AMIGO

 

839 — Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers/In Sweden: In 1981 drum master Blakey had one of the finest editions of young Messengers ever, and this live recording shows them off nicely. The whole band bums on Bud Powell’s “Webb City” and Walter Davis Jr.’s “Gypsy Folk Tales.” Alto saxist Bobby Watson, featured on “Skylark,” shows that there is still much new music to be improvised on old songs, and Wynton Marsalis, the new trumpet star, shines on “How Deep Is The Ocean.” Wynton, Wynton, Wynton. Now we got a Wynton. Also with: Billy Pierce, tenor sax; James Williams, piano; Charles Fambrough, bass.

 

846 — Robert Watson Sextet/Jewel: Watson’s tone and improvisational skills have grown greatly since his first days as a Jazz Messenger, as evidenced on this LP, which displays his first-class writing and arranging for a group of finest-in-their-class colleagues. Three by the leader (‘To See Her Face”, a happy one from the Blakey book, the romantic “Jewel” and the fiery “Karita”) plus Lundy’s strong, pensive “Orange Blossom” and Eubie Blake’s “You’re Lucky To Me.” W/ special guest Dom Um Romao

 

851 — Hie Horizon Quintet/Gumbo: With special guest Hamiet Bluiett (baritone sax) and introducing Melton Mustafa (trumpet), with Robert Watson, Curtis Lundy, Mulgrew Miller and Marvin “Smitty” Smith. “The music on this album is new and fresh, but it’s also the evolutionary offspring of a deep and meaningful Afro-American tradition. If there is a future for this art form in the heart and soul (and sounds!) of these men . . . They are committed to continuing and adding to the high artistic language that evolved in the name of jazz.” (Michael Cuscuna, from the liner notes). It may be too soon to call this one a classic, but Lundy’s title track, already popular from special guest Bluiett’s own Black Saint LP, and Watson’s “Wheel Within A Wheel”, a favorite of Jazz Messenger fans, ensure it will be en-joyed by many for a long time.

 

AMIR

 

1001 — Abdul Malik Muhammad /Songs For Our Children: Abdul, who may be familiar to many of you as Melvin Smith, has played with Steve Reid and Charles Tyler. On this record he displays his unique solo electric guitar technique on tunes such as “Nubian Love Song” and “African Reflection.” “Muhammed plays both acoustic and electric guitars, and I mean he plays them. Sounds like Zaire/Newark/Pretoria/Chicago, all at once.” — NEW AGE.

 

ANANDA

 

0 — Jamey Haddad/Names: Fusion-Jazz album that explores a few more interesting areas with a South Indian drummer and fuzz-tone guitar on one track. With: Joe Lovano . . . sax; Ken Werner . . . keyboards; Bill De Arango . . . guitar; Jamey Haddad . . . percussion and hand drums; and others.

 

4 — Alvin Curran/Fiori Chiari, Fiori Os-curi: Toy pianos and children playing, real pianos and electronics. Alvin weaves what can only be described as a spell that manages to be light and lush all at one time. One of the original masters of New Music sound collage who dates back to the Sonic Arts Union and is a member of Musica Electronics Viva.

 

ANDREW’S MUSIC

 

All ANDREW’S MUSIC albums feature Andrew Nathaniel White III, a virtuoso saxophonist who also plays oboe, English horn, clarinet, piano and electric bass.

 

AM-1 — Andrew Nathaniel White IH: A solo album with works by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Wayne Shorter, and Andrew White; performed on saxes, oboe, English horn, bass, and piano.

 

AM-2 — Andrew White Live at The New Thing: Two record set from 1970-71, with Steve Novosel and Buell Neidlinger (basses) and Eric Gravatt and John Bergamo (drums).

 

AM-3 — Live in Bucharest, Live in the Studio: Material from Andrew’s famous Romanian tour of 1973, with Bill McCullough and Eric Gravatt.

 

AM-4 — Who Got De Funk?: A little funk and a lot of other stuff. This album features Rudy Stevenson (guitar), Montego Joe (percussion), Melvin Lee (drums) and Andrew’s own Jocelyn White reading and singing.

 

AM-5 — Passion Flower: Downbeat Magazine gave this album five stars, and in 1974 the European Jazz Federation voted this the best independent saxophone effort in 1974.

 

AM-6 — Songs for a French Lady: Three French songs, one Bossa Nova, Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice”, and an original concerto for sixteen instruments. With K. Toney (piano), S. Novosel (bass), and K. Killgo (drums).

 

AM-7 — Theme: Three versions of Andrew’s favorite, “Theme”. With Kevin Toney, Steve Novosel, and Keith Killgo.

 

Andrew White Live at the Foolery Series: With Donald Waters and Kevin Toney (piano), Steve Novosel (bass), Bernard Sweet-ney and Keith Killgo (drums). All recorded in October 1974.

 

AM-8 — Volume One: “Theme”, “Superfly”, “Everybody Hit”, “Shaft”, “New Blues”.

 

AM-9 — Volume Two: A forty minute version of Coltrane’s “Satellite”.

 

AM-10 — Volume Three: “Andy’s Alto Sax”, “Sacred Blues”, “Sydney”, “Kevin, Keith, and Steve”, “Theme”.

