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Two Rarities Reissued- Far Out and Stonewall

May 20, 2020 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Two Rarities Reissued- Far Out and Stonewall You’ll be forgiven if neither of these albums– Far Out and Stonewall– was on your “pre-buy” list; both are somewhat obscure and highly collectible for different reasons. There is serious market for obscure psych and early hard rock that never made a commercial impact- the more obscure the better. Some of it is good, but the tariff is high, leading to all sorts of unlicensed reissues over the years. These two releases cover two important albums that, for the first time, purport to be licensed, authorized product.  Far... Read More

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Peace & Quiet

May 20, 2020 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Peace & Quiet-self-titled Peace & Quiet is a period hard rock album that is not, as far as know, on anybody’s radar. It’s got great vocals, a guitar driven, heavy sound soaked with organ and is the perfect alternative to those classic hard rock favorites. The vocal parts here are just outstanding—think about how big the band Three Dog Night was back in the day; they cranked out a huge number of hits based on the strength of their harmonies. Today, almost nobody knows the band, let alone the musicians that played with them, but those harmonies? Ask somebody who qualifies for... Read More

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Almanac-Nock-Maupin-McBee-Marshall

October 29, 2019 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Almanac- Nock-Maupin-McBee-Marshall Almanac, featuring Mike Nock, Bennie Maupin, Cecil McBee and Eddie Marshall is a stunning album that draws its power from the strength of its performers, compositions that are melodic but adventurous and a recording that is so good that it qualifies as “demo” material. This is not “safe” jazz, but it isn’t aimless either: it works because the compositions are strong and the players are up to the task.  The recording, made at Columbia University, was mixed by David Baker and it’s wonderful, chock full of goodies that aren’t there for sonic... Read More

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Boomerang featuring Mark Stein

October 29, 2019 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Boomerang featuring Mark Stein  Boomerang- by definition, something that returns to the originator. Mark Stein may have been ahead of his time. As a founding member of Vanilla Fudge, largely remembered for the hit “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” Stein cultivated an organ rich sound that influenced other heavy organ rock bands, most notably, Deep Purple; Stein is credited as an originator of sounds that bridged psychedelia with what eventually became heavy metal. I’m not sure that is an entirely accurate picture of the music at the time; there were lots of “heavy rock” bands in the... Read More

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Kent Glenn- Good for the Garden

October 25, 2019 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Kent Glenn- Good for the Garden Kent Glenn’s Good for the Garden initially lured me in because the cover art was the antithesis of the music on the record. Glorious jazz from an L.A. composer who was, even at the time the album was released, “considered one of the most overlooked, underrated composers on the L.A. jazz scene.” (liner notes by Gary G. Vercelli, KPFK, L.A; Down Beat). The record starts with the title track — a harmonious horn section and some great drumming. “Ambivilance” -slows it down with a plaintive wail and some even/odd notes held in background- the... Read More

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Bombadil- Beautiful Country

October 24, 2019 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Bombadil- Beautiful Country Bombadil- I’ll confess to not knowing much about this band and further admit that I don’t listen to much “pop” music these days (in the sense of sweet songs that focus on harmonies and catchy hooks). I’ll also acknowledge that I really like this record—these guys are extremely accomplished—gorgeous harmonies, upbeat folk/ pop tunes and a recording that conveys enormously well- from deep bass and drum sounds to the tickle of plucked strings, the staging of the voices and handclaps.  I mentioned in my “Incoming” snapshot that this Bombadil... Read More

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BRAHJA- Self-Titled

October 16, 2019 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

BRAHJA- Self-Titled A cooperative of musicians, led by Devin Brahja Waldman of New York, recorded this album in a de-sanctified church in rural Quebec (with additional recording and mixing in New York); it captures a marvelous mixture of sounds, textures and melodic themes composed, arranged and produced by Waldman (whose friends refers to him as “Brahja”). The group on this album is comprised of some core members who have played together for 11 years; many of them met in Montreal, where Waldman attended music school.  The album starts with “In the Mess,” cymbal tapping, drone and... Read More

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Jothan Callins- Winds of Change

September 30, 2019 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Jothan Callins- Winds of Change  Jothan Callins released one album as a band leader- Winds of Change, which captures everything that I revel in when listening to the less well travelled jazz records I’ve been seeking: engaging compositions, stunning performances and impressive sonics. Though Callins was known as a bassist, he plays trumpet on this album (Cecil McBee handles the bass and glorious it is). Released as a one and done on Triumph Records, there is a little information about Callins and almost nothing about the sessions. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Callins played with a long... Read More

