A Consumer Guide to the Trailing Edge: August, 2006

Recycled Goods (#34)

by Tom Hull

An excess of jazz this month, something that will happen every now and then. But I thought it would make more sense to handle the Impulse anniversary hoo-hah in one big chunk, and the Milestone samplers intersect at two points. But neither satisfied on their own terms, sending me back to the shelves for previous iterations. Then came the task of picking the pick hits -- the album covers pictured on the side. I've always picked them from the top section, which should be an easy task given the bounty of A records this time. But the Rollins I'd pick there is topped by the one in the briefly noted, so I decided to go with the A+. Then I picked its match in the Other Impulses.

Maurice El Médioni Meets Roberto Rodriguez: Descarga Oriental: The New York Sessions (2005 [2006], Piranha): Cuban music derives first from Africa, from slaves who managed to preserve their tribal identity and religion through the middle passage and the long ordeal, but also from Spain. The Spanish aspect also traces back to Africa, through the Arab, Moorish, and Jewish melting pot of al-Andalus, roots that not even Torquemada could stamp out. Algerian pianist El Médioni traces his family tree to pre-Inquisition Spain, but that affinity matters less than what Roberto Juan Rodriguez brings to the party. The Cuban percussionist delved into klezmer after emigrating to Miami, inventing a marvelous synthesis on El Danzon de Moises and Baila! Gitano Baila! (both on Tzadik). But where Ashkenazi music had forced him to reach out, Sephardic music had always been tightly packed into his Cuban matrix. Here they unpack it. A-

Allen Ginsberg: First Blues (1972-81 [2006], Water, 2CD): One of the few people I can fairly describe as a hero in my teenage years: I had a poster of him that I pasted up above the stairs, so securely that when I moved away from home my mother, who only knew that she hated the beard, could only paint over it. I read all of his poetry -- "Howl" was my imagined life, but "Wichita Vortex Sutra" hit particularly close to home, not least for its local detail. But somehow I never knew that he recorded music -- sung even. I knew he recorded records, and I knew of other poets who ventured into music -- thinking here more of Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg than Leonard Cohen or Rod McKuen, but that was my taste in poetry. So I found this even more startling than you will. The first surprise is that the main singer on the 1971 sessions sounds an awful lot like Bob Dylan. But Ginsberg takes over a few cuts in, and while the music comes from many places, the words could hardly be anyone else -- good example: "CIA Dope Calypso." Some of this is dated, although a better word is historical. And some, like "Gay Lib Rag," seems still pitched far in the future. The booklet provides vital notes and photos. A-

Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane: The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings (1957 [2006], Riverside, 2CD): The recently discovered 1957 Monk with Coltrane At Carnegie Hall (Blue Note) swept nearly all jazz critics lists of 2005's best records. Previously known recordings of the two together were limited to a cruddy Live at the Five Spot tape (released by Blue Note) and parts of three studio albums on Riverside. This reshuffles the Riversides to cash in on the interest, weeding out cuts without Coltrane, adding false starts and a beside-the-point Gigi Gryce blues with Coltrane, sprucing up the documentation. Whether this is a good idea may depend on your level of interest. The June 25-26 septet sessions appear on Monk's Music, an indispensible item in Monk's catalog -- more impressive than split up over two discs here, larded with less essential music. Most of the extras appeared well after the fact as Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane, while the trio version of "Monk's Mood" ends the otherwise solo Monk Himself. I'm ambivalent myself, but it's hard to dock the music. A-

Re-Bop: The Savoy Remixes (1945-59 [2006], Savoy Jazz): Seems like every major jazz catalog company has set up deals with DJs to reprocess their wares -- I guess Fantasy (er, Concord) is the holdout, but they packaged all the old soul jazz they could find as The Roots of Acid Jazz, so I wouldn't bet against them following this trend. Whether this works or not depends more on the DJs than on the venerable master sources, and any time you mix a dozen of each you're likely to get hits and misses. (Compare the Jazzanova vs. the Mizell Brothers, a formula that misses more consistently.) The simplest approach is to take a sample -- a bit of Dizzy Gillespie trumpet or Milt Jackson vibes -- and rep it until you can dance to it. Slightly more complicated is gussying up Sarah Vaughan's "Lover Man" or rewiring Charlie Parker's "Koko." Still, what's preserved from the jazz is incidental: my favorite here is Boots Riley's cartoonish remix of "Shaw 'Nuff," even though it leaves out one of Parker's all-time great solos. B+

Sonny Rollins: Milestone Profiles (1972-2001 [2006], Milestone): The first half of Newk's career was turbulent, with several gaps when he broke off and regrouped, including six years from when he left Impulse to his signing with Milestone. He spent the second half touring, where he was notoriously hot and cold -- breathtaking one night, unsettled the next. His albums, roughly one per year, were quickly tossed off, inconsistent with flashes of brilliance. Gary Giddins tried to point these out in a review of a mix tape he imagined. Milestone wanted to release a set to honor Rollins' 25th anniversary with the label, so they compiled Giddins' list as Silver City -- as magnificent as Saxophone Colossus or Way Out West or any of his other classics. Which should make this single -- the second disc in the package is a worthless label sampler -- redundant, but Rollins never rests on his past: three of nine songs appeared in the decade after Silver City, and they fit in seamlessly. No surprise really. Rollins is easy to anthologize: his sound is unique but consistent across decades, he totally dominates everyone he plays with, and his refuses to fall back on himself, so he never slips to cliché. A

Ska Bonanza: The Studio One Ska Years (1961-65 [2006], Heartbeat, 2CD): Studio One's best-ofs focus more on the reggae years, but C.S. "Coxsone" Dodd's real heyday was in the early '60s, when Jamaica celebrated its independence by inventing ska. Jamaican music offers some rough parallels with Afro-American music: soul maps to rocksteady and reggae, disco and funk to dancehall, hip-hop came from dub and turned into ragga. Ska is nothing less than Jamaican doo-wop: studio bands and vocal groups, a pattern that survived into the dancehall era, only the instrumentals remained in vogue much longer than in America. Dodd's band recorded as the Skatalites as well as under individual names -- Don Drummond's "Man in the Street," leading off the second disc here, is the perfect ska instrumental. Next up are two vocal group debuts: the Wailers' "Simmer Down" and the Maytals' "Shining Light" -- that's Bob Marley and Toots Hibbert, folks. A

