Thursday 31 July 2008

Various Artists - Royaltie$ Overdue




boomp3.com
boomp3.com

114MB / 100MB
320 CBR LAME mp3
CD rip from Mo' Wax MW 003 CD

This is the release that made the world sit up and take notice of wunderkind James Lavelle and his take on abstract hip hop and club sounds, around which he built his label Mo' Wax. Although the imprint was already getting some enthusiastic ink in the UK for its singles, this was the debut compilation of Mo' Wax material and the first most people had a chance to hear DJ Shadow on a widespread basis. For me, it was the two tracks by La Funk Mob that took me on first listen and since then I've been a faithful fan of Zdar, Boombass and De Crecy through all their incarnations. As far as I'm concerned, they're among those who sit at the head table in that elite club of producers who can blend accessibility, weirdness and cheese in the right proportions.

On the whole, it's a stronger comp than Headz or Headz2 with more songs rather than soundscapes, a greater sense of groove and it's definitely on a jazzier tip than Mo' Wax's subsequent collections. In fact, this holds up better than most documents of this period in the trip hop/acid jazz scene and doesn't sound nearly as dated as you would think, which says volumes about Lavelle's vision and taste at the ripe old age of 20! Unfortunately, the cover disappeared long ago back in the DJing days so I skipped the scans (but if you're OCD and really want a scan of the discs themselves and the tray insert, I wouldn't want you to have a breakdown so just leave a request in the comments and I'll oblige).
If you like this then stay tuned for more from Mo' Wax and labels like Pussyfoot, Delancey Street, Ultimate Dilemma, Cup of Tea and Wall of Sound in the weeks to come.

CD 1
1-01 DJ Shadow / In Flux
1-02 RPM / Food Of My De-Rhythm
1-03 DJ Krush / Slow Chase
1-04 Palm Skin Productions / In A Silent Way
1-05 DJ Takemura / Harmonium
1-06 Palm Skin Productions / Like Brothers
1-07 The Federation / Life So Free
1-08 Step / If

CD 2
2-01 RPM / Sorti Des Ombres
2-02 Bubbatunes / This Is Just A Dance
2-03 Marden Hill / Come On
2-04 La Funk Mob / La Doctoresse
2-05 Monday Michiru / Hear Between The Silence
2-06 The Federation / Rusty James (Portishead Remix)
2-07 La Funk Mob / Motor Bass Get Phunked Up
2-08 Palm Skin Productions / Spock With A Beard


If you see this seminal double-disc in a store for less than $50, CD or vinyl, consider yourself lucky and snatch it up. In the meantime and in between time, Soundological presents disc one HERE and disc two HERE.

Wednesday 30 July 2008

Walt Bolden - Walt Bolden





boomp3.com
boomp3.com

76 MB
256+
Vinyl rip & scans from Nemperor 35569

Since getting his lucky break at a run-of-the-mill hometown Hartford jazz club
gig Walter Bolden has sat in on hundreds of sessions. This set on Nemperor from 1978 however, is his singular solo release as a bandleader.


Walter Bolden - Drums, Producer
George Coleman - Sax (Tenor)
Wilbert Dyer - Saxophone (Alto)
Arthur Jenkins - Percussion
Virgil Jones - Trumpet
Harold Mabern - Piano
Danny Moore - Flugelhorn
Ron Prince - Guitar
Mario Rivera - Sax (Baritone)
Gene Taylor - Bass
Grady Tate - Producer


1 Red Snapper
2 Street Singer
3 Deep in the Hat
4 Just for You
5 Gift of Life
6 When Spring Comes Again
7 I Remember Britt



The normally terse Eugene Chadbourne gives this LP a pretty thorough rundown over at
AMG:

The Walt Bolden album is just what a jazz listener might expect from a mainstream effort produced in the late '70s by a major label affiliate. It is over-produced, tending to lack the sense of relaxation so essential to swinging music. Nonetheless, there are moments of great beauty, and some unforgettable rhythmic elements. Most important of all, it is the only solo recording by a man whose contributions to jazz drumming have largely been overlooked.

