, and he’s totally on his game on this night. In what has become the standard for Resonance releases, and producer Zev Feldman’s projects in general, there’s a copiously illustrated booklet. This one includes Feldman’s introduction, a short piece by Freddie’s son Duane Hubbard, liner notes by John Koenig, memories of performing with Hubbard by Kenny Barron and Bennie Maupin, an essay by Bernard Drayton about the gig, plus appreciations by fellow trumpeters Charles Tolliver, Eddie Henderson, Steven Bernstein (“This recording is insane!”), and Jeremy Pelt. On Fire is a valuable addition to the legacy of the great Freddie Hubbard, and is heartily recommended. Resonance HCD-2073; Freddie Hubbard (tpt) Bennie Maupin (ts) Kenny Barron (p) Herbie Lewis (b) Freddie Waits (d); The Bronx, NY, April 10, 1967; Disc 1 (65:18) Crisis/ Up Jumped Spring/ Echoes of Blue/ True Colors; Breaking Point. Disc 2 (47:56) Bye Bye Blackbird/ Summertime/ Breaking Point. resonancerecords.org

Sun Ra: Lights On A Satellite (1978 AND 2024!)

  When it comes to the universe of Sun Ra, there are no such things as coincidences. So it makes perfect sense that two albums of the Arkestra’s music, each titled Lights On A Satellite and recorded many decades apart, should be issued in the same month. In 1978, the Arkestra appeared at the hippest spot in Baltimore, Maryland: the Left Bank Jazz Society’s presentations at the Famous Ballroom. Lights On A Satellite: Live At The Left Bank captures the Arkestra in performance. I had the immense pleasure of seeing the Arkestra several times in the late Seventies, and they never failed to give a spectacular show, complete with fabulous home-made costumes, space chants, dancers, Sun Ra’s insanely wonderful synthesizer forays, and the great sax section with John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Davis and Marshall Allen on altos, and Danny Ray Thompson on baritone. The set list for this blistering performance includes such goodies as the title track, Fletcher Henderson’s Yeah Man (1933), Horace Henderson’s Big John’s Special, an Arkestra favorite first recorded in 1934, We Travel the Spaceways and what might be my favorite Sun Ra composition, the infectious Watusi. The band is in great form, and Ra himself plays with his usual wit and great spirit, especially on the three consecutive piano features, beginning with his excursion Over the Rainbow. The packed booklet features photos, including some from the show, notes by J.D. Considine who was at this performance, and a reminiscence by filmmaker Robert Mugge, whose film Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise was shot at this Baltimore appearance. (Mugge also contributed a couple of pieces to this release as bonus tracks, the swinging piano improvisation called Left Bank Blues and an Arkestral look at ‘Round Midnight, with Ra at the organ.) The booklet also includes snippets of interviews with the late Dan Morgenstern, Marshall Allen, saxophonist Gary Bartz, pianist Craig Taborn, and the unique perspective of Michael D. Anderson, who was one of the drummers at the Famous Ballroom. Anderson later became the archivist for the Arkestra, and he co-produced this release with Zev Feldman. This Lights On A Satellite is a total delight, with Sun Ra’s music given the impeccable treatment that it deserves.

Resonance HCD-2074 (2 CDs or 3 Lps): Walter Miller (tpt) Michael Ray (tpt, vcl) Craig Harris (tbn) Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc) Danny Davis (as, fl) Eloe Omoe (as, bcl) John Gilmore (ts, cl) Danny Ray Thompson (bari s, fl) Sun Ra (kybds) Damon Choice (vib) Dale Williams (g) Richard Williams (Radu) (ac & el b) Michael D. Anderson, Eddie Thomas (d) Atakatune (cga) James Jacson (ancient infinity drum, bassoon) The Jingle Brothers (bells, perc) June Tyson (vcl); Baltimore, MD, July 23, 1978; Disc 1 (47:03): Band Intro; Thunder of Drums/ Tapestry From an Asteroid/ Somewhere Over the Rainbow/ A Pleasant Place in Space/ Space Travelin’ Blues/ Yeah Man/ Big John’s Special/ Lights on a Satellite/ Lady Bird; Half Nelson. Disc 2 (48:36): Cocktails for Two/ Watusi/ They Plan to Leave/ Images in a Mirror/ We Travel the Spaceways/ Left Bank Blues*/ ‘Round Midnight*. *Bonus tracks from Robert Mugge’s film, Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise. resonancerecords.org 

     Marshall Allen, who celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2024, has been leading the band since Ra departed this earthly plane in 1993, and by now, he’s been in the Arkestra longer than Sun Ra! To celebrate this milestone, Frank Kleinschmidt of IN+OUT Records brought the Arkestra into a New York studio to record Lights On A Satellite, with ten tunes representative of the current version of the ensemble. The set list, in addition to favorites like the title track, Friendly Galaxy and Tapestry From an Asteroid, includes a previously unheard Sun Ra composition, the uncharacteristic love song Baby Won’t You Please Be Mine, one-time Arkestra member Phil Cohran’s Dorothy’s Dance, Big John’s Special, an Arkestra favorite first recorded in 1934, and, of all things, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, a Turner Layton composition that made its debut on record by the Dixie Daisies in 1922. The Art Ensemble of Chicago’s famous motto, Ancient To The Future, finds one of its deepest manifestations in the Sun Ra Arkestra’s immense repertoire. With the presence of some long-time Arkestra musicians, including trumpeter Michael Ray, saxophonist Knoel Scott, French hornist Vincent Chancey, guitarist Carl LeBlanc, and percussionist Elson Nascimento, there’s plenty of institutional memory and experience for Marshall Allen to draw upon for support in this ongoing project. Allen solos with his distinctive alto saxophone sound at various points throughout a generous program of nearly 80 minutes, and to these ears, his interjections provide the most exciting moments of the whole album. The sprawling and bracingly wild Reflects Motion is probably my favorite track here, evoking, as it does, more of the uncompromised sound of the Sun Ra Arkestra in its prime. All in all, a beautiful present to the great Marshall Allen on his century on the planet. Recommended.

