Free Jazz (A Collective Improvisation)

Amazon.com essential recording
By 1961, when Free Jazz was released, alto saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman was infamous in the jazz world. His searing alto sax and full-ensemble take on melody were assailed by critics. Free Jazz only furthered Coleman's infamy, with its seamless, seemingly atonal high energy and wholesale lack of a melodic or harmonic center. For the session, Coleman assembled two complete quartets and had them play the same music opposite each other, with diving power and a kind of strange grace usually associated with acoustic blues. The music is raw and incisive, with sharp tones and biting solos appearing amidst propulsive rhythms that still seem whispery in their swishing shuffle. This recording helped cast the 1960s--and every decade since--in jazz. It drew a line in the sand, and critics, fans, and musicians are still haggling over the line today. --Andrew Bartlett

Free Jazz (A Collective Improvisation),Ornette Coleman Double Quartet,Atlantic / Wea,Avant-Garde,Avant-Garde Jazz,Free Jazz,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop

Average customer rating: Masterpiece Coltrane does it again! Rookie Coltrane Listener Deeply moving... Indispensable to all music listeners

A Love Supreme John Coltrane Manufacturer: Impulse Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Impulse | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music $7.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Jazz | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $7.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Kind of Blue Birth of the Cool Mingus Ah Um Time Out My Favorite Things ASIN: B0000A118M Release Date: 2003-08-19

Tracks:

1. Acknowledgement
2. Resolution
3. Pursuance
4. Psalm

Amazon.com

A Love Supreme is a suite about redemption, a work of pure spirit and song, that encapsulates all the struggles and aspirations of the 1960s. Following hard on the heels of the lyrical, swinging Crescent, A Love Supreme heralded Coltrane's search for spiritual and musical freedom, as expressed through polyrhythms, modalities, and purely vertical forms that seemed strange to some jazz purists, but which captivated more adventurous listeners (and rock fellow travelers such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, and the Byrds), while initiating a series of volatile, unruly prayer offerings, including Kulu Su Mama, Ascension, Om, Meditations, Expression, Interstellar Space. From the urgent speech-like timbre of his tenor, to the serpentine textures and earthy groove of Elvin Jones's drumming, Coltrane's suite proceeds with escalating intensity, conveying a hard-fought wisdom and a beckoning serenity in the prayer-like drones of "Psalm," where Jones rolls and rumbles like thunder as Garrison and Tyner toll away suggestively--all the while Coltrane searches for that one climactic note worthy of the love he wants to share. --Chip Stern

Customer Reviews:

Masterpiece.......2007-06-26

There is nothing I can add to what has already been said about this recording. Simply amazing and will always withstand the test of time.

Coltrane does it again!.......2007-06-11

This is one of the top 5 albums of all time. Coltrane is on fire, McCoy is on fire, Jimmy Garrison is on fire, and Elvin is murderous. Out of all of tunes, my fav is Pursuance. It's passionate, has a hard bopish-avantgarde feel and yet it still swings. Out of the park!

Rookie Coltrane Listener.......2007-05-26

For years my very good friend who prides himself on being a music aficionado and "snob", much like Jack Black's character in High Fidelity, has been raving about John Coltrane and a "Love Supreme". I however, have been firmly encamped in the classic rock, blues and pop of the 50's, 60's & 70's. I always felt the jazz style that Coltrane and others of that genre played, was way above my head. Though I appreciated the musicianship to the degree I could, I didn't particularly care for it. I didn't "get it".

But now as I reach the half-way point in my fifties, I wanted to force my self to listen and try to see just what it is about Coltrane that so many folks find extrodinary. So my friend recommended A Love Supreme. I listened and listened and virtually immersed my self in the recording until passages became familiar. Now I have a glimmer, an embryonic appreciation of the man's gift. I put it on for my 17 year old daughter and she loves it! It grows on you and I think maybe for the first time I'm experiencing what that type of jazz can do for you. Live & learn!

Deeply moving..........2007-04-20

This is a deeply spiritual album. It never ceases to move me in some way everytime I hear it. It feels so real and authentic that if you're not careful, you may shed a tear of joy or two. It's just one long suite, made by Coltrane after he kicked his heroin habit and found his soul and God again. It's not often one describes a jazz album as moving (Miles's Sketches of Spain is the only one who comes to mind), but there's really no other way to describe this wonderful, transcendent, beguiling album.

Indispensable to all music listeners.......2007-04-08

Like "Kind of Blue" this is a recording accessible to all listeners, resisting facile classifications (fusion, jazz, modal, musician's music, general public's music, etc.). Coltrane's Promethean questing sweeps up and includes the listener, taking him or her through the hero's journey, which concludes on an affirmative note of thanksgiving and peace. Moreover, the musical motifs are in themselves memorable, satisfying the listener's need for a musical stronghold in which to ground the spiritual thrust of the extra-musical religious-spiritual meanings.

Of the recordings after "A Love Supreme," "Transition" achieves a similar visionary ascent, though much of the recorded documentation of Coltrane's last two years is likely to prove inaccessible or at least less engaging to the average listener. It's music "in" but also "of" the moment, a record of pain and anger, protest and revolution, carrying an unmistakable political subtext that frequently overwhelms the main musical text.

Arguably the most influential instrumentalist of the past 50 years, Coltrane left the listener plenty of choices, should the recordings after "A Love Supreme" prove unsatisfying. "My Favorite Things" is the perfect antidote to the cloying soprano sax sound of Kenny G. (as is the soprano sax playing of the deeply expressive and moving traditionalist, Sidney Bechet). For every serious musician, however, perhaps the one recording by Coltrane that belongs at the top is "Giant Steps." Once a musician has mastered the dominant-tonic movement of popular harmonies, the next essential step is learning how to negotiate the "Giant Steps"/"Count Down" harmonic movement that Coltrane introduced. Before learning the theory, however, a listener needs to experience the stunning freshness that is its musical result. With the motivation, the theory is likely to be realized far more efficiently and effectively.

Average customer rating: this is really cheesy music... One of my favorites EVER! Good music! Ageless Sounds All surface

The Köln Concert Keith Jarrett Manufacturer: Ecm Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music ECM Classical | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music ECM Jazz & World | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Carnegie Hall Concert The Melody At Night, With You Paris Concert La Scala Vienna Concert ASIN: B0000262WI Release Date: 1999-11-16

Tracks:

1. Part I
2. Part II a
3. Part II b
4. Part II c

Amazon.com essential recording

A musical chameleon, pianist Keith Jarrett was at his finest when he recorded these sustained solo improvisations in a German concert hall in 1975, the first lasting 26 minutes, the second 40. Melodies and rhythmic figures arise fluidly from his fingers as he moves from one idea to another, while his strong left hand is often used for repeated motifs that generate a rolling hypnotic power. This couples with strongly consonant harmonies to impart the flavor of gospel music at times, dance musics and Debussy at others. Above all, it's Jarrett's ability to knit all of his moods and wanderings into an almost seamless tapestry of warm and tuneful ideas that gives this music its enduring appeal. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

this is really cheesy music..........2007-06-23

...and it's as pure piano playing it's absolutely awful. Nothing but ENDLESSLY repeated riffs overlaid with harmonically elementary noodling. No harmonic tension, no structure, no imagination, no technique. It might make decent background music at an all you can eat buffet, however. Pure kitsch from beginning to end.

