Record Review: Charles Mcpherson: Siku Ya Bibi (Day of the Lady)
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----------------, Marian McPartland His playing here does not have the re- to Records on Halycon ART FARMER sourcefulness of the recent Q11i1t1essentw M c GENTLE EYES-Mainstream MAL 371 : A Time Recordi1t$: St'.1;io11or the satiric extravagan,e rec TEDDY MA~IAN • for Love; Didn't We; Sou/sides ; So Are You; Song WILSON M PA~TLAND of ,ome of his best work. but it is solid. stri of No Regrets; Gentle Ra,n; We've Only Just swinging piano as only he can play. The nu- farr Begun ; God Bless the Child ; Gloomy Morning ; Gentle Eyes. son d'etre for the album. however. is the sl ·" thir Personnel : Farmer, fluegelhorn; Robert Dem with Ms. Sullivan. Her flannel voice anda Irib mer, Robert Politzer. trumpets ; Garney Hicks. style that makes it all seem too easy arem tio r trombone ; Hans Low, Hans Solomon . Leszek peak form, and Hines is an extraordinan ~ Zadlo. reeds; Fritz Pauer, pianos ; Julius Schey bal, Richard Oesterreicher, guitars ; Rudolf Han accompani,t. A couple of times he gets lo,I ,i 1: sen, Jimmy Woode , bass; Erich Bachtragel , for a second or so, but for the most part he re n drums ; Jula Kock, percussion ; 15 strings ; Step provides carpet. wallpaper ahd ceiling for the ,u r hanie. vocal ; Johannes Fehnng , conductor . vocab . Ch . Rating:***** The stereo recording separates them 11,ilh ,t rt This is gorgeous music. Made in Vienna splendid re,ults . At times Hine s seems to~ fea with a European orchestra assembled by the '"'•·'· • -,::..-: •,;_"'1.JlltlJlltTJll.~C!lf,-wt,,r .,: ,; · * running off into his own thing. but he new Out Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, this al 0 ELEGANT PIAN O-Teddy Wilson and Marian Mc gets in the singer's way and his sense ofs11,m1vin Partland improvising on two pianos in a beaut~ bum features some of the best ballad playing is impeccable. Significantly, the song, cho1en l ful blend of 1nd1vidual styl es Selecuons include ever recorded. Ou,et Night , Shony Stockings , Btuesette . and Lover are superior ,tandard, . · Pa r Farmer is exquisite throughout. His horn i, Man . Halcyon LP 106 ... $5.98 The Ellington set is less successful. II re- me 0 A DELICATE BALANCE- " Marian McParlland played with timeless beauty. as if inspired by minds me of the LP Monk made of Ellinglon dir i plays a piano and a half " - Playboy the tranquility of an Austrian village. His Halcyon LP 105 $5 98 tune s in · 55. in that both arti sts were appar• of C Cassette n 8-Track . $6 98 melodic simplicity on Time for Lm ·e and the entl y stifled by the sheer melodic cw- wa : O AMBI ANCE- "Marian 's playing Is refreshing. In- tit le song. written by pianist Pauer, is perfect. pe r venlIve " -81/1 Evans Halcyon LP 103 .. $5 98 And Sou/sides, composed by the album's pro 0 INTERPLAY-" playing Is inventive and always ere musical and the emotional range considerable - ducer. f:rich Kleinschuster , is the all-time tha down be■ 1 Halcyon LP 100 . .. $5.98 smoothest soul music I know of. l D Marian McParlland "Library " o1 all tour Halcyon Really, there isn't much to criticize. The ver LPs LPs 100/ 3/ 5/ 6 $20.00 guitar counterpoint is striking , as is the sensi HALCYON RECOROS he P.O. Box 4255. Grand Cen1ral Station tivity of the rhythm section. And if now and ,to New York . NY 10017 then the strings seem smarmy , Farmer is tran Please rush copies of the albums indicated above to by scendent, above it all. Name ,mt Gemle £yes is simply beautiful mu,ic. Address I -boum e ve~ city Ian, State ZIP qu., Remittance enclose S Sorry . no C.0 .0 sen Free surface postage anywhere in the world . ..J EARLHINES pletene ss of the Duke ' s writing. Both artI11i L son EAR L HINES AND MAX IN E SULLI became enmeshed in the tunes to the pom1 --------------- VAN - Chiaroscuro CR 107: II I Had You; I've Got that only mode st embellishments were lbc the World On a Stnng; Almost Like Be,ng In Love; EAR-TRAININGCOURSE! One Hundred Years From Today; Am I Blue; result. The most successful cut on the MOili Along the Santa Fe Trail; Ace In The Hole; They record was Jr Don't Mean A Tlii111:w11h i All Laughed; He's Funny That Way; Conlessin '. stark rhythmi c jazz line. Similarly, Hinesd ANSWER--.. Personnel : Hines. piano ; Ms. Sullivan . vocal. BOOKLET best with the two-note C Jam Blues, diving Rating:****½ for a concise. exuberant set of variat10 RUTGERS EARL HINES PLAYS DUKE ELLING also finds him in top form. pl TON- Master Jau Recordings MJR 8114: I Love Mood I ndi,:o UNIVERSITY ting the line with an exquisite pattern MUSIC You Madly; Sophisticated Lady; I'm Beginning To See The Light; Warm Valley; Do Nothing Tiff You chords and then mining several choruses11 DICTATION Hear From Me; C Jam Blues; Everything But You; the unalloyed Hines imagination for a mailer• SERIES Mood Indigo; Come Sunday . ful performance. Hines freaks will \I.antIlle \ren Personnel : Hines, piano . A ten record course in basic musician- Rating : * **½ set for these two cuts but the other track, .rt ship, ear-training and sight reading. 