WORTH A LISTEN
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There can never be too many recordings from the early 70s featuring keyboardist Jan Hammer. At the time, Hammer was simply on fire. On John Abercrombie’s Timeless, he’s featured on organ, synthesizer and piano. Too bad he had to be playing with guitarist John Abercrombie. I’m sorry, but no way is Abercrombie […]

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
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I avoided Echoes Of A Friend for a long time because it’s a collection of McCoy Tyner piano solos, and because the friend Tyner is referring to in the title is Coltrane. Not that I have anything against Coltrane, but Tyner has referenced him so much elsewhere that devoting an entire […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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My guess is that Black Market is one of Joe Zawinul’s favorite Weather Report dates. Why? Well, it’s a major Third World groove machine which, judging by the interviews Zawinul has given over the years, seems to be his main priority. Another thing that Zawinul should be justifiably proud of: his […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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I have to admit, I was expecting great things of Eon. In his work with Lookout Farm, Richie Beirach was one of the most consistently innovative keyboardists of the 70s, incorporating ideas from 20th Century classical music into jazz, without sacrificing one iota of swing.
Eon also features the great rhythm […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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On Freddie Hubbard’s previous date, Red Clay, he played a little bait and switch on the listeners. The first and last tunes were funk, but everything in between was advanced post bop, kind of like getting a dog to eat a pill by inserting it into a piece of steak. On […]

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
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Mysterious Traveller functions as an unexpected waystation in Weather Report’s evolution. In the previous album, Sweetnighter, Zawinul had drastically changed the sound of the group, focusing almost maniacally on groove. On Mysterious Traveller, it’s not quite as simple. The grooves are more varied and more subdued. This time, there is more […]

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
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The original Head On recording was one of those third-stream efforts that were intermittently attempted throughout the sixties and early seventies by the likes of Joe Zawinul and Miles Davis. The composer Bobby Hutcherson is working with here is the classically trained pianist Todd Cochran, who joins vibist Hutcherson, along with […]

CLASSICS THAT I HATE
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The Lost Trident Sessions has long been considered one of the holy grails of fusion. At the time it was recorded, there was disagreement among the members of the group as to whether the music contained therein was underorchestrated or just fine the way it was. Eventually, the group decided to […]

CLASSICS THAT I HATE
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After a brief two-album flirtation with Brazilian jazz, Return To Forever shifted to it’s most popular incarnation, a kind of swaggering but lightweight combination of funk, arena rock cliches, Chick Corea’s cheesy Latinisms, and a touch of jazz. That didn’t turn out to be such a bad thing ultimately, as it […]

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
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In some ways, the music in The Eleventh House is surprisingly simple, especially harmonically.
Most of The Funky Waltz is one chord, with a melody which is pentatonic. Low-Tee-Tah, despite the ornamental flourishes of Larry Coryell, essentially revolves around a dominant 7th augmented 4th chord. Similarly, Yin is based on a […]