This drummer, and the much more famous pianist Horace Silver, were in a local Hartford rhythm section picked up by tenor saxophonist Stan Getz for what seemed like it would be a routine club gig in 1950. It turned out to be anything but routine, the leader appreciating the efforts of these players so much he put them in his regular band. From here, Silver and Bolden continued collaborating in what would become the pianist's first hit group. At the same time, the association got Bolden mucho work, and while he always remained busy with musical pursuits including teaching and volunteer duties for the Jazzmobile project, other drummers associated with Silver, such as Art Blakey, became much more famous.


Grady Tate, himself quite a prosperous drummer, got the opportunity to create projects for Nemperor in the '70s. At the time the label was riding high with the fusion style, to the point where the name of the label was associated with players such as Stanley Clarke. Indeed, there are probably many fans of jazz who wouldn't believe an album such as Walt Bolden would have come out on the label at all, let alone appear in a manner only slightly diluted by fusion mannerisms. That is an important point to stress, since the type of jazz played by Bolden, and the fusion style of the '70s couldn't be more different in spirit. Attempts to mix the two, and there surely were plenty of them in this era, were generally about as palatable as pouring hot fudge into a pot of bouillabaisse.

Tate and Bolden seem to have a firm hand on things here, not allowing such malarkey. Both get production credits. The tunes are Bolden originals, with the exception of one Bobby Shew title. Instrumentally, there are some really strong players here as well as some more minor league contributors. Tenor man George Coleman and pianist Harold Mabern deserve lots of credit for the best parts of the session, Coleman pulling off several stunning improvisations, and the pianist coming up with the necessary stylistic affinity with Silver, as well as some surprises of his own.


Trumpeter Virgil Jones and guitarist Ron Prince are weaker. Baritone saxophonist Mario Rivera is among the players that add a few nice touches, but inevitably can be counted as witnesses to excess. Because it was a Nemperor release, there was most likely a bit more of a budget then might have been available from an indie jazz outfit, allowing the hiring of extra musicians. It results in a more lavish sound, yet this is a luxury the music itself hardly requires, and really does not benefit from.



Chadbourne doesn't mention Wilbert Dyer, likely because there's a dearth of info on him and outside of playing on an early Hank Ballard & The Midnighters track ("Tore Up Over You"), this appears to be the only credit he has on wax and this seems to be due to Dyer's pecadilloes as recounted by drummer, keyboardist and producer Phil Kelly in the following anecdote found in the All About Jazz forums:

I started getting the chance to play sessions with adult musicians including a fabulous alto player who'd just gotten out of drug rehab in Lexington named Wilbert Dyer. He was such a bad junkie that all the black players refused to be around him. So, Wilbert says: "Oh yeah ? well F***k you guys! I'm gonna put together a band of young honkie kids that'll blow yer asses away! " I fortunately was one of the young "honkies" that benefitted from Wilbert's knowledge, both as a player AND a writer! It was also one of the most intense four months of my musical life to date.

You'll see this one floating around for as low as $10 at GEMM but it's long OOP so Soundological offers you a digital version HERE or HERE.

Tuesday 29 July 2008

Flow - Flow





FLOW
Flow
1970

256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from CTI 1003


One of only five LPs released in the CTI 1000 series while Creed Taylor was transitioning from A&M to start his own label (you can read more about it at Doug Payne's site) and one of few rock-oriented albums to be put out by the label. It's also notable for being the project Don Felder left to join The Eagles, for whom he would compose their biggest hit, "Hotel California." Far from the countrified MOR that Henley, Frey, & Co. would spew for the rest of the decade, Flow is a nice slice of jazzy, folky, West Coast style rock with some rootsy touches, including a Leadbelly cover (the only non-original composition of the bunch). It's quite a creeper and grows on you after a few listens so definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre.


John Winter - Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Soprano & Tenor Sax, Flute, Harmonica
Don Felder - Guitar
Chuck Newcomb - Bass, Vocals
Mike Barnett - Drums
Ed Shaughnessy - Percussion
Angel Allende - Percussion
Johnny Pacheco - Percussion


1 Daddy
2 Here We Are Again
3 Line 'Em
4 Gotta Get Behind Your Trip
5 Chicken Farm
6 No Lack Of Room
7 Summer's Gone
8 Mr. Invisible
9 Arlene


Obviously we're all pretty clear on what happened to Felder afterward.

