Scott Hamilton - Plays Ballads (Concord, 1989)

This post is by Dan

Scott Hamilton (ts); John Bunch (p); Chris Flory (g); Phil Flanigan (b); Chuck Riggs (d)

Recorded March, 1989

Scott Hamilton's arrival on the jazz scene in the mid 1970s sparked a controversy. Playing in a retro smooth swing style along with Warren Vaché and veterans like Ruby Braff, Hamilton was labeled a "young fogey," clearly out of touch with "modern" jazz. Sadly, the controversy detracted from the artistry of the young tenorist. He was, from the very beginning, an adept player with chops and a skilled interpreter of jazz standards. He was definitely "marketable," which caused further resentment from artists and critics who seemed to imply that jazz musicians needed to pay their dues before reaping the rewards of popularity.

Such responses would be hard to understand even ten years later when Scott Hamilton Plays Ballads was released. By then, the return to tradition was considered acceptable. Although Wynton Marsalis is credited with jazz's 1980s "resurgence," Hamilton was also reaching even further back in the tradition. We now understand jazz of the 80s as postmodern, so why not add swing to the multiple co-existing styles? 

Albums like Plays Ballads show that substance can triumph over style if you care to listen closely. It's a beautiful album, reminiscent of the tradition of ballad albums popular 30 years earlier. Hamilton plays with his heart on his sleeve throughout, while the rhythm players lay an elegant foundation. Occasional solos (e.g., John Bunch's piano on "Round Midnight" and Chris Flory's guitar on "Dream Dancing") lend some variety to the session. The Latin numbers ("Dream Dancing" and "A Beautiful Friendship") keep the session lively. All of these tunes may be ballads but none of them are soporific. 

The CD version includes three more ballads: "Laura," Embraceable You," and "Body and Soul." The editors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz, who chose Plays Ballads as one of their all-time favorites, write that these bonus tracks "are the outstanding performances on the record." Sounds like a good reason to look for a digital version. 

In any format, Scott Hamilton Plays Ballads is immensely enjoyable. I consider it to be Hamilton's best record.

Geri Allen, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian - In the Year of the Dragon (JMT/Winter & Winter, 1989)

This post is by Scott and Dan

Geri Allen (p); Charlie Haden (b); Paul Motian (d)

Recorded March, 1989

As previous posts reveal, Geri Allen was one of the leading young pianists to enter the jazz world during the 1980s. In the Year of the Dragon finds her in the familiar company of Charlie Haden and Paul Motian, the same trio who recorded Etudes that we reviewed earlier in this blog. The program is varied, and each track contributes to a tremendous album. 

Bud Powell's "Oblivion" leads off the program with zest from all members of the trio. Motian and Allen are particularly engaged with the up-tempo material. Allen's "For John Malachi" follows in a gentler but more deeply probing vein. Then a surprise guest, Juan Lazaro Mendolas, contributes a poignant bamboo flute on his composition, "Rollano." And so it continues for nine wonderful tracks. 

Aside from the tunes by Powell and Mendolas, all the material comes from the trio. There are no popular jazz standards on display, and the freshness of the material focuses attention on the interaction among the trio. Each member gets solo spots, but clearly Allen is leading the way, alternating lyricism, spikey solos, and her trademark style of playing that distinguishes her from all others.

The same tracks appear on both the LP and the CD. The Winter & Winter reissue with the quirky series cover is a nice clean remaster of the original CD. 

Tommy Flanagan - Jazz Poet (Timeless, 1989)

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Tommy Flanagan (p); George Mraz (b); Kenny Washington (d)

Recorded January 17 and 19, 1989

One look at the artists' names on Jazz Poet is all I need to know to make it a favorite album. Tommy Flanagan and George Mraz were top-tier bandmates throughout the 1980s, and Kenny Washington is still a first-call drummer on the New York scene. This is a session of such excellence that it should be widely known and celebrated. 

All of the tunes are familiar ones, except perhaps for Flanagan's original "Mean Streets." Every track is delivered with swinging good taste. Not a wrong note anywhere. Mraz and Washington are a fantastic pair who listen carefully and insert accents and colors in all the right places. Jazz this good seems almost to play itself, but of course that is due to the expertise of the group and their great communication.

At the time of the recording of Jazz Poet, Washington was 30 years old. In the 1980s, he appeared on over 40 recordings, and Discogs credits him with almost 300 recordings for his career. He is the perfect partner for Flanagan's urbane approach and beautifully complements Mraz's magnificent bass playing. 

Of the tunes, my favorites are "Lament," "I'm Old Fashioned," "That Tired Routine Called love," and "Voce a Buso." Even songs that I'm not too fond of receive great readings, as do the overly familiar ones. In the hands of Flanagan and his trio, each composition becomes jazz poetry.

