THE PHILLIP WILSON TRIO – Live - Fruits (Circle Records / LP-1978)

Label: Circle Records – RK 14778/10

Format: Vinyl, LP / Country: Germany / Released: 1978

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Recorded live at the Northsea-Festival in Den Haag, July 14, 1978, Holland

Design, Photography By [Back Cover] – Rudolf Kreis

Photography By [Front Cover] – Günter Voss

Recorded,  Producer By – Rudolf Kreis

Published By – Phillisaundi / Leo Smith Publ. Co.

Matrix / Runout (Side A): F 666 343 A 1

Matrix / Runout (Side B): F 666 343 B 1

A1 - Electricity ..................................................................................... 11:20

A2 - Leo's Tune ................................................................................... 10:21

B1 - F & L ............................................................................................ 14:04

B2 - Death Aint Supposed To Be Negative .......................................... 9:45

Phillip Wilson – drums

Leo Smith – trumpet, pocket trumpet

Johnny Dyani – bass

Wilson assembled the trio featuring Smith and Dyani for a performance at the Northsea Jazz Festival in Den Haag. The performance was on July 14, 1978. The record was produced by Rudolf Kreis for Circle Records, a small German label that recorded mostly progressive jazz from 1977 to the mid 1980s.

“Electricity” starts the set off at a clip, the drummer setting the pace. Dyani’s fast pizzicato plucks go up and down the fret board as Wilson’s light hi-hats keep the momentum. Smith’s strong vibrato-less tone fills the melodic role as the piece pushes on. The bass is high in the mix and Dyani takes advantage as he really wrestles tones out. The dialog between Smith and Dyani is intriguing. The call and response sections are of interest as the two develop an interesting dialog.

This is pure energy music with a free pulse allowing the musicians to really invest in their own sound. Smith keeps the energy up and texture dense with thick swathes of sound. The communication is good. Wilson plays the accompanist role until the middle where he commands a solo that starts at mid intensity and builds, rollicking along. Dyani returns with a solo letting the harmonics ring from his instrument with runs through the registers. It isn’t about intonation and melodicism as much as it is about sound creation, rhythm and texture.

Smith joins back with a blustery tone. The last couple minutes are interesting for the gear shifts, each soloist gets a chance to drive. The bass begins to walk, steering toward the conclusion, then slows with loud twangs as Smith ends with a long tone and Wilson’s cymbal splash.

“Leo’s Tune” is a melody written by Smith. It has a more restrained and thoughtful nature. Smith’s long tones and haunting altissimo are contrasted with a minimal drum part and off beat low strums from the bass. The meditative quality and restraint create a nice balance to the firey “Electricity”.
The group begins to diverge as Smith takes the solo lead. Wilson is in his own world with very subtle hits, mild hints of swing on the hi-hats. Dyani throws in some of his fleet fingered tricks from time to time before he takes his solo. He remains focused on the various sounds that he can emit with his strumming before slowing into a blues-ish strolling line. Wilson begins his solo with rolling snare into an off kilter bounce. The high-pitched bass introduces the ostinato plucking and Smith’s return to the melody. This is a really lovely piece.

The B-side starts off with what is perhaps Dyani’s most intense performance on wax, Wilson’s “F & L”. He starts off with some incredibly nimble finger work and bent notes. Dyani is really the engine here as Smith plays a long tone melody and Wilson stays in the background until the main dancing melody comes in. Dyani’s muscles are flexing as he hints at a bass line but continues to deviate favoring his own fireworks.

Smith begins his solo over Dyani’s funky, distorted (?) bass line. The form keeps switching from quick jam to free space. Definitely a head nodder. Smith sounds strong with his unbroken but arresting tone. Wilson’s drumming keeps with a funky snare hit with off beat ride cymbal work. Dyani finds all sorts of wild, yet minimalist, percussive ideas to mess with. Some pretty left field.

Dyani’s unique sense of groove and physicality on the instrument are on full display. Wilson shows his command of time by bringing his solo down to bare essentials, quick resonant hits on this drum or that, slow builds, a cymbal hit… Dyani brings us back (who else?). Very, very cool piece.

