Having just taken the piss out of Xenu's footsoldier over on the Crap Jazz Covers blog, I thought it would be fair and balanced to throw out the only Corea album I've kept. Obviously, it's more out of respect to the label that released it, Groove Merchant and that's another reason it's here: to beef up El Goog's new Groovy Merchant site. Be sure to check it out for more GM goodies!
AMG Review by Scott Yanow Recorded during the same period as "Is," "Sundance" has four very advanced (if forgettable) Chick Corea compositions interpreted by a septet that includes trumpeter Woody Shaw, Hubert Laws on flute and Bennie Maupin on reeds. Actually, this is a lesser Corea item with plenty of rambling moments (although it is generally not as free as "Is") and is recommended mostly to completists of the pianist who are interested in his early development.
LA FUNK MOB Breaking Boundaries Messing Up Heads 1994
Welcome one and all to the 100th post at Soundological Investimigations! This was the week of milestones for SI, as we've received 10,000 hits just prior to wrapping up the first six months since we've kicked off and we'll be welcoming our 5,000th visitor sometime this afternoon! All we can say is... THANK YOU!!! All of you have made this endeavour a distinct pleasure! However, I would like to say a special thanks to a handful of folks in blogopolis for their inspiration, support or just plain awesomeness:
However, as a special thanks to ALL of those enjoying the blog, I've chosen to post the two groundbreaking EPs by French duo La Funk Mob. The Royaltie$ Overdue compilation on Mo' Wax we posted in July is far and away the most popular with 245 downloads compared to the next most popular post, Gato Barbieri'sChapter One which is clocking in at 140 (based on Rapidshare activity). They're followed by Blue Mitchell'sBlue Mitchell, Marden Hill'sHijacked and Roy Ayers'All Blues in that order, all with 125 give or take a few. Although it's a great comp all around, it seems the LFM tracks on Royaltie$ stand up best to the test of time so I thought some folks out there would appreciate hearing more. Especially my fave track, 357 Magnum Force, which is rarely seen.
Another reason these were chosen to celebrate this milestone is that the the top two cities visiting us so far are London and Paris. What could better represent that electrosonic solidarity than the seminal sounds produced by French duo Boombass(interview and mix here) and Phillipe Zdar(some more Zdar sounds here) that were released on the incredibly influential UK label Mo' Wax?
BTW, if you're interested in where your fellow readers come from, here's the top ten urban centres ranked by Soundological citizens:
1 London, UK 2 Paris, FR 3 Berlin, DE* 4 Shinjiku, JP 5 Athens, GR 6 New York, US 7 Rome, IT 8Melbourne, AU 9Malaga, ES 10 Milan, IT
*Actually, the #3 city is "not set" due to net-savvy anonymous browsing and has been removed from the list.
Boombass and Zdar are using the moniker Cassius these days and have seen some deserved success in this century with their hyper-hiphop-French-touch-house-pop. Not much more to say about these legendary EPs of which these are the '96 reissues, except that Ravers Suck Our Sound And Get Fuck will always be one of my favourite song titles, even if only for nostalgic reasons.
Tribulations Extra Sensorielles 63.7 MB 256+ VBR LAME mp3 Vinyl rip & scans from Mo' Wax MW017
357 Magnum Force
1 La Doctoresse 2 Motor Bass Get Phunked Up 3 Suspense 4 Ravers Suck Our Sound And Get Fuck 5 357 Magnum Force 6 Blunt Konnection
This one's a freebie for all our visitors but next time there's a milestone, y'all will have to do a bit of work since it'll be all about the comments. Although Royaltie$ Overdue is our most plundered post, it also has one of the worst grab-to-blab (download to comment) ratios going here - only four folks found the time to drop a line. One thing you won't get from Soundological is a guilt-trip on leaving comments because it's the nature of the beast and we only have this to say: we'll go out of our way to please those who do participate so keep in mind how easy it is to leave a comment - it'll count as a vote for more of the same!
