Loose Wig and Lamplighter are the good hard-driving manner. The beat is standout big band sides. The former fea­ rock-style, and the performance has a tures a rich-toned sax section chopping certain vitality, especially in Lewis' breaks. away at a riff, answered by the unison The record opens and closes with // purr of the trombones. Cat And~rson You've Got It, although the second ver­ takes a few whacks in the first bndge, sion appears to be some sort of frag­ showing that he was a high note special­ mented take. It has neither beginning nor ist of the first order before joining Elling­ end; just a fade-in, fade-out 2: 18 of ton. Lamplighter has a small group feel heavy, driving chords. and draws much of its strength from a Enjoyable listening in the pop bag rather light, supple rhythm section and some than jazz. -McDonough superb trombone and sax voicings near the end. Mike Mainieri Overtime and Bag are more uptempo JOURNEY THRU AN lif.ECTRIC TUBE­ but far from the unrestrained bedlam Solid State 18049: It's All Becoming Clear Now• The Willd; Co111Jecticut Air; We' II SJ1eak Abov; which seems to have earned Hampton the the Roar; The Bush; I' II Sillg Y nu Softly of Mv indifference of some critics. Bag has Karl Life; Yes, l'111 the O11e; Allow Your Mind to W'ander. George in a straight-from-the-shoulder 16 Personnel: Jeremy Steig,. flute; Mainieri, vibra­ bars of trumpet. Illinois Jacquet also has harp; Warren Bernhardt, piano, organ; Joe Beck Sam Brown, guitars; Hal Gaylor, bass; Chuck 16 bars; his only solo appearance in t~e Rainey, electric bass; Donald MacDonald, drum~­ LP. Arnett Cobb takes a fine chorus !fl Sally Waring, vocals. ' Overtime, a relaxed but driving solo con­ Rating: * * * ½ trasting favorably to the big-toned, dirty, Mainieri has evidently put a lot of low-down growls he dishes up on Flying thought into this album: his arrangements Glen Campbell Home. are clever, tastefully conceived, and fuse The previously unissued septet sides jazz and rock subtly; his songs (he had a plays strongly suggest the Benny Goodman Sex­ hand in writing all except Wind) are har­ tet days, especially Royal Family, a 3~­ monically and melodically attractive; his OVATION ROUNDBACKS bar riff figure in the best Goodman tradi­ solos and accompaniments reflect an abun­ tion. Marshall Royal's clarinet has a dant musical skill, always applied with deft exclusively roughhewn, rugged sound, suggesting Ed­ touch and admirable restraint. mond Hall more than Goodman, but it When his various talents and those of Tune in and catch Glen with his works well. Irving Ashby's electric guitar the other musicians ( especially that of Roundback guitars on "The Glen is strongly reminiscent of many of Charlie Steig, who's a wonderful player) come to­ Christian's tricks, such a,; descending runs gether and approach their full potentials, Campbell Goodtime Hour," in eighths or harmonic extensions on as in Roar, the result is superb; but when Wednesday evenings on the chords. He proves himself a fine musician, all are under wraps, as on most of the CBS-TV network. Here's what he although a bit clumsy when compared to other performances, the effect is pleasant Christian. (Coincidentally, the date of this but unmemorable. On the other hand, says about them: first septet session, March 2, 1942, was the when little restraint is shown, as on the "Once I wouldn't have believed the day Christian died.) seemingly endless Allow Your Mind, the sound of my Ovation Roundbacks was The format of the two 1945 septet music is so internally disconnected that it sides is about the same. Doublin' is possible. It's a full, honest sound that is meaningless. nudged gently along by a shuffle rhythm Somewhere there is a middle path for projects faster and farther. The rounded and features some very graceful and Mainieri. -DeMicheal back does make a difference you can swinging guitar by Billy Mackel. Ribs is hear. And to me it sounds mighty good. in the same mold. Both exhibit Hamp in I'm glad Ovation was bold enough to his best, most relaxed form. The sound is Jean-Luc Ponty ------• question traditional methods and find a MORE THAN MEETS THE EAR-World refreshing. As virtually the entire LP, it's Pacific Jazz 20134: With a Little Help from my better way to make guitars." all music and no fireworks. As for Hamp­ Frimds; 3 + 2=1; California; Gi111111eLiJtle Sign; Pata Pata; Pebble Beach Walk; Pacific ton, his vibes architecture was and still Drove; Fort Ord Ca11on. is peerless. -McDonough Personnel: Carmell Jones, trumpet; Leo Wright, alto saxophone. flute; Ponty, violin; George