Buddy Tate & Abdullah Ibrahim - Buddy Tate Meets Dollar Brand
Label: Chiaroscuro
Cat#: CR165
Jazz, USA/South Africa, 1977
Note: No audio again, so another walk-through which I found..
Initially a meeting between swing tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate and post-bop pianist Abdullah Ibrahim (still widely known as Dollar Brand in 1977 when this CD was recorded), this seems like a possible misfire. Instead, it proves to be an inspiration, as each player taught the other new music and they successfully blended their disparate jazz backgrounds into one outstanding album. The first track, “Goduka Mfundi,” is particularly interesting; it’s an original by Ibrahim that Tate and the rhythm section (drummer Roy Brooks and bassist Cecil McBee) had just learned prior to recording it, and the composer sits out this hypnotic African groove tune. The pianist’s other original is the tasty blues “Heyt Mazurki.” Tate’s quick tutoring of Ibrahim also pays off huge dividends, as “Doggin’ Around” is the most smoking performance of the date, while “Just You, Just Me” proves to be a unique mix of swing and African jazz. The remaining two quartet tracks are familiar turf to all parties. Tate’s soulful tone recalls Ben Webster in “Poor Butterfly,” though Ibrahim clearly steals the show with his well-disguised, dreamy introduction to Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood.” At this point Tate had to leave for a gig, and the date was completed as a trio. “Shrimp Boats,” a piece that Ibrahim recorded on several different occasions, is slow to develop but a very infectious chant-like work. The pianist actual chants along with the almost Middle Eastern-sounding introduction that eventually unfolds into John Lewis’ well-known “Django”; in fact, this ten-plus minute piece is nearly over by the time they segue into its theme, following McBee’s terrific arco bass solo and Brooks’ superb drum solo. It’s a shame there wasn’t an encore meeting between Ibrahim and Tate following the making of this memorable disc. -Answers
Hal Galper - Inner Journey
Label: Mainstream
Cat#: MRL 398
Jazz/Fusion, USA, 1973
Note: Can’t find any audio for this on the net so I’ll just copy paste a short walk-through of the album which I found a while back…
Hal Galper’s third album as a leader, which also was his third and final recording for the Mainstream label, finds him making a bit of a change. It was at this point in his career that he made a clean break from playing electric piano at all, becoming exclusively an acoustic pianist. With bassist Dave Holland and drummer Bill Goodwin (the latter with whom he would be reunited for a few years when he replaced Mike Melillo in Phil Woods’ group) Galper delves extensively into a challenging set of originals, beginning with the introspective, driving &”Inner Journey.” The leader’s approach to the standard &”My Funny Valentine” is far darker than typical arrangements, with plenty of twists thrown in for good measure. At the end of the disc, on both the album jacket and the record label, the last two songs are not heard in the order shown in print. Galper’s cerebral &”Wandering Spirit” precedes, not follows, Duke Ellington’s &”Take the Coltrane” (which is misidentified as &”Taking the Coltrane”). The pianist’s rapid-fire treatment of Ellington’s blues riff takes an adventurous path, with plenty of solo space for Holland and a series of breaks by Galper and Goodwin. With the demise of Mainstream, this LP is getting more difficult to acquire and it remains one of the very best recording from Hal Galper’s early days as a leader. -starpulse
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