Maynard Ferguson - Primal Scream

Maynard Ferguson's Primal Scream is the work of a bad M.F.

Maynard Ferguson - Primal Scream
Columbia, 1976

I'll buy anything that has Bob James name on it, and that's how I ended up with this record. I have to say that I feel as if I will never run out of Bob James records to buy. He easily could have been the hardest working musician of the 70s. The only person I can think of that holds a candle to Bob James is Ron Carter. These two men were on every album made in the 70s.

Bob James produced this album. It has that great 70s Bob James feel, and it features the cast of musical characters you would expect to see on an album produced by Bob James.

Eric Gale, Ralph MacDonald, Gary King, Steve Gadd. Chick Corea makes an appearance on a track titled "Cheshire Cat".

A notable track is "Pagliacci" which Ferguson performed at the closing ceremonies of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.


When I bought this album, my good friend Dale Hamlin was in town for a visit. He pointed out this pretty funny section on the back of the album jacket.

 Now, I believe what is going on here is that Ferguson used his own initials to signify that the instruments were from his own design. However, hilarity ensued when Dale read the section as, "Maynard Ferguson plays a Mutha' Fuckin' Horn Trumpet..." Funny. As. Hell.

I hope there was a bit of intentional double entendre written into the way that was worded.

If you need some music to keep you going, may I suggest my Mixcloud mix, "Big Love" - a mixture of funk, soul, Latin jazz, Brazilian, and a little bit of deep house thrown in for good measure.

Mixtape: Jazzcat - Falling Leaves

Falling leaves, crisp air - something about Autumn just says jazz. 

Right after I posted "For Ears With Hearts" to Mixcloud, Jazzcat's "Falling Leaves" showed up in my timeline. He had posted it just a couple of days earlier.

There was comfort in knowing that I wasn't the only one who was motivated by the changing of the seasons to do a chillout jazz mix. And when it's coming from Jazzcat, you know it's going to be good. The guy is a master selector.

I suggest you put on your headphones and go for a walk in a park while this one plays. Make sure you wear a scarf loosely looped around your neck. Take in the colors of the trees. Reflect on what the year has brought you. Imagine what new adventures will come. Think of all the special people in your life. Wonder who you will meet next. This is what this mix and Mother Nature inspires around this time of year.

If the hiking through the park isn't really your thing, then light a fire in the fireplace (or candles if that works better), dim the lights, and pour the wine.

Enjoy.

Autumn In New York (Part One) - Arthur Blythe
'Tis Autumn – The Maynard Ferguson Orchestra
Portrait of Jeannie – Blue Mitchell
Dolphin Dance – Herbie Hancock
Dahomey Dance – John Coletrane
Chant - Donald Byrd
These Are Soulful Days – Lee Morgan
Nica's Dream – The Horace Silver Quintet
Speak No Evil – Wayne Shorter

Mixtape: Roger Riddle - For Ears With Hearts

Sometimes you just need some jazz to chill out to, "For Ears With Hearts" delivers.

"For Ears with Hearts" has been a long time coming. I had some of these songs on the back burner for a long time. I think I first came to know Beth Gibbons' "Romance" 10 years ago, and was never able to work in into a mix until now.

Sly 5th Ave's instrumental cover of Kendrick Lamar's "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" was one of those songs I just kept going back to for a listen. The problem was there was a long time when the song was only available for streaming. One day recently, I went back to the site for a listen and realized not only could I buy a download, it was available on a 7" inch single. I felt that after waiting so long to get my hands on it, it was going to be worth it to have that physical copy on my self to pull out an wow someone one day.

And that sparked the mix. Once I had Sly 5th Ave's track quickly other ideas popped into my head. 

The Esbjörn Svensson Trio's "Somewhere Else Before" is this incredible track that pops up in my life to soothe things just when I need it most. Danger Mouse and Daniel Lupi's ode to Ennio Morricone in the "Theme of Rome" fits so nicely. 

Then there are the oddball choices that aren't jazz but somehow get the vibe just right. Submotion Orchestra's "All Yours" was another track that I have long loved but could never work it into a mix. It found a home here. Zero 7's "Throw It All Away" is a remix that nod's its head to the work of J Dilla. Still, it works here.

