Harold McNair - Flute & Nut RCA Camden INTS-1096 (UK) (1970)
McNair started out at the Alpha Boys School under the tutelage of Victor Tulloch, whilst playing with Joe Harriott (a lifelong friend who considered McNair his de facto younger brother), Wilton 'Bogey' Gaynair, and Baba Motta's band. He spent the first decade of his musical career in The Bahamas, where he used the name Little G for recordings and live performances. His early Bahamian recordings were mostly in Caribbean musical styles rather than jazz, in which he sang and played both alto and tenor saxophone. He also played a calypso singer in the 1958 film Island Women. In 1960, he went to Miami to record his first album, a mixture of jazz and calypso numbers entitled Bahama Bash. It was around this time that he began playing the flute, which would eventually become his signature instrument. Initially he had some lessons in New York, but he was largely self taught. He departed for Europe later in 1960.
Like many other West Indian jazz musicians of the 1950s and 1960s (eg Harriott, Dizzy Reece and Harry Beckett), McNair moved to Britain. However, before arriving in London, he toured Europe with Quincy Jones and worked on film and TV scores in Paris. Once in London, he quickly gained a reputation as a formidable player on flute, alto and tenor saxophone, leading to a regular gig at Ronnie Scott's nightclub.
His playing drew the admiration of bass player Charles Mingus, who was in London to shoot the 1961 motion picture All Night Long. McNair was part of a quartet Mingus formed to rehearse with during his stay in Britain. Unfortunately, the band never played live in front of a paying audience, due to a ban imposed by the UK Musicians' Union on US musicians in British nightclubs. A recording of the band exists, playing the earliest recorded version of the now famous Mingus composition Peggy's Blue Skylight, but it has never been released, despite featuring in the movie itself. The Musician's Union ban was lifted later in 1961, leading to a residency by US tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims at Ronnie Scott's club. Ironically, McNair's own quartet were also on the bill, resulting in two of his performances appearing on the album made to commemorate the gigs, Zoot Live at Ronnie Scott's. Around the same time, he also recorded with the drummer Tony Crombie and the percussionist Jack Costanzo.
McNair briefly returned to The Bahamas, where he cut his first all jazz LP Up In The Air With Harold McNair, before settling back in London permanently. His first UK album as a leader, 'Affectionate Fink', was made for the fledgling Island Records in 1965. The session saw him team up with Ornette Coleman's then current rhythm section of David Izenzon (bass) and Charles Moffett (drums), for a set of standards played with hard swinging intensity. McNair equally featured his tenor sax and flute on this session, delivering virtuoso performances on both. His next (self titled) album, cut for RCA in 1968, was another classic and featured probably his most famous composition, 'The Hipster', which has become a perennial fixture on the playlists at jazz clubs and was included on Gilles Peterson's Impressed Vol.2 compilation of 1960s British jazz.
His next album was 1970's Flute and Nut (RCA), which featured big band and string arrangements by John Cameron. This was quickly followed up in the same year by The Fence, which moved in the direction of jazz fusion. Another self-titled album was issued posthumously by the B&C label in 1972, which mixed tracks from the 1968 RCA album with later, unreleased recordings. Notable recorded works as a jazz sideman included sessions with the jazz-rock/big band ensemble Ginger Baker's Air Force and John Cameron's Off Centre. He also recorded with visiting Americans including vocalists Jon Hendricks and Blossom Dearie, drummer Philly Joe Jones and saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.
1) The Umbrella Man
2) The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
3) You Are Too Beautiful
4) Barnes Bridge
5) Nomadic Joe
6) Herb Green
7) My Romance
8) Burnt Amber
Curt Cress Clan Atlantic ATL-50079 (1975)
So sorry for the lack of updates, I've been unwell and recovery has been slow. There's much I'd like to post in the forthcoming weeks (work & health permitting) so stay tuned.
Anyhow, time to get back into the swing of things with Curt Cress' funky debut LP.
Along with Udo Lindenberg, Mani Neumeier, Harald Grosskopf and Carsten Bohn, Curt Cress belongs to the most famous group of German drummers. He started his recording career at the age of 17 in the progressive rock group Orange Peel. Later he worked mainly with jazz-rock in groups like Passport, Atlantis and Emergency.
After four successful years, he left Doldinger's Passport in 1977 to form Snowball. In between, he had recorded this, his first solo album Curt Cress Clan with Volker Kriegel (guitar), Kristian Schultze (keyboards), Dave King (bass) and Ack van Rooyen (fluegelhorn). Nice line-up and the music doesn't disappoint - much sought after by beat diggers and Kraut Rock fans alike.
1) Cyclone
2) From The Back
3) Fields
4) Shuffle On Out
5) Delphine
6) 451271
7) No Answer
8) Moving Right Along
9) Funk Off
Ronald Snijders - Natural Sources Private Pressing 6812 245 (Holl) (1977)
Ronald Snijders is considered to be the most swinging flutist in the Netherlands (Jazz magazine Jazz nu), and the inventor of African Surinam kawinajazz. He was born in Paramaribo, Suriname in 1951 and started to play the flute at the age of seven, influenced by his professionally flute playing father. In his youth he also practised guitar, sax, some piano and percussion, playing popular music, classical music, Brazilian music plus jazz.
