'I • Records arf revie-.yed by Chris Albertson, Don DeMicheal, Gilbert M. Erskine, Ira Giller, Alan Heineman, .Wayne Jones, Lawrence ·Kart, John Litweiler, Jehn McDonough, Dan Morgenstern, Irvin Moskowitz, Don Nelsen, Harvey Pekar, Harvey Siders, Carol Sloane, and Pete Welding.
1,. Reviews are signed by the writers. 'I1 Ratings are: * * * * * excellent, * * * * very good, * * * good, * * fair, * poor. /J When two catalog numbers are listed, the first is mono, and the second is stereo.
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Chicago Traisit Authority i iii! clear that hf,! likes Jorma Kaukonen (in My Way is slightly better, only because THE CHIC 'Go TRANSIT AUTHORITY the early building) and loves Eric Clapton, the repertoire is more varied and the trum Columbia GP 8: Introduction; Does Anybody Really Know I :,bat Time It is? Beginnings; Ques• emulating his tone as well as his way of pet soloist less frequently obstructed. On lions 67 and 8; Listen; Poem 58; Pree Form getting to a climax via hard chording. the other hand, Salvation, as a whole, is Guilar,· South ,california Purples: I'm a Man; Prologue, Aug ,'st 29, 1968/Someday, August 29, Derivative as hell, but pretty enjoyable more lively. nonetheless. I have no quarrel with the idea of mak 1968;Personnel: Liberalio cc·• Loughnane, trumpet, vocals; Jim Pankow, t : mbone; Walter Parazaider, wood The two best pieces arc Purples and ing a great jazz artist "commercial", giving winds, vocals; /Terry Kath, guitar, lead vocals; August. Purples is a real fooler: sounds., him "contemporary" material, and devising Robert Lamm, jp_iano, organ, lead vocals; Peter like a regular blues, then gets progressively settings for him that arc sufficiently fash Cetera, electri I bass, lead vocals; Daniel Sera phine, drums. I less regular. If you're used to humming or ionable-sounding to obtain some airplay I Rating: * * * * · singing along with records, it'll feel like and juke box exposure. If the formula There's 7 :f:43of music on these two you stepped into an elevator shaft. (But works, he can then be "sold" without such records. 70: :Oof it is at least good, and the fall is a gas.) As the song's going out, trappings. some is very l;eavy indeed. Producer James the lead singer throws in the brilliantly But for pity's sake, how can it work Guercio (wl b,to judge from the liner, is mimicked first line of / Am the Walrus. when the object of the experiment is 1 in Jove wit f' the sight of his name in Prologue is simply a short recording of smothered in banalities to the degree that print) is c nering the market on rock someone (Dlck Gregory?) exhorting the a listener applying even the bares( mini groups with rass, since he also produces Chicago de111onstrators to march hrough mum of musical standards is made to Blood, Swea & Tears. the police ba:rricades on S. Mic, 1gan, fol cringe on nearly every track? People who'd Comparis hs are inevitable. BS&T is po lowed by the repeated chant, " e whole actually like· these records coui'd never be tentially a · re exciting band and certain world's watching," which is used t set the expected to appreciate the art of Dizzy ly a more 1ariegated one. Steve Katz is rhythm for S'omeday. Effective lyri , good Gillespie. It's like smothering prime filet a more int resting guitarist than Kath vocal; the chant comes up agai nder mignon in stale ketchup, or mixing 20-year (hmm-eve ' the names are similar), and neath, leading into a vocal reprise and old scotch with sod_a pop. · CTA has n soloist with the power of another bit of good brass section. writing, Much to Dizzy's credit, he rises above it Fred Lipsiu on alto, although trombonist as various instruments , enter staggered to all on nearly every track. On Whatever, a· Pankow sou ds awful good. construct a· chillingly dissonant chord. The poigriant ballad from Tadd Dameron's Despite ich this set surpassei; either concept coulcl have been gimmicky, but legacy,, he is very moving (and the chart of BS&T's a bums. All seven members of the way the jchant sets up and reinforces quite passable); on Exotica, credited to CTA are fir t-rate musicians. All the lead the song is v:ery natur~l, very appropriate, "L. Gillespie" (which I assume is wife
vocalists are · effective, though David Clay~ and very_ unrierving. · :t-orraine), he is relaxed and pleasantly
1 i, · nostalgic, and -on (credited to ton-Thomas I hows more individuality than The only bummer on t\e records is Magic Tree any of the , TA leads. Most importantly, Guitar, in which it is discovered that, gee, Richard Carpenter with the Walkin' ears), the brass cha, ts, by Pankow, are gorgeous, Dad, my new $1500 toy can soynd ·wike he is brilliant. But even a master can't and they're [ played sharply and cleanly. an airpwane [or a choo-choo or ~omebody cope w'ith the deadly tempo and logy Furthermore CT A uses hard rock more with severe gas problems. Feh. ,jr rhythm. (tympani sounds like a fat man integrally an, more successfully than BS&T. Whoever thought there'd be something stumbling about the studio) on Besame or