Jazz Poet was reissued several times, and it's worth the effort to get the right one. For reasons unknown, the Alpha Jazz version and a reissue retitled as Please Request Again by the Super Jazz Trio re-order the songs. 

Although the cover art is changed, the remastered Timeless Jazz Legacy series version gets the order of songs correct, putting the two bonus tracks at the end. If you can't find the LP, I recommend this version.

Gerry Mulligan - Lonesome Boulevard (A&M, 1990)

This post is by Dan

Gerry Mulligan (bs); Bill Charlap (p); Dean Johnson (b); Richie De Rosa (d)

Recorded March and September, 1989

As a jazz senior statesman, Gerry Mulligan continued to perform at a high level more than 40 years after he launched a style of jazz that was, unfortunately, known by the label "cool." His arrangements on single and extended play records in the 1940s were compiled into the Birth of the Cool album that was largely credited to Miles Davis. Mulligan's piano-less quartets, frequently featuring Chet Baker and Bob Broookmeyer, became popular in the 1950s. Releases on 10" LPs in that era were quickly compiled into 12" albums on labels like Pacific Jazz. 

My first encounter with that music was through my older brother's records. Gerry Mulligan Quartet and Paris Concert stuck in my mind from an early age and remain two of my all-time favorites. The cover art alone is enough to evoke nostalgia of my first days as a jazz listener. 

Fast-forwarding a few decades found me still buying Mulligan records and enjoying every one of them. Lonesome Boulevard is my favorite of the 1980s because it's a simple quartet that swings like crazy and displays Mulligan's total mastery of the baritone sax. Plus, the entire program, except one song, was composed by Mulligan. Thus, we get to hear not only his unique style but also his compositional skill. Of course, everything he performed was "arranged" the way he wanted to hear things. I've always appreciated his arranging for small groups and his concert jazz band. They're still models for contemporary jazz arrangements.  

Lonesome Boulevard includes pianist Bill Charlap in what must have been one of his first recordings at age 21. It's hard to find mention of this date in Charlap's discographic or biographic information online. He performs exceptionally well for a youngster. Too bad he didn't amount to very much professionally <wink>.

Lonesome Boulevard was released on A&M's Modern Masters Series, which also released Don Cherry's Art Deco. Lonesome Boulevard was reissued in 2009 as a "Verve Original," which seems odd since it wasn't originally a Verve recording. 

Harold Mabern - Straight Street (DIW, 1989)

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Harold Mabern (p); Ron Carter (b); Jack DeJohnette (d)

Recorded December 11, 1989

Up until his death two years ago, Harold Mabern was one of the last surviving links to the peak years of jazz in the early 1960s. Although his individual recording career began in the late 60s with several Prestige albums, earlier he gigged and recorded with numerous luminaries on the scene, including Miles Davis, Lionel Hampton, Donald Byrd and many others. 

Straight Street began a series of exceptional trio albums with premier side men. The Leading Man (1993), Lookin' on the Bright Side (1993), and Mabern's Grooveyard (1997) followed Straight Street and together document a fertile period for Mabern. Thankfully, the Japanese DIW label partnered with Columbia to put these titles on the shelves of American record stores. 

With Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette, Mabern briskly renders four originals, two Coltrane classics, and four others. They are, as album the title suggests, played in straight-ahead fashion without pretense. It's as a good a representation of piano trio jazz in the late 1980s as anything else I've heard. Mabern is in complete command, and his bandmates play their usual superb accompaniments. Clearly, one of the best albums to come out of the 1980s.

Thomas Clausen - Piano Music (M*A Music, 1989)

This post is by Dan

Thomas Clausen (p)

Recorded 1989

Now in his mid 70s, Thomas Clausen continues to record excellent jazz from his home base in Denmark. Drawing inspiration from the 1970s influx of American jazzmen into Copenhagen's Montmartre club, he shaped his exceptional technique into an intelligent and expressive style. 

Except for the fusion album, Mirrors (CBS, 1979), Piano Music was Clausen's first major release - a solo piano album on the German audiophile M*A label. It's superb, both artistically and sonically. Four of the 14 tracks are Clausen's originals; the rest are mostly well-known standards. His approach varies from pastoral ("I Fall in Love Too Easily") to stomping ("Nice Work if You Can Get It"). The familiar tunes in the program are all given a special rendition that does not simply mimic versions played by other pianists. 

All selections draw the listener's attention to the marvelous sound of the piano and Clausen's technical prowess. The ballads tend to be delicate; and the show tunes are given unique readings. The absence of drums and bass accompaniment frees Clausen to create his own meter, which he often suspends for dramatic effect.

Clausen also excels in trio format, sometimes augmented by guest artists such as Gary Burton. One of the best from the 1980s is The Shadow of Bill Evans, a trio album featuring Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (Baystate, 1983). His recent Back 2 Basics (Stunt, 2021) is a gem. 

Thomas Clausen's music should be more widely known and celebrated.

