everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

When this album was recorded in February of 1961, it had been more than year since the Portrait in Jazz was issued, the disc that won the critics over. By the time of this issue, Evans had released four albums in six years, a pace unheard of during that time. Most musicians were issuing two, three, and even four records a year during the same era. Many speculate on Evans’ personal problems at the time, but the truth of the matter lies in the recordings themselves, and Explorations proves that the artist was worth waiting for no matter what else was going on out there. Evans, with Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro, was onto something as a trio, exploring the undersides of melodic and rhythmic constructions that had never been considered by most. For one thing, Evans resurrects a number of tunes that had been considered hopelessly played out, and literally reinvents them — “How Deep Is the Ocean” and “Sweet and Lovely.” His harmonic richness that extends the melodic and color palette of these numbers literally revived them from obscurity and brought them back into the canon. He also introduced “Haunted Heart” into the jazz repertoire, with a wonderfully impressionistic melodic structure, offered space, and depth by the understatement of Motian and extension by LaFaro’s canny use of intervals. Also noteworthy is Miles Davis’ “Nardis,” which Evans first played on a Cannonball Adderley set a couple of years before. The rhythmic workout by the Motian and LaFaro places Evans’ own playing in a new context, with shorter lines, chopping up the meter, and a series of arpeggios that open the ground for revelatory solo in counterpoint by LaFaro. Explorations is an extraordinary example of the reach and breadth of this trio at its peak. (allmusic)

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

A classic album, one of the finest of drummer Max Roach’s very productive career. The illustrious sidemen (trumpeter Booker Little; trombonist Julian Priester; Eric Dolphy on alto, bass clarinet, and flute; tenorman Clifford Jordan; pianist Mal Waldron; and bassist Art Davis, in addition to some guest percussionists) all have opportunities to make strong contributions and Dolphy’s pleading alto solo on “Mendacity” is particularly memorable. Abbey Lincoln has two emotional and very effective vocals, but it is the overall sound of the ensembles and the political nature of the music that make this set (along with Roach’s Freedom Now Suite) quite unique in jazz history. (allmusic)

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

When Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers expanded to a sextet with the addition of Curtis Fuller on trombone, the group took on the character of a small big band propelled by Blakey’s forceful drumming. Buhaina’s Delight, another session in the long line of great Blue Note dates from this period, displays that classic line-up in pristine form. With Freddie Hubbard replacing Lee Morgan, Cedar Walton replacing Bobby Timmons and musical director Wayne Shorter, the Messengers were full of fresh sounds and vibrant with energy.

Uncharacteristically for a Messengers session, the relaxed shuffle “Backstage Sally” opens the disc in a laid back groove. Shorter’s brilliant playing is featured prominently on this session on the delicate ballad “Contemplation” and many stunning solo spots. The title track (dubbed for Blakey’s Islamic name, Buhaina) and a dynamic arrangement of the standard “Moon River” are excellent examples of the classic Messengers sound: challenging horn arrangements, expressive soloing and assertive drumming by the leader. Also included on this set are bonus takes of all but two of the original tunes. For any Messengers fan, this is a delightful package, indeed.

Personnel: Art Blakey (drums); Jymie Merritt (bass instrument); Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Cedar Walton (piano).

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

Straight Ahead was recorded in 1961 and was Abbey Lincoln’s fifth album in as many years. Though she was only 31 when this set was recorded, Lincoln already possessed great confidence and a powerfully emotive voice. She’s surrounded by a superlative cast of players, including Max Roach, Eric Dolphy, Coleman Hawkins, Booker Little, Mal Waldron, and Julian Priester. As Lincoln shifts from playfulness to melancholy, and anger to romance, the band is right with her. The rhythmic support is supple and the soloing is full of emotional resonance and invention, free of needless filigree. One highlight takes place in “When Malindy Sings” (a song based on a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar), as Dolphy’s flute flies in after the conclusion of Little’s trumpet solo. Though Abbey Lincoln’s entire catalog is particularly strong, this album deserves special attention. (cduniverse)

Personnel: Abbey Lincoln (vocals); Coleman Hawkins, Walter Benton (tenor saxophone); Booker Little (trumpet); Julian Priester (trombone); Eric Dolphy (reeds); Mal Waldron (piano); Art Davis (bass); Max Roach (drums); Roger Sanders, Robert Whitley (congas).

