For Record Store Day on April 20, the Catalan imprint Elemental Music released both an LP and CD of two previously unreleased live albums from the alto saxophonist's Quintet Cannonball Adderley alongside his brother Nat. One recorded in 1969 with Joe Zawinul and the other in 1972 with George Duke. Two great wines.
Each release from the Quintet includes tracks such as; “Cannonball in Japan” and “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy Live at The Club” in 1966, “Why Am I Treated So Bad!” and “74 Miles Away: Walk Tall” in 1967, “In Person” in 1968, “Country Preacher” in 1969, “The Price You Got To Pay” in 1970, “The Black Messiah” and “Music, You All” in 1971. When we learned that Elemental Music and the insatiable digger Zev Feldman – in partnership with the INA – were going to publish two new unreleased songs from 1969 and 1972 recorded live (as we used to say in our good old country), we first said: “More live from Cannonball Adderley Quintet?! Is this really reasonable? " Then we received them and, straight away, the covers, superb, and the booklets, fascinating (liner notes signed Bob Blumenthal) had us eagerly waiting to hear them on our CD decks, or turntables for you vinylophiles, since the Catalan label honors both media.
The double CD “Burnin’ In Bordeaux: Live in France 1969” and the CD “Poppin’ In Paris: Live At L’Olympia 1972” are as fascinating as each other! Let's salute the quality to begin with, the sound: The National Audiovisual Institute is definitely rich in treasures, and I imagine that we are not at the end of our surprises for years to come. These two albums are worth a lot, and sometimes even exceed part of the recordings cited above, supervised by the great producer David Axlerod.
Let’s first make a stop in Gironde lands. March 14, 1969 at the Théâtre de the Alhambra, the alto saxophonist’s Quintet Floridian, then aged 40, was propelled by the rhythm section composed of Victor Gaskin on double bass and Roy McCurdy on the drums. On the cornet, Adderley’s brother Nat, and on acoustic and electric piano the future co-founder from Weather Report, Joe Zawinul, principal band composer and provider of unforgettable themes like Walk Tall (Baby, That’s What I Need), The Scavenger, Directions and, of course, the famous Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, an instant classic from 1966. The Elemental Music team chose the option to leave the concert in its entirety, including the times between songs and, oh joy, the many introductions spoken by the leader, all deliciously tasty, mischievous and often deeper than it seems. A daring bet, but a successful one which places the listener facing the Quintet, which after several years of intensive touring around the globe had developed a cohesion rare and refined on the still smoking ashes of hard-bop, an inimitable style, between jazz, soul, blues and gospel.
Three years later, on October 25, 1972 at The Olympia, as part of the Paris Jazz Festival, Walter Booker had taken the place of Victor Gaskin on double bass; Joe Zawinul, with his Weather Report obligations, was gone, replaced by George Duke, himself between engagements with Frank Zappa. From the first bars of the epic Black Messiah (more than twenty minutes, with nods to in A Silent Way by Miles Davis as a bonus!), he showcases his immense talent: touch, phrasing, skillfully controlled joy, with the funky touch of rigor and harmonic science which he imposes on the piano and Fender Rhodes, of which he is also a master. Here again, the solos of both brothers hit the mark every time. This Quintet was a real group, one of the most important from the beginning of 1970s, and these two live are exceptional and indispensable.
In addition, Elemental's release of Mal Waldron and saxophonist Steve Lacy stands as one of the most osmotic and fascinating performances in the history of modern jazz. Recorded in Antwerp in 1995 as part of the concerts celebrating Waldron's 70th birthday, these miraculous tracks feature the two musicians not in their usual duo format, as often seen since the 1980s, but as part of a quartet. They are joined by Reggie Workman on double bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums, the rhythmic pair from Waldron's trio at the time.
Together, Waldron and Lacy revisit the fundamentals of their shared musical universe. The first tracks are two original themes, one of which is Waldron's beautiful "What It Is," and two classics by Thelonious Monk, "Epistrophy" and "Monk's Dream." These are followed by two lengthy, freeform tracks where fragments of the enchanting "Snake Out" merge incredible mastery and free improvisation sequences.
This exceptional release is accompanied by copious liner notes, unpublished photos, and testimonials from Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Jane Bunnett, David Liebman, Vijay Iyer, Evan Parker, David Virelles, and Hiromi Waldron, cementing it as one of the greatest successes of their "duo."
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