Ok, after the Miles Davis extravaganza, I’m, well, actually I sort of want to go back and do that again. What amazing music! But next up are some fantastic records, and it’s exciting because it shows why I started this project in the first place! I heard each of these at least one time, but pretty much just checked it out, said “Yep, that’s cool,” and then put it away. So revisiting records like these really makes me happy. That’s so corny.
- Richard Davis – The Philosophy of the Spiritual – Wow. I mean, seriously, Wow. With a Capital W. I don’t know what my problem was the first time I listened to that record. I think I said, “Meh.” and put it away. Holy crap. Richard Davis is unbelievable on this. His arco on “Dear Old Stockholm” is absolutely unbelievable. The writing is incredible – by Bill Lee, who (according to the liner notes) had a Bass Violin Choir that featured Davis, Ron Carter, Milt Jackson, Sam Jones, Lisle Atkinson, Carl Pruitt and Michael Flemming. I wish I could have heard that group! Man, this is a bass player’s “must own” for sure.
- Buddy DeFranco – Closed Session – I bought this, I think, because DeFranco is awesome and he recorded George Russell’s amazing “A Bird in Igor’s Yard”…although that’s not on this record. This is loaded up with great swing-era style playing. Barney Kessell, Leroy Vinnegar, Bob Neal, and Joe Mondragon are stand-outs on this. And Buddy is ferocious.
- Rein De Graaff-Dick Vennik Quartet – “Modal Soul” – Man, this is a great record. I was in The Netherlands a few years ago, and should have sought them out, because, wow. They remind me a little of the band that used to back Phil Woods in the 1970s – the European Rhythm Machine. Their “Detour Ahead” is delicate, and their “Modal Soul” is (like Buddy DeFranco) ferocious. A really wide range of music on this album.
- Jack DeJohnette – New Directions in Europe – An absolutely incredible record. I always loved the album New Directions, so when I got this, I was particularly psyched to check it out. I think that I bought New Directions as a special order in about 1990, and had to use this ancient ordering system called the Phonolog to find it. That’s a great one. I have it on CD. Anyway, this live concert is filled with energy and…trust! That’s one of my favorite things about this band, they just seemed to trust each other and were not afraid of any direction. Eddie Gomez continues to instruct me on the majesty of thumb position.
- Jack DeJohnette – Special Edition – Wow. First of all, this is a great record. Second, I love Arthur Blythe. “Zoot Suite” rules.
- Jack DeJohnette – Album Album – Wow, take 2. Another amazing record, another great line up; I love Rufus Reid. And again, “Zoot Suite” rules.
- Derek and the Dominoes – Left turn! Man, what an alternate universe after those great DeJohnette records. But this is great, in its own way! I love “Bell Bottom Blues” (more than “Layla!”). Duane Allman sounds great, and Eric Clapton is no slouch, that’s for sure. Ok, on second thought, I mean, I think Duane plays amazing music on this, and EC plays well, but man, it’s just not my thing at all. This one is a bit of a chore to get through…
- Deodato – Prelude – Ok, this is…amazing…? I love this album, and I love this era, even though I disagree with the funky “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and other recordings like it. I wouldn’t make exactly the same choice (although I sort of did – on Study of Light, I arranged the first movement of Ravel’s String Quartet for piano, bass and saxophone, with “free jazz” as the development section.) So, this record is a gigantic fusion masterpiece. Deodato is a fantastic Brazilian composer and arranger (check out some Bjork records if you don’t believe me), and he sure is daring. The band is a cast of my favorites, with Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke, Jay Berliner, Billy Cobham, Airto and a slew of great horn players. It’s a CTI record, of course…I mean, which other 1970s label would do something like this? I asked Mr. Carter about this era and he told me that it was one of the most wonderful periods of his life; “everyone was putting the music first.” I love that. And let me also say that I love Mr. Carter’s playing during this time period. Simply amazing.