"The Forest and the Zoo" by The Steve Lacy Quartet on ESP 1060

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"The Forest and the Zoo" by The Steve Lacy Quartet on ESP 1060

Free jazz live in Argentina.

Beautiful and flowing free jazz excursion from Steve Lacy. Recorded live on October 8 1966, at Instituto Di Tella, Centro de Experimentation Audio-Visual, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The ride work of South African drummer Louis T. Moholo together with his continuous drum fills and explosive accents are so impactful. I believe he has the snare wires off, and that gives the whole thing a unique sound. The playing of both Lacy and Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava is very interesting and it’s definitely free, as they play over each other and explore their respective instruments, but it’s never abrasive or hard to listen to. The tonal quality and approach feels quite pleasant and controlled, even in the more wild parts. It tends to be focused on creating layers of moods and statements, for the most part simultaneous played, creating a rich soundscape, where you’ll discover different little intricate parts each time you listen to the tunes.

Two tunes are offered on this album, both penned by Lacy and both over 20 minutes long. For me, this is free jazz at its best. It’s live, the sound is great. Total freedom to express yourself in a quartet format, not too many instruments, but rather a refined sound, easy to distinguish both soloists ideas, even when the flurry of notes are played over each other.

The cover art painting is by Bob Thompson, an African-American figurative painter, who hung out in the New York jazz scene, forming friendships with Charlie Haden and Ornette Coleman for example.

This copy is in outstanding shape, plays NM and the cover was in the shrink. Very happy to add this one to the collection and it’s of course highly recommended.

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"Urge" by The Ted Curson Quartet on Fontana 883 910

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"Urge" by The Ted Curson Quartet on Fontana 883 910

Curson and Ervin…

This is a session featuring Curson and Booker Ervin released on the Dutch Fontana label in 1966. It’s a little avant-garde in nature but still connected with post-bop and quite accessible. The recording quality is nothing to write home about, but at the same time it fits in well with the music.

I love both Curson and Ervin so this album is a hit for me. Great to hear them in a bit more free setting. They are joined by Jimmy Woode on double bass and Edgar Bateman on drums. Can’t remember if I’ve heard of those cats before, but nonetheless they are both great.

All tunes except for one are written by Curson. He was a really accomplished composer.

If you’re a fan of a little bit more free stuff than post-bop then this one might be for you.

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"Twelfth & Pingree" by Pepper Adams on Enja 2074

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"Twelfth & Pingree" by Pepper Adams on Enja 2074

Pepper Adams in the mid 70’s.

Enjoyable live date with Pepper Adams recorded in 1975 in Munich. Cool to hear Adams in a live setting from the 70’s. The band plays two Adams originals and one Thad Jones as well as one Monk composition. The baritonist is flanked by Walter Norris on piano, George Mraz on double bass and Makaya Ntshoko on drums.

I’ve always digged Pepper Adams and his quite raw and brisk tone. He recorded exstensively with The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and he of course recorded some great stuff with Donald Byrd which I enjoy a lot, but I haven’t explored his full body of work. Will dive deeper.

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"The Missing Link" by Fred Anderson on Nessa N-23

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"The Missing Link" by Fred Anderson on Nessa N-23

Superb album by a highly underrated player.

Blinding effort by Louisiana-born tenor man Fred Anderson recorded in 1979 and released in 1984 on the Nessa label. This quartet plays a mix of spiritual/avant garde with afto-cuban flavors, due to the percussion elements, and everything’s expertly led by Anderson, who I hadn’t heard of until a person on a YouTube video said it was one of the best jazz albums he had heard or something. I immediately looked it up, but it was nowhere to be found on Spotify or anywhere else, except for a one minute clip of a needle drop on a record store’s home page. That one minute was enough for me to be quite intrigued and I remember seeing this title posted a while back for sale on Instagram. I rushed to secure it and now I’m listening to it as I write, having received it this afternoon. What an absolute treat this album is.