One of t more ingratiating traits of nice to say I about the Chicago Transit the absolutely dumb revamping. of Birks' the music he e is that the introductory riffs Authority? This is one EI of an impres Works into Latin rock, with interminable usually e~ta ish a pattern that leads log sive debut. ' . -Heineman trumpet~piccolo unison statements (the ically but s prisingly into another figure (Note: Th~ group has reportedly changed piccolo must be one of the most irritating in the same mpo, set by the rhythm. J,1- its name to just plain "Chicago".-Ed.) instrmrlents devised by m~n, and the· usu
troduction, r example: nice brass riff; ! ally impeccable Jerome Richardson plays
1 vocal based , n another pattern, good en It badly on Besame). And there's no vi semble blow~ g, a ritard into a fine, full Dizzy Gi-lles~ie tality in Jimmy Mundy's settings of not toned tromb, e solo by Pankow, another MY WAY...!...Solid State SSI8054; Galveston; so-hot Bacharach, Jim Webb and Galt Mac ritard for a oughnane trumpet spot (ap This Girl's In, Lave With You; Games People Dermot. times. (Sure, Aquarius is a nice Play; Magic Tree; Whatever Possessed Me; Med propriate if i ot electrifying), an accele ley; Aquarius) Let the Sunshine In; Besame song. But it doesn't raise my hair.) rando for K.i h's guitar solQ, and- back to Mucha; I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write The · second album gives Diz a chance Myself a Lette'r; Exotica; Birks' Works. . the ensemblel chart for the out choruses. Personnel: Gillespie, trumpet; Joe De Angelis, to preach and moan. But what material! Pankow is gutty and groovy after the Don Corrado; Paul Ingraham, French horn; And what arrangements! Ed Bland is 1 Jerome Richardson, baritone saxophone, flute, vocal on Begir_nings, entering with a mov piccolo; unidentified strings; Paul Griffin, piano; aptly nained; his musical taste fits his witty ing cry. There's also some nice dual im · Billy Butler, guitar; Bob Bushnell, ·electric bass; titles. Sprinkle from one large bag of Joe Marshall, drums; Paul Fein, tympani; Jimmy provisation b~tween him and Loughnane. Mundy, arranger, conductor. cliches one or more of the following: blues, The tune en1:S with a suspended riff fol Rating:*** soul, Gospel, Latin, bossa nova. Lard gen erously with backbeat, and season with lowed, unfort$nately, by some overextend SOUL AND SALVATION-Tribute 5001: ed Latin per2ussion. SJomJ,ed and If?'asted; Pot Licka; Blue Cuchi doo-wah: voices. Phew! What a stew! f rito,· TurniJ, ToJ,s; Tbe Fly Fox; Chicken Gib There:,are a few spots for Moody's tenor ' Scraphine ~teals Questions, an interest lets; Casahab Melon; Clabber Biscuits; R111t1baga ing line wit~:/ an early-Classical feel. He Pie; Turke{ Fan. (no a!tolst is mentioned, but if Moody is Personne : Gillespie, Joe Newman, trumpet; responsible for the passages on that horn, plays some fire breaks behind the vocal, James Moody,' tenor saxophone; others unidenti and some sti1nging figures on the seventh fied; Ed Bland, arranger. aside frqm the fair solo on Stomped, he and eighth hats of the singer's re-entry. His ' Rating: ** ½ must have had his tongue in both cheeks). nicest touch, )10wever, is to hit the closed Dizzy merits five stars on each of these; No personnel is listed, but Joe Newman hi-hat just a :hair early on the back beat the ratings arc based on subtraction for the appears in a backliner photo, so presum behind the 9fass; it really locomotes the backdrops fashioned for him, possibly with ably it _is he who engages in a brief shout arrangement. 1 good (if not pure) intentions, but undeni ing match with Dizzy on Giblets. The Poem fcat(lres Kath. His solo makes it ably with atrocious taste. oddly named Turkey Fan, a minor piece October 2 D 17 with some semblance of melodic substance, band and of the popular Handy group of sonnel. This is indicated by the fact that has honest tenor and soulful Diz, and the a few years ago is almost the same. Budimir's work is blatantly imiative of Wes trumpeter tries valiantly to make himself Nance, a veteran of the Swing era, rises Montgomery's commercial playing. (When heard in front of the ceaseless ooh-ooh- to the occasion and plays very well here in Budimir is in a non-commercial setting he . oohing of the soul girls on Pot. a modern jazz context. Some of his earlier is his own man.) Only confirmed Gjllespie fans (such as violin work was a bit too schmaltzy for The guitarist gets a surprisingly large the undersigned) would care to sift his my taste, but this LP seems to provide amount of solo space, considering that it pearls from these clammy shells. Tribute, him with the kind of challenge he needs. is Holmes' LP. Taking into account the by the way, is a new label, making its His playing on Conglomerates is passionate limitations placed on him, he does a nice, debut with this masterful creation. They but disciplined; he plays melodically at~ tasteful job. Holmes, however, is the fea have signed Dizzy. Let's hope they give tractive phrases, resolves his ideas logically, tured perforrper and the ·success or failure him a fairer break next time. And don't and produces a rich. tone. Hamilton's work of this venture depends more on him than blame Diz-all a jazz artist wan.ts these in the rhythm section is busy and