66.1 MB 256+ VBR LAME mp3 Vinyl rip & scans from Columbia ELS 328
Some super early Philly Soul for y'all. Most of you will likely be familiar with "The Horse" and maybe even the vocal version, "Love Is Alright," too. However, other than the most fanatical of you 45 RPM collectors out there, the other tracks on this slab o' wax will likely be new to you. Good bio below from AMG but a little harsh on the final judgment if you ask me. Just cuz a couple record companies slapped his name on a few instrumentals here and there is no reason to go around callin' the man Milli Vanilli...
AMG Bio by Andrew Hamilton Though born in Grove Hill, AL, in 1944, Cliff Nobles' family moved to Mobile when he was a terrible two-year-old. He never showed any inclination toward music until high school, when he joined the school choir and started singing lead for a popular local group called the Delroys. After school, he moved to Philadelphia, PA, to seek fame and fortune. Nobles found the competition a lot stiffer than the Mobile scene and had to support himself by living commune-style with some musical friends in Norristown, a small town 18 miles from Philadelphia.
Before the move, Nobles cut three singles for Atlantic Records that went unnoticed. In Norristown, he formed Cliff Nobles & Co., which consisted of Benny Williams (bass), Bobby Tucker (lead guitar), and Tommy Soul (drums). The outfit made tapes for Jimmy Rogers(not to be confused with the country singer of the same name), who made them available to producer/writer/singer Jesse James, who resided in the community. James had already heard something in Nobles' voice when he heard him sing in a local church. Loving their energy, James started writing songs for Nobles and the band, and secured a contract for the group with Phil La of Soul Records.
The first release bombed. The second featured "Love Is All Right," backed with "The Horse." "The Horse" became a huge hit and established Nobles as a legit one-hit wonder. Ironically, "The Horse" was simply "Love Is All Right" without Nobles' vocal -- Nobles isn't even featured on "The Horse." He neither sings nor plays an instrument on the track; the brass playing on the song would become famous years later as MFSB. The whole incident was an accident, the side with the vocal was supposed to be the side that was plugged, but DJs kept playing the non-vocal version. The record would have gone to number one, but another instrumental, "Grazin' in the Grass" by Hugh Masekela, was even more popular and occupied the top spot for two weeks. The week of July 29, 1968, had to be the first time in modern pop music history that two instrumentals were ranked at numbers one and two, respectively, on the charts.
Shamelessly, Phil La of Soul released two more instrumentals -- "Horse Fever" and "Switch It On," -- and credited them as being by Cliff Nobles, though Nobles didn't play an instrument. A later single on Roulette actually featured Nobles' singing and nearly cracked the R&B Top 40, stalling at number 42. Phil La issued an album entitled The Horse that consisted of mostly instrumentals and dance tunes like "The Mule," "The Camel Walk," and "Judge Baby I'm Back," a tune sounding like a hit that Nobles sings with a feel similar to a Berry Gordy, Jr. production for the Contours. Moonshot Records released an LP one year later, in 1969, where Nobles sang three songs, the rest being instrumental. The Atlantic material remains in the vaults. Supposedly, Nobles was an excellent entertainer and a gifted dancer, but, in essence, he was the Milli Vanilli of the '60s.
1 The Horse 2 The Camel 3 Judge Baby, I'm Back 4 Boogaloo Down Broadway 5 The Mule 6 Let's Have A Good Time 7 The More I Do For You Baby 8 Yes, I'm Ready 9 Burning Desire 10 Dry Your Eyes 11 Heartaches, I Can't Take 12 Love Is All Right
Giddy-up and get yourself some hoofin' beats from SoundologicalHERE or HERE.
Sorry for the lack o' links in today's post, it's my 1st wedding anniversary and I've got better things to do ;) See you in a few days!