A User Guide to They Might Be Giants (1986-2002 [2005], Elektra/Rhino): Taking their name from a too-clever-by-half George C. Scott movie, probably because it is so clever, John Flansburgh and John Linnell popped up in 1986 with their eponymous album: eighteen songs, each a brilliant tooling of some small hook with a clever twist. It was a barrel of wit, a tour de force. Never again did they wait long enough to come up with such a consistently amazing set, but that's what best-ofs are for. Three songs here from that first album still stand out, but 26 more from the better part of two decades hence sidle in beside them, most equally clever, some quite astonishing. Choice cut: a science lecture set to cartoon music, "Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)." A

Neil Young: Greatest Hits (1969-91 [2004], Reprise): "Greatest hits inclusion based on original record sales, airplay, and known download history." Fair enough, even if that means that eleven of sixteen songs date from 1969-71, before he started to get really interesting. I haven't played those early albums in ages, so I'm all the more struck by how precise their songs sound. As for the voice and the guitar, you know them instantly, and you know that he's managed to turn those objectively flawed, rather weird, instruments into things of extraordinary beauty. He did that all himself. Only one song here since 1979, but trust me, he's still doing it. A

In Series

I'm not sure why Universal Music Group, the current owner of the Impulse! jazz brand, decided to make such a big deal out of the label's 45th anniversary. Most anniversary seekers hold out for a nice round number like 50, but maybe they just wanted to practice, or maybe they were just hard up for product. In any case, they've released a 4-CD box set, a single CD distillation, and ten single artist compilations, with one exception -- a recent Alice Coltrane album -- released during the label's 1961-77 active period. Also tied in is a book by Ashley Kahn, The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records.

The focus on John Coltrane isn't arbitrary, but it isn't quite true either. With 28 LPs, including posthumous discoveries but not counting compilations, Coltrane was Impulse's most prolific artist. His margin of importance was even greater: he bloomed late and died early, with almost all of his reputation built from 1959-67 -- two years on Atlantic starting with Giant Steps, followed by six on Impulse peaking in 1964 with A Love Supreme, one of the few universally acknowledged jazz masterpieces. But to say Trane built the label isn't right. Impulse wasn't a small independent on the cutting edge. No, the label was set up by ABC in 1961 as a jazz subsidiary to compete with fellow megamedia majors RCA (NBC) and Columbia (CBS). Creed Taylor is credited as Impulse's founder, but the famed producers was just an employee, soon lured away to run Verve, Norman Granz's label recently acquired by MGM.

Taylor's successor at Impulse was Bob Thiele, another famed jazz producer. The Impulse operation was well funded and professional, all the way down to the designers who came up with the bright orange LP spines that made the albums stand out on your shelves. The roster was flush with legends, at least early on: Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus. But none off that list lasted more than three albums. Coltrane was the one who stuck, and evolved, eventually moving to the far fringes of the avant-garde, and other avant artists followed: Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown, Dewey Redman, Sam Rivers, Sun Ra. The jazz market declined in the '70s, and the label stopped recording new material in 1977. The catalog was passed on to MCA, which merged into Universal's Verve Music Group. The brand name was briefly revived in 1987-88 for Michael Brecker, then again 1995-98 for a dozen releases, including more Brecker, and in 2004 for an Alice Coltrane record. But mostly it rests on its laurels, featured here again.

One more note: Single-artist jazz compilations are often less attractive than individual albums, usually because they're torn between being exemplary and representative of scattered bodies of work, which works against the flow and consistency that most jazz albums achieve. So for several artists below I also offer some alt-choices: individual albums, each A- or better, often recommended over the compilation.

