Gerry Mulligan - The Original Quartet With Chet Baker (1998), Pacific Jazz CD CDP 7243 4 94407 2 2

 

Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker's original quartet recordings are a landmark in the history of west coast jazz. And while I claim to be a fan of the genre and have quite a few Mulligan albums as well as a couple of Mosaic box sets (one of which includes his late 1950s "reunion" recordings with Baker), I did not until now own any version of these seminal recordings. So it goes without saying, this collection was a serious must-have. This 2-disc collection is in some sense an abbreviated (and much cheaper) version of the Mosaic 5-LP or 3-CD of Mulligan and Baker's complete quartet and tentette recordings: Disc 1 here exactly matches the first disc of the 3-CD Mosaic set, and Disc 2 here exactly matches the Mosaic Disc 2 except that it omits "Festive Minor" and "All the Things You Are." While Baker may have been the poster boy for west coast or "cool" jazz in the 1950s, Mulligan, as composer and arranger, was one of the primary brains of the style, having been there at the outset playing and contributing to Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool recordings (which were made in New York, by the way) only a few years before the 1952-53 recordings on this set. Although a few of the tracks here include piano, played either by Mulligan in a trio without Baker or by Jimmy Rowles in a quartet without drums, Mulligan's quartet with Baker was considered innovative at the time by omitting the piano.

These recordings really emphasize the more highly arranged "chamber jazz" aspect of the west coast style, but with the minimalist personnel of the quartet, there is still room for Baker and Mulligan to display their improvisational soloing skills, even on the earlier recordings that typically run about 3 minutes or less. While I generally am not a fan of all the previously unissued alternate takes included on the exhaustive Mosaic box sets, largely because the master and alternate(s) differ very little, this set benefits from including both the 10" LP and 12" LP versions of three selections on Disc 2 because the arrangements are vastly different. In general, the 10" versions are a lot edgier than the 12" versions, particularly on a piece like Duke Ellington's "I'm Beginning to See the Light," which begins with an unusual emphasis and de-emphasis of certain notes in the opening rendition of the melody, along with some slightly discordant chords by Mulligan and Baker together throughout. The 12" version smoothes this approach away, giving a more traditional version of the melody. The set ends with the quartet's classic version of "My Funny Valentine," perhaps their best-known collaboration and a fitting end to a partnership that lasted only two years, cut short by Mulligan's incarceration on drug charges. But the music they made together during this brief stint influenced anyone making jazz on the west coast for the rest of the decade.

Do I Really Need This record?  Not only is this set absolutely essential, but I am intrigued by the other titles in the West Coast Classics series advertised on the inside of the tray card and may have to add them to the collection as well, particularly the Jack Sheldon and Bud Shank/Bill Perkins entries.

 

 

Spanish Harlem Orchestra - United We Swing (2007), Six Degrees Records CD 657036-1134-2

I first heard this album when I was working as the Music Librarian for KOOP Radio in Austin, Texas in 2007, and we received a promo copy for our Music Library. I have been a fan of Latin salsa and Afro-Cuban music in general for some time, so I was blown away by this contemporary large ensemble playing classic rumbas, Cuban sons, and other Afro-Latin styles with such a classic/retro touch and precision. Led by Oscar Hernandez, who also arranges most of the tunes on this disc, this is a 14-member Latin big band with three vocalists as well as multiple trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and a full complement of various percussion instruments. If you like the classic sounds of Machito, Tito Puente's larger groups, Tito Rodriguez, Beny More, etc., then you will definitely dig this group. This is their third full-length, and they released their seventh and latest just last year.

Most of the cuts on this disc are up-tempo salsa dura numbers, featuring call-and-response vocals between the lead singer and the other two vocalists. "Que Bonito" veers a tinge toward a more Latin pop direction, and the closer is a cover of Paul Simon's "Late in the Evening" with Simon making a guest cameo on vocals. This has never been one of my favorite Simon compositions, so it's definitely the weakest track on the disc--good thing they put it last. Reviewing the CD for allmusic.com, Jeff Tamarkin concurs with my opinion and is effusive in his praise of the rest of the album, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Tropical Latin Album of 2007. This group does classic Latin right.

Do I Really Need This record?  Considering that my previous copy of this album was a rip I had made of the promo copy mentioned above, I really needed to upgrade to the manufactured CD version, which I snapped up when I saw it offered for $7 on the Dusty Groove web site. Sonic upgrades are always a necessity, and they don't take up any extra shelf space since they are merely replacements, not additions.

