Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay

This was recorded in January of 1970. Many jazz musicians had been feeling the pressures of rock's popularity. Freddie Hubbard had occasionally experimented as early as 1966 with rock (or soul) rhythms. "Red Clay" was his first album for CTI, but it's not like his other, rock-oriented output for the label. The title cut is the only original-album tune with a rock beat. But even then, Lenny White contributes interesting stuff with quality, real-jazz interaction. Other than the organ on "Delphia," a 6/8-swing tune, Herbie Hancock plays electric piano throughout. Joe Henderson stays more in the background on those first two cuts, but the band stretches out and swings wonderfully on "Suite Sioux" and "The Intrepid Fox." Joe's solos--as usual--balance perfectly between "in" and "out." Freddie soars in typical fashion; often, it's of the can't-believe-yer-ears nature.This music--largely because of Herbie's light touch--has an airy lilt to it: a fresh, liberated feel. The electric piano (that classic Rhodes sound) is part of it, as is Ron Carter's heady, understated bass. "Cold Turkey" (a bonus cut) gets an imaginative, and yes, groovy treatment. It's hard to sit still to it. Another bonus cut, an alternate take of "Red Clay," is added this time around, but if you already own the previous CD incarnation, I don't think you need to buy this--unless you strive for completeness. Great music, folks. This wonderful album gets my unqualified recommendation, and should please both hard-core jazz fans and those who just dabble in it.

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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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Pete La Roca - Basra

Review by Scott Yanow

It is strange to realize that drummer Pete La Roca only led two albums during the prime years of his career, for this CD reissue of his initial date is a classic. La Roca's three originals ("Basra," which holds one's interest despite staying on one chord throughout, the blues "Candu," and the complex "Tears Come From Heaven") are stimulating but it is the other three songs that really bring out the best playing in the quartet (which is comprised of tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Steve Kuhn, and bassist Steve Swallow in addition to La Roca). "Malaguena" is given a great deal of passion, Swallow's "Eiderdown" (heard in its initial recording) receives definitive treatment, and the ballad "Lazy Afternoon" is both haunting and very memorable; Henderson's tone perfectly fits that piece.

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Grant Green - Idle Moments

Review by Steve Huey

This languid, seductive gem may well be Grant Green's greatest moment on record. Right from the opening bars of the classic title cut, Idle Moments is immediately ingratiating and accessible, featuring some of Green's most stylish straight jazz playing. Whether he's running warm (pianist Duke Pearson's "Idle Moments"), cool (the Modern Jazz Quartet's "Django"), or a bit more up-tempo (Pearson's "Nomad," his own "Jean de Fleur"), Green treats the material with the graceful elegance that was the hallmark of his best hard bop sessions, and that quality achieves its fullest expression here. He's helped by an ensemble that, as a sextet, is slightly larger and fuller-sounding than usual, and there's plenty of room for solo explorations on the four extended pieces. Pearson's touch on the piano is typically warm, while two players best known on Blue Note for their modernist dates mellow out a bit -- the cool shimmer of Bobby Hutcherson's vibes is a marvelously effective addition to the atmosphere, while Joe Henderson plays with a husky, almost Ike Quebec-like breathiness. That cushion of support helps spur Green to some of the loveliest, most intimate performances of his career -- no matter what the tempo, it's as if his guitar is whispering secrets in your ear. It's especially true on the dreamy title track, though: a gorgeous, caressing, near-15-minute excursion that drifts softly along like a warm, starry summer night. Even more than the two-disc set The Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark, Idle Moments is the essential first Green purchase, and some of the finest guitar jazz of the hard bop era.

The Horace Silver Quintet - Song For My Father

Review by Steve Huey

One of Blue Note's greatest mainstream hard bop dates, Song for My Father is Horace Silver's signature LP and the peak of a discography already studded with classics. Silver was always a master at balancing jumping rhythms with complex harmonies for a unique blend of earthiness and sophistication, and Song for My Father has perhaps the most sophisticated air of all his albums. Part of the reason is the faintly exotic tint that comes from Silver's flowering fascination with rhythms and modes from overseas -- the bossa nova beat of the classic "Song for My Father," for example, or the Eastern-flavored theme of "Calcutta Cutie," or the tropical-sounding rhythms of "Que Pasa?" Subtle touches like these alter Silver's core sound just enough to bring out its hidden class, which is why the album has become such a favorite source of upscale ambience. Song for My Father was actually far less focused in its origins than the typical Silver project; it dates from the period when Silver was disbanding his classic quintet and assembling a new group, and it features performances from both bands (and, on the CD reissue with bonus tracks, three different sessions). Still, it hangs together remarkably well, and Silver's writing is at its tightest and catchiest. The title cut became Silver's best-known composition, partly because it provided the musical basis for jazz-rock group Steely Dan's biggest pop hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." Another hard bop standard is introduced here in the lone non-Silver tune, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson's "The Kicker," covered often for the challenge of its stuttering phrases and intricate rhythms. Yet somehow it comes off as warm and inviting as the rest of the album, which is necessary for all jazz collections -- mainstream hard bop rarely comes as good as Song for My Father.

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