IN+ OUT IOR 77158 (CD or 2 Lps); Michael Ray (tpt, vcl) Cecil Brooks (tpt) Vincent Chancey (Fr hn) Brent White (tbn, b tbn) Dave Davis, Robert Stringer (tbn) Marshall Allen (as, EVI, gong, vcl) Knoel Scott (as, bari s, cga, vcl) Chris Hemingway (as) Anthony Nelson (cl, bari s) Nasir Dickerson (ts) James Stewart (fl, ts) Tara Middleton (vcl, vln) Owen Brown, Jr., Gwen Laster (vln) Melanie Dyer (vla) Nina Bogomas (harp) Farid Barron (p, kybds, Moog theremin) Carl LeBlanc (gtr, vcl) Dave Hotep (g) Tyler Mitchell (b) George Gray (d) Elson Nascimento (surdo, perc) Jose Jorge Da Silva (perc); NYC, June 16, 2024; Lights on a Satellite/ Dorothy’s Dance/ Big John’s Special/ Images/ Friendly Galaxy/ Baby Won’t You Please Be Mine/ Holiday for Strings/ Tapestry From an Asteroid/ Reflects Motion/ Way Down Yonder in New Orleans; 80:17. inandout-records.com

Emily Remler: Cookin’ At The Queens

  From a commercial standpoint, it makes sense that the vast majority of historical jazz releases contain music by the biggest stars, collections that fill in details of generally lengthy careers. Just in the last few years, we’ve seen the release of previously unheard music by such famed players as Art Tatum, Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery, and Bill Evans, to name a few. It’s the rare release that offers a genuine revelation to the listener. But the first issue of newly heard music in 33 years by the guitarist Emily Remler, who died on a 1990 tour in Australia at the age of 32, offers the kind of surprise that can be truly rewarding. Coming up at a time when female instrumentalists were a rarity, Remler was an exciting and dynamic performer. Herb Ellis referred to her as "the new superstar of guitar" and as she herself told People magazine in 1982, "I may look like a nice Jewish girl from New Jersey, but inside I'm a 50-year-old, heavy-set black man with a big thumb, like Wes Montgomery." Co-produced by Zev Feldman and Bill Milkowski, who contributes a lengthy essay to the 19-page booklet, Cookin’ At The Queens compiles 160 minutes of music (on 2 CDs or 3 Lps) from a pair of gigs in Las Vegas. In 1984, Remler performs in a quartet format. Four years later, it’s just a trio with bass and drums. Bassist Carson Smith, who was first heard in Gerry Mulligan’s quartet in the early Fifties, is on hand with both units. Drummer Tom Montgomery in the 1984 quartet, seems to have settled in Las Vegas around 1960, as all his subsequent recording credits attest. The live repertoire is a blend of standards, jazz compositions like Bobby Timmons’ Moanin’ and Wes Montgomery’s D-Natural Blues, and bossa novas like How Insensitive (Insensatez) and Samba de Orfeo. She also liked to plays medleys of songs and their contrafacts. On the 1984 show, she couples Tadd Dameron’s Hot House with Cole Porter’s What is This Thing Called Love? In 1988, Miles Davis’ So What is joined with John Coltrane’s Impressions. Just one listen to the opening track, a nearly 10-minute workout on Moanin’ is all you really need to know that she was the real deal. A boldly imaginative and harmonically fluent soloist, with a beautifully flowing rhythmic sense, Remler is simply a joy to listen to. Three cheers for Zev Feldman rescuing these fine performances and reviving interest in a guitar great who left the scene too soon. 

Resonance HCD-2076; Emily Remler (g) with Cocho Arbe (p) Carson Smith (b) Tom Montgomery (d); Las Vegas, NV, May 28, 1984 (Disc 1 plus Out of Nowhere); with Carson Smith (b) John Pisci (d); Las Vegas, NV, September 19, 1988 (balance of Disc 2); Disc 1 (80:53): Moanin’/ How Insensitive (Insensatez)/ Autumn Leaves/ Polka Dots and Moonbeams/ Samba de Orfeo/ Hot House; What is This Thing Called Love?/ You Don’t Know What Love Is/ West Coast Blues/ Tenor Madness. Disc 2 (78:10): Out of Nowhere/ Manha de Carnaval/ Cisco/ Yesterdays/ All Blues/ Someday My Prince Will Come/ So What; Impressions/ D-Natural Blues. resonancerecords.org

Sonny Rollins: Freedom Weaver - The 1959 European Tour Recordings

  I’ll leave to the likes of Joe Lovano and Branford Marsalis to sing the praises of the saxophone colossus, Sonny Rollins. It’s long been an article of faith among the intense Rollins fans to hold the sax, bass, and drums trio format that was his main setting from 1957-1959 in the highest esteem. The existence of recordings from the trio’s brief European tour was no surprise; they had all been bootlegged. But Freedom Weaver - The 1959 European Tour Recordings presents the first authorized release of this material. The bassist throughout is Henry Grimes. Pete La Roca started the tour on drums, was replaced by Joe Harris on one occasion, and later by bebop pioneer Kenny “Klook” Clarke. The repertoire is a mix of standards (including a few he never otherwise recorded), a handful of jazz compositions, and a few of Rollins’ original tunes. The first thing we hear, appropriately enough, is St. Thomas, one of Rollins’ most endearing songs. It’s the only surviving piece from a March 2 concert in Stockholm. The rest of the first CD is given over to two performances in the same city on March 4. Joe Harris plays on the evening show at the Södra Teatern. La Roca is back behind the drum kit the next day in Zürich. The aim of producer Zev Feldman was to present these tracks in chronological order, but he got blindsided by late-appearing information. Although the printed material credits three performances in Laren, The Netherlands on disc 2 as occurring on March 7, an errata sheet included with the booklet reveals that the Laren concert took place on February 21, at the very start of the tour. The balance of the second disc was recorded at a concert in Frankfurt, Germany, on March 9. Blumenthal notes that “[T]ensions that make the music crackle with energy proved insurmountable on a personal level,” and La Roca left the tour the next day. Luckily, expatriate Kenny Clarke was available. We get to hear him on the third disc, with three lengthy tunes recorded at a club appearance in Aix-en-Provence, France. Right from the start of Dizzy Gillespie’s classic Woody ‘n’ You, we can hear the difference that a new drummer makes. There’s a taste of that effect when Harris takes over for those 3 tracks on disc 1, but the presence of Clarke really moves things onto a new level. As well as Rollins has sounded up until now, he sounds even better here, more relaxed and exploratory. The 56-page booklet, copiously illustrated, includes notes by Bob Blumenthal, plus interviews that Feldman conducted with Marsalis, Lovano, James Carter, James Brandon Lewis, and Peter Brötzmann. Perhaps the best thing is the commentary by Rollins himself. He reflects on the trio format, and on the 1959 tour specifically. He notes that sax, bass, and drums afforded him “the best opportunity to do whatever I could do, whatever that was that had some resonance with people.” About Grimes, he says that he “seemed to not be afraid of playing without a piano, whereas a lot of bass players need a piano.” He has nice things to say about La Roca and Harris, but he saves most of his praise for “Klook,” whom he describes as “one of my giants.” Listening to these tracks from the past, the notoriously self-critical Rollins has to say “that they do have merit” and that they “do have a certain flair.” Fans of the great Sonny Rollins have had to put with inferior sounding examples of these songs for decades, so it’s a wonder that this sounds as good as it does. If you love to hear Sonny Rollins, and who doesn’t, don’t miss this release. 

