One of Art Blakey's first true moments of genius! This transitional
version of the Jazz Messengers included two parts – Lee Morgan and Bobby
Timmons – of the holy Morgan/Shorter/Timmons trilogy, and it's also got
the added bonus of Benny Golson on tenor, who was at the height of his
power at this point. The record really shines in ways that few Blakey
albums shone since his days with Horace Silver – in that it's a forum
for fresh new writing, most importantly Golson's landmark compositions
"Blues March" and "Along Came Betty", and Timmons' instant classic
"Moanin".
While still unknown to many today, Enzo Minuti (1927-2000), aka Ezy
Minus, left his unique mark on the kaleidoscopic world of Italian
library music. One of the most versatile, skilled and authentic figures
in the Bolognese music scene of the mid- to late 20th century, Minuti
was a multi-instrumentalist, composer, music producer and recording
studio manager, as well as a painter, etcher and graphic artist. He
devoted his life to music (especially jazz, a genre that has enjoyed a
long tradition in the city of Bologna), so much so that even his visual
art was inspired by music.
After extensive touring in Europe and Turkey as a jazz musician, in the
late 60s Minuti opened one of the first (if not the first) recording
studios in Bologna, Studio 67. This is where, throughout the 70s and
80s, he composed and recorded his own library music under the monikers
Ezy Minus, Maripal and Cronomas. The fact that he was based in Bologna
is in itself worthy of notice for, at the time, Italian library music
was produced almost exclusively in Rome and Milan (most of his output in
this genre was indeed released by Kronal, a sub-label of Fabio ‘Fabor’
Borgazzi’s Rome-based Minstrel, and by Music Scene, a joint imprint of
Minstrel and Milan’s Jump Edizioni Musicali).
This collection brings together
music composed by Minuti between the ‘70s and the early ‘80s. Within
this timeframe, his first library compositions can be described as
cheerful pop-jazz pieces veering towards either easy listening – with
vocal harmonies, jazzy vocalizations, and rhythmic elements from bossa
nova, samba and swing – or a more psychedelic style, with the use of
chromatism and an experimental rock feel here and there. Later on he
also experimented with genres such as reggae and increasingly used
electronic instruments (synths, drum machines, loop stations, etc.).
However, his playful, light-hearted approach to composition remained
unchanged, or was even enhanced, in his later output (which, like his
earlier work, features simple musical structures, terse arrangements,
and delicate and linear melodies). On a technical note, it is worth
mentioning that, not unlike better-known maestros like Piero Umiliani
and Giuliano Sorgini, Minuti often used the technique of overdubbing and
played most instruments on his tracks (flute, saxophone, organ, piano,
percussion), sometimes even singing some of the vocals. By Four Flies Records
One of the greatest albums ever for Blue Note – and the only album
recorded by tenor player Tina Brooks that was issued during his
lifetime! The album's nearly perfect – and features Brooks' edgey tenor
set in an all star group that includes Duke Jordan on piano, Freddie
Hubbard on trumpet, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Brooks
had blown on other Blue Note sessions before, but here, working as a
leader, his sound is tremendous – vaguely to the left of center of some
of his other tenor counterparts on the label, but with an equally
impeccable approach to soul and rhythm.
Early soul jazz piano work from Takehiro Honda – recorded in a style
that's quite different than most of his later albums! The sound here is
full and rich – with Honda's work on the keys augmented by fuller
backings arranged by Teddy Adams – all recorded in the US (we think),
with a quality that's a fair bit like some of the best soul jazz coming
out of LA at the end of the 60s! Honda plays both acoustic and electric
piano – and the groove has a hiply vamping style that's always verging
on funky, but which is a bit more laidback overall.
If
you read about La Femme, you see them described as
pychadelic/punk/surf-rock/cold-wave/etc... The reason people throw so
many labels at them is that they defy characterization. La Femme is one
of those inexplicable bands that comes out of nowhere to create
something magical that flies totally under the radar.
Such a wide range of styles and
influences in one album could result in disaster. Instead every element
of every genre that they pull from fits so naturally together that it
seems almost remarkable that no one else has put anything like this
together before. It's insane how tight and coherent they sound as a
band, especially when this is only their first LP.
