Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Gil Scott-Heron - "Live in Bremen" (1983)




"We Almost Lost Detroit" (excerpt)



"Angola Louisiana" (excerpt)


Over two hours of Gil Scott-Heron and his Amnesia Express, live at the Kulturzentrum Schauburg in Bremen, Germany, April 18th, 1983.

Worth it alone for the Gil's opening solo voice-and-rhodes performances of "We Almost Lost Detroit", "Angola Louisiana" and "Three Miles Down", the last of these featuring a similar singalong to one I remember taking part in when I last saw him perform in 1998.

There's an intimacy in these three tracks that I haven't picked up from the other bootlegs. So this now becomes my second favourite GSH bootleg after the Bottom Line show.

Considering this has gone through a cassette generation, there's a good clarity to the recording of his voice throughout, even if he does complain at one stage that he must have "left his voice on Lufthansa". Bass guitar is a little far back in the mix from the recorder position, which probably explains the title that the original DIME seeders gave the set.


"The Bottle" (excerpt)



"Washington D.C." (excerpt)

In the band tracks, the reed and brass particularly shine through in the arrangements. There's a really superb, understated flugelhorn solo from Alonzo Bailey in "Better Days Ahead".

Lots of talk from GSH between tracks - he's still the only guy who can merge from spoken word to poetry to song without you noticing the joins, where the setup is all part of the song.

The seeders added a few other GSH songs from TV broadcasts, and a bonus live performance from Dana Bryant of Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not be Televised" from Jazzfest Berlin. Fantastic stuff! 




CD 1

1 Intro 1:26
2 We Almost Lost Detroit 5:42
3 Intro 2:13
4 Angola Louisiana 5:19
5 Intro 4:10
6 Three Miles Down 4:34
7 B Movie 16:28
8 Intro 1:03
9 A Legend In His Own Mind 5:14
10 Intro 0:30
11 Winter In America 7:49
12 Band Intro 3:27
13 Intro 1:26
14 Shut 'em Down 6:21

CD 2

1 Intro 1:24
2 Washington D C 4:39
3 Intro 1:29
4 The Bottle 14:00
5 Intro 1:08
6 Better Days Ahead 11:06
7 Intro 4:39
8 Johannesburg 7:12

bonus tracks:

9 Winter In America 4:34
"Ohne Filter" German TV March 1984 (broadcast date):
10 Not Needed / Statement 4:03
from "Keynote" (SAT1 - German TV) 1994
11 The Revolution Will Not Be Televised 5:18
Dana Bryant
Jazzfest Berlin, Traenenpalast, Oct 28 1993 (FM recording)

MUSICIANS

Gil Scott-Heron - vocals, keyboards
Alonzo Bailey - trumpet, flugelhorn
Vernon James - alto and soprano sax, flute
Ron Holloway - tenor sax
Larry McDonald - percussion
Kenny Powell - drums
Ed Brady - bass
Glen "Astro" Turner - keyboards, harmonica

CREDITS & BOOTLEG HISTORY


FM broadcast to cassette, cleaned and de-glitched by Langtang and Wolf.
Originally seeded at DIME by Langtang and Wolf.
Cover art by Wolf.



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Posted by Simon666 at 9:30 PM

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Gil Scott-Heron - "Live at Glastonbury" (1986)




"Gun" (excerpt)



"Blue Collar" (excerpt)

With much buzz surrounding Gil Scott-Heron's new album, here's a half hour bootleg featuring four kicking tracks from a 1986 live show at the Glastonbury Festival, originally broadcast on the BBC. Here we capture GSH somewhere in the middle of his 12 year hiatus between "Moving Target" and "Spirits", but he's in fine voice and spirit.

Keyboardist Kim Jordan switches between synth and piano, and she contributes some particularly fine piano solos - she was a member of Gil's touring band for 12 years, also appearing on the live "Minister of Information" album and "Spirits", both in 1994.

Also appearing on those albums was the Turrentine-ish saxophonist Ron Holloway, who also played on "Moving Target" from which both "Blue Collar" and "Washington DC" appear live here. He went on to record some albums for Milestone in the 90s, including 1998's "Groove Update" which features GSH on new versions of "Three Miles Down" and "We Almost Lost Detroit". That album also featured drummer Rodney Youngs from here.

