30-06-2020 JAZZ:MiX # 33 jazz tracks on the the JAZZ_line 1970-1959

Joe Henderson

30-06-2020 JAZZ:MiX # 33 jazz tracks on the the JAZZ_line 1970-1959 # Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Big John Patton, Larry Young, Grant Green, John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell / Jimmy Smith, Dexter Gordon, Paul Chambers, The Joe Newman Quintet, The Curtis Fuller Sextette, Charlie Byrd Trio & Woodwinds

J A Z Z   M U S I C

if you want excitement PRESS SHUFFLE!

.JAZZ_line on deezer

JAZZ_line  The player always plays the latest playlist tracks. / A lejátszó mindig a legújabb playlist számait játssza.

1970-1959

Remarkable tenor saxophonist whose passionate ballad playing and often fiery solos made him one of the most influential tenors in jazz.
Joe Henderson
Black Narcissus (Joe Henderson)
Isotope (Joe Henderson)
from Power to the People 1970
This album (which has been included in Joe Henderson's complete, eight-CD Milestone Years box set) has quite a few classic moments. At that point in time, tenor saxophonist Henderson was a sideman with Herbie Hancock's Sextet, so Hancock was happy to perform as a sideman, doubling on piano and electric piano, with the all-star group, which also includes trumpeter Mike Lawrence, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jack DeJohnette...

Daring jazz vibraphonist who expanded the instrument's role with speedy tempos and often dazzling harmonic maneuvers using four mallets. Easily one of jazz's greatest vibraphonists, Bobby Hutcherson epitomized his instrument in relation to the era in which he came of age the way Lionel Hampton did with swing or Milt Jackson with bop. He wasn't as well-known as those two forebears, perhaps because he started out in less accessible territory when he emerged in the '60s playing cerebral, challenging modern jazz that often bordered on avant-garde.
Bobby Hutcherson
Una Muy Bonita (Ornette Coleman)
Summer Nights (Bobby Hutcherson)
from Stick-Up! 1968
Hutcherson's originals (five out of six selections) show him at the top of his game as a composer, and the ensemble's playing is tight and focused throughout, but what really lifts Stick-Up! to the top tier of Hutcherson's discography is its crackling energy. It's quite possibly the hardest-swinging album he ever cut, and part of the credit has to go to the stellar rhythm section of McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums, who lay down a driving, pulsating foundation that really pushes Hutcherson and tenorist Joe Henderson... The lone non-Hutcherson piece, Ornette Coleman's sometimes overlooked "Una Muy Bonita," is given a fantastic, rollicking treatment as catchy as it is progressive, proving that the piece is a classic regardless of whether it's interpreted freely or with a steady groove and tonal center. Hutcherson's originals are uniformly strong and memorable enough to sit very well next to it, and that -- coupled with the energetic performances -- ranks Stick-Up! with Dialogue and Components as the finest work of Hutcherson's tenure at Blue Note.

John Patton, often known as Big John Patton, was one of Blue Note's busiest soul-jazz organists during the golden age of the Hammond B-3s. Between 1963 and 1970 Patton cooked up 11 albums' worth of material as a leader and sat in with a dizzying procession of skilled improvisers, and his best work has since been compared with that of tragically short-lived innovator Larry Young.
Big John Patton
Let 'Em Roll )Big John Patton)
Latona (Big John Patton)
The Turnaround (Hank Mobley)
from Let 'Em Roll 1967
In an unusual setting for a groove/soul jazz setting, B3 organist extraordinaire big John Patton creates a band around himself that includes Grant Green, drummer Otis Finch, and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. It's truly weird to think of vibes on a groove date, but the way Patton's understated playing works, and the way Green is literally all things to all players, Hutcherson's role is not only a clearly defined one, but adds immeasurably to both depth and texture on this date. What also makes this possible is the symbiotic relationship between Patton and Green. There is a double groove conscious swing happening on every track here, from the bluesed-out slip and slide of the title track which opens the record to a killer version of Hank Mobley's "The Turnaround," which expands the blues vibe into solid soul territory because of Hutcherson's ability to play pianistically and slip into the funk groove whenever necessary. Green's deadly in his solo on the track, shimmering arpeggios through Patton's big fat chords and chunky hammering runs... Also notable are Patton's own tunes, the most beautiful of which is "Latona," a floating Latin number with a killer salsa rhythm in 6/8. As Patton vamps through the chorus, Green slips in one of his gnarliest solos ever. It begins with a groove like run in the hard bop blues and then shoves itself into overdrive, capturing the cold sweat of a Bola Sete or Wes Montgomery in his groove years. But when Green goes for the harmonic edges, all bets are off: Hutcherson lays out, and he and Patton go running to the bridge and bring the melody back just in time to take it out. This is one of the least appreciated of Patton's records, and there's no reason for it; it is great.

