Joe Henderson - In 'n Out

In'n out is extremely top quality jazz that deserves the highest of ratings. Right here you have the greatest rhythmn section in the world of McCoy Tyner, Richard Davis, and Elvin Jones. The horns are of course Joe who is just smokin' and Kenny dorham who was one of the uncredited but most influential trumpeters and in some ways created the basis of hardbop trumpet playing. Dorham was constantly being overlooked, in the forties and fifties he was in the shadow of Dizzy and Miles and in the sixties Lee Morgan, Freddie hubbard and Woody Shaw came along. Blakey once defined Dorham as the uncrowned king of the trumpet, but enough about Kenny. The title track opens with a complicated theme and Elvin really gets into the groove, his intense drive will never be matched by any drummer. McCoy has incredible fingers I don't think there is a better pianist in the world. Kenny's solo kind of cools things off a bit but Joe takes another and the burner is on high again! "Punjab", by henderson, reseambles the kind of compositions that people like Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter were writing. Kenny contributes two obscure but unique sounding compositions "Short Story" and "Browns Town." "In 'n out" is Joe's finest album. It's brother album is tyners "The Real McCoy" with henderson, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones.

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Freddie Hubbard - Blue Spirits

In recent reviews of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard Blue Note reissues "Night of the Cookers" and "Breaking Point", I said that it was great to have those titles available again but that I would prefer it if the rarer "Blue Spirits" had been released. Well the folks at Blue Note must have been reading my Amazon comments because "Blue Spirits" has been included in the latest batch RVG reissues (8/10/04). This title had been previously available on CD, but aside from a brief reprint in the old Collectors Choice program, it has been out-of-print for nearly 15 years! Well I must say it is great to finally capture the elusive "Blue Spirits." This disc is actually made up of three different recording sessions. The first two tracks, "Soul Serge" and "Cunga Black," are from February 19, 1965 and feature James Spaulding on alto sax and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor sax, Kiane Zawadi on euphonium, Harold Mabern Jr. on piano, Larry Ridley on bass, Clifford Jarvis on drums and Big Black on conga. This material is latin-flavored, soul jazz and very similar in style to the music on "Night of the Cookers." Many will find these songs enjoyable but for me they are the album's most predictable selections and therefore the weakest. Next are three cuts from a week later (2/26/65) again featuring Hub, Spaulding and Zawadi, but this time joined by Hank Mobley on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Pete LaRoca on drums. This is classic modern modal jazz and all three songs, "Outer Forces," "Blue Spirits" and "Jodo" (reprised on "Cookers" but tighter here), are among the best Blue Note songs of the period. However, the most surprising material comes from the final session of March 5, 1966 with Hub, Henderson, Hosea Taylor on bassoon, Herbie Hancock on piano and celeste, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. These two tracks, "The Melting Pot" and "True Colors," were not included on the original vinyl and are bonus tracks to this CD (and the previous incarnation). While Hubbard penned all seven of this CD's compositions, these two are a noticeable departure from his previous writing. Sure, they are experimental but fascinating in revealing Freddie's numerous creative talents, and the direction his music could have taken had he continued down this avant-garde path. In all, "Blue Spirits" is one of those rare Blue Note gems that I have enjoyed for years, and now with this reissue you can too. Amazon user.

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Wayne Shorter - Juju

Review by Stacia Proefrock

Fulfilling the potential promised on his Blue Note debut, Night Dreamer, Wayne Shorter's Ju Ju was the first really great showcase for both his performance and compositional gifts. Early in his career as a leader Shorter was criticized as a mere acolyte of John Coltrane, and his use of Coltrane's rhythm section on his first two Blue Note albums only bolstered that criticism. The truth is, though, that Elvin Jones, Reggie Workman, and McCoy Tyner were the perfect musicians to back Shorter. Jones' playing at the time was almost otherworldly. He seemed to channel the music through him when improvising and emit the perfect structure to hold it together. Workman too seemed to almost instinctively understand how to embellish Shorter's compositions. McCoy Tyner's role as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time was played here as well, and his light touch and beautiful, joyful improvisations would make him a much better match for Shorter than Herbie Hancock would later prove to be.

JuJu rests in the uphill portion of Shorter's creative peak. While the sidemen may have been an even better match for him than the ensembles he would put together for later albums, he was just beginning to find his footing as a leader. His performances were already showing evidence of great originality -- yes, they were influenced by Coltrane, but only in the way that they broke apart the structures of the bop sound to create a sound that had all of the variety and flexibility of the human voice. On later albums like Speak No Evil and The Soothsayer, however, Shorter would rise to an even higher level as a performer with more powerful, confident playing that reached farther afield in its exploration of melodic textures.

What really shines on JuJu is the songwriting. From the African-influenced title track (with its short, hypnotic, repetitive phrases) to the mesmerizing interplay between Tyner and Shorter on "Mahjong," the album (which is all originals) blooms with ideas, pulling in a world of influences and releasing them again as a series of stunning, complete visions.

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