This guide is shorter than our usual article on archival releases. Still, it summarizes ten never-before-released jazz and blues recordings that will be available on Black Friday, November 29. While Sun Ra and Bill Evans have appeared either on Black Friday or Record Store Day in April, we feature Al Jarreau, Emily Remler, Charles Tolliver, and B.B. King for the first time. We’re including the Bootleg Series No. 8 of Miles Davis and Joe Henderson/McCoy Tyner, Oscar Peterson, and Keith Jarrett, released earlier this month. These sets have terrific liner notes, historic photos, and remembrances from those who played with or admired the musicians. Expect special 180-gram and colorful vinyl on these releases. This is not as comprehensive as some past reviews of this type.
AVAILABLE FOR FIRST TIME ON BLACK FRIDAY
Artist – Bill Evans
Album – Bill Evans in Norway: The Kongsberg Concert
Label – Elemental
Overview – Zev Feldman seems to issue an archival Evans at every opportunity. Nonetheless, this is one of Evans’ best trios with the incomparable bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell, his longest-lived trio. Here, Evans had recently weaned himself off heroin to a supervised methadone program and was especially attuned to his enthusiastic audience, playing in this relaxed setting. Compared to what we typically think of Evans as incredibly nimble and delicate, he hits the keys harder here, especially on the up-tempo tunes. He hadn’t lost any lyricism but is playing with more muscularity than his recordings a decade earlier.
Location and Date Recorded – Kongsberg Jazz Festival on June 26, 1970
Personnel – Bill Evans (piano), Eddie Gomez (bass), Marty Morell (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Marc Myers, Eddie Gomez, Marty Morell, Aaron Parks, Craig Taborn, Elaine Elias
Must Hear Tracks – Opener “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “34 Skidoo” (a rarely heard original), “Turn Out the Stars” for Gomez’s amazing soloing, “So What” for getting his trio mates involved, and the stalwart closer, Miles Davis’s “Nardis”
Available Formats and Dates – 2-LP on 11/29, CD on 12/6
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Artist – Al Jarreau
Album – WOW!: Live at the Childe Harold
Label – Resonance
Overview—This is early, still developing Jarreau backed by a trio in an intimate club setting. His command of the audience is supreme as he lays it all out on these ten tracks that run the gamut from jazz to pop. Keyboardist Tom Canning, who remained with Jarreau for years, is an accomplished accompanist, giving Jarreau just what’s needed in terms of comping, fills, and solo breaks. It’s a testament to one of the greatest jazz singers of his generation.
Location and Date Recorded – Childe Harold Club, Washington D. C. on August 13, 1976
Personnel – Al Jarreau (vocals), Tom Canning (keyboards), Ben Atkins (bass), Tom Drake (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – A. Scott Galloway, Tom Canning, Nile Rodgers, Dionne Warwick, Will Downing, Dee Dee Bridgewater
Must Hear Tracks – We must oblige the never heard live recordings – “Fire and Rain,” and “Shiny Stockings” as well as these early takes on “Take Five” and “You Don’t See Me”
Available Formats and Dates – 2-LP 11/29 and Deluxe CD and digital on 12/6
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Artist – B.B. King
Album – B.B. King in France: Live at the 1077 Nancy Pulsations Festival
Label – Deep Digs
Overview—This is one of the few recordings where you’ll hear King with his seven-piece band charming an adoring French audience. It comes at the time of peak commercial success, and B.B. is in fine form vocally. Given that he was playing at a jazz festival, he intersperses favorites with newer material and several instrumentals. He just brings so much joy here.