• Albert Ayler: The Impulse Story (1965-69 [2006], Impulse): The patron saint of the avant-garde, a fearsome saxophonist invoking the holy ghost; earlier work on ESP, like Spiritual Unity, is essential; this is for the curious, a useful sampler into his last scattered years, as his pursuit of the healing force of the universe ultimately led him to bagpipes. B+
• Gato Barbieri: The Impulse Story (1973-75 [2006], Impulse): Argentine tenor saxophonist, emerged in the '60s on ESP and Flying Dutchman, which has some classic examples of his whirling dervish style; this excerpts four albums of Coltrane-ish powerhouse sax over roiling Latin beats; alt choice: his first two "chapters" rolled up as Latino America (1973-74 [1997], 2CD). B+
• Alice Coltrane: The Impulse Story (1968-2000 [2006], Impulse): Née Alice MacLeod, plays piano and harp, married the tenor sax great in 1965, recorded seven albums 1968-73 after her husband's death, then a comeback with son Ravi Coltrane after a long hiatus, developed a major interest in Eastern spirituality that themed her music; two trio pieces with Rashied Ali -- one on harp, the other on piano -- are most striking here, with her larger groups spacier, and a slab of Stravinsky a little heavy-handed. B+
• John Coltrane: The Impulse Story (1961-67 [2006], Impulse): So influential we might as well call the last forty years the post-Coltrane era, but far less so before he moved to Impulse -- his earlier Atlantics are respected, as are his sessions with Miles and Monk, but a lot of his early work is so-so; this has to cover a lot of ground, some pretty far out, most worth exploring as much greater length; alt-choices: The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions (1961, 2CD); The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (1961, 4CD); Ballads (1962); Live at Birdland (1963); Crescent (1964); A Love Supreme (1964); Plays (1965); the complete quartet studio recordings are also in the giant The Classic Quartet (1961-68, 8CD). A-
• Keith Jarrett: The Impulse Story (1973-76 [2006], Impulse): The most productive years of Jarrett's career, with eight albums by his American quartet -- Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian -- on Impulse, plus his European quartet and marathon solos on ECM; this sampler should provide a useful distillation given that most of the Impulses are only available on two boxes adding up to nine CDs, but a better one would focus more squarely on Redman's tenor sax, who sounds great when he gets the chance. B+
• Charles Mingus: The Impulse Story (1963 [2006], Impulse): A case of doing what you can with what you got, which ain't much; Mingus cut three albums for Impulse in 1963: one was difficult and challenging but brilliant, another was typically first rate, and one solo piano -- not bad if you're curious; this gives you a bit of each, making it useless; alt-choices: The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963); Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1963). B-
• Sonny Rollins: The Impulse Story (1965-66 [2006], Impulse): Another slim slice from an all-time great, three albums in the gap between his sporadic '60s work at RCA and his long tenure with Milestone, but useful -- two good albums not real high on the pecking order, and 25 minutes of East Broadway Run Down, his most avant album ever; alt-choices: On Impulse (1965), and the Oliver Nelson-arranged Alfie (1966), where a relatively large band lets Newk call all the shots. A-
• Pharoah Sanders: The Impulse Story (1963-73 [2006], Impulse): Coltrane's first important disciple, reflected in sound and style, but more importantly in direction, which deflected from out only to orbit the earth, taking particular interest in Africa and Asia; four cuts may not seem like much of a selection, but "The Creator Has a Master Plan," all 32:45, the ugly along with the transcendent, is in better company here than on Karma. A-
• Archie Shepp: The Impulse Story (1964-72 [2006], Impulse): Aside from Coltrane, Shepp was the most important figure to emerge on Impulse; more orthodox than Pharoah Sanders, possessing an authoritative but unpretty tone, he worked the inside of the avant-garde, and cultivated a black power consciousness leading to attempts to bridge gospel, soul and free jazz; the best disc in this series, because it pulls his disparate pieces together as a whole in a way that the albums don't; alt-choices: Four for Trane (1964); Fire Music (1965), Attica Blues (1972). A-
• McCoy Tyner: The Impulse Story (1962-64 [2006], Impulse): The pianist was 21 when he joined Coltrane, shortly before Coltrane signed with Impulse; his first records under his own name were the piano trios that figure large here, but this is also fleshed out with cuts from other folks' records -- Coltrane, Elvin Jones, Art Blakey; not all that well balanced, but it has some moments, including quite a bit of piano. B+
• The House That Trane Built: The Best of Impulse Records (1961-76 [2006], Impulse): I don't know how to rate something like this, where the choices are so broad and arbitrary one might as well be listening to the radio; nine songs, all also on the 4-CD box, five also on the artist comps, two more on my Other Impulses list, which leaves nice work by Art Blakey and John Handy -- the latter funktoon is actually a clever finale. A-

Other Impulses

As best I've been able to count, Impulse released 276 albums and 64 compilations during its 1961-77 run. The artists the compilers chose to remember are a small subset. The omissions include lesser artists who recorded more than the 3-album minimum of Mingus and Rollins, and who might benefit from consolidation: Marion Brown, Mel Brown, Chico Hamilton, Ahmad Jamal, Yusef Lateef, Oliver Nelson, Sam Rivers, Shirley Scott, Gabor Szabo, Michael White -- not that I'm sure about that whole list. Also omitted are major artists who only recorded an album or two -- some brilliant. To fill out the picture, I went back to my shelves and found these gems that round out the Impulse picture:

• Benny Carter: Further Definitions: The Complete Further Definition Sessions (1961-66 [1997], Impulse): Two albums, the first with Coleman Hawkins reprising and extending their 1937 session that produced "Crazy Rhythm" and "Honeysuckle Rose"; the later Additions to Further Definitions, without Hawkins, fits on the disc, and isn't too much of a letdown. A
• Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (1962 [1995], Impulse): A feature spot for Hawkins with a fine subset of Ellington's band and songbook, supremely at ease, magnificent, utterly delightful. A+
• Gil Evans: Out of the Cool (1960 [1996], Impulse): And out of the closet, a prime example of Miles Davis's favorite arranger texturing and layering a large band into a sum where all parts are one. A-
• Coleman Hawkins: Today and Now (1962 [1996], Impulse): Starts with a "Go Li'l Liza" that's so appealing that every subsequent move, slow or fast, light or heavy, just adds to the pleasure. A
• Earl Hines: Once Upon a Time (1966 [2003], Impulse): A royal affair, the Earl takes Duke's band out for a spin, grinning like a kid at the wheel of a shiny new Cadillac; Johnny Hodges plays pretty, and Cat Anderson does handstands on trumpet. A-
• Johnny Hodges: Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges (1964-65 [1992], Impulse): Ellington's star, the very model of what alto sax should sound like, with his usual bandmates in a reprise of the small group spinoffs he led in the '40s. A+
• Shelly Manne: 2-3-4 (1962 [1994], Impulse): The definitive west coast drummer in duo, trio and quartet pieces -- the latter lifted to jazz heaven by Coleman Hawkins. A-
• Oliver Nelson: Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961 [1995], Impulse): A rare arranger's record that connects on all levels, partly because the blues framework is so solid, but mostly because the musicians excel individually as well as together -- Eric Dolphy and Freddie Hubbard stand out, and Bill Evans is a surprise. A
• Pee Wee Russell: Ask Me Now! (1965 [2003], Impulse): The idiosyncratic pre-bop clarinetist in a quartet with his pied piper act contrasting with the deep brass of Marshall Brown's trombone. A-
• Shirley Scott: Queen of the Organ (1964 [1993], Impulse): Few artists recorded more with Impulse than Scott, who totalled nine albums; one of her best, befitting the title, with husband Stanley Turrentine deep and soulful. A-
• Sonny Stitt/Paul Gonsalves: Salt and Pepper (1963 [1997], Impulse): One of Stitt's many sax jousts, unusual for the dapper Ellingtonian opposite, who has a few tricks of his own to call on. A-
• Lucky Thompson: Tricotism (1956 [1993], Impulse): Two albums recorded by Creed Taylor for ABC before Impulse was founded, this one was rescued from the closet, providing one of the tenor saxophonist's finest examples of swing to bop and back again. A
• Ben Webster: See You at the Fair (1964 [1993], Impulse): That would be the New York World's Fair, in one of the Brute's last American albums before removing himself to Copenhagen. A-

