Records ore reviewed by Chris Albertson, Don DeMicheol, Gilbert M. Erskine, Ira Giller, Alan Heinemon, Wayne Jones, Lawrence Kort, John litweiler, Jahn McDonough, Dan Morgenstern, Don Nelsen, Harvey Pekar, Harvey Siders, Coral Sloone, Jim Szanto,, and Pete Welding. Reviews are signed by the writers. Ratings are: * * * * * excellent, * * * * very good, * * * goad, * * fair, * poor. When two catalog numbers are listed, the first is mono, and the second is stereo. SPOTLIGHTREVIEW salves, Ashby, and Turney, with Paul the Ginger Baker Duke Ellington winner but Ash and Norris (who plays a GINGER BAKER'S AIR FORCE-Atco 2-703: booting, jump-styled tenor) holding their Da Da /\fan; Early in tht Morning; Don't Cart; 70TH BrRTHDAY CONCERT-Solid State SS- Toad; Aiko Biayt; l\lan of Cons/all/ Sorrow; Do 19000: Rocltin' In Rhythm; B.P.; Takt tht "A" own; Fife (mislabeled Fifi), a charming What Y ou Likt; Doin ' It. Train: Tootit For Cootit; 4:30 BlutsL El Gato; bit of whimsy featuring Turney's tasteful, Personnel: Chris Wood, Harold McNair, flute, Black Bulltrf/y; Things Ain't What 1 hty Ustd tenor saxop hone; Graham Bond, aha saxophone; lo B,; Ltying On Mt/low; Satin Doll; Azurt Tt; pretty and witty flute; and Black Swan, Denny Laine. .ruicar. vocals: Sreve Winwood, l,r Triplicatt; Ptrdidol Fift; M,dl ,y : (Pr,ludt to featuring Davis (a new color), Ellington , organ, vocals; Rich Greeb, electric bass, ampli• , Kiss; I' m Just a wcky So-And-So; I L,t a tied violin; Baker, Remi Kabaka, drums; Phil Song Go Out of My Htart; Do Nothin' Till You Gaskin, Jones, and Turney (again on flute; Seamen, percussion; Jeanette Jacobs. vocals. lltar from Mt; Just Squttzt Mt; Do11't Gtt again very good). .fround Much Anymort; Mood Indigo; Sophis­ Rating:** licat,d Ltdy; Cara,·an); Black Su·an; Fi11al Elling­ Not as new but previously unrecorded is Well, maybe if the recording was better, Ion Spuch. Tootie for Cootie, its star in fine fettle. the Air Force would sound like a better Personnel: Cat Anderson, Cootie \Villiams, Rolf Ericson, Mercer Ellington. uumpet, fluegel• There are echoes of Echoes of Harlem, band. As is, it takes Baker and Company born; Lawrence Brown, Chuck Connors, trom• Cootie's very special time, and a superb, two LP 's to tell the same story: repeated bone; Russell Pcocope, Jobnny Hodges, Norris Turney, Harold Ashbr. Paul Gonsalves, Harry Arm strong-tinged cadenza, as fine as the riffs, with Bond or Wood or Laine or Carney, reeds; Wild Bill Davis, organ; Elling­ one on A Train. Also not new but new to Winwood doing either avant garde (Bond) ron, piano; Victor Gaskin, bass; Rufus (Speedy) Jones, dcums. the band is Davis' Azure Te (mislabeled or funky (Winwood) things over the hor­ Rating:* * * * * Azure, which is a vintage Ellington piece), ribly muddy ensemble. And, oh yes: the This double album, sold at a special showcasing the composer and blessed John­ drum solos, obligatory with Baker, on 2-for-l price and containing an hour and a ny Hodges. And a highlight of the entire Toad and Do What. Dunno. Seems like half of mostly superb music, is one of the program is Black Butterfly , a 1938 mas­ he knows what he's doing, judging from outstanding releases of recent times. terpiece revived to feature Hodge s, who down beat interview of April 16, but to Recorded live in Manchester, England caresseses the lovely melody in four and these assaulted ears, it still sounds like in November of last year, it captures the a half minutes of joy and beauty. (Is the Si11g Sing Sing. And sing and sing and full musical flavor of an in-person per­ brief clarinet solo by Ash or Turney? I sing .... formance by the greatest band in the think the latter.) Some interesting concepts in embryo world. The tour during which it was taped Perdido spotlights Ericson, whose sly, here. Da Da is a hard rock line who se was a grueling one, but nobody sounds boppish approach sometimes reminds of melody combines the flavor of a Turkish tired. Clark Terry, whose feature it once was. folk tune with Gospel overtones. Early Already, the album is a historic docu­ Ro cki11' is a boss opener, played with fire has elements of Northeast Africa and of ment. This particular Ellington band will and drive-the kind of thing most bands Louisiana voodoo in it. Aiko is basically a never be duplicated. Johnny Hodges is would save for a climax-but then, this West African chant. But they just go on gone. (By good fortune, he is well fea­ is the band that starts where most others and on, and none of the soloists ha s tured here.) Lawrence Brown left after leave off. enough originality to balance the heavy the tour's end, as did Vic Gaskin. Alum­ Brown has only two solos: some plung­ group playing , which, it9e!f, is too sloppy nus Rolf Ericson was a temporary re­ er stuff on Rockin'-which utilizes this to provide the requisite drive. Bond has placement in the trumpet section. And color, seemingly discarded by all but Duke, a few moments in Da Da, playing free there were only two trombones, a short­ who after all helped to invent it, in a but in rhythm, but his screech work on age for which Ellington compensated by manner not the least "dated"-and Do Doin' It over the horn riff is utterly inane. having sixth reedman Norris Turney, a Nothin' in the Medley. Ironic that this Winwood plays some intriguing figures here most valuable addition, sit in the section warhorse should be his swan song. and there, but between the flawed record­ and play trombone parts. The piano player is amply featured in ing techniques and the sheer volume of Along with such familiar fare as the the Medley, on Rockin', Train, and else­ the band, he can connect nothing with Medley (never before commercially re­ where. This is also a great record for as= nothing. corded at such length, yet incomplete­ certaining just how big a part Duke's The vocals are miserable. The words to Paul Gon salves' In A Sentimental Mood, piano (and vocal cues) plays in pacing Don't Care, sung by two or 10 of the one of the highlights, is missing, though and shaping a performance. What a mas­ band, are undiscernible . Early's singer was the tune is hinted at in Duke's kaleido­ ter at setting the right tempo he is! And clearly record:d from within a drainpipe. scopic piano introduction); A Train, El quite a piano player. And so on. Lots of talent in this band, Gato, and a great Things Ain't, there are Nothing is perfect, and we do regret but it needs a hell of a lot more wood­ new versions of old favorites (Satin Doll that Harry Carney is heard only on the shedding. And a new engineer. now features Wild Bill Davis and a sen­ Medley (Sophisticated Lady-she doesn't - Hein errum sational Cat Anderson rideout), and sev­ wither) and Rocki11' (on clarinet, which eral "firsts." doesn't really count), and Gonsalves only Among the latter: B. P., a jaunty vehi­ Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young •--• on Triplicate (without a Gonsalves ballad, DEJA VU-Atlantic 7200: Carry On: Ttach cle for Harold Ashby's pleasant , Web­ something is missing). Also, the engi­ Your Children; A/molt Cut My Hair ; Helpless; sterish tenor; 4:30 Blues, a fine, brooding W ood1tock; D eja Vu; Our Roust; 4 + 20; Coun­ neering ( or mastering) overbalances the try Girl (mtdlty); Evtrybody I Lovt You. piece with clarinets in trio and solo (Rus­ rhythm section, and while Rufus Jones is Personnel: Steve Stills, organ, guirar 9 vocals ; sell Procope in splendid form); Laying 011 his usual solid, dependable self and Gaskin David Crosby. guitar, vocals; Graham Nash, gui­ tar. vocals; Neil Young. guitar. vocals; Greg Mellow, well described by its title, and sounds fine, we don't need to hear it that Reeves, elecctic bass: Dallas Taylor, dcums. featuring Hodges at a delicious middle well. Rating:*** tempo, at length and with strength, in­ But why carp? There haven't been When C, S & N added Y, they made cluding a startling swoop unlike anything enough Ellington records lately . There can both a valuable expansion and a mistake. he ever played; ill Triplicate, a rousing never be enough. Go get this music while The trio had its own sound, an incredibly tenor battle between (in that order) Gon- you can. -Morgenstern lovely sound. They write pretty tune s, June 25 D 19 ---------------- -- -- --- -.