For his second album, Symphony for Improvisers, Don Cherry expanded his Complete Communion quartet — tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri, bassist Henry Grimes, and drummer Ed Blackwell — to a septet, adding vibraphonist Karl Berger, bassist Jean François Jenny-Clark, and tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders (who frequently plays piccolo here). The…
Not counting a couple of sessions he co-led with John Coltrane and Albert Ayler, Complete Communion was the first album Don Cherry recorded as a leader following his departure from the Ornette Coleman Quartet. It was also one of the earliest showcases for the Argentinian tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri,…
Recorded during the same session that resulted in the Love Call album (in late April and early May of 1968), New York Is Now is one of the true curiosity pieces in Ornette’s catalog. With a rhythm section comprised of ex-Coltrane sidemen Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones as well…
Ornette Coleman’s 1965 trio with bassist David Izenzon and drummer Charles Moffett is easily the most underrated of all his bands. Coming off the light of the famed quartet in which Don Cherry, Eddie Blackwell, and Charlie Haden shone, anything might have looked a bit dimmer, it’s true. But…
Ornette Coleman’s 1965 trio with bassist David Izenzon and drummer Charles Moffett is easily the most underrated of all his bands. Coming off the light of the famed quartet in which Don Cherry, Eddie Blackwell, and Charlie Haden shone, anything might have looked a bit dimmer, it’s true. But…
Most John Patton albums are hard-driving, edgy soul-jazz and funk, and the title of Accent on the Blues makes the record seem like it would be no different than his other sessions. Of course, that isn’t the case. Accent on the Blues is among the most atmospheric music Patton…
Patton with saxman Harold Alexander and drums. Alexander is playing sax that is just a tad too “out” for an organ combo than is standard for soul jazz, thus turning the sound toward something other than a real groove. If you like progressive sax, you might be able to…
Grant Green always brought out the best in Big John Patton. Almost any record that featured the guitarist and organist was dominated by their scintillating interplay, and it always sounded like they were trying to top each other’s blistering, funky solos. Patton and Green rarely sounded better than they…
By the time John Patton recorded Along Came John, his debut as a leader, he had already become a familiar name around the Blue Note studios. He, guitarist Grant Green, and drummer Ben Dixon had become the label’s regular soul-jazz rhythm section, playing on sessions by Lou Donaldson, Don…