Briefly Noted

• Cream: Gold (1966-68 [2005], Polydor/Chronicles, 2CD): British power trio, the obvious link between blues-rock and heavy metal, but Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce were closet jazzmen, as inclined to improvise as to rock out, leaving Eric Clapton to steady the ship; splitting their work into studio and live discs seems like the right idea, but both run slightly thin. B+
• Delaney & Bonnie: Home (1968-69 [2006], Stax): The original Americana group, coming up with a mature synthesis of blues, country, gospel, and rock 'n' roll with amiable husband-and-wife voices and a growing cadre of friends; this was recorded before but released after their more polished The Original Delaney & Bonnie: Accept No Substitute (Elektra, reissued on Collectors' Choice), and shows some of the usual growing pains, aggravated by six "bonus" cuts. B+
• The Very Best of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (1986-93 [2006], Jive/Legacy): Jeff Townes' scratches seem as corny now as Will Smith's standup, and they're dated now to the stretch between old style and gangsta when rap threatened to break out into the mainstream; it still has that loose-limbed goofiness, especially in the Summertime. B+
• Allen Ginsberg: Kaddish (1964 [2006], Water): More like I expected a Ginsberg record to be: the poet reading one of his longest poems, a hard-eyed, rough-tongued elegy for his late mother Naomi; a writer, not an actor, it takes a while for Ginsberg to find a voice that works, his occasional attempts at dramatization hit and miss; but the words never let up, even running long at 63:45. B+
• Joe Henderson: Milestone Profiles (1967-75 [2006], Milestone): One of the all-time great tenor sax soloists, Henderson is famed for his early Blue Notes and his big comeback on Verve in the '90s, but he wasn't marking time in between; his Milestone records may have been inconsistent -- haven't checked the 8-CD box, but surely it's de trop -- but he's in top form on this wide-ranging selection. A-
• Impulsive! Revolutionary Jazz Reworked (2005, Impulse): Eleven remixes by eleven DJs relegates the jazz to the packaging and residuals, with scant flow; choice cuts: Gerardo Frisna v. Dizzy Gillespie, "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"; DJ Dolores v. Clark Terry, "Spanish Rice"; Ravi Coltrane and Julie Patton on John Coltrane's poem "At Night." B
• Mahala Raï Banda (1999-2004 [2005], Crammed Discs): Electro-gypsy from the ghettos around Bucharest, roughly the same general phenomena as Brazil's favela booty beats, but with accordion, cymbalum and and lots of tuba-heavy brass. B+
• Boban Markovic Orkestar feat. Marko Markovic: The Promise (2005 [2006], Piranha): Subtitled "the king of Balkan brass" -- not sure if that refers to the band, which counts eight horns, its reigning trumpet master Boban, or his son, the featured 18-year-old Marko; in any case, the sheer brass power and virtuosic flights are hard to argue with, but the Gypsy swing was more evident on the previous Boban I Marko, or maybe that was just the element of surprise. B+
• Freddie McGregor: Bobby Bobylon (1980 [2006], Heartbeat): On the scene since he was a teenager, McGregor's first album for C.S. Dodd was his breakthrough, a thoroughly compelling mix of roots, reggae, and recycled riddims -- many songs had been retooled from early hits to give them a contemporary political edge; with eight bonus tracks, ending with Jackie Mittoo's long vamp on the title track. A-
• Jackie McLean: It's Time (1964 [2006], Blue Note): The alto saxist set his destination for out the year before; this group is more rooted in hard bop, but McLean pushes them hard, even getting some abstract comping from Herbie Hancock; the newcomer is trumpeter Charles Tolliver, who writes three pieces, including the soft closer. B+
• Prince Far I: Heavy Manners: Anthology (1977-83 [2003], Trojan/Sanctuary, 2CD): Born Michael James Williams, a DJ whose gravel voice declaimed rasta righteousness amidst torrents of dub echo; Joe Gibbs produced his breakthrough, starting a run that was stopped by a bullet six years later; this is exhaustive, and in the end transcendent. A-
• Re-Bop: The Savoy Originals (1945-59 [2006], Savoy Jazz): Existing only for neophytes to map the remixes back, these songs were selected for their parts, which makes them an exceptionally arbitrary label sampler -- how else do you explain two cuts from a Curtis Fuller album, or three cuts with mallets? Still, the selections can surprise, as when Herbie Mann turns out to be Phil Woods, or when Dizzy Gillespie gives way to Stuff Smith. B
• Sonny Rollins: Silver City (1972-95 [1996], Milestone, 2CD): A robust sample of 25 years on Milestone, ordered up with a keen ear by Gary Giddins -- nothing like a great critic for a task like this; two hours-plus of constant, jaw-dropping astonishment. A+
• Jimmy Scott: Milestone Profiles (2000-01 [2006], Milestone): The little guy still sounds weird to me -- why is it that male jazz singers, soul men and blues shouters excepted, always sound so mannered? -- but the four albums he cut in this 75-year-old comeback burst are gorgeously appointed -- the musicians include Fathead Newman, Hank Crawford, Eric Alexander, Grégoire Maret, Cyrus Chestnut, and Wynton Marsalis (one cut only). B+
• Candy Licker: The Sex & Soul of Marvin Sease (1994-2005 [2006], Jive/Legacy): A southern soulman retro enough to wind up in Malaco's blues stable, Sease's typical cornbread is tasty enough, but his crunk is mere novelty; of course, it doesn't help that this one-label comp didn't bother to license the notorious 10-minute original of the title song; instead we get a sequel and a live remake. B+
• Jimmy Smith: Milestone Profiles (1981-93 [2006], Milestone): His Blue Notes, starting in 1956, made the Hammond B3 the fulcrum of soul jazz, as well as setting the standard against which Larry Young and others would develop; but he settled into a groove which sustained him at Verve and later at Milestone; nothing new here, most songs are live remakes of earlier hits, some even with Stanley Turrentine and Kenny Burrell. B+
• McCoy Tyner: Milestone Profiles (1972-80 [2006], Milestone): This was his third label period, following stints on Impulse and Blue Note, the '70s consolidated his reputation both as a star pianist and as a composer with broad interests; what's most striking here is how hard the piano sounds -- one solo and two trio pieces are crashingly loud, while the horns on the rest are hard pressed to keep up, even when they go into late-Coltrane overload; it's like he's trying not to do fusion but to beat it to death. B+
• Funky Beat: The Best of Whodini (1983-96 [2006], Jive/Legacy): A second tier '80s rap group from Brooklyn -- only two cuts here come after 1987 -- and they sound like it: hard old style beats and scratches, comps borrowed from Afrika Bambaataa, lyrics that don't aspire to be more than functional -- "Five Minutes of Funk" is still their claim to fame. B+

Lead-in:

In an infinite universe, all the music you'll ever need already exists somewhere. We find more each month: an Impulse! records extravaganza (ten artist comps, plus tips on what they left out, plus extra Coltrane and Rollins), jazz remixes (Re-Bop, Impulsively), descarga fusion (Maurice El Medioni vs. Roberto Rodriguez), reggae (Ska Bonanza, Prince Far I), a beat poet (Allen Ginsberg), various giants, many more (50 records).

