Joe Locke - Present Tense (SteepleChase, 1990)

This post is by Dan

Joe Locke (vib)
Larry Schneider (ts)
Kenny Werner (p)
Ron McClure (b)
Ronnie Burrage (d)

Recorded July 6, 1989

As a lover of the sound of the vibraphone, I try to hear as many jazz artists as possible who specialize on this most curious instrument. As the 1990s unfolded, it was impossible to overlook Joe Locke, who had emerged from near obscurity to become one of the most prolific jazz artists of his generation. His long string of recordings continues to this day. 

Although Present Tense was not Locke's first album, it began an Important association with the Danish SteepleChase label, which is known for its multi-album commitment to artists. In addition to albums under his own name, he appeared on SteepleChase as a member of Eddie Henderson's quintet. 

Present Tense gets off to a tasteful beginning with two standard ballads: "Summernight" and "The Good Life." The first tune is preceded by a prelude titled "Masada," written by a friend of Locke's. It's a nice touch. Things heat up on "Present Tense," which is a cool bit of acoustic funk reminiscent of Weather Report. Locke's three other originals on the album demonstrate his versatility with different composition styles. Guest tenorist Larry Schneider plays on half of the eight tunes in the program. 

Kenny Werner provides just the right accompaniment to the vibes, which often compete harmonically with the piano. Werner chooses to comp with left-hand chords rather than play at the same pitch as the vibes. 

Werner and Locke play a brief duet on "Heart of Nowhere" that is reminiscent of the duo of Gary Burton and Chick Corea. The duet format was revisited one year later with Kenny Barron on But Beautiful (Steeplechase, 1991), one of my all-time favorite albums that has recently been released on vinyl in SteepleChase's audiophile edition series. Years later, Locke collaborated with the late Frank Kimbrough on two lovely duet albums: Saturn's Child (Omnitone, 1999) and The Willow (Omnitone, 2002). 

Among the best of Locke's quartet albums are two with pianist David Hazeltine: Mutual Admiration Society (Sharp Nine, 1999) and Mutual Admiration Society, 2 (Sharp Nine, 2009).

Vibes players tend to get calls to play as "colorists" in many kinds of music, and some of Locke's recording credits are on albums by the likes of John Martyn, Grover Washington Jr., Kendra Shank, and The Beastie Boys. There's no doubting the quality of his contributions to such projects, but Locke is a major artist and sounds best in true jazz formats. 

Charlie Haden with Paul Bley and Paul Motian - The Montreal Tapes (Verve, 1994)

This post is by Scott and Dan

Charlie Haden (b); Paul Bley (p); Paul Motian (d)

Recorded on July 7, 1989

In July 1989, organizers of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (FIJM) invited Charlie Haden to present a series of eight concerts with some of Haden's frequent collaborators. July 7 was reserved for the trio with Paul Bley and Paul Motian. The concerts were recorded by Radio Canada and made available to Verve for release on CD. 

We sometimes neglect Canada as an international venue due to its proximity to the United States, but cities such as Montréal, Victoriaville, Toronto, and Vancouver have active jazz scenes and festivals. The gesture to host Haden was generous and demonstrates sophistication regarding the importance of the bassist to jazz internationally. How many other bass players would be considered for a week-long series of performances? The Haden series honors both the performers and the festival.

Since Haden and Bley were part of the Los Angeles scene in the 1950s, it makes sense to include compositions by Ornette Coleman - five of them in all. Each member of the trio also contributes a number, and Carla Bley's "Ida Lupino" completes the program. 

The performances are all one could wish for. Haden is closely miked and generates a huge, detailed sound from his instrument. Drums and piano are carefully placed in the sound stage so that every nuance is captured. FIJM uses major concert halls as venues, in addition to the many street bandstands in the city. The concert's acoustics are responsible in part for the excellence of the performance.

Most numbers leave a lot of space for Haden's intimate bass solos. Bley and Motian are genuine pros who have worked extensively with Haden, so there are no awkward moments. Everyone seems comfortable and uses the opportunity to stretch out and, of course, keep the spotlight shining on Haden the honoree.

This is festival jazz at its best - great location, great artists, great program, and great recording.  

Mal Waldron Quintet - Crowd Scene (Soul Note, 1992)

This post is by Scott and Dan

Mal Waldron (p); Sonny Fortune (as); Ricky Ford (ts); Reggie Workman (b); Eddie Moore (d)

Recorded on June 6, 1989

For Crowd Scene, Mal Waldron's quintet was altered to include two of the best (and hottest) saxophonists on the scene during the latter part of the 1980s. With Sonny Fortune and Ricky Ford, Waldron opted for long pieces that gave the horn men ample space. There are only two tracks: "Crowd Scene" (26:50) and Yin Yang (25:26). The horns take most of the solo space on both numbers.

