Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 159

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere 

Allow your Miner to indulge his first love, a little creative improvised music for a hump-day stroll through Motherlodesville. You can call it jazz if you like, but I find that term pitifully inadequate. (I could just go with personal hero Yusef Lateef's description of the music as "autophysiopsychic," but writing the explanation would eat into my precious listening time. Suffice it say that the five albums presented here provide some thrilling and lovely moments. Collect them all!

 

 

    
Max Roach/Archie Shepp  ~  Force (Sweet Mao/Suid Afrika 76)
(Blog: Free the Music)

Sweet
"This exceptional double-album of duets with Archie Shepp helped inaugurate Max Roach’s own revolutionary cultural program. Over the ensuing years, he purposefully connected with the younger generation of adventurous jazz musicians, engaging in a series of stellar duets with Dollar Brand, Anthony Braxton, and Cecil Taylor. Roach not only reinvigorated his own music and pushed his playing to dazzling heights, he proved himself (at least) the creative equal of his esteemed partners."  (Description by Destination: OUT)

Theo Loevendia  ~  Theo Loevendie Quintet
(Blogs: Inconstant Sol)

Go Ab Baars Hopping
"As a jazz musician for over 15 years, Theo Loevendie (born in Amsterdam, 1930) performed at all of the most important European jazz festivals as alto and soprano saxophonist and as leader of combos and big bands. Today, as one of the Netherlands' most notable composers, he has received numerous important awards and has been a guest at the most prestigious New Music festivals."  (Description by Peer Music)

 

Paul Togawa  ~  Paul Togawa Quartet
(Blog: Sic Vos Non Vobis)
[password = melanchthon]

In From the Coast
Wow, what a gorgeous cover! Tasteful drummer Paul Togawa is the leader on this date, but ex-Stan Kenton altoist Gabe Balthazar steals the show.

 

 

Alan Shorter  ~  Orgasm
(Blog: Com a Boca no Trombone)

You Will Come to Love It
"I managed to score a copy of Orgasm when Verve briefly reissued the album as part of its short-lived "Elite Edition" series. It's kind of an odd album in that in the middle of recording Alan apparently switched producers, and also had to replace some of his players. In spite of the behind-the-scenes turmoil, Orgasm is a consistent sounding recording, and one of the more beautiful statements from the free jazz community. I've heard of comparisons between this album and Ornette Coleman's early work (the two composers share a common bassist, Charles Haden), and I find that I can play this album fairly comfortably side by side with some of Coleman's classics (Change of the Century comes to mind). Much has been made about his apparent lack of training and technique, although honestly I can't really hear any deficit in his flugelhorn playing. He seems to get the job done within the parameters of his compositions, which I would suppose is pretty much what matters."  (Description by Don Durito at Nothing Is V2.0)

 

Sahib Shihab  ~  Sahib's Jazz Party
(Blog: Orgy in Rhythm)

Something Is Rollicking in Denmark
"This album, cut live in Copenhagen in '63, is a rolling joy. Led in by Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson's walking bass, and the twin-drum kits of Alex Riel and Bjarne Rostovold, opening track, 4070 Blues, comes on like some pastoral theme tune from the wildest ever '70s kids' TV show, Shihab's urgent, rough-house flute wigging out and digging in as the rhythm section keep it moving ever forward, like some carnival of woodland animals hopped up on mushrooms and licorice root."  (Description by Andrew Male at Mojo)

 

Listen to my radio show Give the Drummer Some—Tuesdays, 6-7pm, and Fridays, 9 to noon—on WFMU's web stream Give the Drummer Radio.
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Comments

[Jessi Hance]

Andrew Male's description of Sahib's Jazz Party will now inhabit my mind's eye for the rest of the day.

[Jessi Hance]

And now I've started listening to Sahib's Jazz Party, and I think the woodland animal carnival description fits perfectly! I feel like a happy hopped-up woodland critter, anyhow!