trumpeter of the first rank. His pretty tone has nist not helped by a tinny-sounding in­ WALLACEDAVENPORT the clarity and perfect projection of a skilled strument: Harris is a plea,ant minor-league DARKNESS ON THE DELTA-Fat's Cat's lead man's. hut none of the coldness that Vic Dickenson with. apparently. little lung FCJ-122: Darkness on the Delta; Sugar Babe; sometimes goes with that skill. Con­ power (or else he was consistently un Melancholy; Just a Closer Walk With Thee; My comitantly. he phrases with great percision der-halanced by the engineer). Perry is rather Monday Date; Sleepy Time Down South; Some­ hut without stiffness. His technique is re­ inaudible and seems little more than steady. day You'll be Sorry; Chloe; When the Saints Go markable: the valves are like butter under his while veteran drummer Moore keeps time like Marching In. personnel: Davenport, trumpet, vocal; Walter fingers. his range is awesome (hut judiciously a metronome. without a trace of shading or (Slide) Harris. trombone: Herb Hall, clarinet; John employed). his control is impeccable. his in­ color. Eaton, piano: Van Perry, bass: Freddie Moore, tonation flawless. The program. despite the warhorses. is drums. Davenport is also a fluent improviser. in­ nicely enough chosen. but the tempos and Rating: *****! *** spired by Louis Armstrong and also touched routines (or absence thereof) are monotonous Wallace Davenport was long overdue for by Charlie Shavers. Sweets Fdison. and. in and unimaginative. Fnsemble. string of solos. his own album, and independent producer his more modern moments. Clark Terry. But ensemble. period-except on the two most Johnson (Fat Cat) McRee had a potential he is quite himself-a very classy trumpet effective tracks. coup on his hands in recording him. Regr­ player. These are Closer Walk, a Davenport show­ etably. the results don't do full justice to a His only weakness. as I hear it. is an occa- piece in which his Harmon-muted. state­ great trumpeter. ly-slow solo. accompanied only by brushes. is -born. Davenport spent some a· highlight. The other. believe it or not. is 15 years on the road with the big bands of Sain1.1·. which has some peppy vocalizing and . . patter by Davenport (he also sings on SuRar and . mostly as lead trumpeter Hahe and Soml'day, in that pleasant. rhyth­ and sometimes also as musical director. A mic. relaxed manner characteristic of so many couple of years ago. he decided to come trumpeters inspired by Louis). home. and since then has found a berth on sional tendency to empty technical display Trumpet-wise. Davenport's magnificent Bourbon Street. sometimes holding down two that mars an otherwise tasteful conception (as closing half chorus on Sleepy Time delivers six-hour jobs per day-and Bourbon Street the triple-tongue stuff at the end of the first clear proof of his true ability. Climbing to a jobs are not designed for coasting. Monday Dai,, solo here). And there may he punishing upper range. and staying there. he Davenport has the chops for such tasks. reason to doubt that the traditional context is serves notice that he is a musician to be just as he had them for the big band lead truly what Davenport's soul lies within -1 reckoned with. chairs. He had only rare chances for solo sense a great mainstream player at the core of Five stars for Davenport: a hare three for exposure in those days, and now that he has his musical being. the setting (with Hall's warm. soulful work plenty, it's within a traditional framework. This album was recorded during a playing definitely an asset. and the shifting. unfocused But since he cut his musical eyeteeth with visit to McRee's annual Manassas (Ya.) Jazz recording balance a distracting detraction). and some of the top brass Festival. Aside from the excellent clarinetist Davenport deserves much better. but this is bands in New Orleans, he has no trouble with Herb Hall. Davenport's companions are not .. a welcome start. With a little more help from that. ches below his level. Eaton is an accom­ his frie11ds. he should raise quite a bit of hell. There is no question that Davenport is a plished. musicianly hut stylistically bland pia- - 111or,:enstern

1 ~pproach this music as the sixth musician:' Those were critic Michael that Joe Zawinul was in it, I Weather Report: When you Cuscuna 'swords about Weather paid attention. What I heard approach them as a sixth Report in The Listener. So were confirmed my opinion that if the ·musician, you'll find out how these: "The empathy among word 'jazz'means anything at much new music you have these five men is awesome and all, it means freedom of in you. thrilling ... " expression." Weather Report.6 1 1 Sing That should give you some Weather Report does draw 11 idea of the group's tightness. on the freedom and inventive­ the Body Electric And their new album's already ness of jazz. It's also got plenty On Columbia Records~ been praised by Frank Zappa of the electricity and force of and Tapes · and Duke Ellington. Zappa said, rock. As Mark von Lehman "I find it excellent and beauti­ wrote in the New York Herald, WEATHERREPORT ful." And Ellington commented, "Weather Report has devel­ " ... when I encountered oped a collective musical voice ISING THE BODY ELECTRIC including: Weather Report, and learned of its own." UnknownSoldier/Second Sunday In August DirectionsNerticalInvader/Dr. Honoris Causa

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