One of my favorites EVER!.......2007-04-23

I first heard this in the late 70s and thought it was nice, but a bit boring. Then I heard it again and liked it more. Gradually I have fallen completely in love with it. I am captivated by the way the different tracks build and grow and fall back again, but mostly it's the emotional energy you feel from Jarret himself. I also have "La Scala" and some other things he has done, but nothing quite matches this for me. I don't know how many times I have given it to people or recommended it.

Good music!.......2007-03-19

I like the consert and its variations of sound. It is rare to hear musicans reaction to his work.

Ageless Sounds.......2007-02-18

The Koln Concert's improvisations highlight Jarrett's skills and passion. Truly ageless music that continues to provide pleasure to the lovers of jazz piano.

All surface.......2007-01-15

The playing on this album is pretentiousness masquerading as profundity. Jarrett can set a nice groove, but then he simply falls in love with it, and self-indulgently persists to a point where I want to scream "Get off of it!" He tosses in some pretty decorations along ther way, and a few shouts and grunts now and then to show us how moved he is by this music, but it all adds up to an immensely forgettable experience.

Average customer rating: Actually, this is pretty good "Giant Steps" "Equinox" and "My Favorite Things" are enough for 10 stars alone. The Very Best of John Coltrane -- Not To Be Missed! All The High Points of the Atlantic Years Outstanding Compilation

The Very Best of John Coltrane John Coltrane Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop & Post-Bop | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Essential Charlie Parker Kind of Blue A Love Supreme Blue Train Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane ASIN: B000046PVI Release Date: 2000-02-15

Tracks:

1. Giant Steps
2. Cousin Mary
3. Naima
4. Like Sonny
5. My Shining Hour
6. My Favorite Things
7. Central Park West
8. Summertime
9. Mr. Syms
10. Equinox
11. Body And Soul

Amazon.com

With his inexhaustible technique, trademark sound, and limitless imagination, tenor and soprano saxophonist John Coltrane was one of jazz's most dominant musicians. This collection covers his important Atlantic Records sessions recorded from 1959 to 1960 (chronicled in their entirety on Heavyweight Champion). The tunes signal an important transitional phase from Trane's stints with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk to his emergence as a leader in his own right. "Giant Steps" "Naima," and "Cousin Mary"--featuring pianist Tommy Flanagan and drummer Art Taylor--crystallized Trane's supersonic "sheets of sound" style. "Like Sonny," an Afro-Latin dedication to his friend and contemporary Sonny Rollins with Wynton Kelly on piano, reveals Trane's stylistic debts to Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins. His historic renditions of "My Shining Hour," "Body and Soul," "Summertime," and "My Favorite Things" highlight Coltrane's ability to remake a song into his own image, as well as introduce his influential sound on the soprano sax. These landmark recordings show the development of Coltrane's "great" quartet as well as forecast his iconoclastic excursions into the outer limits of rhythm and tonality, which grew during until his death in 1967. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

Customer Reviews:

Actually, this is pretty good.......2007-07-17

It's tempting to laugh at a John Coltrane compilation, simply because so many of the man's albums are essential. However, even though this neglects Trane's awesome Impulse! albums, focusing instead on his Atlantic years, it's a great introduction to Trane before he revolutionized free jazz and turned himself into one of the jazz world's most controversial musicians as a result. Material from five albums is featured here: Giant Steps (a must-have album), My Favorite Things (ditto), Coltrane Plays the Blues (very solid album), Coltrane Jazz (right in the middle) and Coltrane's Sound (his weakest studio album, though it has its moments - all of them are found here). And the only questionable song on the album is Summertime, a standard I'm pretty well tired of: the Coltrane version is okay, but by far the weakest song on My Favorite Things (I'd rather either Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye or If Not For Me). Other than that one dud, my only complaint about this album is its rather limited scope: The Ole Coltrane album is entirely ignored, which is a shame because its title track (Well, semi-title track) would definitely qualify as "very best", and the fact is you can't get an idea of what Coltrane's like just by listening to his Atlantic recordings: you need the Impulse! ones too if you want the full picture. Still, as a summary of the Atlantic recordings, it's hard to go wrong with this one: you get a few of his most widely known originals (Equinox; Giant Steps; Naima; Cousin Mary; Like Sonny; Central Park West), and a couple superb covers (My Favorite Things; My Shining Hour; Body and Soul - hard to ruin a song with such a beautiful melody!!), as well as a dark horse that's got my blessing, Mr. Syms. And this does for the most part offer the peak of the man's Atlantic recordings.

"Giant Steps" "Equinox" and "My Favorite Things" are enough for 10 stars alone........2007-05-18

This is a good intro to Coltrane, he has too much amazing stuff to put into a single CD but this is a great place to start off. You'll get a little sample of all his sounds from this CD. And for those of us who own more than 10 Coltrane Albums, it's still nice to have all these excellent songs on one high quality CD.

The Very Best of John Coltrane -- Not To Be Missed!.......2007-01-03

In this recording of John Coltrane, there are several songs that stand out in my mind as I write this: The incredibly complex "Giant Steps", the child-like version of "My Favorite Things", the on-again/off-again sad to happy blues song "Equinox", and the business day blues of "Mr. Syms".

Each of these standout songs is different and unique among the other songs on the recording, but it is to these I want to draw your attention as those that captured mine when I listened to the CD.

I am a guitarist who wants to learn Coltrane's interval and melodic technique, but I am always perplexed by his ever changing exploration of the note, in and around the note, wrenching it of its juice like a squeezed lemon, until there is no more; and then Coltrane changes his melodic structure and has another entire lemon to work with.

Please don't misunderstand this illustration as to make it sound like his music is sour like the lemon, although that's what you may be thinking!

Coltrane's unique use of intervals has always what has been his hallmark, some slow and bluesy, others as in the changes of "Giant Steps" blindingly fast and complex.

There are other songs I would have liked to have seen appear on this recording, but as advertised as "The Very Best of John Coltrane", this CD doesn't fall that short.

If you are new to Coltrane's work, this is an excellent place to start. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because of the fact there should be other more recognizable songs of his on this recording, and I would have gladly paid for a 2-CD set if "The Very Best of John Coltrane" delved more into his vast repertiore of work.