Fred Anderson plays brilliant, with a wonderful big tone. It’s never screeching or abrasive, instead a beautiful timbre is created. He explores different textures and moods on his instrument, with a searching and explorative multifaceted panache. He is being backed by a rhythmically very interesting band. That band consists of Larry Hayrod on double bass, Hamid Hank Drake on drums and Adam Rudolph on percussion. I love this piano-less group, where the sounds and moods feel very organic and reveals the core of the music, which ultimately becomes more sensitive and exposed. And with the lovely percussion element the music takes on a very interesting style, where afro-cuban elements meets the spiritual/avant-garde. Quite special.

Favorite tune, without a doubt, is the 17 minute long ”The Bull”, where Anderson’s mastery is on full display.

The sound of this pressing is top notch. Never heard a Nessa title before. All in all this album is definitely one of my favorite discoveries of the year and it has already become a clear favorite in my collection. Seek this out, it’s fantastic.

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"Barcelona" by Joe Henderson on Enja 3037

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"Barcelona" by Joe Henderson on Enja 3037

Henderson is always a safe bet.

A Henderson title featuring a trio and a duo, with one tune recorded live in 1977 at Wichita State University and the other two at Trixi Tonstudios in Munich in 1978. The recording quality leaves much to be desired on the live date, but the music is great. They perform a long tune called ”Barcelona”, which stretches over the two sides actually. The whole of side one and the first 7 minutes of side two. Love Henderson in this kind of stripped down and more free setting. And although the recording quality is well below par, it leaves you with a organic and lo-fi energy, which I can appreciate. The sound colors the music and enhances the avant-garde style, and you’ll take it for what it is.

The studio date is a great one as well, with both tunes being performed in duo form, with tenor and double bass. Superb playing by Henderson on these tracks.

A less talked about session and seldom seen posted on social media. Could be one of Hendersons more obscure dates perhaps. If you enjoy him in a free mood live, and then doing some duets where he really is front and center, then this will perhaps be a title for you. 

Favorite tune is one of the duets called ”Y Yo La Quiero”.

Have a package on it’s way currently containing four superb titles. Looking forward to that. Stay tuned.

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"Exotic Heartbreak" by The Frank Lowe Quintet on Soul Note SN 1032

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"Exotic Heartbreak" by The Frank Lowe Quintet on Soul Note SN 1032

A great first experience of Lowe’s work.

My first title by tenor man Frank Lowe. Recorded in 1981 and released in 1982 on the Italian Soul Note label, which is affiliated with Black Saint. The music is quite accessible, not free jazz at all. I would call this post-bop spiced with a dose of the avant-garde and some hot blues and latin rhythms thrown in there as well.

One of my favorite tunes is the title tune, penned by Lowe, which is a calm piece filled with beautiful statements. And also ”Addiction Ain’t Fiction” with it’s latin vibes. The swinging rhythm, blended with some of Lowe’s avant-garde approach, makes for an interesting concoction.

The album artwork is created by Carmen Lowe, probably inspired by Moki Cherry. 

Need to dive deeper into Lowe’s work.

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"Scorpio" by Arthur Jones on BYG Actuel 50 (529.350)

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"Scorpio" by Arthur Jones on BYG Actuel 50 (529.350)

Another lovely BYG Actuel title.

I just posted the epic ”Black Suite” album by Jacques Coursil which blew me away, but this one blew me away as well to a similar extent. This is a trio album, with Arthur Jones on alto sax, the brilliant French double bassist Beb Guérin, with his deep and organic tone, and compatriot drummer Claude Delcloo. All three playing on the Coursil joint as well.

It starts off with a free, burning statement for about 4 minutes, and then it slides over to a lovely 5 minute bass solo with some drum accents, and then it picks up again a bit towards the end. Probably would scare off many a non-free lover. But what comes after this first tune is a calmer spiritual energy, including many melodic passages, and then some free stuff during a 2 minute passage on the last tune of the second side. 

Side two begins with a beautiful piece called ”Sad Eyes”. This is jazz artistry at the highest level. Simply amazing stuff. I would suggest you listen to this one first to experience one of the real highlights of this album. I bet you would really dig it. It’s very melodic and very spiritual.

