Joe Zawinul - The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream (1968)

The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream is an album by Austrian jazz keyboardist and composer Joe Zawinul, released in 1968. The title refers to the Third stream genre of music, melding classical and jazz.


01. "Baptismal" (William Fischer) – 7:37
02. "The Soul of a Village - Part I" (William Fischer) – 2:13
03. "The Soul of a Village - Part II" (William Fischer) – 4:12
04. "The Fifth Canto" (William Fischer) – 6:55
05. "From Vienna, With Love" (Friedrich Gulda) – 4:27
06. "Lord, Lord, Lord" (William Fischer) – 3:55
07. "A Concerto, Retitled" (William Fischer) – 5:30



* Joe Zawinul - Piano and electric piano
* William Fischer - Tenor Saxophone and arrangements
* Jimmy Owens - Trumpet
* Alfred Brown - Viola
* Selwart Clarke - Viola
* Theodore Israel - Viola
* Kermit Moore - Cello
* Richard Davis - Bass
* Roy McCurdy - Drums
* Freddie Waits - Drums
* Warren Smith - Percussion

Mahavishnu Orchestra/John McLaughlin - Inner Worlds (1976)

The state of the second Mahavishnu Orchestra continued to be volatile in 1975, with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty out, keyboardist Gayle Moran replaced by Stu Goldberg, and all string and horn backings removed, leaving just a steaming quartet and this lone remarkable album. The addition of Goldberg, a more interesting musician than Moran, is significant, but the biggest charge is provided by the leader who, in tandem with the latest electronic equipment, turns in some of his most passionately alive playing of the whole Mahavishnu series. The leadoff track, "All in the Family," has fantastic energy and drive, pushed on by Narada Michael Walden's drums and marimba. "Miles Out" has John McLaughlin doing some inspired jamming with his guitar hooked into a "360 Systems Frequency Shifter" (an electronic device with the wildly fluid sound of a ring-modulator), and he moves over to an early guitar synthesizer on "Morning Calls," "Lotus Feet," and the streaking title track. There is some funk residue from Visions of the Emerald Beyond on "Planetary Citizen," yet oddly enough, the so-so soul vocals from Walden on several tracks, and one by bassist Ralphe Armstrong, do not harm the cause, as the playing of the quartet is so fiery. But this somewhat overlooked album would be the last hurrah for the Mahavishnu concept for nearly a decade -- and when it returned, the sounds it produced would bear little resemblance to this power-packed music...AMG

01 All in the Family
02 Miles Out
03 In My Life
04 Gita
05 Morning Calls
06 The Way of the Pilgrim
07 River of My Heart
08 Planetary Citizen
09 Lotus Feet
10 Inner Worlds Pts. 1 & 2

L.A. Express - Shadow Play (1976)

L.A.EXPRESS: SHADOW PLAY
CARIBOU RECORDS
RELEASED: 1976, USA

01. Nordic Winds (6:04) [Peter Maunu]
02. Double Your Pleasure (2:50) [Peter Maunu]
03. Shadow Play (5:30) [D.Luell, R.Philipe]
04. Chariot Race (2:47) [Victor Feldman]
05. Dance The Night Away (3:03) [Victor Feldman]
06. Velvet Lady (4:15) [John Guerin]
07. Vortex (3:50) [Peter Maunu]
08. Mad Drums And Englishman (Mavro) (5:26) [John Guerin]
09. Silhouette (1:20) [Victor Feldman]

David Luell: tenor/alto/soprano/baritone saxophone
Peter Maunu: electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Victor Feldman: Fender Rhodes, piano, ARP Odyssey,
Hammond organ, concert spectrum,
congas, assorted percussion
Max Bennett: Fender bass, percussion
John Guerin: drums, organ

- ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS -
Joni Mitchell: voices (on 1)
Paulette McWilliams: voices (on 2,5)

Billy Cobham - Alivemutherforya (1978)