All that being said, the songs on "The Very Best of John Coltrane" will not disappoint or denegrate the recording in its entirety. Again, the CD should be taken for its whole, not just the standout songs I mentioned above.

Classic Jazz enthusiasts already know Coltrane, and this is a welcome addition to my collection, almost always in rotation on my CD carousel if not uploaded to my iTunes.

All The High Points of the Atlantic Years.......2006-12-24

This is an excellent introduction to John Coltrane. The music is very accessible for even a casual listener. If you listen to this and Coltrane's vibe gets to you then you're going to be picking up the actual releases that this best of was drawn from. Personally, I actually favor Coltrane's work on the Impulse label, but this Atlantic collection is great. I purchased it because, though I'm an avid jazz collector and listener, I am embarrassed to admit that I do not own a copy of Giant Steps or My Favorite Things, two of Trane's landmark releases. The Very Best of John Coltrane has all the high points of those Atlantic years including the incredible Giant Steps that sent Sonny Rollins back out to the Brooklyn Bridge for more late night practicing and My Favorite Things which brought Trane legions of ,albeit temporary, fans and great commercial success. Naima has always been a favorite and it's included here along with all the other wonderful stuff from those Atlantic releases. Actually there just are not any dull tracks on this CD, it's all great though more laid-back than the Impulse stuff. My actually wife lets me play this one in the house (ha ha). Nice packaging too, the booklet includes a discography of Coltrane's Atlantic releases and an essay by the famous jazz critic and writer Nat Hentoff. There's really nothing else that can be said about this CD. This release perfectly captures Coltrane in his groundbreaking, transitional years, perfecting his "sheets of sound" approach to playing.

You know, listening to Coltrane is actually very much like riding on a real train. The stuff on this CD could be compared to having left the station a few miles back but not yet up to full speed. Things start picking up around the time that "Live at the Village Vanguard" was released, and full speed is achieved right at and immediately after "A Love Supreme". Some people don't care for the train ride at full speed. I love it. It's really quite amazing to compare the music on this CD to a release such as Sun Ship (December 1966) and realize there is only about 7 years time that passed between these sessions. So this is really a great place to start if you've been hearing Coltrane's name (from your musician friends perhaps) and don't know where to start.

Buy

Outstanding Compilation.......2006-11-08

After many years of listening to Ken Burns and Smithsonian collections, I have started buying individual artist compilations (with a view to buy more of the artists I enjoy). Some have been erratic and disappointing; this one is amazing. This "best of" CD contains nothing but jewels that show exactly where Coletrain fell on the jazz evolutionary scale. In other words, this CD gives a great sense of what came before Coletrain, how he built on it, and how others then built on his work. He had a combination of virtuosity and artistry that earned him an uncontested place at the top. If you want to get to know the giants of jazz, this is a perfect introduction to one of them.

Average customer rating:

Sacred Ground David Murray & Black Saint Quartet Manufacturer: Justin Time Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Above and Beyond: An Evening in Grand Rapids Kids: Duets Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola Pilgrimage Cornell 1964 Charles Mingus in Paris: The Complete America Recordings ASIN: B000PY50ZQ Release Date: 2007-06-26

Tracks:

1. Sacred Ground
2. Transitions
3. Pierce City
4. Banished
5. Believe In Love
6. Family Reunion
7. The Prophet Of Doom

Album Description

"Sacred Ground" is a fascinating and important new recording that grew from David Murray's involvement in the acclaimed documentary film, Banished, directed by Marco Williams. Although it's virtually unknown, more than a dozen counties in the U.S. violently expelled thousands of families between the Civil War and the Great Depression. The film - and this recording - explores not only these historical facts, but also the legacy of these events in the communities and for the descendants of the families.

After exploring the themes of the film he'd been asked to score, Murray was inspired - indeed compelled - to dig deeper, and to compose further music. David Murray enlisted poet Ishmael Reed, one of today's pre-eminent African- American literary figures. Reed wrote two poems, performed here by the great Cassandra Wilson.

David chose to record this using his Black Saint Quartet - sometimes called Power Quartet, on the group's first outing since the passing of the great John Hicks last year. Logically then, David enlisted pianist Lafayette Gilchrist, informally a Hicks student and admirer, and on drums the great Andrew Cyrille. Bassist Ray Drummond completes this first class group.

Average customer rating: Fresh, Innovative, Fleck Enjoyable listening. A Great Imitation of Their Own Style Pleasant (newly defined) mix of genres Flashes of greatness.

Hidden Land Bela Fleck & the Flecktones Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Jazz Funk | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: Perpetual Motion The Bluegrass Sessions: Tales From The Acoustic Planet, Vol. 2 Live Art Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Greatest Hits Of The 20th Century The Enchantment ASIN: B000BUXUU6 Release Date: 2006-02-14

Tracks:

1. Fugue From Prelude & Fugue No. 20 In A Minor, BWV 889
2. P'lod In The House
3. Rococo
4. Labyrinth
5. Kaleidoscope
6. Who's Got Three?
7. Weed Whacker
8. Couch Potato
9. Chennai
10. Subterfuge
11. Interlude
12. Misunderstood
13. The Whistle Tune

Amazon.com

Banjo player Bela Fleck has a world-class set of chops and a willingness to follow his muse wherever it takes him. The band ranges far and wide once again on the The Hidden Land ­ it opens with a Bach Fugue, delves into swing, has a bit of bluegrass, does progressive rock, and jets to several other locales. But the everything-and-the-kitchen sink concept is still considerable more streamlined than 2003's Little Worlds, an overproduced and under-focused three-CD set. Highlights here include Fleck's pickin' on a progressive country stomp called "Weed Whacker" and the playful "Couch Potato," which has a hyper edge that doesn't match the sedentary implications of the title. The band's telepathic interaction is highlighted on the Middle East-influenced "Chennai," ­where musical lines are played in unison or tossed back and forth, making the song crackle with energy. The broad aesthetic and restless sonic changes might be a bit much for some, but a patient survey of this album will be rewarded. ­--Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews:

Fresh, Innovative, Fleck.......2007-02-21

The band started to get carried away with guest appearances (Outbound, Little Worlds, etc.) that it was almost unbearable and overwhelming. Their compositions suffered because instead of something designed for specifically the Flecktones, other things came out of the woodworks (not to say that all of it or any of it was bad, but it was almost too much).

