Moe Koffman - Solar Explorations

MOE KOFFMAN
Solar Explorations
1974
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from GRT 9230-1050

Venus



Since the previous Herbie Mann post included a cover of Moe's signature tune, Swingin' Shepherd Blues, I thought I'd bump this one up in the rotation. I'd have to say the fact the world's premiere jazz flautist chose to include one of Moe's compositions along with heavy hitters such as The Beatles, Smokey Robinson and a fundamental track from the roots reggae canon speaks volumes of the high regard in which he was held by the woodwind world.

This double-LP is definitely a singularity in Koffman's catalogue and the closest any of his releases came to a true kosmigroove or free jazz mode as opposed to the bop-licitous charts of his early and later days or the snazzy reinterpretations of popular/classical music and saccharine smooth jazz that often plagued his output during the late 60s through to the early 80s. Overall it's very similar in feel to the third Dr. Music album recorded a scant few months earlier at the same studio.

This is likely due to It sharing much of the same core line up save for Kennedy and Mallory (who were most responsible for the lyricism and song-oriented structures of that project's output) with the addition of some Boss Brass members and guitarist Sonny Greenwich, who had spent the previous decade performing with luminaries like Miles Davis, Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, John Handy and Sun Ra as well as recording with Hank Mobley on the latter's acclaimed Third Season album from 1967.

Note that persisting issues from the RapidShare and PayPal problems of the past two weeks prevent the preview player from working so I've provided a link to a track instead. Since posting clips currently costs over $200 per year in server fees, I might have to switch up to this more economical method, use minimal snippets instead of the whole track or ditch the previews altogether.

freeform.org sez:

Koffman's album of choice is Solar Explorations, a double lp of nine tracks with titles corresponding to the nine planets in this solar system. Obvious yeah, but far preferable to his early 70s conceptual missteps in blending jazz with Bach or Vivaldi's Four Seasons. David Axelrod, these ain't. On Solar Explorations, some of the larger ensemble pieces ("Saturn", "Uranus") resemble a more kozmik Boss Brass-- unsurprising with the guest appearances of both Rob McConnell and Guido Basso.

Better are the octet recordings, which are dominated by Koffman on flute, Sonny Greenwich on guitar and Doug Riley on Fender Rhodes. The tastiest cuts are designated by "Earth" (atonal free electronic interludes alternating with fierce percussive sections), "Mars" (great middle section tribute to Rod Serling) and "Venus" (anchored by a near-serialist bassline doubled on ARP and a jerky funk rhythm.).

Moe Koffman - Flute, Piccolo, Alto & Soprano Sax
Doug Riley - Keyboards, Fender Rhodes
Don Thompson - Bass
Rick Homme - Bass
Terry Clarke - Drums
Claude Ranger - Drums
Michael Craden - Percussion
Sonny Greenwich - Guitar
Guido Basso - Trumpet
Fred Stone - Trumpet
Arnie Chycoski - Trumpet
Al Stanwyck - Trumpet
Rob McConnell - Trombone
Ian McDougall - Trombone
Russ Little - Trombone
Bob Livingston - Trombone
Eugene Amaro - Sax
Keith Jollimore - Sax
David Rosenbloom - ARP synthesizer
Peter Schenkman - Cello


1 Saturn
2 Earth
3 Uranus
4 Neptune
5 Mars
6 Jupiter
7 Venus
8 Pluto
9 Mercury


Surf Moe's solar system alongside Soundological HERE or HERE.

Pete Yellin - Dance of Allegra

PETE YELLIN
Dance Of Allegra
1972
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from MRL 363

Bird and the Ouija Board (excerpt)



One of the best things about maintaining the shad shack is getting a chance to hear pieces from the MRL collection that otherwise may not have come up on my radar. One example of this are the superb efforts of Pete Yellin, Dance for Allegra from '72 and It's The Right Thing from '73. After hearing them, they both found their way near the top o' my grocery list and as luck would have it, I found the first a few weeks ago. As usual, the version available through Soundological is a bit better than 160k res dropped at the shack and includes the full scans of labels and artwork.

Not a lot to tell about this album which was named for his daughter Allegra, who was probably in primary school at the time. She's currently a children's music teacher music so her pop's (and grandaddy's) love of music and dance undoubtedly rubbed off on her during those idealistic years between the birth of the hippie dream and its death due to yuppie schemes. For a great little analysis of this window in time for music and spirituality, I highly recommend you check out ish's insightful exploration of the subject posted recently at Ilé Oxumaré.