The title composition, like so much of Waldron's music, is based on a repeated vamp of four ascending notes within one octave. The opening section is played by the pianist over Reggie Workman's arco bass and Eddie Moore's cymbals. Waldron's vamp never gets boring because he introduces minor variations and adds right-hand figures. As these figures appear, both horns enter in loose counterpart. At about the four-minute mark, Ford launches into a monster solo for about seven minutes. Waldron then elaborates the vamp with a short solo before Fortune takes the lead. His solo is also of epic proportions. The tune eventually fades out.

"Yin Yang" offers a second workout with about the same formula. The tune itself is attractive, but all of the soloing is over four closely related chords that are each played over four bars, repeating over and over. This modal style is reminiscent of John Coltrane's approach to soloing after stating a basic melody. Fortune takes the first solo which lasts a good seven minutes, followed by Workman's shorter spot. Ford then releases another lengthy solo that lasts almost 10 minutes. Waldron turns up the heat even further near the end. Following a few drum fills over the piano, the two horns return to the theme. Whew!

Crowd Scene succeeds with a format that most leaders would shy away from. Showcasing two powerful saxes over two very long tunes might seem like overkill but it works here. The solos are fascinating to track over their long extents, and both Ford and Fortune exploit the full range of their instruments. The album receives an "AA" grade from us for Artistic Ambition, fully realized. 

The Original Chico Hamilton Quintet - Reunion (Soul Note, 1991)

This post is by Scott and Dan

Chico Hamilton (d, vo); Buddy Collette (as, cl, fl); John Pisano (g); Fred Katz (vc); Carson Smith (b)

Recorded on June 28-29, 1989

The original Chico Hamilton Quintet recorded approximately 20 albums between 1955 and 1963, mostly on west coast labels such as Pacific Jazz and World Pacific. Hamilton boasted a blue-ribbon band that included at different times Charles Lloyd, Eric Dolphy, Jim Hall, Paul Horn, Dennis Budimir, and John Pisano. For Reunion, select members of the quintet reassembled in 1989 to revisit their old magic. 

The result is far more than a set of "greatest hits" played by old hands. Everyone on the date is in stellar form, and the material sounds fresh and new. The approach in 1989 was very much like their approach in 1955 and could legitimately be called "chamber jazz." Hamilton mostly plays brushes as background for Buddy Collette's various wind instruments while Carson Smith, Fred Katz and John Pisano play their respective string instruments. Only on "These Are the Dues" does the quintet play straight-ahead jazz, but they do a good job of it regardless. Essentially the quintet sounds the same on dates recorded 35 years apart.

Most jazz fans, including us, would agree that their approach is really jazz rather than pseudo-classical chamber music. In our understanding of postmodern jazz in the 80s, styles co-exist. Revisiting older music enriches rather than drags. It might even prompt fans to investigate the 1950s to understand the foundations for today's jazz. We know that Hamilton was atypical for the mid 50s but also much admired for his originality. 

We admire Reunion not only for its historical relevance, but also because it's so well-conceived and executed. The musical bonds among members of the original quintet remain strong, and their collective experience results in a quiet triumph of quality and good taste. 

Hamilton died in 2013 at age 92. One of his last albums was titled Forestorn (Koch, 2001). Forestorn was Hamilton's original first name, but everyone called him Chico. 

Dennis González - The Earth and the Heart (Konnex, 1991)

This post is by Dan

Dennis González (tr, vo, p, flhn); Andrew Cyrille (d); Alex Cline (d, perc); Nels Cline (g); Mark Hewins (g); Ken Filiano (b)

Recorded July 2 and December 30, 1989

The Earth and the Heart was recorded at two sessions in different cities with varying personnel. Often split dates don't gel as coherently as a single session might, but this record is an exception. Even the three-part title "Suite" was recorded by different players and sequenced as Parts 3, 1, and 4 spanning over 23 minutes. Amazingly, there are no audible seams. 

Although the entire "Suite" was composed by leader Dennis González, the rest of the program was written by band members: Andrew Cyrille, Alex Cline, Nels Cline, and Mark Hewins. The suite affords plenty of solo space to González, Hewins, Nels, and Ken Filiano. After the high drama of "Suite," Andrew Cyrille's "A Simple Melody" engages Hewins, González, and Filiano in a peaceful acoustic respite. Hewins' guitar sounds harp-like behind González's muted trumpet. 

Alex's "Mountain City Hidden by Clouds" follows and reflects his "monastic" tendencies in 14 minutes of gongs and other percussion along with mystical sounds from González and Nels. Intensity builds as González steps to the foreground, followed by Nels on a soaring electric solo. The track continues to build as both Clines, González and Filiano improvise collectively before bringing the energy down to a peaceful conclusion. "Mountain City" is a high point of the album. 

