Jazz Recommends Jazz June 2023

Review: Dorothy Ashby went down in time as one of Detroit's longstanding greats; predominantly a jazz harpist, she was one of the first and most successful jazz musicians to use the harp as a lead instrument. The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby is her ninth and penultimate album, released in 1970 through Cadet Records. Its adventurous blend of spiritual and funky jazz draws on various cultures and traditions, but was largely inspired by the words of Omar Khayyam, a 12th-century Persian poet and philosopher. Ashby expands her playing repertoire into the Japanese koto, as well as singing on some tracks, producing a sound describable as nothing less than spiritual - this is further tempered by backing flutes, oboes, vibraphones and kalimbas to boot. This one also coincides with a revived interest in the work of Rafiyq, the spoken word artist heard throughout.

Review: Yusef Lateef is one of the most revered jazz cats to have ever come from Detroit. He was proud of that, too, as the title of this one suggests - Detroit Latitude 42- 30' Longitude 83 has never had a vinyl reissue ever since it was originally released in 1969. It is a loved-up and nostalgic ode to his Motor City hometown with plenty of raw and honest emotion and a mix of retro styling and new school sound. Each tune has an undercurrent of 70s jazz funk and it has all been remastered in mono from the original tapes by legendary engineer Bernie Grundman.

Review: Although hard-to-find, Harold McNair's 1968 cut 'The Hipster' has long been an anthem on the British jazz-dance scene, with numerous contemporary musicians (Chip Wickham included) referencing it in their work. Here reissued officially by Soul Brother, the track features the Jamaican-born flautist and saxophonist delivering energetic, life-affirming flute solos over an infectious, piano-sporting jazz groove. As the original RCA 45 did, this pressing also features fellow 'Flute and Nut' album track 'Indecision' - a more laidback affair built around brushed snares, languid jazz breaks and rubbery double bass - on side B.

Review: The Jazz Room is a hotly curated selectors' V/A compiled by jazz expert and BBE label owner Paul Murphy. Following the success of the original comp first released in 2019, this one comes up after a full four years' worth of curating and mulling, and aims to represent the full range of both classic and contemporary jazz sounds, from New Orleans to Latin jazz, in quick succession. Consisting of contemporary jazz versions of the likes of Fela Kuti, Raul Monsalve and, for some reason, The Human League, said contributions by the likes of Cruisic and Clare Fischer aim to trace the - yes, the - comprehensive throughline of jazz from past to present, all while refusing to abstain from BBE's trademark eclecticism. Highlights include 'Rebel No. 23' and Fast 3's Hammond-organ-injected 'Don't You Want Me'. Most importantly, no track goes without a driving, bright-bursting mood of energy.

Review: Blue Note's Tone Poet series is about reissuing some of the most notable label in its back catalogue on high-quality vinyl with all new mastering jobs. Next up is Freddie Hubbard's Blue Spirits, which was his label debut back in 1950 and saw the prodigious trumpeter kick off what was an astonishing run of records. He was joined by a wealth of talents such as James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute, Joe Henderson on tenor, Kiane Zawadi on euphonium and Clifford Jarvis on drums, and Big Black on congas. Between them, they provide a rich textured album full of dynamic horns and evocative originals.

Review: The Original Jazz Classics Series turns its attention here to the one and only Miles Davis, who worked with his quintet for the boldly titled Workin' With The Miles Davis Quintet album. This period back in the mid-50s was a halcyon one for Davis and jazz and for that reason the band is often called one of the best in jazz history. Alongside Davis on his trusty trumpet, John Coltrane was on tenor sax, with piano from Red Garland, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on the sticks. This new version of this classic record has been remastered from original analogue tapes and been pressed to 180g vinyl so its sounds superb.

Review: As part of the newly relaunched Original Jazz Classics Series, Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio has remastered this seminal jazz record from Thelonius Monk and John Coltrane from the original tapes and in all analog fashion. It's a deserving treatment for what many believe to be one of the great ever collaborative jazz records. As well as those two legendary players and jazz innovators, further greats joined in the recording sessions including Art Blakey on the drums, Wilbur Ware on bass, and alto sax from Gigi Gryce. What a piece of history it is too.

Review: Not to be confused with the US electro outfit of the same name, Nucleus was - as many readers will know - a pioneering British jazz-rock outfit helmed by Ian Carr, whose releases frequently drew on a wide palette of influences (think funk, soul, pyschedelic and progressive rock). They made a lot of great albums during the 1970s, though few are quite as inspired as 'We'll Talk About It Later', a wonderfully laidback and atmospheric 1971 set that has now been given the reissue treatment by the consistently impressive Be With Records. The many highlights include - but are in no way limited to - the bluesy, slow-motion shuffle of 'We'll Talk About It Later', the wah-wah guitar sporting summer bliss of 'Sun Child', the gently unfurling brilliance of 'Oasis' and the pleasingly heavy jazz-rock pulse of 'Ballad of Joe Pimp'.

Review: Arranger, composer and pianist Gil Evans worked with Miles Davis on two notable albums - Miles Ahead and The Birth of Cool - and also made a fine debut of his own in 1958. A year later he got back in the studio to work on Great Jazz Standards which saw him work with two different ensembles including talents like trumpeter Johnny Coles, soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy and clarinetist Budd Johnson amongst more. It is a superb look at some great jazz gems from Bix Beiderbecke's 'Davenport Blues' to a shimmering version of Thelonious Monk's 'Straight No Chaser.' It gets the full remastering treatment for this reissue.

