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Showing posts from January, 2012

E.W.WAINWRIGHT JR'S AFRICAN ROOTS OF JAZZ

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 E.W.Wainwright for Aroj USA from 1981. E.W.Wainwright -Drums,Percussion ; Annette Lipson -Congas,Tambourine ; Cash Killion -Bass ; Lamont Davidson -Soprano ; Mack Rucks -Trumpet,Percussion ; Neal Kirkwood -Piano ; Ricky Kelly -Vibes. Orell Allen - Vocal Director; Earline Love, Helen Banks, Maria Jones, Michelle McLorin,  Marion Banks, Resa Hicks , Sharon Brown, Sonya McLorin, Theresa Grimes, Wanda Allen - Vocals Afrocentric spiritual jazz on a private press making it's first appearance in blogland...a ridiculously rare heavy duty afro jazz killer.

HAROLD JOHNSON SEXTET - HOUSE ON ELM STREET

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Harold Johnson Sextet + for HME from 1967. Harold Johnson - Piano ;  David Crawford - flute; Billy Jackson - Conga; Alfred Patterson - alto sax; Mile Shaw - Tenor sax; Eddie Synigal - alto sax; Ronald Rutledge - Drums; Jimmy Nash - bass West coast soul jazz with a latin tinge .... Tough!

AKIRA MIYAZAWA - FOUR UNITS

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 Akira Miyazawa for Union Japan from 1969.  Akira Miyazawa: tenor sax, flute; Masahiko Satoh: piano; Yasuo Arakawa: bass; Masahiko Togashi: drums. The name Akira Miyazawa, rarely if ever, appears in jazz reference books, at least not in ones available in North America. Other than some sites selling his CDs, the internet does not offer much about the saxophonist. This is a shame since his recordings tell the story of an accomplished musician whose work has remained intriguing and fresh after almost four decades. Four Units is a 1969 session that teams him with a Japanese rhythm sections for four originals and a jazzy reworking of "Scarborough Fair." The music threads the outer reaches of hard bop, adjacent to but not quite into the avant-garde realm. It also has a very Oriental feel to it, with the beautiful serenity of a Japanese Zen garden and the bluesy edge of a late night jam session. The opening title track is the most adventurous. After Miyazawa's tenor sax states t