Quantum Jump - Barracuda. 2015 Esoteric (CD) (1977). Thrift shop find (Oct). I hear Quantum Jump to be very similar to Automatic Man. And just as Automatic Man went whole hog for jazz funk, so did Quantum Jump. But whereas Automatic Man succeeded that genre hop, Quantum Jump failed miserably. There's no groove here, and the melodies are lifeless. They were just jumping (so to speak) on the bandwagon hoping to gain radio airplay. It failed on that front, and it fails as an album. On the plus side, the Esoteric reissue is excellent and provides a full length concert entitled BBC Radio One In Concert 16th July 1977. This is much better - some of the same tunes but sounding more raw and played with more energy. Not enough to keep, mind.
*Quantum Jump. 1998 Voiceprint (CD) (1976). With the above (Oct). This is another album I had no use for even in recent times. But loving it now. And once again, this album has no sense of purpose, almost guaranteeing its place in obscurity lists for time immortal. Another excellent reissue with full liners and five bonus tracks.
Diane Schuur / Maynard Ferguson - Swingin' For Schuur. 2001 Concord (CD). This one goes back to 2019 when I bought a huge pile of CDs for pennies.Pretty good late night noir-ish release. Schuur does a decent job at the femme fatale role, though she isn't really sultry enough. When it's her and the band, the music is nice for driving. But oh boy, is Maynard Ferguson all wrong for music like this or what? His "primal scream" trumpet is all over the recording, and it's like an air raid siren blaring on top of a symphony orchestra. This music is made for Miles Davis and his followers. For me, 'Bésame Mucho' is the highlight of the 12 songs here. (Oct)
Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & Trinity - Jools & Brian. 1969 Capitol (LP). From the RT collection (Aug). A few years before the Captain & Tennille, there was Jools and Brian. A mixture of the pop of their day, with a way too talented keyboardist who should be doing more. Fortunately for all of us, Auger did just that. This album is OK for what it is, but unless you want to hear orchestrated standards with a vintage organ and female jazz pop vocals, then you're not likely to find much here.
*Jean-Luc Ponty - Cosmic Messenger. 1978 Atlantic (LP). From the 14,000 album estate sale mentioned below. I love the way that Ponty layers all the instruments, and there's some really fine rhythms, tying to my new favorite genre of jazz funk. Excellent solos as well, rarely showboaty, always measured. (Aug)
The Don Ellis Orchestra - Electric Bath. 1967 Columbia (LP). Two years ago (2019), we had here in the Springs what was known as the "14,000 album sale". A former antique shop booth owner had passed away, and left behind an enormous collection. Not just records, but that was the primary in this case. He lived in a "goat path" house, which is a term meaning he was a hoarder. His family took over a lot of it, and they continue to run a booth up in Denver. So these 14,000 were not even the "good" stuff. A lot of us weren't sure what to expect, but they did let out plenty of great albums anyway (and many of them were either sealed or perfect mint, since they remained unplayed (like this one)). Some of which I've already covered in the pages as features. It's also where I started my classical record business. I had a lot to learn about classical (I mean a lot), but my instincts did allow me to make a very nice profit on this sale (and I still have inventory). At the end of the day - on two visits - I bought over 100 albums. This was one of them. Always loved the cover and the title. Its reputation is well earned given the experimentation beyond traditional big band. For 1967, jazz artists like Ellis going out on a limb like this must have been exciting. One genre you'll hear in regards to Electric Bath is Third Stream, a mixture of jazz and classical. All that said, it's not really a favorite style of mine to begin with, and it's a stretch to continue to hold onto it. So I won't. (Aug)
*Miles Davis - Agharta. 1991 Columbia Legacy (2xCD) (1975). Collection revisit (Jul). Even though I had been well versed in Miles Davis' recordings, thanks to a local Dallas friend who was a huge fan, I didn't own any product until I picked up this CD in 1998 from Rasputin's in Pleasant Hill, California. Because of the when and where, I know Agharta better than any of his other releases, having played it pretty much non stop in the rental car going to and from my office at the time. Many of you know this album, and the story that it's the afternoon concert, later followed by an evening show (which is on Pangaea). No wonder Davis was sick and ill by this point. These are intense concerts, and to be playing five to six hours a day in front of large audiences is insane. By this time, Davis' band was a machine, and it was all about the deep groove. I love his organ sound as well. Tons of wah wah rhythm, which I've mentioned many times is a favorite around here. And also great sax, trumpet (sort of), and guitar solos. Hendrix meets Stockhausen I've read. With a dose of deep funk. That encapsulates it. I would rate Agharta even higher if there were more melodic tracks such as 'Maiysha' in the mix. That's not really what Davis was going for though. I have to say I prefer this "light" concert to the "dark" show (Pangaea). Light being a relevant term. Because of my familiarity with this, this remains one of my favorite Miles Davis albums. I think if it were another release from his Bitches' Brew period, I'd feel similar about that one as well. Comes in an old school "fat box" jewel case with 2 discs. I always liked those. Plenty of room for the booklet, of which this has of course. Typically great Legacy release.
Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - A Better Land. 1971 RCA (LP). Thrift shop find but different than below (Jul). Before everyone got all amped up about 180 gram vinyl, RCA went in a different direction with Dynaflex. I swear they weigh like 10 grams and you can fold them like a taco. The inner sleeve goes to great lengths to explain the benefits of Dynaflex. Pure salesmanship that's for sure. In any case, this is a very nice copy of Brian Auger's OE second album. I'd heard this album almost precisely 9 years ago (on Youtube as I was debating picking up the CD), and managed to get some scratch off notes down. Here they are: "Regarding Brian Auger's first five Oblivion Express albums - starting with the debut and ending with Straight Ahead - four of these are considered progressive jazz rock classics. The other is a vocal heavy folk rock album, somewhat like CSN&Y meets America. See the problem? Something about tigers, leopards, spots, and stripes. If for some reason this is the only album you've heard by Auger's Oblivion Express, then the title track is the only song here that recalls the other albums, if curious.". I did have a +1 listen last night, as Side 2 as a whole was better than I remembered. But that just moved it from average to good. Excellent gatefold cover. One of his rarer titles.
Weather Report. 1971 Columbia (LP). Thrift shop find (Jul). All these years and I've never heard the debut by Weather Report. It's a very intriguing album and I was on the fence about the contents. It's interesting to hear the band operate in experimental jazz fashion verse their more well known slick fusion sound. Fuzz bass and atonal sax are hardly ear friendly, but one cannot help but pickup the 1970 European jazz style on display here. I had to listen to it three times to determine its fate. A year ago, I would have held onto this, but this would just end up on the bottom of the stack today. Very good on the whole, though it's not something I would typically reach for. I do think this is an album that could have used some electric guitar to provide balance.
Weather Report - I Sing the Body Electric. 1972 Columbia (LP). With the above (Jul). I used to have a very nice French digipak CD of this one, but sold when offered a good price for it. Interesting in hearing it again, as my observation about not knowing too much about Weather Report's jazz era was not entirely correct. This is definitely cut from the same cloth as the debut, especially Side 1, whereas Side 2 is full-on Miles Davis styled. Once again, I think a guitar presence would have gone a long way to me appreciating this more. But the solo work is almost entirely left to Wayne Shorter, and I'm not a big fan of his oftentimes atonal sax playing. The rest of the band provide an excellent backbone, with some superb fuzzy analog sounds from Zawinul. I enjoyed a +1 listen here, but not enough for me to want to keep.
*Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Look Around. 1968 A&M (LP). This was the last of the mega-seller Mendes albums for me to own. I got tired of waiting for a decent copy to show up at a thrift (they're always trashed), so from the same buy as Moon Germs, I grabbed this one. It's a nice minty copy, and it was all of $3, not much more than a thrift anyway. Look Around is the album between Equinox and Fool on the Hill, and is at the height of Mendes popularity. He wasn't in any mood to experiment at this point, and kept that gravy train going at full blast. This is square on Bossa Nova influenced Easy Listening music. There are no mind melting tracks like what you would find on Crystal Illusions, Primal Roots, or even Brasil '65. But it sure is enjoyable for late night listening. Not real fond of the Beatles cover here, but most of the album contains originals, and pleasant at that. And Mendes covering Bacharach's 'The Look of Love' isn't even fair. Like Metallica covering Budgie, the ingredients are too stacked in its favor to be anything but great. The cover is stunning. Late 60s fashion at its zenith. These albums would be worth quite a bit of money if they didn't sell so many of them in the first place. Of course I'm keeping it. And the fact that I mentioned Metallica and Budgie in a Mendes review makes me really happy. (Jul)
* - Keeping for the collection
No comments:
Post a Comment