Rhythmically, this LP is dull enough ing.) None of the players has a fertile tenor to flute for another blues-flavored to obliterate any interest it might other­ enough imagination both to use the austere up-tempo workout. Nothing memorable wise have held. Heavy rock-style thump­ simplicity of the Jines intelligently and to happens, but it's pleasant listening. ing pounds monotonously through the transcend them,· making something new. · · -McDonough meager 13: 59 of side one's two tracks, No development, in other ·words. and half of side two. Corea is especially guilty here. He is I still believe that jazz should swing, far more interested in texture than hori­ Sonny Stitt lllillllllllillllllllilllllllilllll!lil/llllillllllllllll!lil/lll!lil/lll!lil/llilllll!III and the rock influence here seems to be zontal movement; his chord series arc COME HITHER-Solid State SSl8057: Me11do­ ci110; Gentle On t\ly Mind; I'm Go1111a Make working aga_inst this purpose by locking often provocative, but his single-note work You Love Ale; 111/ichif(/ Lineman,· Tasty Cakes; the players into a stiff, starchy posture in is frequently only filler. Gilmore has some Prit•(l/e Number,· Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'; For 011ce In My Life,· C(/lifornia Soul,· Jo-Ann,· which their phrases invariably emerge as nice spots: a good, controlled statement on Soiree. little square musical boxes. Whatever hap­ Planet, which is an Eastern line with a Personnel: Joe De Angel is, Don Corrado, French horns; Stitt, Varitone alto saxophone; pened to eighth notes played legato? distinctly occidental bridge, and a tot\gh, Jerome Richardson, baritone saxophone, flute; Furthermore, Harris' gimmick use of strong solo on Sin Street .. The latter solo, Paul Griflin, piano, organ; Billy Butler, guitar; Bob Bushnell, Fender bass; Joe Marshall, drums; amplification is hard to listen to for any however, suffers from the aforementioned Jimmy Mundy, arranger, conductor. length of time. It produces a kind of lack of development. . Rating:*½ muffled distortion, as if someone had It is a credit to LaRoca that this doesn't The latest Schwann catalog lists 41 dropped a heavy curtain between the per­ sound· like a drummer's date. He takes available Still LPs. I haven't heard them former and the listener. His bag of tricks very little solo space-perhaps wisely, since all, but would guess that at least 40 must µside for the moment, most of the playing on his one extended outing, on Sin Street, be bell.er than this one. ;here is as dull as the beat, a sort of tonal there's a lot of logic, a lot of control, and Great old pro that he is, Stitt could monochrome. precious little innovation. As a supportive have made this dale in the half hour or so The eternal search for the new sound, drummer, though, he's _fine. ( He also suf­ it takes to play the record, and perhaps I suppose, is what prompted the final few fers more than anyone from the thin he did. There isn't a memorable moment on bars of Funky, in which Harris seems to recording sound.) it, and he probably forgot all about it as be gargling while playing. Booker comes off best of all. A supreme­ quickly as I hope to, and as quickly as Yet, through all this murky caterwaul­ ly undermentioned bassist, he has great you will if you decide to waste your time ing one ray of light glimmers like a bea­ tone, good ..chops and a wonderful sense listening to iL con: Children's Song. Herc is a charming of variety. On Majoun, Corea leads off with I don't unµerstand what motivates rec­ piece in which Harris' electronic gadgetry some frenetic chording which Booker com­ ords like ttjis. Though the tunes and finds a noble reward. It. is basically a plements beautifully in all ranges of his treatment are all "contemporary", the end 1 series of softly articulated contrapuntal instniment; some of the high, keening result lacks t1he coarse vitality of rock or themes woven together in almost Bachian notes he lays down under Corea bring .to r&b, and could be of no appeal whatever fashion against a restrained drum pattern. mind Denny Zeitlin and Charlie Haden to a jazz-oriented listener, while the beat is For once in the album, manner becomes at their be-st. Booker also states the melody too persistent for Muzak purposes and the servant of matter. In spite of the rest of Bliss handsomely. (The statement is only passable for dancing. In sum, this of. the LP,. at least a listen to this track marred slightly by Corea's cliched sum- ' waste of talent, time and effort is yet an­ is recommended. mer-rain-tinkle-tinkle backing.) oth~r example of