This set was recorded at the East Coast Record Plant in NYC near the end of May 1972, at the same time Ernie Wilkins was working there with Alice Clark on her legendary album for Shad's imprint. With that type of creative atmosphere and loving inspiration, all while spring was in full swing, it's no surprise this is such a buoyant, hopeful album where the all-star ensemble stretches out its tendrils like green shoots reaching for the sun. After a two-decade break in recording as leader, Yellin enlisted some of these same players in efforts during later years, with close friend Eddie Henderson playing on the '99 version of Mellow Soul and Billy Hart skinning up on last year's How Long Has This Been Going On?

One of the highlights of the MRL catalogue and not to be missed.


Wikipedia bio

Yellin is the son of an NBC studio pianist. He turned down an athletic scholarship at the University of Denver to study at Juilliard under Joseph Allard (saxophone) and Harold Bennett (flute). He worked in the 1960s with Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, and Tito Puente, and worked with Joe Henderson's band from 1970 to 1973. Around this time he also played with Mario Bauza, Hampton again, Maynard Ferguson, Sam Jones, Charles Earland, and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis big band. In 1974 he formed his own band, and played at the Newport Jazz Festival.

As a sideman, Yellin has worked with Bob Mintzer, Eddie Palmieri, George Benson, Machito, Chick Corea, and others. He founded the jazz program at Long Island University in 1984, acting as coordinator for the studio there until the end of the 1990s.

AMG Bio
by Ron Wynn

His father was a pianist and NBC staffer, and Pete Yellin has recorded as a leader and was also part of Joe Henderson's early '70s band. He's a solid, sometimes exuberant player with extensive range, and a decent flutist. Yellin studied sax with Joe Allard and flute with Harold Bennett. He earned his degree from Juilliard, and at one point entertained thoughts of basketball stardom. Yellin had an athletic scholarship to the University of Denver as freshman, but then turned professional as a musician.

He played with Lionel Hampton in the early '60s, then with Buddy Rich and Tito Puente. Yellin joined Joe Henderson's band in 1970, and remained until 1973. He formed his own band the next year, and played at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York. He returned to play with Puente in 1974. Yellen worked in the horn sections of Rich and Bob Mintzer during the '80s. He recorded for Mainstream, but the session is currently unavailable on CD.

Pete Yellin - Tenor Sax, Flute
Eddie Henderson - Trumpet, Flugel Horn
Kenny Barron - Electric Piano
Stanley Clarke - Bass
Billy Hart - Drums
Dom Um Romão - Percussion


1 Dance Of Allegra
2 Esculynn
3 Bird and the Ouija Board
4 Mebakush

Discography as leader

1972 Dance of Allegra (Mainstream)

1973 It's the Right Thing (Mainstream)
at the shad shack

1995 Mellow Soul
Buy from Pete

1995 European Connection: Live!
Buy from Pete

1996 It's You or No One
Buy from Pete

1999 Mellow Soul
Buy from Pete

2008 How Long Has This Been Going On?
Buy from Pete

Albums available directly from Yellin's website (with preview clips).

Soundological dances with Allegra HERE or HERE.

Hadley Caliman - Hadley Caliman

Cigar Eddie


HADLEY CALIMAN
Hadley Caliman
1971

256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Mainstream MRL 318


Although some of you may have grabbed this from Reza before he closed up shop, there's currently no link floating around for this saxophonist's classic Mainstream session from 1971. I'm putting this out there for those who slept on it and also to ensure there's an active link at the shad shack. I'm not going to go into his saga here since the definitive Hadley Caliman post has got to be the one over at bonjourqui. It's a fascinating story told in great part by Caliman's own words and goes into his childhood relationship with Dexter Gordon, his time in San Quentin prison and his musical career in the 70s and beyond. Highly recommended reading and a must for fans of Caliman in particular and post-bop jazz and the human condition in general.

As far as the sidemen go, Vuckovich is well-known and appears consistently in many of the blogs in the blog roll to the right. Douglas (another Canuck) has quite the history in music and this set comes early on in his teaching career, which began in 1970 with the California Institute of the Arts. (Correction made 4/9/2009: This is actually Bill Douglass, with two "s"es, see comments below) Becton has a fair list of credits as a drummer for releases on MPS, Impulse and appears on the first ECM release with Mal Waldron but doesn't have much in the way of biographical info flowing through the intertubes.