Wilson’s “Death Ain’t Supposed To Be Negative” closes out the disc. Wilson’s unaccompanied drums start off a mid pace groove. Dyani and Smith are quick to start up with minimal plucks and thoughtful bluesy blasts. Smith’s raw tone is especially nice here as he begins to pick up intensity into a gallop. The waltzy tempo set by Wilson dances along nicely as Dyani frames the piece with a descending line, his most harmonic playing on the disc. He also tries different rhythmic phrases on the line.

Smith and Dyani remain in the front of the mix. Smith’s poignant solo breaks off as Dyani comes in with his thrummed tones following the basic form, descending and descending. His bass hums. A very simple yet resonant (in more ways than one) statement. Wilson’s solo finds him a little busier as his snare and cymbals start to sing. He remains within the jazz lexicon throughout with flourishes of out stuff. Smith comes in plaintively. Very controlled end to this one.

"Fruits" is a magical live recording...

If you find it, buy this album!

LESTER BOWIE'S BRASS FANTASY – I Only Have Eyes For You (LP-1985)

Label: ECM Records – ECM 1296 /  ECM Records ‎– 825 902-1

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: Germany / Released: 1985

Style: Contemporary Jazz

Recorded February 1985 at Rawlston Recording Studios, Brooklyn, NY.

Design – Dieter Rehm

Photography By [Cover Photo] – Karl Johnson

Photography by [Insert Photo] – Helmut Frühauf

Photography By [Liner Photo] – Lynne Wilson

Photography By [Liner Photos] – Deborah Bowie

Engineer – Akili Walker

Digitally mixed at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg

Engineer [Mixing] – Martin Wieland

Producer – Lester Bowie, Manfred Eicher

Matrix / Runout (Side A): 825 902-1 S1 ECM 1296 320

Matrix / Runout (Side B): 825 902-1 S2=2 ECM 1296 320

A1 - I Only Have Eyes For You .................................................................... 10:30

         By – Al Dubin, Harry Warren

A2 - Think ....................................................................................................... 1:31

         By – Bruce Purse

A3 - Lament (Dedicated To Dr. Ray Copeland) ........................................... 13:50

         By – Malachi Thompson

         soloist, trumpet – Stanton Davis

B1 - Coming Back, Jamaica ........................................................................... 5:17

         By – Lester Bowie

B2 - Nonet .................................................................................................... 14:30

         By – Bob Stewart

B3 - When The Spirit Returns ........................................................................ 7:50

         By – Lester Bowie

Personnel:

Lester Bowie – trumpet

Malachi Thompson – trumpet

Bruce Purse – trumpet

Stanton Davis – trumpet, flugelhorn

Craig Harris – trombone

Steve Turre – trombone

Vincent Chancey – French horn

Bob Stewart – tuba

Phillip Wilson – drums, percussion

Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy’s debut album is a deliberate provocation. The band, a nonet consisting of four trumpets, two trombones, a French horn, tuba and drums, displays Bowie’s love for pop music while clearly being in the jazz tradition, the album is released on ECM Records, a label that is famous for its clean and perfect sound. The band is extremely cool and tight (especially Bob Stewart on tuba, Steve Turre on trombone and Philip Wilson on drums), the sound is full of emotional depth and the selection of the tracks – from The Flamingo’s doo wop classic “I Only Have Eyes For You” to Bob Stewart’s majestic and uplifting “Nonet” – take the concept of Ancient to the Future to the next level because in spite of the pop approach the music breathes the spirit of gospel and blues. Lester Bowie’s “Coming Back, Jamaica”, is one of the best reggae tracks ever, which is dominated by the mother of all tuba solos. One of my all-time-favorite albums!

