2023 Fusion / Jazz Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

*Yusef Lateef - Jazz 'Round the World. 1964 Impulse. Stereo original press. Of the few jazz albums I found in the Colorado mountain interior, this is the one I was most looking forward to hearing. It wasn't quite what I expected, but all the same, it's going to be the keeper of the bunch. Essentially the concept here is to take traditional sounds or songs of a region and jazzify them. 'Yusef's French Brother', for example, includes snippets of 'Frere Jacques'. I preferred Side 2 as Lateef switches over to flute from saxophone. Overall a fine work, and the way I discovered it will likely keep it around longer than normal. (Aug)

John Coltrane / Don Cherry - The Avant-Garde. 1966 Atlantic mono. This is one of the albums I inexplicably found for a dollar in a Colorado mountain town (Aug). The title could almost be considered exploitation. Recorded in 1960, this is most certainly not avant garde for either artist by 1966. But it works well as a post bop jazz album. But it's not free jazz either, that which I doubt I'd enjoy more, but you never know. This isn't anything I need to keep.

Joe Zawinul - The Rise & Fall of the Third Stream. 1968 Vortex. Found this pre-Weather Report LP for a $1 at a thrift shop in the Colorado mountain interior of all places, along with two other relatively rare jazz pieces (to be discussed soon) and a mono The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. All in great condition. Sometimes you get lucky like that. As for the music, the only Third Stream album I consciously know I've heard is its most famous proponent: Don Ellis' Electric Bath. I found Zawinul's album more jazz and less classical than that effort. It's a fine album overall, though there isn't enough here for me to keep. (Aug)

Brand X - Do They Hurt? 1980 Passport. Curiosity killed the cat. Or alligator in this case. After regaining an appreciation for Brand X's classic albums, how about a go for their B-listers? Naw. Do They Hurt? is a decent fusion album, but all too typical of the era without any surprises or peak moments. At times it sounds like a Percy Jones solo album. Too much bass really. Goodsall's guitar is way too subdued. (Jul)

Airto - Fingers. 1973 CTI. Another one from the Austin show. This checks a lot of boxes for me: Brazil; Jazz funk fusion; Thick gatefold on CTI. Airto's name is somewhat ubiquitous throughout the 70s and 80s (same with his wife Flora Purim). Despite that fact, this is the first time I've heard an Airto solo album. It's quite good, sounding like Sergio Mendes on a fusion bender. The songwriting isn't very compelling however, at least compared to the dozens of albums I have like it. Yet one more album I would have kept in the last decade, but that ship has now sailed. All the same, I'll definitely pick up (most) anything else I see by him, as I'm sure he has a gem or two that I will enjoy at a higher level.(Jul)

Eberhard Weber - Later that Evening. 1982 ECM/Warner Bros. More adult jazz from Weber. Always pleasant, never satisfying. (Jul)

*Vince Guaraldi Trio - Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus. 2002 Analogue/Fantasy (SACD) (1962). Earlier in the year I found a large stash of SACD's for pennies at an estate sale, which are always great for resale. Most were classical, and we held back a couple of the less expensive ones for our happy hours. Almost all of them are hybrid, so you can listen to them on any CD player. There were a couple of rock titles that sold in about 10 minutes. But the few jazz titles were pure SACD, meaning I couldn't play them, so I put them for sale. Including this title, until I realized that it was a hybrid. This is a well known piano trio album, and even won awards in its day. I wish they'd play this at restaurants instead of the awful pop music we sometimes have to endure. Guaraldi later when on to fame and fortune with his soundtrack to the Peanuts TV cartoon specials. Unfortunately he passed away in his late 40s in 1976. Not to end on a bummer, this constitutes my very first SACD for the collection. Eh, why not? (Jun)

Rare Silk - American Eyes. 1985 Palo Alto. When I first heard this on a scan, I thought it was a New Wave album. As it turns out, it belongs to vocal jazz. The production and instrumentation scream middle 80s. I struggled to get through this one. Not a bad album, but outside of my interest area for sure. (Jun)

Larry Nozero Quartet - Island Fever. 1981 MSI. Found this private album from Birmingham, Michigan (Detroit suburb) at a thrift shop a few weeks ago (Jun). Very obscure release. A very nice and pleasant background styled jazz, with Nozero providing flute and saxophone. The former has a fairly large presence, so it's curious he only credits himself with saxophone. It's traditional jazz otherwise with piano, standup bass, and drums providing the backdrop. A little more depth and spirituality ala Lloyd McNeill would have made this a keeper. Too crowd pleasing for me.