Notes

Original LPs on Impulse Records:

1. Manny Albam, Jazz Goes to the Movies (A 19)
2. Lorez Alexandria, Alexandria the Great (A 62)
3. Lorez Alexandria, More of the Great (A 76)
4. Albert Ayler, Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village (AS 9155)
5. Albert Ayler, Love Cry (AS 9165)
6. Albert Ayler, New Grass (AS 9175)
7. Albert Ayler, Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe (AS 9191)
8. Albert Ayler, The Last Album (AS 9208)
9. Gato Barbieri, Chapter One: Latin America (AS 9248)
10. Gato Barbieri, Chapter Two: Hasta Siempre (AS 9263)
11. Gato Barbieri, Chapter Three: Viva Emiliano Zapata (AS 9279)
12. Gato Barbieri, Chapter Four: Alive in New York (AS 9303)
13. Count Basie, Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 (A 15)
14. Louis Bellson, Thunderbird (AS 9107)
15. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, (Alamode) (A 7)
16. Art Blakey, A Jazz Message (A 45)
17. Bobby Bland/B.B. King, Together Again... Live (AS 9317)
18. Oscar Brand, Morality (A 25)
19. Brass Fever, Time Is Running Out (AS 9319)
20. Lawrence Brown, Inspired Abandon (A 89)
21. Marion Brown, Three for Shepp (AS 9139)
22. Marion Brown, Geechee Recollections (AS 9252)
23. Marion Brown, Sweet Earth Flying (AS 9275)
24. Marion Brown, Vista (ASD 9304)
25. Mel Brown, Chicken Fat (AS 9152)
26. Mel Brown, The Wizard (AS 9169)
27. Mel Brown, Blues for We (AS 9180)
28. Mel Brown, I'd Rather Suck My Thumb (AS 9186)
29. Mel Brown, Mel Brown's Fifth (AS 9209)
30. Mel Brown, Big Foot Country Girl (AS 9249)
31. Michael Brown, Alarums and Excursions (A 24)
32. Benny Carter, Further Definitions (A 12)
33. Benny Carter, Additions to Further Definitions (AS 9116)
34. Betty Carter, What a Little Moonlight Can Do (AS 9321)
35. Ray Charles, Genius + Soul = Jazz (A 2)
36. Gloria Coleman/Pola Roberts, Soul Sisters (A 47)
37. Ornette Coleman, Ornette at 12 (AS 9178)
38. Ornette Coleman, Crisis (AS 9187)
39. Al "Jazzbo" Collins, A Lovely Bunch of Jazzbo Collins and the Bandidos (AS 9150)
40. Alice Coltrane, A Monastic Trio (AS 9156)
41. Alice Coltrane, Huntington Ashram Monastery (AS 9185)
42. Alice Coltrane, Ptah, The El Daoud (AS 9196)
43. Alice Coltrane, Journey in Satchidananda (AS 9203)
44. Alice Coltrane, Universal Consciousness (AS 9210)
45. Alice Coltrane, World Galaxy (AS 9218)
46. Alice Coltrane, Lord of Lords (AS 9224)
47. Alice Coltrane, Reflection on Creation and Space (AS 9232)
48. John Coltrane, Africa/Brass (A 6)
49. John Coltrane, Coltrane "Live" at the Village Vanguard (A 10)
50. John Coltrane, Coltrane (A 21)
51. John Coltrane, Ballads (A 32)
52. John Coltrane, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (A 40)
53. John Coltrane, Impressions (A 42)
54. John Coltrane, Coltrane Live at Birdland (A 50)
55. John Coltrane, Crescent (A 66)
56. John Coltrane, A Love Supreme (A 77)
57. John Coltrane, The John Coltrane Quartet Plays (A 85)
58. John Coltrane/Archie Shepp, New Thing at Newport (A 94)
59. John Coltrane, Ascension (A 95, AS95)
60. John Coltrane, Kulu Se Mama (AS 9106)
61. John Coltrane, Meditations (AS 9110)
62. John Coltrane, Expression (AS 9120)
63. John Coltrane, Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard Again! (AS 9124)
64. John Coltrane, Om (AS 9140)
65. John Coltrane, Cosmic Music (AS 9148)
66. John Coltrane, Selflessness featuring My Favorite Things (AS 9161)
67. John Coltrane, Transition (AS 9195)
68. John Coltrane/Pharoah Sanders, Live in Seattle (AS 9202)
69. John Coltrane, Sun Ship (AS 9211)
70. John Coltrane, Infinity (AS 9225)
71. John Coltrane, Concert in Japan (AS 9246)
72. John Coltrane, The Africa/Brass Sessions, Vol. 2 (AS 9273)
73. John Coltrane, Interstellar Space (ASD9277)
74. John Coltrane, The Other Village Vanguard Tapes (AS 9325)
75. John Coltrane, First Meditations (for Quartet) (AS 9332)
76. Clifford Coulter, East Side San Jose (AS 9197)
77. Clifford Coulter, Do It Now, Worry 'Bout It Later (AS 9216)
78. Sonny Criss, Warm and Sonny (ASD 9312)
79. Sonny Criss, The Joy of Sax (AS 9326)
80. Duke Ellington, Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (A 26)
81. Duke Ellington, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane (A 30)
82. Gil Evans, Out of the Cool (A 4)
83. Gil Evans, Into the Hot (A 9)
84. Curtis Fuller, Soul Trombone (A 13)
85. Curtis Fuller, Cabin in the Sky (A 22)
86. Genesis, Trespass (AS 9205)
87. Terry Gibbs, Take It from Me (A 58)
88. Dizzy Gillespie, Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac (AS 9149)
89. Paul Gonsalves, Cleopatra-Feelin' Jazzy (A 41)
90. Paul Gonsalves, Tell It the Way It Is! (A 55)