Ocala's John Winter (not to be confused with the fabulous furry albino brother Johnny) seemed to be the main creative force behind Flow but I could find little on his career afterward. He passed away in his home town recently after an extended illness.

Chuck Newcomb seems to be active back in the ol' stomping grounds as that name pops up as current bass player for the Funky Blues Messiahs in Gainesville, for the Beautiful Bobby Blackmon blues band in Orlando circa 2002 and it sure looks like an aged version of him in this video playing with Bird Dog Bobby & The Solstice Brothers in Florida.

Mike Barnett appears to have developed into a talented multi-instrumentalist and worked extensively with guitar genius Adrian Belew (great short but comprehensive video overview by the man himself at his site) during the King Crimson hiatus from 85 - 95. He continues to play with critical darlings Coffee Sergeants, his psych-pop outfit out of Texas and is active as a producer in folk and blues. Then again, maybe he didn't. You can't really trust AMG and there's squat to connect these two occurrences of the name elsewhere and there are some photos that don't lend themselves to as strong a comparison as Newcomb's.
UPDATE 2013: an anonymous commenter has claims to a bunch of corrections for above info on core band members and is probably more reliable - however no links or proof were provided so we'll keep the above as it stands for now. I can corrobrate Newcomb has retired from The Solstice Bros, though.

The percussionists are another story altogether. "Well-known" is an understatement! Shaughnessy has over 400 credits and was Doc Severinson's drummer on The Tonight Show for 29 years, Allende spent the 70s working with Idris, Sonny Fortune, Alphonse Mouzon, Mongo and others while Fania label founder Johnny Pacheco remains one of the most influential personalities in Latin music.

You can also download the tracks individually at 128k from Felder's own site. Check it out, there are pictures of the band, an interview with Creed Taylor, album lyrics, a bit of history behind Flow and the Florida scene at the end of the 60s and it's the only place on the web with much info on the band. He has requested none of the material there be reproduced and I'll cheerfully oblige but it's only one click away, so head over there if you want to know more about them.
There was a Japanese CD reissue in '99 but it is OOP as well. If you don't want to spend upwards of $100 for the vinyl you can get it from Soundological HERE. (Link updated May 23, 2012)

Monday 28 July 2008

Blue Mitchell - Collision In Black






BLUE MITCHELL
Collision In Black
1968
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Blue Note BST-84300


This record is highly sought after and for good reason. Blue's blowing had blown minds but three weeks earlier with his heavyweight work on the recently departed Jimmy McGriff's
The Worm, which was just about to hit the shelves as Mitchell went into the studio to record Collision In Black. Perhaps due to that experience he opted for an even funkier soul-jazz sound than he had toyed with on his previous release and one that he would continue to explore with great results until his premature death in 1979. This session comes between Heads Up! and Bantu Village in the Blue Note Catalogue, although both the latter and Collision were not included in the otherwise comprehensive package of his Blue Note era put out by Mosaic a couple years ago. After Bantu, he joined and toured with Ray Charles and then the John Mayall Band, recording solo LPs on Mainstream during his downtime.

Not much out there as far as reviews except this one by Motown67 at Soul Strut:
In the 1960s Blue Mitchell began recording with Blue Note. There he often worked with Monk Higgins who did the arranging, and some of the song writing and production on Collision In Black. Higgins also played on the record along with Ernie Watts and Paul Humphrey. It was during this period and with this album that Mitchell began moving away from playing Bop to a more soulful and commercially aimed form of Jazz. On Collision In Black you hear some really early forms of Soul-Jazz such as the title track, Deeper In Black, Jo Ju Ja, I Ain’t Jivin, Digging In The Dirt, Who Dun It, Kick It and Keep Your Soul. Swahilli Suite, written by Higgins, is the best cut with its horn arrangement and solo by Mitchell. A very solid album for low-key Soul-Jazz.