The big mystery (for me) is John White Jr., the guitarist. Maybe it's his commonplace name but I can't find squat on this cat. His sole (?) release as leader was on Mainstream but good luck finding it! It's a legendary funky blues rock set that usually fetches $50 and upwards (have seen it go for as high as $200) and if I hadn't seen a picture of it myself, I would have thought it was just a myth. Any info Soundological readers might have on him would be highly appreciated!!! (Update 4/9/2009: A sealed original vinyl copy found its way into Soundological's hands and will appear in the Month of Mainstream)

WANT IT?

Hadley Caliman - Tenor Sax & Flute
Larry Vuckovich - Piano
John White Jr. - Guitar
Clarence Becton - Drums
Bill Douglas - Bass


1 Cigar Eddie
2 Comencio
3 Little One
4 Blues For L.L.
5 Kicking On The Inside
6 Longing


Soundological lets you get your hands on Hadley HERE or HERE.

Dr. Music - Bedtime Story

DR. MUSIC
Bedtime Story1974

88 MB
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from GRT 9233-1005

Every good doctor has a few tricks in their pharmacopeia for inducing sweet dreams and the good Dr. Music is no different. Rather than rendering you comatose or anesthetizing you 'til you're numb, as the album art seems to promise, this album would be more along the lines of an opiate or a mild hallucinogenic. A lot of that probably has to do with Riley's switch in preference from the brash B3 to the dulcet Rhodes for the bulk of the album but maybe even more with the fact that it was the mid-70s and everybody was high on something. Just look at the way they dressed in those days.

Bedtime Story era Dr. Music
Source: www.dougmallory.net

It's often called the best Canadian jazz album and if it isn't, it ain't far from it. What it is far from, are the first and second Dr. Music albums previously posted on Soundological. Outside of two short vocal numbers that tether the album to earthly matters (Jimmy Webb's "I Keep It Hid" and the 20s standard "She's Funny That Way"), the remainder drifts off into the free-jazz (the white-knuckled "Tickle" and the samba-tinged "Gandalf") and kozmigroove ("Take That Rollo") sectors of the galaxy on the remaining four extended pieces. 

Showing his contemporary influences on his sleeves, the title cut is a laid-back interpretation of Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me A Bedtime Story." It's turned into a soft ballad here and only spotlights Riley's deft touch on the Rhodes late in the game, almost as if out of deference to the composer. However, he shines in both technique and feel (as he does throughout the album) and it's a gentle comedown to return you to reality and a fitting end to softly send you to your pillow.

Don Thomspon's return to the fold is surely welcome but the big addition to the line-up on this effort has to be highly-respected drummer Claude Ranger. In all probability, his stridently uncompromising nature was a major factor in the success of the free-jazz format Dr. Music put forth on this effort. 

How uncompromising? He was fired by Moe Koffman on-stage, mid-set, in front of an audience in Sydney. Figuring the goings-on were shite even for a cheese-meister like Koffman, he stopped playing mid-song and refused to continue which sparked a colourful shouting match (f-bombs included) with Moe and resulted in the termination of the Claude's services on the spot - all while being taped live by Australian TV. He was that uncompromising. Or maybe it was drunk. Getting fired for getting stinko was becoming a pattern with Claude and he had been sacked the year before by his friend Lenny Breau for letting his boozing get in the way of business.

Claude w/ his trademark smoke
Source: clauderanger.com

Notoriously difficult to work with, Ranger lived like a pauper in a one-room apartment because he refused to become a puppet in the commercial milieu while his colleagues in the Toronto jazz scene were making money hand-over-fist recording jingles for TV and radio ads or doing session work for pop stars. However, many of those who worked with him are effusive in their praise of his talents and the following quote from Stone Alliance's Gene Perla is typical:

Having had the opportunity to play with some of the greatest drummers (Elvin Jones, "Philly" Joe Jones, "Papa" Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Mel Lewis, Buddy Rich, Billy Higgins, etc.), I can honestly tell you that I always looked forward with extreme delight to be playing with Claude, and he never let me down. He was a stand-alone individual and I would rank him in the same category as those I've mentioned above, except for one -- Elvin. Elvin was in a class by himself, and I know that Claude would agree as he told me so himself.

