Jazz Archives

Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard really came into his own during this Blue Note session. He is matched with quite an all-star group (tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Art Davis, and drummer Elvin Jones in addition to Bernard McKinney on euphonium), introduces two of his finest compositions ("Birdlike" and "Crisis"), and is quite lyrical on his ballad feature, "Weaver of Dreams." Hubbard's sidemen all play up to par and this memorable session is highly recommended; it's one of the trumpeter's most rewarding Blue Note albums.

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

Freddie Hubbard - Ready For Freddie (1961)

1. Arietis 6:39
2. Weaver of Dreams 6:34
3. Marie Antoinette 6:37
4. Birdlike 10:34
5. Crisis 11:42
6. Arietis [alternate take] 5:50
7. Marie Antoinette [alternate take] 6:14

Credits
Bass - Art Davis
Drums - Elvin Jones
Euphonium - Bernard McKinney
Piano - McCoy Tyner
Tenor Sax - Wayne Shorter
Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard

Maestro Trytony was founded by Tomek Gwinciński – drummer of Arhythmic Perfection and Łoskot; guitar player of Trupy and Czan. ‘Enoptronia’ is sort of a sound poem. It blendes motifs of contemporary chamber music (Bartok, Strawiński, Ives) with experimental New York avantjazz scene and peculiar polish soft lyricism a'la Komeda.

MAESTRO TRYTONY is a musical undertaking by TOMASZ GWINCINSKI, a composer, improviser, guitarist and drummer, a leading personality of the "Music from Mózg" scene based in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The "Music from Mózg" and its Gdańsk equivalent, the jass scene (MIŁOSC, ŁOSKOT, KURY, TRUPY and other bands) became notorious artists involved in the making of the most creative and original Polish music throughtout the 90s. The evidence of this notoriety can be seen in the approval that the two scenes receive from both the conservative jazz press and the rock media. This results in the growing number of festival presentations: Warsaw's "Jass Jam Nights '96",a satellite of the Polish famous Jazz Jamboree, a "Music from Mózg" Jass block of concerts during the Poznań Jazz Fair Festival' 96 and Cracow's "The Jass Days'96 " all of them filmed for the 2nd program of Polish TV. Unfortunately the music that the both scenes generate is still poorly documented on records because of the malfunctioning of the Polish phonografical market dominated by big foreign corporations. The experimental, creative proceedings of the artists engaged in the both scenes might be compared only to that of the modern New York underground including JOHN ZORN, BILL FRISELL, FRED FRITH, ELLIOT SHARP, DON BYRON or that of the Quebec scene with its RENE LUSSIER, JEAN DEROME, ANDRE DUCHESNE. The Bydgoszcz Mózg (Brain) Club, a base for jass activities, is sometimes called the Polish Knitting Factory. It is the only place in Poland where avant-garde, or improvised music is regularly played, FRED FRITH, RENE LUSSIER, NICK DIDKOVSKY,CHRIS CUTLER, ZEENA PARKINS, JOEY BARON being among the star performers. The original facet of the "Music from Mózg" jass production is its modern classical chamber music overtones, the feature well represented in the music of TOMASZ GWINCINSKI. MAESTRO TRYTONY' s "Enoptronia" is a turning point in the record collection of the scenes. This recording, inspired by jazz noncomformists (JOHN COLTRANE, ALBERT AYLER, ERIC DOLPHY, ORNETTE COLEMAN) as well as rock avant-garde composers (FRED FRITH, CHRIS CUTLER, FRANK ZAPPA), combines improvisation with the modern classical form. Doing so, it retains the rock energy, improvisational freedom and wit, the idiosyncratic features of jass.The recorded music flavors of the Polish soft romantic lyricism so characteristic in the works of KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA. The personnel of MAESTRO TRYTONY consists of both musicians of the two scenes and classically trained performers. The quest star is ANDRZEJ PRZYBIELSKI, nestor of the Polish non-mainstream jazz. TOMASZ GWINCINSKI, the leader and composer for MAESTRO TRYTONY , is an artist appearing in the line-ups of both the "Music from Mózg" and jass bands. Towards the end of the '80 he was a quitarist with the Gdańsk-based MIŁOSC band, today the best Polish acoustic jazz group. Then he founded TRYTONY trio with which he recorded two CDs:" Tańce Bydgoskie" (1993) and "Zarys matematyki niewinnej" (1995) .MAESTRO TRYTONY continues and develops the musical ideas of TRYTONY. GWINCINSKI is also a drummer with the most notorious group from the "Music from Mózg" scene MAZZOLL & ARHYTHMIC PERFECTION . The band released three albums: two of them were issued in 1995 and 1996, the third one is about to come out in 1997. GWINCINSKI and MAZZOLL make improvising duo under a name of "THE VOICE OF THE BLACK HOLE".GWINCINSKI's other projects are TELE ECHO group and the GWINCINSKI- RICHTER- SKOLIK trio, the latter having recorded music material for CD which will be released soon. The chamber music score for a string quartet and an improvising trio written for the "PERE UBU" play performed by the Polish Theatre in Bydgoszcz sets a beginning for the classically oriented composer works from GWINCINSKI.