When I listen to this album, not only does it feel more original and fresher than anything I have heard Bela and the Flecktones do (at least after listening to their older albums for long spans of time), but this album just has a more intimate and naturally revealing side of the Flecktones. This is an album that will make you think, "Wow I was not expecting that! I kind of like it! Give me more!" and the more you listen to it, the more you feel like you are on the same page as them. This is a more mature album, not one for someone who does not already know how Bela Fleck speaks, so please do not listen to this as a novice listener, it sends a false first impression. The music is more jazz-like than before, and all of the songs flow together. The Flecktones take the listener on an epic adventure like none of the albums have really done before. With the major peaks (in my opinion) being the transition from Fugue to P'lod, Labyrinth, Weed Wacker>Couch Potato>Chennai, this album hits hard from the getgo.

I have always wondered, what will they do next? Bela plays guitar on here, Futureman plays a lot more acoustic drums (which is soooo refreshing), Jeff plays the flute quite a bit, and Victor is always amazing. This album keeps the Flecktones in my top five best bands of all time; The Hidden Land is indeed another album that leaves the listener wanting much more, just like the others. Although, I really like this style the most, I hope they produce more of this gold.

-Aaron

Enjoyable listening........2006-12-09

After several Flecktones albums (including 2003's ambitious triple CD Little Worlds that found the act collaborating with all-star guests including Derek Trucks, Branford Marsalis, and Bobby McFerrin), the group chose a back-to-basics approach for its latest release "The Hidden Land".
The disc solely features the Flecktones quartet, comprised of bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist Roy "Future Man" Wooten, and saxophonist Jeff Coffin. Together, the band expertly hones its trademark combination of bluegrass, jazz, funk, and rock influences within a more spacious and stripped-down environment.
The band has been together for 17 years, always trying to find the right next thing to do and not repeat themselves.
Having a lot of guests playing with them was an incredible amount of fun, but if they were to continue along that path,they would become very predictable.
Banjoist Bela Fleck hooks back up with his longtime backing group The Flecktones featuring longtime electric bass stalwart Victor Wooten. Their music is a mix of Americana, funk grooves and jazz and makes for pleasant if unchallenging listening. After opening with a brief Bach classical composition, the group moves into "P'lod in the House" which kicks the tempo up with pulsating electric bass and funky drum breaks. Wooten's bass is an active presence in almost every performance on this disc, especially on "Labyrinth" where it underpins pensive sounding flute and saxophone solos while scatted vocals bubble just underneath the surface.
There's a brief acoustic interlude on "Who's Got Three" with unamplified banjo (fingers scraping quite audibly on the fretboard) and clarinet taking center stage. Funky bass moves back into the forefront with the upbeat "Weed Whacker" with some quick pickin' and bouncy saxophone. "Subterfuge" gets a little more adventurous as the band jumps the rails of its comfort zone with an electric guitar solo, before ending things on a back-porch note, pickin' the banjo and tootin' on the flute for "The Whistle Song." Jam band fans will find a lit of grooves to like here, and while I found myself wishing that they took a few more chances, the album does make for pleasant if unchallenging background music.

A Great Imitation of Their Own Style.......2006-11-18

Reading between the grooves, it sounds like there was a contractual obligation to produce a new album. Great playing. Innovative compositions. It's hard to pinpoint why these great musicians somehow just didn't manage to get this bird in the air. However, nothing about it really inspires, entertains or surprises.

Pleasant (newly defined) mix of genres.......2006-11-02

This was my introduction to Béla Fleck and it served me very well. It's supposed to be very different than previous albums (more jazzy) and this is absolutely well done. I find it magnificient! You should have a (at least small) taste for jazz sounds, otherwise, "Hidden Land" won't work for you.

Not all songs are good, but what do you expect? I like most: Rococco, Kaleidoscope, Weed Whacker and The Whistle Tune.

Buttom line: In my view, Béla Fleck's sound and melodies have evolved for the better in the past years. It's getting more unique every time. I like it!

Flashes of greatness........2006-09-25

I have to say that this is without a doubt their most uninspired and unoriginal album yet. The first few tracks are really bad, as bad as "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" (I thought they got all that out of their system?). Maybe it will grow on me, but I think with repeated listens I will become more and more bored with it. I will say that as the album moves on, it gets better and "Misunderstood" is definitely the high point on the album (Too bad it takes so long to get there). I have a really hard time recommending this album especially considering their ridiculously strong output leading up to it. Here's to hoping their following is looking better for the mighty Flecktones.

Look for _Outbound_ or _Little Worlds_ instead.

Average customer rating: Charting a course between David Torn and John Scofield Nels is on fire in 2007

Draw Breath Nels Cline Singers Manufacturer: Cryptogramophone ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Similar Items: Downpour Prezens Asmodeus: The Book of Angels, Vol. 7 New Monastery Time and Time Again ASIN: B000QEILII Release Date: 2007-06-26

Tracks:

1. Caved-In Heart Blues
2. Attempted
3. Confection
4. An Evening At Pops'
5. The Angel Of Angels
6. Recognize I
7. Mixed Message
8. Recognize II
9. Squirrel Of God

Album Description

Recently named a "Guitar God" by Rolling Stone Magazine, Nels Cline - lead guitarist of Wilco - has worked with everyone from Julius Hemphill and Charlie Haden, to Thurston Moore and Mike Watt. Nels follows his critically acclaimed CD New Monastery with Draw Breath, a new release by his long-standing trio The Nels Cline Singers. Glenn Kotche, drummer of Wilco is a featured special guest. Nels is currently touring the US with Wilco in support of their new CD.

Customer Reviews:

Charting a course between David Torn and John Scofield.......2007-07-16

Nels cline and his team present an adventuresome and compelling disc of avant jazz. That he creates what edge there is to Wilco should surprise no one. That band is milquetoast without him. Here on his own, he pushes the sonic possibilities of the guitar without loosing either the swing or the blues that are the bedrock to jazz. This is a terrific collection of tunes that will have you hitting the repeat button all the way through. By now, you obviously know that there are no "singers" except the instruments them selves and drums and double bass conspire in ways that would remind you of Michael Jerome and Danny Thompson with Richard Thompson. High praise indeed and well earned. I would recommend this disc wholeheartedly to anyone who loves guitar music from Paco Pena to Julian Bream to Derek Bailey and back again. This is a superb player, a creative writer and this disc is a revelation for those who might know him only from Wilco. While his day job with Tweedy is of the highest calibre, at night, on his own, he is quite something other altogether, to wit this disc and his take on John Coltrane's INTERSTELLAR SPACE.

Nels is on fire in 2007.......2007-06-29

Normally I wouldn't write a review a few days after an album is released. I think I have more of a handle on how I feel about a cd after I've had it for a while. This though (the 3rd album by the Nels Cline Singers) grabbed me on day 1 and will not let go. It needs a review now. You should buy this.

