Records ore reviewed by Chris Albertson, Mike Bourne, Don DeMiche ol, Alon Heineman, Wayne Jones, lorry Kort, John litweiler, John McDcnough, Don Morgenstern, Don Ne lsen, Harvey Pekar, Doug Ramsey, Harvey Siders, Carol Sloane, and Jim Szontor. Reviews ore signed by the writers. recurRatings ore : * * * * * excellent, * * * * very good, * * * good, * * fai r, * poor. Most recordings reviewed ore ovoiioble for purchase through the down beat/RECORD CLUB. ( For membership information see details elsewhere in this issue or write to REVIEVIS down beat /RECORD CLUB, 222 W. Adams, Chicago, IL 60606)
play rock. A high camp crowdpleaser. a unique story in Jess than three minutes, Antea, another fine Levy original, pre while the equally unexpected slow tempo DON ELLIS AT FILLMORE-Columbia l-0243: Final A11alysis; Excursio11 II; The Magic cedes the album's highlight, Old Man's applied to Exactly yields equa lly warm, , Alt My Doughnut; The Blues ; Salralore Tear, a melancholy ballad portraying "an affecting results. On the third ballad, What ; Rock Odyssey; Hey Jude; Antea; Old /\fan's old man's life-his joys and sorrows Is There To Say?, Bud gives himself '''i Great Divide,- P11ssy JP'iggle Stomp. Personnel: Ellis, crumpet, drums; Glenn Sw ... " Though Klernmer's composition and more room to stretch, and the result is ., Stu Blumberg, John Rosenberg, Ja ck Coan, arrangement are excellent, Ellis steals his pets; Ernie Carlson, Glenn Ferrjs. rrombones; a small masterpiece, reflective and more Switzer. bass trombone; Doug Bixby, contra• thunder with stunning virtuosity. Great introspective than is his custom, and rem 11, tuba; Fred Selden, Lonnie Shetter Sam Divid e, in 13/4, is a pulsating vehicle iniscent in mood of later Lester Young lzonc, John Klemmer, Jon Clarke, reeds; Jay ydon, guitar; Tom Garvin. piano; Denn;, highlighted by Shelter's alto, more dazzling a rare groove to capture. Puker, bass; Ralph Humphr ey, drums; Ron Ellis, and a brief but shimmering up-tempo Originality of treatment is also evident Dana, drums, percussion; Lee Pasrora, conga. reed soli. The infectious, riotous Stomp on Rhythm, done in a deliberate, easy Rating: * * * * (a close cousin melodically and harmon Don Ellis' brand of salted-in-the-shell swinging middle tempo, the theme played ically to Horace Silver's The Preacher) ig band excitement has amused some, almost straight in the exposition-a novel wraps it up. :onfused others, and led to a most inter and charming effect. What Ellis' standing will be in that dis esting mixture of critical observations. Adl'antage, long a Freeman favori te, This double album, recorded Jive at tant day when all votes are in is still open brings forth some new ideas and is graced to question, but I must respect him as a Fillmore West, offers 86:37 of music, ef by a fine Sutton intro and solo in a Waller 'icts, and avant garde showmanship--most sincere, well-schooled musician-one who mold. f it good, some of it humorous, but none not only knows his instni ment but perhaps Side two, by the quintet, is notable for f it dull. The band occasionally indulges more music than all but a few contempo the excellent, sympathetic interplay be ill pie-in-the-face musical burlesquerie s, but rary musicians. In a day when many jazz tween Freeman and Wilber, both unison artists are opting for (make that being and polyphonic; four fine Freeman orig most of what's here is valid, genuinely "1eative,and above all, well played. cowed into) jazz-rock amalgams not suited inals, and Wilber's singing, spark ling so to their talents and/or ambitions, it's re Ellis, himself, is a phenomenal mu sician prano solos (he uses both his horns in the ensemble). -another one of those who I suspect freshing and pleasantly surprising to see a do11ble album of original, straight-ahead, Particularly fetching among Freeman's ~as yet to put his best work on record ind perhaps never will. But credit must adventurous music. Though I've heard bet pieces is Dove, a haunting, tender theme, ter sound reproduction from in-person