The Clines, of course, are twin brothers born in 1956. Nels is left and Alex right in the photo.

After "Mountain City" we get Nels' lovely tribute to trumpeter Bobby Bradford ("Two for Mr. Bradford"), a brief free exercise attributed to the whole band ("Overturned!"), and the jaunty "Everybody Solo," penned by Hewins whose solo is taken on a digital guitar that sounds like an organ. 

For all the variety of players, compositions and moods, this album never loses its graceful coherence. It's a hidden gem in the decade of the 1980s, still waiting to be discovered by many.

The original release of The Earth and the Heart was on the German Konnex label. It was reissued in 1996 by Music & Arts and is available for streaming/downloading. 

Charles Lloyd - Fish Out of Water (ECM, 1989)

This post is by Dan

Charles Lloyd (ts, fl); Bobo Stenson (p); Palle Danielsson (b); Jon Christensen (d)

Recorded July, 1989

I have been listening to Charles Lloyd since his early Columbia and Atlantic albums. Love-In and Dream Weaver were always either on the turntable or close by. The power of his incendiary "Tribal Dance," performed live at the Fillmore Auditorium, was an early peak listening experience. Lloyd then went into a period of semi-seclusion, issuing albums in the 1970s that seemed closer to new age music than jazz. His duet with harpist Georgia Kelly (Big Sur Tapestry, Pacific Arts, 1979) was okay for meditation but I seldom played it.

As legend has it, French pianist Michel Petrucciani sought out Lloyd in the 1980s on his first visit to the U.S. This contact reawakened Lloyd's jazz career and resulted in the release of a pair of live albums (Montreaux 1982, Elektra Musician, 1982; and A Night in Copenhagen, Blue Note, 1984). I didn't pay much attention to these, but Fish Out of Water (Lloyd's ECM debut) successfully linked his past with his future. ECM equipped him with the terrific band of Bobo Stenson, Palle Danielsson and John Christensen. Lloyd's six original compositions unfold unhurriedly in their hands and form a coherent whole that is both meditative and musically satisfying.  

Lloyd's tone on the tenor is unique and hard to describe. It's both soft and powerful while being enormously expressive. As one reviewer put it, "smoky of flavor and viscous of texture" (Charles Lloyd – Between Sound and Space: ECM Records and Beyond (ecmreviews.com)). His sound perfectly complements the complex details created by the rhythm section, which plays superbly. The digital recording was made in Oslo's Rainbow Studio where so many great ECM albums were recorded. The CD and vinyl pressings are sonically pristine.

Fish Out of Water led to another 15 albums on ECM by 2013. Currently, Lloyd has returned to the Blue Note label with several critically acclaimed albums. His role as jazz elder has been duly celebrated. 

Lloyd's "resurrection" in the 1980s is a remarkable story not only about Lloyd the artist, but also about the possibilities inherent in jazz as an art form.

Jay Hoggard - Overview (Muse, 1989)

This post is by Dan

Jay Hoggard (vib); Geri Allen (p); Ed Rozie (b); Frederick Waits (d)

Recorded June 22, 1989

Born in 1954, Jay Hoggard has led a successful artistic and academic career. His first recordings from 1979 appear on two very different labels: Solo Vibraphone on India Navigation, and Days Like These on GRP. Most of his albums are joyful and spiritually uplifting, celebrating the positive side of human experience. His most recent album is a 2-CD set named Harlem Hieroglyphs (JHVM, 2016) and will soon be followed by Raise Your Spirit Consciousness (JHVM, 2023).

Overview represents Hoggard's commitment to more straightforward jazz, perhaps as a reconciliation of his prior experimental and pop-jazz projects. Having engaged a variety of styles, he felt the need to be regarded as a mainstream jazz player, an identity that he has sustained ever since.

With Geri Allen, Frederick Waits and Ed Rozie backing his vibes excursions, Hoggard turns in a superlative performance. "Put on a Happy Face" leads off the set, expressing Hoggard's optimism and positive outlook. The title tune is about surveying terrain from mountain tops, and by metaphoric extension, taking an overview of one's professional and artistic terrain. The personal overview continues on the rest of the album, which contains a Tjaderesque Latin number ("Aguacate"), a blues dedicated to Milt Jackson, Monk's "Ruby, My Dear" featuring Allen, and the closing "Convergence," which is reminiscent of the thunderous encounters of Bobby Hutcherson and McCoy Tyner. Clearly, the overview includes gratitude to other jazz musicians who served as inspirations.

Almost all of Hoggard's music has to mean something beyond the obvious. While that may be true for most jazz, it's more pronounced for Hoggard. It's part of his academic mindset as a musicologist, but also part of his role as a moral agent in the world. Higher education is a calling to make positive differences in the lives of other people, and Hoggard responds to that calling through his teaching and performances.