• · d b Ch • Albertson Don DeMicheal· ·Gilbert M Erskine, Ira Giller, Alan Heineman, Wayne Jones, Lawrence Kort, John Recor d s are revaewe Y ras , ' · p k H s·d c ol SI d p t w Id' r -1 J h M. D h M r"an McPartland Dan Morgenstern Don Nelsen, Harvey e ar, arvey I ers, pr oane, an e e e ang. atwea er, o n c onoug ' a a . . ' Reviews are' signed by the· writers. . Ratings arei * * * * * excellent, * * * * very good, * * * good, * ~ fail', * poor. · When two catalog numbers are listed, the first is mono, and the second as stereo.

Jaki Byard great though und~rappreciated !~ tale!1ts that never lets up and which is full ot JAK.I BY ARD WI~ STRIN~S !-Pr.estige of our times. He 1s a total musician, being fertile, penetrating, highly imaginative 7573: Music to Watch Girls By; Falling Rains. of equally a:t home in classical, jazz and ~op­ ideas. It is some of the most stimulating Ufe; Cat's Cradle Conference Rag; How Htgb the Moon; Ray's Blues. ular music. To each of these, he bnngs pure boi;,-styled piano on record since the Personnel: Ray Nance, violin (voqil, track perfect understanding and implements th!s days of Bud Powell, and I .invite it to the 5); Byard, piano; George Benson, guitar; Ron Caner cello; Richard Davis, bass; Alan Daw• with unerring · taste, superb craftsmanship attention· of all" who dig solid, creative son, arums,1 vibraharp. and above all, imagination of the highest impassioned jazz piano (of whatever styl: Rating:**** ord;r. (His large orchestra, which I have istic persuasion). A J aki Byard album is never predic­ heard both live and recorded, is sure to The tribute to John and Robert Ken. table. One approaches it with pleasant an­ be one of· the most important jazz ensem­ nedy is touching; a sensitive and unbathe. ticipation, and is seldom disappointed. This bles of recent years. His brand new At­ tic composition illuminated with deep parti~ular excursion is one of Byard's most lantic album should easily confirm this; feeling. enjoyable in some time. The instrumenta­ hopefully, too, Columbia will eventually One of the most impressive perform. tion is unique and all participants turn in issue the big-band jazz album he did for ances on the set is the 16½-minute exercise outstanding performances. . them at the same time he recorded bis in totally free group playing aptly titled The music is fresh and exciting, and earlier and extraordinarily lovely Songs Free Ways. Saxophonist Foster describes Byard, a great instigator and explorer, is for Rainy Day Lovers, 9{91.) it in his urbane, informative liner notes: . not afraid of venturing into unchartered This recording, however, preserves a "On Free Ways all entrances, tempo territory. On Cafs Cradle, for example, number of ·Fischer's more intimate­ changes, solo sections, accompaniments, !he gets six different lines, all based on the though no less committed or daring-jazz and the ending happened as you hear same changes, going at once-and it comes performances. Liz Anne, In Memoriam: them. No cues wei:e given physically and off. You'll have fun sorting out the six J.F.K. and R.F.K., You Stepped Out of a I believe· that, indeed, no one was pur-· standards, but even if you can't it won't Dream and· the second version of Lover posely watching anyone else during the lessen your enjoyment of the music one Man are unaccompanied · piano solos re­ performance. Listening. to the other play­ bit. corded in· the familiar surroundings of ers, attempting to sense what to play in If the record has a star, it's the amaz­ Fischer's practice· room 'by his close friend relation to 'what else is being played, and ing Ray Nance. His Ray's Blues, on which John William Hardy. The other two tracks then responding on impulse alone was the he also sings with gusto, is ·a complete were taped there' ,as well, but Foster, direction taken here , . . Free Ways is delight and one of the most infectuously West and Keltner were added. The six almost 17 minutes of pure 'ear' playing, swinging performances to reach record in performances make a: remarkable, im­ containing, I hope, enough variety to sus• some time. His solo and ensemble work mensely satisfying sampling of Fischer's tain a listener from either camp." · throughout is magnificent, and it is in­ huge musical gifts. It sure