G u1·t ar P anorama: E xc I us1ve· 1n· t erv~ewsJj with rock star Eric Clapton and jazz in• dOWri novator Sonny Sharrock • The Legacy of Charlie Christian • Barney Kessel lind'I : fold Test • Reviews of Wes Montgo ery, , George Benson, John Bishop, B ues Classics. beatTHE BIWEEKLY MUSIC MAGAZ I NE On Spacetrack his alto playing has a on this LP but he performs well in the savage, slicing quality. However, his flute rhythm section. Morin's explosive playing work on this LP, while pleasant, is not adds a good deal of excitement to the especially inspired or interesting. album. His style, an original one, is a Barron p:rforms well. His driving, har­ synthesis of rock and jazz drumming. monically interesting electric piano solo on -Pekar Spacetrack is a gem. -Pekar John Mayall---------■ John Klemmer ---------• THB TURNING POINT-Polrdor 24-4004: ALL THE CHILDREN CRIED-Cadet LPS- The lAws Must Cb11ng1: Saw .Mil Guith Ro11d: 326: .11// tht Children Cried; l'or God; Journ ey's I' m Gonna l'ight for You /,B.1,• So Hartl to End: .Moon Child; Her t Comes tht Child; I Share; California; Thoughts A out Roxanne; Whisper a Prayer for Peace: ~li11d Ex{Jlos,011; Room lo Move. Pulsations of a Green-eyed !Ady; Soliloquy for Personnel: Johnny Almond, llute (uacks 1, 2, Tenor and Voice. 7), tenor (tracks 1, 3, 5) and alto (trackJ 4, 6) Personnel: Klemmer , tenor saxophone; Art saxophones; Ma1all, harmonica, guitar, tam­ J ohnson, guitar; Richard Thomps on , piano, or • bourine, vocals; Jon Mark, acoustic guitar; Steve 11an; Pete Robinson, piano (tracks 4, 7 only); Thompson, electric bass guitar. Bob Motin, drums (track 7 only). Rating:*½ Rating: * * * * Remember those English skiffle bands The music on this praiseworthy LP of some years ago? That cult of amateur­ might be termed "electric jazz". Klemmer ism, that naivete, combined with a respect for plain instrumental facility, motivates this quartet. All but one song here is set in the 12-measure blues form. The words are simple, indeed slight, almost to ~··· the point of non-communication-except that Mayall is a rather mushy lyricist (J.B.)-and his singing, I'm afraid, is much like yours or mine. Surely rock lovers and others familiar with Mayall's music Erroll Garner's sometimes employs an echo-plex attach­ and reputation will consider this LP run­ ment here; Johnson's playing, which has plistic and dated, though, come to think, Accompanist been influenced by rock guitarists, has a that's hardly a criticism in these days of psychedelic quality at times, and electric decaying standards. piano, electric organ and electric bass This band's sense of blues is on a low can also be heard. suburban-kid-of-the-'50s le.vet. More per­ The electronic effects these musicians tinent are less demanding folk music ideas employ are certainly used intelligently and and emotions, a truth not seriously modi­ BALDWIN add inter-est to the LP. However, there fied by Mark's limited guitar solos (like a are other, more important reasons for its primitive Charlie Byrd) or Almond's mean­ success, including Klemmer's writing. He derings. Almond is a hip player who spends wrote all of the compositions on this LP much time duplicating the second guitar's and, considered as a whole, they are im­ lines; otherwise, he is Adderley-prone on pressive. They vary from All the Children alto, dim on flute, copping from good Next issue ... Cried, a tender selection, and Here Comes blues saxists, David Newman, and every­ the Child, a gentle, pretty waltz, to For thing in between on tenor. Complete details God and Mind Explosio11, which are vio­ In the boring California routine Al­ lent, explosive pieces. mond's applause-begging almost fails, until on the new Klemmer is also a fine tenor player. one high held note finally garners a few His style has been drawn from a variety claps-a most unpleasant moment. The down beat /RECORD CLUB of sources. John Coltrane has obviously bassist, of course, fills his limited role influ-enced him, as has Sonny Rollins­ well enough. directly or indirectly. Some of his wild Mayall then does the applause-begs in June 25 improvising on Mind Explosion is rem­ Room with greater success by panting, iniscent of Albert Ayler's work. His deli­ grunting, and hissing through his teeth in issue cate playing on Here Comes the Child tempo. That's finalizing evidence that this has been influenced by Stan Getz. But LP is a sorry waste of time. on sale June 11 Klemmer has put together his influences These are good musicians; perhaps the in his own way; he is his own man on trouble here is that they haven't played tenor. together long enough, but the diffusion of His playing is generally quite virile; on resources and plain grubbiness of ideas some tracks he plays tearing, multi-note ·• seem to argue against any substantial Jazz Musicians Association solos. However, he can also play in a con­ progress. -Litweiler RECORDBOX trolled, lyrical manner, as his work on located at All the Children and Here Comes the 221 A11nue"A" (n11r 14111St.) NYC A beautiful record shop for beautiful people. Child demonstrates. Wes Montgomery All kinds of records Soliloquy, an unaccompanied tenor sax­ EULOGY-Verve V6-8796: Lilllt Child; Match­ ophone cadenza by Klemmer which is maker; .Mi Cosa• Sun Down; Boss City; Thto• Order our first JIIA IJ' relHN dora; Tear It bown; Goldtn Earrings; Mora "Jam1lcan Jau Cniledel1'' featurinc Ro, Burrowes punctuated by his vocal cries, is one of Flor. $4. 98 tax and postace Included the most exciting tracks on this LP even Personnel: Montgomery, guitar; ochers unlisted, Order & Delivery service, call: (212) 473-9071 but including Wynton Kelly, piano; Paul Cbam• though it's only 1: 17 long. bers, guitar; Jimmy Cobb , drums. Klemmer's sidemen do their share to Rating:**** make this a fine LP. Johnson's harmonical­ "ATLANTIS" GREATEST HITS-A&M SP 4247: A Day in ly interesting work seems to have been the Life; Georgia On My Mind; Windy; I Say "SOULDANCE" influenced by Coltrane as well as rock " Lilllt Pray,r; Road Song; Eleanor Rigby; Yes· "CONTINUATION" terday; Whtn a M11n Lo1111 4 Woman; Srar• guitarists. On For God and Mind Ex­ boro11gh Fair; Down Here on the Ground, SUN RA I HISINTERGALACTIC ARKESTRA plosion his improvising is quite violent. Personnel : Mont11omery, guitar; others unlisted, OVER30 LPS but including Herbie Hancock, piano; Richard El SATURN/IHNFINITYRESEARCH On Journey's End, however, his playing Davis, bass; Grady Tate, drums. P.O. BOX7124 CHICAGO,ILLINOIS 60607 is thoughtful and relatively restrained. Rating:**** Thompson doesn't get much solo space Maybe I'm rating these collections of 22 0 DOWN BEAT Wes Montgomery EULOGY-Verve V6-87'6: U11l1 Cbiltl; MMtb• mal,n; Mi Cosal.. S11" Dow•: Boss City; Tbto• do,a; T,a, II u ow11: Gold,,, Ba"i11gs; Mota Flor. Personnel: Montgomery, guitar: others unlisted, but including Wynton Kelly, piano: Paul Cham• bers, guitar; Jimmy Cobb . drums. Rating:**** GREATEST HITS-A&M SP 4247: A Day in th, lift; Giorgia O" My M/11,l; Wi11d1_;I Say a lilllt Prayn; Roatl So11g; El1a110, Rigby; Y,s- 11,day ; Wh,,, a MA• Li,1111 a Woma11; Sra, ­ bo,011gh Fair: Dow11 Hn, 011 th, Gro1111d, Personnel: Mont11:omery,guitar; others unlisted . but including Herbie Hancock, piano: Richard Davis, bass: Grady Tate, drums. Ra~ing: Maybe I'm rating* these * * * collections of commercial successes from a great musi­ cian's legacy too highly, for they are com­ mercial, and sometimes the arrangements become intrusive or restricting. But this is Wes Montgomery, and how he could make his instrument sing! Regardless of setting, he never played a meretricious note, and though it would have been better if lie had not been forced to prove it so often, he could transform tap water into vintage wine. But better for whom? For the jazz purist, or for Wes, who was thus enabled to enjoy, if only for a brief while, the fruits of mass acceptance? And touch per­ haps even half-deaf ears with a message of musical worth? In any case, it's no longer his prob­ lem, and the positive qualities of his artis­ try consistently outweigh the dross. There's better Wes to be had on record, but there are moments on both LPs that are about as good as anything he did. The slush can be tuned out, and sometimes, as on Sun Down and Tear It Down on the Verve, and A Day In the Life and Scarborough • Fair on the A&M, he is allowed to stretch out with little interference. Georgia is as direct and moving a reading of a great tune as you're likely to hear. For Wes straight, go to the Riverside material. But this, too, will stand. The Verve has no liner notes, which is better than bad ones, but Wynton Kelly and his cohorts are perhaps as worthy of mention as the arrangers named on both sleeve and label, are they not? The A&M has nice notes by Leonard Feather, but why refer to Orrin Keepnews as merely "a New York record producer?'' Credit isn't often due in the record business, so when it is, let's at least give it fully. -Morgenstern .