In lieu of a Full Album or Full Concert Friday, here is the Bob James Trio, reimagining Elton John's classic "Rocket Man" as a jazz instrumental. Dig it.
Another tune from their 2019 Seattle, Washington studio sessions. Here is the Bob James Trio with "Bulgogi" featuring Bob James on piano, Michael Palazzolo on double bass, and Billy Kilson on drums.
From his 2018 "Espresso" record, here is Bob James and his trio performing a groovy number (which he did play live at The Dakota last Friday night I might add), called "Topside". Dig it.
From his 1974 record "One", here is Bob James' cover of Roberta Flack's ballad "Feel Like Making Love". This is a tune that was featured in the live show his trio played at The Dakota, last Friday night, that yours truly attended. Check it out.
For six decades, jazz piano legend Bob James has captivated audiences with his ability to bridge classic and contemporary jazz in his recordings. This is why his popularity and staying power, remains. Friday night at The Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis, with James on grand and electric piano, Michael Palazzolo on upright bass, and drummer, James Adkins, the trio showed their musical prowess in spades. Many of James' popular records that spanned the decade of the 1970s from 1974-'79, featuring large orchestras and lush arrangements with the rhythm section as well as strings and brass, and plenty of it. At Friday's gig at The Dakota, the arrangements were such that it gave the trio room to serve the tunes in an entirely different, more intimate setting than what one would hear on the records, most of which during James' early career, featured numbers, from One, to Four, recorded in consecutive years between 1974 and '77.
Palazzolo and Adkins provided a strong framework for James' piano arrangements and brought a new and different dimension to some of his most seminal work, compositions that dotted the setlist such as "Nautilus", "Mind Games", from his 1997 "Playin' Hooky" record, James' cover of Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love", and the ever-popular encore of the set, James' theme "Angela" from the television show "Taxi". Interspersed between these legendary chestnuts of James' catalog were newer, more contemporary numbers, that maintained the same vibe of a laid-back groove but with excellent musicianship from the trio, which James' compositions require. It is music that may sound really chilled out, and it is, to be sure. But the arrangements are indeed bang on the money and right in the old pocket. They are common to the music that Bob James has composed, arranged and recorded in his entire career. His trademark melds complexity with familiarity, where they are written in such a way to perk a listener's ear as a catchy melody, and to make diehard musicians say, "check this out! This is cool!"
This was also in evidence on "Mr. Magic", a James tune, that was made popular, by his contemporary in the "smooth jazz" lexicon, so-called, the late, great tenor sax man, Grover Washington Jr. The newer tracks played by the band had a real vibe and of the lot, the most notable had to be the tune "Topside" released on James' 2018 "Espresso" record. James even wondered aloud to the audience, about the popularity of his music among hip-hop and rap artists, who have many a time, sampled one of his tunes for their beats and the like, quipping "of all the artists you could choose to sample for your tunes, why me?" Maybe it is that cool factor mentioned at the end of the above paragraph. For more than six decades, Bob James has been putting his own twist on jazz and it is sure to please the ears of diehard fans and of new listeners alike.
This week, Full Concert Friday features Bob James live at the 1985 Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland. The band lineup is:
Bob James: keyboards (grand piano, Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha DX7 synthesizer)
Dean Brown: guitar
Kirk Whalum: tenor & soprano saxophones, flute on "Angela" (Theme from "Taxi")
Gary King: bass
Harvey Mason: drums
Dennis Henderson: percussion
The track listing is:
1. Touchdown
2, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby
3. Night Crawler
4. Unicorn
5. Westchester Lady
6. Zebra Man
7. Angela (Theme from "Taxi")
8. Winding River
9. Medley: Spunky/Westchester Lady
This concert is a treasure in that it displays Bob James, Kirk Whalum and others in their prime. While the video is not the best and the sound is not state of the art, both are good enough for one to enjoy the skills these artists possess. I did not know how much Kirk Whalum influenced the Bob James sound. He has so much energy in his playing, it's infectious. If you want to see the real Bob James, this is the one to watch. The improvisation and overall playing is the best you will see from him and the other artist playing with him. I've only watched this one once, but I was overwhelmed by what I saw in these musicians. We should thank the folks at Montreux for having the foresight to preserve these artist performances. Robert G. Raynor, Jr.
Song written by Lachy Doley. Lachy's EPIC slow burning love ballad 'STILL IN LOVE' like you've never witnessed before. After a 14 month break from the stage LACHY DOLEY returned to the amazing Blues on Broadbeach festival on May 21, 2021 in the Gold Coast, Australia.
Another video from Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack. This comes from a concert featured a while ago on Full Concert Friday. From the 1990 Mellon Jazz Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hancock and his quartet tackle Miles Davis' composition, "Solar". The quartet includes Hancock on piano, Pat Metheny on guitar, Dave Holland on double bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums.
