Thursday, March 17, 2016

NEW MUSIC: THE CANNONBALL ADDERLEY QUINTET – THE PRICE YOU GOT TO PAY TO BE FREE; ELEPHANT 9 WITH REINE FISKE – SILVER MOUNTAIN; MISHA TSIGANOV – SPRING FEELINGS

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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