:::Review by mozg.art.pl:::

Maestro Trytony – Enoptronia (1997)

1. Intro 0:47
2. Kalambury 6:08
3. Electric Mandala 3:36
4. Enoptronia 6:30
5. Planiergerat 1:32
6. Jestem UFO 12:22
7. Herbatka Yassowa 2:17
8. Tulku 14:11
9. Columbo 4:44
10. Opus Hokus 1:18

Musicians
Tomasz Gwincinski: guitar, leader
Renata Suchodolska: cello
Tomasz Pawlicki: flute, keyb.
Tomasz Hesse: bass
Rafał Gorzycki: drums

Kultikula - polish experimental music project that came into being in the middle of 90’s. Octette was formed by avant-garde musicians connected with ethno, jazz and classical music. Arnold Dąbrowski was a leader of this legendary group. Dąbrowski and Paluch are the members of legendary polish experimental band - Reportaż. Trzeciak and Brych are members of the polish famous folk band - Kwartet Jorgi. Kultikula is a strange mixture of the various music styles in experimetal sauce. They recorded the only one album in 1996 released in 2000 under Multikulti label.

:::Review by last.fm:::

Kultikula – Kultikula (1996)

1. Kultikula
2. Sizallove pola
3. 41,3 st. C
4. Znane medium Eillen Garett
5. Sonata pomarańczowa
6. Mocna ektoplazma
7. Czapka eksperymentatora
8. Niutnia pana
9. Ona ciągnie żelazko na duszę

Musicians
Arnold Dąbrowski (Reportaż) - grand piano, keyboard
Zbigniew Łowżył - timpani, temple-blocks, tomtoms, brake-drums, metal-tubes, echo-mike
Katarzyna Klebba - violin, viola, tabla
Lech Jankowski - el. guitar, violin-nails, piccolo-guitar
Andrzej Trzeciak (Kwartet Jorgi) - cello, recorder, saw
Andrzej Brych (Kwartet Jorgi) - trumpet, wash-tube
Corrado Fusco - drums, percussions
Paweł Paluch (Reportaż) – bassoon

This album stands apart from a lot of the other jazz-rock records released in the early to mid 70s in that instead of leaning on short gratuitous melodies that lead to long improvisational sections, this album features well composed melodic development combined with organically shifting sound textures to create one of the most unique fusions of jazz-rock rhythms and progressive rock composition released during this time.

Most of the instrumentals on this album share some common references and influences. The dissonant diminished scale melodies driven by odd-metered rhythms sound similar to mid-70s King Crimson. The freer jazzy sections sound a bit like Soft Machine on their 3rd or 4th album, other sections reflect early fusion artists such as Chick Corea or Brian Auger. The big difference is that this album is driven by sonic texture changes that help push the music forward thanks to the pioneering production work of Brian Eno.
Eno is the most valuable player on this recording. His production skills were ahead of the game at this point making the music a constant shifting kaleidoscope of sound, his "treatments" help the strong melodic developments of Manzanera shift smoothly from one idea to the next.
Two songs stand apart from the others. One of those is R.F.D. by keyboardist Dave Jarrett. This is a beautiful piece of impressionism in the style of Ravel with understated electronic keyboards more similar to 60s lounge interpretations of classical music rather than rock. The other is Rongwrong that features drummer Charles Hayward in a Robert Wyatt style wandering avant-pop song, unfortunately Hayward doesn't have Wyatt's cool jazzy voice. Too bad this is the
only release by this amazing band, it would have been nice to hear more.