Joe Phillips' guitar adds a blues sensibility to the proceedings, occasionally rocking things out a little too much for me, but holding back (or held back) enough to not ruin things. Bassist Robbie Gordon played with GSH from 1978 until 1994. He released a solo album called "Still Growing" in 1996, which included an unusual straight-ahead acid jazz version of Gil's classic song "B-Movie".

In the comments for this post, Jamie said :

"I was at this gig as a young, wide-eyed first-time Glastonbury festival-goer. I was 16 years old, I'd just left school two days previously and had just had the best weekend of my life up to that point. What this tape omits is that 'Johannesburg' was aborted initially due to the lack of crowd response. Gil had asked the crowd to sing along with the chorus and he'd explained, patiently, that if we didn't sing up he wasn't going to do it. Cue the first 'What's the word?' bit and a fairly lacklustre response from the crowd. Gil cut the band and gently mocked our poor singing. I remember him saying something along the lines of 'OK, I know you were probably too busy pulling on a joint and missed it but this time you've gotta sing up'. The next chant of'JOHANNESBURG!' you can hear on the recording."

An anecdote about this gig from the blog Look on the Nice Side :

"I once had a pee on a fence next to him at Glastonbury festival, right after he’d just come off stage. And when I asked him if he didn’t have a hospitality area backstage and his own posh toilets, he shrugged and sad, “Yeah man, but I like to pee with the people”.

TRACKS

01 'Gun' (4.23)
02 'Washington DC' (5.05)
03 'Blue Collar' (12.30)
04 'Johannesburg' (8.44)

MUSICIANS

Gil Scott-Heron - vocals, keyboards
Kim Jordan - keyboards
Joe Phillips - guitar
Robbie Gordon - bass
Ron Holloway - saxaphone
Rodney Youngs - drums
Larry McDonald - percussion

CREDITS & BOOTLEG HISTORY

FM > cassette (1st gen) > CDR > WAV > trader's little helper > FLAC
Originally posted on DIME by Roofwalker.
I've converted to WAV and 320-mps from the FLACS.
Thanks to Roofwalker, and Scott for the alert!

Blogs linked to in this post are Pure Diggin', BeeQ, RockNRollaZ, Look On the Nice Side and Blaxploitation Jive. Please say hi to these folks and thank them if sample their wares, so that they keep posting.





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Posted by Simon666 at 12:31 AM

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Stanley Cowell - "New World" (1981)



Hello everyone, I'm back after four months, and hope you'll all still come and visit here.

Stanley Cowell's "New World" - recorded in 1978, and released three years later - represents something of a transitional album for the pianist who co-founded the Strata-East record label with Charles Tolliver.

Cowell's instrumentation had always been about finding the right combination of instruments to create the right textures for particular compositions, whether his own or others. From the moment he burst out in 1969 with "Blues For The Viet Cong" (aka "Travelling Man") and then "Brilliant Circles" , he would embroider a piano trio base with a range of instruments - brass, winds, voices, vibes, strings - to find the instrumental palette to realise each musical vision; the roles of each instrument freely changing between lead and support; the tonalities veering between modal and the avant-garde as suited.

"Brilliant Circles", in particular, reflects the range of influences the pre-solo career Cowell had picked up as a sideman on various albums by Marion Brown, Max Roach and Bobby Hutcherson.

Cowell himself would move between (mainly) acoustic piano, rhodes and sometimes the african kalimba (or "thumb piano"). Some tracks featuring his kalimba have been heavily sampled over the years, notably several of his recordings of his track "Travelling Man" as well as "Smilin' Billy Suite" from the Heath Brothers' "Marchin' On" (1976)

Throughout the 1970s, Cowell would move back and forth between more intimate, piano-led sessions like the beautiful "Illusion Suite" (1972); the solo piano album "Musa Ancestral Streams" (1973) and the electric-acoustic solo album "Waiting for the Moment" (1977); and at other times would venture once again into larger instrumental electric/acoustic groupings on albums like "Regeneration" (1975) and the commercial RnB/jazz album "Talkin About Love" (1977).

In November 1978, Cowell indulged both sides of his musical personality by recording two albums. In the last few days of that month he recorded "Equipoise", a great trio album with Cecil McBee and Roy Haynes; but earlier in the month he recorded a larger group work, "New World" which I'm presenting today.