“I Only Have Eyes For You” it was Lester’s first record with his new group, Brass Fantasy, and for my money, this lineup is my favorite. And of all the subsequent Brass Fantasy albums, this first one is my favorite. The basic (and I know it’s not cool to reduce a great concept down to something so basic) premise for the group seems to have been: take some pop tunes and make arrangements for a brass band of improvisers with the lead role going to the great singer of songs, Lester Bowie. So if that’s the schtick with this band, then maybe why I like this first album so much is the fact that this first album only features one pop tune cover; the other five tracks are originals, two of which are Lester compositions. The cover feature here is obviously the title track which dates back to the early 30’s, but the version everyone today knows is the most popular: the 1959 version of “I Only Have Eyes For You” by the Flamingos. The Flamingos were a classic doowop group and they had their share of hits, but their version of this tune is one of the classic recordings of all time. It’s just magical. Here, listen. Awesome, right? Now, check out the Brass Fantasy version. It’s longer than the Flamingos version but it stays pretty faithful to that 1959 arrangement, even down to those amazing “doo bop shoo bops.” I can hear Lester playing the words and I love how he sings that diminished feel coming out of the bridge each time the bands repeats. So many great sounds of Lester’s ridiculously huge arsenal of amazing trumpet sounds come out in this recording. He’s really a vocalist stuck with a trumpet. And dig Vincent Chancey’s French horn. Perfect.

What a great start to an amazing record. Another gem on this record is “Think” by trumpeter Bruce Purce (never heard of him before or after this record! Have you??). Malachi Thompson’s “Lament” is also pretty special. Lester’s two compositions on this record “Coming Home Jamaica” and “When the Spirit Returns” are also pretty sweet (some classic Lester on these) and indicative of the kinds of tunes he wrote and often played with later versions of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. And then there’s the great tuba monster Bob Stewart who is always the rock of Brass Fantasy albums. His tune “Nonet” is probably the most “avant” on this album. It’s amazing. Wonderful arrangement and spectacular group playing and improvisation. All in all, it’s a really special album from a performance standpoint and fro a compositional standpoint. Although some of the future Brass Fantasy records resort to kinda dialed-in, almost cheesy arrangements of pop tunes, the band never compromises here. There is some adventuresome and powerful playing and writing on this first album.

Have I sold you on this record yet? :)... If you like brass instruments, if you like trumpet, if you like Lester Bowie, if you like The Flamingos, if you like jazz, if you like good music, then you really should consider adding this album to your collection.

(_by Outside Pants)

An almost perfect album.

If you find it, buy this album!

JULIUS HEMPHILL – 'Coon Bid'ness (LP-1975)

Label: Arista ‎– AL 1012, Freedom ‎– AL 1012

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: US / Released: 1975

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Side A - Recorded on January 29,1975 at C.I. Studios, New York City.

Side B - Recorded in February 1972 at Archway Studios, St. Louis, Missouri.

Art Direction – Bob Heimall

Artwork [Cover Art] – Bill Hoffman

Engineer – Elvin Campbell (tracks: A1 to A4), Oliver Sain (track: B)

Liner Notes – Michael Cuscuna

Liner Notes [Poem On Sleeve] – Julius Hemphill, Wilma Moses

Photography By – Ron Warwell

Producer – Julius Hemphill (track: B), Michael Cuscuna (tracks: A1 to A4)

A1 - Reflections .......................................................................... 2:30

A2 - Lyric .................................................................................... 7:24

A3 - Skin 1 ................................................................................ 10:07

A4 - Skin 2 .................................................................................. 2:28

Julius Hemphill  /  alto saxophone

'Black' Arthur Blythe  /  alto saxophone

Hamiet Bluiett  /  baritone saxophone

Abdul Wadud  /  cello

Barry Altschul  /  drums, percussion

Daniel Ben Zebulan  /  congas

B  -  The Hard Blues .................................................................. 20:07

Julius Hemphill  /  alto saxophone

Hamiet Bluiett  /  baritone saxophone

Baikida E. J. Carroll  /  trumpet

Abdul Wadud  /  cello

Phillip Wilson  /  drums, percussion

This historic LP includes a 20-minute performance with altoist Julius Hemphill, trumpeter Baikida Carroll, baritonist Hamiet Bluiett, cellist Abdul Wadud and drummer Philip Wilson ("The Hard Blues") taken from the same session that resulted in Dogon A.D. In addition, there are four briefer tracks that feature Hemphill, Bluiett, Wadud, altoist Arthur Blythe, drummer Barry Altschul and the congas of Daniel Zebulon. The music throughout is quite avant-garde but differs from the high-energy jams of the 1960s due to its emphasis on building improvisations as a logical outgrowth from advanced compositions. It's well worth several listens.

Julius Hemphill is a composer and an improviser: a composer in the tradition of Ellington, Mingus, and Ra, and an improviser with deep roots in the blues.