Gruntz, piano, arranger; Guy Pedersen, bass: Daniel Humair, drums. Ramsey Lewis •------r:a-■ ANOTHER VOYAGE-Cadet LPS 827: If Rating:**** Stop in at your Ovation dealer's You've Got It, l'Jau11t It: Wa11derin' Rose; How ELECTRIC CONNECTION-World Pacific Beautiful Is Spring: Do You Wa11na; My Cherie Jazz 20156: Summit Soul; Hypomode de/ Sol: and try a Roundback for yourself. Amour; Black a11d Bold; Opus No. 5; Uhum; Scarborough !'air/Canticle; The Name of the Cecile; If You've Got It, Flau11t It. Game; The Lo11er; )Valtz for Clara; Forge/; Mail coupon today for his name Personnel: Lewis. piano, electric piano· Cleve­ Eil(hly-O11e. land Eaton, bass; Phil Upchurch, guitar' (tracks Personnel: Paul Hubinon, Tony Rusch, Larry and addre~s~ 2, 5, 6); Maurice White, drums, Kalimba. McGuire, William Peterson. trumpet; Thurman ,L ____ Rating:**½ Green, Frank Strong, Mike Wimberly, trombone; Bud Shank, Tony Ortega, Richard Aplan, reeds; Here is another Ramsey Lewis LP in George Duke, piano; Wilbert Longmire, guitar: the pop-soul groove. Although his playing Bob West, bass; Paul Humphrey, drums; Ger­ ald Wilson, arranger. db dtl•4'rlHN in recent years has held diminishing in­ terest for the jazz listener, he has de­ Rating: * * * ½ INS'l'l~ll,\\HN'l'S These are the first U.S. releases by the Division of KAMANCorporation v~loped . a co?siderable mass following, immensly gifted young French violinist. New Hartford, Connecticut 06057 with which this session should go down well. The first album was recorded in Europe, the second in California, but the first has Send more information about the Ovation The tempos vary from . the surging more musical sunshine. Perhaps this is Roundbacks Glen Campbell plays, with the thump of If You'1•e Got It to the moody because Ponty was stimulated by the pres­ name and address of my nearest dealer. ramblings of or All selec­ Rose Cecile. ence of soloists of the caliber of American tions are pleasant enough with several Name ______expatriates Jones and Wright and put at (Opus, Bold, and Rose) offering a varied ease by his friends in the rhythm section; Address ______spectrum of rhythm and tone colors with­ perhaps it is because the program is more in the respective performances. City ______varied and the small-band framework more D? What You Wanna is played by relaxed-whatever the cause, I find Ear State ______Zip Lewis on the electric piano, which here charming and Electric a bit monotonous, sounds remarkably like a guitar, in a while hastening to add that it cannot be 20 0 DOWN BEAT ,-..:-~ faulted in terms of musicianship and in­ . Ponty is brilliant on Pacific, an interest­ tegrity. mg contrapuntal piece also featuring Gruntz. Ponty is brilliant on both albums. He T_he piani~t is at his best on Canon, where r is an instrumentalist of the first rank his _solo 1s very intelligently constructed. equipped with virtuoso technique and He 1s somewhat lacking in swing, however. gifted with a musical brain to match and U· The contemporary pop material is well control it. His ear is fabulous, and he handled. In fact, this group's approach appears to be a natural jazz player-he should be a model for the idiom-mixing so discovered. and embraced the music when .,>ii,;·'··~(~·. -~. - fashionable these days. Here, the freedom (;_,· he was already an established classicist, of jazz is retained within the rhythmic and from all indications, it was a love framework of rock/soul, and the little 'if·. . ✓ -·· match. touches of humor are neither arch nor y,;- - , He plays his instrument amplified. His heavy-handed. II . } tone is somewhat dry and nasal, but pleas­ Humair's superb drumming should not I ' antly so, and fits his ideas and expression be overlooked, and it is interesting to note \t~~ll~ .·_ / ,, perfectly. (This unity of sound and content that Ponty's attack on Help is not unlike '.' I is the hallmark of all great jazzmen.) His that of Stuff Smith. stops-and the way he puts them to work One hopes that Ponty will firmly estab­ Vincent J. Abato de- -are masterly, and he gets a great variety lish himself on the U.S. jazz scene. He has of tonal effects from the violin. There are much to offer. -Morgenstern mands the French moments when his sound and phrasing evoke a saxophone, and his bowing is Classical Sound. King astonishingly clean and agile. To top it off, Buddy Rich Marigaux Saxophones he has natural swing, and his phrasing is BUDDY AND SOUL-World Pacific Jazz ST 20158: Soul Lady; Lol'e and Peace; Hello I Lo,•e never stilted. You; Greensleeves,· Soul Kitcben: Comin' Home ... maximum projec­ you have