Exploring musical connections one track at a time…
1965 was a busy year for the young Bobby Hutcherson, releasing his first album as leader (Blue Note’s Dialogue) and joining the Archie Shepp Quartet, a group at the vanguard of the “New Thing”. Free jazz relinquished the restrictions of song form in order to better express oneself musically, and for Shepp, politically.
Continue reading “Archie Shepp – Le Matin des Noire”
As tens of thousands of protestors march against police brutality and systemic racism, one album demands to be heard. We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite is a protest record from 1960, and the inspiration behind many subsequent works including ‘The Reverend King Suite’ from Jack DeJohnette’s Sorcery (1974). As Ollie mentioned, Roach said after its release: “I will never again play anything that does not have social significance.”
Continue reading “Max Roach – Tears for Johannesburg”
What do Mahavishnu Orchestra’s ‘Vital Transformation’ and Jack DeJohnette’s ‘Epilog’ have in common apart from being great examples of jazz fusion? They both begin with incredible drum breaks. ‘Epilog’ is the final track on DeJohnette’s album Sorcery released on Prestige in 1974.
Continue reading “Jack DeJohnette – Epilog”
To mark the recent passing of pianist McCoy Tyner, the subject of our last post, the track for today is ‘Greeting To Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner)’ from the live album Elevation by tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, released in 1974 on Impulse! records.
Continue reading “Pharoah Sanders – Greeting To Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner)”
In his last post, Dan focussed on the fantastic track ‘Ghetto Lights’ from Bobby Hutcherson’s debut album as leader on Blue Note. Today’s post is another offering from the master of vibes, this time from his third album Happenings (1966) which saw him taking more of a commercial approach in comparison to his previous two albums which were much freer and avant-garde.
Continue reading “Bobby Hutcherson – Maiden Voyage”