Blue Mitchell - Trumpet, Horn
Monk Higgins - Organ, Piano, Arranger, Sax (Tenor)
Dee Ervin - Organ, Percussion
Miles Grayson - Percussion, Piano
Paul Humphrey - Drums
John Cyr - Percussion
Bob West - Bass
Al Vescovo - Guitar
Anthony Ortego - Sax (Tenor)
Jack Redmond - Trombone
Dick Hyde - Trombone
Ernie Watts - Flute
Jim Horn - Flute


1 Collision In Black
2 Deeper In Black
3 Jo Ju Ja
4 Blue on Black
5 Swahili Suite
6 Monkin' Around
7 Keep Your Nose Clean
8 I Ain't Jivin'
9 Digging in the Dirt
10 Who Dun It?
11 Kick It
12 Keep Your Soul Together

This classic is long OOP and has never been issued on CD but readers of
Soundological have a chance to hear it HERE and HERE.


Sunday 27 July 2008

Johnny Bristol - Feeling The Magic





JOHNNY BRISTOL
Feeling The Magic
1975

256+ CBR LAME mp3
Vinyl Rip & scans from MGM SE 4983

Johnny Bristol was one of the best songwriters of the 60s-80s soul scene. I won't bother going into his bio since there's no point repeating what's already been said better elsewhere. This is probably my favourite of the bunch because it was the first of his I ever heard (picked it up as a teen in the late 80s) and it has his version of "I Wouldn't Change A Thing" that most folks know from Coke Escovedo's version on the 13th Ultimate Breaks n Beats. Although he was an integral component of Motown's rise in the late 60s as a writer, arranger and producer, his solo albums made after his departure from Hitsville U.S.A. are not that well-known outside of a hardcore fan base (present company included) but are essential soul listening so I've provided links to their respective homes on the blogosphere. Don't sleep!


AMG Review

by Lindsay Planer
After establishing himself as a considerable multi-talented figure at Motown during the label's Detroit heyday, Johnny Bristol went solo, cutting several long-players beginning in the mid-'70s. His second, Feeling the Magic (1975), is much in keeping with his debut, Hang On In There Baby (1974), if not in some ways arguably stronger. Veteran Motown arranger Paul Riser sets a perfect balance of solid, swinging uptempo grooves and sultry intimate ballads. The opener, "Leave My World," rocks steadily behind an airy Memphis-style soul shuffle. He also utilizes one of his trademark vocal overdubs, giving the listener the impression of two vocalists as his double-tracked voice sounds as if there are alternating performers, especially when singing harmonies. "Morganton, North Carolina" is an edgy reminiscence of the hard times and experiences that shaped Bristol during the days in his hometown. The horn and string sections lay down tasty Philly soul fills over the top of the otherwise driving backbeat. Pulling off a great Barry White-inspired vibe, "Love Takes Tears" weaves a soaring hypnotic melody not unlike the one incorporated into the title track from Hang On In There Baby, which was itself a huge crossover hit -- although when "Love Takes Tears" was issued on a 45 b/w "Go On and Dream," it failed to enter the pop charts and stalled at 72 on the R&B countdown. "Feeling the Magic" is a full-bodied knockout that could have doubled for Al Green under the spell of Thom Bell. Showing his lascivious side, Bristol seethes through "Lusty Lady" with an unapologetic and irresistibly honest portrayal of a well-known and recently departed prostitute. The pace slows for the tender and heartfelt longing of "I'm Just a Loser" and the romantic and introspective "All Goodbyes Aren't Gone." "I Wouldn't Change a Thing" concludes Feeling the Magic on a positive note and hitting on all cylinders. Particularly notable is guitarist Melvin "Wah Wah" Ragin's emphatic fretwork, which adds an effervescent luster to the already vivacious score.