91. Charlie Haden, Liberation Music Orchestra (AS 9183)
92. Chico Hamilton, Passin' Thru (A 29)
93. Chico Hamilton, Man from Two Worlds (A 59)
94. Chico Hamilton, Chic Chic Chico (A 82)
95. Chico Hamilton, El Chico (AS 9102)
96. Chico Hamilton, The Further Adventures of El Chico (AS 9114)
97. Chico Hamilton, The Dealer (AS 9130)
98. John Handy, Hard Work (ASD 9314)
99. John Handy, Carnival (ASD 9324)
100. Lionel Hampton, You Better Know It!!! (A 78)
101. Johnny Hartman, I Just Dropped by to Say Hello (A 57)
102. Johnny Hartman, The Voice That Is! (A 74)
103. Coleman Hawkins, Desafinado (A 28)
104. Coleman Hawkins, Today and Now (A 34)
105. Coleman Hawkins, Wrapped Tight (A 87)
106. Roy Haynes, Out of the Afternoon (A 23)
107. Earl Hines, Once Upon a Time (AS 9108)
108. Johnny Hodges, Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges (A 61)
109. John Lee Hooker, It Serves You Right to Suffer (AS 9103)
110. Paul Horn, The Dedication Series, Vol. XVI: Plenty of Horn (IA 9356)
111. Freddie Hubbard, The Artistry of Freddie Hubbard (A 27)
112. Freddie Hubbard, The Body and the Soul (A 38)
113. Milt Jackson, Statements (A 14)
114. Milt Jackson, Jazz 'n Samba (A 70)
115. Milt Jackson, That's the Way It Is (AS 9189)
116. Milt Jackson/Ray Brown, Memphis Jackson (AS 9193)
117. Milt Jackson/Ray Brown, Just the Way It Had to Be (AS 9230)
118. Ahmad Jamal, At the Top: Poinciana Revisited (AS 9176)
119. Ahmad Jamal, The Awakening (AS 9194)
120. Ahmad Jamal, Freeflight (AS 9217)
121. Ahmad Jamal, Outertimeinnerspace (AS 9226)
122. Ahmad Jamal, Tranquility (AS 9238)
123. Keith Jarrett, Fort Yawuh (AS 9240)
124. Keith Jarrett, Treasure Island (AS 9274)
125. Keith Jarrett, Death and the Flower (AS 9301)
126. Keith Jarrett, Backhand (AS 9305)
127. Keith Jarrett, Mysteries (AS 9315)
128. Keith Jarrett, Shades (ASD 9322)
129. Keith Jarrett, Byablue (AS 9331)
130. Keith Jarrett, Bop-Be (IA 9334)
131. Beverly Jenkins, Gordon Jenkins Presents My Wife the Blues Singer (A 44)
132. J.J. Johnson, Proof Positive (A 68)
133. Elvin Jones/Jimmy Garrison, Illumination! (A 49)
134. Elvin Jones, Dear John C. (A 88)
135. Elvin Jones/Richard Davis, Heavy Sounds (AS 9160)
136. Hank Jones/Oliver Nelson, Happenings (AS 9132)
137. Quincy Jones, The Quintessence (A 11)
138. John Klemmer, Constant Throb (AS 9214)
139. John Klemmer, Waterfalls (AS 9220)
140. John Klemmer, Intensity (AS 9244)
141. John Klemmer, Magic and Movement (AS 9269)
142. Rolf Kuhn/Joachim Kuhn, Impressions of New York (AS 9158)
143. Steve Kuhn/Gary McFarland, The October Suite (AS 9136)
144. Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Sing a Song of Basie (A 83)
145. Yusef Lateef, Jazz 'Round the World (A 56)
146. Yusef Lateef, 1984 (A 84)
147. Yusef Lateef, Yusef Lateef Live at Pep's (A 69)
148. Yusef Lateef, Psychicemotus (A 92)
149. Yusef Lateef, A Flat, G Flat and C (AS 9117)
150. Yusef Lateef, The Golden Flute (AS 9125)
151. Yusef Lateef, Reevaluation: The Impulse Years (AS 9259)
152. Yusef Lateef, Club Date (ASD 9310)
153. Gloria Lynne, I Don't Know How to Love Him (ASD 9311)
154. Dave Mackay/Vicky Hamilton, Dave Mackay and Vicky Hamilton (AS 9184)
155. Dave Mackay/Vicky Hamilton, Rainbow (AS 9198)
156. Shelly Manne, 2-3-4 (A 20)
157. Wade Marcus, Metamorphosis (ASD 9318)
158. Les McCann, Music Let's Me Be (AS 9329)
159. Les McCann, Change, Change, Change: Live at the Roxy (AS 9333)
160. Gary McFarland, Point of Departure (A 46)
161. Gary McFarland, Tijuana Jazz (AS 9104)
162. Gary McFarland, Profiles (AS 9112)
163. Gary McFarland/Gabor Szabo, Simpatico (AS 9122)
164. Charles Mingus, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (A 35)
165. Charles Mingus, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (A 54)
166. Charles Mingus, Mingus Plays Piano (A 60)
167. Blue Mitchell, African Violet (AS 9328)
168. Blue Mitchell, Summer Soft (IA 9347)
169. Buddy Montgomery, This Rather Than That (AS 9192)
170. Oliver Nelson, The Blues and the Abstract Truth (A 5)
171. Oliver Nelson, More Blues and the Abstract Truth (A 75)
172. Oliver Nelson, Oliver Nelson Plays Michelle (AS 9113)
173. Oliver Nelson, Sound Pieces (AS 9129)
174. Oliver Nelson, The Kennedy Dream (AS S 9144)
175. Oliver Nelson, Live from Los Angeles (AS 9153)
176. Oliver Nelson/Steve Allen, Soulful Brass (AS 9168)
177. Chico O'Farrill, Nine Flags (AS 9135)
178. Jackie Paris, Song Is Paris (A 17)
179. Freda Payne, After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!! (A 53)
180. Bill Plummer, Cosmic Brotherhood (AS 9164)
181. Jimmy Ponder, Illusions (AS 9313)
