Zoot Sims - Suddenly It's Spring (Pablo, 1983)

This post is by Dan

Zoot Sims (ts, ss); Jimmy Rowles (p); George Mraz (b); Akira Tana (d)

Recorded May 26, 1983

During the 1970s and 1980s, Zoot Sims recorded a series of near-perfect albums for the Pablo label. Following 25 years packed with recordings with an A-list of jazz musicians, Sims debuted for Pablo with the wonderful Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers in 1975. This was followed by several albums using a quartet format, notably Warm Tenor and If I'm Lucky. His final Pablo albums, Suddenly It's Spring (1983) and Quietly There (1984) sustain the high quality of the sequence and serve as an object lesson on the state of the art in straight-ahead, tenor-led quartets. 

Suddenly It's Spring is pure butter. Scott's praise for Stan Getz's Blue Skies album fits this one just as well. Call it "old-timey" or "inside" jazz if you want, it is high art played by a master. It's definitely not evidence of the so-called resurgence of traditional jazz in the 80s. These cats were blowing in the same style through most of the 70s too. 

Sims plays soprano sax on the first track and tenor on all the others. He sounds exactly like Zoot Sims on both horns. The longest track, "I Can't Get Started," is a lovely ballad that affords the best insight into the group chemistry. Once again, the contributions of George Mraz on bass are sublime. "In the Middle of a Kiss" is reprised from an earlier album, Zoot at Ease (Famous Door, 1973). It's a great vehicle for displaying the lyrical talents of the leader. There's nothing experimental about any of the tracks, just choice material played by a choice quartet. 

Kenny Barron - Green Chimneys (Criss Cross, 1983)

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Kenny Barron (p); Buster Williams (b); Ben Riley (d)

Recorded July 9, 1983

Kenny Barron's recording career now spans almost 50 years. During that time, he has led approximately 100 albums and appeared on over 100 others. One could argue that he is the dominant figure on the keyboards for the last half century, but the point of a favorites blog is not to proclaim who is best. There are simply too many excellent jazz artists, many of them pianists, to waste time trying to declare a winner. Contrived rivalries do not advance the state of jazz art. We'd rather write about our 300+ favorites as part of an appreciation fest rather than a competition.

Green Chimneys is an album not solely devoted to Thelonious Monk's tunes, although Monk is covered on two numbers, the title track and "Straight No Chaser." Barron would later concentrate on Monk with his group Sphere. The other tunes on Green Chimneys are all standards. I've always liked Barron's approach to standards. He's one of a handful of favorite pianists who always make sense with even the most familiar material. Another "no wrong notes" guy, in my opinion. The communication among the trio is palpable, each listening to the others and complementing what they hear. 

Barron's prowess at the keyboard is revealed throughout, but special mention needs to be made of "There Is No Greater Love." At 11:42, it's clearly the longest number on the album, which might lead you to expect some filler or overlong solos by each member of the trio. That's not the case. Instead, we hear Barron reel off chorus after chorus of sparkling ideas, never repeating himself or losing forward momentum. Yes, there is an excellent solo from Williams, but Barron owns this song from beginning to end. It's quite remarkable!

This is another early Criss Cross release recorded in the Netherlands and released on vinyl just as digital music was gaining traction. A CD version released in 1988 contains three bonus tracks, including Barron's "Morning Blues" and a second take of "Time Was." See the tray card image. For me, bonus tracks are usually a distraction, but I realize that many people see them as value added.

The CD is marked ADD, meaning that the original analogue was digitally mixed before transfer to disc. I don't hear any audible reason to remaster the tapes that the vinyl was pressed from. Recording engineer Max Bolleman appears to have gotten everything right the first time, especially Williams' highly individual bass sound.

While my personal choice is the original analogue vinyl, Green Chimneys in either analogue or digital format is clearly a favorite album of the decade. 