:::Review by Easy Money:::

Quiet Sun – Mainstream (1975)

1. Sol Caliente (7:35)
2. Trumpet With Motherhood (1:47)
3. Bargain Classics (5:49)
4. R. F. D. (3:22)
5. Mummy Was An Asteroid..... (6:01)
6. Trot (5:14)
7. Rongwrong (9:29)

Musicians
- Charles Hayward / drums, percussion, keyboards & voices
- Dave Jarrett / keyboards
- Phil Manzanera / guitars, keyboards
- Bill MacCormick / bass & voices
With
- Brian Eno / synthesizers, treatments and oblique strategies

By this point Henry Cow consisted of guitarist Fred Frith, drummer Chris Cutler, bassist John Greaves, keyboardist Tim Hodgkinson, and, of particular importance to the band's sound at this point, bassoonist Lindsay Cooper. As is so often the case with avant-garde rock & roll, it's the composed pieces that work best, and the fact that Frith is responsible for the majority of them is significant. "Bittern Storm Over Ulm" is an absolutely brilliant demolition of the Yardbirds' "Got to Hurry," while the brief but lovely "Solemn Music" unfolds in a stately manner with atonal but pretty counterpoint between Frith and Cooper. The improvised material succeeds in a more spotty way. "Upon Entering the Hotel Adlon" demonstrates how fine the line can be between bracing free atonality and mindless cacophony. The unsettling but eventually gorgeous "Deluge," on the other hand, shows how well Henry Cow could walk that line when they tried; in this piece, random guitar skitterings, scattershot drum clatter, and pointillistic reed grunts are eventually snuck up on and overtaken by softly massed chords and Cooper's gently hooting bassoon. The effect is startlingly moving. Overall, this is one of Henry Cow's better efforts.

:::Review by Rick Anderson:::

Henry Cow - Unrest (1974)

1. Bitter Storm Over Ulm (2:44)
2. Half Asleep; Half Awake (7:39)
3. Ruins (12:00)
4. Solemn Music (1:09)
5. Linquaphonie (5:58)
6. Upon Entering The Hotel Adlon (2:56)
7. Arcades (1:50)
8. Deluge (5:52)

Musicians
- John Greaves / bass, piano, vocals
- Chris Cutler / piano, trumpet, drums, vocals
- Lindsay Cooper / bassoon, oboe, recorder, vocals
- George Born / bass
- Fred Frith / guitar, piano, violin, keyboards, xylophone
- Charles Fletcher / vocals
- Tim Hodgkinson / organ, clarinet, piano, keyboards, saxophones, vocals

Carried by its almost impossibly infectious eponymous opening track, The Sidewinder helped foreshadow the sounds of boogaloo and soul-jazz with its healthy R&B influence and Latin tinge. While the rest of the album retreats to a more conventional hard bop sound, Morgan's compositions are forward-thinking and universally solid. Only 25 at the time of its release, Morgan was accomplished (and perhaps cocky) enough to speak of mentoring the great Joe Henderson, who at 26 was just beginning to play dates with Blue Note after getting out of the military. Henderson makes a major contribution to the album, especially on "Totem Pole," where his solos showed off his singular style, threatening to upstage Morgan, who is also fairly impressive here. Barry Harris, Bob Cranshaw, and Billy Higgins are all in good form throughout the album as well, and the group works together seamlessly to create an album that crackles with energy while maintaining a stylish flow.

:::Review by Stacia Proefrock:::

Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder (1963)

1. The Sidewinder (10:21)
2. Totem Pole (10:11)
3. Gary's Notebook (6:03)
4. Boy, What A Night (7:30)
5. Hocus-Pocus (6:21)
6. Totem Pole (Alternate Take) (9:57)

Credits
Artwork By [Cover Design] - Reid Miles
Bass - Bob Cranshaw
Drums - Billy Higgins
Photography [Cover Photograph, Liner Photographs] - Francis Wolff
Piano - Barry Harris
Producer - Alfred Lion
Recorded By, Remastered By - Rudy Van Gelder
Reissue Producer - Michael Cuscuna
Saxophone [Tenor] - Joe Henderson
Trumpet, Written-By - Lee Morgan

After years on the road with the Modern Jazz Quartet and a series of sterling solo and all-star jazz performances, vibist Milt Jackson decided it was time to see some green. Watching kids half his age, possessing half his talent, earn millions playing rock, he insisted he could earn more without the restraints of the MJQ. He sought out Creed Taylor in 1972 and Sunflower became his first (and best) of three CTI albums. The album is significant in many ways, not the least of which is Pete Turner's lovely ostriches-in-the-morning cover photo and a peerless version of Freddie Hubbard's classic ode, "Little Sunflower."

