Milt Jackson

Milt Jackson and The Hip String Quartet.

All star line up includes Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Mickey Roker, James Moody, Hubert Laws, the list goes on. The Morning After is cherry picked from this vinyl provided by G.Raf.

Tasty

Hal Singer.

Hal Singer.

Blues and News. Recorded 1971.

Another cd that's out there to buy, so here's the choice cut, Malcolm X, again brought to us by G.Raf.

Dustygrooves views;

The other great Hal Singer album from his years on the French scene – and a record that we'd say is even better than his legendary Paris Soul Food set! Although Singer is often most associated with an older style of swing-based jazz, he's working here in a loose, free mode that's got plenty of 70s soulful touches – often funky at the best moments, but even more importantly openly rhythmic – with a progressively soulful style that's really outta site! The group features Art Taylor on drums, plus an assortment of European players led by Siegried Kessler – who plays some great piano and flute on the album, and also handled the arrangements. The album features Singer's wonderful tune "Malcolm X" – the kind of a track that we'd rank right up there with some of the most righteous soul jazz groovers of the time. Other highlights include the modal "Pour Stephanie", the jagged "Blues For Hal", and the groovy "It's My Thing". CD also includes the bonus track "Lina".

The New Composer's Ensemble

The New Composer's Ensemble.

54rd Street Ghost.

Oracle Music Co, Chicago.

Sadly, this highly prized cd is available to purchase out there on the webasphere. Would have been another top presentation from G.Raf but heres a track to give you guys the general taste. Hot vibes from Paris Smith, spiritual jazz all the way on this one.

Dusty's take;

A killer batch of modern spiritual soul jazz – with a classic sound that reminds us a lot of the 70s work on labels like Tribe or Strata East! The New Composers Ensemble is led by vibist Paris Smith, an underground Chicago jazz artist who cut a few very enigmatic albums on his own – and he's working here with a group that includes guitar, piano, percussion, and bass. All the tracks on the CD are originals written by the players on the record – and most of them are strong modal grooves, with a spiraling strident sound that's filled with joy and life, but also a hint of darkness. The interplay of the instruments is unlike anything we've heard elsewhere, and it's the kind of underground treasure that you'd die to find on a rare 70s album – somehow even cooler that it's cut by an obscure group who are working in our generation! A few tracks have a vocalist that's a bit off-beat – and she also reminds us of some of the more spiritual contraltos that would show up on the Strata sets from the 70s – but her contribution to the record also kind of grows on you nicely after a while. Titles include "Tommy Tones", "Sonny's Song", "Lilith Came", "Introspection", "Psalm 37", and "53rd Street Ghost", dedicated to the street where Dusty Groove used to have its headquarters.

Happiness is ..Takin' care of Natural Business ... DIG?!

The Al Tanner Quintet ; Featuring William "Smiley" Winters.

Super rare gears provided by G.Raf. Watch out over the coming weeks, cause there's plenty more where this came from. We need some thanks in the comments btw ...

Introduction

Baltanica

The Magi

Kuba!

Poor me

Bronson's Blues

Lobby Lizards

Rolon's Groove

Blackclassical

SOUNDS RING LIKE AN ECHO IN THE WOODS.

Blackclassicals been beavering away again, collating another cosmic spiritual-jazz suite. Improve your life and expand your mind here ...

http://www.mixcloud.com/Blackclassical/sound-rings-like-an-echo-in-the-woods/?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=cloudcast

The Howard Hanger Trio

The Howard Hanger Trio.

Through a Glass Darkly. PMH Records.

Recorded at Lefevre Sound Studios, Atlanta. January 1970.

Howard Hanger; Piano

Paul Reeve; Drums

Mike Givens; String Bass

Shel Hall; Electric bass on Lay, Lady, Lay.

A very interesting, if difficult to pigeon hole 2nd album from this Trio. Think P.E Hewitt, with a touch of Gerry Olds and a dash of Ahmad Jamal and you could be getting close, maybe. There's a Dylan cover, some originals and my favourite What Wonderous Love, an adaptation of an american folk hymn. The whole album moves in many different directions, from straight trio jazz, to abstract electronica samples. Takes a few listens, but is worth every minute.

Roy Porter Sound Machine

Big thanks to the good people that lifted me out of a hole full of frustration and despair. Bacoso's Jessica drop a little while back whetted the appetite for Roy Porter and now the Triology of Roy Porter's Sound Machine output (unless there's more out there) is complete in the comments.

Bill and Vpex, take a bow.

Ritmo Caliente

Ritmo Caliente.

