The International (Part 1)

Time for another jazz voyage folks: a transcontinental trip with music from South Africa, New York by way of Italy and France, Yugoslavia (as it was then), England, Canada, and back to the US. No underlying theme this time, just a bunch of amazing records I can listen to over and over

The set starts with a great take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic from The Sound of Music. It’s hard to move beyond Coltrane with this, but Sergio Mendes and a few others do nice interpretations, and this is a beautiful guitar version from the guy who led organist Johnny Smith to record as Johnny ‘Hammond’ (Smith). Next is a rare piece of South African jazz Kippi Moeketsi later reprised as a funkier track with Jonas Gwangwa (I’ll put that in a mix one day), followed by a Mike Westbrook composition that really shows how incredible and distinct sounding British jazz could be in the 60’s and 70’s. (This is from the same LP as Original Peter, which wowed everyone when it was rediscovered in the 90’s.)

I’ve always had a thing for violin jazz, and Billy Bangs is as good as it gets. The track here was recorded in New York, mastered in Italy and made (apparently) in France. I just can’t decide if it’s better than his later live LP, songs from which show up in another mis I must post. After Billy, Duke Ellington contributes a heavy tune with a backbeat that could be on a hip hop record. Then we get an absolute monster from an obscure Canadian group hailing from London Ontario not London England. Jon Blair brings more violin in a record that’s got me through some bad times over the years. Another one I have Neil (RIP) to thank for, it reminds me of an evening the two of us spent in his dingy room in Gwydir Street smoking and listening to records and agreeing everything was going wrong but it didn’t matter.

After that it’s round the corner to Kingston Street for a record I picked up from Max Rees: a waltz (sort of) for Ollie. Without doubt my favorite Buddy Rich tune, I remember discovering it at Max’s, forcing him to play it in the shop, and Tara jumping up and down shouting, “A Love Supreme!”. Later it turned up as a sample (switched to 4/4) on a track from one of Bukem’s Earth boxes. Back across the Atlantic, there’s beautiful trumpet from Dusko Gojkovic released on the state-owned label in communist Yugoslavia. The set ends with fusion from Joe Sample and co that’s been sampled in several tunes from hip hop to acid jazz to nu jazz to nu disco – probably my favorite bassline of all time.

1. My Favorite Things – Johnny Smith
2. Switch – Chris McGregor & The Castle Lager Big Band
3. Love Song No. 1 – Mike Westbrook Concert Band
4. The Glow of Awareness – Billy Bang Sextet
5. Afrique – Duke Ellington
6. Destroy The Nihilistic Picnic – The London Experimental Jazz Quartet
7. I Don’t Know Why – Jon Blair
8. Group Shot – Buddy Rich
9. Quo Vadis Samba – Gojkovic – Kovacev
10. Whispering Pines – The Crusaders

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~ by ricardosevere on 08/26/2022.