Resonance HCD-2065 [CD; also on vinyl]; Sonny Rollins (ts) Henry Grimes (b) Pete La Roca, Joe Harris*, or Kenny Clarke# (d); Disc 1 (68:39) : Stockholm, Sweden, March 2, 1959: St. Thomas; Stockholm, March 4: There Will Never Be Another You/ Stay As Sweet As You Are/ I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star/ How High the Moon/ Oleo/ Paul’s Pal; Stockholm, March 4 : Sonny Rollins interview/ It Don’t Mean a Thing*/ Paul’s Pal*/ Love Letters*. Disc 2 (57:43): Zürich, Switzerland, March 5: I Remember You/ I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star/ It Could Happen to You/ Oleo/ Will You Still Be Mine?; Laren, Holland, February 21: I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star/ I Want to Be Happy/ A Weaver of Dreams; Frankfurt, West Germany, March 9: It Don’t Mean a Thing/ Cocktails For Two/ I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star/ I Want to Be Happy. Disc 3 (52:26): Aix-en-Provence, March 11: Woody ‘N’ You#/ But Not For Me#/ Lady Bird#. www.resonancerecords.org

Art Tatum: Jewels In The Treasure Box: The 1953 Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings

  One day while working for Fantasy Inc., I was entrusted with compiling The Best Of The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces of the great pianist Art Tatum, selecting from a 7-CD boxed set. A more pleasant task is hard to imagine. Listening intently to that much music made me even more of a life-long Tatum fanatic. Although he is often thought of a solo performer, Tatum led two very successful trios during his career. His second trio, with Everett Barksdale on guitar and Slam Stewart on bass, lasted from 1951 until Tatum’s death in 1956. A new multi-disc package, titled Jewels In The Treasure Box: The 1953 Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings, captures this under-recorded unit at roughly the mid-point of its lifespan. With thirty-nine tracks recorded at a Chicago night spot in the summer of 1953, all previously unreleased, we’re privileged to hear these 70 year old performances that somehow manage to sound as fresh as the day they were made. Tatum, who can barely stop soloing at all times, is ably accompanied by Barksdale, a fine, if underrated, electric guitarist, and Stewart, a rock-solid bassist and a pioneer of humming along with his arco solos. The trio swings like mad as they offer a survey of the Great American Songbook. Dip in anywhere to be carried away on waves of excitement that are flowing from the stage. As a special treat, we get to hear Tatum’s resonant speaking voice several times, introducing songs and thanking the audience in a relaxed and friendly manner. It’s easy to be dazzled by the sheer virtuosity of Tatum’s playing. Many pianists, hearing him on record for the first time, have been convinced that it wasn’t possible for one person to play that much piano. But it was, and from a man who drank copious amounts of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer while he performed. Brent Hayes Edwards contributes a general outline of Tatum’s life and career in the booklet, making valuable observations about Tatum’s piano mentors and conceptional framework. The booklet also includes appreciations by Sonny Rollins, Terry Gibbs, pianists Ahmad Jamal, Michael Weiss, Spike Wilner, Monty Alexander, ELEW, and Johnny O’Neal, plus photos and memorabilia from the club. Like all of producer Zev Feldman’s projects, this collection is fully authorized. This one originated with the family of Frank Holzfeind, who operated the Blue Note in Chicago for fifteen years. These tapes come from his personal collection, which makes me wonder about what else is in that vault. While we’re waiting, there’s nearly three hours of Art Tatum to treasure and hear again and again. Absolutely recommended. 

Resonance HCD-2064 [CD; also on vinyl]; Art Tatum (p) Everett Barksdale (g) Slam Stewart (b); Chicago, IL, August 16, 21* & 28#; Disc 1 (53:41) : Night and Day/ Where or When/ On the Sunny Side of the Street/ Don’t Blame Me/ Soft Winds/ These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)/ Flying Home/ Memories of You/ What Does it Take/ Tenderly/ Crazy Rhythm/ The Man I Love/ Tea For Two. Disc 2 (59:21) : I Cover the Waterfront/ Body and Soul/ Laura/ Humoresque/ Begin the Beguine/ Medley: There Will Never Be Another You; September Song/ Just One of Those Things*/ Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams*/ St. Louis Blues*/ After You’ve Gone*/ Someone to Watch Over Me*/ Elegy*. Disc 3 (60:31) : Sweet Lorraine*/ (Back Home Again in) Indiana#/ Tabu#/ Judy#/ Lover#/ Dark Eyes#/ Stompin’ at the Savoy#/ If#/ Out of Nowhere#/ Would You Like to Take a Walk?#/ Stardust#/ Air Mail Special#/ I’ve Got the World on a String#/ The Kerry Dance. www.resonancerecords.org

Wes Montgomery & the Wynton Kelly Trio: Maximum Swing: The Unissued Half Note Recordings