Jones incorporates some melody into his free statements. That’s what stands out for me. As well as playing more spiritual of course, with even more focus on melody. His sound on his alto sax is immense. A great big and clear sound. Never heard anything quite like it. From this moment, a clear favorite on the alto.

The free statements are superb. But it’s the calmer moments which really makes you wonder why he didn’t record more as a leader. He plays absolutely beautiful. This cat was criminallly underrated it seems. A great composer as well, as he wrote all the tunes on this album. Need to check out everything he did and the other cats’ stuff as well. They played on some other BYG sessions for example.

Listen to ”Sad Eyes” and tell me this cat didn’t deserve more recognition. Brilliant stuff.

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"Monk's Dream" by The Thelonious Monk Quartet on Columbia CL 1965

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"Monk's Dream" by The Thelonious Monk Quartet on Columbia CL 1965

Vintage Monk.

A classic Monk on Columbia (his first on the label) that I’ve been looking for for quite a while, with the original ”Guaranteed High Fidelity” on the labels. When the opportunity arose to grab it at last I pulled the trigger. I haven’t explored Monk’s output on Columbia completely but there are some gems there. Been focused more on his Riverside stuff previously. 

The sound of this pressing is absolutely top notch and it’s in fantastic condition.

Monk stalwart Charlie Rouse is a highlight on this album, as he always tend to be. Love his playing and tone.

This is a great first Monk on Columbia title for me and I’m sure there will be more.

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"Black Suite" by Jacques Coursil on BYG Actuel 49 (529.349)

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"Black Suite" by Jacques Coursil on BYG Actuel 49 (529.349)

A very special album.

This is probably my favorite find of the year so far. Fantastic album by French trumpeter Jacques Coursil on the BYG label, recorded in 1969 and released in 1971. It’s dark, somber and contemplative. Beautiful in it’s sparseness. Perfect for an autumn afternoon. Coursil was a great trumpeter. He plays in a style of his own for sure. A very thoughtful and deep player. His choice of notes is so original and engaging. It lends itself to wanting to listen over and over again. The two pieces comprising both sides are composed by Coursil.

The album features a fantastic double bassist named Beb Guérin, we also have Anthony Braxton on contrabass clarinet, Arthur Jones on alto sax, Burton Greene on piano and Claude Delcloo on drums. Oustanding group. Braxton on the contrabass clarinet is a definitive highlight. The sounds he produces from this seldom used instrument in jazz is nothing short of magical. Got to mention Arthur Jones as well. His playing on the second side is wonderful.

This album is not for everyone I would imagine, but I think no one can deny it’s uniqueness. It’s a beautifully free, slow glowing piece of jazz artistry. Maybe a new candidate for my top 5 favorite jazz albums list.

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"Free at Last" by The Mal Waldron Trio on ECM 1001

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"Free at Last" by The Mal Waldron Trio on ECM 1001

Top stuff by Mal Waldron.

This was the first ECM title to be released in 1970. It’s a beautiful session. As I’ve mentioned many times, Waldron is one of my favorite pianists. But his later work, only released on vinyl in stereo, has been off limits for me up until some weeks ago when I added a second turntable with a stereo cartridge. So now I’m on the hunt for all his lovely albums released in the 70’s and 80’s, and Free At Last is a great start.

He embarked on a journey back from a breakdown in 1963, caused by a drug overdose. He had to learn how to play again. Gradually his skills came back, but it took several years. He came back a strong player as this album is a testament to. The liner notes are written by him and he mentions that the album marks a different approach to his music. It represented his meeting with free jazz and he goes on to write that one will hear him playing rhythmically instead of soloing over chord changes. I love this approach.

This session is a great introduction to Waldrons later career and I would urge you to check it out if you haven’t already heard it. Very much recommended.