An acclaimed innovator of the '60s jazz organ approach, who utilized swirling chords, surging lines, and rock-influenced improvisations. Larry Young, also known as Khalid Yasin, offered as radical an approach to organ in the '60s as Jimmy Smith had posed in the '50s. His free, swirling chords, surging lines, and rock-influenced improvisations were an alternative to the groove-centered, blues and soul jazz sound that had become the organ's dominant direction.
Larry Young
Pavanne (Morton Gould / Jelly Roll Morton)
Seven Steps to Heaven (Miles Davis / Victor Feldman)
from Of Love And Peace 1966
By 1966, Larry Young was playing music that fell between advanced hard bop/soul-jazz and the avant-garde. For this stimulating Blue Note date, the organist meets up with trumpeter Eddie Gale (who was playing with Cecil Taylor during this era), altoist/flutist James Spaulding, and three obscure but fine sidemen: tenor saxophonist Herbert Morgan and both Wilson Moorman III and Jerry Thomas on drums. Two of the selections ("Of Love and Peace" and "Falaq") are essentially free improvisations that have a momentum and purpose of their own, moving forward coherently. In addition, Young and his group perform adventurous versions of "Pavanne" and "Seven Steps to Heaven." Very stimulating and intriguing music, this was one of Larry Young's best recordings.

One of the great jazz guitarists of the 1960s, with a clear tone and a unique emphasis on single-note lines. A severely underrated player during his lifetime, Grant Green is one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar. He combined an extensive foundation in R&B with a mastery of bebop and simplicity that put expressiveness ahead of technical expertise. Green was a superb blues interpreter, and while his later material was predominantly blues and R&B, he was also a wondrous ballad and standards soloist.
Grant Green
Talkin' About J.C. (Larry Young)
Luny Tune (Larry Young)
I'm an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande) (Johnny Mercer)
from Talkin' About! 1965
On the heels of Matador and Solid, two of his most advanced albums, Grant Green decided to continue the more modal direction he'd begun pursuing with the help of members of Coltrane's quartet. Accordingly, he hooked up with organist Larry Young, who was just beginning to come into his own as the first Hammond B-3 player to incorporate Coltrane's modal innovations into his own style. Talkin' About is the first of three albums the Green/Young team recorded together with Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones, and it's exceptional, one of the most underrated items in Green's discography.

A titan of the 20th century, the saxophonist pioneered many of the jazz revolutions of the post-hard bop era. A towering musical figure of the 20th century, saxophonist John Coltrane reset the parameters of jazz during his decade as a leader. At the outset, he was a vigorous practitioner of hard bop, gaining prominence as a sideman for Miles Davis before setting out as a leader in 1957, when he released Coltrane on Prestige and Blue Train on Blue Note.
John Coltrane
Naima [Take 1]  (John Coltrane)
Blue World (John Coltrane)
Village Blues [Take 1] (John Coltrane)
from Blue World 1964
... In 1964, between the recently completed Crescent, and six months before the start of the sessions for A Love Supreme, the John Coltrane Quartet cut the music on Blue World. This wasn't an album proper, but music to accompany Quebecois director Giles Groulx's then-unfinished debut feature film, Le Chat Dans le Sac (it had been shot but was still in the editing stages; neither Coltrane nor his bandmates had seen it). The director, who lionized the saxophonist, reached out through a connection to his bassist Jimmy Garrison. The session was cut in a single day (June 24, 1964) at Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio on quarter-inch tape... Musically, Blue World is unique. Its tracks offer then-newly recorded interpretations of material he'd issued earlier in his career and had already dropped from his live set, save for "Naima," two gorgeous takes bookend the album. Coltrane was always looking ahead, especially during this period of white-hot discovery... While completely enjoyable, Blue World's true value perhaps lies in revealing the quartet encountering this older material with a fully developed musical character, and changing its shapes, accents, colors, and textures according to its own expressive signature...

One of the leading exponents of straight-ahead jazz guitar, Kenny Burrell is a highly influential artist whose understated and melodic style, grounded in bebop and blues, made him in an in-demand sideman from the mid-'50s onward and a standard by which many jazz guitarists gauge themselves to this day.
Kenny Burrell / Jimmy Smith
Blue Bash (Jimmy Smith)
Fever (Eddie Cooley / John Davenport)
Kenny's Sound (Kenny Burrell)
from Blue Bash! 1963
Jimmy Smith wasn't the first organ player in jazz, but no one had a greater influence with the instrument than he did; Smith coaxed a rich, grooving tone from the Hammond B-3, and his sound and style made him a top instrumentalist in the 1950s and '60s, while a number of rock and R&B keyboardists would learn valuable lessons from Smith's example.
Guitar – Kenny Burrell, Vince Gambella, Organ – Jimmy Smith
Percussion – Art Marotti, Bass – George Duvivier, Milt Hinton, Drums – Bill English, Mel Lewis

One of the outstanding tenor saxophonists in jazz history, and a major figure in bop known for his heavy doses of swing. As one of the great tenors to emerge from Los Angeles' Central Avenue scene, Dexter Gordon led a colorful and eventful, sometimes tragic life that included three triumphant comebacks in a four-plus-decade career.
Dexter Gordon
Soy Califa (Dexter Gordon)
You Stepped out of a Dream (Nacio Herb Brown / Gus Kahn)
The Backbone (Butch Warren / Harry Warren)
from A Swingin' Affair 1962
Dexter Gordon was on a roll in 1962 when he recorded A Swingin' Affair. Two days earlier he and this same quartet recorded his classic album Go!; the band included pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Billy Higgins. Gordon wrote two of the set's six tunes, the first of which, the Afro-Cuban-flavored "Soy Califa," is a burner... his is a hot hard bop band, playing a program that's relaxed and mostly upbeat; they even manage to stretch a bit...