  Guitarist Wes Montgomery and pianist Wynton Kelly first recorded together in late 1961 on Bags Meets Wes!, a Montgomery/ Milt Jackson project for Riverside Records. Clearly, they really got along on a musical level, getting together again for Wes’ Full House in 1962 for Riverside, and for the classic Smokin’ At The Half Note, recorded for Verve at various times during 1965. Now, with the release of Maximum Swing: The Unissued Half Note Recordings, we have another two hours of the Wes Montgomery & the Wynton Kelly Trio to enjoy, all from 1965. The music will be available on limited edition vinyl for Record Store Day and on CD in early December. All of disc one and the first three tracks on disc two of the CD version were originally broadcast on Alan Grant’s WABC Portraits in Jazz radio show. The final five tracks were sourced from the private collection of Yoshio Tokui of the wesFANclub in Japan. Many of the airchecks appeared on bootlegs, in poor sound, but the fan club tapes are previously unissued in any format. The quarter-hour segments of the radio broadcasts featured two or three tunes. On the Tokui recordings, made without the self-editing necessary for the radio show, Wes and company got to really stretch out, extending their performances to lengths unheard in most other settings. Sound quality on the broadcasts is quite good, which took some tinkering by restoration engineer Matthew Lutthans. The poorly recorded Tokui segment is another matter, and Lutthans describes the process of making this section listenable. As rough as it still is after digital manipulation, you get used to the sound after a few minutes. The band’s fantastic 10-minute version of Cherokee, taken at the song’s typical frantic pace, offers a genuine look at Montgomery and company on stage with no considerations beyond hard blowing. Kelly gets to play more on these tracks, too, another bonus. Montgomery is in great form throughout both discs, with several outstanding performances that listeners will return to again and again, including a stunning solo on the November 12 version of Four On Six and more jaw-dropping soloing on The Song is You, which also features some spirited exchanges by Montgomery and Kelly with drummer Jimmy Cobb. The 52-page booklet includes Bill Milkowski’s informative liner notes, Lutthans’ discussion of mastering the album, and a note by Yoshio Tokui on the origin of the tapes. There are also previously unseen photographs by Raymond Ross, remembrances by Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter (who subbed for the incredibly busy Paul Chambers on the November 5 performance), and appreciations by Bill Frisell, Mike Stern, and Marcus Miller. Miller is Wynton Kelly’s cousin and he’s got some good stories to tell. Alan Grant signed off his broadcasts by saying “Stay beautiful” and that’s easy to do when savoring the sounds of Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly trio. Highest recommendation! 

Resonance HCD-2067 (also on vinyl): Wes Montgomery (g) Wynton Kelly (p) Paul Chambers$, Ron Carter*, Larry Ridley#, or Herman Wright% (b) Jimmy Cobb (d); NYC, dates as noted; Disc 1 (50:10): September 24, 1965: Laura/ Cariba/ Blues; November 5, 1965*: Impressions/ Mi Cosa/ No Blues; November 12, 1965#: Birks’ Works/ Four on Six/ The Theme. Disc 2 (74:18): November 19, 1965%: All the Things You Are/ I Remember You/ No Blues; late November, 1965#: Cherokee/ The Song is You/ Four on Six/ Star Eyes/ Oh, You Crazy Moon. www.resonancerecords.org

Mingus At 100: The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott's & Mingus Three Deluxe Edition

 

The Charles Mingus Sextet was in the middle of a European tour in the summer of 1972 when the band stopped in London to play at the famed Ronnie Scott’s club. Mingus was signed to Columbia Records at the time, and the company had the final two nights of the engagement recorded for use as a live album. But Columbia dropped all of its jazz signings (except for Miles Davis) unexpectedly in the spring of 1973. Mingus’ widow Sue Mingus has had the multi-tracks since then. So, on the centenary of Mingus’ birth in 1922 and nearly half a century after this music thrilled the British audiences, we have a chance to hear The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott’s. Many of the exemplary historical releases of the past few years have been sourced from radio network archives, often from Europe, which makes this set even more of a treasure. The band that Mingus brought to Europe was a short-lived version of the Jazz Workshop, lasting only as long as this tour. Trumpeter Jon Faddis was on hand, accompanied in the front line by Mingus stalwart Charles McPherson on alto and Bobby Jones on tenor and clarinet. John Foster was at the piano, and also sings on Noddin’ Ya Head Blues. On drums and musical saw was Roy Brooks, himself the subject of a 2021 vault release. While this may not be anyone’s favorite Mingus aggregation, no Mingus performance is without its highlights. The bassist himself, moved way forward in the mix, is in wonderfully propulsive form, and a study of his playing alone over the nearly two and a half hours presented here would be an education all by itself. But of course there’s much more to listen to, especially Brooks’ controlled explosiveness at the drums and McPherson’s unflappable neo-bop solos. Zev Feldman, who co-produced this project with David Weiss, has assembled a typically comprehensive booklet to accompany the music. There are liner notes by veteran British jazz writer Brian Priestley, who actually attended a couple of the sets. He also interviewed Mingus and McPherson at the club, also included. Reminiscences by McPherson, bassist Eddie Gomez, and Ronnie Scott’s widow Mary Scott are also part of the package, which also features an appreciation by bassist Christian McBride. Most surprising of all is an interview with Fran Lebowitz, who met Mingus around 1970 when she worked at Changes, the arts magazine run by Sue Graham, soon to be Sue Mingus. If this had been edited for a live single album, we might never have heard these full half-hour or so versions of Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk, Mind Readers’ Convention in Milano, and Fables of Faubus, featuring one of the greatest bass solos you’ve ever heard. So let’s welcome the deluxe expanded edition of the 1972 lp that never was! One of the top historical releases of the year, and strongly recommended. 

Resonance HCD-2063; Jon Faddis (tpt) Charles McPherson (as) Bobby Jones (ts, cl) John Foster (p; vcl on *) Charles Mingus (b) Roy Brooks (d, musical saw); London, England, August 14-15, 1973; Disc 1 (51:37): Introduction/ Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk/ Noddin’ Ya Head Blues*. Disc 2 (30:47): Mind Readers’ Convention in Milano (a/k/a Number 29)/ Ko Ko (Theme). Disc 3 (63:10): Fables of Faubus/ Pops (a/k/a When the Saints Go Marching In)/ The Man Who Never Sleeps/ Air Mail Special. www.resonancerecords.org

Charles Mingus would have been 100 on April 22. To mark the occasion, Rhino released a deluxe reissue of Mingus Three, his 1957 trio date for Jubilee Records. Hampton Hawes is at the piano, and Dannie Richmond is on drums. It was near the start of Richmond’s tenure with Mingus, which lasted, with some interruptions, until the bassist’s final recording session in 1973. It’s a rare trio session for Mingus, and there are more standards than original tunes. For Mingus, this was a creative year. He was recording The Clown for Atlantic just before Mingus Three and starting work on Tijuana Moods for RCA just nine days afterwards. Hawes was, arguably, at his best in 1956 and 1957. His deep affinity for the blues makes him a fine partner for the earthy bass of Mingus. Richmond, for his part, largely stays in the background, cutting loose for a solo just once. There’s no doubt that piano and bass are the co-stars with plenty of spirited dialogue. Nat Hentoff noted that in his original liner notes, and frequent Mingus associate Sy Johnson makes the same point in his new notes. The musicians make the peppy swing of the original seven tracks sound so easy, but of course, it takes work to make it sound that way. By chance, according to the press release, the session tapes were recently uncovered in the vaults of London Parlophone. For the first time, we’re treated to no fewer than six alternate takes and two takes of an untitled blues. It’s a delightful and instructive array of songs, highlighted by the bassist’s playing on the untitled blues and Hawes’ rollicking solo on the alternate of Hamp’s New Blues. Mingus fans shouldn’t miss this release. 

