Elmore James • Shake Your Money Maker The Best Of The Fire Sessions

Elmore James (27 de enero, 1918 – 24 de mayo de 1963) fue un guitarrista de blues estadounidense, considerado el padre de la bottleneck guitar o slide guitar.

Comenzó su carrera musical en Misisipi junto al armonicista Rice Miller (más conocido como Sonny Boy Williamson), con el que permaneció varios años hasta que consiguió su primer contrato de grabación en 1951. Fue entonces cuando se trasladó a Chicago, donde inició su andadura en solitario acompañado del grupo "The Broomdusters". Falleció el 24 de mayo de 1963 de un ataque al corazón.

Su estilo sin trabas y apasionado se distinguía por el sonido característico del slide blues, que puede apreciarse en canciones como "Dust my broom", "I Believe" o "It hurts me too". El sonido de James ha influenciado a músicos de blues y rock como Jeremy Spencer de Fleetwood Mac, Brian Jones de The Rolling Stones, Alan Wilson de Canned Heat, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Michael Bloomfield, Duane Allman o John Mayall. Es nombrado por los Beatles en la canción For You Blue del disco Let It Be.

Autor de una considerable cantidad de clásicos del blues, muchas de esa piezas fueron posteriormente versionadas por grandes del rock y del blues. “Dust my broom” fue grabado por Fleetwood Mac, “Bleeding Heart” por Jimi Hendrix, “Rollin´n´tumblin” por Canned Heat y Eric Clapton entre otros.

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Elmore James was an American blues slide guitarist and singer who recorded from 1951 until 1963. As with most blues artists of his era, James' recordings were issued as two-song record singles in the then-standard ten-inch 78 rpm and seven-inch 45 rpm formats. James recorded for several record companies, beginning with Trumpet Records in 1951. From 1952 to 1956, he recorded for the Bihari brothers, who issued singles on their Meteor, Flair, and Modern labels. From 1959 to 1963, he recorded for Fire Records. Along the way, James also recorded some songs which appeared on Chess Records and Chief Records, and as a sideman.

After his death in 1963, Elmore James' former companies began re-issuing a number of his singles on subsidiaries and leasing them out to other companies. These various labels also began releasing numerous compilation albums, often with significant overlap in song selection. With the advent of compact discs, this trend continued. However, some box sets have appeared that collect most or all of James' recordings for a particular label or time period.

Shall We Play That One Together ʔː The Life and Art of Jazz Piano Legend Marian McPartland

 

In a world dominated by men, Marian McPartland distinguished herself as one of the greatest jazz pianists of her age

Born in the UK as Margaret Marian Turner, Marian McPartland learned to play classical piano, but was passionately attracted to the rhythms of American jazz. Entertaining troops in WWII Europe, she met her future husband, Jimmy McPartland, a cocky young trumpet player who was the protege of the great Bix Beiderbecke. They were married and, together, they made jazz history. At first, Marian played second fiddle to Jimmy in Chicago, but when they moved to New York, Marian and her trio took up residence at the famous Hickory House where she thrilled the crowds from her perch on a stage in the middle of large oval bar. From there she went on to triumphs at places like the Montreaux Jazz Festival. Possibly, her greatest accomplishment was the creation of NPR's long-running show Piano Jazz.

More than the life story of one of our greatest artists, Shall We Play That One Together? by Paul de Barros chronicles an age when jazz was a vital art form. Just as inviting as Marian's signature question on Piano Jazz, Shall We Play That One Together? is an invitation to readers everywhere to listen to the score of a bygone age.

 

Bobby Pierce • Introducing Bobby Pierce

 

It was rather late to introduce a Hammond organist in 1972. The glory days of the organ jazz circuit in the 1960’s were over and electronic organs and synthesizers surpassed the Hammond organ as a beacon in popular music. Of course, Bobby Pierce couldn’t be blamed for not being in the right place at the right time. Growing up in the late 1960’s, he had woodshedded in New York City, California and Chicago with the likes of Sonny Stitt, James Moody and Gene Ammons. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Pierce was influenced by local giant and perennial Flophouse favorite, Don Patterson. All this indicates that Pierce was ready and able.