 

AM-11 — Volume Four. “Good Luck, Next!”, “Three Stage Rocket”.

 

AM-12 — Volume Five: “Wabash”, “Red Cross”, “B Flat Rhythm”, “Theme”.

 

AM-13 — Volume Six: “Superfly”, “Sweet back”, “In Your Own Sweet Way”, “Pips & Pops”, “Giant Steps”, “Theme Grand”.

 

AM-14 — Collage: Pieces written by Andrew White, Les Baxter, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, and Wayne Shorter.

 

Marathon 1975 Series: Live recordings from a twelve hour marathon concert Andrew White presented at The Top O’ Foolery House Of Jazz on November 16, 1975. This is the entire concert, from the first to the last note! With Donald Waters and Kevin Toney (piano), Bernard Sweetney and Keith Killgo (drums), and one bass player (Steve Novosel) who stuck it out all the way with Andrew.

 

AM-15 — Volume One: “Exotica”, “Smiling Jane”, “Theme”.

 

AM-16 — Volume Two: “Be-Bop”, “Superfly”, “Layback”, “Dr. Jekyll”.

 

AM-17 — Volume Three: “Miss Ann”, “Mr. Jin”, “Peter’s Waltz”, “Impressions”.

 

AM-18 — Volume Four. “Andy’s Alto Sax”, “Satellite”, “New Blues”, “Theme”.

 

AM-19 — Volume Five: “Mr. P.C.”, “Soul-trane Theme”, “D’s Dilemma”, “Theme Grand”.

 

AM-20 — Volume Six: “Black JDiamond”, “Giant Steps”, “Superfly”, “Tippin”, “Dock at Papeta”, “Theme”.

 

AM-21 — Volume Seven: “Passion Flower”, “Crescent”, “Transition”, “Theme”.

 

AM-22 — Volume Eight: Two by Wayne Shorter: “Speak No Evil”, and “E.S.P.”.

 

AM-23 — Volume Nine: “Night Dreamer”, “Theme For Ernie”, “Moment’s Notice”.

 

De Here We Is Again Series. More live recordings by Andrew White III, from a series of concerts at The Top O’ Foolery House Of Jazz in 1976. Donald Waters (piano), Steve Novosel (bass), Howard Chichester, Bernard Sweetney, and Warren Sand (drums).

 

AM-24 — Spots, Maxine, and Brown (Three Lovely Ladies from St. Louis): “Wabash”, “Dizzy Atmosphere”, “Theme”.

 

AM-25 — Countdown: “Slightly Hep”, “Circle”, Countdown”, “Theme”.

 

AM-26 — Red Top: “One Up, One Down”, “Red Top”, “Everything I Have Is Yours”.

 

AM-27 — Trinkle, Trinkle: “The Limehouse Blues”, “Witch Hunt”, “Trinkle, Trinkle”.

 

AM-28 — Ebony Glaze: “Seven Steps To Heaven”, “Ebony Glaze”, “Peter’s Waltz”, “I Waited For You”, “Theme”.

 

AM-29 — Miss Ann: “Miss Ann”, “B Flat Rhythm”, “Theme”.

 

AM-30 — Seven Giant Steps for Coltrane:

 

Seven a cappella performances of Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” by one of the world’s leading authorities on the music of John Coltrane. Included in this collection of seven versions of this monster tune are the famous solos from Carnegie Hall and Town Hall.

 

Live in New York at The Ladies Fort: Recorded live at Joe Lee Wilson’s loft, The Ladies Fort, in Noho in June of 1977, featuring Donald Waters (piano), Steve Novosel (bass), and Bernard Sweetney (drums).

 

AM-31 — Live in New York Volume One:

 

Trane’s “Impressions”, Duke’s “Take the Coltrane”, and Stevie Wonder’s “Easy Going Evening”, with an introduction by Joe Lee Wilson. For the color conscious crowd, this is Andrew’s first album with a color cover, it’s baby blue!

 

AM-32 — Live in New York Volume Two:

 

This album has two by Coltrane, “Pristine” and “Giant Steps”; also “You Maybe Can’t Do It”, “New Blues”, and “Theme” which are all originals. Like Volume one of this set, volume two also has a poem on the back, and a classy color cover.

 

AM-33 — Bionic Saxophone: It’s a new record from “the main cat keeping the music alive today”, and he’s got a brand new bag — the BIONIC SAXOPHONE. Andrew recently started playing his new invention in public and the result is this live record which should make the Bionic Sax a household word. A quartet with Donald Waters, Steven Novosel and Bernard Sweetney goes Bionic: “Bionic Giant Steps”, “Bionic Sax Meets Red Top”, “Bionic Superfly” and “Bionic Sax Meets Mr. P.C.” among other Bionic hits. Warning: This is not a hype!

 

AM-34 — Andrew White/The Coltrane Interviews Vol. One: Described as a series of radio interviews dealing with the music of John Coltrane and the Coltrane legacy by the “keeper of the Trane”. From Washington, D.C.’s WPFW FM. (Note, this is Andrew White speaking about Trane.)

 

AM-35 — Andrew White/The Coltrane Interviews Vol. Two: More of the same from radio stations WHUR Washington, D.C., WKCR-FM New York City, WHRB