07/27/2005 at 05:53:26

Unfortunately, the drug & alcohol habits that were as notorious and uncompromising as the man and his music would be his undoing, as is so often the case. Shortly after selling his cherished custom-built drum set (one of his few worldy possessions) at a rock-bottom price in the late 90s, he checked into a rehab in BC. He walked out the back door one day in 2000 and seems to have completely dropped off the face of the earth since then - his missing persons file is apparently still open with the police and he is presumed dead. The CBC aired a captivating radio documentary on this stereotypical tragic figure in 2007 called "Sticks and Stones" but it currently seems available only from Australia's ABC Radio National.

In an interview for the documentary, Don Thomspson recounts a backstage chat he was having about Ranger with avant-garde sax goliath Dewey Redman after a Montreal gig in the late 90s. The young drummer who was playing with Redman's band at the time enquired as to whom was the subject of their conversation. Thompson replied "Oh, Claude Ranger...he was probably the best drummer in Canada," whereupon Dewey - who came to prominence while working with Elvin Jones - interrupted to say: "Make that the world."

Doug Riley - keyboards
Doug Mallory - lead vocals, guitarMichael Kennedy - vocals, percussion
Steve Kennedy - vocals, tenor & alto sax, flute
Keith Jollimore - vocals, baritone, alto & tenor sax, flute
Barrie Tallman - trombone
Bruce Cassidy - trumpet, fluegel horn
Don Thompson - bass
Claude Ranger - drums
Dave Brown - second drums


1 I Keep It Hid
2 Take That Rollo
3 Tickle
4 She's Funny That Way
5 Gandalf
6 Bedtime Story


Rumour has it this album is available on iTunes but I ain't installing that proprietary-format pimpmobile just to confirm it. If you like to choose for yourself what type of gizmo on which you play your 1s and 0s, until it's out on CD you can get the full story from Soundological HERE. (Link updated May 23, 2013)

Chick Corea - Sundance

CHICK COREA
Sundance
1974

71.3 MB
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from GM 530


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.


Chick Corea - Piano
Hubert Laws - Flute
Jack DeJohnette - Drums
Dave Holland - Bass
Woody Shaw - Trumpet
Horacee Arnold - Drums


1 The Brain
2 Song Of Wind
3 Converge
4 Sundance


You can have this Sundance with Soundological HERE or HERE.

Henry Threadgill - X-75 Vol. 1

HENRY THREADGILL
X-75 Vol. 1
1979
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Novus 3013


AMG Bio
by Chris Kelsey

The jazz avant-garde has produced dozens of notable improvisers (not surprisingly, since improvisation is arguably the music's defining element) but relatively few great composers. Henry Threadgill is a member of that exclusive club. With his fellow Chicagoans Anthony Braxton and Muhal Richard Abrams, he's one of the most original jazz composers of his generation. Threadgill's art transcends stylistic boundaries. He embraces the world of music in its entirety, from ragtime to circus marches to classical to bop, free jazz, and beyond. Such might sound merely eclectic in the telling, but in truth, Threadgill always sounds like Threadgill. A given project might exploit a particular genre or odd instrumentation, but whatever the slant, it always bears its composer's inimitable personality. Threadgill is also an alto saxophonist of distinction; his dry, heavily articulated manner is a precursor to that of a younger Chicagoan, the alto saxophonist Steve Coleman (no coincidence, one would suspect).

Threadgill took up music as a child, first playing percussion in marching bands, then learning baritone sax and clarinet. He was involved with the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) from its beginnings in the early '60s, collaborating with fellow members Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell and playing in Muhal Richard Abrams' legendary Experimental Band. From 1965-1967 he toured with the gospel singer Jo Jo Morris. He then served in the military for a time, performing with an army rock band. After his discharge, he returned to Chicago, where he played in a blues band and resumed his association with Abrams and the AACM. He went on to earn his bachelor's degree in music at the American Conservatory of Music; he also studied at Governor's State University. In 1971 he formed Reflection with drummer Steve McCall and bassist Fred Hopkins. The trio would re-form four years later as Air and would go on to record frequently to great acclaim. It's 1979 album Air Lore featured contemporary takes on such early jazz tunes as "King Porter Stomp" and "Buddy Bolden's Blues," prefiguring the wave of nostalgia which was to dominate jazz in the following decade.