Review: Headed up by the revered trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr, Nucleus have penned many a seminal album and Elastic Rock certainly is one of them. It was a real milestone for the jazz-rock fusion scene and marked a stunning debut in 1970 that has been hard to find ever since. Saxophonist Brian Smith, guitarist Chris Spedding - who wouold later go on to produce the Sex Pistols' first recordings - drummer John Marshall, bassist Jeff Clyne and sax, oboe and pianist Karl Jenkins all brought energy and invention in equal measure on this one with cuts like the title track offer lovely electric blues, '1916' featuring heavy drums and melancholic horns and 'Striation' being more serene. Be With have remastered this reissue from the original tapes.

Review: 52 years after it was first released in 1970, Hermeto Pascoal's self-titled debut long player remains a remarkable one. It was born in the A&R studios in New York and features a heavyweight cast of collabs including Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, Joe Farrel and Googie Coppola. There are even some stars of the Brazilian jazz scene of the time making appearances such as Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, who also took care of production. From elevator jazz tunes like 'Hermeto' to laid back and sunny bliss-outs like 'Flor Do Amor' the sis another jewel in the crown of Far Out.

Review: Jazz pioneer and trumpet maestro Miles Davis was still in the early stages of his career when he played the three sessions that went on to comprise his Blue Note recordings in 1952, 1953, and 1954. A year later the final one, the seminal Blue Note label put the tracks together into two 12" albums as part of the 1500 series. They bare all the hallmarks of his early signature style from fiery bebop to beautiful ballads. Now the album comes in a mono, newly mastered version in the Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition and pressed on 180g vinyl. Standouts include 'How Deep Is The Ocean' and 'Dear Old Stockholm.'

Review: Spiritual jazz shaman Kahil El'Zabar and his legendary Ethnic Heritage Ensemble have come together to cook up one of the most sublime tributes to the late and serious wonderful jazz trumpet innovator Don Cherry you could ever wish to hear. It features Corey Wilkes on trumpet, Alex Harding on sax and El'Zabar on percussion with the inimitable vocal tones of LA's celebrated Dwight Trible as we as Don's own and renowned musician in his own right, David Ornette Cherry. There are sketches and newly interpreted versions of Cherry classics as well as a wealth of new pieces performed in the famous Cherry style.

Review: First released on Vertigo in 1975, the growling basslines and irresistible rolling grooves of Nucleus emerge in full force for Snakehips Etcetera - an infectiously energetic record that sounds as though it has barely aged a day. Opening onto the unctuous grooves of 'Rat's Bag', where a jubilant trumpet solo takes centre stage, this track instantly takes us into the heart of Nucleus' entirely distinctive terrain. On the B-side, the title track emerges at a slower pace and with synthesised elements moving to the fore - this is a release that perfectly demonstrates how electronics and instrumentation can be combined to reach new heights. With original copies of this release proving virtually impossible to score, we're thankful Be With have gifted the world with a much-needed re-release.

Review: Originally released in 1973, Prof James Benson's seminal album, The Gow Dow Experience is a project that has an amazing story accompanying it. An entirely self-released project, Prof Benson's intention was to record these sessions so that his students at Cal Poly in California would have a special memento of what they had achieved together. Taking inspiration from their recent trip to Africa and blended with the radical jazz emerging from Black American artist's in the 70s, it was a momentous achievement for him and his young protegees. Jazzman's re-release also includes four tracks from the recording session that, until now, have never been released - they're well worth the wait, we promise!

Review: South Africa-based drummer Asher Gamedze looks into the relationship between time, music and history on this exceptional new album Turbulence and Pulse. This is a debut on this notable jazz label for this artist but those who follow free music closely will be familiar with his work such as his ZUZU debut album Dialectic Soul or last year's offering on Astral Spirits, Out Side Work. This album sees him again work with his core quartet from Dialectic Soul, namely South African musicians Thembinkosi Mavimbela on bass, Robin Fassie on trumpet, and Buddy Wells on tenor sax. It results in a soulful and accessible yet forward-thinking sound.

Review: Made famous in the modern era thanks to the much-hyped indie musician Mac DeMarco sampling its lead track 'The Word II' in his rehash 'Chamber Of Reflection', the work of Shigeo Sekito now gets a proper looking back thanks to reissuing label Maru Kaite Chon. This album, is a moody enviro-jazz longplayer for scene and screen, and makes up part of a small collection of library albums for Nippon Columbia. A trained electone player and music teacher, Sekito's music was emblematic of filmic 70s futurist jazz, with arguably all of its elements primed mainly for romantic scenes cropping up in the nation's film output.

Review: Wes Montgomery's centennial was on March 6th 2023 and is marked by Verve and Uma releasing an acoustic sounds edition of his Smokin' at the Half Note album. Wes was said to be one of the best live performers in the game and this is real evidence of that - it finds him at the heights of his brilliant and influential guitar playing and is a record that captures him playing with more drive and confidence than ever. Smokin' Wynton Kelly does a fine job of supporting on this most accomplished and essential record.