Elvin Jones - Puttin' It Together (1968)

Elvin Jones - Puttin' It Together (1968)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 235MB

BN CDP 7 84282 2

Allmusic:
Joe Farrell (heard on this CD reissue on tenor, soprano and flute) did some of his finest playing while with drummer Elvin Jones' trio during 1968-69. Joined by bassist Jimmy Garrison (in one of his first post-Coltrane recordings), Farrell really digs into group originals, obscurities, "For Heaven's Sake," and Jimmy Heath's "Gingerbread Boy." With Jones pushing him and Garrison sounding quite advanced, Farrell was consistently inspired to play at the peak of his creativity.

Tracks
-1. "Reza" (Ruy Guerra, Edu Lobo) - 7:14
-2. "Sweet Little Maia" (Jimmy Garrison) - 7:54
-3. "Keiko's Birthday March" (Elvin Jones) - 6:55
-4. "Village Greene" (Billy Greene) - 5:13
-5. "Jay-Ree" (Joe Farrell) - 3:52
-6. "For Heaven's Sake" (Elise Bretton, Sherman Edwards, Donald Meyer) - 5:10
-7. "Ginger Bread Boy" (Jimmy Heath) - 5:18

Personnel
* Elvin Jones - drums
* Joe Farrell - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, piccolo
* Jimmy Garrison - bass

 sample & buy: Puttin' It Together 

 

Dexter Gordon - The Jumpin' Blues (1970)

Dexter Gordon - The Jumpin' Blues (1970)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 240MB

OJCD-899-2

Allmusic:
Although tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon seemed to have been largely forgotten in the U.S. during his long residence in Europe, he was playing in prime form during the period and made occasional trips back to America. On this CD reissue, Gordon teams up with pianist Wynton Kelly (one of his last recordings), bassist Sam Jones and drummer Roy Brooks for an obscure original ("Evergreenish"), "The Jumpin' Blues," the veteran ballad "For Sentimental Reasons" and three songs that were long a part of Gordon's repertoire: "Star Eyes," "Rhythm-A-Ning" and "If You Could See Me Now." Dexter Gordon is in fine form on the excellent straightahead bop set.

Tracks
1. "Evergreenish" - 6:02
2. "For Sentimental Reasons" (William Best, Deek Watson) - 6:49
3. "Star Eyes" (Gene de Paul, Don Raye) - 5:21
4. "Rhythm-a-Ning" (Thelonious Monk) - 6:51
5. "If You Could See Me Now" (Tadd Dameron, Carl Sigman) - 6:34
6. "The Jumpin' Blues" (Jay McShann, Charlie Parker) - 5:46

Personnel
* Dexter Gordon - tenor saxophone
* Wynton Kelly - piano
* Sam Jones - bass
* Roy Brooks - drums

 sample & buy: The Jumpin' Blues 

 

Iannis Xenakis - Electronic Music (1997)

Iannis Xenakis - Electronic Music (1997)

 contemorary, avangarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 420MB

EMF CD 003

Allmusic:
This is a collection of compositions from electronic music pioneer and 20th century legend Iannis Xenakis, deceased in the early half of 2001 after a lifetime creating one of the most significant bodies of European art. The great Greek-born Frenchman's extraordinary work covered early electronic music and post-serialist composition, architecture, and mathematics, and his mastery of diverse mediums informed his work in music composition, securing his place as one of the most important composers of avant-garde classical music. Those familiar with Xenakis the architect will know him for his pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair (1970), while instrumental classical musicians will know of his complex and abstract percussion and string works. In electronic music he is known not as the inventor but as the composer who shaped the medium into one of the most progressive and complex mediums of the late 20th century. Hence, New York's Electronic Music Foundation released this compilation of his works dating from the late '50s, when at a Paris studio he produced these artifacts that take the primitive electronics of the time into stunningly sophisticated realms. On hearing this CD in the new millennium, it is hard to believe that these abstractions were not made in the late '90s, judging from their futuristic use of electronic effects. Xenakis' work was always considerably more abrasive than that of his contemporaries, and is comparable only to the work of Karlheinz Stockhausen, who was similarly interested in noise and sonic phenomena during the '60s. The works on this CD such as "Polytopes" and "Concrete PH" are concerned with "clouds of sound" where the density is extreme, giving these tape works complex textures that can be examined for hours and at different volumes, presenting effects from curious ambience to engaging and rigorous sound worlds. This archival collection comes highly recommended. It is more than a footnote in the history of electronic music, as many reissues can be; rather, this is a vital document in the shaping of late-20th century music.

Tracks:
-1. Diamorphoses (1957)
-2. Concret PH (1958)
-3. Orient-Occident (1960)
-4. Bohor (1962)
-5. Hibiki-Hana-Ma (1970)
-6. S.709 (1992)

Performer
* I Xenakis

 sample & buy: Electronic Music