Threadgill moved to New York in the mid-'70s, where he began forming and composing for a number of ensembles. Threadgill began showing a love for unusual instrumentation; for instance, his Sextett (actually a septet), used a cellist, and his Very Very Circus included two tubas. In the mid-'90s he landed a (short-lived) recording contract with Columbia, which produced a couple of excellent albums. Throughout the '80s and '90s Threadgill's music became increasingly polished and sophisticated. A restless soul, he never stood still, creating for a variety of top-notch ensembles, every one different. A pair of 2001 releases illustrates this particularly well. On Up Popped the Two Lips (Pi Recordings), his Zooid ensemble combines Threadgill's alto and flute with acoustic guitar, oud, tuba, cello, and drums -- an un-jazz-like instrumentation that nevertheless grooves and swings with great agility. Everybodys Mouth's a Book features his Make a Move band, which consists of the leader's horns, with vibes and marimba, electric and acoustic guitars, electric bass, and drums -- a more traditional setup in a way, but no less original in concept.

AMG Review
by Brian Olewnick

After ten years as a member of the innovative trio Air, Henry Threadgill's first album as a leader immediately plunged into experimental waters. He utilized a nonet the likes of which had certainly never been heard before and probably not since: four reed players, four bassists, and a vocalist. The bass quartet was made up of participants in Brian Smith's Bass Violin Choir, and here they provide not only most of the rhythmic impetus but also carry a good deal of the melodic weight, as Threadgill's massive talent for mid-size band arrangements is immediately apparent. Their opening few minutes on "Celebration" presents a marvelous array of bowed, hymn-like tones as well as deeply grooving pizzicato lines.

The songs are less solo vehicles than complete compositions, already prefiguring several of the directions the leader would take with his subsequent ensembles. Only "Air Song," an ethereal piece scored for four flutes and voice, meanders a bit and fails to really catch hold, though even then it presents some wonderful textures and colors. The closer, "Fe Fi Fo Fum," is the most traditionally jazzy of the pieces, allowing for something close to a theme-solos-theme format, Threadgill's alto given a moment to shine in all its acerbic glory. As of 2002, X-75, Vol. 1 was unreleased on disc and, even more disappointingly, there was never a "Vol. 2." But Threadgill fans looking for a link between Air and his Sextett owe it to themselves to search this one out.

Henry Threadgill - Alto Saxophone, Flute, Bass Flute
Douglas Ewart - Bass Clarinet, Piccolo, Flute
Joseph Jarman - Soprano Sax, Flute
Wallace McMillan - Piccolo, Alto Flute, Tenor Sax
Leonard Jones - Bass
Brian Smith - Piccolo Bass, Bass
Rufus Reid - Bass
Fred Hopkins - Bass
Vocals - Amina Claudine Myers


1 Sir Simpleton
2 Celebration
3 Air Song
4 Fe Fi Fo Fum


Soundological HERE or HERE.

James Newton - Axum

JAMES NEWTON
Axum
1982
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from ECM 1-1214

Soundological submits some Sunday morning spiritual sounds for you and yours. A deeply personal album by a critically acclaimed flautist exhibiting his trademark contributions to jazz in an intimate setting, it is mostly remembered for the brouhaha with the Beastie Boys after one of the tracks was sampled on Check Your Head with ECM's permission (mechanical) and not Newton's (publishing). Not exactly a landmark case, but it reinforced the Eurocentric bias in the US court system towards the L.C.D. of simple diatonic melody. You can read James' take on the whole deal further down the page.


AMG Review
by Scott Yanow

James Newton's set of unaccompanied flute solos is generally more intriguing and diverse than one might expect. An expert at multiphonics (often humming through his flute in order to get more than one note at a time), Newton is also very strong at constructing logical yet utterly unpredictable improvisations. His playing on nine of his originals covers a fair amount of ground, and he alternates between three different types of flutes (his regular horn, alto flute and bass flute). Still, the results are more for specialized tastes.

James Newton - Flute


1 The Dabtara
2 Malak 'Uqabe
3 Solomon, Chief of Wise Men
4 Addis Ababa
5 Choir
6 Feeling
7 Axum
8 Susenyos and Werzelya
9 The Neser


Letter From James Newton About the Decision on
Beastie Boys Sampling of His Tunes
reprinted from On Lisa Rein's Radar

To whom it may concern,

It seems like a real "Weird Nightmare" to be writing you this email. For the last two years I have been involved in a suit because the Beastie Boys sampled a part of my composition "Choir" and did not contact me for permission. They did not change in any way what they sampled from "Choir". It begins with the sampled six and a half seconds and loops in the song over forty times. "Pass the Mic'" has appeared in CD, MP3, LP, and DVD formats.