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Charles Tolliver's Music Inc Live at the Loosdrecht Jazz Festival on Strata-East SES-19740/1

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Charles Tolliver's Music Inc Live at the Loosdrecht Jazz Festival on Strata-East SES-19740/1

An absolutely splendid live date.

Fantastic live album by Charles Tolliver’s Music Inc, consisting of 2 LP’s, recorded on the 9th of August 1972 at The Loosdrecht Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.

I’m definitely after more of Tolliver’s stuff. He was a brilliant trumpeter and composer. He totally smokes on this one. Before acquiring this LP the only other album in my collection that featured Tolliver was Jackie Macs’ ”It’s Time”. So the hunt is one for more of his stuff as a leader. This album is a great first catch for sure. It’s also my first Strata-East title. Plenty of great stuff on this label to try and find. The label was founded in 1971 by Tolliver and pianist Stanley Cowell.

The first tune on record 1 sets the tone from the get-go. It’s high energy and fiery stuff. You just know this is gonna be great. The sound is brilliant, a great live recording. It’s a natural and very detailed sound with an edge. Love it! The band consists of Tolliver on trumpet and fluegelhorn, John Hicks on piano, Reggie Workman on double bass and Alvin Queen on drums. Wonderful group of musicians. They sound very tight and on it.

If you haven’t heard this amazing album it’s about time you get familiar with it.

I’m really enjoying exploring 70’s jazz. I feel that this is the most fun I’ve ever had listening to and collecting jazz.

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"New Africa" by Grachan Moncur III on BYG Actuel 21 (529.321)

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"New Africa" by Grachan Moncur III on BYG Actuel 21 (529.321)

A beautifully crafted album.

Lovely stuff from Moncur on the French BYG label. The Actuel series has many interesting titles to explore. This one delivers a mix of post-bop and avant-garde flavors. It has a great line-up with Moncur joined by Roscoe Mitchell on alto and piccolo sax, Archie Shepp on tenor sax (one tune only), Dave Burrell on piano, Alan Silva on double bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums. As a drummer myself I always focus plenty on the drums and I truly dig Cyrille. Wonderful player.

Highlight of the album has to be the title tune ”New Africa”, which stretches over 17 minutes. ”Exploration” is quite free and here Cyrille really shines with his delightful drum patterns. The snare, cymbal and hi-hat work is very tasteful, and together with the bass lays a delicate foundation for the soloists to explore over. It’s never abrasive sounding. The overall sound is very pleasant. Also dig ”When” a lot, which is the number on which Shepp plays. It’s flows along nicely with a regular beat and feels light and airy. A great contrast to the rest of the tunes.

This has become one of my favorite albums since beginning to explore the end of the 60’s and onwards. Highly recommended.

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"The Second Coming" by Rudolph Johnson on Black Jazz BJQD/11

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"The Second Coming" by Rudolph Johnson on Black Jazz BJQD/11

A splendid album that blew me away.

The amount of superb jazz recorded in the 70’s is vast. Very late to the game on much of this stuff, but I’m on the other hand grateful to have so much still to discover. Like this beautiful recording from 1973 by tenor man Rudolph Johnson on the Black Jazz label. It’s astonishingly good. Johnson’s tone is full-bodied, round and defined. He was a high energy player, lyrical, but incorporating a healthy amount of fiery edge to his solos. He’s become an instant favorite just by listening to this session. It’s such a joy to discover this kind of cat this late into my jazz explorations. Will have a look at his other stuff.

The amazing music is post-bop with some spiritual elements and a sweet funky beat on one of the tunes. The recording is top notch. Clean, crisp and detailed with plenty of bass backbone. The bass is very nicely recorded. It’s very much present. I dig the drum sound a lot. The cymbals are crisp and bright. The kit sounds dry and pleasant. A down to earth sound with no reverb, which I enjoy. The tenor sounds organic, natural and powerful. The piano sounds great as well. Pianist Kirk Lightley’s solo on the title track is superb.

The whole album is a real treat and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Go listen!

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"Intensity" by Art Pepper on Contemporary M3607

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"Intensity" by Art Pepper on Contemporary M3607

Art is always a great choice.

