Another entry in the perpetually listening to every record in my collection alphabetically and blogging unscholarly thoughts project. This installment stars Art Matthews, Cecil McBee and Paul McCartney.
I remember overlooking this Art Matthews record, “It’s Easy to Remember”, with my friend Charlie Kohlhase looking on at Stereo Jack’s in Cambridge. “There’s a lot of great music on that record.” Whenever he said that phrase, I knew enough to buy the album. SO, this album is awesome. Art sounds great, his writing is super interesting, and the band is killing – Bill Pierce, Archie Shepp, Dizzy Reese, Charles Fambrough and Alan Dawson. C’mon! If I have an issue with this record it is the double edged sword of ’70s jazz records; the playing is awesome, but the sound is…it sounds like a ’70s jazz record. I kind of love the weird placement of the instruments and the warm but compressed sound of the drums and the virtually nonexistent reverb (ECM aside), but taken out of context, records from this time period just don’t sound that great. It’s like a former high school student of mine asking why the recording was so scratchy when we were listening to Louis Armstrong Hot 5s and Hot 7s. Without more context, it just sounds weird. But in the end, I’m super happy that Charlie got me to buy this record. It’s awesome.
When Hankus Netsky told me to study with Cecil McBee at New England Conservatory, I was embarrassed that I didn’t know more about him. He recommended Sam Rivers’ “Streams” and that completely blew my mind. My mind is blow every time I hear Cecil. He’s awesome.
Compassion – Live at Sweet Basil, home to lots and lots of great live recordings. I love how patient the band is on this record. They are happy to let the music evolve at its own pace; nothing is forced. Cecil once told me, “If you aren’t sure what to play, ask the music” and that is exactly how this record sounds. I love Steve McCall on this record, and Chico Freeman, Joe Gardner, Dennis Moorman and Famoudou Don Moye all sound great, too.
Music from the Source – Ok, how Cecil did this, I’m not sure I’ll know, but it’s kind of awesome. This record was recorded the day before Compassion, and released the same year on a different label. So, two labels, two records, two nights of the same run of shows at the Sweet Basil. Yeah, man. That’s like George Clinton-level business.
Flying Out – One thing I love about this record is that you can hear Cecil working on his composition chops. Take the more modal oriented previous records, this free-ish album, and combine it with all of the post bop etc. from his past and you’ll find Unspoken, my favorite McBee album. Flying Out is awesome, fascinating, interesting…Cecil plays piano on this record also, and Olu Dara crushes it on trumpet (Nas’ dad!).
Paul McCartney – McCartney – A bizarre left-turn that can only happen when you are listening to your records in alphabetical order. This album, Macca’s first solo album, is…not that awesome. I like the story of the album more than the actual music. The Beatles were falling apart, Paul was struggling to find his way forward, Apple stake holders (The Beatles) were leaning towards putting their business in the hands of a unreliable, probably crooked “business” man, Linda was a major force in his life. In other words, it was a lot, and I love that he just packed up some recording gear and moved to his house in the country…but I don’t love the music that came out of it. Naturally, there are beautiful melodies and interesting chords, but without the angst of Lennon, the aspirations of John, the – what? – stoic-ness of Ringo, the mind boggling production of George Martin, it just sort of seems too pretty, too much. Instead, check out his later album, Chaos and Creation (in the Backyard). Now that’s a great solo album.
Paul McCartney – Tug of War – I bought this when it came out on cassette from a Record Town in a Peoria, IL mall during Christmas time. It was the greatest thing ever. I’m pretty sure it was Record Town. They kept the cassettes behind plexiglass with holes in the plexiglass just big enough for you to put your hand in. You’d reach in, grab a cassette, check it out and either put it back or drop it and a conveyor belt would move it to the end of the wall, where a cashier was waiting to take your money. I exchanged a J. Geils cassette that I got for Christmas for this McCartney album. Well, not this one, since that was a cassette and this is an LP. But whatever.
Anyway, I love this record. I love it for sentimental reasons that are not just about a 11 year old boy obsessed with music listening to every note and reading every word in the liner notes looking for clues to how to become as awesome as McCartney. It’s also sentimental because of the musicians on this record. George Martin, Carl Perkins, Stanley Clarke, Steve Gadd, and the greatest ever, Stevie Wonder. Yes, this is the “Ebony and Ivory” album. You should check out the deluxe version of this album so you can hear McCartney’s demo. Without the Stevie contribution, this tune is a dud. Love this record.