Coco Lagos y sus Orates. 1970 MaG.

Volumen 2. LPN 2338.

A break from the norm, with some bangin' bossa boogaloo business. Infectious latin tunes from Peruvian Coco. There all killer, but for me, La Rumba Empezo is a stormer.

Check it out

Bobby Hutcherson : Total Eclipse

Bobby Hutcherson ; Total Eclipse.

Recorded July 1968. N.Y.C

Bobby Hutcherson

Harold Land

Chick Corea

Reggie Johnson

Joe Chambers

Produced by Francis Wolff and Duke Pearson.

Ok, so it's not an ultra rare, big ticket, private press $2000 lp. What it is, is a completely spell-binding session from my all time hero. The production by Duke Pearson is as ever, faultless. Ripped from the tricky to find, 1989 cd release.

Some wise words from All about jazz;

Before fusion began suffocating jazz, before oversized sunglasses and tight bell-bottoms became popular stage dress, and before jazz lost its curves, there was Bobby Hutcherson. In the late 1960s, the vibraphonist picked up where Wayne Shorter left off, developing a sensual modal sound that resonated with spiritual awakening and depth.

One of his finest albums as a leader during this period was Total Eclipse,recorded in 1968. The album features tenor saxophonist Harold Land , pianist Chick Corea , bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Joe Chambers. In some ways, Total Eclipse is one of the last modern jazz albums before Miles Davis and Chick Corea changed everything withBitches Brew in 1969.

Hutcherson was born in Los Angeles in 1941 and was most heavily influenced by Milt Jackson. Self-taught, Hutcherson performed locally after high school with Paul Bley, Scott LaFaro and others. His association with tenor saxophonist Curtis Amy led to Groovin' Blue, his first record date in 1960 for Pacific Jazz. After a trip to New York with Al Grey and Billy Mitchell in 1961, Hutcherson decided to remain on the East Coast, developing a four-mallet, heavy pedal technique that emphasized lingering chords rather than a pecking single-note attack.

In the early 1960s, Hutcherson was primarily a sideman, working with Jackie McLean (One Step Beyondand Destination ... Out!), Grant Green (Idle Moments) and Eric Dolphy (Iron Man), among others. While recording with McLean, Hutcherson was offered a recording contract by Blue Note's Alfred Lion , a union that lasted until the label's folding in 1977.

Soon after signing on as a Blue Note artist, Hutcherson in 1963 recorded The Kicker, his first leadership date. More sideman sessions followed, including appearances on Andrew Hill's Judgment and Dolphy's Out to Lunch.Hutcherson's next albums under his own name were Dialogue and Components, both recorded in 1965.

In 1966, Hutcherson came under the influence of Archie Shepp, and his sound and attack became freer and more spiritual. You can hear the change in Happenings (1966) Stick Up! (1966), Oblique (1967) and Patterns(1968). In 1968, Hutcherson moved back to California and played in Gerald Wilson 's orchestra, “to keep my ears open to orchestrations," as Hutcherson put it.

During this period, Hutcherson began collaborating with tenor saxophonist Harold Land, whose arid sound was the perfect tonal foil for the vibraphonist's wet-chimes effect. Hutcherson and Land first recorded together as a quintet on Land's The Peace-Maker, and they performed on the West Coast and then in New York clubs.

In July 1968, Hutcherson recorded Total Eclipse, one of his most lyrical and free albums of the 1960s. Four of the five compositions were by Hutcherson (the fifth, Matrix, a 12-bar blues, was by Chick Corea). The first of Hutcherson's originals, Herzog, is an uptempo modal piece that soars with energy. His Total Eclipse and Same Shame are ballads. Pompeian, the album's final track, starts as a mid-tempo waltz but soon dissolves into free-form, with Hutcherson playing bells and Land on flute. Few albums sound as late 1960s as this one, complete with experimentation, freedom and spiritual consciousness.

In the months following the release of Total Eclipse, jazz would steadily change as the music began to embrace monotony, with an emphasis on rhythm, repetition and electronic textures. The trend never fazed Hutcherson, who steadfastly avoided electronic instrumentation, jazz-fusion or those tight bell-bottoms.

JazzWax tracks. For the life of me, I cannot understand why some albums are reissued on CD and others are not. Total Eclipse was issued digitally in 1989 and again in 1995. Then it fell off the map. Which is a shame considering how outstanding a recording it is. Total Eclipse is available on CD for about $50 used from independent sellers. The LP is available for less at eBay. We can only hope that the folks at Blue Note will pull this one out of the archives soon.