Full Moon. 1972 Douglas. Picked this up at a store in Pueblo (Mar). I recognized the name Buzz Feiten (cool name) from some obscure Japanese CDs I found at a thrift shop a couple of years ago. Full Moon's debut comes at the very beginning of the jazz rock movement and the instrumental portions here are excellent. But it's a 50/50 proposal that also includes quite a bit of bluesy soul crooning that isn't very enjoyable to me. Borderline keeper, but I have enough quality jazz rock here to last a lifetime. I needed just a little more from this title. Incidentally all the reissues come from Japan, indicating that Feiten is highly revered in that country.

 * - Keeping for the collection

2021 Fusion / Jazz Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

The following came from another estate sale just a couple of weeks after the below, detailed primarily in the Funk / Soul journals (Mar):

Eddie Harris - Is It In. 1974 Atlantic (LP). I've run into this album a few times now between thrift shops and garage sales, but always took a pass. I thought it might be one of those silly funk albums ("Is it in?" hoho), and the resell value is pretty much nil. Ah what the heck - maybe it's a great jazz funk album after all. Ummm... no. But it's not what I thought either. In fact, it's kind of a weird album. Those opening electric sax notes from Harris reminded me of Tim Belbe's work with Xhol Caravan - maybe this is something? Unfortunately 'Funkaroma' lives up to its goofy name. In this album you'll hear jazz funk, straight jazz, experimental bits, and everything in between. And that can usually make for a great album in my world. But nothing really clicks here. There were no "let me hear that again" tracks. I've heard enough to keep exploring Harris, but I'm not holding onto this. 

---end of sale

The following all came from a great score of jazz funk LPs at an estate sale (Mar).

*Billy Cobham - Crosswinds. 1974 Atlantic (LP). Crosswinds is a strong jazz rock/fusion effort, at times recalling his work with Mahavishnu Orchestra. John Abercrombie is a force here, doing his best to rival McLaughlin. Fine horns from the Brecker Brothers and Garnett Brown on trombone. Mixes in some mellow moments to give the listener a breather. A tad generic for the style, but still on the plus side of the genre.

*Harold Alexander - Raw Root. 1974 Atlantic (LP). Of all the albums in the batch, this is the one that I was most curious about. An intriguing cover with the promise of a deep groove flute driven music. I have to admit I wasn't sold after Side 1. It starts off auspiciously enough with a funky bass on 'Down Home', and there's some fine moments on 'De Black Magician' and its postlude 'Lady Euphoria'. But the money side is the flip. 'Street Life' is freakout flute city and some fine guitar from Junior Hanson (yes, the same dude who released two Hendrix-y albums in the 70s on Manticore). This style continues throughout the side, pushing this one into ownership category.

*Deodato 2. 1973 CTI (LP). Last year I picked up the promo 45 of 'Super Strut' at an estate sale, and was subsequently blown away. This has an even longer version of the cut. For all the rarities we constantly dig up, sometimes the best underground sounds can be found on a platinum seller. Guitarist John Tropea is absolutely on fire here. It's like the first Chicago Transit Authority and Isaac Hayes' Shaft, in that these mainstream albums have more freakouts per minute than is expected. I've enjoyed the more even popular Prelude for some years now, but Deodato 2 is actually better in my estimation. It's a misnomer by the way. Eumir Deodato's album output goes back to the mid 60s Bossa Nova scene while still living in Brazil. But most folks only know him for his association with a one Creed Taylor. My only wish is that Deodato would compose his own songs. 'Super Strut' is one. The other is the fantastic 'Skyscrapers' which also features Tropea going wild. Then we get the cover tunes. My problem with Deodato's covers is they are too familiar. He would be better served rearranging more obscure cuts. But no one can claim Deodato for not coming up with inventive arrangements. 'Nights in White Satin' also has a killer guitar mid-section that you would never have a chance to hear from the Moodies. Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' - which I always associate with United Airlines - is also much juiced up. The other track is a classical cover of a Ravel composition - is very stately - and somewhat out of place. Speaking of large ensembles, a cast of thousands played on this album. Comes in a nice gatefold. If you never thought to buy this - do so - it costs less than a hamburger, and I promise it will last longer.

