Jazz Archives

This out-of-print LP (one of several from the Prestige and Milestone catalog that are long overdue to be reissued on CD) was one of the finest of altoist Gary Bartz's early years. The 24-minute multi-movement "Another Earth" is a stormy affair matching Bartz with trumpeter Charles Tolliver, the fiery tenor Pharoah Sanders, pianist Stanley Cowell, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Freddy Waits. The flip side of the record has three quartet outings by Bartz, Cowell, Workman and Waits, including the mysterious ballad "Dark Nebula" and an uptempo blues, "UFO," plus a Bartz-Workman duet on "Lost in the Stars." Well worth searching for, this adventurous music is quite colorful and always holds one's interest.

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

Gary Bartz - Another Earth (1968)

1. Another Earth 23:46
2. Dark Nebula 5:04
3. Ufo 4:49
4. Lost In The Stars 4:04
5. Perihelion And Aphelion 3:47

Credits
Charles Tolliver (trumpet),
Gary Bartz (alto sax),
Pharoah Sanders (tenor sax),
Stanley Cowell (piano),
Reggie Workman (bass),
Freddie Waits (drums)

Alto saxophonist Elton Dean and bassist Hugh Hopper established their reputations with the groundbreaking jazz-rock band Soft Machine in the '70s and have continued to be strong forces in the British free-jazz scene. On this excel1ent 1995 release, they team up with pianist Keith Tippett and drummer Joe Gallivan to create a wide-ranging program of bristling, exploratory jazz and innovative electronic music. Gallivan plays synthesizer in addition to his propulsive, pulse-oriented drums, and on several cuts ("Jannakota" and "Rocky Recluse") the music drifts into beguiling electronic soundscapes. These serve as interludes for the more energetic and fiery pieces featuring Dean's singular sax and Tippett's dense, multilayered piano. Dean's distinctive alto and the seldom-played saxello both project a plaintive, vocalized sound, equally adaptable to the frenzy of "Seven Drones" or the calm of "Echoes." This ability to shift emotional gears, shared by the group as a whole, results in a collective music that is both spontaneous and cohesive.

:::Review by Wally Shoup:::

Hopper, Dean, Tippett, Gallivan - Cruel But Fair (1976)

1. Seven Drones 8:30
Written-By – Hugh Hopper
2. Jannakota 4:36
Written-By – Dean, Gallivan
3. Echoes 8:43
Written-By – Keith Tippett
4. Square Enough Fire 9:23
Written-By – Dean, Hopper, Gallivan, Tippett
5. Rocky Recluse 2:24
Written-By – Gallivan, Tippett
6. Bjorn Free 2:18
Written-By – Dean, Hopper, Gallivan, Tippett
7. Soul Fate 5:38
Written-By – Dean, Hopper, Gallivan, Tippett

Credits
Alto Saxophone, Saxello – Elton Dean
Bass – Hugh Hopper
Drums, Percussion, Synthesizer – Joe Gallivan
Piano – Keith Tippett

Originally a two-fer on vinyl and now on one CD, Shaw's debut as a leader is one of the first "free bop" sessions, in many ways his answer to Bitches Brew. The trumpeter's ensemble extracts dense, energetic, meaty collective sounds based in pure improvisation with a skeleton of a rhythmic framework to expound upon. Saxophonists Gary Bartz & Bennie Maupin, electric pianist George Cables, twin bassists Ron Carter and Clint Houston, and drummer Lenny White respond to Shaw's heavy direction, making for some of the most kinetic jazz heard in that period of early fusion. Shaw's bright melodicism, hard edged swing and refusal to compromise are his greatest assets. They come shining through on tuneful classics like the unstoppable "Think On Me" and stop-start gymnastics of "Boo-Ann's Grand." It represents the progressive bop aesthetic at a fever pitch. The title track is as wild and wooly as Woody could be, while "Lost & Found" is free bop at its finest. "New World" is a free funk number, quite a trend setter for its time, while "A Deed For Dolphy" shows an abstract, no-time side rarely heard from Shaw. All tunes are quite lengthy, no shorter than nine, no longer than seventeen minutes. This allows the band to develop their ideas and interact in a manner more akin to a concert setting. Bartz (alto and soprano saxophone) and Maupin (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet and flute) consistently show why they are two of the best improvising jazzmen out there. As much as the music is the thing, it is the singular presence of Shaw that refracts many colors of light and dark, like a multi-hued beacon directing many ships to port. There is not a better example of this music from its inception, documented on tape, than this other worldly session that brought the trumpeter to the jazz world's attention. Furthermore, few have done it better since. Truly a landmark recording, and a pivot point in the history of post-modern music.

:::Review by Michael G. Nastos:::

Woody Shaw - Blackstone Legacy (1970)

1. Blackstone Legacy 16:08
2. Think On Me 10:49
3. Lost And Found 10:45
4. New World 17:06
5. Boo-Ann's Grand 14:25
6. A Deed For Dolphy 8:56

Credits
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Gary Bartz
Bass – Ron Carter
Bass [Electric] – Clint Houston
Drums – Lenny White
Piano, Piano [Electric] – George Cables
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet [Bass], Flute – Bennie Maupin
Trumpet – Woody Shaw

Godzik Pink was a RIO/Avant-Prog band formed in 1996 in Los Angeles, California. The band consisted of Ara Shirinyan (guitar), Eric Kiersnowski (bass), Jonathan Silberman (tenor saxophone), and Nigel Lundemo (drums). Godzik Pink blended alternative rock, jazz and pop to create their complex and highly original sound. They released three EP albums before disbanding. This high energy band is recommended to fans of punk-prog aka pronk and avantjazz.

:::Review by Evolutionary Sleeper:::

Godzik Pink - Es Em, Ekel Em (2009)

1. Lifting for the Lord (2:55)
2. Fardray'n Akopf (1:29)
3. Several dogs (1:53)
4. Sonna Vonda Beech (2:03)
5. Es Em, Ekel Em (2:18)
6. Mourning Wood (2:50)
7. You're in the Jungle Baby (3:23)


Credits
- Ara Shirinyan / guitar
- Eric Kiersnowski / bass
- Jonathan Silberman / tenor saxophone
- Nigel Lundemo / drums