And speaking of Zero 7, Ira Sullivan's "Kingdom Within You" could easily be mistaken for some rare Zero 7 song. However, it was produced in 1980 as part of his Strings Attached album.

I could go on an on about each song in this mix. Badbadnotgood's "Time Moves Slowly" featuring the STELLAR voice of Samuel T Herring (Who is this guy? How have I missed out on him all this time?) is just one of the great tracks from their new album. A since I am waxing poetic about voices, Melanie De Biasio and Michael Kiwanuka definitely deserve praise.

Every song is good. Just give it a listen. The track list is after the jump.

Sly5thave & The Clubcasa Chamber Orchestra - Don’t Kill My Vibe
José James - Heaven On The Ground (feat. Emily King)
Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Somewhere Else Before
Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Theme Of ''Rome''
Melanie De Biasio - Sweet Darling Pain
Zero 7 - Throw It All Away [Tribute to Dilla remix by Demus]
Badbadnotgood - Time Moves Slowly (feat. Samuel T. Herring)
Submotion Orchestra - All Yours
Michael Kiwanuka - Place I Belong
Bob Cunningham - Lover's Theme
Curtis Mayfield - The Makings Of You
Ira Sullivan - The Kingdom Within You
Soil & "Pimp" Sessions - MO' BETTER BLUES
Gilles Peterson’s Havana Cultura Band - La Rumba Experimental (Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix)
Beth Gibbons - Romance
Jazzanova - Dial A Cliché

Mixtape: Adam Kvasnica - Groovy Soundtracks

Adam Kvasnica is dope. The guy knows his music, especially jazz.

Once I got heavy into posting on Mixcloud, I ran across him because he selects songs that I like to listen to. His ability to pick out songs with the same feel and lay them out in a way that flows so easily from one to the next is uncanny.

Kvasnica is a lawyer by trade and he lives in Piestany, Slovakia. His passion is music. He is one of those guys who loves to listen and share.

It is always worth your time to hit listen on one of his mixes. This "Groovy Soundtrack" mix is no exception. I've tried my hand at doing mixes that have that soundtrack feel and have not gotten anywhere near as good as this one.

So sit back and enjoy.

Groovy Soundtracks by Adam Kvasnica on Mixcloud

The Anti-Nazi Teen Gang that Beat Up Hitler Youth and Danced to Jazz

If you are a fan of music (and I assume you are if you somehow landed here at my blog), and particularly jazz, no doubt you have run across stories of a counterculture of jazz loving young people that formed in Nazi Germany.

Like young people all over the world, these German youth fell in love with the sounds that began in New Orleans, and they wanted to listen to it, play it, and dance to it. Rules be damn!

MessyNessy over at messynessychic.com shared a great post that tells their story - complete with incredible pictures.

If you have ever wondered why the people of Germany didn't stand up and fight back, these young badasses did. They broke all the rules, hanging out in the mixed company of boys and girls, listening to banded music, and even taking delight in beating up their mainstream counterparts, the Hitler Youth.

Here's an excerpt of MessyNessy's post:

"A band of adolescent music-lovers, swing dancers and snappy dressers– not exactly the type you’d expect to take on the Nazi Hitler Youth. But in pre-WWII Germany, the Nazi regimentation of society inadvertently gave rise to massive teenage street gangs who beat up the Hitler Youth, tagged anti-Nazi graffiti at train stations– and listened to jazz.
Aged 12 to 17, these non-conforming youths were usually referred to as Edelweiss Pirates by the Gestapo, an anti-authoritarian subculture of kids rebelling against the system– in this case, the Nazi regime.

When membership of the Hitler Youth became mandatory in 1936, thousands of youths, particularly from Cologne and of working class families, wanted no part in it. The strict paramilitary and gender segregated organisation didn’t exactly fit in with their teenage lifestyle of hanging out on street corners, listening to jazz and swing music and flirting with the opposite sex.
Jazz music was considered “degenerate music” by Nazi ideology, because it was often performed by black and Jewish musicians and promoted free love."

