Tag Archives: Hard Bop

Yusef Lateef – The Blue Yusef Lateef

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★★★☆☆ = Good!

Sounds like?

Hip bluesy jazz with some eastern experimental mixed in

Moods

East meets west on this hip bluesy hard bop LP with moments of eastern experimental

Thoughts

The bluesy rocking tracks are great, thankfully this makes up most of the album. Unfortunately there are these eastern experimental interludes that disrupt the flow creating an uneven listen.

The Good

'Like it is' centers around a particularly effective 'sad' sax solo with a piano and intimate percussion.

'six miles next door' is swinging blues jazz.

'Othelia' is a swinging blues thing with a blazing sax solo, harmonica. As much a blues track as it is jazz. The swing borrows from a specific type of rock and roll of the era.

The bad

'Moon cup' is a let down after. Eastern in influence with cringey Cantonese singing that just doesn't work.

'Back home' continues the Eastern sound and I'm just not a fan.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Yusef-Lateef-The-Blue-Yusef-Lateef/release/376373

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3z7853uxgw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVhov-Y6ToI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSMVJTrUS4M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXN-P4qPl5U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPrOVvqIEBA

Spotify


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Yusef Lateef – The Blue Yusef Lateef

Description: Album Review of Yusef Lateef – The Blue Yusef Lateef


Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Lee Morgan – The Sidewinder

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★★☆☆☆ = Eh, fine

Sounds like?

Hard bop

Moods

Downtown

Thoughts

I'm torn on this, not really my thing but it's so good for what it is. I especially love Henderson's solos, feels like he's in prime form.

However I'm just not sure I'd put this on again, the title track made it onto a playlist but that's about as far as I'd go to revisit. I need to stop listening to hard bop.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Lee-Morgan-The-Sidewinder/release/579852

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJi03NqXfk8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12srcPirMeM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNK8E7Mwwk0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP5bkHfRYVU

Spotify


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Lee Morgan – The Sidewinder

Description: Album Review of Lee Morgan – The Sidewinder


Rating: 2 out of 5

 

Lee Morgan – Search For The New Land

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★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening

Sounds like?

real good hardbop

Moods

Peak creativity

Thoughts

here's what allmusic said about the session:

"the musicians are in particularly creative form on the fresh material, and they stretch the boundaries of hard bop (the modern mainstream jazz of the period). The result is a consistently stimulating set that rewards repeated listenings."

Stray observation: I've never thought of hard bop as a ‘new thing’ but it was not so long ago.

Anyways, focusing on the title track there is definitely a strong creative current that all inventive jazz strives for. Clocking in at roughly 15 minutes it encompasses just under half the album. It has this stop and go kind of momentum with the refrain opening into each of the solos. Reminds me of in a silent way where the song unfolds in these wave type parts, layering on top of each other.

The rest of the outing is pretty good hard bop but never captures that same high. Still the stellar ensemble ensures hard bop fans will leave pleased.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Lee-Morgan-Search-For-The-New-Land/release/1597082

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDfkkRa1VA8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2w909-pj3A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73rT4Gsh7nU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUNEFvQTAck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX73N9-hUeU

Spotify


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Lee Morgan – Search For The New Land

Description: Album Review of Lee Morgan – Search For The New Land


Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Lee Morgan – Caramba

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★★★☆☆ = Good!

Sounds like?

post bop

Moods

jivey dinner party

Thoughts

The title track stands out but the rest I thought was just ok, good from a post-bop perspective.

Great instrumentation, especially Morgan's trumpet playing, so it's hard not to enjoy if you're into jazz.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Lee-Morgan-Caramba/release/3094292

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArqJanZPY9A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXDRzy2Xip4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGn3HKIlj4s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBx9ktBnb4E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbTtUHi6bxM

Spotify


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Lee Morgan – Caramba

Description: Album Review of Lee Morgan – Caramba


Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Lee Morgan – The Gigolo

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★★★☆☆ = Good!

What’s it sound like?

Swinging Bop

Thoughts
An all around solid bop outing:

‘Yes I can, no you can’t’ starts things off strong with a number of melodic lines and quick tasteful solos from the band.

‘Trapped’ features a nice dueling solo between Lee and the sax player.

The self titled track is another good one perhaps best displaying the albums good playing without overdone flair.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Lee-Morgan-The-Gigolo/release/3263937

Listen!

Youtube


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHtIEMfBhss

Spotify

Miles Davis,John Coltrane – The Final Tour (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6)

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★★★★★ = Classic, essential listening

What’s it sound like?

Dude… it’s miles and trane

Thoughts

An excellent collection of live jazz. It’s dense for a straight-through listening session but for an abridged selection I’d probably pick a start with the Copenhagen tracks where things are a bit more melodic and playful then get into the Paris tracks. The solos in Paris, particularly from trane, are extra crunchy form, worth the price of admission just ‘on all of you’ where it’s putting his all in.

Can’t recommend this enough, some of my favorite live jazz.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Miles-Davis-John-Coltrane-The-Final-Tour-The-Bootleg-Series-Vol-6/release/11754340

Listen!

Spotify