does and is, in fact, one of the deed a wonder why so vital and gifted a Fischer is one of jazz' foremost melo­ most · interesting and fully together tracks player has had no LP of his own as yet. dists, and this fact" has .seldom been more in an interesting, vital album. It is tribute · Nance doesn't play his soulful trumpet beautifully. displayed on record than in to the empathetic powers of all four men here, . but. in the concluding passages. of the four piano solos· here. They are super­ that ·the piece possesses the organic unity Blues; the fiddle comes as close to emu­ lative- ballad readings, by any standards and flowing sense of inevitability with lating a horn as it has since Stuff Smith left the scene. you might care to invoke, full of lyrical which it is so thoroughly stampecl. It just beauty, warmth, depths of refection, un­ · 'Benson shows that there is much more grows out and up, a perfect illustration of ceasing invention, and elegance. Always to him than his mastery of the blues. what can happen when four inventive mu­ He the latter. shines on Cradle. sicians are able to focus their · artistry and Carter and Davis turn in virtuoso per­ Fischer's playing on both versions of intuitions on a single · goal. Everyone's formances and get into an exciting duel Lover Man and ·on Cal Tjader's beautiful going in the same direction on these Free on . Cradle. Dawson is always where he ballad Liz Anne is incandescent. He illu­ Ways. · l should be, keeping things well anchored. minates both pieces with some of the most A beautiful, tasty album in every respect 1 Byard has much fun with Girls, on honest, uncloyingly romantic jazz playing and .unreservedly recommended. Revela- · which· he has overdubbed an organ end­ I've heard in a long while. His improvisa­ tion Records ··are obtaihable 'from P.O. · ing. In contrast, his Falling Rain is a tions rarely depart radically from the melo­ Box 65593 Los Angeles,. Cafif. 90065; dies but reveal, in their rush of imagina­ Get this album you won't be disappointed. gentle ballad, and still another side of the ' . · ,. · -Welding pianist's personality is revealed in his tion and sureness of control, depths and funky playing on Blues. potentialities one would have not thought If yoµ're in the mood for something possible. In a sense, Clare remincls me of different than the usual jams, you'll relish Art Tatum in his ability to disclose the Bahs Gonzales ------•• fascinating, teeming life lurking beneath THE EXPUBIDENT WORLD Of, BAB~ this record. Like Jaki Byard, it has pas~ GONZALES-EXP 008: Cool . Cookzn; M,e, sion, warmth, humor and that too-often the surface of a melody, which requires Lullaby of the Doomed; Le Continental; You v~ an artist of Tatum's or Fischer's abilities Changed; Beginning of the End; Lonely 0 ne, absent element of surprise. -Morgenstern Babs' Mood for Love. . to set free. In Fischer's case, this is sug­ Personnel: Track 1: Clark Terry, trumpet, gested by indirection and understatement Johnny Griffin, tenor saxophone; Horace Parlan: piano; Buddy Catlett, bass; Roy Haynes, drutlmt!: rather than by the more overt, torrential Gonzales vocal. · Tracks 2-4: Les Spann, U • Clare Fischer ------• and, occasionally, crazy-quilt improvisa­ Charlie Rouse,· bass clarinet; Griffin, tenor s~xo; ONE TO GET READY; FOUR TO GO!­ phone; Parla:n, pi.ano; Ray Crawford, guttir, Revelation 6: I.Jz Anne; In Memoriam: ].F.K. tional . flow Tatum set in motion. Peck · Morrison, bass; Haynes, drums; Gonza es and R.F.K.; You Steppeil Out of a Dream: Something of the brilliance of the latter and The Modern Set, vocals. Tracks 4-8: Ra!, Lover Man: Lover Man; Free JVays. Nance, violin; Parlan, piano; Gonzales, vocal , Persorinel: Tracks 1,2,3,5: Fischer, piano. infuses Fischer's playing on You Stepped others unidentified. Tracks 4 and 6: Gary Foster, tenor saxophone; Fischer, piano; Bobby West, bass; Jim Keltner, Out of a Dream, alone worth the price of Rating: * * * ½ drums. the album. This is a truly amazing perform­ Cookin' is a very swinging track fro~ Rating:***** ance. The first half of the piece consists of a live session Gonzales hosted at Small 8 F!scher is, I am convinced, one of the a darting, quicksilver flow of invention Paradise ( other performances by the 24 □ DOWN BEAT