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Cecil McBee- Mutima (Strata-East)

September 30, 2019 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Cecil McBee- Mutima (Strata-East)  I didn’t appreciate how much I enjoyed listening to Cecil McBee until I started to sift through some of the records I loved and found him credited as the bassist. This album, Mutima, features McBee as bandleader and composer and it’s a killer. The first track, “From Within,” begins with bowed bass- what sounded like double stops to me is apparently two basses. Some commentators on the web have talked about McBee playing two instruments simultaneously, which I find a little implausible; more likely overdubbing. (I did send a note to Mr. McBee to... Read More

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Ronnie Boykins (The Will Come, Is Now)

September 30, 2019 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Ronnie Boykins (The Will Come, Is Now) Ronnie Boykins was a disciple of Sun Ra’s Arkestra with a long list of credits as a bassist.  This album, which is Boykins’ sole release as a band leader, is great fun. It starts with “The Will Come, Is Now,” a good simple bass line that is joined by an agglomeration of horns that sound, well, a little “off”—maybe somewhat out of tune, a little discordant, it could be just a free jazz thing where everybody is playing something different, but I find it amusing. They knock it into shape as they get going, though, and it gets better as... Read More

Filed Under: Records

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In Brief:

There Is No “Magic Bullet” in Hi-Fi

There Is No “Magic Bullet” in Hi-Fi No Magic Solutions I’ve spent some time on the audio chat fora over the years. Many popular threads these days are devoted to cheap improvements that can be made using audiophile “tweaks” or repurposed non-audiophile products. These can be applied to isolate gear, enhance the signals or connections or otherwise address some perceived problem that, once solved, offers to raise the level of music reproduction. It’s like a cheap solution to upgrade your system: from audiophile fuses, special wires (beyond simply having a high-quality interconnect, speaker wire or power cable) and other tweaks, to contact fluids and other things that you can attach to power sources, equipment, or place in the room (bowls, various harmonizers or active resonators, noise harvesters, etc.) This is apart from room treatment, which is sui generis; that is, every situation is … [Read More...]

Milt Ward Reissue-release date May 6, 2022

Milt Ward Reissue-release date May 6, 2022  Andreas Vingaard, of Frederiksberg Records, dropped me a note that the Milt Ward & Virgo Spectrum record about which much has been written here will be available on vinyl beginning on May 9, 2022. However, several promo emails today, Friday, May 6, 2022 say the record is available NOW via Bandcamp (see link below). The reissue was done with the participation of Milt Ward’s family and includes comprehensive notes in a booklet. Given the price of original pressings, this should be worthwhile even if not taken from the master tape. I plan to get a copy and we’ll do a shoot-out with my “OG” pressing. I’m sure some of you are willing to brook a little sonic compromise to get access to an otherwise very hard to find, expensive spiritual jazz rarity. At the time of this writing there is one copy on Discogs in NM condition for media for over … [Read More...]

Milt Ward Virgo Reissue Coming from Frederiksberg

Although I don't have all the details yet, I have learned that Frederiksberg Records, a small, eclectic label from New York, is in the process of reissuing the hard to find (and even harder to pay for) jazz obscurity, Milt Ward and Virgo Spectrum. You can find out more by keeping tabs on Frederiksberg's Bandcamp page, https://frederiksbergrecords.bandcamp.com   I'm told there is a bootleg out there so be careful. Frederiksberg is doing this project with the participation of the family of Milt Ward, which is to be applauded. Hopefully, this will give more access to a great jazz record at a reasonable price. The Roots album reissue from Frederiksberg (which is sold out on vinyl on the Frederiksberg Records bandcamp site) still appears to be available through some online retailers as a pre-order, so that's another one to jump on now if you can find it-- the original is extremely pricey and … [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 fan and they found inspiration in each other, leading to this album- a collaboration of artistry where Avett and Barzelay share some writing credits and Avett produces. The result is a fresh, upbeat set of tunes that are appealing in their simplicity and refreshing in their sincerity. The band is first tier … [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 jazz deliberately eschews any superficial attempt to make African music. Instead, she draws inspiration from its influences, which are wide ranging and deep—you can hear rhythm and blues sounds mixed with more traditional African instrumentation and polyrhythms and come away with something that is both … [Read More...]

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