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

After spending most of the ’50s away from the scene, saxophonist Dexter Gordon entered the recording studio in 1961 to create what became the first in a series of seven incredible albums for Blue Note. On Doin’ Allright he proved why the world needed him back. Gordon assuredly embraced the inventive melodicism of Lester Young with the striking harmonies of Charlie Parker. He also mastered the art of quoting other musical passages within a cogent solo. As the reissue proves, the results are timeless, especially on such achingly beautiful ballads as “You’ve Changed.” Although Gordon used a group of studio musicians—rather than his own band—on this date everybody sounds remarkably cohesive. This session also featured then 23-year-old whiz-kid trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. –Aaron Cohen

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

Recorded at the Village Vanguard in 1961, shortly before Scott LaFaro’s death, Waltz for Debby is the second album issued from that historic session, and the final one from that legendary trio that also contained drummer Paul Motian. While the Sunday at the Village Vanguard album focused on material where LaFaro soloed prominently, this is far more a portrait of the trio on those dates. Evans chose the material here, and, possibly, in some unconscious way, revealed on these sessions — and the two following LaFaro’s death (Moonbeams and How My Heart Sings!) — a different side of his musical personality that had never been displayed on his earlier solo recordings or during his tenures with Miles Davis and George Russell: Evans was an intensely romantic player, flagrantly emotional, and that is revealed here in spades on tunes such as “My Foolish Heart” and “Detour Ahead.” There is a kind of impressionistic construction to his harmonic architecture that plays off the middle registers and goes deeper into its sonances in order to set into motion numerous melodic fragments simultaneously. The rhythmic intensity that he displayed as a sideman is evident here in “Milestones,” with its muscular shifting time signature and those large, flatted ninths with the right hand. The trio’s most impressive interplay is in “My Romance,” after Evans’ opening moments introducing the changes. Here Motian’s brushwork is delicate, flighty and elegant, and LaFaro controls the dynamic of the tune with his light as a feather pizzicato work and makes Evans’ deeply emotional statements swing effortlessly. Of the many recordings Evans issued, the two Vanguard dates and Explorations are the ultimate expressions of his legendary trio. (allmusic)

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

Dexter Gordon’s second recording for the Blue Note label is a solidly swinging affair, yet constantly full of surprises. It’s not unexpected that Gordon’s tenor at this time — 1961 — is one of the most enjoyable in mainstream jazz, but his transition from the cool California scene to the hotter music environs of New York City had energized his sound and attitude. A first-time pairing with bassist Paul Chambers has something to do with this, but it also inspires pianist Kenny Drew to a great extent, while drummer Philly Joe Jones is his reliable, energetic self, and always works well with Gordon. Where Gordon’s fluent melodic sense is perfectly demonstrated during the simple-as-pie groove waltz “Soul Sister,” the steady, steamy bopper “I Want More,” and the familiar Charlie Chaplin evergreen “Smile,” his sense of expanding the specific line upon soloing is truly remarkable. He constantly keeps the song form in mind, riffing on and on without violating the basic note structures, constantly reharmonizing, shuffling the chords like a card dealer and updating the song form. “The End of a Love Affair” takes this concept into an area where his deep, subtle voice is translated directly into the low-slung voicings of his horn. The remarkable “Modal Mood” combines hard bop with Drew’s three-chord piano repetitions and Gordon’s soulful, simplified sax, while the equally impressive “Clear the Dex” steamrolls the competition as the band — cued by Jones — skillfully pushes or pull tension and release elements, then busts loose into joyous swinging in a true signature tune that is immediately recognizable as only the long, tall tenor man. The sad ballad “Ernie’s Tune” is based on a yin/yang theme via Freddie Redd’s stage play The Connection and the crazy character that ran wild or tame. The excellent band, solid musicianship, and memorable music on every track make this one of the more essential recordings of Gordon’s career, enhanced by the improved audio quality. (allmusic)