Dusty Groove review: Gone With The Wave is a Lalo Schifrin score for a Bruce Brown-like surfing documentary in the mid 60s -- but instead of the usual guitar riffing and bongo drumming on such a soundtrack, Lalo uses a lot of jagged jazzy lines -- working in a bit of light bossa, some heavier Latin rhythms, and plenty of cool instrumentation! The players alone make the set worth having -- especially the percussion from Milt Holland, Francisco Aguabella, and Shelly Manne -- as well as the light guitar touches from Howard Roberts, Bob Bain, and Laurindo Almeida. Paul Horn plays some great alto sax and flute on the set, Victor Feldman's on piano, and Frank Rosolino's on trombone -- and Lalo changes up the instrumentation from track to track to really keep the overall feel of the set incredibly fresh!
blaxploitation.com review: One of Schifrin's harder-to-find US scores, this killer surf jazz soundtrack features a great West Coast band inclduing Shelley Manne, Paul Horn and Howard Roberts. It's a driving, hard jazz score with some interesting elements from other cultures. Check out 'A taste of bamboo' and 'Breaks bossa nova' among many tasty tracks on here - but remember, it's jazz, daddio, so forget the funk for now...
Paul Horn - Alto Sax, Flute Jackie Kelso - Tenor Sax Frank Rosolino - Trombone Victor Feldman - Piano Joe Mondragon - Drums Shelly Manne - Drums Milt Holland - Percussion Francisco Aquabella - Percussion Howard Roberts - Guitar Bob Bain - Guitar John Pisano - Guitar Laurindo Almeida - Guitar
Composed, Arranged & Conducted by Lalo Schifrin
1 Gone with the Wave 2 Laniakea Waltz 3 A Taste of Bamboo 4 Halieva Blues 5 Taco-Taquito 6 Breaks 7 Aqua Blues 8 Surf Waltz 9 Five by Four 10 Breaks Bossa Nova 11 Waimea Bay
78.9 MB 256+ VBR LAME mp3 Vinyl rip & scans from Pablo 2310-832
More Bags for the blogosphere here. Soul Believer followed shortly after the Soul Fusion sides posted previously on Soundological. This time the feature is Milt's vocal talent but not at the expense of his vibes...there are plenty of mallet moments throughout as well. Again, not much more to say on Milt that hasn't been said before but if you're looking for further info, Musica Desde Las Antipodes has put together a nice piece on Bags (for English version scroll down to comments) with a lot of albums up for grabs.
AMG Review by Scott Yanow As vibraphonist Milt Jackson relates in the liner notes of this CD, he was a singer before he ever played vibes. This is one of his very few vocal albums and Jackson (who also takes some solos) is reasonably effective, displaying a personable voice and a gentle swing in his style. The backup utilizes synthesizers on three of the ten selections (a very unusual event at Pablo) but otherwise the lineup for these ballads and jump tunes is comprised of old musical friends, most notably pianist Cedar Walton.
1 Ain't Misbehavin' 2 Don't Worry 'Bout Me 3 I've Got the Blues 4 Heartstrings 5 Roll 'Em Pete 6 Yes Sir, That's My Baby 7 I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face 8 I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 9 Someone I Love 10 Parking Lot Blues
You too can become a soul believer with SoundologicalHERE or HERE.
MILT JACKSON Soul Fusion with the Monty Alexander Trio 1977
****KILLED BY THE IFPI ON 12/05/10****
Uncle Milty should need no introduction to regular readers of Soundological. Neither should Jamaican-born Alexander but unfortunately he's not as popular as you think he would be with the masses, considering his energetic drive and accessible style. For a taste of more Monty, it's highly recommended you head on over to the colossal Call It Anything.
Pianist Monty Alexander had first appeared on a Milt Jackson record in 1969. Eight years later the great vibraphonist used Alexander's trio (which included bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton, future big-band co-leaders) for this spirited Pablo session that was subsequently reissued on CD through Original Jazz Classics. Much of the material is obscure (including Jackson's three originals), with Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" being the only standard. The music, however, is as straight-ahead as one would expect from these fine musicians, and can easily be recommended to their fans.
