It’s All Jazz

OK, the first topic for the day is Jazz Reviews.

The second topic is a new Miles Davis EP I bought entitled Evolution of the Groove. It features 5 tracks, the first of which is a previously unreleased outtake of Freddie the Freeloader back when it had no title. The outtake has some great dialogue between Miles and Teo Macero and the tune itself has some killer 16th note basslines and vocals from Miles. Totally nuts.

Next you have two guest artist remixes. The rapper Nas appears on a remix of Freedom Jazz Dance, and Santana performs on It’s About That Time. Believe it or not, Nas is the better pick. Santana’s lines sounds forced and more of a marketing scheme then a musical choice.

Finally there are two short remixes of Honky Tonk and Black Satin. If any songs ever, these don’t need remixing. They’re pure groove. Honky Tonk of course comes from Get Up With It and Black Satin from the legendary On The Corner. The Honky Tonk remix adds a new drum beat and some atmospheric whole notes on bass. Also added is a long distorted guitar solo. Black Satin starts with the same intro and moves to a more rock-ish version with plenty of synthesizer and distortion.

All in all, it’s not a bad album, but it certainly could use work. Luckily it only cost me $2 at the Princeton Record Exchange (PREX, an amazing place btw). So for the price, it wasn’t a bad buy.

Finally on my list is Kid Koala. Koala is a turntablist signed with Ninja Tune records. He frequently incorporates jazz into his work, notably covering Basin Street Blues. So take a listen. Anyways, the reason I put him on here is because he does an absolutely beautiful version of Moon River that puts me in tears. Have a listen: (editor’s note: Video down. Feel free to search on YouTube)

I’ve decided to do a review of a great afro-cuban album, Percussion Bitter Sweet by Max Roach.

Personnel:

Booker Little, trumpet
Julian Prester, trombone
Eric Dolphy, alto sax, bass clarinet, flute
Clifford Jordan, tenor sax
Mal Waldron, piano
Art Davis, bass
Max Roach, drums
Abbey Lincoln, vocals
Carlos “Patato” Valdes & Carlos “Totico” Eugenio, percussion

This album has been labeled as one of the “best of his [Max Roach's] productive career.” I have to agree. The afro cuban arrangements are beautiful and there couldn’t be a better choice then Abbey Lincoln for the two vocals.

The first track is my favorite and one of Miss Lincoln’s vocals. Garvey’s Ghost
has an 4 bar percussion intro where the three of them weave three separate layers of 6/8 rhythm before the rest of the band comes in playing a simple melody in a complex harmony. Abbey Lincoln sings a voice of the harmony in a wordless vocal, moving to a more opera-type voice for the B section. The solos are well-delievered and to the point, but the real feature is a spacious drum solo by Roach.

Mama  is a small-big-band number somewhere between Duke Ellington and Birth of the Cool.

Tender Warriors  is a slow swing with an afro-cuban feel featuring Dolphy on flute. Roach and the percussionists switch between several different timekeeping devices and interact nicely during the solo. There’s a pretty avant solo from Dolphy at the end as well, this time on bass clarinet, i believe…

Praise for a Martyr  is another swing tune with a strange, Mingus-esque melody featuring haunting and deep harmonies.

Mendacity  is the ballad/blues of the tune. Very soulful with a vocal from Lincoln.

To close the disc, Man from South Africa  is a 7/8 afro cuban beginning with scary, suspense-building harmonies from the horns, before the already bubbling bassline takes over into a fun, bouncy latin. First we hear a great solo from Julian Prester which is complemented by steady walking by Art Davis and driving, repetitive comping from Waldron. Next is Dolphy on Alto. Then the band returns with a nicer melody, a blues structure with the same time and bouncy bassline.

Overall, this is a great, creative disc and is a lot of fun for anyone who like any of the musicians on the disc and/or afro-cuban grooves.

Lots of fun! Go take a listen, and buy it!