Side one of ‘Coon Bid’Ness (four tracks) works as a single composition. The opening piece, “Reflections,” begins with a slow lament, the three horns and cello creating dark, rich harmonies and utilizing a subtle vibrato to underline the music’s pathos. “Lyric” continues in this vein; then the space begins to open up. Hemphill, it seems, likes to work with several layers of sound, to slowly take them apart – to the point of near dissolution – then to put them back together again (though not necessarily the same as they were before). This is what happens during “Lyric” and also during “Skin 1.” The latter piece especially works its way into some very free space. Then “Skin 2” offers alternate choices as to the side’s resolution; yet there is no real resolution, only lingering afterthoughts. (Review: Henry Kuntz, 1975)

In ancient times, when the preferred form of recorded musical conveyance was a grooved vinyl disc called the "LP," there was a thing called the "side-length track" a single piece of music that took up an entire side of a 2-sided disc. "The Hard Blues" is one of those: 20 minutes of raw, grooving, R&B-drenched free jazz (with a small dose of bebop) that makes up Side Two of saxophonist Julius Hemphill's classic album 'Coon Bid'ness (the acerbic title is the African-American Hemphill's deliberate co-optation of a racial slur). Free jazz was ideal for the side-length track; the better for the improvisers to stretch out ... which is, after all, what free jazz musicians are wont to do. The musicians on "The Hard Blues" pack every possible ounce of content into their allotted 20 minutes, imbuing leader Julius Hemphill's avant-soul composition with enough energy to light up Motown on Devil's Night. Other free jazz guys worked from an R&B perspective, both before and after, but few adopted as gritty an approach as Hemphill and Co. take here. Especially notable are the hyper-agile cellist Abdul Wadud, whose trebly bassline twangs and grooves simultaneously, and Hemphill himself, who puts his experience in Ike Turner's band to good use. Trumpeter Baikida Carroll is terrific as well; his almost Dolphy-esque flights are a revelation. This is rare and raw stuff of a kind seldom heard, then or now. (Review: Chris Kelsey)

In the U.S., it seems, the Seventies have been more a period of consolidation rather than of innovation (as if the advances of the last decade had to be justified before being built upon). In the process, however, some highly original and beautiful music has been made, bringing together various (and sometimes diverse) stylistic elements. Hard to say exactly where this music will lead, but much of it will easily survive the moment of its own creation and is well worth appreciating. Julius Hemphill’s album offers music of this sort, and it’s recommended.

Excellent stuff, comes highly recommended for anyone interested in avant-garde jazz.

If you find it, buy this album!

ROSCOE MITCHELL – Old-Quartet / 1967 (LP-1975)

Label: Nessa Records – N-5

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: US / Released: 1975

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

„Old“ recorded May 18, 1967, „Quartet Part ½“ recorded May 19, 1967.

„Solo“ recorded November 25, 1967.

Liner Notes [1975] – Larry Kart, Terry Martin

Producer – Chuck Nessa

Recorded By, Photography – Terry Martin

A1 - Old .............................................................. 8:09

A2 - Quartet Part 1 ............................................ 19:40

B1 - Quartet Part 2 ............................................ 18:03

B2 - Solo ............................................................. 5:34

Roscoe Mitchell – alto/soprano sax, clarinet, flute, performer little instruments

Lester Bowie – trumpet, flugelhorn, performer little instruments

Malachi Favors – bass, performer little instruments

Phillip Wilson – drums, percusson, others little instruments

In the mid to late 60s, saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell was at the center of a group of young Chicago-based musicians who were extending the language of the free jazz revolution, until then largely a New York-based phenomenon. That was about to change. Mitchell led a quartet that also included trumpeter Lester Bowie, bassist Malachi Favors, and drummer Phillip Wilson. By the time the group made its first record. The style of this seminal ensemble was being defined when the rehearsal tapes that comprise Old/Quartet were made in 1967. Mitchell & Co. were not afraid to blow through the roof in the fiery style of their New York counterparts, but they also liked to reach back towards musical roots (“Old” is a 12-bar blues on which the traditional structure is respected, if not overmuch), as well as towards contemporary classical developments, or anywhere else that suited them. The tone can be passionate, ironic, whimsical, or sedate, sometimes all at the same time...

By Duck Baker

Recorded in the year prior to his groundbreaking Congliptious but not released until 1975, Old Quartet captures the Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble (which would later coalesce into the Art Ensemble of Chicago) on a clear pathway toward the later album's majestic heights. In fact, it leads off with "Old," which closed the other album, and this performance is arguably superior both in its greater expansiveness and in Lester Bowie's incredibly poised trumpet work. That they slightly flub the ending (and joke about it) only adds to the relaxed air of the piece. "Quartet" is in two lengthy parts, and is a loose, somewhat rambling exploration that anticipates the title track from Congliptious less, perhaps, than it does Mitchell's quasi-narrative epic "The Spiritual" from two year later. The amount of freedom already at hand in 1967 is breathtaking, however. The group never meanders aimlessly; each little sound or moment of silence contributes to the flow. Vocal hums, whistles, harmonica tootles, and struck bells share equal footing with the more "traditional" instruments. Early on, Mitchell had realized that "free jazz" didn't only mean screaming at the top of one's lungs; there was room for quiet. The group would mature greatly over the next year, but all the seeds are clearly here. The album ends with a solo performance by Mitchell, augmenting his alto with bells, harmonica, and percussion. It's almost frightening how he's able to seesaw between delicate, music box-like melodies and the most harrowing slabs of sonic assault possible.

While perhaps a small step below Congliptious, it is nonetheless a beautiful album in its own right and one that ranks very high in Roscoe Mitchell's discography.

50 Years of AACM - Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians

If you find it, buy this album!

WILDFLOWERS 3 – The New York Loft Jazz Sessions (Douglas / LP3-1977)

Label: Douglas – NBLP 7047

Series: Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions – 3

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: US / Released: 1977

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Recorded May 14 thru May 23, 1976 at Studio Rivbea, 24 Bond Street, New York.

Engineer [Assistant] – Les Kahn

Engineer [Chief] – Ron Saint Germain

Engineer [Remote Assistant] – Matt Murray

Executive-producer – Harley I. Lewin

Liner Notes – Ross Firestone

Mastered By – Ray Janos

Photography By – Peter Harron

Producer – Alan Douglas, Michael Cuscuna, Sam Rivers

A1 - Randy Weston – Portrait Of Frank Edward Weston ............................... 8:50

         Bass – Alex Blake

         Congas – Azzedin Weston

         Piano, Written-By – Randy Weston

A2 - Michael Jackson – Clarity ....................................................................... 5:15

         Acoustic Guitar, Written-By – Michael Jackson

         Bass – Fred Hopkins

         Drums – Phillip Wilson

         Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Oliver Lake

A3 - Dave Burrell – Black Robert ................................................................... 6:30

         Bass – Stafford James

         Drums – Harold White

         Piano, Written-By – Dave Burrell

B1 - Abdullah – Blue Phase .......................................................................... 12:37

         Double Bass – Rickie Evans

         Drums – Rashied Sinan

         Electric Bass – Leroy Seals

         Guitar – Mashujaa

         Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Charles Bracken

         Trumpet, Written-By – Ahmed Abdullah

B2 - Andrew Cyrille & Maono – Short Short .................................................. 7:30

         Bass – Lyle Atkinson

         Drums, Written-By – Andrew Cyrille  (Rights Society: ASCAP)

         Tenor Saxophone – David Ware

         Trumpet – Ted Daniel

...The jazz of the 1970s, particularly in New York, was a vital and searching music, just as the best jazz has always been. Musicians like Sam Rivers, David Murray, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the World Saxophone Quartet, Cecil Taylor and many others worked tirelessly, expanding their tonal vocabularies and creating shimmering and brilliant soundscapes for whoever was still listening. The audiences were, indeed, smaller. But the scope of the artistic achievement was as grand as ever.

This is an astonishing document, sonically wide-open to anyone with an ear for music of the spirit. The performances are varied enough, and sequenced in such a manner, that the most palatable, groove-oriented works will draw the listener in that he or she may appreciate the more abstract, experimental works as well. This music’s vitality is timeless; these recordings should be heard by anyone with anything more than a glancing interest in jazz...

If you find it, buy this album!