Clifford Jordan (ts); Kevin O'Connell (p); Ed Howard (b); Vernel Fournier (d)
Recorded December 23, 1986
Clifford Jordan's RoyalBallads continues a "purple patch" of outstanding 1980s recordings. Thanks to Criss Cross, Jordan and other American artists found a receptive label for their mid-career recordings. If you ever wanted to hear these classic songs played straight, without pretense or artifice, this is the album for you.
Ed Howard and Kevin O'Connell may not be familiar names. Howard was a regular member of Jordan's groups at a relatively young age. He was 26 at the time Royal Ballads was recorded. He's credited on about 100 recordings beginning in 1984. Kevin O'Connell has a lower profile as a recording artist, but he has sustained an active career playing live with numerous artists. Both he and Howard make solid contributions to Royal Ballads, and it's a shame that O'Connell does not have more records.
The surprise member of the quartet is New Orleans drummer Vernell Fournier, who joined Ahmad Jamal’s trio in 1957 and remained with the group until 1962, appearing on a series of recordings including the bestselling Live at the Pershing (Chess, 1958). He was 58 at the time of the Royal Ballads session and lived to age 72.
For a change, the expanded CD version offers two additional royal ballads, as shown on the back cover image. It's the same group on the same day and new songs instead of retakes. Thank you, Mr. Teekens.
The sound is rich and detailed, as registered in Rudy Van Gelder's studio. I especially like the bass on this all-digital recording. It has a deep, round sound. A first-class production all the way.
Charlie Haden (b); Ernie Watts (ts, as, ss); Alan Broadbent (p); Billy Higgins (d)
Recorded December 22 and 23, 1986
Quartet West is an unabashed attempt to recapture the 1950s Hollywood vibe. It was one of several albums by Charlie Haden and his quartet to have this nostalgicaim. And it worked! People loved these albums not only for their retro sensibility but also for the playing. They're outstanding jazz albums that appeal to the public, just like jazz did in the 1950s.
The follow-up album, In Angel City, continued the quartet format. Subsequent albums by Quartet West focused on Hollywood film music and expanded the line up to include vocalists and string sections. I like the first two albums, which stayed in their jazz lanes better than the pop material and arranging in the later albums.
My favorite track on Quartet West is "Hermitage," composed by Pat Metheny and first aired on his New Chautauqua album (ECM, 1979). It perfectly sets the mood for a laid-back rediscovery of times past. Ernie Watts' tenor fits the mood perfectly while Haden and Billy Higgins move things along coolly. Other highlights include an Ornette Coleman tune, "The Good Life," and two standards - "Body and Soul" and "My Foolish Heart." The album closes with a 7:39 bass solo, "Taney County," which is dedicated to Haden's parents.
It's practically impossible to grasp Haden's enormous impact on jazz over his 60-plus years of playing, composing, arranging, and leading a wide variety of jazz projects. Quartet West represents just one small facet of a great artist.
The CD includes two additional tracks. I have not heard these. Obviously, the band enjoyed playing together, as their smiles show!
Sonny Fortune (as); Billy Harper (ts); Stanley Cowell (p); Reggie Workman (b); Billy Hart (d)
Recorded on July 7, 1986
This record is a pure joy. The quintet brings together five of the greatest artists of the 1980s playing their own music. Great Friends is obviously a group project that needs no leader. There are no weak pieces in the program, and the performances are energetic without becoming chaotic. Clearly one of our favorite albums by several of our favorite artists.
Great Friends has an interesting issue history. It was recorded in France and issued on CD in 1987 by the Black and Blue label, an imprint known for prolonging the careers of veteran American jazz artists. We can only imagine the impact this group made in the studio during the recording.
The Evidence label then released the CD in the U.S. in 2003, which is how we discovered it. An alternative blue cover was used, as shown. Evidence has rescued many sessions from oblivion on labels that limit their distribution or production runs.
Then, surprisingly it received the Pure Pleasure audiophile treatment and was released in 2022 as a 2-LP set, its first appearance on vinyl. Owning the premium vinyl release should be a priority for some fans of these artists. The vinyl cover is close to the original French CD. The players shown left-to-right are Billy Harper, Stanley Cowell, Billy Hart, Sonny Fortune, and Reggie Workman.
Any fan of the individuals in the group can expect great things from these great friends. It's not as far "out" as some might fear, but it's also not old timers reminiscing on the past. The tunes include two by each of the band members except for Hart. Cowell's "Equipoise" is perhaps his most recognizable tune. Both Fortune and Harper offer compositions that they have recorded before. The surprise composer could be bassist Workman, whose "Synapse" was included on his Synthesis album reviewed in this blog.
This is vital, inspirational music performed by masters. It's a shame that Great Friends took so long to become available in the country where all the artists are from.
Andrew Hill (p); Clifford Jordan (ts); Rufus Reid (b); Ben Riley (d)
Recorded on July 3 and 4, 1986
Contrary to the sleeve notes for Shades, Andrew Hill was not born in Haiti. That story was perpetrated by Hill himself who thought it would help his career. He was actually born in Chicago in 1931 and died in 2007. He is best known for his eight Blue Note albums released between 1964 and 1970. His many unreleased sessions for Blue Note during that period have now all been released in various formats and editions.