Wadada Leo Smith - Procession of the Great Ancestry (Chief/Nessa, 1989)

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Wadada Leo Smith (t, flhn, kmba; vo); Bobby Naughton (vib); Joe Fonda (b); Kahil El Zabar (d, blfn; kmba, perc); Louis Myers (el. g on 2 tracks only); Mchaka Uba (el. b on 2 tracks only); John Powell (ts on "Nuru Light: The Prince of Peace")

Recorded February 28, 1983

Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith was known simply as Leo Smith before his conversion to Rastafarianism. Although he continues to record, write, and teach in his 80s, I find his work in the late 1970s and early 1980s to be not only immensely enjoyable to hear but also crucial to the development of jazz beyond bebop and fusion. The music still communicates directly and is a great representation of what is sometimes now called "spiritual jazz."  

Procession of the Great Ancestry captures Smith simultaneously looking ahead and backward. Five of the seven compositions are dedications to the ancestors: Miles Davis, Booker Little, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, and Martin Luther King. These tributes tend to be long forms built loosely around thematic material in which Smith's trumpet converses with Kahil El Zabar's percussion (including kalimba), Bobby Naughton's vibes, and Joe Fonda's arco bass. Two shorter pieces, "Blues: Jah Jah is the Perfect Love" and "Who Killed David Walker?" are vocals by Smith and include electric guitar and bass. These are brief departures from the overall mood of the album. 

Procession was recorded in Chicago, then sat in the can for six years before it was released on Chief Records in the UK. Twenty years later, it was reissued on CD on the Nessa label in the U.S. The original Chief cover art is the photo of the trumpeter in the studio; the reissue cover (below) sends a different vibe. Producer Chuck Nessa was responsible for the original recording and both of the CD releases. 

Two other albums by Smith in this same period are also favorites of mine. Both Divine Love (ECM, 1979) and Spirit Catcher (Nessa, 1979) include long-form pieces while focusing less on backward glances toward tradition. These albums opened up many possibilities for both composition and improvisation, particularly the use of space and mystical sounding tonalities rather than rapid-fire soloing that characterizes much bebop. The effect is indeed spiritual, however you chose to define that term.

John Lewis - Kansas City Breaks (Finesse/Red Baron, 1982)

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John Lewis (p, arr); Frank Wess (fl); Joe Kennedy, Jr. (vn); Howard Collins (g); Marc Johnson (b); Shelly Manne (d)

Recorded on May 05, 1982

Dan Morganstern authored the liner notes to Kansas City Breaks, and he wastes no time in referring to the album a "landmark."  And I don't think it's an example of liner note boosterism—because I completely agree with him.  

What's strange is that no one seems to talk about the album as an important milestone in Lewis' discography.  I picked up the LP for a couple dollars a few years ago.  After just one listen, I knew that I'd stumbled on something special.  It was shocking.  I kept asking myself, "Why isn't this album regarded as a masterpiece?"  

I think it's a masterpiece because everything works spectacularly well: the band, the compositions, the arrangements, the solos.  And the music swings so hard!

From this listener's perspective, Kansas City Breaks is among a handful of the finest albums that John Lewis ever made—including his work with the MJQ.  It's that good.

More by John Lewis

Aside from Kansas City Breaks, my favorite solo John Lewis album from the 1980s is Midnight in Paris (EmArcy/Nippon Phonogram, 1989).  It features another superb band with guitarist Christian Escoudé, bassists Pierre Michelot or Michel Gaudry, drummer Daniel Humair, and (on three of the album's seven cuts) Lewis' son Sasha on alto saxophone.

Bobby Hutcherson - Farewell Keystone (Theresa/Evidence, 1988)

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Bobby Hutcherson (vib); Oscar Brashear (tr); Harold Land (ts); Cedar Walton (p); Buster Williams (b); Billy Higgins (d)

Recorded on July 10-11, 1982

Before the Keystone Corner closed in 1983, Bobby Hutcherson performed regularly at the San Francisco nightclub.  So the title of this album is a fitting memorial.  It's just one of the many outstanding recordings that were made there.  As Rahsaan Roland Kirk said, the club was the home of many "bright moments."

