Woody Shaw- Blackstone Legacy Woody Shaw’s Blackstone Legacy, his first as a featured artist released in 1971, may be one of his best. Shaw had a steady career as a sideman, working with some of the greats in Paris, including Nathan Davis (whose work after he returned to the States has been covered here), followed by a stint with Blue Note before embarking on a career as a bandleader. After release of Blackstone Legacy, Shaw continued to work as a sideman at the same time he released a succession of albums as a featured artist. Shaw was prolific and died tragically at the age of 44,... Read More
Charles Tolliver-Connect
Charles Tolliver-Connect Charles Tolliver has just released a new album—Connect. Tolliver is a gifted composer, instrumentalist, producer and co-founder of the legendary Strata-East label. Unlike some of the Strata-East albums, which are now in serious collector territory, pricewise, Connect is readily available, sounds wonderful and won’t cost more than a standard issue record, though it is sourced from tape and wonderfully presented by Gearbox Records. Connect consists of four tracks- starting with “Blue Soul” which begins with urgent war drums and the horns, piano and drums... Read More
An Experiment with Platter Mats- the MyMat
An Experiment with Platter Mats- the MyMat Introduction Until I performed some recent experiments with a product called the MyMat, offered by a long-time member of the Audiogon community, I rarely thought about changing out platter mats. I’ve owned a number of good turntables over the years and figured: (a) that the manufacturer knew what was best, and (b) going down this rabbit hole was yet another potential morass—that the results would vary considerably based on a number of factors, including the particular turntable design and platter. How “projectable” would anyone’s... Read More
Fuzzy Duck- self titled (Be With Reissue)
Fuzzy Duck- self titled (Be With Reissue) Fuzzy Duck’s eponymous album is relatively obscure- it didn’t sell much at the time of release, with a limited pressing run and the group disbanded. But instead of fading into complete obscurity, the album enjoys a cult following with prices to match. Be With Records, the same outfit that did such a good job reissuing the Air album with Googie Coppola, just released this reissue, attainable by mere mortals for the cost of 4 lattes. It’s well worth the cost. What you’ll hear is a UK psych hard rock band in top form circa 1971, with... Read More
Gary Bartz and Maisha-Direct to Disc
Gary Bartz and Maisha-Direct to Disc Gary Bartz and Maisha eloquently answer the question about the direction of modern jazz today. Bartz is a heavyweight player whose credentials take us back to the roots of post-war modern jazz; the list of notables with whom he performed as a sideman is long and impressive, from Blakey and Miles to Eric Dolphy, Max Roach and McCoy Tyner. His album, Another Earth, with Strata-East co-founders Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell and the great Pharaoh Sanders, is a classic. Bartz has kept moving through the years, exploring jazz, funk and fusion. As I was... Read More
Alice Coltrane, Ptah, the El Daoud and the Coltrane Home Studio (Part I)
Alice Coltrane, Ptah, the El Daoud and the Coltrane Home Studio (Part I) Alice Coltrane’s Ptah, the El Daoud, has an inner luminosity that transcends its performances and composition; it is the rare album that captures not just brief moments of brilliance, but entire passages that transport the listener. The album is all the more remarkable for being out of print on vinyl since 1974. It was recorded in a studio built by the Coltranes in their Dix Hills home that was slated for demolition until a group of preservationists and family members stepped in to rescue it. This is the story of an... Read More
Collocutor-Continuation
Collocutor-Continuation Collocutor’s Continuation is a modern jazz album in the same sense that King Crimson is a “rock group”—the elements are there but it’s put together in a way that makes the experience altogether unique. The brainchild of Tamar Osborn, who composed all the tracks and plays various saxophones and flute, the album is highly atmospheric and charged with a different energy than most modern jazz— it seeks out the dark corners and brings light to unexpected places. Osborn’s interests seem eclectic—from African to classical to soul and pop; she has her... Read More
Clem Snide- Forever Just Beyond
Clem Snide- Forever Just Beyond With a name derived from a character in the same literary work as the band name so famously identified with the Walter Becker-Donald Fagen duo, Clem Snide has an extensive discography, typically cataloged as “alt country.” This latest release is the work of one of its founding members, Eef Barzelay, who was responsible for much of the songwriting and singing. According to his bio, Barzelay suffered some serious bumps in the road during the last decade, including a failing marriage and financial ruin. At the same time, he learned that Scott Avett was a... Read More
Muriel Grossmann- Reverence
Muriel Grossmann- Reverence Muriel Grossmann continues her quest for musical ascension on Reverence, which was released on vinyl in early December, 2019 on the RR Gems label as a 2 LP set. The compositions are Grossmann’s, and the band is much the same as the group of seasoned musicians with whom she has worked for some time (and detailed in the review of her Golden Rule), but for one notable exception: the addition of a keyboard player who brings that rich, woody Hammond B-3 sound to a series of compositions devoted to Africa. In some ways, Ms. Grossmann’s exploration of the roots of... Read More
Stylus Life- StylusTimer
Stylus Life- StylusTimer Stylus life is a recurring question in audio discussions. Some serious attention was devoted to the subject here, in Mike Bodell’s “The Finish Line for Your Phono Stylus.” That article examined the issue from a number of perspectives, including early studies, claims by cartridge manufacturers and real-life experiences by users. It also generated a long, interesting thread on the Steve Hoffman forum that is worthwhile to read. The Hoffman thread also generated an experiment by Ray Parkhurst who documented the wear of a new stylus under certain controlled... Read More
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