Beyond the Blue Notes, Hill recorded on a variety of labels during the 1970s, including East Wind, SteepleChase, Arista, and Artists House. In the 1980s, almost all of his new recordings appeared on Soul Note, including Strange Serenade, Shades, and two solo albums: Faces of Hope and Verona Rag. Of these, Shades is the masterpiece. It uses Rufus Reid and Ben Riley as rhythm partners and Clifford Jordan as tenorist on four of the six tracks.
"Monk's Glimpse" leads the album off with a jaunty Monk-like tune. Following several choruses by the leader, Jordan enters with a great solo that doesn't shy away from the complexity of the composition.
The trio introduces the second track, "Tripping," with an air of mystery as Riley plays ringing cymbals over his toms. Hill then proceeds to solo for almost six minutes, continuously probing the song's odd structure for clever and interesting things to play. Along with "Domani," "Tripping" shows Hill at his very best as a soloist. He really puts a lot into these pieces.
The second trio cut, "Ball Square," is a choppy theme of contrasts. Riley is key to the success of the tune. He is also featured on "Chilly Mac," a quartet piece that finds him trading fours with Jordan right after the tenorist states the theme. It's unusual but it works. Hill reprised "Ball Square" on his Dusk album (Palmetto, 2000).
"Laverne" is a tribute to Hill's wife. It's the longest piece on the album and gives both Jordan and Hill all the solo space. Each man approaches the beautiful theme with dignity and reverence. Hill has revisited this composition on many of his other recordings.
We think it is remarkable that four of the six Hill compositions on Shades have not appeared elsewhere in Hill's discography. It speaks to his ingenuity as a composer at mid-career to come up with original material that is never routine or conventional. He is also a remarkable soloist, often compared to Monk, but in fact steering towards more challenging new material as his career progressed.
There are plenty of Andrew Hill albums past the 1960s. We think the 1980s were great ones for Hill and Shades and Eternal Spirit (reviewed elsewhere in this blog) are two of his all-time best.
David Murray (ts, bcl); Richard Davis (b); Joe Chambers (d, vib)
Recorded November 29, 1986
My best single-word characterization of David Murray is "irrepressible." He plays with an exuberance rarely heard, even in the post-Coltrane era of tenor players. He is also extremely prolific, having led almost 100 albums and appearing in dozens of other groups since his debut recording in 1977. His octet recordings in particular demonstrate enormous power and energy. See our post for New Life (Black Saint, 1985).
From all his output, two series of albums stand out for me. In January 1988 Murray collaborated with pianist Dave Burrell in a quartet format to create five incredible albums that were released on the DIW label. I will be reviewing one of these later in the blog. The second group are the dozen or so recordings for Black Saint in the 1980s.
The Hill comes near the end of the Black Saint run. By this time, Murray had realized that his early style would not gain him the acceptance he was seeking from the New York jazz community. So he adjusted. As he told Francis Davis:
"If you listen to my records in chronological order, you'll notice me gradually laying off of the overblown notes. I still use energy techniques as a kind of capper to my solos. I try to use the top of my register to embellish what I've already done on the bottom. I try to put all my 'energy' into achieving pure, crystal-clear notes." (Davis, In the Moment, p. 46).
Near the end of the decade, his records reflect a more sensitive, clearly articulated approach, which is displayed on The Hill and the aforementioned DIW recordings.
The two side men on The Hill respond warmly to the new David Murray. Both Joe Chambers and Richard Davis are lyrical players on their respective instruments. Chambers turns "Chelsea Bridge" into a delightful bit of chamber (no pun intended) jazz with his vibes, Murray's bass clarinet, and Davis's bass. It's one of two compositions from the Ellington/Strayhorn book.
Despite the strategic change in his music, Murray would still never be mistaken for Stan Getz, Clifford Jordan, or any of the other great tenor players of the 1980s. He's still David Murray, still possessed of extraordinary technique, and still churning out albums.
Bobby Watson (as); John Hicks (p); Curtis Lundy (b); Marvin "Smitty" Smith (d)
Recorded November 13, 1986
Bobby Watson(or Robert, as the cover art shows) began his recording career in the late 1970s, after graduating from the University of Miami's School of Music. I lived in Miami at the time and attended concerts given by the jazz program, which boasted students such as Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Carmen Lundy, and Curtis Lundy. I met Bobby Watson's nephew, Craig Bailey, who was also a student at the time. He played his recital tape for me in his dorm room.
So much for brushes-with-fame stories. Simply put, Love Remains stands as Watson's signature achievement in a very successful career. Brian Morton and Richard Cook, editors of The Penguin Jazz Guide (Penguin Books, 2011) call it a modern masterpiece. "It is absolutely reliable, delivering musical intelligence, fantastic group interplay, high emotion and an almost unearthly beauty" (p. 499). Coming from the two jazz critics whom I respect the most, this is the highest praise imaginable.
It's interesting also to learn that Watson was given complete freedom by the Italian executive producers to select the musicians for the date, choose the program, and arrange recording in New York - in other words, produce the whole album and send it to Red to be pressed and distributed. It appears that they teach more than just composing and performance in jazz school.
All but one of the tunes are by Bobby and/or Pamela Watson, and one is by bassist Lundy. Pamela's touch gives the session some real class, which I also hear on Bobby's later album, Quiet as It's Kept (Red, 1999). John Hicks shines on every cut, as he does on so many other albums throughout his career. In short, there is no basis to dispute the Penguin Guide's reviewers. Love Remains is their all-time favorite and one of mine as well