Farewell Keystone captures Hutcherson playing with his characteristic warmth and soulfulness, supported by an amazing band.  

It's no surprise that the group sounds so perfectly balanced.  They weren't a pick-up band; they were a unit that worked together regularly.  Just a few months earlier, Hutcherson, Land, Walton, Williams, and Higgins—with Curtis Fuller instead of Oscar Brashear—performed at the Keystone as the Timeless All Stars.  During their April 1982 gig, they made their first album, It's Timeless (Timeless, 1984).  

You can expect to read more about The Timeless All Stars later in the survey.

Bob Moses - When Elephants Dream of Music (Gramavision, 1983)

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Bob Moses [Rahboat Ntumba Moses] (dr, vo, perc); Chris Rogers (tr); Terumasa Hino (cor); David Gross (as); Jim Pepper (ts); Doc Halliday (ts, ss); Barry Rogers (tb, b tb); Jeremy Steig (b fl, 1 trk only); Howard Johnson (tu, cl); Bill Frisell (g); David Friedman (vib, mar); Lyle Mays (synth); Michael Formanek (b); Steve Swallow (el b); Paul Socolow (el b, 1 trk only); Bob Weiner (d, 1 trk only); Aiyb Dieng (perc); Joe Bonadio (perc); Naná Vasconcelos (perc, vo); Bemshi Shearer (vo); Jahnet Levatin (vo); Jeanne Lee (vo); Marion Cowings (vo); Paula Potocki (vo); Sheila Jordan (vo); Toni Wilson (vo)

Recorded on April 11-12, 1982

Bob Moses was aiming high when he made When Elephants Dream of Music.  Just look at the size of that ensemble.  Clearly, this is no blowing session.  It's not even a typical big band date.  What it is is an incredible assemblage of creative musicians who make some incredible, creative music.  It's a flowing, dream-like sonic collage that's unlike anything I've ever heard before.

At the beginning of this project, when I was compiling a list of albums to include in our survey, I immediately added When Elephants Dream of Music to my list.  I didn't need to deliberate.  It was a no-brainer.  This evocative, uncategorizable music deserves to be heard by far more listeners. 

Johnny Coles - New Morning (Criss Cross, 1982)

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Johnny Coles (flhn); Horace Parlan (p); Reggie Johnson (b); Billy Hart (d) 

Recorded December 19, 1982

Johnny Coles was one of the premier jazz trumpet players of the 1960s, although he only led a handful of recordings under his own name. As a sideman, he made enormous contributions to the groups of Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Charles Mingus, James Moody, and Duke Pearson. His 1963 Blue Note album, Little Johnny C, is an enduring classic, and his earlier album for Epic, The Warm Sound of Johnny Coles, is equally good. The titles of his early albums draw attention to Coles' physical stature and his approach to playing brass. He was a small man with a captivatingly human sound. 

That sound is rendered beautifully on New Morning, on which Coles plays open fluegelhorn exclusively. The program consists of three tunes by Coles, and one each by Wayne Shorter ("United"), Charles Mingus ("Sound of Love"), and Charles Davis ("Super 80"). Solo space is distributed democratically, as each member of the quartet gets multiple opportunities in the spotlight. Indeed, on the final number, "I Don't Know Yet," Coles lays out for almost the entire song, only taking the final solo and closing melody. Coles and Billy Hart "trade fours" on several tunes, and Horace Parlan and Reggie Johnson both take several solos. 

Like a lot of great jazz, the appeal of this album comes from the group interplay. Hart is perhaps the key member of the group; he keeps everything moving from the opening bars of "Super 80." Johnson fulfills the same role on "New Morning," an interesting tune introduced by gongs and a pianistic alarm clock, followed by a strong melodic statement by Coles, who composed the tune. 

Criss Cross deserves credit for granting Coles a recording opportunity in the 1980s, and he delivers a winner with New Morning. 