not yet made Ponty's ac­ Baby; The Meaning of tbe Blues; Rutb; St. If Petersb111·gRace; Wonderbag, quaintance (he can also be heard on Violin Personnel: Mike Price, Kenneth Faulk, Oliver tion. Symphonic in Summit, originally on MPS and now issued E. Mitchell, Robert Yance, Salvador Marquez, trumpets; Vince Diaz, Rick Stepton. Donald tonal quality. All regis­ here on Prestige 7631, which received a Switzer, trombones; Joe Romano, Richie Cole, * * * * review from this writer and Pat LaBarbera, Donald Englert, Joseph Calo, * reeds; David Dana, guicar; Robert Magnusson, ters respond with full finds Ponty in the company of three for­ bass; David Lahm, piano; Rich, drums. midable colleagues: the late Stuff Smith, Rating:*** and even resonance. A Stephane Grappelli, and Svend Asmussen) The fifth LP by the Buddy Rich band you are in for a treat. was recorded before a crowd at the Whis­ sound that's entirely The Electric LP will appeal to fanciers key A Go-Go and has a lot of brass, lots sonorous. There are of modality. The entire first side is in this of beat, but unfortunately less overall ex­ contemporary mold, and there isn't much citement than the first four. four other great King variety in tempo, either----excepting the ac­ You can't write off the record as a celerando segment of Hypomode, the most failure, of course, not when it contains the sax sounds. interesting of Ponty's three originals. number of first-class soloists that it docs The second side has more variety, and a and the excellent drum work by Rich; but highlight is the beautifully scored and this time out, the leader elected to record played elegiac ballad, Forget. Ron Carter's for the most part a group of big band Eighty-One is a fine showcase for the vari­ rock arrangements. The result has been to ''A ety of textures Ponty is able to obtain, and substitute a stilted, squarish ( rhythmically has a strong piano solo by Duke. The speaking, not culturally) rock beat com­ young pianist has a powerful, percussive plete with the deep twang of the electric touch and plays with such conviction that bass pumping out the same monotonous Jaste he can make rather commonplace ideas figure chorus after chorus for the swift, sound interesting. He also 'comps for Ponty swinging propulsive drive that made his with remarkable rhythmic and harmonic earlier LPs count among the very best big empathy. band experiences of the decade. ' or There are other good things on the LP: Charts such as Readymix, Critic's Choice, " Wilson's pretty voicings, of violin with Sister Sadie (ST 20113); Group Shot, Rot­ Eve one flute especially; Longmire's fleet solo on ten Kid, Machine (ST 20126); Love for Soul (previously recorded on the Summit Sale, and Big Swing Face (ST 20117) LP mentioned above), and Ponty's moving captured huge audiences for the band and solo on his own Waltz. Name has an alto showcased Rich at his ultimate. But that hard-driving, swinging sound is not to be n solo with Varitone octave divider effects, probably by Shank, and a flute (Ortega) heard here. What we do hear is probably is heard on Waltz. the most sophisticated and musically lit­ Ear is another story. The music has a erate refinement of rock to come along Bue gaiety and liveliness that seems lacking in so far, but still rock. the U.S. efforts. The presence of Jones Altoist Richie Cole is the dominant solo­ and Wright inspires Ponty, and Gruntz' ist heard on half the tracks. One is struck Note deft, clever charts provide good settings b/ the primitive rhythmic character of his for the soloists. solos and how they resemble the hard, It is good to encounter Carmell, who jerky slap tongue style of Coleman Haw­ has been too seldom heard on records since kins on some early Fletcher Henderson Records his move to Europe some years ago. He sides like Dicty Blues or Teapot Dome. does not solo on every track, but is well His sound is hard and cold and his har­ featured on Help, California, and Canon. monics arc free-wheeling. On Help, especially, he is in brilliant form. Although this ranks as probably Rich's Wright, in Europe even longer than most commercial reach for the. young rock - Jones, is also a pleasant reacquaintance. audience one can't deny that the band BLUENOTE plays with incisiveness and a rousing spirit. - Gimme is his track and his vibrant, full­ It's still an exciting group, but hopefully .. ;,;;:;() ,1 '.) ► toned alto is as forthright and swinging as '. :'; p• V <.l[ ::,;;;:):; its book won't get bogged down in this ever. His flute playing on California is -McD011011gh very pretty. groove. November 27 D 21