It’s been forever since I bought an Art Pepper album so this one is a welcome addition. It’s a lovely recording. Typical stuff from Pepper with plenty of lyrical solos and lots of emotion put into every note.

There are still some Pepper titles I’d like to find,  both early stuff and later stuff. But I’m quite happy with what I have managed to acquire up to this point. I’m probably leaning more towards finding some later titles, to get the fuller spectrum of his work.

Overall I’m now focusing my efforts in exploring later jazz with titles that were released in stereo primarly. From labels such as Muse, Strata East, Black Jazz, BYG, Steeplechase, Futura, ECM, Enja, Black Saint, Philly Jazz, ESP and so on. I’ve focused a lot on the avant-garde and I’m really enjoying it. There’s so much great stuff in stereo released from the mid 60’s and into the 80’s. I have secured several great albums lately, both from local stores and online, that I will be posting. Stay tuned.

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"Playing" by Old and New Dreams on ECM 1205

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"Playing" by Old and New Dreams on ECM 1205

Old and New Dreams was a superb live act.

Here is another Old and New Dreams title on ECM. This time it’s live. Recorded in June 1980 in Austria. Fantastic performance from this outstanding group. The sound is great. Everything sounds clear, crisp, detailed and pleasant. It could just as well have been a studio recording.

What a treat it would have been to see them live back in the day. They were masters and the music reflects that. Blackwell is probably my favorite drummer. Maybe together with Tony Williams. His playing is just out of this world. And Haden is one of my favorite bassists. An amazing artist. He is up there with LaFaro for me.

The search continues for the rest of their output as well as many more great titles from the late 60’s into the 80’s. 

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Old and New Dreams on ECM 1154

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Old and New Dreams on ECM 1154

What a group of musicians!

This group was absolutely stunning. One of the best from the 70’s and 80’s. Hell, one of the best of all time perhaps. Cherry, Redman, Haden and Blackwell played together as New And Old Dreams between 1976 and 1987. They released two studio albums and two live albums on two labels, which were Black Saint and ECM. All members had previously played with Ornette and they played a mix of his stuff as well as original compositions. 

This album opens with an amazing version of Ornette’s ”Lonely Woman” which of course is also the first track on ”The Shape Of Jazz To Come”. ”Togo” by Blackwell follows, which is based on a Ghanese traditional. Superb percussive work here by Blackwell. Has a great theme as well. Cherry’s ”Guinea” is next and it opens with some lovely solo playing by Cherry. He plays so beautiful here. Very lyrical. What follows when the band comes in is bliss. Great tune. 

Second side starts off with Ornette’s ”Open or Close” and it’s fire. Haden’s double bass work here is out of this world. Classic Blackwell drumming as well which really propels everything to a different level. This is musicianship on a whole different plane. Then we get a Dewey Redman (who I need to explore a lot more) original which is called ”Orbit of La-Ba”. We have oriental vibes supreme on this which I really love. Lovely rhythms going on. Top stuff from Cherry and Redman. The last tune by Haden, which is called ”Song for the Whales”, is according to the back sleeve, ”written with respect for all spieces of whales, in the hope that they will soon be protected by international law”. Haden mimics the sound of whales here with his bow. Terrific stuff when the band comes in later in the tune as well.

Fantastic album.

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"Ramblin'" by Paul Bley on BYG Actuel 13 (529.313)

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"Ramblin'" by Paul Bley on BYG Actuel 13 (529.313)

My first Paul Bley album is a doozy.

Great trio album by Paul Bley (my first) on the French BYG Actuel label recorded in 1966. Found this at a local store. It’s very accessible with bright and melodic stuff mixed with quiet passages, which are introspective and meditative. ”Both” being the most avant-garde tune on the album. The tunes are a mix of compositions by Carla Bley (Pauls wife), Annette Peacock (Garys wife), Ornette and Paul himself.

Favorite tunes for me are ”Mazatalon”, which is the only Paul Bley original, Ornette’s ”Ramblin” and the slow number ”Albert’s Love Theme” composed by Carla Bley..

