small or large, scored or impromptu ing speed-as perfectly poised as ever. musical lyric deft appro.;ch material of this genre with as rarely set him off like tho se Ellington and Echoes fails to conjure up the mysterious 11 You Off a fine inft mucb intelligence and taste as Heath. Strayhorn devised for him. mood of the composit ion, but Hodg es' dy Waters. And sim Hancock's writing generally is idiomatic This fact. which takes not one inch from statement of the second strain is something cad reme mbers the but there are inspired moment s, as on the Hodges' stature but is rat her an aspect of else. uitar, as witness his ballads and the closing section of the the primacy of Ellington, is pointed up Empty Ballroom, like R ockin', is just on Joumey's E11d ucki~h Brother. p Th Fat Alberts around may thrive here by the inclusion of six pieces of El a mite too fast; one misses the relaxed ery on Sugar. lingtonia . Nel son (an d of course, Hodges) bou nce of the original Ellington-Hodges Dunbar remain the on such albums-but how about the Weird do well by them, but the originals remain riff. Randy Brecker takes a nice solo here, nd . Eyre's keyboa r Harolds-- the kooks who dig music. And the measure . sou nding surp risingly like Lee Morgan. The Dunbar contribu tes mus,, is what the Hancock group produced Th e stro ngest evoca tion of the Ellington 193 1 It's Glory is fresh in its new clothes, mming lately hear d. until this LP. Therefore, let us hope that spirit, however, come on two Nelson origi and there is a brisk, inventive Earl Hines n Auger, Eyre ada this LP is just a minor derailment. -Szalllor nals, the pretty Yearnin g and the •touching piano solo-his only spot (I'm almost sure ective, from the Black, Brown and Beallli/ul (the latter has it's his comping on Love Call). Hank Ride to the intros a Strayhorn touch tha t suits Hodges to per Jones has his only outing on Ballroom, and the clerical intro and JOHNNY HODGES fection). On both these pieces, Hodges Marvin Stamm takes a fluegelhorn solo on Journey's. TH REE SHADES OF BLUE-Flying Dutchman shines. Both are intensely lyrical and have on Y eam ing; nice enough, but following not merely keep ti FDS· O: Emp ty Ballroom Blues• Dult.t' s Place; singable melodie s. Hodges it seems oddly void of content. ects the mu sical pr E,b ots Of Harlem; Disillusion Blues; Yearning; w, 1,, .,,, to New Yorlt.; Black., Brown and Beauti Which only proves, perhaps, that a mas Joh nny always told a story. nder curre nt on U ful; Ko, kin' In Rhythm ; Cr,ole Lov, Call; It's ter's touch remain s unt ouchable, but that The presence of singer Leon Thomas on w bell lead on Su G/$;:-,_,nnel: Ernie Royal, Snooky Young, Mar vin music touch ed by his spirit can attain its three tracks makes sense from the stand ith percussion a S!1Ullm Randy Brecker, trumpets , fluegelhoms; own mast ery. point of his being groomed for stardom by which his sidem Al (;.cy . Quentin Jackson, Garnett Brown, Thomas Mircliell, trombones; Hodges, alto saxo Of the Ellington pieces, Creole Lo1•e the record company. He's a good singer hesive musica l dim phone Bob Ashton, Jerome Ricbar
1, then went on to better things with on the end of the wn more lugubri y much in season, seem considera bl 1 iddle than the best dispensed. But, his n, he has an hon s receptive and th er back lash as yeL tent of this albu ballads Tell Me ul-rock-r&b pope rovi sation is a sec enderso n ha s a co get off the grou n k, Brother. Coles is ps ('le gets off a but his pretty flue lad s. composed, arrang Flamenc o and rock are very differe nt kinds of music . But they have two things lections, is bear d the saving-grace in co mmon : both are the "street" music of the people; both are played and Hancock fashion, bO entical phrases to su ng wit h the guitar . And this is probably the first time they have been ing been an ou recorde d toget her. Rock Encounter on Polydor presents Sabicas, one of the ianist in his Miles t positio n somewh• world's greatest flamenco guitarists ... with Joe Beck, one ~ d actor spurning a I I rean role in fav of Ame rica's leading rock guitarists. The result? A classic Ir:. internatio nal supe rsession. Po lydor Polyd o r Records .Cassette s and 8-Tra ck Cartridges are distributed ,n the USA by Polyd or Inc , m Cana d a by Pnl y d or Recor d s Canada ltd
August 6 D 23 captured throughout. It was, is, and al GAP MANGIONE ways will be one of the landmarks of jazz, DIANA IN THE AUTUMN WIND-GRC along with the heart and mind ,that created 9001: Boys With Toys; Diana ill th, Autumn it. One is grateful for this addition to an Wind; Long Hair Soulful; Ytsttrday; The X ltb Commandmttllj St. Thomas; You 'rt Nobody U11- incomparable legacy. -Morgenstern til Somebody LOvts You; Po11d With Su ·ans; You Art My Sumbint; Frtt Again; Drtam On Lilllt Drtamtr; Graduate Mtdley: Scarborough Fair; The Sounds of Siltnrtj Mrs. Robimon. INSECTTRUST Personnel: All Tracxs: Gap Mangione, piano, organ; Tony Levin, bass, elecuic bass; Steve HOBOKEN SATURDAY NIGHT-Atco 33· Gadd, drums. Track 6: Joe LaBarbera, drums; 313: Bt A Hobo; Hobolun Saturday Night; Tbt Dhui Mandingo, conga. 'tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7/ 8, Eyts of a N,w York Woman; Ragtimt l\f,1/ion 10, 11: Snooky Young, Marv Stamm, C ark a,re; Someda1s,· Our Sisur the Sun,· Reciprocity; Terry, trumpet, Buegelhom; Wayne Andre, Tony Trip 011 Mt; Now Tbtn Swett Man; l\fr. Gar Srudd, trombone: Paul Faulise, bass trombone; field; Rehlcarnations; Glade Song; Ducks. James Buffington, Earl Chapin French horn; Ray Personnel: Warren Gardner, William Folwell, Beckenstein, flute piccolo; ]etome Richatdson, trumpeu; Trevor Koehler, piccolo, flute, so• soprano, alto, baruone1 saxophone, flute; Joe Far prano and baritone saxophones. sewer drum; rell Frank Wess, tenor sax , flute; Ned Corman, Robert Palmer, clarinet, alto saxophone, record• barftone saxophone, bass cl_arinc~ Mike Ma~ieri, er; Luke Faust, violin, banjo, electric guitar, vibraharp; Sam Brown, guitar. L.huck Mangione, harmonica; Bill Barth, lead guitar, steel guitar; conductor. Ralph Casale, Charlie Macey or Hugh Mc Cracken rhythm guitar; William Folwell, Jo• Rating: **** seph Macho, Bob Bushnell or Charlie Macey, Gap Mangione, the longest-lost of the electric bass; Elvin Jones, Donald MacDonald, Bernard Purdie or Buddy Nealy, drums; Nancy Jazz Brothers of the early 1960s (in terms Jeffries, vocals . of the general audience) makes his return Rating: *** to the recording scene as featured soloist 1Insect Trust's first album was consum in this mixed bag of standards, pop and mately wretched . This one doesn't quite get rock tunes. there either, but there are some fine indi His highly talented brother, trumpeter vidual performances on it, and so attention Chuck, is also aboard-splitting the ar should be paid. (A clear and present prob ranging chores with his pianist sibling and lem: the group proper consists only of conducting the impressive studio band that Koehler, Faust, Barth, Palmer and Miss appears on eight of the album's 12 tracks. Jeffries; the guest rhythm players are all Though the fare is commercially-ori quite good, but it sounds like a blowing ented, Gap's keyboard work is still very session, and the band's material is too de much in the jazz mainstream and his work manding for such a setup.) here is uniformly excellent. His work on Miss Jeffries, sadly, can be dismissed. acoustic piano comes off best here though Roughly out of Tracy Nelson's bag, decent on several tracks (most notably on Sunrise) range, some power, not much finesse, but his electric piano improvising rivals it. mainly she just· doesn't get it on. The in The big band tracks are tastefully and strumental soloists, however, are something expertly arranged, though at times the else. brass-piccolo climaxes were a bit shrill to The tunes are a motley assortment: some my ears . In general, I prefer the combo hard rock, some modern jazz, some coun tracks-the pianist and his excellent rhythm try, some experimental atonality-cum-Dada, section seem more at ease and more prone some ragtime. An impressive range, al to cooking, especially on St. Thomas and though Insect Trust isn't equally convinc Sunshine . ing in all these media. In fact, there are Aside from the leader, the only other only two fully realized cuts, Millionaire improvisation comes from Terry, who slices and Somedays. The former begins as a in for a few bars on Soulful, and Richard countryish vocal by Miss Jeffries. Barth son, whose melancholy soprano sax graces Just look at the expression takes a one-chorus solo on guitar, densely Diana. The big band is especially groovy chorded and interesting, which he ends by on Nobod y, with a funky intro, Basieish on Eric's face and you will playing a line parallel to the melody but background figures by the saxes, and ex dissonant on the last four bars . Nice. An cellent fills by Gadd, who is a delight know how he feels about other vocal chorus, followed by a Dixie throughout. As always, the lead trumpet of his new Ovation. land trio (trumpet, clarinet and baritone , Young is outstanding. the latter taking the tailgate role) jamming Though commercial in its aim, it's still a while and carrying the odd juxtaposition nice to hear from the keyboard Mangione It's got the NEW sound; off with skill, aplomb and good humor . who, hopefully, will ·begin to get some Somedays is a Bo Diddley riff, led by recognition outside of his native Rochester the ROUND sound. Koehler on baritone playing raunchy r&b area. (Trumpeter Chuck, through his work It's in with the people things over the other horns, which-oddly with Art Blakey and an excellent Jazzland and effectively-are occasionally voiced album several years back with tenorist Joe who . . . dig the best. Latino. Good chart and pleasing solo. Romano, has had a bit more recognition, Some other high points: Palmer's inven but still not enough). Perhaps the two SEND COUPON NOW FOR FREE CATALOG tive recorder solo on Eyes; Elvin Jones' brothers could next record with their non ------booting backing and Koehler's accomplish familial brother of yore, the brilliant Sal ed soprano work on Sister; the concept of • • lllft ■Al!ITI DB Nistico, in a straight-ahead Jazz Brothers NEWHARTFORD , CONNECTICUTOIOl7 Reciprocity, which resembles a football quasi-reunion. NAME AGE Homecoming Weekend march played and This recording is available only through sung by the inmates at Bellevue (Barth GRC, Inc., 901 Times Square Bldg., Roch ADDRESS damages this cut with a ragged guitar solo, ester, N.Y. 14614. -Szanto, however); and Ducks, which has good CITY Palmer on alto, more funky baritone from Koehler, and a relentless, straight-ahead MIKEWESTBROOK STATE ZIP drum solo from somebody-probably Pur CONCERTBAND die. NAME OF YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC STORE MARCHING SONG-Deram MWB S-1: Hoo• ,Insect Trust is still somewhere between ra{!; La11dsca1>e; Waltz (for Joanna ); Landstap, larva and pupa, at this point, but to judge (I ); Oth,r World; l\far 24 0 DOWN BEAT