1 Parking Lot Blues 2 3000 Miles Ago 3 Isn't She Lovely 4 Soul Fusion 5 Compassion 6 Once I Loved 7 Yano 8 Bossa Nova Do Marilla
Fuse your soul with Milt, Monty and Soundological HERE or HERE.
****KILLED BY THE IFPI ON 12/05/10****
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94.1 MB 256+ VBR LAME mp3 Vinyl rip & scans from Columbia KC 33090
Recently Dr. Johnny Fever over at everything is on the one posted a great LP by Curtis Fuller for the shad shack and made a comment about the rarity of albums led by trombonists (check out the Trombone Album Gallery and Funderbone for some lists). That was the impetus for dusting off this excellent effort by one of the world's best 'boners, Bill Watrous. In fact, he literally wrote the book on trombone playing. Well, two of 'em at least...
If you appreciated the Buddy Rich album posted prior to this on Soundological, you're gonna love this set since there's a lot of crossover between the two, and not only due to being recorded the same year in the same town. Among the synchronicity: Joe Beck plays guitar on both, Dean Pratt got his start with Buddy's band and spent the 70s revolving around several big band outfits (such as Buddy, Bill, Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Clark Terry) as did Soph, Gauvin and Perkowsky, the latter of whom was not as active in the day but has recently recorded a handful of albums with Mike Longo (check never enough rhodes for all your Longo needs).
Beyond those big band regulars, you've also got some NY session men who often played on CTI and Kudu sides such as Gatchell and Wayne Andre, another T-Rex of the T-Bone and member of discojazz giants The Players Association. Last but not least, you've got Lagond who was one of Kid Creole's Coconuts. Oh, and kickass keyboardist Dick Hyman just kills it on this album, especially when he's rockin' the Moog..."Ayo" has one of the dopest monosynth solos I've heard in a jazz context!
I prefer this one over Roar of '74 since Bill's boyish laid-back and open vibe, focus on accessibility, superb soloing support from the crew and the lack of an egotistical taskmaster for a bandleader make it a much more enjoyable listening experience. Where Roar is more like a handful bennies washed down with a few rye and cokes and a half-pack of smokes, Manhattan Wildlife Refuge is a nice fat blunt enjoyed with some 12 year-old single-malt scotch.
AMG Review by Scott Yanow Manhattan Wildlife Refuge and its follow-up, The Tiger of San Pedro, are the only two recordings of trombonist Bill Watrous' impressive big band of the mid-'70s. Watrous, who takes an uncharacteristically crazy cadenza on "Fourth Floor Walk-Up," is in top form on such numbers as Chick Corea's "Spain," "Dichotomy," and "Zip City." Among his more notable sidemen are trumpeter Danny Stiles, guitarist Joe Beck, and pianist Dick Hyman. Available on CD as of July 2007, this reissue has been well worth waiting for.
1 Spain 2 Sho 3 Dichotomy 4 Zip City 5 Fourth Floor Walk-Up 6 Dee Dee 7 Ayo
Here's Bill performing "Spain" at the Down Beat winner's poll TV special the following year with Chick, Hubert Laws, George Benson, Ron Carter and Lenny White (thanks for rectifying Hanimex!).
Bill's discog as band leader/front man:
196? In Love Again
196? Love Themes for The Underground, The Establishment & Other Sub Cultures Not Yet Known
1972 Bone Straight Ahead
1974 Manhattan Wildlife Refuge at Soundological (mp3) and Call It Anything (FLAC)
2003 Living in the Moment with The Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra
2003 Mad to the Bone with The Rob Stoneback Big Band
2004 Live In Living Comfort
2006 Kindred Spirits with The Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra
2007 Bill Watrous (reissue of I'll Play For You)
NB: "buy here" links take you directly to artists' sites
While looking around for more BW just before posting, noticed that Call It Anything had posted this last year in FLAC format but if you're looking for mp3, Soundological has it HERE or HERE.
Just tryin' to put back into the music blogosphere by fillin' in any blanks I can with out-of-print vinyl as well as the occasional mix, remix, re-edit, art or rant. But mostly vinyl. Mostly.
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