seem to stick to his fingers, and Get is a master, and these Happy, a snappy, driving piece with a two tracks are masterpieces. Masterpieces generous drum solo. are not exactly common these days. This One of the admirable things about this is a damn nice record. -Morgenstern LP is the sound, especially on the band tracks. It' s oeen beautifully recorded-a The Crusaders big, full deep sound that should serve as a , NEil LIGHTHOUSE '69: World Pacific Jazz ST• model to U.S. companies. -McDonough 2016S: G,t Back; It's Golla Be Real; Willi, ,Ill I FROM , I.Aura Mae Jones; Ruby P'Gonia; It's Yo"' Thing; Inside the Outside; Reflections; Svmu Dexter Gordon F/icka. "LABELLA" ~\ Personnel: \Vayne Henderson, trombone; Wil, THE TOWER OF POWER-Prestige 7623: ton Felder, tenor saxophone; Joe Sample. piano. ElectricBass Strings J Montmartre; The Rainbow People; Stanley the electric piano; Buster Williams, bass; StiI Steamer; Those W tre the Days. Hooper, drums. Personnel: Gordon, James Moody ( track 1 HYLOITAPE WOUND ~ only), tenor saxophone; Barry Harris, piano; Rating:*½ Buster Williams, bass; Al (Tootie) Heath, drums. This is a commercial and not particu­ T,he 'IJeat n ,Sound 9 i Rating: * * * * * larly interesting record. Some selections At. In .\maiintLo- · Pritt -~·i. First there were and are marred ·by the intrusive r&b-in.fluenced Lester Young and their offspring. Then playing of the rhythm section. Sample's $900 set st there is Dexter Gordon, the father of electric piano work in the rhythm section TRYINGIS BELIEVING! t =- modern tenor saxophone . Strongly influ­ just muddies things up. The least interest• enced by Lester at first, he soon fashioned ing tracks on the LP-It's Your Thing is a highly personal style, incorporating Pres, probably the worst of them-are full of Hawk and in what Ira funky cliches. Gitler has aptly called a "synthesis." The However, the album has things to rec• first true tenor man, he remains the ommend it. Felder contributes some good greatest of the breed, and his influence on work. He turns in powerfully swinging Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane-the lat­ solos on Ruby P'Gonia and Inside th1 ter in particular-was profound .. Outside. But a Dexter Gordon album-especially Some of Henderson's playing is stal~ so good a one as this-is not primarily of but he does take a nicely thought out solo ADIFFERENT KINDOF RECORD CLUB hi storical intere st. He is a vital, still de­ on Reflections. veloping player whose music is no text­ Sample's playing on conventional piano with a SpecialMembership Plan ... book matter, but speaks straight from life. is crisp and interesting, but on the electric FeaturingJAZZ A resident of Europe since 1962, Gor­ Also, Popular,Folk , Classical,etc . instrument his funky soloing is hackneyed No purchase obligations-No list don too rarely visits his native shores, At their best, the Jazz Crusaders are a price purchases. Virtually all labels but this album, his first under a new con­ good group. They're not at their best here. and artists available.Choose from tract with Prestige, was made last spring -Pekar catalog of over 25,000 albums. in New York. His worthy constitue nts in­ Write for free details•.. clude the superb Barry Harris, stylistically a perfect complement, the brilliant young J. J. Johnson- , CIT ,U )U IRlCOJm CU ;fl BETWIXT AND BETWEEN-A&M SP 301!: ·- Symphonette Square OeDt D. Larchmont. NY 10538 bassist Buster Williams, and Tootie Heath, Casa Forte; Betwixt and B etween; little Dr•• a longterm fellow expatriate and frequent mer Boy; Don 't Go Love , Don 't Go,· Afoj1r, Stormy; Wichita lineman; Just a Funky OU Gordon associate in Europe. This is a very Veg etable Bin; Willie, Come Home. Transitiorul ., The Amazing "SILENCERS" compatible team. music between tracks: Bach Chorale #237; P/1J REDUCE THE ANNOYANCE OF Guest James Moody sits in on Mont­ Nine; Troika; Bach Chorale #241; Bach Cbor,u PRACTICE SOUNDS UP TO 70% I # 134; Onion RiJ,.gs Rondo; Bach In vention µ martre. He is not at the top of his game, Bach Inv ention #I. Available for: Personnel: Johnson, Winding, _ trombones; H.. ALTO & TENOR SAX • CLARINET but his solo presents many interesting if hie Hancock, piano; Roger l\..ellaway. elecuiC' TRUMPET • TROMBONE somewhat disjointed ideas, and the two­ clavinecte; Charles Covington, organ; Joe Bed. Expertly custom built-Priced from $3.95 , guitar; , bass; Charle tenor blend on the heads is a joyfully Domanico, Russell George, Chuck Rainey, fends PRACTICE SILENCER CO. nostalgic sound. The theme , in minor, is ba ss; Leo Morris, Denny Seiwell, drums: Aini 4525 Boulevard Place Des Moines, la. 50311 Moreira , drums and finger cymbals; Warne l characteristically Gordon, and the com­ Smith, tambourine; string section. Transitical poser takes a highly caloric solo. music play_ed by Marvin Stamm, fluegelhan; Johnson, Winding; Tony Studd, bass trombolll: Stanley may be remembered by Gordon l>aul Ingraham, French born; Sruart Schad, followers from a 1955 Stan Levey album. guitar. A blues, it features straight-from -the-shoul­ Rating:***½ der swinging, and Dexter's exchanges with This delightful miscellany is most · Heath are a treat. teresting fare. Meticulously produced, Good as these two tracks are, it is in has something for everyone, in the se111 the balance of the album that gold is that one can stroll through it by ear mined. Rainbow People, a most attractive piing a varietty of offerings-s ome g Gordon original, contains some of his some better-and end with the satisf most moving playing of the '60s. The ideas tion that the trip has been worth it. flow, delivered with that matchless, slightly For those who demand constant c dry but warming tone-not unlike vintage ativity-or what passes for it-this alb cognac-and he articulates them beauti ­ is a dud. But accept it on its own te fully. His fullness of sound in all registers and start from there. and the ease with which he soars into the In many ways, it is very mechani upper ranges are remarkable. But these The precision of, say, Casa Forte, prep are but the means-e ssential, of course­ us for the clock-like, tic-toe precision through which Dexter conveys his pro­ the chorales, Drummer Boy , and, indc foundly affecting musical message. the entire album. Not far behind is Those Were the Days, But within this precision there is m THE HARMONY COMPANY a prime example of how a great jazz mu­ warmth, freedom and lilt. Beck and K 4604 S. Kolin Ave .. Chicago, Ill. 60632 0 N sician can enhance and elevate basic pop­ away provide much of this. Their play· N NAME AGE 0 ular material. Dexter distills the nostalgia reflects more cognizance and kinship of the melody, strips it of sentimentality , the art of the '60s than does that of ADDRESS and adds a note of defiance- the accent of leaders. They feel it the way that J K, in this album, at least, do not. CITY STATE ZIP the true artist. Harris takes a lovely little solo. The trombone interplay recalls early 20 0------DOWN BEAT