Rhino (Lp, CD, & streaming); Hampton Hawes (p) Charles Mingus (b) Dannie Richmond (d); NYC, July 9, 1957; Yesterdays/ Back Home Blues/ I Can’t Get Started/ Hamp’s New Blues/ Summertime/ Dizzy Moods/ Laura/ Untitled Blues (take 1)*/ Untitled Blues (take 2)*/ Back Home Blues (take 6, incomplete)*/ Hamp’s New Blues (take 4)*/ I Can’t Get Started (take 4)*/ Yesterdays (take 2, incomplete)*/ Dizzy Moods (take 2)*/ Summertime (take 3)*; 75:48. Tracks marked with * are previously unissued. store.rhino.com/artist/charles-mingus.html

Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller: In Harmony

  There are some musicians who always bring magic into whatever situation they find themselves. Two of the brightest stars in modern jazz, Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller, were like that, and both of them died too young. In Harmony finds trumpeter Hargrove in a series of duets with pianist Miller taken from concerts in New York City in 2006 and in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 2007. Both were largely impromptu affairs, creating for an audience the kind of music that more often took place in practice rooms or after-hours sessions. Bradley’s in New York had that kind of spirit, fondly remembered by anyone who hung out there, and Miller and Hargrove were regulars whenever they were in town. They were both pretty busy working musicians whose paths crossed on the road, but never long enough to record the duet album that they had thought of doing. This collection consists of familiar standards and versions of well-traveled jazz tunes, including two apiece by Dizzy Gillespie (Con Alma and Ow!) and Thelonious Monk (Monk’s Dream and Ruby, My Dear). These delightful and spontaneous recordings, filled with joyous invention and a playful spirit, were captured on stage by Hargrove’s long-time manager Larry Clothier, who co-produced this package with Zev Feldman. Along with a short essay by Ted Panken, the booklet features reminiscences from an amazing array of prominent musicians, most of whom played with Hargrove or Miller at some point. Sonny Rollins, Christian McBride, Common, Ron Carter, Jon Batiste, Karriem Riggins, Ambrose Akinmusire, Keyon Harrold, Chris Botti, Eddie Henderson, Robert Glasper, Victor Lewis, Sean Jones, Kenny Barron, and George Cables share their experiences and thoughts in a valuable collection of insightful pieces. In Harmony is a beautiful set, highly recommended. 

Resonance HCD-2060 (2xCD/2xLP); Roy Hargrove (tpt, flgh) Mulgrew Miller (p); NYC, January 15, 2006 or Easton, PA, November 9, 2007; Disc 1 (52:38): What is This Thing Called Love?/ This is Always/ I Remember Clifford/ Triste/ Invitation/ Con Alma. Disc 2 (50:51): Never Let Me Go/ Just in Time/ Fungii Mama/ Monk’s Dream/ Ruby, My Dear/ Blues for Mr. Hill/ Ow!. www.resonancerecords.org

Sonny Rollins: Rollins In Holland

Like many fans of the magisterial tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, I’m particularly enamored of his work in the demanding trio format, as exemplified on classics from the Fifties like Way Out West (Contemporary), Freedom Suite  (Riverside) and A Night At The Village Vanguard (Blue Note). The latest Resonance release of the Sonny Rollins Trio in 1967 is more than worthy of being held in the same respect. The two-CD or three-Lp set Rollins In Holland finds Rollins working with bassist Ruud Jacobs and the marvelous drummer Han Bennink in three different settings over a May weekend. Four tracks recorded at a studio in Hilversum start the program, followed by two pieces performed at the Go-Go Club that night for the nationally televised Jazz met Jacobs show, a program hosted by Ruud Jacobs’ brother Pim, a pianist. An extended version of Three Little Words, recorded two days earlier at a concert in Arnhem, concludes the first disc. Disc two is given over to the balance of the Arnhem concert, where a high-energy Rollins is in an expansive mood bolstered by the impeccable support of Jacobs and Bennink. Rollins was in top form for these performances, in what he describes as “a take-no-prisoners type of music.” While Rollins is generally thought not to be too interested in his past work, in a lengthy interview with producer Zev Feldman, he is unfailingly enthusiastic and informative about these recordings and the playing of Jacobs and Bennink. “It was a great, high point in my life,” he says. The feeling was mutual, as Jacobs, who passed away in 2019, was, throughout his life, very proud of playing with Rollins, and Bennink in an 2018 interview in the booklet says that for him, it was “the ultimate. Still.” That interview is part of the 98-page booklet that accompanies the discs, with a bounty of period photographs, a long essay by Rollins’ biographer Aidan Levy, who also did the interview, and, dear to a tape archivist’s heart, pictures of the tape boxes for these recordings plus the fascinating story about the discovery of the tapes (they were unlabelled!) by Dutch journalist and researcher Frank Jochemsen. In addition to the immense pleasure of soaking up the great jazz that’s spread out over the two discs, the sequencing gives the attentive listener an unusual opportunity to note how Rollins’ playing adapts to the immediate situation. In the studio, he tends to be terse. With an audience, he loosens up just a bit for the TV broadcast. Finally, there’s the concert, where the benefits of spontaneous creation amid supremely sympathetic companions really shine. Absolutely recommended. 