12" lps disappointing. It's nice to have these plea The redoubtable Hines continues to en Over seven hours of intensive study interpretations but they are overlong lighten with the magic of solo piano . Playing covering all of the fundamentals of Hines seem, nervou s in trying to filter unaccompanied. his individuality nows unfet music. Paced for easy learning with the melody. tered with utter disregard for any rules but test materials enclosed . Lady is dressed in a diaphanous go11nci those of his own musical logic . He may begin " .. a li stener acquainted with the arpeggio\ . Warm Valley is always nice a ballad meditatively, but that is no barest rudiments of staff notation hear, but after the fir , t statement Hines d1Ja could , by conscientiously workin~ his guarantee that the tune won't be suddenly have much to follow with . Part of the rea way through the Rutgers Set acqutre a buoyed by a stride interlude, a little boogie , is that some of the material was new to h quite respectable foundation of basic and those characteristic note flurries that and while we may be impres sed by the knowledge . Solid , usable matter , nei seem to gobble up the keys . ducer's report that mostly first takes ~ ther watered down ,nor 'popularized '." In the past few years. he has been used, this is obviou sly not the best methodl'ar -John Briggs, THE NEW YORK TIMES over-recorded and the tricks he u,e s when IThe Rut gers Set is now in use in ove r 2,000 optimum mu sical results. - ~10 in,piration is lacking-a heavy reliance on Universiti es as well as in countless High Schools tremolos , vacuou s virtuosity, and a resulting and by individuals throughout the wo rld. harmonic dullness - are becoming too famil pj; sTs;;;"dTo LP Set-;s ';s";iw ';i;o;' , ppd. , iar. Both sides of the master can be heard on I I enclose □ Check□ Money Order for $50.00. these record ings. CHARLESMcPHERSON ~ If usiRIB ankAmericanl, A■er im Express,D iaersC lub I The session with Maxine was recorded live SIKU YA BIBI ( DAY OFTK I ar Master Charce,gi ve u mber_______ I at the Overseas Press Club and it is a delight LADY)- Ma1nstream MAL 365 Don't Eipi ful set. Hines wa, in a vivaciou s mood and he Lover Man; God Bless the Child, Miss Bro•• ~d I You; Good Morning Heartache; For Hea,er I expirationdate . _____ I plays con,istently well on the five cut , he has Sake; I'm a Fool to Want You; Lover ComeBaCI to himself. although some of them tend to go to Me. I Name I on too long . Always using the melody as a Personnel: McPherson. alto sax, Barry piano . Sam Jones, bass, Leroy Williams. dr I Address I refrain for proper perspective , he takes hap On tracks 1. 3. 5. 7 add Ted Dunbar. guitar.st py . mood y . nostalgic. irreverent trip, on the section of six violins . two violas. two ce : City StatP. Zip I compo,itions . I particularl y like Srrin,: with ranged&condu cted by Ernie Wilkins 1MUSIC MINUS ONE1 it, false endings. and recurrent inventivenes s. Ra!lng **** L4~W_:_5~~T~E!,_~~y~~ ~· ..!.,0023J and the wi,tful Conf<•ssin' . This album of fine . warm music dcd1c 22 D down beat o Billie Holidav contains some of Dunbar's short guitar solo - his only featured impression that this b a solo effort. Nothin g is llcPherson's mo , 1 moving playing on spot on the date. further from the truth. Thi s is a co hesive little ·ecord, notably on the four track, with Enhancing as well is the presence of Barry cooking-no. make that burning-band that ,!rings. In mood and feeling. these recall the Harris. Mc Pherson' s erstwhile mentor and grooves like a mon ste r. 'amous Charlie Parker 11·irhSrrings ballad longtime co llaborator. His comping is ju st The " in the Bud" con figurati o ns of Pier ce .hings, and in a se nse the album is also a about perfect. and his solo co ntribution s. es at the keyboa rd sound fre sh and different :ribute to the durability of the Parker tradi- pec ially the moment on Heartache and the coming from an organist.