"Come Sunday" opens with solo piano, before church bells herald the entrance of a full vocal section ( Judy Lacey, Linda Mandolph, Robert Mandolph). Kenneth Nash's percussion enhances the trio of Cowell, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Roy Haynes; with Nate Rubin and Terry Adam's strings enhancing the melodic lines of Cowell's piano.

The gospel-flavoured "Ask Him" features Cowell on both rhodes and piano, with the vocal chorus alternating words and chord backing, and Headhunters Eddie Henderson and Julian Priester contributing brass.

From gospel we move to calypso in the album's dud track, "Island of Haitoo", which not even Cowell's kalimba can save from a fate of bad-travelogue-library resort music. It really needs a video of a cartoon sun going up and down on a blue cellophane ocean .... hmmm move on ...

Up next is a new version of "Trying to Find a Way", first recorded by Cowell on "Regeneration" - he's commonly revisited the same songs across various albums, placing them in new configurations and styles. It's a fairly exuberant version, with the trio backed by full vocal chorus and strings, and features a bass solo by McBee. I do miss Cowell's synth and the vocals by Charles Fowkles and Glenda Barnes from the original, but it's still a good version - almost Steve Reich-ish in the vocal arrangements.

"El Space O" is the standout track, with Priester's growling trombone locking in with McBee's bass to create a platform for Cowell's extraordinary rhodes and prepared piano work, with a subtle wah-wah allowing the keyboards to wind in and out of answering melodies provided by Priester and Henderson. The brass build up in modal chords behind a honking sax solo by Pat Patrick, before embarking on Mwandishi-like wails that lead back to the main melody. A great piece.

The album finishes with the solo piano track "Sienna : Welcome to this New World", and reminds me that I can happily listen to Cowell play the piano anywhere, any time and in any context. "New World" was the last time that Cowell would work with such a broad ensemble of musicians - after this most of his work would focus on the piano.

Hope you enjoy this album, bring on the comments so I know it's worth getting this blogging thing going again :)

TRACKLIST
--> 01. 'Come Sunday' - 8:39 (Duke Ellington)
02. 'Ask Him' - 4:46 (Cowell-McBee)
03. 'Island Of Haitoo' - 4:14 (Cowell-Scott)
04. 'I'm Trying To Find A Way' - 7:27 (Cowell-McLaughlin)
05. 'El Space-O' - 8:20 (Cowell-McBee-Haynes)
06. 'Sienna: Welcome To This New World' - 2:43 (Stanley Cowell)
MUSICIANS
--> Piano, electric piano, prepared pianos, kalimba, hammond organ, orchestra chimes, occasional backing vocals - Stanley Cowell
Bass - Cecil McBee Drums - Roy Haynes Percussion - Kenneth Nash Alto, Tenor and Bass Trombones - Julian Priester Trumpet, Electric Trumpet, Flugelhorn - Eddie Henderson Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone - Pat Patrick Cello - Terry Adams Violin - Nate Rubin Vocals - Judy Lacey , Linda Mandolph , Robert Mandolph
PRODUCTION DETAILS

Recorded at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, November 1978 Arranged and Conducted by Stanley Cowell
Producer - Ed Michel Engineer - Baker Bigsby
Assistant - Wally Buck
Mastering - George Horn
Art Direction and Design - Phil Carroll
Photography - Phil Bray
POST CREDITS

Other albums linked to in this post are at Orgy In Rhythm, Musica en Enspiral, Strata-East Fan Club, El Goog Ja, Pharoah's Dance, Nothing Is V2.0, The Changing Same, My Jazz World, Muzikholic.
Please thank these folks if you visit them and download - your "thankyou" makes bloggers realise that people are there, and then they post more ...

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Posted by Simon666 at 11:13 PM

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Elvin Jones - "Summit Meeting" (1976)





To complete our series of Elvin Jones albums on Vanguard Records, reader Luis has kindly donated a vinyl rip of "Summit Meeting" from 1976.

This comes the year after "New Agenda" in Jones' Vanguard chronology, recorded a few months after "The Main Force"; and the year before "Time Capsule".