In september of 1970 he settled in Delft, the Netherlands to study civil engineering, but about five years later he was a professional selftaught musician. Among his awards shines the Press prize at the prestigious NOS jazzconcours of 1973 in Laren, won with a flute solo. The legendary bandleader Boy Edgar who was presiding the jury said: Ronald Snijders has extreme skill and creativity. Jazz pianist Chick Corea wrote of him in 1976: You're a great flutist and an excellent composer…I'm sure people here in the United states will like your music a lot. And as jazz journalist Rudy Koopmans put it some years later: the most brillant fluteplayer in the field of improvised music in the Netherlands (Volkskrant).
Ronald Snijders produced and released twenty albums with innovative compositions of his own, varying in style from North American jazz and fusion to new African Caribbean jazz (among which Surinam kasekojazz and kawinajazz), Brazilian grooves and other worldjazz. Furthermore he played on albums of the Dutch Willem Breuker collective (in which he worked between 1974 and 1976), the partly Surinam Fra Fra big band and the Moroccan Weshm.
This, his debut release on his own Black Straight Music label, is a true collectors item. Not only does he play every instrument on the album, he is composer, producer and album art designer! Smooth, dense and spacey funky jazz with an exotic Brasilian-tinged flavour is order of the day. The man ticks every box here...enjoy!
1) Skin Source
2) Seven Wings
3) Galibi
4) Exchanged
5) Dagoe Sji Jorka
6) Busy Street
7) Todo Bere
8) Roseille
9) Temple Of Faith
10) Brazilian Blue
Nelsinho e Sua Orquestra - Explosivo London LLB-1060 (1970)
An ultra-hip and incendiary big band bossa and samba blast courtesy Maestro and trombonista Nelsinho with suitably exploded cover art!
Lots of groovy uptempo and well selected tracks makes this a very solid listen. Dance orientated beats with punchy horns and slick rhythm guitar in the mix, punctuated by vocals on some tracks. Light the fuse, stand well back and enjoy...
1) Fumace
2) Essa Moça Tá Diferente
3) Coqueiro Verde
4) Samba Sem Viola
5) Um Samba Só Não Dá
6) Pigmalião
7) Fotograma
8) Aqui É O País Do Futebol
9) Se Voce Quiser Mas Sem Bronquear
10) Morte Do Amor
11) Comunicação
12) Vou Deitar E Rolar
Melvyn Price - Rhythm and Blues Mel-Dor PR-1003 Sweden (1974)
"Melvyn Price? Sounds familiar but I can't quite place him". Not surprising really as Detroit born Price is virtually unknown outside of Sweden where he made his home in the late sixties.
His debut LP release in 1970 entitled "Jazzbalettrytmer" or Jazz Ballet Rhythms was pressed on his own private label "Price" after requests from Jazz Ballet students. However this album, his third, a totally obscure Swedish only release is his finest effort. A percussive and funky jazz belter!
Joining Price on congos and bongos is an all Swedish rhythm section and includes Björn Alke & Guy Roellinger on bass, Björn Wolff on piano, Fredrik Norén & Gunnar Nyberg on drums, Ed Epstein on tenor sax and Jon Dill & Luis Agudo helping out on persussion. Melvyn Price can also be heard (obviously) on trombone.
I think you'll like this one, let me know what you think...
1) Voodoo Love Dance
2) Toward Brazil
3) Behind Kungsträdgården
4) Happiness Is...
5) Five O'Clock Traffic
6) Last Train
Now available at Wax Poetics Digital
Rogerio Duprat - The Brazilian Suite KPM-1071 (1970)
"A modern theme suite written in filmic style by the highly acclaimed Brazilian composer Rogerio Duprat".
Mainly notable for forging the Tropicalia movement and his associations with Caetano Veloso, Gilbert Gil, Tom Zé, Gal Costa, Nara Leão and Os Mutantes. Rogerio Duprat was to abandon the commercial market following problems with deafness caused by interminable hours of studio time, and began to dedicate himself to the production of library music.
This early example for the legendary London based KPM library was never to be bettered in my opinion. A melting-pot of percussive and funky rhythms and moods, imagine a movie score to a spy flick set in Rio that never was - and you'll have some idea.
1) Theme Montage
2) Setting The Scene
3) Spotlight
4) Commerce In Rhythm
5) Percussion Highway
6) Tropical Green
7) Meeting In Brazilia
8) Rio Back Street
9) Flute Formula
10) Skilful Manoeuvre
Rildo Hora - A Vez e A Hora De Rildo Hora RCA Victor SBB-0435 (1971)
If you find Brasilian choro and frevo a little too ethnic or hardcore for your tastes, may I suggest this small offering as a way in. Samba legend Rildo Hora constructs this perfectly realised album of styles that for me encapsulates the sound of Brazil. The sound may derive from homegrown and regional musical styles but in Rildo's hands we have something greater than the sum of its parts. Be sure, this album rocks.
Virtuoso harmonica player, guitarist and composer Hora lets loose a cracking batch of party driven tunes - groovy and danceable, vocally stirring and percussively infectious, a real winner and a musical education.
1) Leonor
2) Panorama, Segundo Rodrigo
3) Assim Na Terra Como No Céu
4) O Pião
5) O Empanador
6) O Saci-Pererê
7) A Canoa
8) Tantas Ruas Namorei
9) Canção Que Nasceu Do Amor
10) Ciranda, Terezinha E Passaraio
11) O Contador De Estórias
12) Chorar Pra Quê
Harold McNair - Flute & Nut RCA Camden INTS-1096 (UK) (1970)