DISCOGRAPHY


1974 Hang On In There Baby
at So Good Music


1975 Feeling The Magic

1976 Bristol's Creme
at Original Soul 4 Life


1978 Strangers
at DiscoSoulFunk

1981 Free To Be Me
at So Good Music



They've all been reissued on CD in the past few years (The first two collected as
Johnny Bristol: The MGM Years and the rest individually by P-Vine) but they get snatched up pretty quickly. Check GEMM, Music Stack or eBay regularly and you can probably get the original vinyls for as low as $5 - $10.


Producer, Written-By - Johnny Bristol
Bass - Henry E. Davis
Congas - Joe L. Clayton
Drums - Eddie Greene
Guitar - David T. Walker, Melvin "Wah Wah" Ragin, Ray E. Parker, Jr.
Percussion, Vibraphone - Gene Estes
Piano - Clarence K. McDonald, Russ Turner
Arranged By - Paul Riser


1 Leave My World
2 Morganton, North Carolina
3 Go On And Dream
4 Love Takes Tears
5 Feeling The Magic
6 Lusty Lady
7 I'm Just A Loser
8 Girl, You Got Your Act Together
9 All Goodbyes Aren't Gone
10 I Wouldn't Change A Thing



Soundological hopes you'll feel the magic for yourself HERE and HERE.


JB performing "Do It To My Mind" from Bristol's Creme on Soul Train



Saturday 26 July 2008

Demos Deniran & His Dynamic Africa Rhythmers - Lukorigi






boomp3.com

90 MB
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Ramsom Folly Melody Tones RFML 2

Demos Deniran & His Dynamic Africa Rhythmers - Music
Prof Y.S. - solo
Austin Omo - Gani Drums

1 Festac (Ariya)
2 Ojo Ro Kiletutu
3 Ole Darun / Ola O Kitan
4 Bi Igbin Fa


You want obscure Nigerian Afrobeat? Check out this slice from Demos Deniran (real name Moses Adeniran according to song credits). Little out there on him beyond a brief mention on the Nigerian Gospel Music Scene website as one of "a crop of gospel singers (who) have followed the funky path." It seems he was also active in grassroots politics through his music, as mentioned in a report on court proceedings on the corruption of Nigeria's own version of the RIAA.

Deniran passed on in 1995 but remains highly respected in Nigerian musical, political and religious circles with stars such as Sonny Okosun (who also sadly passed away two months ago this weekend - find his LP Liberation on Shanachie if you can) and Ebenezer Obey coming out en masse to perform tributes to him, including recording an album called Final Race. According to this article from Nigeria, which recounts the cultural elite of Nigeria dropping like flies from all kinds of weird medical problems and no access to funds, his cause of death was due to an unspecified chronic ailment. It also includes a lot of interesting incidental info on the
Festac Town (a subdivision of Lagos created around the pavillion - pictured on the back of the LP above - erected for the African Festival of Arts & Culture or FESTAC in 1977 and the home of the Nigerian 419 scam) music scene from around the time this album was recorded up until recently. Incidentally, it also highlights how just because organizations collect royalties on behalf of artists doesn't mean the artists actually see commensurate (or any) payment from the same.

In chapter 9 of the book "World Music: A Global Journey" a musician named Adesanya Adeyeye recalls "performing with Demos Deniran’s Dynamo Luko Funk group at the Western Hotel in Idi Oro, Mushin, Lagos for nine months" between graduating from the Nigerian Institute of Music in 1979 and leaving for the US in 1981 to study at Kent State. The Western Hotel is in the same neighbourhood
as Fela's Kalakuta Republic and its musical pedigree stretches back to the late 50s, when it was known as the Mainland Cave Hotel. Then it was the home of Baba Eto who some insiders consider as creator of the instrument, and originator of the musical style, Agidigbo (according to Fatai Rolling Dollar, Ebenezer Obey and their record company) which was a precursor of Juju and Highlife.

As far as a discography goes, all I can tell you is Demos has at least one other LP on the "Leader" label in Nigeria (it's for sale here). There isn't any info on the Ramsom Folly Melody Tones label out there at all, and the comapanies involved in recording, printing and distributing this LP have long since packed it in. I picked this up at Recordland in cowtown back in the late 80s and don't know how it got there but it hasn't been played much, so I figure it was likely an attendee of FESTAC (it ws a major African cultural event) or someone who had travelled to Nigeria. The afro section in Recordland at this time was about 8 LPs and the rest were all african Fela pressings so it seems likely they were the purchases of a tourist.