the total mindlessness A Place for Us appears to have 1fn­ The music here has many virtues; sim­ prevalent in. the recording industry. amplified Harris. In any case, it offers a · plicity, strength, and ·oc_casionally, a most The rating is above zero for Stitt's pro­ glimpse of full-toned tenor in a straight attractive sensuality. What it doesn't have, fessfonalism and for the -pleasant textures ballad vein. Nothing terribly special, but it most of the time, is interest. -Heineman obtained by Mundy from voicing French sounds nice. -,-McDonough horns with baritone sax. The liner note, by disc jockey Jack Walker, speaks of "the dearth of recorded Pete LaRoca Stitt sides in recen_t years," irn;Iicating that TURKISH WOMEN AT THE BATH-Doug­ las 782: Turkisb Jl7omen at tbe Bath: Tbe Danc­ DJs run schlock record producers a close ing Girl,' Loi·e Planet; i'tfajo1111;Bliss,· Sin Street; Junior Mance second in sagacity. It also raises an inter­ And So ( cwo takes). LIVE AT THE TOP-Atlantic SD 1521: Be: Personnel: John Gilmore, tenor/ saxophone; fore this Time A11otber Year,- I lVisb I Knew esting question: what's an unrecorded side? Chick Corea, pi"ano; Walter Booke1r, bass; Lii­ How It Would feel to Be free; That's All,· If there be such a thing, this album should Roca, drums. Tuming Poi111. have been it. -Morgenstern Rating:*** Personnel: David Newman, tenor saxophone·· ( cracks 3 and 4), flute; Mance, piano; Wilbur Musical history .has accelerated at quite Little, bass; Rudy Collins, drums. a rate when music like this-serious, ab­ Rating:*** stract, experimental-is best described as Side one offers Mance an opportunity Bobby Timmons DO YOU KNOW THE WA Y?-Milescone background listening. All four players on to str~tch out for a full 19 minutes of MSP 9020: Tbe S/1a11isb Co1111t,·Fll701i't Be Back; the date are accomplished musicians, the playing, broken only by a brief interlude . Last Night J17ben lVe ll7ere Young; Do You Knou• The JJ7av To San. lose?; Come Together: lines are pleasant and mildly interesting, by bassist Little. Before opens in a moody Something To Live For,· Soul Time; This Guy's and the solos are well conceived and ex- fashion and dwells on a single chord In Lo1·e Jl7itb Yqu. ecuted. · Personnel: Timmons, piano; Joe Beck, guitar spurred forward by . a softly shuffling ( tracks 2-5, 8); Bob Cranshaw, electric bass; Yet background listening it is. Many rhythm. The mood breaks.. when Collins Jack DeJohnette, drums. of the compositions, all by LaRoca, are begins to pour it on, ·and· we get a solid · J;lating: * * * Middle Eastern in feel. He seems to be ex_ample of good contemporary blues-rooted A few vears ago, the critics regularly going for the same kinds of effects that piano. slammed Timmons because he wrote pop­ Coltrane so brilliantly achieved on sides I Wish I Kne11•, which sounds vaguely ular tunes (including the standard Moan­ like African/ Brass and Ole-modal· lines like Deep Rfrer, continues in the same ing) and played funky piano. Nowadays, · · with few changes, with solos depcndir1g vein, although with greater harmonic and what with the most popular jazz piano for their impact upon judicious use of rhythmic variety; and even some hand­ trend being the ~omantic· modal submerged­ repetition when intensity is required, and clapp(ng from the audience. The main dissonance school led by McCoy Tyner the ability to create countermelodies when problem seems to be· that of sustaining in­ and Herbie Hancock, Timmons' outlook tranquility is the desired end. terest. This is more true of Before, which on music appears by contrast quite healthy Nothing like that happens here. LaRoca becomes a bit repetitious after four of five and forward-looking. Far from being a i'> not aiming at the urgency of the Col­ minutes. This genre is a basically simple fashionable bandwagon-jumper, Timmons trane sides tiled, and, of course, it's un­ one and should not be overextended. presents almo·st p. single-mindedly melodic fair to eomparc a merely mortal musician · Sid:! two settles into an easy listening attitude with only the most necessary or to 'Trane in any ease. ( If anything, Gil­ groove and shifts our attention from Mance provocative han\nonic toi.1ches added. In more's virile, robust tone recalls Sonny to Newman, whose . warm tenor sound fact, his ideas in many, many passages Hollins. Corea, however, docs evoke shades enhances That's A II. Turning Point, a on this LP arc pure Bud Powell, offered of MeCoy Tyner in his block ehord comp- Newman original, finds him turning from with something ~f Powell's pure fire, and 22 0 DOWH BEAT