Rare Silk - New Weave (Polydor, 1983)

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Gaile Gillaspie (vo); Marguerite Juenemann (vo); Marylynn Gillaspie (vo); Todd Buffa (vo); Eric Gunnison (kyb); Kim Stone (b); Michael Berry (b); Randy Brecker (tr); Michael Brecker (ts); Ronnie Cuber (bs); Lawrence Feldman (as); Dave Charles (perc, vib); Barry Wedgle (g); Gary Bartz (as); Bruce Forman (g)

Recorded 1983

I've always enjoyed the genre of vocalese, in which jazz singers execute lyrics and wordless vocals as part of a larger jazz group. Lambert, Hendricks and Ross made an early impression on me with their hip vocals and harmonic sophistication. They were preceeded by somewhat "squarer" vocal groups such as the Four Freshmen and The Hi-Los.  Probably the closest comparisons to Rare Silk's approach to vocalese would be Manhattan Transfer and New York Voices. The Transfer had the most commercial success with 28 album releases between 1971 and 2018, albeit in different incarnations. 

Rare Silk was formed in 1978 and released only three albums before disbanding in 1988. New Weave was their first, and a friend recommended it to me soon after its release. It remains my "go to" vocalese recording, notwithstanding my admiration for Lambert Hendricks and Ross. 

Rare Weave boasts a band of great jazz players, including the Brecker brothers, Bruce Forman, and Gary Bartz. It also introduces some songs that I've not heard played by anyone else. For instance, "Happying," penned by Joseph "Flip" Nuñez, is a joy all the way through. It appeared once before on Nuñez's 1976 album, My Own Time and Space. A couple of rare Richie Cole songs ("D.C. Farewell" and "New York Afternoon") also receive magnificent treatment by the Silk. More familiar songs are given unique arrangements, such as Stanley Turrentine's "Sugar," Chick Corea's "Spain," and Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay." Even Billy Strayhorn's warhorse, "Lush Life," is given new life through the beautiful vocal arrangements.

This record always puts me in a good mood. The voices blend gorgeously and complement the band perfectly. There's not much more to say except "go find it!"

Jimmy Raney - The Master (Criss Cross, 1983)

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Jimmy Raney (g); Kirk Lightsey (p); Jesper Lundgaard (b); Eddie Gladden (d)

Recorded February 16, 1983

Jimmy Raney was 56 when he recorded the aptly titled The Master for the Criss Cross label. His Criss Cross debut, Raney '81, and the later Wistaria (Criss Cross, 1985) are also wonderful records from one of the most influential guitarists in jazz.  

The program on The Master is a set of showtunes and jazz standards. Besides Raney, pianist Kirk Lightsey is the other primary soloist on the date. Without new compositions to learn, they devour the program with a delight that is impossible to conceal. Three up-tempo numbers ("The Song Is You," Its' Allright with Me," and "Just One of Those Things") are taken at a bewildering pace that aspiring jazz guitarists might only dream of. 

But it's not all about speed. Chris Sheridan, who wrote the liner notes for The Master, explains Raney's style best as "...marked by long, lissome lines, supple and shapely, their rhythmic force a trifle understated but nonetheless profound. They are plumply melodic, seldom employing chords, but punctuated by rests that are always perfectly placed." Raney's tone is unmistakable and tells much of the story of modern jazz guitar. His tone and rhythmic force find their way into the fingers and fretboards of contemporary players like Peter Bernstein and John Scofield, as well as legends like Grant Green. 

The opening bars of "The Song Is You" is an immediate reminder of Raney's historic importance as well as a killer way to open an album. The tone is on clear display, shining over the driving rhythm. The opening track is followed by perhaps the most ingenious arrangement on the album, Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce." The melody statement begins as a unison duet by Raney and Lightsey, followed by a harmonized duet, then a three-part harmony statement adding Jesper Lundgaard. Raney then launches into a groovy solo, followed by Lightsey who stays in the groove. Lundgaard's solo turns into another group discussion, after which the harmonized version of the melody is restated. Cool stuff!

The Master is an easy choice as a favorite, not only from the 1980s but also in the entire history of jazz.