The LP seems to be made up of takes from multiple session with side one having a much cleaner sound than side two. Although the cover and label list three tracks for side two, there is only one track break so the mp3 file follows the same numbering. Side one is the best, with the first track being my favourite. The lyrics (printed on the back cover) are highly positive, the melody sweet and the mid-tempo rhythm hypnotic.

Exclusively available to readers of Soundological, this extremely rare Afrobeat release is waiting HERE or HERE for your discovery.

Friday 25 July 2008

Samba Soul - Samba Soul





boomp3.com
boomp3.com

64 MB
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from RCA APL1-2623


Credits:

Arranged By, Conductor - J.P. Soares
Backing Vocals - Coral Joaosinho
Bass [Guitar] - Claudio (3)
Conductor - Spala Elias Sloan
Drums - Chicao
Engineer - Joaquin J. Lopes , Walter Lima
Guitar, Violin - Antenor , Heraldo , Ricardo (9)
Horns [Pistons] - Buda (3) , Butina , Felpa , Paidetti E. Lele
Mixed By [Disco Mix By] - Warren Schatz
Percussion - Jose Pereira , Rubao
Piano - Eduardo Assad
Saxophone [Alto] - Demetrio , Lambari
Saxophone [Baritone] - Carlos Alberto
Saxophone [Tenor] - Balao
Strings - Symphonic Orchestra Of Sao Paulo
Trombone - Arlindo , Bill (8) , Firmo E. Gagliardi
Trumpet - Kathy (4)

1 Garota De Ipanema / Manha De Carnival
2 Chove Chuva / Mas Que Nada
3 Cidade Maravilhosa
4 Mambo No. 5
5 Está Chegando A Hora
6 Voce Abousou


The legendary album dearly clutched to the heart by hip hop & house producers world-wide as a goldmine of the cleanest, funkiest, tightest disco breaks you could hope for. As a listening experience it holds up fairly well on its own, with well-arranged takes on Brazilian standards and superb production values. The strings aren't as sappy as they can tend to be on this type of affair and even the weird chipmunkish quality of the backup singers holds a kitsch charm that's not nearly as annoying as the plethora of soulless choral accompaniment to be found in the disco genre. Obviously it's more suited to revving up for a night of clubbing or to be slapped on at a party if you want to kick it up a notch bit - both "Mambo No. 5" and, to a lesser extent, the "Cove Chuva / Mas Que Nada" medley will kill it on a floor when dropped at the right time in a set.

Motown67 over at Soul Strut basically says it all:

This album contains Mambo No. 5, which I had been looking for on 12” or 45, but I was just as happy to pick it up on LP. The record was recorded in Brazil and is Disco, but it’s got great b-boy drum & conga breaks galor (sic) like the two in Garota De Ipanema/Manha De Carnaval, the three in Chove Chuva/Mas Que Nada which isn’t a bad tune in itself even with all the strings, the three in Cidade Maravilhosa, the one in Esta Chegando A Hora, and of course there’s Mambo No. 5, the best overall song that was featured on UBB, that has three drum breaks of its own in between a Latin/Brazilian dance track.

Yeah, that's pretty much the classic reaction when a digger who's been hipped to "Mambo No. 5" through its appearance on Ultimate Breaks n Beats Vol. 25 gets to hear the whole album. If you find this at an affordable price, snatch it up immediately since it tends to fetch at least a fiddy unless the seller don't know what they got. Their other LPs, Do It and Once Again, just aren't up to par and nowhere near as good so don't get fooled into paying large sums as they can be picked up for a tenner or less on the intertubes.

Now you can hear this classic Brazillian disco breaks workout courtesy of Soundological HERE or HERE.