I don't know what you thought of the first 2. I thought Instrumentals was okay but with some moments of greatness. I'm still disappointed with The Giant Pin. It doesn't do it for me. It's always felt flat and uninspired. Draw Breath though, WOW! This is the album I've always hoped the Singers would make. This isn't just "my favorite Singers album" when taken in comparison to the 2 previous albums I just said I'm not overly into. This is one of Nels' best albums so far. If someone wants to know why I love him, this album is the newest prime example as to why. I've listened to this 10 times in 3 days and am trying to think of a way to wrap this review so I can go crank it again.

This is heavy duty. Sometimes peaceful (but not in a dry, polite, chamber-jazz way), but oftentimes capable of ripping heads off, Nels & Friends (but yes Nels first & foremost) are brilliant here! Cryptogramophone should be handing out sheets of LSD with this album. This is totally ripping, space-warrior material here.

I'm only putting out 4 stars because it's only been a few days since I got it. Plus, I gave Downpour 4 stars and I don't know that I should give this more stars. Both albums are fantastic. I guess I hog-tied myself by only giving Downpour 4. It certainly has major 5-star passages, as does this album. Old fan, newer fan, just heard of Nels for the first time yesterday? This should blow us all away. Many, many times. If Duo Milano (Nels & Elliott Sharp) turns out to be as massive as Draw Breath and Downpour, 2007 may go down as Nels' best year ever, in terms of albums.

Average customer rating: Vernon, leave your guitar at home. Good,but just a little overproduced

Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions James Blood Ulmer Manufacturer: Hyena ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Blues | Styles | Music Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: Birthright My Name Is Buddy Sweet Warrior We'll Never Turn Back No Escape from the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions ASIN: B000NVL4S8 Release Date: 2007-05-08

Tracks:

1. Survivors of the Hurricane
2. Sad Days, Lonely Nights
3. Katrina
4. Let's Talk About Jesus
5. This Land Is Nobody's Land
6. Dead Presidents
7. Commit A Crime
8. Grinnin' In Your Face
9. There Is Power In The Blues
10. Backwater Blues
11. Old Slave Master

Album Description

Bad Blood In The City: The Piety Street Sessions is James Blood Ulmer's most recent collaboration with Vernon Reid and The Memphis Blood Blues Band. It's built around a cycle of original Ulmer songs which directly address Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. With this album, Ulmer has delivered one of the most stirring and emotionally powerful recordings of his career. There are also a handful of classic blues interpretations that serve to further explore Katrina's sub-plot of race, poverty and struggle, including readings of Son House's "Grinnin' In Your Face," Junior Kimbrough's "Sad Days, Lonely Nights," John Lee Hooker's "This Land Is No One's Land," Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues," Howlin Wolf's "Commit A Crime" and Willie Dixon's "Dead Presidents."

Customer Reviews:

Vernon, leave your guitar at home........2007-06-06

I'm a Huge Blood fan, and love all of his music, but this record is a slight let-down. It's in no part due to James Ulmer's performance, but rather Vernon Reid's presence.
James Ulmer's strength is his droning, moody A-tuned guitar with his strong and slightly-garged voice. If you've heard "Birthright" that's Ulmer at his best.
Vernon Reid should remember to leave his guitar at home when producing Ulmer. Reid's 1,000 note-a-minute style just walks all over Ulmer. He is no blues player in the style that Ulmer is. Ulmer can play ONE note and weave it into a feeling. Vernon Reid is always in a race with himself. Combine that with the loud, overly-full production, and James Ulmer is drowned out and lost in the mix. Underneath it all is a great performance by Ulmer. But trying to listen to it through all of that noise is annoying.

Good,but just a little overproduced.......2007-05-29

Don't get me wrong! I Am a Big Fan of James Blood Ulmer. I feel he has found his calling as a 21th century bluesman;but on this record ,which has a great concept and sound,I feel is a little overproduced;too much studio and not enough of that angular,Ornette Coleman sounding Blood Ulmer guitar(unlike his last disc "Birthright" which was brilliant!)Vernon Reid should have made the production a little more sparce sounding so more of that Blood Ulmer guitar would have come thru. That being said; the compositions on this CD are great and have an important message, I hope commerically, this CD is a success for Blood;because For my ears it's his most popular sounding,blues CD. Just wish it was a little more hardcore Blood Ulmer.

Average customer rating: I hope you read this, Richie! A Worthy Anthology el mejor grupo de jazz-fussion SIN DUDAS Good cd selections - Great DVD! For those who don't

Forecast: Tomorrow Weather Report Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Jazz Funk | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Box Sets at 30% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music R&B | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Jazz | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Brown Street Live and Outrageous Carlos Santana & Wayne Shorter - Live at Montreux (1988) Saudades Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up - Live ASIN: B000HEWGPG Release Date: 2006-09-19

Tracks:

1. In A Silent Way
2. Super Nova
3. Experience In E Major (Excerpt)
4. Milky Way
5. Tears
6. Eurydice (Full Version)
7. Orange Lady
8. Unknown Soldier
9. Directions
10. Surucucu
11. Second Sunday In August
12. 125th Street Congress

Tracks:

1. Nubian Sundance (Live)
2. Blackthorn Rose
3. Badia
4. Cannon Ball
5. Black Market
6. Three Clowns
7. Havona
8. Birdland
9. Palladium
10. The Pursuit Of The Woman With The Feathered Hat
11. The Orphan
12. Sightseeing

Tracks:

1. Dream Clock
2. Three Views Of A Secret
3. Port Of Entry (Live)
4. Dara Factor Two
5. Procession
6. Plaza Real
7. The Well
8. D-Flat Waltz
9. Domino Theory
10. Predator
11. Face On The Barroom Floor
12. Indiscretions
13. 125th Street Congress (DJ Logic Remix)

Amazon.com

From 1970 to 1985, the jazz-fusion ensemble known as Weather Report reigned supreme as one the most distinguished and indefinable ensembles of the 20th century, and saxophonist Wayne Shorter and keyboardist Joe Zawinul were the cofounders of this ever-changing group. This superb, three-CD, 37-track collection features the band's incredible cast of musicians: drummers Peter Erksine and Alphonse Mouzon; percussionists Airto Moreira, Alex Acuna, and the late Don Alias; bassists Miroslav Vitous, Alphonso Johnson, and the incredible Jaco Pastorius. The roots of their sound are heard in Zawinul's "In A Silent Way," and their greatest hits--from "A Remark You Made" and an unreleased version of "Nubian Sundance" to their 1976 mega-hit, "Birdland," are included here, along with the lesser known classic, "Indiscretions," a DJ Logic, hip-hop remix of "125th Street Congress," and a sizzling, two-hour DVD concert from Germany in filmed in 1978. This set is a powerful primer to their "folk music of the future." --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews:

