You know me well enough by now to know that if there are new Blue Note reissues in the shops, then I'm going to tell you about them. Add to that the fact there are some real treasures here, and some that I suspect are new to CD, it's a gimmie.
Da capo, then...
I'm thrilled that trombonist Grachan Moncur III's "Evolution" and Sam Rivers' "Dimensions & Extensions" are back on CD. Not only does it give Blue Note the chance to correct this misspelling of the latter LP title on the spine, these reissues give us Rudy Van Gelder remastering and new liner notes, too. But they also remind us why the mid-‘60s were such an exciting time for jazz.
Moncur's disc, recorded in 1963, with Lee Morgan, Jackie McLean, Bobby Hutcherson, Bob Cranshaw and Tony Williams is my favorite kind of Blue Note session. The kind that featured mostly musicians rooted in hard bop dipping their toes into the nascent forward-looking and free waters.
Rivers' set, from 1967, but released a few years later (the sale of Blue Note to Liberty Records meant decisions shifted from the artistic to the financial), features mostly cats bred on the "new thing."
Both are immediately accessible and amazingly beautiful works.
I suspect that Curtis Fuller's "The Opener," Lou Donaldson's "Lou Takes Off," Stanley Turrentine's "Dearly Beloved" and Jimmy Smith's "Plays Fats Waller" haven't been issued in the U.S. on CD before, but I could be wrong. I've never seen the Turrentine set before on any format.
The Turrentine record, with his then wife Shirley Scott on organ, was recorded in 1961 and Smith's disc, also a trio -- but with guitar and drums -- derives from a 1962 session. Neither is earth-shattering, but each is a strong enough set to serve as testament to their leaders' skills. On Smith's record, Bob Blumenthal notes that like Waller, Smith allowed neither of his accompaniers a solo on this record.
Three more sets in this batch of reissues are bolstered by the warm, melodic tenor sax of the late, great Hank Mobley. Mobley's own "Quintet" and "The Opener" -- a session led by trombonist Curtis Fuller -- are from '57 and Lee Morgan/Hank Mobley's "Peckin' Time" is from '58. Thus they capture Mobley and his sidemen -- including lots of his fellow Jazz Messenger alumni -- like Bobby Timmons, Wynton Kelly, Horace Silver, Art Farmer, Art Taylor, Paul Chambers, Doug Watkins, etc. at their absolute prime, walloping out the ensemble brass parts and the locomotive rhythms.
Last, but not least, there are three discs that offer quality up to Blue Note snuff -- which was especially high the years these sets were recorded -- but have had lower profiles. J.R. Monterose's self-titled debut was recorded in '56 with trumpeter Ira Sullivan, pianist Silver, bassist Wilbur Ware and Philly Joe Jones on drums.
Alto man Lou Donaldson's "Lou Takes Off" is from '57 and has Fuller and trumpeter Donald Byrd upfront, promising solid, soulful ensemble work.
Sonny Clark's "Leapin' and Lopin'" has the inimitable Billy Higgins behind the kit and trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, and tenor saxophonists Charlie Rouse and Ike Quebec sweetening things on this session led by one of Blue Note's premier pianists. Elvis Costello fans, be sure to listen closely to "Deep in a Dream," you just might hear a significant section of the melody from "Peace in Our Time."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