Drummer Billy Cobham is heard on this live set heading an all-star quintet also including Tom Scott on tenor, soprano and lyricon, keyboardist Mark Soskin, guitarist Steve Khan and electric bassist Alphonso Johnson. Although the music is mostly funky and uses plenty of electronics (Scott sounds quite faceless on lyricon), there are some strong solos, particularly from Khan and Scott (when he is on tenor). The six group originals are highlighted by "Bahama Mama," "Some Punk Funk" and "On a Magic Carpet Ride." Due to the amount of variety and spontaneity, Alivemutherforya is superior to most of these musicians' individual projects of the era...AMG

01 "Anteres"-The Star - Billy Cobham
02 Bahama Mama - Alphonso Johnson
03 Shadows - Tom Scott
04 Some Punk Funk - Steve Khan
05 Spindrift - Tom Scott
06 On a Magic Carpet Ride - Billy Cobham

Lee Ritenour - The Captain's Journey [1978]

01. The Captain's Journey Pt. 2: The Calm/Pt. 2: The Storm 8:02
02. Morning Glory 5:53
03. Sugar Loaf Express 5:05
04. Matchmakers 4:53
05. What Do You Want? 5:27
06. That's Enough for Me 5:24
07. Etude

Yellowjackets - Yellowjackets (1981)

Yellowjackets

The Yellowjackets made a splash with their first record, an accessible mixture of jazz, rock, and funk bearing the unmistakable mark of the L.A. session scene that spawned them. In fact, the Yellowjackets had their roots in the sessions for Robben Ford's 1979 album The Inside Story. Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip, and Ricky Lawson all appeared on that album and reenlisted Ford's help for their own debut, with the guitarist's fluid soloing often taking the lead role. As fun an album as it is -- and there are times when the melodies rise to a joyful exuberance that recalls Weather Report's "Birdland" -- Yellowjackets isn't a true fusion record. Ricky Lawson provides rock beats to the material, Haslip's bass work is as funky as it is jazzy, and the arrangements tend to stick with the same groove (as ingratiating as they may be) rather than explore the musical themes like an esoteric jazz band might. The opening "Matinee Idol" is as much the Jackson 5 (one of Lawson's previous gigs) as fusion, "Rush Hour" is jazzy in a Steely Dan sense, while "Sittin' in It" actually borrows from the old funk classic "For the Love of Money." There are some nice, chunky grooves that give the album a sense of substance ("The Hornet," "Imperial Strut"), a wistful track in "It's Almost Gone," and a neat melody tucked into "Priscilla," all of which contribute to the album's charm. But compared to their GRP recordings, the Yellowjackets' debut does seem a little one-dimensional. If you enjoy the smooth, guitar-led jazz from this period (e.g., Earl Klugh, Lee Ritenour), Yellowjackets is worth checking out, both for the upbeat melodies and Ford's seemingly effortless solos...


01 Matinee Idol
02 Imperial Strut
03 Sittin' in It
04 Rush Hour
05 The Hornet
06 Priscilla
07 It's Almost Gone

Jean-Luc Ponty - Live (1979)

01.Aurora Part 1
02.Aurora Part 2
03.Imaginary Voyage Part 3
04.Imaginary Voyage Part 4
05.Mirage
06.No Strings Attached
07.Egocentric Molecules

Treat yourself to a piece of JLP history as you are front and center at a live performance recorded in late 1978 during the California leg of the Cosmic Messenger tour. Blistering guitar solos from both Jamie Glaser and Joaquin Lievano, intricate keyboards from Allan Zavod, and powerful "double kick" drumming from Casey Scheuerell. An explosive performance by Ralphe Armstrong on bass, and of course the genius of Jean-Luc Ponty on the electric violin. A great "must have" work of art for all Ponty diehard fans or JLP "newbies".

