Jazz Archives

Perhaps the single album that best sums up Bobby Hutcherson's early musical personality, Components is appropriately split into two very distinct halves. The first features four Hutcherson originals in a melodic but still advanced hard bop style, while the latter half has four free-leaning avant-garde pieces by drummer Joe Chambers. Hutcherson allots himself more solo space than on Dialogue, but that's no knock on the excellent supporting cast, which includes Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto sax and flute, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Ron Carter on bass. It's just more Hutcherson's date, and he helps unite the disparate halves with a cool-toned control that's apparent regardless of whether the material is way outside or more conventionally swinging. In the latter case, Hutcherson's originals are fairly diverse, encompassing rhythmically complex hard bop (the title track), pensive balladry ("Tranquillity," which features a lovely solo by Hancock), down-and-dirty swing ("West 22nd Street Theme"), and the gaily innocent "Little B's Poem," which went on to become one of Hutcherson's signature tunes and contains some lyrical flute work from Spaulding. The Chambers pieces tend to be deliberate explorations that emphasize texture and group interaction in the manner of Dialogue, except that there's even more freedom in terms of both structure and tonal center. (The exception is the brief but beautiful closing number, "Pastoral," an accurate title if ever there was one.) Components illustrated that Hutcherson was not only the most adventurous vibes player on the scene, but that he was also capable of playing more straightforward music with intelligence and feeling.

:::Review by Steve Huey:::

Bobby Hutcherson - Components (1965)

1. Components 6:23
2. Tranquillity 5:01
3. Little B's Poem 5:08
4. West 22nd Street Theme 4:42
5. Movement 7:29
6. Juba Dance 5:21
7. Air 4:45
8. Pastoral 2:02

Credits
Bass - Ron Carter
Composed By - Bobby Hutcherson (tracks: 1 to 4) , Joe Chambers (tracks: 5 to 8)
Drums - Joe Chambers
Piano - Herbie Hancock
Saxophone [Alto], Flute - James Spaulding
Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard
Vibraphone [Vibes], Marimba - Bobby Hutcherson

From the year 1964 till 1975 it was hard to predict what style Larry Young would play next. During that eleven year period he played almost every conceivable style of modern jazz and fusion, as well as psychedelic and progressive rock. After starting as a bluesy hard bop organist, Larry moved on to the dry cerebral post bop of 1965's Unity, and in 1966 decided to go avant-garde with this album, Of Love and Peace.
Although this album has many of the noisy moments you would expect from a mid 60s avant jazz record, overall I found the music on here to be a bit more relaxed and controlled than a lot of similar music from this time period. Young has a large ensemble (three horns, two drums, plus himself) assembled for this recording, but the musicians are often sensitive to each other and don't engage in competitive displays of sonic force. I especially enjoyed the two drummers (Wilson Moorman III and Jerry Thomas) who are careful to blend with each other while they create fascinating rhythmic combinations.
This album opens with Pavanne, which treads somewhat familiar ground as a Coltrane styled modal swing driven free-for-all. This is followed by Of Love and Peace, an improvisation that is abstract and somewhat quiet and relaxed compared to the opener. This tune almost sounds like a cross between 20th century concert hall music and some of Sun Ra's more unique approaches to group improvisation.
Miles' Seven Steps to Heaven opens side two and the band give it a fast chaotic and joyful reading that is somewhat reminiscent of Ornette Coleman. The album closes with Falaq, another freely improvised number that starts with a jazz pulse, but becomes more abstract as it goes. Larry turns in some trademark bizarre B3 solos on this one.
This is a great avant-garde jazz album, thoughtful and well executed, Larry and his crew avoid some of the more excessive clichés that were common in the mid 60s and create one more totally unique Larry Young album.

:::Review by Easy Money :::

Larry Young - Of Love And Peace (1966)

1. Pavanne 14:13
2. Of Love And Peace 6:34
3. Seven Steps To Heaven 10:19
4. Falaq 10:09

Credits
Drums - Jerry Thomas, Wilson Moorman III
Organ - Larry Young
Saxophone [Alto], Flute - James Spaulding
Saxophone [Tenor] - Herbert Morgan
Trumpet - Eddie Gale

The first of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's three Atlantic albums (reissued on a Koch CD in 2000), this excellent set falls between hard bop and the avant-garde, often hinting at both. Hubbard's regular group of the time (with James Spaulding on alto and flute, pianist Albert Dailey, bassist Bob Cunningham, and drummer Otis Ray Appleton, plus guest conga player Ray Barretto) performs the debut version of his famous "Little Sunflower," an excellent remake of "Up Jumped Spring," and four lesser-known pieces. Hubbard and Spaulding made for an excellent team and there are plenty of exciting moments on this brief but potent set.

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

Freddie Hubbard – Backlash (1966)

1. Backlash 4:10
2. The Return Of The Prodigal Son 5:37
3. Little Sunflower 7:50
4. On The Que-Tee 5:43
5. Up Jumped Spring 6:39
6. Echos Of Blue 9:44

Credits
Bass - Bob Cunningham
Drums - Otis Ray Appleton
Flute, Saxophone [Alto] - James Spaulding
Percussion - Ray Barretto (tracks: 1 to 3)
Piano - Albert Dailey
Trumpet, Flugelhorn - Freddie Hubbard

Though some will argue about whether Wayne Shorter's primary impact on jazz has been as a composer or as a saxophonist, hardly anyone will dispute his overall importance as one of jazz's leading figures over a long span of time. Though indebted to a great extent to John Coltrane, with whom he practiced in the mid-'50s while still an undergraduate, Shorter eventually developed his own more succinct manner on tenor sax, retaining the tough tone quality and intensity and, in later years, adding an element of funk. On soprano, Shorter is almost another player entirely, his lovely tone shining like a light beam, his sensibilities attuned more to lyrical thoughts, his choice of notes becoming more spare as his career unfolded. Shorter's influence as a player, stemming mainly from his achievements in the 1960s and '70s, has been tremendous upon the neo-bop brigade who emerged in the early '80s, most notably Branford Marsalis. As a composer, he is best known for carefully conceived, complex, long-limbed, endlessly winding tunes, many of which have become jazz standards yet have spawned few imitators.

:::www.allmusic.com:::

:::Review Scott Yanow@allmusic.com:::

Wayne Shorter - The All Seeing Eye (1965)

1.The All Seeing Eye (10:30)

2. Genesis (11:42)

3. Chaos (6:54)

4. Face Of The Deep (5:27)

5. Mephistopheles (9:39)

Credits

Bass - Ron Carter

Drums - Joe Chambers

Flugelhorn - Freddie Hubbard

Piano - Herbie Hancock

Producer - Rudy Van Gelder

Saxophone [Alto] - James Spaulding

Saxophone [Tenor] - Wayne Shorter

Trombone - Grachan Moncur III

Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard