Review: Lou Donaldson - Here 'Tis

Lou Donaldson’s ‘Here ‘Tis’ from 1961, recorded with a stellar band including Grant Green on guitar, Baby Face Willette on organ and Dave Bailey on drums, is one of Lou Donaldsons very best albums, finding the alto-saxophonist playing harder than usual but moving from his more familiar bop into soul-jazz territory. The first of many such excursions, the group avoid making it sound like a ‘transitional’ effort, and more like a confident stride into an already comfortable fit.

All three of the support players know how to handle a groove, and they do so with easy finesse, moving things forward with real grit and never allowing things to falter or dip for a second. In fact, just on their own the trio would be able to provide a truly memerising record, but Donaldson throws everything he’s got into his muscular yet bluesy playing and demonstrates that the more soul-orietated direction is really his ideal format. ‘A Foggy Day’, ‘Cool Blues’ and ‘Watusi Jump’ are all driving soul numbers that would truly get the crowd going, but ‘Walk Wid Me’ and the title track itself are moody and smokingly slow growlers that would sit nicely with a shot and a beer at a good blues bar.

Green and Willette grab their solo moments with skill, with Green in particular deserving mention; his famous single note playing is sharp and clear and his solos are melodically winning. Quite simply, both Green and Willette made incredibly strong records, and either mens work is, for the majority, a must have. Here alongside Donaldson at the top of his game they form a truly great band and the resulting album is simply an essential item for any fan of the three men or any lover of soul-jazz.

****

Review: Stanley Turrentine - Common Touch

Husband and wife team, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and organ maestro Shirley Scott, recorded some many good sessions together, although due to featuring on competing independent labels, mostly they did so through clever and subtle disguise – Turrentine appearing on Scott’s recordings as one ‘Stan Turner’, and Scott almost not bothering at all, with the pseudonym ‘Little Miss Cott’.

Regardless of the various such feats of subterfuge and daring, the music they made as a team was often among the best each recorded, Turrentine’s tenor in particular always well-suited to an organ backing. ‘Common Touch’ though is probably the lesser of their numerous collaborative works, the familiar easy-grooving of their usual partnership here just a little too easy and and a little too laid-back.

That’s not to say it’s a bad work in any way. The relaxed material and feel is raised and uplifted by the soulful playing of both, with Scott’s gospel-esque organ well to the fore. The featured guitar too gets some nice moments to shine also, thus stopping this from being an entirely husband-and-wife effort, but the rhythm team here doesn’t really get to do too much beyond standard horizontal fare.

Not essential Turrentine, the average jazzer will find the pacing too reclined and creative ideas light on the ground. And at times it does border dangerously close to creating the genre of lounge-jazz. But for anyone who likes the easy going grooves (it is after all part of Blue Note ‘Rare Groove’ series) and a more chilled listen to unwind and finger-snap to, then this is another pleasure from ‘The Sugar Man’ and his lady.

***

Review: Hank Mobley - The Flip

It seems bizarre now, when you think about it, that Hank Mobley was actually criticised for his lack of aggression in his saxophone playing. Where Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman were repeatedly making waves by pushing boundaries with such forceful tones and trailblazing techniques, others like Mobley were content playing mellower or more obviously soulful ideas. It was this that led to many dismissing him outright, despite his often highly melodic and very song-like quality tenor playing, rich with nuance and a strong feel for the tunes he played.

‘The Flip’ was recorded at the tail-end of the last phase of his career, his third to last recording, and second to last for Blue Note – his home since the mid-fities. A rare session made in Paris, his band here includes an international cast of Dizzy Reece on trumpet, Slide Hampton on trombone, Vince Benedetti on piano, Alby Cullaz on bass and the legendary Philly Joe Jones on drums, with all of the tunes here written by Mobley himself.

And as much as Mobleys latter-day work is routinely glossed-over with dismissal, the album begins joyously, with dancing, boogie-like rhythms and firm punchy horn statements, creating a euphoric groove that is nigh impossible to dislike. ‘Feelin’ Folksy’ is also a great winner with its strong bluesy swing and sweet melody powered by Mobleys typically easy sounding soulful tenor sax – here sounding much more robust than other recent dates.

Not that Mobley is the only horn success here, Hampton and Reece both get to flex and give this session a great defined personality, especially on the Brazillian flavoured ‘Snappin’ Out’, which allows both some killer solos. Joining Mobley on the pedestal of truly underrated talents though is Vince Benedetti; his piano lines subtle and tasteful, and always accompanying the bandleader a treat.

All in all, ‘The Flip’ is a late-era Mobley gem which should be held in the same esteem as his more famous peak ‘Soul Station’. In truth, although hindsight has served him better than any meagre successes of the day, both Mobley and this work will never sit in the hallowed influential or revered ranks, but on its own, without any unnecessary or unwelcome comparisons, it’s a classy and beautiful recording.

****

Review: Hank Mobley - Reach Out

‘Reach Out’, one of Hank Mobleys final ever sessions, is one of a number of records toward the end of the sixties that unfortunately highlights his depressing decline due to various circumstances, before his eventual and complete retirement. One of just a few times that Mobley would move away from hard bop, he instead here opts for a mainstream approach, both testing and saddling himself with gentle bop, soul-jazz and covers of contemporary pop songs. As such, it’s probably the most overtly commercial outing of all-time for Mobley and, not uncoincidentally, one of his worst.

The band, made up of players as strong as Woody Shaw, George Benson, Lamont Johnson, Bob Cranshaw and Billiy Higgins, all sound hemmed in (and even bored) by the sessions goal of appealing to the wider pop audience, and none of them are able to really make a distinctive personal stamp on the proceedings. The Four Tops ‘Reach Out (I’ll Be There)’, though a stone-cold classic, here is absolutely horrific and ranks as one of Mobleys worst ever, where no-one sounds sure what’s going on and everyone gives the impression of only just barely holding it together.

‘Goin’ Out Of My Head’ (covered by almost everyone at the time) is better, but largely sounds phoned in - as does pretty much everything else here. Mobley himself is also an oddly small presence here too, feeling more like an anonymous hired gun than a leader. He puts in a half-good heart-in-it performance just once, on one of his originals, but it’s doubtful anyone noticed it, sounding as it does completely forgettable.

Bland, inoffensive and tiring, it’s best avoided as it’d be hard to find anyone who would derive pleasure from listening to this.

*

Review: Remember Shakti - The Believer

After near-reforming the superb seventies group Shakti, minus a member but with some added new ones, John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain's new Remember Shakti debuted to outstanding live praise. and much critical admiration for the subsequent live double album.

'The Believer' continues the musical magic with this time just a single-disc seventy-seven minute document of how the band were progressing throughout the summer of 1999. By now the band had changed to still feature McLaughlin and Hussain on guitar and tabla respectively, but now joined by U. Srinivas on mandolin and V. Selvaganesh on kanjira and ghatam.

The sound then is noticeably different from that of the first Remember Shakti effort, as are also the shorter compositions. While before numbers ebbed and flowed their way to half an hour or even a whole hour in length, here everything sits compactly between the seven and twenty minute mark, with most not rising above fifteen.

'Lotus Feet' is the only number to be repeated from 'Remember Shakti', but in true Shakti and true jazz fashion it is remarkably different. Similarly the more dedicated fan may recognise one or two of the chosen themes, but the sheer stunning improvisational art of each man remakes everything here to sound completely new. The tight interaction between the quartet creates a strong sense of telepathy, and you can also feel the comfortable and relaxed friendship between the group in the music.

Guitar and mandolin intensive, McLaughlin and Srinivas are good musical foils and bring out the best in each other, much like the way the guitarist with L. Shankar and his violin did twenty years earlier. And it is this that presents the best case for 'The Believer'. Both Remember Shakti albums are incredible and impassioned performances worth the time of any fan of either McLaughlin or Shakti, and while the first obviously offers more in size, both sets offer distinct different sounds and approaches that are sure to inspire anyone who enjoys this high level of compositional and improvisational performance.

****

Review: Remember Shakti - Remember Shakti

Disbanding in the late 1970’s, Shakti lay dormant for two decades whilst all the musicians involved pursued other directions; John McLaughlin who chose to go in multiple acoustic and electric directions continuing to earn major audiences and plaudits, violinist Shankar who created a series of minor masterpieces deserving of much greater recognition and also helped compose a notable number of high-profile film scores, and Zakir Hussain and T. H. ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram who both built massive discographies of fusion and world-music, while also taking on noteworthy music education roles.

Approaching the year 2000 and McLaughlin and Hussain decided that the time felt right for the reformation, and further development, of the Shakti group. However, while McLaughlin and Hussain were able to contact and link up with Vinayakram, none of the three could find Shankar, and so instead decided to continue on without him, replacing him for their return tour with bansuri player Hariprasad Chaurasia.

Initially touring in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the independence of India and Pakistan, this double-set is taken from that tour and a good thing too, with the musicians here always going to have excelled more in the live arena than that of the recording studio.

Less percussive and rhythmic than the original Shakti, here the music is more introspective and thoughtful, and also happily, much more emotionally reaching. The best example here being the hour-long epic ‘Mukti’, which despite its length never feels long or dragging, but frequently, like much here, does bring a wave of euphoria to the listener. Everything here is played for the musical moment, with no egos vying for the spotlight, and no solos dominating the other musicians – here the musical interplay is everything.

Remember Shakti remain a pretty much one-off group of unique and uniquely inspired players that continue to fuse western improvised music with the music of India in an equally unique and compelling way. As with the original Shakti, if you hope to hear blistering lead guitar lines from McLaughlin, then you’re in the wrong place. Here though is a strong, intelligent and emotional musical group that offers languid meditative deeply reaching music of a very high order.

****

Review: Herbie Hancock - Man Child

‘Man Child’, Herbie Hancock’s third album of jazz-funk, followed hot on the tail of ‘Thrust’ which itself had swiftly followed the groundbreaking ‘Head Hunters’. Released in 1975 to an expectant audience who had clamoured to the previous rhythm and groove-laden works, ‘Man Child’ now has oddly become one of Hancock’s slightly lesser-known works. ‘Thrust’ had in less than a year changed Hancock’s sound from the raw and cool sounding funk, into something more spacey and trippy with slightly more emphasis on the jazz than the funk. Recording ‘Man Child’, he again changed his sound, this time adding more layers to the ever-increasingly slick mix.

The brilliantly titled ‘Hang Up Your Hang-ups’ opens with some classic sounding of-the-era rhythm guitars and blazing horn work. An awesome funk-pop hybrid, it’s certainly one of Hancock’s most danceable numbers, and the ending breakdown and piano solo come unexpectedly but perfectly. So perfect in fact, that the standard is almost set too high for what has to follow.

‘Sun Touch’ is enjoyable and groovy, and ‘Steppin’ In It’ is also hugely fun and invigorating, with a welcome and sunny guest spot from Stevie Wonder on harmonica. But things begin to come undone with ‘The Trailor’/’The Traitor’ (depending on which issue you get depends on how much spell-checking went on) and ‘Bubbles’. The former has a real bite and power to it, but as with much of Hancock’s later 70’s excursions gets repetitive very quickly, whereas ‘Bubbles’ is just frankly below average, and it’s inclusion sparks worrying curiosity as to the quality control or even the inspiration this time around.

Regardless, having started on a high, things end equally successfully, if distinctly differently. ‘Heartbeat’ is frenetic and twisting; with the band sounding like they’re having a riot of a time, and Hancock gets to close in style with a suitably inspiring solo. It’s up there with some of his best.

All of the musicians here, and there are many, are on top form, with all of the ‘Head Hunters’ and ‘Thrust’ alumni being present against a whole slew more, including Wayne Shorter adding some very nice soprano work. Occasionally though there are just too many instruments, layers and effects all at one time. And with slightly flatter sounding production than before, it all sounds just too slickly commercial. In parts it’s a good sound suiting the pieces, in others it’s all too clean, almost as though someone forgot that part of the earlier charm was that rawer and earthier heavy groove. Also, whereas the previous two albums each contained just four long yet always interesting numbers, the pieces here at times, although shorter, seem to go on for far too long without ever hitting any kind of real direction.

‘Man Child’ ultimately sits at the top of the middle phase of Hancocks funk odyssey. It was here that things started to get too polished and lacking the same energy that infused the earlier works, but the majority is good fun party music and is sure to appeal to fans of the funk.

***