Resonance HCD 2048; Sonny Rollins (ts) Ruud Jacobs (b) Han Bennink (d); Hilversum, the Netherlands, May 5, 1967 (disc 1, tracks 1-4), Loosdrecht, the Netherlands, May 5, 1967 (disc 1, tracks 5 & 6), and Arnhem, the Netherlands, May 3, 1967 (disc 2); Disc 1 (63:26): 1.Blue Room/ 2.Four/ 3.Love Walked In/ 4.Tune Up/ 5.Sonnymoon For Two/ 6.Love Walked In. Disc 2 (66:45): 1.They Can’t Take That Away From Me/Sonnymoon For Two/ 2.On Green Dolphin Street/ There Will Never Be Another You/ 3.Love Walked In/ 4.Four. resonancerecords.org

Bill Evans Trio: Live At Ronnie Scott’s

  It’s always a treat to hear more unearthed music by the massively influential Bill Evans Trio, even if the sound quality is less than stellar. Resonance has previously released four Evans titles. The fifth is the two CD or two LP Live At Ronnie Scott’s, serving up just over an hour and a half of Evans’ short-lived 1968 trio with Eddie Gomez on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. DeJohnette recorded the gigs himself, and while the sound quality changes from track to track, it’s never very good. The piano lacks much presence, the bass is too loud (sometimes), and the drums sound hollow and far away. It’s too bad, really, since from what you can make out through the bad balance and hiss is that the trio was in very good form during this extended stay (four weeks!) at the premier jazz club in London. The version of Turn Out the Stars is quite nice, and the first disc comes to a rousing finish with a high energy rendition of Someday My Prince Will Come. Disc two sounds marginally better than the first half, featuring a fine Stella By Starlight and a upbeat version of Waltz for Debby. While you’re listening to the music, and perhaps grumbling about the sound, you can at least enjoy the David Stone Martin cover art and the well-illustrated 44-page booklet. In the best Resonance tradition, there are notes by producer Zev Feldman and prolific writer Brian Priestley, who actually attended a night of the run and wrote about it at the time. There are interviews with Eddie Gomez, a conversation between Jack DeJohnette and Chick Corea, and, most surprising, a truly enlightening interview with Chevy Chase, a big Evans fan who met the pianist and became friends with him. Hard to recommend this one, except to die-hard Bill Evans fans. Resonance HCD-2046; Bill Evans (p) Eddie Gomez (b) Jack DeJohnette (d); London, England, July 1968; Disc 1 (50:13): A Sleepin’ Bee/ You’re Gonna Hear From Me/ Yesterdays/ Turn Out the Stars/ My Man’s Gone Now/ Emily/ Spring is Here/ Embraceable You/ For Heaven’s Sake/ Someday My Prince Will Come. Disc 2 (49:37): Quiet Now/ ‘Round Midnight/ Stella By Starlight/ Alfie/ You’re Gonna Hear From Me/ Emily/ Waltz for Debby/ Autumn Leaves/ Nardis. resonancerecords.org

Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery on Resonance Records

Once a record label has established itself as a conduit for ethical reissues, with all the aesthetic and legal challenges that they have to deal with, collectors in possession of rare tapes tend to seek them out. So it is with the Resonance label, with their beautifully done packages of previously unheard music by the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Grant Green, and Larry Young. Two of the most important and widely influential jazz artists of the Fifties and Sixties, pianist Bill Evans and guitarist Wes Montgomery, are each represented by multiple Resonance sets.

Evans In England is the fourth Resonance release for the pianist, documenting a couple of sets recorded at Ronnie Scott’s famed club by the 1969 edition of his trio with Eddie Gomez on bass and Marty Morell on drums. The repertoire is familiar; only Michel Legrand’s What are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? was new to the band’s book for this engagement. Sound quality is pretty good for a surreptitious tape made by one of Evans’ European admirers, and the pianist is in top-notch form throughout the 110 minutes of playing time. Lengthy bass solos by Gomez are about the only distraction from Evans’ energetic playing on this set. Resonance has done their usual superb job of presentation, populating a 34-page booklet with rare photos, reminiscences with Gomez and Morell, and liner notes by Marc Myers. There is also a brief essay by, and an interview with Leon Terjanian, whom Resonance producer Zev Feldman calls “a passionate collector” and a member of Evans’ inner circle. He’s the source for this material, though not the recordist. There’s quite a lot of Bill Evans material out there; Tom Lord’s Jazz Discography lists over 200 sessions as leader. But for his hard-core fans, there’s never really enough, and this lovingly complied set will definitely satisfy.

Wes Montgomery’s Resonance projects have been split between Indiana recordings that predate his “official” releases and later live recordings after his skills were well known to jazz fans around the world. The latest set is Back On Indiana Avenue: The Carroll DeCamp Recordings, two CDs of early sessions that lack many of the data points that obsess some jazz fans. There are only rough dates, the locations are largely unknown, and the identities of the other musicians are largely guesswork. But it doesn’t matter that much, since Montgomery sounds so damn good whatever the context. The tapes come from a collection maintained by Carroll DeCamp, a pianist and arranger in Indianapolis who passed away in 2013. It turns out that Echoes Of Indiana Avenue, the first Resonance compilation of early Wes Montgomery, was also derived from DeCamp’s tapes, but no one knew that at the time. With the assistance of jazz educator and publisher Jamey Aebersold, who obtained the tapes from DeCamp merely by asking to preserve them, we now have a couple of hours of fine music to enjoy. When you consider the casual recording circumstances and the passage of time, the music is pretty good sounding, and happily the guitar is usually prominent. The material is organized by instrumentation. The first seven tunes on CD1 are quartets of guitar, piano, bass and drums. The rest of the CD is filled out by four tracks by an organ trio and two more by the trio plus David Baker on trombone and David Young on tenor saxophone. Disc 2 is labeled “Nat ‘King’ Cole-style trios with guitar, bass and drums.” Besides the sheer joy to be found in Montgomery’s guitar forays over more two hours of newly-restored sounds from more than half a century ago, there’s the obvious historical dimension to these early works. The big revelation in that regard is the inclusion what appear to be the earliest versions we have for four of Montgomery’s original compositions: Four on Six, Mr. Walker, West Coast Blues, and Jingles. Author Lewis Porter discusses the recording history of these songs, and much more, in his long essay in the accompanying booklet. As usual, the booklet, expanded to 44 pages, features plenty of period photos and a slew of brief interviews and recollections. Reissue producer Zev Feldman has his say, and we also hear from guitarists John Scofield and George Benson, along with memories of Carroll DeCamp by several of his family members. With this set, their sixth Montgomery collection, Resonance continues to reshape the career arc of one of the most revered guitarists in jazz history. Absolutely recommended.
Bill Evans: Resonance HCD-2037; Bill Evans (p) Eddie Gomez (b) Marty Morell (d); London, England, December 1969; Disc 1 (55:39): Our Love is Here to Stay/ Sugar Plum/ Stella by Starlight/ My Foolish Heart/ Waltz For Debby/ ‘Round Midnight/ The Two Lonely People/ Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me). Disc 2 (56:21): Elsa/ What are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?/ Turn Out the Stars/ Re: Person I Knew/ Goodbye/ Come Rain or Come Shine/ Very Early/ So What/ Midnight Mood/ Polka Dots and Moonbeams.
Wes Montgomery: Resonance HCD-2036; Wes Montgomery (g) with (collective personnel, “educated guesses”) Earl Van Riper, Buddy Montgomery, John Bunch, Carl Perkins (p) Melvin Rhyne (org, p) Monk Montgomery, Mingo Jones (b) Paul Parker, Sonny Johnson (d) David Baker (tbn on *) David Young (ts on *); Indianapolis, IN, possibly mid- to late 1950s; Disc 1 (67:05): Piano Quartets: Four on Six/ Mr. Walker/ ‘Round Midnight/ So What/ The End of a Love Affair/ Tune-Up/ West Coast Blues. Organ Trio: Jingles/ It’s You or No One/ Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You/ Ecaroh. Sextet: Sandu*/ Whisper Not*. Disc 2 (64:04): Nat “King” Cole-Style Trios : Stompin’ at the Savoy/ It’s You or No One/ Opus de Funk/ Summertime/ Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea/ Easy Living/ Four/ I’ll Remember April/ The Song is You. resonancerecords.org. Both releases are available on CD and limited edition vinyl.