According to the liner notes of Introducing Bobby Pierce, the obscure gentleman was part of the soul jazz group Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers from Chicago at the time of his recording. The session was set up by Cobblestone’s label boss Don Schlitten and included tenor saxophonist Bobby Jones, guitarist Pat Martino and drummer Roy Brooks. Class acts. Pierce’s debut album is a weird stew with a couple of superb highlights. Obviously an accomplished player and writer, Pierce presents I Remember Ray, based on a thing that he heard from John Coltrane. It feels like a chord-heavy outtake from the Giant Steps-sessions, good news, all the more so because of Pierce’s fluent and fierce phrasing.

More Coltrane. The band swings Mr. PC to the ground, particularly Pat Martino, whose attack and single line runs hit you in the eye like Sugar Ray Robinson’s fists, crushes trees like lightning bolts. Too bad Pierce (or Schlitten) didn’t come up with the sane idea of completing his introduction with similar modern jazz compositions. That would’ve really sealed his reputation. Instead, the repertoire further consists of so-so funk jazz (Aretha Franklin’s Think) that lacks the excitement of the Idris Muhammad-driven funk jazz of the Prestige and Blue Note catalogue and a stab at great pop songs as McCartney’s Here, There And Everywhere and Glen Campbell’s Wichita Lineman that demonstrate that Pierce is just not a really good singer.

One of the joys of collecting, though, is picking some exceptional stuff from an uneven oddity. Two years later, Pierce recorded New York on the Muse label. Pete Fallico, the great organ jazz ambassador from the West Coast, brought Pierce back on the scene in 2008 and released The Long Road Back on his Doodlin’ label.
http://flophousemagazine.com/2023/11/09/bobby-pierce-introducing-bobby-pierce-cobblestone-1972/

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Era bastante tarde para presentar a un organista Hammond en 1972. Los días de gloria del circuito de jazz de órganos en la década de 1960 habían terminado y los órganos electrónicos y sintetizadores superaron al órgano Hammond como un faro en la música popular. Por supuesto, Bobby Pierce no podía ser culpado por no estar en el lugar correcto en el momento correcto. Al crecer a fines de la década de 1960, había trabajado en leñeras en la ciudad de Nueva York, California y Chicago con personas como Sonny Stitt, James Moody y Gene Ammons. Nacido en Columbus, Ohio, Pierce fue influenciado por el gigante local y perenne favorito de Flophouse, Don Patterson. Todo esto indica que Pierce estaba listo y capaz.

Según las notas de presentación de Bobby Pierce, el oscuro caballero era parte del grupo de soul jazz Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers de Chicago en el momento de su grabación. La sesión fue organizada por el jefe del sello Cobblestone, Don Schlitten, e incluyó al saxofonista tenor Bobby Jones, el guitarrista Pat Martino y el baterista Roy Brooks. Actos de clase. El álbum debut de Pierce es un guiso extraño con un par de excelentes momentos destacados. Obviamente, Pierce, un consumado intérprete y escritor, presenta I Remember Ray, basado en algo que escuchó de John Coltrane. Se siente como un descarte cargado de acordes de las sesiones de Giant Steps, buenas noticias, más aún por el fraseo fluido y feroz de Pierce.

Más Coltrane. La banda golpea al Sr. PC hasta el suelo, particularmente a Pat Martino, cuyo ataque y carreras de una sola línea te golpean en el ojo como los puños de Sugar Ray Robinson, aplasta árboles como rayos. Lástima que a Pierce (o Schlitten) no se le ocurriera la sana idea de completar su introducción con composiciones similares de jazz moderno. Eso realmente habría sellado su reputación. En cambio, el repertorio consiste además en jazz funk regular (Think de Aretha Franklin) que carece de la emoción del jazz funk impulsado por Idris Muhammad del catálogo Prestige y Blue Note y una puñalada a grandes canciones pop como Here, There And Everywhere de McCartney y Wichita Lineman de Glen Campbell que demuestran que Pierce simplemente no es un muy buen cantante.