One of the top bassists of 1955-1965, Paul Chambers was among the first in jazz to take creative bowed solos (other than Slam Stewart, who hummed along with his bowing). He grew up in Detroit, where he was part of the fertile local jazz scene.
Paul Chambers
Melody (Yusef Lateef)
Retrogress (Yusef Lateef)
Blessed (Yusef Lateef)
from 1st Bassman 1961
As a lead instrument in jazz, the acoustic bass was in many ways liberated by Paul Chambers, and paved the way for many others to follow... 1st Bassman is anchored by rising stars from Detroit such as Yusef Lateef, Curtis Fuller, and adopted (from Pittsburgh) car city resident Chambers, with trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, pianist Wynton Kelly, and drummer Lex Humphries evenly balancing the session. Interestingly enough, it was recorded not in New York or the Motor City, but Chicago. Lateef wrote all of the material... The small horn inserts of "Melody" give sway to the big bass strut of Chambers, with solos from Turrentine's stoic trumpet, Lateef's advanced tenor, and Fuller's wanton but mushy trombone included... The slightly dour post-bopper "Retrogress" gives Kelly's piano his due diligence...  the ballad "Blessed" features the arco bowed bass of the leader in a mournful mood, brightened up by the effervescent and hopeful flute of the brilliant Lateef....

Joe Newman was a superb, exciting trumpeter whose style echoed the best of Harry Edison, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thad Jones, seasoned with his own flavoring. He was among a select corps who not only enjoyed playing, but communicated that joy and exuberance in every solo.
The Joe Newman Quintet
Wednesday's Blues (Joe Newman)
Jive at Five (Count Basie / Harry "Sweets" Edison)
Taps Miller (Count Basie / Luis Russell)
from Jive at Five 1960
Originally put out on the Swingville label, this CD reissue is very much in the Count Basie vein. That fact is not too surprising when one considers that the quintet includes three members of Basie's men: trumpeter Joe Newman, tenor saxophonist Frank Wess and bassist Eddie Jones. Joined by the complementary pianist Tommy Flanagan and drummer Oliver Jackson, Newman and his friends swing their way through four vintage standards and a couple of the leader's original blues in typical fashion.

A major post-bop stylist on trombone with remarkable techniques, including wide-octave leaps and whiplash phrases delivered in a relaxed manner. Curtis Fuller belongs in the select circle with J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding, and a few others who make the trombone sound fluid and inviting rather than awkward.
The Curtis Fuller Sextette
Kachin (Curtis Fuller)
Imagination (Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen)
Blues de Funk (Curtis Fuller)
from Imagination 1959
Prior to the official formation of the Jazztet with trumpeter Art Farmer, trombonist Curtis Fuller and tenorman Benny Golson made several albums together, usually with other trumpeters. This somewhat rare date has trumpeter Thad Jones, bassist Jimmy Garrison, drummer Dave Bailey, and, most significantly, pianist McCoy Tyner in his recording debut completing the sextet. Fuller arranged all five of the songs, four of which were his originals. Although the material (other than the lone standard "Imagination") is unfamiliar, the chord changes inspire the players to create some fine solos. Easily recommended to hard bop fans lucky enough to find this album.

Classically trained jazz guitarist who helped to popularize bossa nova in the U.S. Tasteful, low-key, and ingratiatingly melodic, Charlie Byrd had two notable accomplishments to his credit -- applying acoustic classical guitar techniques to jazz and popular music and helping to introduce Brazilian music to mass North American audiences. 
Charlie Byrd Trio & Woodwinds
Swing 59 (Charlie Byrd)
Keter's Dirty Blues (Keter Betts / Charlie Byrd)
Showboat Shuffle (Duke Ellington)
from Byrd In The Wind 1959
When Charlie Byrd recorded Byrd in the Wind in 1959, he was still two years away from discovering bossa nova. The guitarist had yet to interact with Astrud and João Gilberto or record anything by Antonio Carlos Jobim, and he had yet to become a major player in the Brazilian jazz field. Nonetheless, Byrd was an impressive jazzman even before he discovered bossa nova. Byrd (who sticks to the acoustic guitar on this album) already had a recognizably melodic sound -- one that underscored his appreciation of Django Reinhardt as well as Andrés Segovia and the Spanish school of classical guitar -- and he would have left behind a worthwhile catalog even if he had retired in 1960. The guitarist's classical leanings are hard to miss on Byrd in the Wind, especially when he employs woodwind players (all of them members of the National Symphony Orchestra) on some of the selections...