Jackson is joined here by an outstanding aggregate of younger all-star musicians including Hubbard on trumpet and flugelhorn, Herbie Hancock, swapping chores on piano and Fender Rhodes, Ron Carter (of course) on bass and Billy Cobham on drums. Don Sebesky provides the subtle, and quite complimentary, string and horn arrangements. Acoustic guitarist Jay Berliner is also heard to enchanting effect on Jackson's "For Someone I Love." In addition to the alluring beauty of Hubbard's title track, Sunflower also includes one of the best instrumental versions of the popular "People Make The World Go Round." Hubbard carries the tune (as he did on the 1972 Hollywood Bowl record issued by CTI in 1977). Jackson scores one clever lick after another off the changes. Hancock comps seductively on Rhodes but gives one of his baddest-ever all-piano funk solos (his piano solo on "Sunflower" is a jazz beauty to behold too). Carter, as you'd expect, churns the groove like it boils in his blood. This quintet sounds so good together that it's a shame "SKJ" (which stuck out originally on the vibist's 1973 CTI follow-up, Goodbye ) is the only bonus track available. I don't know if Milt Jackson made any money from Sunflower. But despite all the great music he's made over the years, Sunflower is certainly one of his most memorable.

:::Review by Douglas Payne:::

Milt Jackson – Sunflower (1972)

1. For Someone I Love 10:20
2. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? 7:06
3. People Make the World Go Round 8:28
4. Sunflower 10:01
5. SKJ 6:47

Credits
Alto Flute, English Horn, Oboe - Romeo Penque
Bass - Ron Carter
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Flute, English Horn - George Marge
Drums - Billy Cobham
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo, English Horn - Phil Bodner
Guitar - Jay Berliner
Harp - Margaret Ross
Percussion - Ralph MacDonald
Piano - Herbie Hancock
Trumpet, Flugelhorn - Freddie Hubbard
Vibes - Milt Jackson

After two successfull albums LEB I SOL decided not to repeat the formula but to go into a deeper exploration of jazz.

For the third album they almost abandoned the lyrics and invited a saxophone guest for two tracks. Vocals are present but except "Lenja pesma", an excellent even semi-commercial hit at the time, they were utilized as an instrument. Dimusevski is more active than ever with his electric piano and plethora of synths, Stefanovski's guitar technique is brought to perfect here,while rhythm section of Tavitijan and Arsovski is impeccable as always. Macedonian folk is less present in favour of more "avant-garde" approach in a manner of jazz improvistions, so "Rucni rad" is not very accessible on the first listen.
Production of Josip Bocek is finally top notch for the time, the whole album carries the balanced sound of all instruments, perfectly arranged so you could get a sense of the band playing as a single body. Solos are rare but very effective and functional.
All 7 tracks are perfect but obvious favorites would be "Lenja pesma" (lyrics as always by Goran Stefanovski, Vlatko's brother, who is a renowned Macedonian playright), Arsovski's title track "Rucni rad" with some beautiful fretless bass melody line and Stefanovski's "Kumova slama", one of the most memorable instrumentals of the former Yugo music scene, beautiful melody with emotional guitar solo weeping. However there is present a sort of optimistic, positive feeling in this composition which sometimes reminds me of the similar style found in say "Jessica" by ALLMAN BROTHERS. This is a true gem of ex-Yugo prog and probably the best fusion album of the era just before the coming of New Wave age.

:::Review by Seyo:::

Leb i Sol - Rucni Rad (1979)

1. Lenja pesma (4:32)
2. Rebus (5:12)
3. Hogar (4:21)
4. Rucni rad (5:07)
5. Kumova slama (5:20)
6. Put u vedro (5:20)
7. Verni pas (6:09)

Musicians
- Vlatko Stefanovski / guitars, vocals
- Garo Tavitijan / drums
- Bodan Arsovski / bass
- Koki Dimusevski / keyboards

With:
- Milivoj Markovic / saxophones