Location and Date Recorded – Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival on October 7, 1077
Personnel – B.B. King (vocals and guitar), Walter King (tenor sax), Cato Walker IIi (alto sax), Eddie Rowe (trumpet), James Toney (organ), Milton Hopkins (guitar), Joe Turner (bass), Calep Emphrey Jr. (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – French author Jean Buzelin
Must Hear Tracks – The sequence of “Why I Sing the Blues,” I Got Some Outside Help (I Don’t Really Need)” and “The Thrill Is Gone.” Also, “It’s Just a Matter of Time” for guitarist Milton Hopkins harmonica-like solo
Available Formats and Dates – 2-LP vinyl on 11/29, CD on 12/6
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Artist – Emily Remler
Album – Cookin’ at the Queens (1984,1988)
Label – Resonance
Overview – This is the first Emily Remler recording in 33 years. Remler was an influential guitarist who passed way too young. She was a devoted acolyte of Wes Montgomery, and these recordings display her wonderful talent for swing, lyricism, and articulate technique. She was once the subject of major magazine stories in such publications as People magazine and touted by such critics as Leonard Feather and guitar great Herb Ellis as “the next big thing,” In the People article, she was famously quoted as, “ I may look like a nice Jewish girl from New Jersey, but inside I’m a 50-year-old heavyset black man with a big thumb like Wes Montgomery.”Remler largely, except for musicians in the know, has largely been forgotten. These recordings will hopefully change that and introduce the unknowing to her dazzling talent. These ears take mostly to the quartet recordings as pianist Arbe proves to be an admirable foil.
Location and Date Recorded – Disc One (Quartet) at 4 Queens on May 28, 1984; Disc Two (except one track on Disc One) at 4 Queens on September 19, 1988
Personnel – Quartet with pianist Cocho Arbe, bassist Carson Smith, and drummer Tom Montgomery, Trios with Carson Smith and drummer John Pesci
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Bill Milkowski, Sheryl Bailey, Russell Malone, David Benoit, Mike Stern, Lee Ritenour, Jocelyn Gould
Must Hear Tracks – Disc One (Quartet) “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” “Hot House/What Is This Thing Called Love,” “You Don’t Know What Love Is” Disc Two (Trio) “Manha De Carnaval,” “So What/Impressions”
Available Formats and Dates – 2-LP vinyl on 11/29, 2- CD on 12/6
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Artist – Sun Ra and his Arkestra
Album –Lights On a Satellite: Live at the Left Bank
Label – Resonance
Overview – This is prime Sun Ra in one of his most fertile periods with such titanic players as John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Michael Ray and Danny Ray Thompson. It shows how this orchestra could seamlessly move from the big band music of Fletcher Henderson and early NOLA sounds to their trademark space-age aesthetic. Yet, more than any I am familiar with, this recording displays Sun Ra’s pianism, especially his penchant for stride piano. Those familiar with Robert Mugge’s 1980 film Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise may recognize some the soundtrack cuts. I have long considered a late ‘70s Sun Ra show in Ann Arbor, MI one of the best concerts I have ever attended. Much of that vibe is present here.