182. Jimmy Ponder, White Room (AS 9327)
183. Dewey Redman, The Ear of the Behearer (AS 9250)
184. Dewey Redman, Coincide (ASD 9300)
185. Emil Richards, The Spirit of 1976 (AS 9182)
186. Emil Richards, Journey to Bliss (AS 9166)
187. Dannie Richmond, "In" Jazz for the Culture Set (A 98)
188. Sam Rivers, Streams (AS 9251)
189. Sam Rivers, Crystals (ASD 9286)
190. Sam Rivers, Hues (ASD 9302)
191. Sam Rivers, Sizzle (ASD 9316)
192. Max Roach, Percussion, Bitter Sweet (A 8)
193. Max Roach, It's Time (A 16)
194. Howard Roberts, Antelope Freeway (AS 9207)
195. Howard Roberts, Equinox Express Elevator (ASD 9299)
196. Sonny Rollins, Sonny Rollins on Impulse! (A 91)
197. Sonny Rollins, Alfie (AS 9111)
198. Sonny Rollins, East Broadway Run Down (AS 9121)
199. Sonny Rollins, There Will Never Be Another You (IA 9349)
200. Roswell Rudd, Everywhere (AS 9126)
201. Pee Wee Russell, Ask Me Now! (A 96)
202. Pee Wee Russell/Henry 'Red' Allen, The College Concert of Pee Wee Russell and Henry 'Red' Allen (AS 9137)
203. Pee Wee Russell/Oliver Nelson, The Spirit of '67 (AS 9147)
204. The Russian Jazz Quartet, Happiness (A 80)
205. Pharoah Sanders, Tauhid (AS 9138)
206. Pharoah Sanders, Karma (AS 9181)
207. Pharoah Sanders, Jewels of Thought (AS 9190)
208. Pharoah Sanders, Summun, Bukmun, Umyun (Deaf, Dumb, Blind) (AS 9199)
209. Pharoah Sanders, Thembi (AS 9206)
210. Pharoah Sanders, Black Unity (AS 9219)
211. Pharoah Sanders, Live at the East (AS 9227)
212. Pharoah Sanders, Wisdom Through Music (AS 9233)
213. Pharoah Sanders, Village of the Pharoahs (AS 9254)
214. Pharoah Sanders, Elevation (AS 9261)
215. Pharoah Sanders, Love in Us All (ASD 9280)
216. Gary Saracho, En Medio Saracho (AS 9247)
217. Shirley Scott, For Members Only (A 51)
218. Shirley Scott, Great Scott!! (A 67)
219. Shirley Scott, Everybody Loves a Lover (A 73)
220. Shirley Scott, Latin Shadows (A 93)
221. Shirley Scott, Queen of the Organ (A 81)
222. Shirley Scott, On a Clear Day (AS 9109)
223. Shirley Scott, Roll 'Em (AS 9119)
224. Shirley Scott/Clark Terry, Soul Duo (AS 9133)
225. Shirley Scott, Girl Talk (AS S 9141)
226. Tom Scott, The Honeysuckle Breeze (AS 9163)
227. Tom Scott, Rural Still Life (AS 9171)
228. Archie Shepp, Four for Trane (A 71)
229. Archie Shepp, Fire Music (A 86)
230. Archie Shepp, On This Night (A 97)
231. Archie Shepp, Live in San Francisco (AS 9118)
232. Archie Shepp, Mama Too Tight (AS 9134)
233. Archie Shepp, The Magic of Ju-Ju (AS 9154)
234. Archie Shepp, Three for a Quarter, One for a Dime (AS 9162)
235. Archie Shepp, The Way Ahead (AS 9170)
236. Archie Shepp, For Losers (AS 9188)
237. Archie Shepp, Things Have Got to Change (AS 9212)
238. Archie Shepp, Attica Blues (AS 9222)
239. Archie Shepp, The Cry of My People (AS 9231)
240. Archie Shepp, Kwanza (AS 9262)
241. Zoot Sims, Waiting Game (AS 9131)
242. Sonny Stitt, Now! (A 43)
243. Sonny Stitt/Paul Gonsalves, Salt and Pepper (A 52)
244. Gabor Szabo, Gypsy '66 (AS 9105)
245. Gabor Szabo, Spellbinder (AS 9123)
246. Gabor Szabo, Jazz Raga (AS 9128)
247. Gabor Szabo, The Sorcerer (AS 9146)
248. Gabor Szabo, Wind, Sky and Diamonds (AS 9151)
249. Gabor Szabo/Bob Thiele, Light My Fire (AS 9159)
250. Gabor Szabo, More Sorcery (AS 9167)
251. Grady Tate, Master Grady Tate (AS 9330)
252. Billy Taylor/Quincy Jones, My Fair Lady Loves Jazz (A 72)
253. Cecil Taylor/Charles Tolliver/Grachan Moncur/Archie Shepp, The Dedication Series, Vol. VIII: The New Breed (IA 9339)
254. Clark Terry, The Happy Horns of Clark Terry (A 64)
255. Clark Terry/Chico O'Farrill, Spanish Rice (AS 9127)
256. Clark Terry, It's What's Happening: The Varitone Sound of CT (AS 9157)
257. Lucky Thompson, Dancing Sunbeam (ASH 9307)
258. Stanley Turrentine, Let It Go (AS 9115)
259. McCoy Tyner, Inception (A 18)
260. McCoy Tyner, Reaching Fourth (A 33)
261. McCoy Tyner, Nights of Ballads and Blues (A 39)
262. McCoy Tyner, McCoy Tyner Live at Newport (A 48)
263. McCoy Tyner, Today and Tomorrow (A 63)
264. McCoy Tyner, McCoy Tyner Plays Ellington (A 79)
265. McCoy Tyner, The Early Trios (AS 9338)
266. Mal Waldron, Sweet Love, Bitter (AS S 9142)
267. George Wein, Midnight Concert in Paris (A 31)
268. Ben Webster, See You at the Fair (A 65)
269. Michael White, Spirit Dance (AS 9215)
270. Michael White, Pneuma (AS 9221)
271. Michael White, The Land of Spirit and Light (AS 9241)
272. Michael White, Father Music, Mother Dance (AS 9268)
273. Michael White, Go with the Flow (AS 9281)
274. Kai Winding, The Incredible Kai Winding Trombones (A 3)
275. Kai Winding/J.J. Johnson, The Great Kai and J.J. (A 1)
276. Phil Woods, Greek Cooking (AS S 9143)