 

 

Neil Diamond - Hot August Night (1973), MCA 2-8000, Gloversville pressing

 

I love early Neil Diamond, particularly his material from the years recording for Bang Records, but I am not a fan of his later schlocky material, which, sadly, makes up the bulk of his career. This double LP live album originally released in 1972 is situated right at the point when he was sliding from great songwriter to purveyor of pap, and the set list reflects this. (My copy is the 1973 reissue Gloversville pressing distinguished by labels showing Diamond amidst a sea of stage lights instead of the standard MCA corporate labels.) Alongside great compositions like "Solitary Man," "Cherry Cherry," and "Red Red Wine" we get "Play Me," "I Am---I Said," and the sing-songy "Song Sung Blue," which, of course, he tries to get the audience to sing along. There are also his attempts at being a comedian and bombing horribly on "Porcupine Pie" and "Soggy Pretzels" (for this facet of his persona, I would have preferred "Knackeflerg" or "The Pot Song" from his LP Velvet Gloves and Spit). The album was a huge hit, going double platinum in the U.S. while reaching #5 on the Billboard charts, and was extremely popular in Australia, of all places, topping the album charts for months. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, reviewer for allmusic.com, calls it "the ultimate Neil Diamond record" precisely because it captures all the various facets of Diamond--the "glitz," the "kitsch," and his genius and madness as a songwriter.

But I have to say that it just doesn't work for me. The performances on the better songs are overwrought, punctuated by grunts and vocal-cord-shredding oversinging, making them far inferior to the more restrained studio versions. The 1983 compilation Classics: The Early Years probably has all the Diamond I need, with one exception--"Sweet Caroline," which is included on Hot August Night but given a somewhat tame arrangement, odd given how Diamond milks songs like "Cherry Cherry" for maximum effect. I had never owned this record before snatching this remarkably clean copy from Half Price Books for the modest price of $8, and I have to admit that the audio fidelity is better than I expected, particularly for a live recording. Also hearing it in this budget-priced version has saved me from pursuing a ridiculously priced audiophile version, such as the 1980 Mobile Fidelity vinyl release, so the purchase of this version hasn't been a total waste. But when I find myself in the mood for a little Neil, this won't be my first choice.

Do I Really Need This record?  I have to admit this is not an essential addition to the collection, and I was able to squeeze this onto the shelves only by removing a couple of snoozy Bert Kaempfert LPs that I probably also would rarely if ever play again considering that I have several more perky albums of his. At some point, Hot August Night may join the Kaempfert subtractions on the sale pile if I run across something else that I want more but don't have room for.

 

Roberta Flack - Chapter Two (1970) Atlantic, Specialty Records Corporation pressing

 

I've already sung the praises of Roberta Flack when I reviewed her next album after this one, Quiet Fire. Chapter Two was her second album after the breakout success of First Take, and it follows essentially the same formula that continued on with Quiet Fire: she opens with a righteously funky track with spiritual overtones, in this case "Reverend Lee" about the sexual temptations of the flesh, before settling into quieter but delicately beautiful ballads for the rest of the album, many of them thoughtful reworkings of well-known standards. Here she tackles Dylan's "Just Like a Woman," Buffy St. Marie's "Until It's Time for You to Go," and two of the corniest standards of the 1960s--"Let It Be Me" and "The Impossible Dream." Perhaps this is why allmusic.com gave this LP just 4 stars, whereas First Take got 5 and Quiet Fire received 4½. But it's a testament to Flack's gifts as a performer and Donnie Hathaway's and Eumir Deodato's as arrangers that these two schlocky bromides are turned from ugly ducklings into swans. I wouldn't go so far as to say they are my favorite tracks on the album, but just making them not embarrassing is a monumental achievement, and they actually fit in well with the other selections here in terms of tone and style. The album closes with a somber and cynical anti-war dirge "Business Goes On as Usual" that is just as fitting today as it was 50 years ago. In short, though this record may be the lowest rated of her first four albums, it is just as essential.

Like my copy of Quiet Fire, this is another Specialty Records Corporation pressing, designated by an "SP" at the end of the label code on both the Side 1 and Side 2 labels. I thought the audio fidelity of this record was actually better than on my copy of Quiet Fire, and I did not notice any wow and flutter issues as with the other record. Generally, I have not found Atlantic releases from this era to be OK but not exceptional, though I don't own any Monarch pressings and perhaps that would change things. Still, this is a nice-sounding record I can see myself enjoying on repeated listens.

Do I Really Need This record?  Now that Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth has left the 1970s vinyl record section, I have room for this one to squeeze in, and since it completes my run of Flack's first four solo LPs, clearly the high point of her career, this is an essential addition.