Monday 21 July 2008

Art Farmer - Homecoming / Gentle Eyes + discog







Homecoming


68 MB
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Mainstream MRL 332


Art Farmer - Flugel Horn
Jimmy Heath - Tenor & Soprano Sax, Flute
Cedar Walton - Piano
Sam Jones - Bass
Warren Smith - Percussion
James "Mtume" Forman - Congas
Billy Higgins - Drums


1 Homecoming
2 Cascavelo
3 Some Other Time
4 Blue Bossa
5 Here's That Rainy Day

Here's a post that's been on the back-burner for a bit. Since I was re-ripping the vinyl anyway, I used some of the extra time to flesh out the posts, merge them into one and do the dirty work of assembling all the currently available offerings of Art's material out there. Note that the links at the end of the post (18 LPs!) were all double-checked before posting and valid as of this date but there's no guarantee they'll stay that way. In fact, I had to remove two already since I started writing this post a week-and-a-half ago (OIR RIP). Don't bother ask me to update or remove dead links in the future since you'll be wasting your time but feel free to place any new info in a comment.


AMG Review by Ken Dryden

This Art Farmer studio session from 1971 has a slight contemporary flavor to it, due to the addition of conga player James "Mtume" Forman and percussionist Warren Smith Jr. to a core group of collaborators including Jimmy Heath, Cedar Walton, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins. Unfortunately, the additional percussionists are too prominent in the mix, greatly distracting from the driving arrangements of Farmer's "Homecoming" and Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa" as well as a peppy bossa nova, "Cascavelo." Far better are the quintet tracks, including the laid-back and mellow interpretation of Leonard Bernstein's ballad "Some Other Time," featuring the leader's matchless flügelhorn and Heath's soprano sax, and an upbeat chart of "Here's That Rainy Day." Another annoying problem is the seemingly out of tune piano, though Walton makes the best of a bad instrument. Not an essential album in the vast Farmer discography, but worth acquiring if found at a reasonable price, though it will be difficult.

I find the comment about the out-of-tune piano interesting because if you check the gatefold from Blue Mitchell's Blue's Blues that I recently posted, you can see that Joe Sample was playing a rental keyboard. Both sessions were from roughly the same time (within a year) and both were produced by Bob Shad, who was notoriously miserly with the moolah and ran as tight a production schedule as he could.

Here's a note regarding the 2006 CD reissue from Lone Hill Records that has a couple extra tracks and is still floating around out there (Amazon for $15):

As a bonus to this splendid album, which appears here on CD for the first time ever, we have added two rare Farmer items, which also make their CD debuts on this edition. Both were recorded on June 4, 1972, during the Heidelberger Jazztage Festival in Heidelburg, Germany. The first tune consists of the only known "alternate" version of Cascavelo" by Farmer outside of his studio. The second tune, "Let's Boom Chitty Boom", from the same concert, is backed by a large combination of brass and percussion, as well as a second bassist.


According to his discography at All About Jazz it was also reissued in 1990 as Here's That Rainy Day by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab and again in 1991 when Tamara Shad opened up the back catalog and in 1998 by Columbia/Sony, both times with the original track listing. However, all are hard to find and you can occasionally find the vinyl for the same price or cheaper as well online.

Get Homecoming courtesy of Soundological HERE or HERE.








Soulsides


88 MB
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Mainstream MRL 317

Art Farmer - Flugel Horn
Robert Demmer - Trumpet
Robert Politzer - Trumpet
Garney Hicks - Trombone
Hans Löw - Alto Flute
Hans Salomon - Alto Sax, Bass Clarinet, Arranger
Leszek Zadlo - Soprano & Tenor Sax
Fritz Pauer - Acoustic & Electric Piano
Julius Scheybal - Guitar
Richard Österreicher - Guitar
Rudolf Hansen - Bass
James B. Woode II - Bass
Erich Bachträgl - Drums
Jula Koch - Percussion
Hans Grötzer - Concertmasters
Toni Stricker - Concertmasters
Wladi Cermac - Violins
Bruno Mayr - Violins
Erich Koritschoner - Violins
Paul Fickl - Violins
Herbert Heide - Violins
Walter Topf - Violins
Kurt Plaschka - Violins
Wolfgang Reichert - Violins
Johann Fuchs - Violins
Gerhard Zatschek - Celli
Heinz Fussgänger - Celli
Dagmar Söthje - Celli
Bruno Schimann - Celli
Stephanie - Vocal
Karl Kowarik - Arranger
Peter Herbolzheimer - Arranger