I hope you read this, Richie!.......2007-07-16

WAY back in 1974, my best-friend-in-the-army, Richie, and I were listening to each other's albums. Knowing that I was not-so-surreptitiously making more money at night as a musician than I was by "playing Army," Richie told me, "Nah - I don't think you'd like it" when I asked him to play Weather Report's first album for me. I DID badger him into playing the etherial track, "Milky Way" for me, and - even though I was - and am - a "rabid Stones' fan" (like Ian Hunter said about himself & Jaco) - I was captivated. Being a bassist, I had already heard of Miroslav Vitous, and I STILL remember Tony, the drummer of my band, yammering about Alphonse Mouzon and Eric Gravatt - SERIOUS MUSICANS, those three, and I haven't even mentioned Joe Zawinul (the ONLY person I will EVER trust with a freaking synthesizer), or Wayne Shorter, Saxophonist Extraordinaire. And though my interest kind of...well, "slipped" until the year 1978 - UGH!, all my hippie friends were then bleating about that pithy Chuck Mangione..."thing" that was so prevalent then ("Feels So Good" or something), and I kept screaming at them, "NO! That is bubblegum at its most hideous! Have you heard 'Heavy Weather' by Weather Report? You NEED TO!" Well, histrionics aside, all of Weather Report's music is very well represented here on "Forecast: Tomorrow," and I'm grateful, because that certainly fills a hole in my CD collection. But I am really - REALLY - most grateful for the inclusion of the DVD with a 1978 performance by the Jaco Pastorius/Peter Erskine incarnation! I (now blushing FURIOUSLY!) purchased that Joni Mitchell/"Shadows And Light" thing a couple of years ago, only - ONLY - because Jaco was featured so prominently thereon. And athough I'm too cheap to relinquish any of my DVDs or CDs, "Shadows" will now be relegated to that vague, indefinite place where I store, say, the Stones' "Bigger Bang," that John Phillips' "Pay Pack And Follow," or, for THAT matter, anything by the Eagles or such. THANK YOU, Richie!

A Worthy Anthology.......2007-07-12

What a wonderful collection to have; a worthy anthology of the most important jazz fusion band from the 1970s and 1980s.

I have heard some of the original albums and was intent on collecting them at some stage, but this anthology captures the band perfectly on this 3 cd set, covering many of the popular fan tunes as well as many points of interest along the way. Utterly intriging and fascinating to hear, you can completely lose yourself in this music at times.

The live dvd is a great addition to the 3 cd set, and I'm lucky to have it in my collection. It could have been remastered a little with today's technology (aka Cat Stevens' Cat Stevens: Majikat Special Edition) as the picture is a little grainy at times, but the sound quality is still good.

This anthology is a worthy addition to your music collection, and saves you trying to hunt down the Weather Report albums. Unless you have a particular album in mind then you will not find yourself lacking with this purchase, as this collection is quite extensive and stands as testimony to a great collaboration of musicians.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

el mejor grupo de jazz-fussion SIN DUDAS.......2007-05-13

POR FIN EN MIS MANOS LA MEJOR SELECCION MUSICAL DE WEATHER REPORT. HE ESPERADO POR MUCHO TIEMPO VISUALIZAR CON CALIDAD UN CONCIERTO DE ESTE GRAN GRUPO ,CON UNA CALIDAD DE IMAGEN Y SONIDO SIN PRECEDENTES (SALVANDO NATURALMENTE LA DISTANCIA DE TIEMPO Y TECNOLOGIA CON LA QUE SE GRABO EN SU DIA...), EL DVD QUE CONTIENE ESTE SET ES QUIZA EL UNICO DOCUMENTO VISUAL , SONORO E HISTORICO DE TODO UN CONCIERTAZO DE WEATHER REPORT, EN SUS MAS DE DOS HORAS DE DURACION REAFIRMAN LA GENIALIDAD DE CADA UNO DE SUS INTEGRANTES, ES UN PLACER VERLOS EN EL ZENIT DE SU VIRTUOSISMO COMO MUSICOS, LOS DEMAS CD'S(3)DE AUDIO CABE RESALTAR EL EXELENTE TRABAJO DE REMASTERIZACION EN CADA UNO DE SUS TEMAS,LA SELECCION (QUIZA EL TRABAJO MAS COMPLICADO)ES DONDE QUIZA SE DEBERIA HABER INCLUIDO ALGUN OTRO TEMA...EXTRAÑO: "BARBARY COAST", "PUNK JAZZ" ENTRE OTROS, PERO CREO QUE POR EL TRABAJO AQUI REALIZADO SE MERECE LAS CINCO ESTRELLAS DE RIGOR. UN BRINDIS POR : ZAWINUL. W. SHORTER, PETER ERSKINE,JACO PASTORIUS( ALLA DONDE ESTE) Y ESE LARGO NUMERODE MUSICOS QUE CONTRIBUYERON A FORMAR " REPITO " LA MEJOR BANDA DE JAZZ FUSSION O SIMPLEMENTE DE JAZZ CONTEMPORANEO DE LAS HISTORIA "SIN DUDAS" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good cd selections - Great DVD!.......2007-05-07

I don't understand complaints that the cd's here contain already released material. The product description clearly says so. I for one found this collection a very nice compliment to my only other Weather Report cd "Weather Report, the Jaco Years". "Forcast: Tomorrow" contains great stuff from the pre-Jaco and post-Jaco years. The photos and notes in the accompanying book are very good.

As for the DVD, it is also clearly described as a video from the Rockpalast concert of 1978, and if you already have it you are very fortunate. I had not seen it before, and I found it to be very good. The performance is excellent. The cameras switch to capture the ensemble well. The close ups are good enough to follow how each performer is executing their important solos. Jaco is at his best. This is the quartet with Peter Erskine, and the performance captured here is more complete and, to my ear, better than the "8:30" cd.

For those who don't .......2007-04-29

For those who don't have any CDs by Weather Report, this compilation gives you a wonderful overview of the history of the group, all the different personel, a wonderful booklet of photos and info, and a great DVD performance with Jaco. I hadn't heard lot of the early music and I really appreciate the chronology in this box set. The price I paid was a steal. The fact that all the tunes were picked by Joe Z and Wayne S was great!!!!!