As the title suggests, this is more of a group album, and is listed in some places as such. It's generally a little more straight-ahead that the albums that preceded it and followed it - Jones is deferring to trumpeter Clark Terry and saxaphonist James Moody, neither of whom he had played with before.

The fusion touches of "The Main Force" are nowhere to be seen - guitarist Roland Prince has a more laid-back, supportive role than Ryo Kawasaki from the former album. Keyboards are provided by Albert Dailey - his rhodes work is as solid as ever - not working with the onboard FX, but more working in a blues-based piano style, while still mindful of the electric instrument's tonality.

Mostly, the tracks are a showcase for solos by Moody, Terry and altoist Bunky Green, who would come to the fore in "Time Capsule" the year after. Producer Ed Bland's composition "Moody Magic" is the closest track to the more organised and composed structures that would follow on that album. The other standout for me here is Bunky Green's "Blues for Clark", with great solos by Dailey, Terry and Green. Check previews of both of these tracks at the top of the post.

Hope you enjoy this one! Please thank Luis for the rip.

TRACKLIST

01. 'Tee Pee Music' - (Clark Terry) - 8.09
02. 'Blues for Clark' - (Bunky Green) - 5.59
03. 'Moody Magic' - (Ed Bland) - 6.11
04. 'Summit Song' - (Bunky Green) - 10.13
05. 'Jones' - (Pauline Reddon-Duke Ellington) - 9.54

MUSICIANS

Elvin Jones - drums
Clark Terry - trumpet and flugelhorn
James Moody - tenor sax
Bunky Green - alto sax
Roland Prince - guitar
Albert Dailey - electric piano, piano
Angel Allende - percussion
David Williams - bass

PRODUCTION

Vanguard Records VSD 79390
Recorded NYC November 18th, 1976
Produced by Ed Bland
Recording Engineers - Charlie Repka, Jeff Zaraya
Mixer - David Baker
Design - Jules Halfant
Photograph - Joel Brodsky

OTHER ELVIN JONES at this blog :

1975 "New Agenda"
1976 "The Main Force"
1977 "Time Capsule"
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Posted by Simon666 at 11:56 PM

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

"Nytro" (1977) / "Return to Nytropolis" (1979)





I originally had this post as a re-direct to Baby Grandpa's blog - he did some great new rips of the two funky albums by Nytro, produced by Norman Whitfield in 1977 and 1979, and asked me to write a post for it.

Well that post is gone now,  and I have no idea what I wrote, but here are the rips  :

and

Some details :

Nytro - 'Nytro' (1977) 

Tracklist

A1Atomic Funk
Written-By – LaMorris Payne, Robert Justice, Jr.*
5:05
A2Dreaming
Written-By – Benjamin Wilber, La Morris Payne*
4:02
A3Foolin' Around
Written-By – Earnest Reed, Jr.*
6:10
A4What It Is
Written-By – Earnest Reed, Jr.*
9:10
B1Where's The Party
Written-By – LaMorris Payne
4:10
B2Atomosphere
Written-By – C. Powell*, E. Reed, Jr.*
4:55
B3Give Me One More Chance
Written-By – Nytro
4:10
B4Trick Bag
Written-By – E. Reed, Jr.*
4:20

Credits

Notes

Recorded at Sound Factory West Studio 
Mixed at Village Recorders, Warner Bros Recording Studios, Burbank Studio, Sound Factory West 


Nytro - 'Return To Nytropolis' (1979) 

Tracklist

A1Nytro Express
Drums – James GadsonGuitar – Trey StoneWritten-By – Norman Whitfield
7:08
A2Return To Nytropolis
Written-By – Norman Whitfield
5:40
A3Could This Be The Night
Written-By – Ronald A. Smith
5:15
A4High On Disco
Guitar – Trey StoneWritten-By – Norman Whitfield
5:01
B1People Of The Country
Harmonica – Mark EngelWritten-By – Earnest Reed, Jr.*
4:56
B2Make It
Written-By – LaMorris Payne
5:05
B3I've Paid My Dues
Written-By – Kenneth Scott
4:08
B4Orbit Of The Sun
Written-By – Earnest Reed, Jr.*
5:47

Companies etc

Credits

Notes

Recorded and mixed at Fort Knox Recording Studio, Los Angeles 


Naturally, these have been added to the Whitfield discography here.
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Posted by Simon666 at 11:38 PM
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