Reissues, compilations, etc.:

1. Albert Ayler, Reevaluation: The Impulse Years (AS 9257)
2. Albert Ayler, The Dedication Series, Vol. VII: The Village Concerts (IA 9336)
3. Count Basie, The Dedication Series, Vol. XI: Retrospective Sessions (IA 9351)
4. John Coltrane, The Best of John Coltrane - His Greatest Years (AS 9200)
5. John Coltrane, The Best of John Coltrane - His Greatest Years, Vol. 2 (AS 9223)
6. John Coltrane, The Best of John Coltrane - His Greatest Years, Vol. 3 (ASH9278)
7. John Coltrane, The Gentle Side of John Coltrane (ASH 9306)
8. John Coltrane, The Mastery of John Coltrane, Vol. 1 - Feelin' Good (IZ 9345)
9. John Coltrane, The Mastery of John Coltrane, Vol. 2 - To the Beat of a Different Drum (IZ 9346)
10. John Coltrane, The Mastery of John Coltrane, Vol. 3 - Jupiter Variation (IA 9360)
11. John Coltrane, The Mastery of John Coltrane, Vol. 4 - Trane's Modes (IZ 9361/2)
12. Kenny Dorham/Sonny Criss, The Dedication Series, Vol. I: The Bop Masters (IA 9337)
13. Duke Ellington, Reevaluation: The Impulse Years: Ellingtonia (ASH9256)
14. Duke Ellington/Coleman Hawkins/John Coltrane, The Dedication Series, Vol. X: The Great Tenor Encounters (IA 9350)
15. Gil Evans/Gary McFarland, The Dedication Series, Vol. IX: The Great Arrangers (IA 9340)
16. Chico Hamilton, The Best of Chico Hamilton (AS 9174)
17. Chico Hamilton, His Great Hits (AS 9213)
18. Coleman Hawkins, Reevaluation: The Impulse Years (AS 9258)
19. Freddie Hubbard, Reevaluation: The Impulse Years (AS 9237)
20. Milt Jackson, The Impulse Years (ASH 9282)
21. Ahmad Jamal, Reevaluation: The Impulse Years (AS 9260)
22. Keith Jarrett, The Best of Keith Jarrett (AS 9348)
23. Elvin Jones, The Impulse Years (AS 9283)
24. Quincy Jones, The Dedication Series, Vol. IV: The Quintessential Charts (IA 9342)
25. Yusef Lateef, The Dedication Series, Vol. XIII: The Live Session (IA 9353)
26. Hugh Masekela, The Dedication Series, Vol. V: The African Connection (IA 9343)
27. Charles Mingus, Reevaluation: The Impulse Years (AS 9234)
28. Oliver Nelson, The Dedication Series, Vol. II: Three Dimensions (IA 9335)
29. Sam Rivers, The Dedication Series, Vol. XII: The Live Trio Sessions (IA 9352)
30. Sonny Rollins, Reevaluation: The Impulse Years (AS 9236)
31. Pee Wee Russell, The Dedication Series, Vol. XV: Salute to Newport (IA 9359)
32. Pharoah Sanders, The Best of Pharoah Sanders (AS 9229)
33. Shirley Scott, The Dedication Series, Vol. III: The Great Live Sessions (IA 9341)
34. Tom Scott/John Klemmer/Gato Barbieri, The Dedication Series, Vol. XIV: Foundations (IA 9354)
35. Archie Shepp, The Dedication Series, Vol. XVII: Further Fire Music (IA 9357)
36. Sun Ra, Atlantis (AS 9239)
37. Sun Ra, The Nubians of Plutonia (AS 9242)
38. Sun Ra, The Magic City (AS 9243)
39. Sun Ra, Angels and Demons at Play (AS 9245)
40. Sun Ra, Astro Black (AS 9255)
41. Sun Ra, Jazz in Silhouette (AS 9265)
42. Sun Ra, Fate in a Pleasant Mood (AS 9270)
43. Sun Ra, Supersonic Sounds (AS 9271)
44. Sun Ra, The Bad and the Beautiful (ASD9276)
45. Gabor Szabo, The Best of Gabor Szabo (AS 9173)
46. Gabor Szabo, His Great Hits (AS 9204)
47. McCoy Tyner, Reevaluation: The Impulse Years (AS 9235)
48. V.A., Americans in Europe, Vol. 1 (A 36)
49. V.A., Americans in Europe, Vol. 2 (A 37)
50. V.A., The Bass (ASY 9284)
51. V.A., Brass Fever (ASD 9308)
52. V.A., The Definitive Jazz Scene, Vol. 1 (A 99)
53. V.A., The Definitive Jazz Scene, Vol. 2 (A 100)
54. V.A., The Definitive Jazz Scene, Vol. 3 (A 101)
55. V.A., The Drums (AHS 9272)
56. V.A., Ellingtonia, Vol. 2: The Impulse Years (AS 9285)
57. V.A., Impulse! Artists on Tour (AS 9264)
58. V.A., Impulse Energy Essentials (ASD9228)
59. V.A., Impulsively! (AS 9266)
60. V.A., Intercollegiate Music Festival, Vol. 1 (AS 9145)
61. V.A., Irrepressible Impulses (AS 9172)
62. V.A., The New Wave in Jazz (A 90)
63. V.A., No Energy Crisis (AS 9267)
64. V.A., The Saxophone (ASH9253)

Copyright © 2006 Tom Hull.