The law clearly states that to use someone else's music one must contact and receive permission from both the record company and the copyright owner. "Choir" was registered with the copyright office and ASCAP in 1978. My publishing company JANEW MUSIC controls 100% of the rights. Nevertheless the Beastie Boys only contacted and received permission from ECM Records and ignored me.

The case went up for summary judgement one month ago and Judge Nora Manella of US Federal Court ruled against me!!!!!!!!!!! She stated as a fact of law that my music was unoriginal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The liner notes of Axum begins with a quote from the New York Times that "James Newton is the most accomplished and original flutist now playing Jazz".The year that Axum was released (1982) was also the first year that I won the Down Beat International Critics Poll as the best jazz flutist. The judge must feel that her opinion is more significant than all of the experts in the field.

The six and a half second sample consists of three sung notes C,Db ,C and a held flute harmonic C2, as a result of the combination of voice, harmonic and a balanced distribution of each a series of shifting multiphonics are created. She ignored the multiphonics because they weren't written on the score and said that there are just three notes in the score which aren't protectable. If you go to the Beastie Boy's DVD of the piece "Pass the Mic" to signify the song their is only my flute sample and a drum beat . There is a spectrograph that moves wildly when my multiphonics are played. If there was only one pitch the movement would be minimal. She also consistently used European paradigms to judge my music. An aria from Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" and Cole Porter's "Night and Day" were examples of what is protectable. "Choir" is about four black women singing in a church in rural Arkansas. This work is a modern approach to a spiritual. As you well know, one would be hard-pressed to find multiphonic fingerings in most jazz scores, even when multiphonics are used!!!! If I'm writing for a classical ensemble I'll write out the multiphonic fingerings because of how notation is used in that culture of music.

Spirituals come out of the oral tradition, and if they are notated they're in the most simplest form which is the way that I wrote out "Choir" On the same LP one can find "The Neser" which is influenced by Ravel and is a 8-minute work for flute quartet where everything is written out except a short alto flute cadenza. I certainly didn't become dumb when I dealt with my own culture in "Choir." The urgency of this letter is that after unjustly winning the case the Beastie Boys have filed a motion with the court for me to pay their legal fees of $492,000 after they stole my music. I have already spent a considerable amount of money for a creative musician and college professor. This would, of course, send me into bankruptcy, and I stand a chance of losing my home and all that I have worked for through the years. If you can spread the press release around to your colleagues in the European press, it will help the cause greatly. The more newspapers, magazines and journals that this is placed in will help. Please inform us of any press that appears so that we can use it in our legal endeavors. Also any of you that are heads of organizations or lawyers please contact my lawyer, Alan Korn (aakorn@igc.org), and he can give you the information of where to send Amicus letters.

This decision is a dangerous one that would affect jazz composers and other composers that choose to write in other ways. I have had plenty of training to write all of my scores in the most eurocentric Boulezian fashion but why should I be forced to to please a Judge who has very limited musical knowledge, certainly little of the Afro-American musical tradition. The strain on this trial and subsequent rulings have been immense. It has curtailed much of my artistic output because of the seriousness of this situation. For many years I have tried to give much as an artist and educator to the world community. This is a time when I have to now ask for your help. I have never sued anyone in all of my years on the planet up to this point. I am fighting for my rights and the ability to express myself in my own and any other cultural perspective that I choose as an artist. Please spread this around as much as possible.

Yours in music and freedom,
James Newton

Ethical arguments aside, if you focus on the ruling itself rather than the personalities involved and their actions leading up to, during or after the trial there's only one major conclusion you can draw. Justice ain't only blind, She deaf too.

Reissued on CD in 1994 (how's that for timing on ECM's part?) which is also OOP. Like the review said, it's not exactly everyone's cup o' tea but if you like Paul Horn's Inside series or if you like your relaxing New Age sounds less newy and more agey, then you'll likely enjoy this. You never know until you try HERE or HERE.

Chico Hamilton - El Exigente

CHICO HAMILTON
El Exigente
1970
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Flying Dutchman FDS-135


We complete our Give The Drummer Some! series on Chico Hamilton with this avant garde excursion into the fusion sound from 1970. At this point, Chico's abandoned his Quintet in favour of smaller, more transient combos. As if to offset the extremely commercial appeal inherent in his work creating jingles and theme songs, Hamilton spent this period exploring the avant garde, often in a very electrified fusion format. In the ensuing decade, he also returned to his experimentation with Eastern influences and even let loose with some funk once in while. He laid off recording and soundtrack work for quite a while in the 80s and just before the start of the last decade of that dead century he popped back on the scene and has been firing hard on all cylinders since.

