""Takin' Off" was an impressive debut effort from Hancock, and this second record proved that it was no fluke. He took two risks with the album - his five original compositions covered more diverse stylistic ground than his debut, and he assembled a large septet for the sessions; the band features such stellar musicians as Donald Byrd (t), Hank Mobley (ts), Tony Williams (d), Grant Green (g), Chuck Israels (b), and Grachan Moncur III (tmb). It's a rare occasion that all musicians appear on the same track, which speaks well for the pianist's arranging capabilities. Hancock knows how to get the best out of his songs and musicians, which is one of the reasons why "My Point of View" is a captivating listen. The other is the sheer musicality of the album. Hard bop remains the foundation for Hancock's music, but he explores its limitations, finding its soulful side, its probing, adventurous leanings and its ballad side. It's a little more relaxed than "Takin' Off", but nearly as stunning." (S.T. Erlewine, Allmusic)
""A City Called Heaven," the spiritual-turned-title track with an nearly operatic vocal by mezzo-soprano Lorice Stevens, gets a moving extended modal treatment where Byrd has some rapid flurries that usually, but not always, hit their mark. With an enterprising left turn, Byrd turns the final aria from Henry Purcell's 17th century opera Dido and Aeneas into "Remember Me" -- again with Stevens singing -- and it makes a soulful dirge with a jazz sextet. Joe Henderson, still a few months away from becoming a jazz celebrity, returns in typically enigmatic, stimulating form on tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson thoughtfully chips in on vibes; Donald Brown handles the piano well." (Allmusic)
"Why any critic would think that Hank Mobley was at the end of his creative spark in 1963 is ridiculous, as this fine session proves. By 1963, Mobley had undergone a transformation of tone. Replacing the scintillating airiness of his late-'50s sides was a harder, more strident, almost honking one, due in part to the influence of John Coltrane and in part to Mobley's deeper concentration on the expressing blues feeling in his trademark hard bop tunes. Mobley assembled a crack band for this blues-drenched hard-rollicking set made up of material written by either him or trumpeter Lee Morgan. Other members of the ensemble were pianist Andrew Hill, drummer Philly Joe Jones, and bassist John Ore. All eight cuts here move with similar fluidity and offer a very gritty and realist approach to the roots of hard bop. Highly recommended." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic)
"Hardbop op z'n best, dit vergeten album uit 1959 van een vergeten, te vroeg overleden pianist. Met schitterende bijdragen van Donald Byrd (ts), Hank Mobley (t), Art Blakey (d). Aangevuld met fraaie stukken uit 1957." (CdJ, JN)
"As is often the case with an artist as prolific as John Coltrane, not every release can be considered as essential. Black Pearls seems a bit ambiguous when placed in a more historical context. It was only three days later that Coltrane participated not as a leader, but rather a member, of the Miles Davis Sextet that recorded "Stella By Starlight" and "On Green Dolphin Street." There is an obvious disparity between these three mostly improvised and lengthy jams and the Davis session. This is in no way to insinuate that Coltrane's performance is anything less than par. Black Pearls indeed captures Coltrane at the height of perfecting the intense volley that would garner the name "sheets of sound." Featuring Donald Byrd (trumpet) and the Red Garland Trio -- Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Art Taylor (drums) -- this is the same quintet that had mightily contributed to "Lush Life" and "The Believers", as well as The "Last Trane". This session would be their last together." (Lindsay Planer, Allmusic)
"Of the seven songs on this Blue Note CD reissue, four are more common than the other three because they contain solos by tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and have therefore been reissued more often. Actually there are quite a few solos in the all-star sextet (which includes the bassist-leader, Coltrane, trumpeter Donald Byrd, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Horace Silver and drummer Philly Joe Jones) and all of the players get their chances to shine on this fairly spontaneous hard bop set. Coltrane's two obscure compositions ("Nita" and "Just for the Love") are among the more memorable tunes and are worth reviving. "Tale of the Fingers" features the quintet without Coltrane, the rhythm section stretches out on "Whims of Chambers" and "Tale of the Fingers" is a showcase for Chambers bowed bass. This is a fine effort and would be worth picking up by straightahead jazz fans even if John Coltrane had not participated." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic)
Album uit 1976 van de trompettist/bugelist. Een funky fusionplaat vol 'positive vibes' en met veel soulvolle vocale nummers, o.a. een verrassende bewerking van Martha & the Vendella's 'Dancing In The Street'.
"The first classic album by the Horace Silver Quintet, this CD is highlighted by "Señor Blues" (heard in three versions, including a later vocal rendition by Bill Henderson) and "Cool Eyes." The early Silver quintet was essentially the Jazz Messengers of the year before (with trumpeter Donald Byrd, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, and bassist Doug Watkins, while drummer Louis Hayes was in Blakey's place), but already the band was starting to develop a sound of its own. "Señor Blues" officially put Horace Silver on the map." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic)
"This single CD has nearly all of the music from "Message" and "Second Message". The first session mostly features the fine tenor Hank Mobley jamming on four superior bop standards, including "Bouncing with Bud," "52nd Street Theme" and "Au Privavem" and his own "Minor Disturbance" in a quintet with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Barry Harris, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor; altoist Jackie McLean has a strong cameo on "Au Privave." The second set, recorded a week later, is less of a jam session, with Mobley, trumpeter Kenny Dorham, pianist Walter Bishop, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor essaying three of Mobley's now-obscure compositions, Benny Harris's "Crazeology" and the standards "These Are the Things I Love" and "I Should Care." The two dates give one a good example of Hank Mobley's playing prior to becoming a regular Blue Note artist, where he would create his greatest work." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic)
Op dit klassieke hardbop-album uit 1956 wordt de pianist Silver bijgestaan door Donald Byrd (t), Hank Mobley (ts), Doug Watkins (b) en Art Taylor (d). Kenny Clarke (d) is op twee stukken te horen i.p.v. Taylor.
"Weinig musici van zijn formaat zijn zo stelselmatig genegeerd of onderschat als de op 2de Kerstdag 2011 overleden saxofonist, fluitist, pianist en componist die zijn eigen brug bouwde tussen de traditie en de avant-garde, en daarmee meerdere generaties beïnvloedde. Na leerjaren en een conservatoriumstudie begon hij in 1959 vrij te improviseren, vaak geïnspireerd door beeldende kunst. Hij maakte één plaat met Miles Davis, "In Tokyo", maar veel belangrijker zijn de platen die hij in de jaren '60 maakte voor Blue Note, toen dat label de grenzen van de jazzconventies verlegde met gematigd experimentele jazz: geen volledige abstarctie maar wel meer vrijheid, gebaseerd op nieuwe, flexibelere structuren. Niemand kende de regels zo goed als Sam Rivers, die de moeilijkste akkoordenschema's in iedere toonsoort kon spelen, en niemand kon ze daarom met meer autoriteit overboord gooien." (Frank van Herk, Volkskrant) Dit is zijn vierde sixties-Blue Note-album, waarover Allmusic schrijft: "Ambitious, atonal, challenging".
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