Rudiments: The Billy Cobham Anthology (2001, Rhino)

Billy Cobham: Rudiments: The Billy Cobham Anthology (2001, Rhino)

In 1973 Billy Cobham broke from the Mahavishnu ranks and became a bandleader in his own right, crafting some of the most exciting (and occasionally generic) fusion of the 70s and 80s. He started the ball rolling that year with Spectrum , an Atlantic issue which included Mahavishnu keyboardist Jan Hammer, session bassist Lee Sklar, and young guitar wizard Tommy Bolin. Later gatherings under the titanic drummer's leadership featured keyboardist George Duke, bassists John Williams, Alphonso Johnson and Alex Blake, the Brecker Brothers (trumpeter Randy and reedman Michael), guitarists John Scofield and John Abercrombie, and many others. Rudiments collects some of Cobham's best tracks recorded for the Atlantic label, focusing largely upon his amazing drum skills and respectable compositions.

Disc: 1

01. Quadrant 4
02. Stratus
03. Anxiety/Taurian Matador
04. Snoopy's Search/Red Baron
05. All 4 One (outtake)
06. The Pleasant Pheasant
07. Spanish Moss
08. Flash Flood
09. Solarization
10. Lunarputians
11. Moon Germs
12. Total Eclipse

Disc: 2

01. Shabazz
02. Some Skunk Funk
03. A Funky Thide Of Sings
04. Panhandler Listen
05. Neu Rock N' Roll (outtake)
06. Life & Times
07. 29
08. Earthlings
09. Hip Pockets - The Billy Cobham/George Duke Band
10. Juicy - The Billy Cobham/George Duke Band
11. Do What Cha Wanna - The Billy Cobham/George Duke Band
12. Arroyo

Billy Cobham's Glass Menagerie - Smokin' (1983)

Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1982.

01 Chiquita Linda 6:28
02 Looks Bad, Feels Good 4:35
03 Some Other Kind 5:41
04 Red Baron 8:43
05 Situation Comedy 10:40

Percussion, Drums, Producer - Billy Cobham
Guitar - Dean Brown
Keyboards - Gil Goldstein
Bass - Tim Landers

Gary Burton Quartet with Eberhard Weber - Passengers [1976]

Guitarist Pat Metheny was a member of vibraphonist Gary Burton's group from 1974-1976, but although he had recorded with Burton twice previously, both of those dates also included guitarist Mick Goodrick. This particular set puts more of a focus on Metheny in a quintet that also includes drummer Danny Gottlieb and both Steve Swallow and Eberhard Weber on basses. Metheny contributed three of the six selections, which are joined by a song apiece from Swallow, Weber, and Chick Corea ("Sea Journey"). Although none of the individual songs caught on, the attractive sound of the post-bop unit and an opportunity to hear Pat Metheny in his formative period make this a CD reissue worth exploring.

01 Sea Journey Corea 9:18
02 Nacada Metheny 4:15
03 The Whopper Metheny 5:32
04 B & G (Midwestern Nights Dream) Metheny 8:26
05 Yellow Fields Weber 7:02
06 Claude and Betty Swallow 6:15

i personally think "Sea Journey" is fuckin' awesome!

Miles Davis - Paraphernalia - Live In Paris (1969)

11-03-69 (JMY)

01 - Directions
02 - Bitches Brew
03 - Paraphernalia
04 - Riot
05 - Sanctuary
06 - Miles Runs The Voodoo Down
07 - The Theme

Miles Davis (tpt)
Wayne Shorter (ss, ts)
Chick Corea (el-p)
Dave Holland (b)
Jack DeJohnette (d)

The Giuseppi Logan Quartet

The Giuseppi Logan Quartet

1. Tabla Suite
2. Dance of Satan
3. Dialogue
4. Taneous
5. Bleecker Partita

Giuseppi Logan - tenor & alto saxophone, bass clarinet, pakistani oboe
Don Pullen - piano
Eddie Gomez - bass
Milford Graves - drums, tabla

Perhaps its the laid-back anarchy of this session or the unusual instrumentation on some tracks (tabla, Pakistani oboe, strummed piano strings) which situate it more in some childlike hippie bohemia instead of the usual high-energy free jazz idiom. Logan comes off as an Ayler/Coltrane with perhaps limited technique and weaker tone. But altogether the players eventually cohere and the considerable charm of this music emerges. This is also pianist Don Pullen's debut in addition to a rare appearance by free jazz shaman Milford Graves.

THANX TO ALL!

BRB SOON!