re and D Minor, a jauntily swinging romp goto this intrepid innovator who has done cordings, this LP-at whatever the special !ll0rethan his share to expand the poten in a rather contemporary mold, with Sut low price is-is still a good investment. lialof the big band. First, the time barrier ton's solo a standout. Misb ehav i11' is also given super ior treat went,then came electronic experimentation -Szantor !beard here when Ellis utilizes the Conn ment, and the two saxophonists work to gether in almost telepathic commun ion on ~lultivider and the Ring Modulator); all BUD FREEMAN of this corning into play in various con Thin gs. THE COMPLEAT BUD FREEMAN-Mon• Without the sterling support from Sut iexts-the blues, pop tunes, jazz stand mouth-Evergreen MES/7022: Dinah; A>10/h,r Su11• ards,and academic-type material. da)•; Exactly Likt You; You Took Advantage ton, Haggart and Johnson (the latter a 0( M e; What Is There to Say?; I Got Rhythm ; delight on brushes) this album would not Sides one and two contain a melange of Uncle Haggart's Blues ; Out 0/ My Road, Air. Ellisian moods and effects. The most star Toad; Ai11'1 Misbehavi11'; So11g Of Th, Dove; be what it is. But then, it should come as Thal D /lli>1or Thing; Ju st 011, Of Those Things. no surpri se that this bunch works together tlingis Excursion, a frenetic tour de force Personnel: Freeman, tenor saxophone; Bob Wil for tenorist Klemrner's technique and fer ber, clarinet, soprano saxophone (tracks 7•12 well: all hands are members of the World's only); Ralph Sutton, pian o; Bob Haggart, bass; Greatest Jazz Band. Mellow , tasteful, un fileimagination; the most unusual is Ellis' Gus Johnson, drums. quasi-spoken, grunted, raspberried electric contrived but imag inative music from a Rating:*** * label that seems to specialize in labors of trumpet intro on The Blues. Hank Levy's Bud Freeman's playing on this album Rock Odyssey, a most intere sting work, love, and happily Jets the musicians decide is so fresh it seems hard to believe he has what and how to record. -Morgenstern tmploys multiple time signatures and fea been a vital part of jazz since the mid lllres excellent work by Humphrey. Final I 920s. On the surface, his style has re Analysis ends with a hilarious , appropri mained relatively unchanged since reach ately overdone spoof on symphonic cli ing maturity in the late '30s, but while he DAVE FRISHBERG maxes; according to Ellis "a musical re may sometimes appear to coast along on ductio ad absurdum stolen from some of OKLAHOMA TOAD-CTI 1004: One Horse a set vocabulary (always unmistakably his Town; Va11 Li11gle Mungo; The Secret of Suc the best-known classical composers ( who own, however) , he will surprise you when ress; Oklahoma Toad; The Prophet Of D oom; should have known better)." inspired. R ocky M ou ntain Water; You Can't Go; Wall• flower Lon ely, Cornflower Blue ; Nasty Nas/7 Anyone wishing to make a case for Here , he is inspired-especially on the Ha bit; I D on't Btliev e You, branding Ellis as a musical Andy Warhol Personnel: Bill Berry, trumpet , fluegclhorn; first side, the one devoted to quartet Garneu Brown, ,rombone: Al Cohn. tenor saxo• had better listen to Hey Jude. An in performances. He particularly shines at phone; Sol Schling er, baritone saxophone; Frish credible electric trumpet intro , done live slower tempos, playing with that utter re berg, piano. organ, electric piano, clavinet. vo• cals, arranger; Stuart Scharf. guitar; Russell with no overdubbing, sets the stage, and laxation on ly the great veterans seem able George, elecuic bass; Herb Lovelle, drums . what ensues runs the gamut from straight to achieve. Rating: **** melody to what sounds like the cast of Thus, the opening Dinah, in the ballad Despite the promising person nel and Satyricon masquerading as better-than-av treatment that has made it a Freeman Fri shberg's notable talents as a jazz pian erage Salvation Army band smen trying to classic (though hitherto unrecorded), tells ist, this is not a jazz album. It is a show- November 26 n 21