Eric Dolphy: Musical Prophet : The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions

There was a period in which multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy was one of the most controversial figures in improvised music. His contributions were labeled “anti-jazz” by DownBeat associate editor John Tynan in November 1961, in an infamous review of the John Coltrane quintet’s appearance at the Village Vanguard. I guess he was just ahead of his time. Equally proficient and innovative on alto saxophone, flute and bass clarinet, Dolphy was associated with some of the biggest names in the music, including Charles Mingus, Chico Hamilton, Oliver Nelson, and Coltrane. As a leader, Dolphy made some well-received albums for Prestige, later collected in a 9-CD set. His sole Blue Note outing, Out To Lunch!, recorded in February 1964, is on many lists as one of the best jazz albums ever issued. The year before that session, in July 1963, producer Alan Douglas got Dolphy into the studio with a number of like-minded musicians to work on two Lp’s released as Conversations and Iron Man. The former was on Douglas’ own short-lived FM label; the latter came out years later on Douglas Records. By the time I started buying jazz records in the early Seventies, they were long out of print. My first encounter with any of this music was on a budget label, Everest, which omitted any useful information as it coupled the first two tracks on Conversations (Jitterbug Waltz and Music Matador, both long-time favorites) with two totally unrelated tracks by Cannonball Adderley and Gene Ammons (!). Now, after an interval of more than half a century, the music from these sessions has been issued in pristine mono as Musical Prophet : The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions, a three-LP or three CD set that includes an entire disc of revelatory previously unreleased alternate takes. Among the musicians joining Dolphy on these sessions were the well-established Clifford Jordan on soprano sax, future luminaries Woody Shaw on trumpet, making his recording debut, Sonny Simmons on alto sax, and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes. Bassist Richard Davis (who also recorded with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, James Moody, Milt Jackson, and Ben Webster in 1963) plays wonderfully in duet with Dolphy on the Dietz/Schwartz standard Alone Together, Dolphy’s Ode to Charlie Parker, Ellington’s Come Sunday, and two previously unheard and sublimely beautiful takes of Roland Hanna’s Muses For Richard Davis. The set also includes the only song recorded at a March 1964 session led by pianist Bob James, variously known as Jim Crow or A Personal Statement, with lyrics and vocalise performed by countertenor David Schwartz. Dolphy is brilliant, but as far as Schwartz’s contribution is concerned, the less said the better.
Resonance has pulled out all the stops for this package. The 96-page booklet included with the CD version is chock-full of rare photos, memorabilia from Dolphy’s personal archive, an introduction by co-producer Zev Feldman about the genesis of the project, plus short essays by flute master and co-producer James Newton, who was entrusted with the Douglas tapes, and historian Robin D.G. Kelley. In addition, there’s a short piece by Bill Laswell about working with Alan Douglas, reminiscences by long-time Dolphy friend Juanita Smith (the widow of composer Hale Smith), Richard Davis, Sonny Simmons, Han Bennink, Joe Chambers, and Sonny Rollins, an essay by Japanese scholar Masakazu Sato on the popularity of Dolphy’s music in Japan, and more. There’s also a section of interviews with active musicians discussing Dolphy’s influence, where we get to hear what his music has meant to Nicole Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Oliver Lake, Steve Coleman, David Murray, Dave Liebman, and Marty Ehrlich.
Dolphy’s music, which Joe Chambers characterizes as “free interplay,” is passionate, inventive, and as Nicole Mitchell notes, “it doesn’t sound dated.” Dolphy was, as Steve Coleman says, a virtuoso on his instruments, and Oliver Lake describes Dolphy’s music as “the epitome of creativity.” Kudos to Resonance for this truly inspirational release, which restores this glorious music to wide circulation, making it available to new generations of fans and musicians alike. Unequivocally recommended! Resonance HLP-9035 (Lp) or HCD-2035 (CD); Eric Dolphy (as, fl, bcl) with Woody Shaw (tp) Prince Lasha (fl) Sonny Simmons (as) Clifford Jordan (ss) Garvin Bushell (bassoon) Bobby Hutcherson (vib) Richard Davis, Eddie Khan (b) J.C. Moses, Charles Moffett (d); NYC, July 1 & 3, 1963, except A Personal Statement [Dolphy, Bob James (p) Ron Brooks (b) Robert Pozar (perc) David Schwartz (vcl)], Ann Arbor, MI, March 2, 1964; Disc 1 (Conversations, 49:56): Jitterbug Waltz/ Music Matador/ Love Me/ Alone Together/ *Muses for Richard Davis 1/ *Muses for Richard Davis 2. Disc 2 (Iron Man, 55:40): Iron Man/ Mandrake/ Come Sunday/ Burning Spear/ Ode to Charlie Parker/ *A Personal Statement (alt.). *Disc 3 (53:02): Music Matador (alt.)/ Love Me (alt. 1) Love Me (alt. 2)/ Alone Together (alt.)/ Jitterbug Waltz (alt.)/ Mandrake (alt.)/ Burning Spear (alt.) All of disc 3, the alternate take of A Personal Statement, and the two takes of Muses for Richard Davis, marked with a *, are previously unissued. www.resonancerecords.org