1 A Time for Love
2 Didn't We
3 Soulsides
4 So Are You
5 Song of No
6 Gentle Rain
7 We've Only Just Begun
8 God Bless the Child
9 Gloomy Morning
10 Gentle Eyes
11 Some Other Time


No links for the string section since the internet says they never existed. I also have no clue who this Stephanie person is either and wading through hundreds of search results did nothing to illuminate her identity. In fact, there's not a lot of info on this session at all except for the fact "Soulsides" was used by Kool G Rap on a track called "For Da Brotherz" as well as being comped on the 2nd volume of the Dusty Fingers series. However, during this period he was pretty active with Herbolzheimer's RC&B, many players of which are present on this effort. Although "effort" may not be the best way to describe this album because it's the aural equivalent of Ambien. Perry Como would get Restless Leg Syndrome listening to this pap. However, there are enough fleeting moments to make it a good album for sampling if you're making beats but don't expect the rest of the LP to sound anywhere near "Soulsides." Also recommended for those natural health practicioners searching for drug-free painkillers, anaesthetics and tranquilizers!


AMG Review by Scott Yanow

Flugelhornist Art Farmer has recorded very few albums through the years that are not worth getting, but this sleepy affair with a European string section is unremittingly dull. Farmer sticks to ballads including "Didn't We," "We've Only Just Begun" and "God Bless the Child," and the arrangements for the 15 strings, five horns and rhythm section are quite boring. There are many rewarding Art Farmer dates currently available, so skip this misfire.


Here's a couple of excerpts from a bio by Scaruffi pertinent to this disc:

"After moving to Europe, where he recorded Gentle Eyes (1971) with an Austrian orchestra, Farmer explored his lyrical side via a quartet with Walton, the big band of Something You Got (July 1977) and several other combinations."

"Throughout his career, Farmer's problem was a chronic lack of good material...He was certainly important for popularizing the flugelhorn in jazz music."



Yup, pretty much sums up the reason Art never broke out. He tended to play crappy songs very well with an instrument that didn't really capture the popular imagination. If you want
Gentle Eyes, Soundological offers it to you HERE or HERE. In the meantime, here's some vintage vids featuring Art from roughly the same era:


"Wild Chick" with Peter Herbolzheimer R C and B in 1974


Art Farmer, Red Mitchell & Jan Schaffer in studio (1)


Art Farmer, Red Mitchell & Jan Schaffer in studio (2)


With Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band "Faces" in 1977 (1 of 4)




If you're interested in hearing more Art Farmer, here is a collection of other albums I could find available:

1953 Farmer's Market
1956 Plays The Arrangements & Compositions of Gigi Gryce & Quincy Jones

1958 Modern Art
1959 Brass Shout / The Aztec Suite
1960 Killer Joe
1960 Big City Sounds
1961 The Jazztet at Birdhouse (reg req'd)
1962 Here And Now
1962 Another Git Together
1964 Many Faces of Art Farmer
1964 To Sweden With Love
1965 Sing Me The Blues (reg req'd)
1966 Baroque Sketches with The Baroque Orchestra
1969 Live at Cirkus, Stockholm 1990 bootleg
1970
From Vienna With Art
1970 Live In Europe
1975 To Duke With Love
1976 A Sleeping Bee
1976 Summer Knows
1977 Crawl Space
1977 Something You Got
1978 Big Blues with Jim Hall
1979 Yama with Joe Henderson
1981 Foolish Memories
1982 Mirage
1982 Warm Valley
1983 Maiden Voyage
1987 Azure with Fritz Pauer
1988 Blame It On My Youth
1989 Ph.D.
1990 Live at Yoshi's Jazz House bootleg
1997 The Windmills of Your Mind with European Jazz Trio
2004 Ballad of the Sad Young Man with European Jazz Trio
2004 The Complete Argo/Mercury Jazztet Recordings