"This 1965 album marks Lee Morgan's and Freddie Hubbard's final studio appearances as members of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. The set also includes a young John Hicks on piano, bassist Victor Sproles, and veteran saxophonist Lucky Thompson. It may lack the sheer high-energy crackle of some of the earlier Blue Note dates, there is quite a bit to enjoy here. The title tracks kicks off in bluesy style with the three-horn front line in a slightly dissonant intro before moving in a fingerpopping groover. The spunky Latin groove of "Buh's Bossa" offers Blakey's consummate chops accenting the knotty, sometimes snaky melody line with some excellent comp work by Hicks. Thompson's soprano sax makes a beautiful appearance on "Spot Session," a sultry little groover. Highlight of the set is "Freedom Monday," that offers taut hard bop lyric lines, extended harmonies in the front line -- especially between Hubbard and Morgan -- and a smoking Afro-Cuban rhythmic line highlighted by Blakey and Hicks." (Thom Jurek, Allmusic)
"This album, recorded in 1968 with a stellar band, was not issued until 1980. This is Hill at his most visionary. From hard- and post bop frames come modal and tonal inquiries of staggering complexity. Accompanied by Charles Tolliver (t), Joe Farrell (s), Billy Higgins (d) and Victor Sproles (b), Hill engages, seemingly, all of his muses at once. Check out the sinister modal blues that is "Fish 'N' Rice" with its Eastern-tinged blues and loping horn lines around Hill's knotty fills in the head and choruses. In "Partitions" the steaming head is so rigorously tangled it's only the counterpoint of Hill's piano that makes an exit possible, with deep blues underpinnings and strident swinging soul. The title cut dances Afro-Cuban in the head, but Hill's piano is in a minor modal groove, with Higgins playing a textural, syncopated four-four as Sproles' punches on the two and four as the solos begin winding through the modes, bringing back the blues on tags. A phenomenal record." (Thom Jurek, Allmusic)
"To follow up on his unexpected boogaloo hit "The Sidewinder," Lee Morgan recorded Andrew Hill's somewhat similar "The Rumproller" but this time the commercial magic was not there. However the trumpeter, tenor-saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Ronnie Mathews, bassist Victor Sproles and drummer Billy Higgins all play quite well on the title cut, two of Morgan's songs (the bossa nova "Eclipso" is somewhat memorable), a ballad tribute to Billie Holiday and Wayne Shorter's "Edda." This album is worth picking up but it is not essential." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic)
Onze website en deze zoekfunctie is vernieuwd en we werken er op dit moment hard aan om de laatste puntjes op de i te zetten. Mis je bepaalde functionaliteiten, dan vind je hieronder tijdelijk nog de link naar oude zoekfunctie.