Location and Date Recorded – Left Bank Ballroom in Baltimore on July 23, 1978
Personnel – Sun Ra (keyboards), June Tyson (vocals), John Gilmore (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Marshall Allen (alto saxophone, flute, piccolo), Danny Davis (alto saxophone and flute), Danny Ray Thompson (baritone saxophone), Walter Miller (trumpet), Michael Ray (trumpet and vocal), Eloe Omoe (alto saxophone and bass clarinet), Craig Harris (trombone), Dale Williams (guitar), Damon Choice (vibes), Richard Williams (Radu)(acoustic and electric bass), Michael D. Anderson (drums), Eddie Thomas (drums)m Atkatune (congas), James Jackson (ancient infinity drum and bassoon) The Jingle Brothers (bells and percussion)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Zev Feldman, J.D. Considine, Robert Mugge, Michael D. Anderson. John Fowler, Can Morgenstern, Marshall Allen, Gary Bartz, Craig Taborn
Must Hear Tracks – Disc One – The sequence of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “A Pleasant Place In Space,” and “Space Travelin’ Blues” for Sun Ra’s aforementioned pianism; the closing medley of “Lady Bird/Half Nelson” for Gilmore’s mind-blowing tenor solo. Disc Two – “Images In a Mirror” for a most fiery Marshall Allen and Eloe Omoe, “We Travel the Spaceways” for the glorious full band experience, chanting, and its infectious groove; “Round Midnight” for such a bizarre take
Available Formats and Dates – 2-LP vinyl on 11/29, CD on 12/6
NOTE: THERE IS A NEW TITLE WITH THE SAME NAME UNDER SUN RA ORCHESTRA. THAT SINGLE UNIT IS A FRESH, CURRENT ALBUM WHILE THIS IS ARCHIVAL.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Artist – Charles Tolliver Music Inc
Album – Live at the Captain’s Cabin
Label – Reel to Real
Overview – This is the peak of Charles Tolliver’s prime, bridging bebop with more modal and avant-garde aesthetics. Tolliver, along with Stanley Cowell, founded the independent Black music label, Strata-East. This depicts Tolliver as an adventurous powerhouse and consummate bandleader who later built large orchestras around his compositors. In this quartet, he and his bandmates are free to explore. As Tolliver says, “It was a wild period, and we played wild.” Eschewing fusion and any hints of electronics, this quartet is totally acoustic with the power (not kidding) of and intensity of Coltrane’s classic Quartet. Pianist John Hicks may be as close to McCoy Tyner’s intensity as any pianist during this halcyon period.
Location and Date Recorded – Captain’s Cabin, Edmonton, CA, in March 1973, an intimate 100-capacity underground venue concealed beneath a grocery store.
Personnel – Charles Tolliver (trumpet), John Hicks (piano), Clint Houston (bass), and Cliff Barbaro (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Cory Weeds, Angelika Beener, Jeremy Pelt, Eric Scott Reed, Marc Yasey
Must Hear Tracks – Literally all of it, but most definitely “Black Vibrations” and “Impact” on Disc One and “Truth” and “Stretch” on Disc Two
Available Formats and Dates – 2-LP and 2-CD on 11/29
________________________________________________________________________________________
ISSUED EARLiER IN NOVEMBER
Artist – Miles Davis
Album – Miles in France – Miles Davis Quintet 1963/64: Bootleg Series, Vol. 8
Label – Columbia/Legacy
Overview – The 25 musical tracks here allow for over four hours of music. Miles and the band, but Miles especially, is in peak form, clear and as lyrical as ever. Many tracks repeat but part of the enjoyment here is picking up the nuances as of course they are slightly different each time. This is not exactly revelatory as much of this same ground is covered on Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings Of Miles Davis 1963-1964 (7×CD, Compilation, Box Set but this has that crisp, live energy that the other lacks. Most of this package is ‘63 with George Coleman on tenor. You’ll notice a stark difference is his robust, bebop approach to Shorter’s more exploratory style in the ‘64 sets that transforms the nature of the band’s approach, especially Hancock’s.
Keep in mind that these are some of the first recordings of Miles’ Second Great Quintet, so the material is lifted mainly from Kind Of Blue, Milestones, and various standards. Yet, unlike much of the serenity found on Kind Of Blue, there is exciting energy on many of these, and the ballads are simply gorgeous as well. It is such a revelation to hear the then recently hired youngsters Hancock, Carter, Williams, and Shorter take Miles’ lead and become inspired in the process. The sound is superb and MIles’ trumpet playing here may well be the best on record in terms of lyricism and sheer musicality.