Love the fact that there is plenty of room for bassist Mark Levinson to solo and together with drummer Barry Altschul’s contemplative and tasteful accents it creates sparse spaces which are very disarming and beautiful.

It exists two different original cover arts for this title, one with the regular white BYG Actuel front and this one, with the partly blue tinted front. No idea which came first or if they were released at about the same time.

The hunt for more BYG Actuel titles is on and I got another one on it’s way right now.

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"That's It!" by Booker Ervin on Candid CJM 8014

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"That's It!" by Booker Ervin on Candid CJM 8014

Another great Booker Ervin title.

Like every other Ervin album I’ve heard this one is lovely. I’ve been after it for a long time. It’s quite difficult to find in great shape so I’m happy to have found this copy which is in top shape for sure.

Ervin had a very unique style and one that is immediately recognizable. Like I’ve mentioned before, his approach is fiery and very skilful. Always connected with the blues, always soulful, whether it’s a beautiful ballad or a real cooker.

I’m aiming to collect plenty more by Ervin and I’ve managed to find several of his titles on Prestige already. I really dig those later groups.

This album is of course highly recommended.

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"Black Saint" by the Billy Harper Quintet on Black Saint BSR 0001

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"Black Saint" by the Billy Harper Quintet on Black Saint BSR 0001

Top notch 70’s jazz.

My explorations into the 70’s and beyond is in full motion. Here is a fantastic album by tenor player Billy Harper from 1975 on the Italian Black Saint label. It’s one of those albums that I got familiar with through Instagram when I noticed it was in a top 5 list of favorite albums of a participant in a challenge I presented to the community. I listened to it online and thought it was superb, but it was only released in stereo, which I couldn’t play. And many more examples like that have been weighing on my mind, prompting me to get a second turntable with a stereo cartridge. So I now can enjoy everything under the sun on vinyl.

This title is a real gem, and I’m loving Harper’s style. His sax is front and center and his tone strong and assured. He has some amazing runs with flurries of notes throughout that really draws you into the music, which is beautiful crafted, filled with energy and passion.

The personell on this one are Harper on tenor, Virgil Jones on trumpet, Joe Bonner on piano, David Friesen on bass and Malcom Pinson on drums. Not familiar with any of the sidemen but I’ll be sure to explore what they have put out.

There are only three tunes on this but my favorite has to be the lovely 21 minute long ”Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart” that occupies the entire second side. I especially love the sax and drums duet at the end of the tune.

Highly recommended stuff.

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"Lotus Flower" by the Woody Shaw Quintet on Enja 4018

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"Lotus Flower" by the Woody Shaw Quintet on Enja 4018

A beautiful Woody Shaw album.

Alright, I now have received my additional turntable with a stereo cartridge to complement my other mono setup. It’s a beautiful vintage Thorens TD-125 LB which is very rare and sought after. It performs beautifully. It has an 12 inch tonearm which is a SME 3012 Series II, and the cartridge is a Audio Technica AT-30HE Moving Coil. Feels great to now have two turntables and to be able to enjoy both the mono and stereo experience. There is so much great stuff from the late 60’s, 70’s and 80’s that was only released in stereo, that I now can enjoy.

This lovely, newly acquired Woody Shaw title on Enja was the first one on the platter to test out the new equipment, and it sounded fantastic. What a great album this is. Recorded in 1982 with a line-up consisting of Shaw on trumpet, Steve Turre on trombone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Stafford James on bass and Tony Reedus on drums. Outstanding group.

The music is post bop with some lenghty and highly engaging tunes. Shaw was one of the greatest trumpeters in jazz and it’s criminal that I haven’t dived deeper into his catalogue until now. Have much to look forward to. Now that I can listen to stereo records I have the ability to acquire plenty of his stuff. This album is a great start for sure.

Two favorite tunes on this album are the Shaw originals ”Rahsaan’s Run”, which is a real cooker, and the swaying ”Song of Songs”.

Highly recommended.

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