For the rest of the post, and more pictures and stories of these cool jazz loving kids, go to: http://www.messynessychic.com/2015/10/29/the-anti-nazi-teen-gang-that-beat-up-hitler-youth-and-danced-to-jazz/

Record Collecting: Hank Crawford - Wildflower

Hank Crawford - Wildflower
Kudu, 1973
Produced by Creed Taylor
Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder
Arranged and Conducted by Bob James
Features Bob Cranshaw, Idris Muhammad, Joe Beck, and Ralph MacDonald.

I learned early on in my record collecting to buy anything with Creed Taylor's signature on it. I was thinking today about the magnitude of the role Taylor played in music. I wonder if there is a book on him. I wish Gilles Peterson would do a show dedicated to his music.

This album is some straight up cool 70s shit. It makes you want to start saying stuff like, "What's happening, slick?" and "My man! Everything is copacetic." You gotta walk with some rhythm when music like this is playing.

It opens with an instrumental cover of "Corazon", my favorite Carole King song. (Continuing my habit of reviewing other albums inside of the reviews I am writing: Carole King's album, Fantasy, is incredible and often overlooked. It features Harvey Mason and Tom Scott.) The album keeps getting better from there. The B-side starts with a 9 minute + cover of Stevie Wonder's "You've Got It Bad Girl". Totally worth picking up if you run across it.

Fuzati - Jazz mix on Gilles Peterson's "World Wide"

Fuzati - Jazz mix on Gilles Peterson's "World Wide"

Fuzati is a Hip-Hop MC from Versailles, France. He's a co-founder of Klub des Loosers and a dedicated crate digger who happens to have an insatiable taste for rare Jazz. He dropped a mix of his Jazz selections on Gilles Peterson's "World Wide" radio show.

So sit back, relax, pour yourself a drink, and enjoy.

Record Collecting: Donald Byrd - Step High

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Donald Byrd - Step High
UpFront, 1976 (?)
Producer unknown

Features Bunky Green, Winton Kelly, Johnny Coles, Duke Pearson, Waler Perkins, and Bob Cranshaw

Not a whole lot of information on this album. I was confused by the fact that most of the info I could find said the album was released in 1976 but it sounded like Hard Bop era Byrd. What gives? By '76 he had already released Black Byrd, Street Lady, Stepping Into Tomorrow, and Places and Spaces, which all had his trademarked funky fusion sound. How did this album exist during that time sounding like something he would have done from the early 60s?

Well from what I could gather when Vee-Jay records filed for bankruptcy in 1966 they began licensing the rights to some of their masters. Springboard International bought some and released this material under a subsidiary label, UpFront. Think about it. Byrd had released four hit albums with this new sound he created. Black Byrd is Blue Note's biggest selling album of all time. Springboard International had some masters that featured Donald Byrd - probably hired as a side man for the session (the last song on the album is a piano solo. Byrd doesn't even play.) - so they slap his name on it and release an album during his peak. I bet many of the people who bought this were disappointed. But I like it. I happen to like both the bop and the fusion Donald Byrd.

Record Shopping: Return To Forever - Romantic Warrior

Return To Forever was Chick Corea's Jazz Fusion group.

After Corea played on Miles Davis's ground breaking fusion albums, In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew, he formed Avant-Garde Jazz group, Circle.

He disbanded Circle after he became a member of the Church of Scientology and wanted to use his music to promote the religion and reach a wider audience.

Corea then formed Return To Forever as a Fusion band and in 1972 they released their debut self titled album with a line up of Floria Purim, Airto Moreira, Joe Farrell, and Stanley Clark.

By 1976 the line up of the band hand changed a few times, with the only constants being Chick Corea and bassist Stanley Clarke. The current roster was Corea and Clarke with Al Di Meola and Lenny White.

They released Romantic Warrior that year on Columbia Records. It went on to be Return To Forever's best selling album, as it went certified gold.

Corea wrote the album's opening, "Medieval Overture" as well as two longer pieces that closed out each side of the album. The other members contributed one song each.

As to be expected from a lineup like this one, the playing is superb. Chick Corea and Al Di Meola really stand out.

My purchase price was $5 in very good condition.
My favorite track is the title track, "Romantic Warrior".
A couple of tracks get to be to progressive/smooth jazz style for my tastes but fans of that style will find this album quite a treat. There is plenty to like here for fusion and funk fans. Stanley Clarke's bass never lets you down if you are a fan of the low end.