power on anyone else. days is to reach a larger audience, and ful on this track and he inspires Nance. The organist's work should · go over record companies talk a slick game. Judg- · On the rollicking, up-tempo Days, Nance pretty well with his more dedicated fans. ing from this year's crop so far, they are again constructs his work carefully; how He gives them the cliches they want to rapidly reaching an all-time nadir of taste. ever, he is· not as inventive as on Con hear and plays energetically. He's played And that's not easy-as you, dear reader, glomerates. I wish he would have opened more imaginatively elsewhere, though it no doubt know only too well. up a bit more on Days and played with should be kept in mind that this LP is not -'/Vforgenstem more of the joyous abandon that the com meant to challenge the listener but to give position conveys. Nance makes interesting him more of the same. That being the use of double stops on both tracks. case, it would be surprising if Holmes were Ltih1 Gasca Potts is a facile musician who seems to at his best here. THE LITTLE GIANT-Atlantic 1527: Just ,1 have been influenced directly or indirectly Gerald Wilson's arrangements are, all Lillie Bit; Motherless Child; Nancy,· Cosi,1 No. 2; ,1/ro-13/ue; Joy Ride,· Sweet Pea. by men like Eric Dolphy and Ornette things considered, very nice; bis writing Collective personnel: Gasca, trumpet, llugel Coleman. His playing, while energetic, is for brass is especially notable. -Pekar horn; Joe Gallardo, trombone; Hubert Laws, Lew Tabackin, flutes; Joe Henderson, tenor saxophone; much ·tamer than theirs and has a good Herbie Hancock, Paul Griffin, Mark Levine, deal in common with John Handy's work. piano; Charles Rainey, Dave Herscher, Richard Gale has good technique and a warm Freddie Hubbard Davis, bass; Bernard Purdie, Mickey Roker, , I drums; Mongo Santamaria, Jullito Collazo, Steve tone and plays tastefully but doesn't ex A SOUL EXPERIMENT-Atlantic SD 1526: Berrios, Marty Sheller, Latin percussion. Clap Your Ha,ids; Wichita Lineman; South Street hibit much individuality here. Stroll; Lonely Soul,· No Time to Lose,• Hang 'Em Rating:** 1 Hamilton's playing as an accompanist, LJPi Good Htf mar Man,· Midnile Soul; Soul All this albutn has to recommend it are except on Conglomerates, is disappointing Turn Around· !A Soul Experiment, solid Henderson solos on Child and Afro Collective Personnel: Hubbard, trumpet; Carlos and not nearly as imaginative as it has Garnett, tenor saxophone; Kenny Barron, piano; Blue and a light, pretty Tabackin solo on been many times during the past decade. Gary Illingworth, organ; Billy Butler, Eric Gale, Joy Ride. guitar; Gerry Jemmott, Fender bass; Grady Tate He plays some. tricky figures ·lightly, crisp and Bernard Purdy, drums. · Gasca has good range and facility, and ly and cleanly but doesn't really seem too Rating:*½ I'm sure he is a fine man in a section. As concerned with helping the soloists or• This is the worst LP issued under Hub yet he · has no distinctive voice as a solo adding richness to the group performance bard's name I've heard. He performs in the ist, and his borrowings from Miles Davis as a whole; he just seems to be digging context of rather hackneyed, modern r&b and Freddie Hubbard make one wish for. himself and what he's. into. During Guitar influenced arrangements and most of the an exparision of the copyright laws. Willie, Head Hunters and Cee Ee Jaaa compositions themselves ar.e uninteresting. Even if you have a taste for second-hand his Latin-influenced playing is monotonous, Obviously, this isn't the kind- of setting Davis and Hubbard, I don't think you'll repetitive, and lacks dynamic variety. On likely to bring out the best in Hubbard's be satisfied by Gasca here, since he slaps these three tracks he seems obsessed with work. ' together their licks with little taste or trying to be tasty. In trying to play soulfully, Hubbard continuity. His only personal quality is an As for the jazz and poetry tracks-OZ' uses too many funky cliches. Even under occasionally blaring tone, reminiscent of Man, written and narrated by- Jimmy far better circumstances Hubbard isn't al Kenton's lead trumpeters, but I find this Cheatham, portrays the pensive, genteel ways· the most tasteful, relaxed· musician touch unpleasant and certainly at odds with sadness of an old man. contains corny in the world, and here liis playing is some the Davis and Hubbard passages. It lines like, ~'When eveni·ng comes you have times a raucous drag. Little Bit, by Hubert Laws, is the es The rhythm section is quite good and sence of hippy-dip cuteness, and, as such, a tete a tete/With dear old . friends till maybe half past eight," Nance providing inspires Hubbard to play with a lot of deserves a spot in the latest time capsule, a Gypsy violin background. The track bor fire, but his work is still unimaginative while Child, arranged by Levine, is laid compared to his best performances. That, out on a modal rack with voicings a la ders on the ludicrous but manages to con vey some meaning due to the sincerity of in the end, is what makes this LP so dis the Jazz Crusaders. appointing. -Pekar Save· your m