---end estate sale (Mar)

*Joe Henderson - Black is the Color. 1972 Milestone (LP). With the Lateef's (Jan). The opener 'Terra Firma' gets things going in a positive way with a deep funk track, and a killer groove. Very Miles Davis like, substituting the trumpet for Henderson's sax. Special mention goes to David Horowitz's synthesizer, which interestingly recalls the Love Cry Want album. 'Vis-a-Vis' is the requisite hard bop number. Side B opens with an intense hypnotic groove. But alas 'Foregone Conclusion' is only five minutes long, and should have gone on for another 15. The title track provides the noirish soft piece. The closer deviates from the formula, as 'Current Events' is an experimental composition. Fine in theory, but it's pretty noisy to be honest.

Yusef Lateef - 10 Years Hence. 1975 Atlantic (LP). With the other Lateef (Jan). More Lateef, which I'm looking forward to. This title is a bit too standards/trad for me. More in sound than actual tuneage. Most of these are originals, with some stretched out pieces from his late 1950s past. The opener is the most interesting for me, with its trance like flute passages. A fine jazz album, but I can't keep them all. 

Yusef Lateef - Blues for the Orient. 1974 Fantasy (2xLP). Thrift shop find (Jan). This double LP set is a compilation and remaster of 2 albums: Eastern Sounds (1961) and The Sounds of Yusef from the Yusef Lateef Quintet (1957). It's an odd pairing as they don't really have a similar sound. As you may recall, Lateef is new to me, having found his 1969 Detroit album in RT's collection. Eastern Sounds has a cool mellow vibe. The Sounds of Yusef is very early in Lateef's career as a band leader. It is - as you might imagine - more trad jazz. There's some interesting avant garde ideas here, but for the most part the music moves away from where my interest in jazz lies. Of course it's very good for what it is, so don't pass up a chance to hear it if standard 50s jazz pushes your buttons. 

* - Keeping for the collection

Yusef Lateef - Detroit Latitude 42° 30' Longitude 83°. 1969 USA-Michigan

Yusef Lateef is a name I'm familiar with, but as I'm something of a novice when it comes to jazz, I cannot say I've heard any of his albums until now. I'm sure his earlier work is more traditional, though I'm reading he incorporated more Asian influences than most. On Detroit Latitude 42° 30' Longitude 83°, Lateef has joined in with the funk crowd, with a bit of psychedelia. His primary instrument here is flute, and his playing recalls the great Lloyd McNeill at times. I was completely sold at the opener 'Bishop School', which is darn near perfect for the style. 'Eastern Market' is a another highlight. And so it goes. Only the finale, the noirish smoky jazz of 'That Lucky Old Sun', could be considered traditional. Overall a wonderful piece of music, and I look forward to discovering more from Lateef.

Ownership: LP: 1969 Atlantic. Single sleeve. Promo. This will be the first of many albums I will be reporting on from the RT Collection. RT is a local collector and a customer/friend of Purple Peak Records. He has thousands of albums strewn about everywhere, and has asked us to help him curate them. His interest is in 60s folk (and we found many already for his permanent collection), so we'll end up with the rest per agreement. As you can imagine, most of the albums are junk - either good for mailers or, at best, $1 bin items. Of course there's plenty more good stuff to sell at the shows or trade locally. For the first few hundred, this is the only album I've kept so far. I have a few more I've pulled to listen to though. Tons more to go through. And that's just the first batch! This will be a huge undertaking.