Airto Moreira - Struck by Lightning (Venture, 1989)

This post is by Scott

Airto Moreira (d, perc, berimbau, wooden fl, vo); José Neto (g); Gary Meek (kybd, ts, ss, fl, EWI); Marcos Silva (kybd); Chick Corea (p, kybd); Herbie Hancock (p, kybd); Randy Tico (b, el b); Rob Harrison (el b); Mark Egan (el b); Stanley Clarke (el b); Mike Shapiro (d); Junior Homrich (tamborim); Flora Purim (vo)

Recorded in 1989

Eddie Palmieri - Sueño (Intuition, 1989)

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Eddie Palmieri (p); Brian Lynch (tr); Charles Sepulveda (tr); David Sanborn (as); Alfredo Triff (vn); Lewis Kahn (vn); Shiro Sadamura (vn); Johnny Torres (b); Robbie Ameen (d); Francisco Aguabella (batá, cga); Milton Cordona (batá, vo); Charles Cotto (tim); Anthony Carillo (bgo); Luis Vergara (vo); Augusto Onna (vo); Jerry Medina (vo)

Recorded in 1989

Robertinho Silva - Speak No Evil (Milestone, 1991)

This post is by Scott

Originally released in Brazil as Bodas De Prata (CBS, 1989)

Robertinho Silva (d, perc, g); Nélson Henrique (flhn); Paulo Roberto (tr); Paulo Moura (ss); Nivaldo Ornelas (ss); Mauro Senise (fl, ss, as); Wayne Shorter (ss, 1 trk only); Paul Lieberman (ts); Raul Mascarenhas (ts); Leo Gandelman (bs); Paulinho Santos (mar, st-pan); Décio Ramos (mar); Renan Penedo (g); Luiz Avellar (kbyds); Cristóvão Bastos (p); José Roberto Bertrami (p, kybds); Marinho Boffa (kybds); João Donato (p); Luiz Eça (p); Egberto Gismonti (kybds); Túlio Mourão (kybds); Rique Pantoja (synth); Hermeto Pascoal (p, sanfona); Wagner Tiso (p); Luis Alves (b); Zeca Assumpção (b, el b); Alphonso Johnson (el b); Artur Maia (el b); Sidão Santos (el b); Frank Colón (bgo, cga, efeitos); Vanderlei Silva (shekere, tumbadora, repique, perc); Ronaldo Silva (afoxé); Aleuda (vo); Milton Nascimento (vo)

Recorded in 1989

George Coleman- At Yoshi's (Theresa/Evidence, 1989)

This post is by Scott

George Coleman (ts); Harold Mabern (p); Ray Drummond (b); Alvin Queen (d)

Recorded in 1989

Anthony Davis, James Newton, Abdul Wadud - Trio² (Gramavision, 1989)

This post is by Scott

Anthony Davis (p); James Newton (fl); Abdul Wadud (vc)

Recorded in 1989

Von Freeman - Walkin' Tuff! (Southport, 1989)

This post is by Scott

Von Freeman (ts); Jon Logan (p); Ken Prince (p); Carroll Crouch (b), Dennis Carroll (b); Mike Raynor (d); Wilbur Campbell (d)

Recorded in 1989

Phil Woods - Here's to My Lady (Chesky, 1989)

This post is by Dan

Phil Woods (as, cl); Tommy Flanagan (p); George Mraz (b); Kenny Washington (d)

Recorded December 20 and 21, 1988

The Chesky label takes prides in its audiophile recording process and has released an eclectic assortment of music targeted to a wide audience. I was surprised to find that they had released Phil Woods' Here's to My Lady, a straight-ahead jazz album by a quartet of veteran artists. The band chosen by Woods was Tommy Flanagan's working band at the time. I immediately acquired it on CD, which I later replaced with an SACD. 

Here's to My Lady, has an excellent program of 13 tunes, some familiar but others not. Each is dispatched over a range of 3:34 to 6:36 minutes, which was Woods' plan for the session. Highlights include "Canadian Sunset," taken on clarinet; "Charles Christopher," dedicated to Charlie Parker; and "Visions of Gaudi," composed by Tom Harrell. There are three clarinet features by Woods. As he says in the booklet notes, he wanted to explore a variety of styles. The group succeeds in making each tune fulfill his vision.

Some of the reviews I read were dismissive of what they perceived as a "tame" outing from Woods and his quartet. I understand that point but think it's unfair to expect fiery be-bop from Woods every time out. This is a classy album, full of superb playing by a truly all-star lineup. 

A comparable album is Woods' Heaven (BlackHawk, 1986), which features Tom Harrell on trumpet and flugelhorn. It's probably deserving of "co-favorite" status as far as the 80s are concerned. 

The sonics on Here's to My Lady are excellent. The SACD was released in 2004 and is a substantial improvement over the CD. Chesky has released very few LPs to my knowledge. This would have been a good one to put on vinyl.