Average customer rating: A defining moment Lonely Woman Plastic Axe Attacks Freedom! Jazz was resculpted with this chisel

The Shape of Jazz to Come Ornette Coleman Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music $7.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Jazz | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $7.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Out to Lunch Free Jazz (A Collective Improvisation) Mingus Ah Um Speak No Evil Change of the Century ASIN: B000002I4W Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Lonely Woman
2. Eventually
3. Peace
4. Focus On Sanity
5. Congeniality
6. Chronology

Amazon.com essential recording

On this highly influential 1959 album, Ornette Coleman's unique writing style and idiosyncratic solo language forever changed the jazz landscape. On classics such as "Lonely Woman," "Congeniality," and "Focus on Sanity," Coleman used the tunes' moods and melodic contours, rather than their chords, as a basis for his improvisations. In so doing, he opened up jazz soloing immensely and ushered in new freedoms--both individually and collectively. Lest these innovations sound too dry or abstract, it must be noted that both Coleman and trumpeter Don Cherry play with a deep-felt emotion and joy that is as infectious today as it was then. This is truly an essential jazz recording, marking the end of one era, providing the blueprint for the next. --Wally Shoup

Customer Reviews:

A defining moment.......2007-02-22

This album signified a defining moment in jazz music upon its release in 1959, the sound unpredictable and free to come and go as it pleases. What came to be commonly referred to as free jazz or avant-garde was viewed by some as an affront to the integrity of jazz music at large. For some critics, it was easier to dismiss Coleman as an unskilled technician rather than face the possibility that he just may be brilliant. Coleman became so influential in the scene and movement of his day that even John Coltrane was exploring freer compositions as a result.

The sound quality on this disc is superb. Coleman uses silence in a haunting way, shaping his music around its backdrop and occasionally using it as a centerpiece. This album is fresh and new every time you listen to it, the emotional effect being a soothing and calming one. Sure to become an instant favorite in anyone's collection, Ornette Coleman's "The Shape of Jazz to Come" will seldom find itself outside of your turntables.

Personnel: Ornette Coleman (alto saxophone), Don Cherry (cornet), Charlie Haden (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums).

Lonely Woman.......2006-05-20

If you're on the fence about Ornette Coleman, or think you just don't like "free jazz", or whatever, just try to put away preconceptions and listen to "Lonely Woman" with a relaxed mind and open ears. While doing so, think of Johnny Hodges, perhaps. Dawn, dusk and midnight are great times for this music. It's not "free jazz", and you might be surprised how beautiful it is.

Plastic Axe Attacks.......2006-04-18

Because it is populated by drug addicts, ne-er do wells, misogynists, slackers, and people who wear sunglasses after dark, the world of jazz is thought of as a "cool" place where anything goes. Surprisingly enough, there is stodginess, conservatism, and resistance to change in the world of jazz just as there is everywhere else. No one knows this better than Ornette Coleman.

In the late `50s, sporting a plastic alto sax and some wild new ideas, Coleman blew onto the scene and was quickly fed into the teeth of a whirring buzz saw. Jazz insiders disagreed about Ornette Coleman; some saw him as a deranged savage with no grounding in jazz traditions, others saw him as a grandstanding opportunist attempting to pass off bizarre behavior for avante garde music, and frightening the dogs in the process. Both groups agreed he should be burned at the stake. A smattering of advocates knew better than to speak up.

What's so funny is that 40 plus years later, everyone admits he's a giant of jazz and hugely influential, but nobody listens to him. (He's like PBS in this respect). Two things jump out. When he kicked the piano out of the ensemble, the chords, the musical foundation, went too. Heresy. Next, as good as Don Cherry is, Coleman put all the musical pressure on himself, his alto carries everything. This might be thought of as chutzpah or recklessness except that he really is that good.

The Shape Of Jazz To Come proves this beyond all debate. Though Coleman is considered "way out," this CD is thoroughly listenable and exquisitely beautiful. Coleman's abilities as a solo artist are absolutely stunning, in a class with giants like Coltrane, Parker, and Young. In later efforts, like the Stockholm recordings, he would venture even further off of Main Street, and at times the results are not mellifluous. It doesn't matter. Coleman is the real thing, a fearless originator, a prodigy, and a national treasure. He is like the film director Terry Gilliam in that even his failures are better than the successes of almost all his colleagues. With The Shape Of Jazz To Come, Ornette Coleman succeeds unequivocally.

Freedom!.......2006-02-26

This was a controversial album when it first came out, but you can forget all that and just buy it. This is simply an excellent jazz album, and many of the songs on it have been covered by other artists. Although free jazz can rightly sound forbidding, this album is very accessible. The melodies are very catchy, and the playing is very good. Don Cherry and Charlie Haden provide great support and soloing.

Jazz was resculpted with this chisel.......2005-11-18

1959 was probably the biggest year for jazz in history. Out of that year we were introduced to instant classics such as "Kind of Blue", "Giant Steps", "Time Out", "Mingus Ah Um" and of course, Ornette Colemans "Shape of Jazz to Come." It is not surprising Coleman's release was originally criticized by many as the red-headed step child of jazz music. Many were outraged by Coleman's tunes that lacked an explicit form or set of chord changes. However, much of what we listen to now in the contemporary world of jazz has been shaped by this important artistic album.

If one listens to many of the groups that are on the contemporary scene these days such as the Dave Holland Quintet, it is very hard to discern any type of particular form or distinct chord changes that the players are improvising over. The reason you can't tell very easily is because well, there isn't one. We have Ornette Coleman to thank for this innovative concept that has created an entirely different world of jazz for us to enjoy. Many of the contemporary groups today have extracted much from the avant garde concepts that Coleman initiated on this record.

One might be curious, how in the world can players improvise when there is no explicit form or chordal structure? The answer lies in one word: chemistry. The interplay between Charlie Haden (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums) with the soloists (Coleman on sax and Don Cherry on coronet) is amazing. The players are always conscious of what the others are doing at any given second. Because the chemistry between the players is so well-developed, the music has bite, edge and a sort of abrasiveness that rarely if ever sounds racous, out of tune or unmusical. Granted it is abstract and unconventional, but it stays away from being so vaporous that it cannot be comprehended by the untrained ear (an issue that some contemporary musicians err on too much).

The only warning that I have about this album is that it is not intended to be background music of any kind. You can turn on Kind of Blue or Time Out and occupy yourself with something else and be just fine. This is not the case with "Shape of Jazz to Come." Coleman's disc requires a much more attentive and engaged ear to really appreciate it. Many of the people who refer to this album as incoherent abstract garbage probably are not listening to the album the way it was meant to be listened to. Listen closely and you too, may truely appreciate the shape that jazz has taken.

Average customer rating: A Stand Out! Going Free True Art never bores, opens pores My favorite album ever--PERIOD this is the one!

Free for All Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers Manufacturer: Blue Note Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Indestructible A Night in Tunisia Moanin' Buhaina's Delight The Jazz Messengers ASIN: B0002KQNZO Release Date: 2004-08-10

Tracks:

1. Free For All
2. Hammerhead
3. The Core
4. Pensativa

Album Description

The swan song for the band with Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Curtis Fuller and Cedar Walton. The title tune has to be heard to be believed. From a whisper to a scream, each soloist seems to be bursting at the seams with ideas and emotion. Their version of Clare Rischer's "Pensativa" is another highlight.

