THE
CANNONBALL ADDERLEY QUINTET – THE PRICE YOU GOT TO PAY TO BE FREE
Julian
“Cannonball” Adderley first gained notice as the bluesier saxophone voice on
Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue (John Coltrane being the other), and in the late ‘60s
and early ’70s, he was engaged in an ongoing artistic conversation with Miles,
often trading musicians with him and taking the electric innovations of Bitches
Brew and filtering them with through his own earthy sensibility. The height of
Cannonball’s fusion phase arguably came in 1970, a year that yielded no less
than three live albums—all produced by David Axelrod—that have since ascended
to cult favorite status. We at Real Gone have already issued one of them, the
double-album Black Messiah; now, we’re back with the CD debut of his
double-album The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free. Drawn from a performance at
the 1970 Monterey Jazz Festival and “live in the studio” tracks cut at Capitol,
Price was a testament to Cannonball Adderley’s
sprawling artistic vision, embracing abstract improvisation, funky soul-jazz,
hard bop, and world music. It also offered the lone lead vocal of the saxman’s
entire career (on Milton Nascimento’s “Bridges”), and was the last Cannonball
Adderley album to feature keyboardist Joe Zawinul, who contributes the key
compositions “Directions,” “Painted Desert,” and “Rumplestiltskin.” The record
went to #5 on the Billboard Jazz chart and #169 on the Top 200, quite a
remarkable showing given the avant-garde stylings of such numbers as “Out and
In” and “Alto Sex,” although the album also did include such trademark populist
Cannonball fare as “Down in Black Bottom” and “Get Up off Your Knees.” Features
liner notes by Bill Kopp that include quotes from Cannonball’s drummer at the
time, Roy McCurdy, and remastering by Mike Milchner at SonicVision!
ELEPHANT 9
WITH REINE FISKE – SILVER MOUNTAIN
A group
that's as heavy as its name – working here in a wonderful array of keyboard
sounds from Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, mellotron, and minimoog – all set to
some nicely lumbering rhythms, and topped with guest guitar from Reine Fiske!
The style's a mix of spacey moments and funky currents – yet all served up
without any sort of easy retro style at all – and instead with a personality
that's very much the group's own – kind of in the way the contemporary Kullrusk
can take older modes and really change them up into something new and fresh.
Tracks are all relatively long, and build up their sound in space, to
eventually find a groove – which is then let loose almost with a sonic
intensity that takes us back to classic Can, but with more jazz than rock.
Titles include "Occidentali", "The Above Ground Sound",
"Kungsten", "Abhartach", and "You Are The Sunshine Of
My Life". ~ Dusty Groove
MISHA
TSIGANOV – SPRING FEELINGS
Plenty of
spring feelings here – not just the sense of warmth and new growth that pianist
Misha Tsiganov brings to his performance, but also the bounce in his step that
makes even the mellower tunes groove, and the more upbeat ones really take off!
Part of the album's strength is its horns – wonderful work from Alex Sipiagin
on trumpet and Seamus Blake on tenor – both of whom really seem to bring out
the best of each other here, especially in terms of tone and color – working in
a group that also includes Hans Glawischnig on bass and Donald Edwards on
drums. Titles include the original tracks "Spring Feelings",
"Jed's Place", "October In Kiev", and "Blues For
Gerry" – plus nice takes on Wayne Shorter's "Yes Or No" and
"Infant Eyes". ~ Dusty Groove
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