Location and Date Recorded – 1963 Festival Mondial Du Jazz in Antibes (July 26-28, 1963) and Paris Jazz Festival (October 1, 1964)
Personnel – Miles Davis (trumpet) Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Tony Williams (drums) George Coleman (tenor saxophone for all 1963 dates) Wayne Shorter on tenor (for the 1964 concerts)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Marcus J. Moore, Ron Carter
Must Hear Tracks – “All Blues” (Antibes), “Walkin” (July 27, Antibes), “Stella By Starlight” (July 28, Antibes) vs. the same in Paris with Shorter, “My Funny Valentine” (Paris, ‘64)
Available Formats and Dates – Now available 6 CD and 8 LP set, 2 LP break-out set all 1964 Paris recordings with Second Great Quintet
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Artist – Joe Henderson and McCoy Tyner
Album – Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs
Label – Blue Note
Overview – (Full review on these pages) Four icons of jazz performed at the long-shuttered NYC jazz shrine, Slugs’ Saloon, in 1966. Joe Lovano confessed that at one point, he just had to turn it off and catch his breath because of its white-hot intensity. These players display both vigorous energy and astute lyricism, but the major takeaway is the two relentlessly volcanic ‘must hear’ tracks listed below, both extending well beyond 25 minutes. These players were all young at the time, fearless, with stout endurance and ferocity. It’s a most definite ‘must hear.’
Location and Date Recorded – Slugs Saloon, NYC, 1966
Personnel – Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone), McCoy Tyner (piano), Henry Grimes (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Nate Chinen, DeJohnette, Jason Moran, Joe Lovano, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Nasheet Waits, and Terri Lyne Carrington
Must Hear Tracks – “In N’ Out,” “Taking Off”
Available Formats and Dates – Now available in 2-CD and 2-LP sets __________________________________________________________________________________
Artist – Keith Jarrett
Album – The Old Country – More from the Deer Head Inn
Label – ECM
Overview – (Full review on these pages) This is Jarrett’s only trio date with Peacock and Motian. It’s a magical recording at the venerable Deer Head Inn, the nation’s longest-running jazz club, overflowing with fans on this particular night that was so potent that ECM issues this follow-up to the original At the Deer Head Inn in ‘94. Obviously, with this talent, the performance is top-notch even though they were rendering standards. As Eichner says, “Countless musicians have played these tunes but not like this.”
Location and Date Recorded – Deer Head Inn, Delaware Water Gap, PA on September 16, 1992
Personnel – Keith Jarrett (piano), Gary Peacock (bass), Paul Motian (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Manfred Eichner, Keith Jarrett
Must Hear Tracks – The swinging opener “Everything I Love,” and the closer “How Long Has This Been Going On” as well as the tender ones “I Fall In Love Too Easily and “Some Day My Prince Will Come”
Available Formats and Dates – Now available in LP and CD
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Artist – Oscar Peterson
Album – City Lights: The Oscar Peterson Quartet Live in Munich, 1994
Label – Mack Avenue
Overview – (Full review on these pages) This is a triumphant performance and a shining example of resilience as it represents one of the first concerts after suffering a debilitating stroke in 1993 that severely hampered the use of his left hand. Following a year of recovery and rehabilitation, fourteen months later Peterson felt ready to take the stage again, perhaps choosing Europe because of its adoring audiences, which is reflected in this performance. And, because the venue had his favorite piano, the Bosendorger grand. To the casual listener and to all but Peterson’s hardened fans, his pianism remains extraordinary here. Still, when compared side-by-side with a performance captured seven years earlier on A Time for Love: Helsinksi 1987 with Joe Pass, Dave Young, and Martin Drew, the difference in his left hand is starkly noticeable. Nonetheless, well aware of his being sidelined, this audience was eager to welcome him back with nearly a ten-minute ovation.
Location and Date Recorded – At Munchner Philharmonie, Munich, Germany on July 13, 1994
Personnel – Oscar Peterson (piano), Lorne Lofsky (guitar), Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (NHOP)(bass), Martin Drew (drums)
Highlights of Booklet (Essays and Interviews) – Celine Peterson, Kelly Peterson
Must Hear Tracks – “Kelly’s Blues,” “Love Ballade,” “You Look Good to Me” (for a stunning solo from NHOP)
Available Formats and Dates – Now available in LP and CD
_________________________________________________________________________________________