Sin embargo, una de las alegrías de coleccionar es elegir algunas cosas excepcionales de una rareza desigual. Dos años después, Pierce grabó New York en el sello Muse. Pete Fallico,el gran embajador del jazz de órgano de la Costa Oeste, trajo a Pierce de regreso a la escena en 2008 y lanzó The Long Road Back en su sello Doodlin'.
http://flophousemagazine.com/2023/11/09/bobby-pierce-introducing-bobby-pierce-cobblestone-1972/

Scott Lafaro • '58 Jazz Sessions. Live And Rare

 

Scott LaFaro left us a very small number of recordings due to his unexpected and untimely death in 1961. He was a genius who developed a revolutionary way of playing the bass. Whether a studio or live recording, they are all worth listening to.

This album consists of three ABC "Stars of Jazz" TV programs as well as a very rare rehearsal session at Bob Andrews' Recordville, the record store belonging to Andrews, the famous devotee of the West Coast jazz scene. All are 1958 performances while Scott was with the Victor Feldman group.

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Traducción automática

Scott LaFaro nos dejó un muy pequeño número de grabaciones debido a su inesperada y prematura muerte en 1961. Él era un genio que desarrolló una revolucionaria forma de tocar el contrabajo. Ya sea un estudio o grabación en directo, todos ellos vale la pena escuchar. Este álbum se compone de tres "Estrellas del Jazz" ABC programas de televisión, así como una sesión de ensayo muy raro en el Bob Andrews Recordville, la tienda de discos pertenecientes a Andrews, el famoso devoto de la escena del jazz de la Costa Oeste. Todos son 1.958 actuaciones, mientras que Scott estaba con el grupo de Victor Feldman.

Bio en español ...

Dr. Lonnie Smith • AfroBlue

 

 

Review by Richard S. Ginell
After a long hiatus from the record shelves, the turbaned Dr. Lonnie Smith -- along with guitarist John Abercrombie and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith -- sets his sights upon John Coltrane, turning in five 'Trane tunes plus Mongo Santamaria's "Afro-Blue" and a grooving Smith tribute, "Traces of Trane." The propulsive title track is mostly dominated by Abercrombie, while "Impressions" continues the driving pace as Lonnie sprays Hammond B-3 organ notes all over the place with constant brief call-and-response dialogues with himself. Another highlight is one of the two breathers, the aptly named "Lonnie's Lament," which has a nice haunting lilt. Carelessly left off the label and booklet copy -- but embedded in your CD anyway -- is any mention of a 12-minute workout on "Greensleeves" in the push-pull, modal Coltrane manner, with a strong hint of Jimmy Smith. Abercrombie usually plays in his veiled, out-of-tempo manner, while "Smitty" is a volatile, hyperkinetic workhorse most of the time, offering a complex individualistic challenge to the Elvin Jones standard.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/afro-blue-mw0000023739


 Artist Biography
Organist Lonnie Smith has often been confused with keyboardist/pianist Lonnie Liston Smith -- and, in fact, more than a few retailers have wrongly assumed that they're one and the same.
In the mid-'60s, the Hammond hero earned recognition for his membership in George Benson's classic quartet before going on to play with Lou Donaldson (contributing some memorable solos to the alto saxman's hit 1967 album Alligator Bogaloo) and recording enjoyable dates of his own for Blue Note. For all their accessibility and commercial appeal, funk-influenced Smith sessions like 1968's Think and 1970's Drives showed that he could be quite imaginative. Smith, who later became Dr. Lonnie Smith (for "no particular reason," the same reason he gives for why he always wears a traditional Sikh turban), remained an inspired representative of soul-jazz, releasing his own albums like 1993's Afro Blue and continuing his long association with Donaldson.

The 21st century saw him step up the pace, releasing several albums, including a tribute to Beck, 2003's Boogaloo to Beck; an album of reworked and modernized jazz standards, 2006's Jungle Soul; and 2009's Rise Up! Smith and his trio members -- Jonathan Kreisberg, guitar; Jamire Williams, drums -- continued a relentless and tireless touring and recording schedule; he issued Spiral in 2010 on Palmetto with Matt Balitsaris producing, followed by the live album Healer in 2012. In 2016, Smith delivered Evolution, his first album for Blue Note since 1970's Drives. Produced by Don Was, it featured guest appearances from saxophonist Joe Lovano, pianist Robert Glasper, and others. Smith enlisted Was as a producer again, this time for a trio date entitled All in My Mind. Released in January of 2018, the set included two originals, a cover of Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (featuring guest vocalist Alicia Olatuja), Wayne Shorter's "Juju," and Tadd Dameron's "On a Misty Night" in its track list.