Personnel: Dexter Gordon (tenor saxophone); Kenny Drew (piano); Paul Chambers (bass instrument); Philly Joe Jones (drums).

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

Oliver Nelson had recorded several sessions for Prestige when the fledgling Impulse! label gave him the opportunity to make this septet date in 1961. The result was a rare marriage between an arranger-composer’s conception and the ideal collection of musicians to execute it. The material is all based somehow on the blues, but Nelson’s structural and harmonic extensions make it highly varied, suggesting ballads, hoedowns, and swing. The band is one of those groupings that seem only to have been possible around 1960, a roster so strong that the leader’s name was actually listed fourth on the cover. Nelson shares the solo space with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, alto saxophonist and flutist Eric Dolphy, and pianist Bill Evans, while bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Roy Haynes contribute support and baritone saxophonist George Barrow adds depth. In stark contrast to Dolphy’s brilliant, convulsive explosions, Nelson’s tenor solos are intriguingly minimalist, emphasizing a tight vibrato and unusual note choices. It’s not quite Kind of Blue (nothing is), but Blues and the Abstract Truth is an essential recording, one that helped define the shape of jazz in the ’60s. –Stuart Broomer

Personnel: Oliver Nelson (tenor/alto saxophone); Eric Dolphy (alto saxophone, flute); Geroge Barrow (baritone saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Paul Chambers (bass); Bill Evans (piano); Roy Haynes (drums).

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

This is one of the best albums by Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, performed by one of his most star studded lineups. Performing infront of Blakey’s explosive drumming is Wayne Shorter on tenor, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass. Most of the tracks were penned by Wayne Shorter or Lee Morgan and all feature high energy performances, especially by Wayne Shorter. His tenor is on fire as he delivers one knock out solo after another. His solo and his exchange with Lee Morgan on “El Toro” as well as his solo on the bonus track “Uptight” are stand outs. The entire group shows it’s soft touch on the one slow number, the bonus track “Pisces”. Blakey’s extended drum piece, “The Freedom Rider” gives the master plenty of room to stretch out and flex his considerable skill as one of Jazz’s all time great drummers. This is an exciting, hard swinging set of classic hard bop, and is easliy recommended.

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everybodydigs# is a series of posts about Jazz, Funk, Soul & R’n’b albums released from the 20s to the 90s, you can read a brief description/review and listen to a small preview (when it’s possible). everybodydigs# is like when someone tells you “hey you should listen to this album!” and nothing less, enjoy!

A much admired and loved man, of all the many brilliant orchestration projects this was his finest in his own right. He teases us with the opening of ‘La Nevada’ until the gorgeous repeated four-bar riff finally bursts on our ears with orgasmic delight. There are wonderful brass solos from John Coles, Tony Studd and Budd Johnson and a bass showcase for Ron Carter. As the opening track peters out after 15 minutes the listener enjoys the smug realization that there are a further four outstanding pieces to come.

Gil Evans Orchestra: Gil Evans (arranger, conductor, piano); Budd Johnson (soprano & tenor saxophones); Eddie Caine, Ray Beckenstein (alto saxophone, flute, piccolo); Johnny Coles, Phil Sunkel (trumpet); Keg Johnson, Jimmy Knepper (trombone); Tony Studd (bass trombone); Bill Barber (tuba); Bob Tricarico (flute, piccolo, bassoon); Ray Crawford (guitar); Ron Carter (bass); Charlie Persip, Elvin Jones (drums, percussion).

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