The Pentagon

barabara sounds sez:  

Straightahead down-the-line jazziness from this not-quite-supergroup which came together to record in Japan back in 1976. Not the most challenging or progressive side ever issued by the East Wind label, but still well deserving of several listens. As before, this one has seen the light of day a couple of times before in the blogosphere — but there's never any harm is spreading the good stuff around some more. [And yes, it's nothing to do with the US military…]

dusty sez: 

Pretty soulful stuff – and a unique one-off group that features Cedar Walton, Clifford Jordan, Sam Jones, Billy Higgins, and Ray Mantilla – the first four of whom had played together often at the time, and who receive some nice added percussive support from Mantilla for the set! Tunes have a laidback grooving stye – mostly soulbop with some slight Latin touches…

scott (all music) yawno sez:

Originally released by the Japanese East Wind label and made available briefly domestically on an LP from the defunct Inner CIty label, this quartet outing features pianist Cedar Walton, the underrated tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Billy Higgins; Ray Mantilla adds his congas to three of the six selections. The group performs fresh versions of five jazz standards (including "Manteca," Kenny Dorham's "Una Mas," and Lester Young's D.B. Blues") plus Jordan's "He Is a Hero." Superior to Walton's RCA recordings of this period and his upcoming output for Columbia, this obscure effort finds all of the musicians playing up to their usual level of creativity.

Pharoah Sanders - Journey to the One + Rejoice

barabara sounds sez:

The great great Ferrell just finished the second of a two-night stand here. So, in honor and awe, here's a couple of his finest mid-period sides on the Theresa label. Rejoice is of course a bonafide barabara classic – just look and marvel at the outstanding line-up of musicians he has with him here – and without question cause for outright exultation.

As for Journey to the One, it's a bit of a cosmic cocktail of textures – from spiritual-jazz anthems and all-out trademark Pharoa-nics to ballads, and using koto, sitar, synths and more – but there are plenty of special moments here, not least the stately magnificent Bedria that closes out side 4. One of my favorites, in fact...

dusty sez (on Rejoice):

Fantastic 80s work from Pharoah Sanders – with a vibe that's a perfect extension of his classic work for the Impulse label! The album has Pharoah working with an amazing group – Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, John Hicks and Joe Bonner on piano, Art Davis on bass, and either Elvin Jones or Billy Higgins on drums. The sound is remarkably fresh – soaring and spiritual, but also more focused than in earlier years, with a great amount of soulful warmth. And although extra elements are added – like vocals, vibes, and added percussion – Pharoah's solos still dominate the whole album beautifully.  

amg (Scott Yanow) sez (on Journey):

…all ten of Pharoah Sanders's performances from the sessions. As usual, Sanders shifts between spiritual peace and violent outbursts in his tenor solos. The backup group changes from track to track but often includes pianist John Hicks, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Idris Muhammad. Sanders really recalls his former boss John Coltrane on "After the Rain" (taken as a duet with pianist Joe Bonner) and a romantic "Easy to Remember"; other highpoints include "You've Got to Have Freedom" (which has Bobby McFerrin as one of the background singers) and the exotic "Kazuko" on which Sanders is accompanied by koto, harmonium and wind chimes.

Ornette Coleman Double Quartet- Free Jazz

barabara sounds sez:

One of those albums that have iconic status but few people have actually listened to much. Ornette from 1961 in full flight, with a double crew of kindred spirits on board, including Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry and Freddie Hubbard. Obviously this is not easy listening music. But nor is it 'diffficult'. It demands your attention — and rewards you for it. No hesitation here: it's a classic.

Dusty sez:

The title gets it right — as the album's easily the closest thing to free jazz that Ornette Coleman ever recorded — an album-length improvisation played by a "double quartet" that's overflowing with classic players! The style here is a fair bit like John Coltrane's Ascension album for Impulse — and like that one, the session features Ornette and his contemporaries really stretching out — blowing like never heard before on record, and working in a highly unstructured setting! Other players include Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Scott LaFaro on bass -- alongside regular group members Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and both Ed Blackwell and Billy Higgins on drums. One long track -- just titled "Free Jazz"!

Wiki sez:

The original release embodied a painting by Jackson Pollock on the front of the cover, and its title gave the name for the whole free jazz movement. It involves two separate quartets, one to each stereo channel; the rhythm sections play simultaneously, and though there is a succession of solos as is usual in jazz, they are peppered with freeform commentaries by the other horns that often turn into full-scale collective improvisation. The pre-composed material is a series of brief, dissonant fanfares for the horns which serve as interludes between solos. Not least among the album's achievements was that it was the first LP-length improvisation, nearly forty minutes in length, which was unheard of at the time.

Track listing

1. "Free Jazz" (37:10); 2. "First Take" (17:02)

Personnel

Left channel: Ornette Coleman alto sax; Don Cherry pocket trumpet; Scott LaFaro bass; Billy Higgins drums

Right channel: Eric Dolphy bass clarinet; Freddie Hubbard trumpet; Charlie Haden bass; Ed Blackwell drums

And this is the Jackson Pollock painting that apparently inspired it all:

Jackie McLean - New And Old Gospel

barabara sounds sez:

It's been a while since I listened to this, and it sounds just as good as ever to my ears. It's experimental sure — Ornette on trumpet still seems pretty left-field — and a long long way from what McLean was doing on Blue Note just a few years earlier. But it's also a great listen. You've just got to love the way side 2 starts in with Ornette's righteous bluesy Old Gospel (an Amazon reviewer calls it a "pentecostal groover" — can't improve on that). Actually, over in Chateau Barabara, this is a 'must listen'.

allaboutjazz sez:

Although he could be easy classified as a died in the wool bebopper, saxophonist Jackie McLean loved to shake things up, which he regularly did through a disparate set of Blue Note dates that span the mid 1950s to the late 1960s. New And Old Gospel is considered to be one of his more controversial sets, pairing him with Ornette Coleman, here playing trumpet. What might have been intriguing would have been to hear Coleman on alto saxophone alongside McLean, for he plays the trumpet with limited proficiency. Still, there's a sense of urgency that makes this set well worth some close listening. Most interesting are Coleman's two pieces, which originally took up the second side of an LP. Old Gospel comes from a down home and soulful point of view that does indeed mix new and old sensibilities for an intriguing new hybrid, stoked by the chameleon-like drumming of Billy Higgins. Not McLean's best effort in the new vernacular, but still a damn fine listen.

Personnel:

Jackie McLean alto sax; Ornette Coleman trumpet; Lamont Johnson piano; Scott Holt bass; Billy Higgins drums