Hard to say if on this specific track, all these musicians played on it. It could be. The drums sound like a sample or a drum machine, although they could be filtered through something in the mix as well.
Another Full Album Friday, featuring more from the late, great jazz pianist, Barry Harris. Released in Japan on the Riverside Records label, in 1976, here is "At The Jazz Workshop: Live in San Francisco" which is a live show dating back to 1961, featuring Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on double bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. It features standards written by jazz greats such as Louis Jordan, Charlie Parker, Gene de Paul & Don Raye, Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields, and some of Harris' own work.
From their latest record "Heavy Load Blues", here is Gov't Mule, with another cut off the record (Warren Haynes on guitar and vocals, Danny Louis on keyboards and vocals, Jorgen Carlsson on bass, and Matt Abts on drums). The tune is "Make It Rain".
More tributes from Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack to James "Mtume" Forman, percussionist with Miles Davis.
Miles Davis, "What I Say", Oslo, Norway 1971 11 09. Miles Davis, trumpet, Gary Bartz, soprano sax, Keith Jarrett, keyboards, Mtume, percussion, Michael Henderson Bass, Ndugu, Drums.
James Forman (January 3, 1946 – January 9, 2022), known professionally as James Mtume, was an American jazz and R&B musician, songwriter, record producer, activist, and radio personality.
He came to prominence as a jazz musician, working with Miles Davis between 1971 and 1975. Mtume's R&B group, also called Mtume, is best known for the 1983 R&B hit song "Juicy Fruit", which has been repeatedly sampled. Mtume the band also had a top-five R&B hit with the single "You, Me, and He".
James Forman was born and raised in South Philadelphia. He was the son of jazz saxophonist Jimmy Heath, but was raised by his stepfather, a Philadelphia local jazz pianist, James "Hen Gates" Forman.
Mtume grew up in a musical environment with jazz musicians frequenting his parents' house. He learned to play piano and percussion; however, from his teenage years he was pursuing athletics as a swimmer, having achieved the title of the first black Middle Atlantic AAU champion in the backstroke, and in 1966 he entered Pasadena City College on a swimming scholarship.
In 1966, Mtume joined the US Organization, a Black empowerment group founded by Hakim Jamal and Maulana Karenga, while a student at Pasadena City College. Mtume received his name, which means "messenger" in Swahili, from Karenga who gave members of the organization names to match their personality traits. He was part of that group that celebrated the first Kwanzaa in 1966. In 1967 he co-edited The Quotable Karenga with Clyde Halisi, which has been called "the best expression of Karenga's ideas". Mtume left the US Organisation in 1969.
Mtume made two albums, Kawaida and Alekebulan: Land of the Blacks, intended to merge jazz and cultural identity. Kawaida, which was recorded in December 1969, was Mtume's professional debut. He contributed four out of five compositions and was credited with naming the album which means "norm" in Swahili and represented the practice and philosophy of pan-African identity. Performers on the album included Don Cherry, Herbie Hancock, Biily Bonner and his uncle Albert Heath.
After his return from the West Coast he moved to New York and had his first gigs as a sideman for McCoy Tyner (Asante album), Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, whose group he wound up joining and playing in for the next few years.
He and Mtume band member, fellow musician Reggie Lucas both won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for writing and producing fellow R&B artist Stephanie Mills' top-ten hit "Never Knew Love Like This Before", for which she also won a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
He also worked as a session musician with Players Association, and did on-air radio personality work at New York City's KISS 98.7 FM. As a songwriter, Mtume wrote hits for various artists such as Phyllis Hyman, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Stephanie Mills, R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige, Teddy Pendergrass, Inner City, as well as being lead songwriter for his own band Mtume.
In July 2018, Mtume filed a lawsuit against Sony Music/Epic Records, hoping to reclaim the rights for two albums and his hit single "Juicy Fruit". Mtume claimed to hold the sole copyright of these recordings, while Sony insisted that the albums were made for hire.
Miles Davis in Norway, 1971 with Miles on trumpet, Gary Bartz, saxes, Michael Henderson, bass, Ndugu, drums, Mtume and Don Alias, percussion and Keith Jarrett, keyboards.
James Forman (January 3, 1946 – January 9, 2022), known professionally as James Mtume, was an American jazz and R&B musician, songwriter, record producer, activist, and radio personality.
He came to prominence as a jazz musician, working with Miles Davis between 1971 and 1975. Mtume's R&B group, also called Mtume, is best known for the 1983 R&B hit song "Juicy Fruit", which has been repeatedly sampled. Mtume the band also had a top-five R&B hit with the single "You, Me, and He".