ART BLAKEY, drums; FREDDIE HUBBARD, trumpet; CURTIS FULLER, trombone; WAYNE SHORTER, tenor sax; CEDAR WALTON, piano; REGGIE WORKMAN, bass

Recorded on February 10, 1964 at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Customer Reviews:

A Stand Out!.......2006-10-03

In terms of hard bop,this is a genre defining piece of music... gold standard... transcendent... a timelesss piece of art, yet a spirit of the times then too.

I was born and raised on the soulful Southside of Chicago. Along with this, Hank Mobley's "No Room for Squares", Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", Otis Redding's "Dictionary of Soul" and "a little help from me friends", this music insured I survived college in Moorhead, Minnnesota on a conservative Lutheran campus in the late 1960's. God is good!

If you have a functional pulse rate,there's absolutely no way to lose with this one.

Going Free.......2006-08-28

All the elements are here: The undeniable blue note sound, the terrific Art Blakey smashing drums and a fantastic trio like a dream team of a rythim section: Shorter/Hubbard/Fuller.
"Free for all" shows a renewed fresh Messengers album with all the traditional elements of Blakey's hard bop, but forwarding upcoming free jazz tunes like others contemporanies. Ok, the title track is not exactly free when we use ithis term to describe other musicians like Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Sum Ra and the pioneer Ornette Coleman, but free for all is going in the same directions as John Coltrane tunes. No wonder this album was released in the same year "A Love supreme" was.
However, we have three different directions on the album, something more free and modal in "Free for all", the essential hard bop in "the core" and "hammer head" and the last track "pensativa" a hommage to bossa nova, that differ from the others quit a lot.
The major point is really the incredible team Blakey came up with specially the 3 metal genious Shorter, Hubbard and Fuller as I said before.
4.5 stars

True Art never bores, opens pores.......2006-05-06

Hard bop, soft bop, shoobop a doolop. I don't know where one style ends and another begins and I don't care. I do know that this is not that dinnertime, does-the-cheese-go-good-with-the-wine? kind of jazz. And I know that Art et al takes your ear hairs and wraps them up in knots with this blistering set. "Free For All" is raw yet contemplative, like the thoughts bubbling through the mind of the man saddled with the task of cleaning up the blood after a boxing match; it's like acid eating through the petri dish and it's the mood crystallized and cast in neon on the side of the highway, dripping into the gutter and leaving goodies for you to pick up and ponder in the daylight. It feels like cloth on flesh melting. It's that moment, if you will, where the Hulk realizes where he is and what he's done ... before he starts shrinking back down to human-size.

My favorite album ever--PERIOD.......2006-03-05

In 1964 Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers stepped into Rudy van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and probably melted the inside of the building. With great material and truly special inspiration, they created a record of the most uncompromising, in-your-face hard bop recorded to date. Musical director Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone contributes two high energy originals and probably the best playing of his five year Messengers tenure, Freddie Hubbard contributes the other two tunes, one original and one arrangement, and also blows his brains out on trumpet, Curtis Fuller adds a rich third voice and some great trombone playing, Cedar Walton plays some great and tasteful piano, both in accompaniment and solo, Reggie Workman really pushes the sound of the band into a more advanced rhythmic feel, and Art Blakey of course plays like a man on fire, creating volcanic energy that kicks the band up to a superhuman level. Fine, this description may sound like Leonard Feather-esque hype, but it's really not. This album is incredible.

The whole album is great but there are two standout tracks. The first is the eleven minute title track. A perfectly formed Wayne Shorter original, it is voiced in rich three part harmony over an insistent rhythmic figure (though not rigid--Reggie Workman's embellishments and displacement of time makes it a very free-flowing feel) and a bridge whose release and buildup of tension sounds a lot like a train getting closer. The solos from the horns and Blakey are very intense and Shorter and Hubbard shred in particular. The high energy level is maintained throughout this tune, then the next two are almost as intense ("Hammerhead" drops the tempo without losing any of the energy) before culminating in the perfectly placed "Pensativa." It is a beautiful Clare Fischer medium-up Latin tune gorgeously arranged by Freddie Hubbard. I took four hours once to transcribe the arrangement and its absolutely brilliant use of tension in the horn voicings. This tune keeps the energy of before but the intensity level backs off and it's the perfect close to a great album.

This album will appeal to those who enjoy "Mosaic," an earlier Messengers outing with similar personnel. This album is in a similar vein but better. In terms of Art Blakey newcomers, "Moanin'" or "The Big Beat" is a better place to start, but once you're ready for this album, it will blow your mind.

this is the one!.......2005-08-07

the first time i heard the jazz messengers i was in my car listening to some public radio jazz show. a minute into the tune "free for all" and i began to stare at the radio in disbelief. i actually became nervous because the song i was hearing was so great i was sure that the dj would not bother to mention who i was hearing or would mumble something incoherent like, that was owhiubuigwugw. add into the mix my wife and three kids along for the ride, were all babling away. so the song ends, and about three more other songs were played. finally the dj starts mumbling like i knew he would and i kept hearing all these names - cannonball adderly, thad jones/mel lewis orchestra and a couple of other artist i dont remember, and im yelling at my wife write that down! write that down! so i took that napkin list to the cd store and bought all of them. just because free for all is such an amazing tune. but wait! the rest of the album is just as good! as a matter of fact the tune "the core" actually matches it in intensity. all of the musicians on this cd are just amazing, in fact i was so smitten with the trumpet playing by freedie hubbard on this cd (the trumpet solo in the core is just stunning)i went and picked up a whole bunch of his cd's and now im getting into wayne shorter as well. and of course let me not forget the awesome drumming of art blakey and the stellar musicianship of bassist reg workman, pianist cedar walton and trombonist curt fuller. just a terrific album and the others i had to buy with it were great as well! as a side note if you like the last song on this cd "pensativa" you can hear an absolutely killer live version of it on freddie hubbards the night of the cookers cd. its 22:15 long and contains one of the most awesome trumpet duals between freedie and lee morgan! lee of course was the trumpet player for the jazz messengers after freddie. also i would like to add that for all the intensity this collection of tunes has, it is one of the most melodic jazz cd's i have ever heard. i frequently find myself whistling these tunes to myself. just a great, great cd. highly recommended.

Pop Music:

1. Grazing in the Grass: The Best of Hugh Masekela
2. Happy Hour/Motion
3. I'm All for You
4. Inner Urge [Original recording remastered]
5. Intuition
6. Live At The Village Vanguard: The Master Takes [Live]
7. Lost and Found
8. Miles Smiles (Reis) [Original recording remastered]
9. Moonlight in Vermont [Original recording remastered]
10. Native Lands

Pop Music