Chico Hamilton - Drums
Arnie Lawrence - Sax (Alto)
Bob Mann - Guitar
Steve Swallow - Bass


1 As I Open My Eyes
2 Take Me There
3 I Came And Saw The Beauty Of Your Love
4 How 'Bout Bobby
5 Stomp, Stomp, Stomp
6 Swingin' On A Sitar
7 Up Front What Counts/On The Trail/Seat Belt/Volvo's/Gonna Get Some Right Now


I don't know who was timing the tracks on this LP but they must have been high on something 'cause the running times don't even kinda match most of the actual tracks. The second side is presented as a suite, which I've kept intact.

A fairly in-demand piece, if you can find a copy the rock bottom price is usually $30 but you'll probably have to shell out $50 or more. Soundological is not so demanding and offers it for considerably less HERE and HERE.


Discography as bandleader:

1955 Chico Hamilton Trio (10" LP)
1955 Spectacular! c/o My Jazz World
1955 Chico Hamilton Quintet ft. Buddy Collette at JAZZY BLUES (FLAC)
1960 Original Chico Hamilton Quintet
1956 Chico Hamilton Quintet In Hi-Fi
1956 Chico Hamilton Trio (12" LP)
1957 Chico Hamilton Quintet
1957 Zen: The Music Of Fred Katz
1957 Sweet Smell Of Success OST
1958 South Pacific In Hi-Fi at mohaoffbeat
1958 Chico Hamilton Trio intro. Freddy Gambrell at mohaoffbeat
1958 The Original Ellington Suite ft Eric Dolphy at mohaoffbeat
1959 Ellington Suite ft Bud Collette at mohaoffbeat
1959 With Strings Attached
1959 Gongs East!
1959 The Three Faces Of Chico
1959 That Hamilton Man at mohaoffbeat
1960 Bye Bye Birdie/Irma La Douce at mohaoffbeat
1960 Chico Hamilton Special
1962 Drumfusion at Music-a-k-o /My Jazz World (mp3) + JAZZY BLUES (FLAC)
1962 Litho
1962 Transfusion at Soundological (via slsk)
1962 Passin' Thru at mohaoffbeat
1963 Man From Two Worlds at mohaoffbeat (ape) + Blue Eyed Knight's Place (mp3)
1963 A Different Journey at Musica Desde Las Anitpodas
1965 Easy Livin' at Soundological
1965 Chic Chic Chico at Soundological (via slsk) + Guitar and the Wind (mp3)
1966 El Chico c/o My Jazz World
1966 The Further Adventures Of El Chico at Soundological (via slsk)
1966 The Dealer at Radiodada / Last Train To Cool (mp3) + Into The Rhythm (mp3/FLAC)
1967 The Best of Chico Hamilton at Soundological
1968 The Gamut c/o My Jazz World
1969 The Head Hunters
1970 El Exigente/The Demanding One at Soundological
1973 The Master c/o MyJazzWorld + at notas agudas
1974 Live At Montreux (w/Albert King & Little Milton)
1975 Peregrinations at ?
1976 And The Players c/o My Jazz World
1977 Catwalk
1979 Reaching For The Top
1980 Nomad
1988 Euphoria
1991 Reunion
1992 Arroyo
1993 Trio!
1994 My Panamanian Friend (The Music Of Eric Dolphy)
1994 Dancing To A Different Drummer
1998 Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings of the Chico Hamilton Quintet
1999 Timely
2001 Foreststorn
2002 Thoughts Of...
2006 Juniflip
2006 Believe
2006 6th Avenue Romp
2006 Heritage
2007 Hamiltonia
2008 It's About Time EP
2008 Alternative Dimensions of El Chico EP
2009 Twelve Tones of Love


The discography was cobbled together from Wikipedia, Chico's site and AMG. Each of them were missing items on at least one other list, so it may not be complete. As always, if you happen to have any additions (either info on recordings to be added or links to blogs/forums with any of the releases in question), please leave them in the comments.

Links checked and updated Aug 26, 2009
MyJazzWorld links replaced with Smooth's oiginal RS links Feb 6. 2010