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Reseña de Richard S. Ginell
Tras un largo paréntesis en las estanterías de los discos, el turbante Dr. Lonnie Smith - junto con el guitarrista John Abercrombie y el baterista Marvin "Smitty" Smith - pone sus ojos en John Coltrane, entregando cinco temas de 'Trane más el "Afro-Blue" de Mongo Santamaría y un grooving Smith tributo, "Traces of Trane". La propulsora pista del título está dominada en su mayor parte por Abercrombie, mientras que "Impresiones" continúa el ritmo de conducción mientras Lonnie rocía las notas del órgano B-3 de Hammond por todas partes con constantes diálogos breves de llamada y respuesta con él mismo. Otro punto culminante es uno de los dos respiradores, el acertadamente llamado "El lamento de Lonnie", que tiene una bonita inclinación inquietante. Descuidadamente dejado fuera de la copia de la etiqueta y el folleto - pero incrustado en su CD de todos modos - es cualquier mención de un entrenamiento de 12 minutos en "Greensleeves" a la manera de Coltrane modal, con un fuerte toque de Jimmy Smith. Abercrombie usualmente juega a su manera velada y fuera de ritmo, mientras que "Smitty" es un caballo de batalla volátil e hipercinético la mayor parte del tiempo, ofreciendo un complejo desafío individualista al estándar de Elvin Jones.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/afro-blue-mw0000023739



Biografía del artista
El organista Lonnie Smith se ha confundido a menudo con el teclista/pianista Lonnie Liston Smith - y, de hecho, más de unos pocos minoristas han asumido erróneamente que son uno y el mismo. A mediados de los años 60, el héroe de Hammond se ganó el reconocimiento por su pertenencia al cuarteto clásico de George Benson antes de pasar a tocar con Lou Donaldson (contribuyendo algunos solos memorables al exitoso álbum de 1967 del saxofonista alto Alligator Bogaloo) y grabando sus propias fechas de disfrute para Blue Note. A pesar de su accesibilidad y atractivo comercial, las sesiones de Smith con influencia funk, como Think de 1968 y Drives de 1970, demostraron que podía ser bastante imaginativo. Smith, que más tarde se convirtió en el Dr. Lonnie Smith (por "ninguna razón en particular", la misma razón que da por la que siempre lleva un turbante tradicional sikh), siguió siendo un inspirado representante del soul-jazz, lanzando sus propios álbumes como el Afro Blue de 1993 y continuando su larga asociación con Donaldson.

El siglo XXI lo vio acelerar el ritmo, lanzando varios álbumes, incluyendo un tributo a Beck, Boogaloo to Beck de 2003; un álbum de estándares de jazz reelaborados y modernizados, Jungle Soul de 2006 y Rise Up! de 2009. Smith y sus miembros del trío - Jonathan Kreisberg, guitarra; Jamire Williams, batería - continuaron con un programa de giras y grabaciones incesante e incansable; publicó Spiral en 2010 en Palmetto con la producción de Matt Balitsaris, seguido por el álbum en vivo Healer en 2012.
En 2016, Smith entregó Evolution, su primer álbum para Blue Note desde la década de 1970, Drives. Producido por Don Was, contó con la participación del saxofonista Joe Lovano, el pianista Robert Glasper y otros. Smith enlistó a Was como productor de nuevo, esta vez para una cita en trío titulada All in My Mind. Lanzado en enero de 2018, el conjunto incluyó dos originales, una versión de "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" de Paul Simon (con la vocalista invitada Alicia Olatuja), "Juju" de Wayne Shorter, y "On a Misty Night" de Tadd Dameron en su lista de canciones. 

www.drlonniesmith.com