As sideman
With Gato Barbieri
Under Fire (Flying Dutchman, 1971 [1973])
Bolivia (Flying Dutchman, 1973)
With Miles Davis
On the Corner (Columbia, 1972)
In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall (Columbia, 1973)
Big Fun (Columbia, 1974)
Get Up with It (Columbia, 1974)
Dark Magus (Columbia, 1974)
Agharta (Columbia, 1975)
Pangaea (Columbia, 1975)
The Complete On the Corner Sessions (Columbia, 2007)
Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (Columbia Legacy, 2015)
With Art Farmer
Homecoming (Mainstream, 1971)
With Carlos Garnett
Black Love (Muse, 1974)
With Jimmy Heath
The Gap Sealer (Muse, 1973)
The Time and the Place (Landmark, 1974 [1994])
With Eddie Henderson
Heritage (Blue Note, 1976)
Comin' Through (Capitol, 1977)
Mahal (Capitol, 1978)
with Harold Land
A New Shade of Blue (Mainstream, 1971)
With Azar Lawrence
Bridge into the New Age (Prestige, 1974)
With Lonnie Liston Smith
Astral Traveling (Flying Dutchman, 1973)
With James Spaulding
James Spaulding Plays the Legacy of Duke Ellington (Storyville, 1977)
With McCoy Tyner
Asante (Blue Note, 1970)
Handscapes 2 (Strata-East, 1975)
With Buddy Terry
Awareness (Mainstream, 1971)
Pure Dynamite (Mainstream, 1972)As sideman
With Gato Barbieri
Under Fire (Flying Dutchman, 1971 [1973])
Bolivia (Flying Dutchman, 1973)
With Miles Davis
On the Corner (Columbia, 1972)
In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall (Columbia, 1973)
Big Fun (Columbia, 1974)
Get Up with It (Columbia, 1974)
Dark Magus (Columbia, 1974)
Agharta (Columbia, 1975)
Pangaea (Columbia, 1975)
The Complete On the Corner Sessions (Columbia, 2007)
Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (Columbia Legacy, 2015)
With Art Farmer
Homecoming (Mainstream, 1971)
With Carlos Garnett
Black Love (Muse, 1974)
With Jimmy Heath
The Gap Sealer (Muse, 1973)
The Time and the Place (Landmark, 1974 [1994])
With Eddie Henderson
Heritage (Blue Note, 1976)
Comin' Through (Capitol, 1977)
Mahal (Capitol, 1978)
with Harold Land
A New Shade of Blue (Mainstream, 1971)
With Azar Lawrence
Bridge into the New Age (Prestige, 1974)
With Lonnie Liston Smith
Astral Traveling (Flying Dutchman, 1973)
With James Spaulding
James Spaulding Plays the Legacy of Duke Ellington (Storyville, 1977)
From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack, here is a great performance by Sonny Stitt on alto saxophone at the Giants of Jazz concert at Lucerno Hall in Prague, Czech Republic (known as Czechoslovakia in those times). The featured band includes Sonny Stitt on alto saxophone, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Kai Winding on trombone, Thelonius Monk on piano, Al McKibbon on bass, and Art Blakey on drums, showcasing Sonny Stitt, really as the featured player on this piece.
From their 1987 record "Four Corners" here's The Yellowjackets with the tune "Mile High" which features their core lineup of Russell Ferrante on keyboards, Jimmy Haslip on bass, Marc Russo on alto saxophone, and William Kennedy on drums and percussion.
Full Album Friday this week, features The Barry Harris Trio and the complete Live in Tokyo record, recorded in 1976. The band includes Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Leroy Williams on drums. The track listing is:
1. Like Someone In Love
2, Ornithology
3. Salt Peanuts
4. A Soft Spot
5. 'Round Midnight
6. A Night In Tunisia
7. Ornithology
8. Tea For Two
9. Dance of The Infidels
10. I'll Remember April
11. Fukai Aijo
12. Un Poco Loco
Harris performs some of his own compositions. But he also pays tributes to those by other legends of jazz such as Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Thelonius Monk.
From "The Ninth Cube" as it were (I think it is really Madison Square Garden in New York City on New Year's Eve), here is Phish performing "Slave To The Traffic Light".
Studio and live versions of Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" released as a single in 1983 on Columbia Records. Hancock plays all the instruments on this track which he produced, and wrote along with Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn. Hancock plays the following instruments on "Rockit". Fairlight & Minimoog synthesizers, Rhodes Chroma electric piano, Sennheiser vocoder, Hohner Clavinet, E-mu Systems digital synthesizer, and the Doctor Click rhythm controller which provides the electronic drums and the turntable scratching.
We lost a number of people in our global Jazz community in 2021. They may have dropped their bodies, but their spirits remain. And their music is eternal. If I missed anyone, please leave their names in the comments to this video. Music: Goodbye (Gordon Jenkins) Julian Milkis - Clarinet, Mikhail Kopelman - violin, Päivyt Meller - violin, Ulla Soinne - viola, Seppo Kimanen - cello. Arranged by Dick Hyman Recorded at Sibelius Academy of Music on November 24, 2012 by ABG World Video and Audio Production.