Grant Green: Funk In France: From Paris To Antibes (1969-1970) & Slick! Live At Oil Can Harry’s

Guitarist Grant Green was a mainstay of the Blue Note label in its heyday, with around twenty albums as a leader. Historically overshadowed, perhaps, by the celebrated Wes Montgomery, Green’s pungent playing and jazz/funk orientation have proved influential with guitarists of all stripes. Resonance Records, in their quest to ferret out unknown but high quality performances, have come up with a bounty of Grant Green music with Funk In France: From Paris To Antibes (1969-1970), a two-CD set that also features a guest appearance by Barney Kessel, and Slick! Live At Oil Can Harry’s, taken from a 1975 club date in Vancouver, British Columbia. Sourced from the French radio archive, the Paris show in October 1969 takes up most of disc 1. Featured are tunes penned by James Brown, Sonny Rollins, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Charles Trenet, plus an untitled blues. How’s that for an eclectic sequence! Green was recording exclusively on organ sessions that year. His bandmates in Paris, bassist Larry Ridley and drummer Don Lamond, were playing across Europe in late 1969 with Newport In Europe. On stages across Europe, the two were backing a rotating cast that included Barney Kessel, Red Norvo, and Stéphane Grappelli, when they played this show with Green. Their support here is impeccable. Green is playing really well, with a dazzling Insensatez and a limber excursion on Sonnymoon For Two. When fellow guitarist Kessel joins the trio, they elect to play I Wish You Love. It’s a beautifully subdued treatment of the song, which was composed by Charles Trenet, and introduced in 1942 in France. Transplanted to the US with English lyrics as the title track to a Keely Smith album in 1957, it’s a singularly appropriate song for Americans to play in Paris. With the last track on disc one, the first version of Green’s own Upshot, we skip forward about nine months to his appearances at the Antibes Jazz Festival. This time, Green is playing with his own quartet of Claude Bartee on tenor, Clarence Palmer on organ, and Billy Wilson on drums. In the looser confines of the Antibes stage, the band has a chance to stretch out. And they came ready to burn. The eighteen minutes of the July 18 take of Upshot zoom by in a flash. The second disc includes just three numbers. The quartet’s rendition of the soul hit Hurt So Bad, also from the July 18 show, is followed by two pieces from a performance on July 20. Upshot expands to nearly twenty minutes, and the finale, a deeply soulful version of Hi-Heel Sneakers, rocks the house for over twenty-seven minutes. Always happy to play for enthusiastic audiences, Green plays very energetically throughout. Resonance’s typically exhaustive 48-page booklet includes interviews, rare photos and some of original producer Andre Francis’ notes contemporaneous notes from the shows. The label talked to Green’s guitar-playing son Grant Green, Jr., and musicians Dr. Lonnie Smith, Clarence Palmer, and Eric Krasno. There are also liner notes by Michael Cuscuna and Pascal Rozat, plus an introduction by reissue producer Zev Feldman.

Move forward another five years to Vancouver, for a quintet gig Live At Oil Can Harry’s. The tapes come from Vancouver disc jockey Gary Barclay saved from his radio station job at the now-defunct CHQM-FM in Vancouver. We hear his voice at the beginning of the disc, introducing the set and reminding the crowd that they could hear it on the radio the following week. Green himself introduces the first tune by the quintet, a deep dive into Charlie Parker’s classic blues, Now’s The Time. Next up is another version of Jobim’s Insensatez, a piece that Green evidently enjoyed playing. Starting with a tender opening by an unaccompanied Green, the piece takes up nearly a half hour. The tasteful playing of Emmanuel Riggins on electric piano, Ronnie Ware on electric bass, Greg “Vibrations” Williams on drums, and Gerald Izzard on percussion gives Green plenty of textured support for his extended flights of fancy. A curious and lengthy medley ends the night. Starting with Stanley Clarke’s Vulcan Princess, this epic jam moves on to Skin Tight, a hit for the Ohio Players, Bobby Womack’s Woman’s Gotta Have It, and Stevie Wonder’s Boogie On Reggae Woman, before ending up with For the Love of Money, originally by the O’Jays. With bassist Ware leading the way, the music wades deeply into funk, with crowd-pleasing results. Green, who was without a record label in this period, is in fine form for this show. Once again, Resonance has put together a 48-page booklet, this time including an introductory essay by producer Zev Feldman, contemporaneous interviews that Barclay did with Green and electric pianist Emmanuel Riggins, the DJ’s reminiscence of the gig, conversations with Grant Green’s son Greg (also a guitarist), fellow guitarists Jacques Lesure and Perry Hughes, and an essay by A. Scott Galloway about Green and this performance. There are also a batch of photographs taken during the Green band’s sojourn in Vancouver. Maybe getting three hours of excellent “new” music on the market will raise Green’s profile to the high rank that he deserves. Both releases are highly recommended.
Paris/Antibes: Resonance HCD-2033; Grant Green (g) with [Paris] Larry Ridley (b) Don Lamond (d) Barney Kessel (g on *) & [Antibes] Claude Bartee (ts) Clarence Palmer (org) Billy Wilson (d); Disc 1 (56:39): Paris, France, October 16, 1969: I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door I’ll Get It Myself)/ Oleo/ How Insensitive (Insensatez)/ Untitled Blues/ Sonnymoon For Two/ I Wish You Love*. Antibes, France, July 18 or 20, 1970: Upshot. Disc 2 (61:38): Hurt So Bad (July 18)/ Upshot (July 20)/ Hi-Heel Sneakers (July 20).
Oil Can Harry’s: Resonance HCD-2034; Grant Green (g) Emmanuel Riggins (el p) Ronnie Ware (b) Greg “Vibrations” Williams (d) Gerald Izzard (perc); Vancouver, BC, September 5, 1975; Now’s the Time/ How Insensitive (Insensatez)/ Medley (Vulcan Princess/ Skin Tight/ Woman’s Gotta Have It/ Boogie On Reggae Woman/ For the Love of Money); 67:05. www.resonancerecords.org