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From: mfs@mhuxr.UUCP (SIMON)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Reissues: On the Blue Note Trail (4 of 6)
Message-ID: <350@mhuxr.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 15-Jun-85 13:23:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: mhuxr.350
Posted: Sat Jun 15 13:23:28 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Jun-85 00:55:09 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 61

Thelonious Monk: GENIUS OF MODERN MUSIC Volumes 1 and 2 (1954)
These two records are the LP versions of tunes issued as 7" 33 RPM
and 10-12" 78s between 1947 and 1951. They have limitations in that
only a relatvely small fraction of Monk's recordings of that time are
on them. Their re-issue, THE COMPLETE GENIUS (1976 double LP) or
better yet, THE COMPLETE BLUE NOTE RECORDINGS OF THELONIOUS MONK,
on the mail-order label Mosaic (1341 Ocean Ave, Suite 1341, Santa Monica,
CA 90401.) No matter, these two volumes are not to bew missed. Here are the
key first Monk-led sessions, with the originals of classics like "Round
Midnight", "Off Minor", "Misterioso", "Epistrophy", "Let's Cool One", "In
Walked Bud", "Straight No Chaser", "Evidence"...... There are some
stunning examples of Monk's piano playing: his debt t stride in "Thelonious",
his habit of reeling off whole tone runs in "Evidence" and others.
If you can't find the others (COMPLETE GENIUS is out of print), by all means
pick these up!

Lee Morgan: THE SIDEWINDER (1964)
The title tune was a huge hit in the mid-sixties. It is an irresistible
modal vamp built on two notes, with some incandescent soloing by the
leader, tenor man Joe Henderson and pianist Barry harris, with
Billy Higgins anchoring things.

Herbie Nichols: THE HERBIE NICHOLS TRIO (1956)
Nichols was that tragic figure: the ignored creative artist. His music
was despised during his lifetime, which forced him to play cocktail
lounges to put food on the table. No one would record him, so there are
only glimpses of his talent avalable. Simply put, he anticipated the
next ten years  of jazz development, the first to grow beyond
bebop cliches and constraints. This LP collects his Blue Note work
(there is another album on Bethlehem) and is superb, from the odd
67 bar structure of "The Gig" to the converging strains of "Hangover
Triangle". With Max Roach on drums.

Bud Powell: THE AMAZING BUD POWELL Volume 1 and 2 (1953)
I know I am repeating myself, but these are also classic sessions.
Powell was, simply, THE BEST bebop pianist, and these sessions catch
him at his peak, before the mental disorders and alcohol excesses
were to undermine him. Here then are "Un Poco Loco", "Dance of the Infidels",
"Parisian Thoroughfare", "Polka Dots and Moobeams", as well as
incendiary versions of "Night in Tunisia", "Ornithology", "52nd
Street Theme", etc. The piano trios with Max Roach and Curley Russell
would be sufficient to assure these tunes of immortality, butwe also
get the added bonus of several tunes with a Fats Navarro, Roy Haynes,
and a very young Sonny Rollins.

Ike Quebec: BLUE AND SENTIMENTAL (1961)
Re-issuing classics is a safe and sound, but albums like these really
warm the heart toward a program. Quebec was an old swing tenor man
who got caught in the bebop revolution. In trying to absorb the younger
generation, he wound up dropping through the cracks, woodshedding and
playing small clubs in nowhere places. He ran into pianist Sonny
Clark, who brought him in to record. Blue Note owner was impressed
and offered him a contract. He promptly recorded HEAVY SOUL,
which as of yet is still out of print. This one followed a yesr later,
with the much more sympathetic rhythm team of Paul Chambers and Philly
Joe Jones. Grant Green's guitar was the chording instrument. Green
also provided the beautiful Charlie Christian tribute "Blues for Charlie"
Quebec himself does a masterful job on the ballads, like the title tune
and "Don't take your love away from me." He was squarely in the Coleman Hawkins
school of the tenor sax, with a hard boiled tone that opened to reveal a
heart of gold on ballads. An extremely enjoyable album.