It’s a music industry trope, of course, that artists’ ghosts never rest. A musician or band will always have their archives pilfered, for better or worse. Fortunately, jazz artists are in a good position for this – the improvisatory nature of their work means that every performance of a tune will be different from those that came before, as well as those that will come after. That makes the work of Resonance Records and their curator Zev Feldman (AKA the Jazz Detective) easy, as this latest round of concert recordings from classic jazz players displays.
Charles Mingus’ In Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts captures a little recorded quintet from the last years of the great bassist/composer’s life. Recorded in 1977 with trumpeter Jack Walrath, saxophonist Ricky Ford, pianist Robert Neloms, and drummer Dannie Richmond, the concerts documented here show a band that’s tight, tempered, and in full flight. Ford and Walrath lead the melodic way for the most part, highlighting Mingus’ way with a catchy riff, while Neloms adeptly fills the extra-large shoes of Don Pullen (no mean feat) and the Mingus/Richmond rhythm section – one of the most symbiotic in jazz – holds it down. The band revisits some of the expected classics – “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” “Fables of Faubus” – but the spotlight shines most firmly on late-period compositions like “For Harry Carney,” Noddin Ya Head Blues,” “Three or Four Shades of Blues,” and a particularly expansive and exciting “Cumbia and Jazz Fusion.” The set is rounded out by a couple of piano improvisations from the maestro – a side of Mingus often forgotten. The disks highlight strong performances from a period often overlooked in his history.
Resonance was right to title its Freddie Hubbard release On Fire – an accurate description of the 1967 performance, from NYC’s semi-legendary Blue Morocco, contained therein. Joined by a powerhouse band (Bennie Maupin on sax, Freddie Watts on drums, Herbie Lewis on bass, and the incomparable Kenny Barron on the piano), the trumpet master blazes through this 1967 set of hard bopping original songs and choice standards like he’s just remembered how good he is. With several tracks creeping up nearly to the half-hour mark, the musicians have a chance to really stretch out – an opportunity of which Maupin, Barron, and especially Hubbard make the most. The tunes soar, the melodies swing, and the performances reach for the stars. Songs like “Up Jumped Spring” and “Crisis” – both smartly placed at the beginning – and an epic take on the standard “Bye Bye Blackbird” lay out not only what Hubbard and his pals were capable of, but also what they were about: melodic tunes turbocharged by brilliant players who absolutely love their jobs.
Also recorded at the Blue Morocco in 1967, Kenny Dorham’s Blue Bossa in the Bronx documents a time when the great trumpeter was heading into the final period of his career. The very definition of underrated, Dorham was beloved by his peers, as noted by his work as a sideman with folks like Charlie Parker, Joe Henderson, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, and the Jazz Messengers. Despite some fine albums as a leader, including the now-acknowledged classics Whistle Stop and Afro-Cuban, he never broke out into the major jazz stardom which many felt was his due. Listening to this terrific live set, it’s difficult to understand why. While he didn’t have the pure fire of Freddie Hubbard or the enigmatic charisma of Miles Davis, he was tasteful, melodic, energetic, and steadfast – the epitome of that transitional period between bebop and hard bop. Backed by a stellar group, including pianist Cedar Walton, equally underrated saxophonist Sonny Red,, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Denis Charles, Dorham is at his bopping best, playing sharp solos, generously sharing the spotlight, and basically being exactly the kind of great bandleader that made jazz in the sixties shine. Spin or stream the superb rendition of “Blue Bossa,” Dorham’s contribution to the jazz standard songbook, or the band’s rendition of Milt Jackson’s “Bag’s Groove,” and be hooked on this record immediately.
