Friday, February 27, 2015

NEW RELEASES: STONE ALLIANCE – STONE ALLIANCE; STONE ALLIANCE – HEADS UP; ELVIN JONES IS ON THE MOUNTAIN

STONE ALLIANCE – STONE ALLIANCE

An amazing little group – and one of the real standouts in indie jazz during the 70s! Stone Alliance are a killer power trio made up of players who'd previously worked for Elvin Jones – and all three of them have inherited a frenzied sense of rhythm from Jones – and that great sharp edge he brought to his initial early recordings in the post-Coltrane years! But there's also a deeper sound going on here, too – a bit of funk, and definitely a bit of Latin in the percussion and basslines – which makes for these grooves that are as complicated as they are infectious – often given some sweet spiritual tones from the reeds on top! The lineup features Steve Grossman on tenor and soprano sax, Gene Perla on bass, and Don Alias on drums and percussion – all working together with tremendous energy, but a great focus too – always soulful, and never too jamming at all. Titles include the insane break track "Sweetie Pie", plus Stevie Wonder's "Creepin", "Duet", "King Tut", "Samba De Negro" and "Vaya Mulatto". ~ Dusty Groove

STONE ALLIANCE – HEADS UP

Stone Alliance plays with an expanded lineup on this LP, perhaps to account for the missing Steve Grossman, who's no longer with the group at this point. Don Alias and Gene Perla are joined by Dave Liebman, Alex Acuna, Michael Brecker, and Kenny Kirkland, and the track list includes "Trampoline", "Aunt Remus", "Tribute To Afreeka", and "Uncle Jemima". Perhaps not as full on funky as the group's first few powerhouse albums, but still a great little record with a hard jazzy edge!  ~ Dusty Groove





ELVIN JONES - ELVIN JONES IS ON THE MOUNTAIN WITH JAN HAMMER & GENE PERLA

An overlooked gem from Elvin's mid 70s years – and a sweet fusion jammer that has the best kick of the classics on the PM label! Elvin may be the leader of the set, but the real strength of the album belongs to the record's tight bass work by the great Gene Perla – strong-voiced and soulful, and doing a good job here of keeping both Elvin and Jan focused on the groove of the tunes – as Hammer's keyboards spin out with lots of sweet cosmic touches! Titles include "Namuh", "On The Mountain", "Smoke In The Sun", "Destiny", and "London Air".  ~ Dusty Groove

 




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