Paul Bley: Being Together

Here we have Michael Cuscuna's profile of Paul Bley for the October 17, 1968 issue of Down Beat. Do yourself a favor and be sure to check out his trio recordings from this era (Footloose, Closer, Touching, Ramblin'). Most recently I have been listening to Plays Carla Bley, a 1991 trio recording for Steeplechase with Marc Johnson and Jeff Williams. 

I have some articles in the pipeline to post in March and May but for now, this brings to an end the regular postings. In the meantime you can browse the list of magazine article uploads here.

Pharoah's Tale

Martin Williams profiles Pharaoh Sanders for the May 16, 1968 issue of Down Beat. Click on the image to view PDF of the full article. More vintage magazine articles are available here.

In Conversation with Dave Liebman

David Liebman was featured in the October 11, 1973 issue of Down Beat. This is from right around the time he recorded Lookout Farm for ECM. Liebman has a vast discography and I find he overdoes the tribute album thing, so I tend to pick and choose what albums of his I purchase. As I was wrapping up this post I reached for his duo album with Marc Copland, Bookends (HatOlogy) and listened to "Blue In Green." They make a fine duo and this piece hit the spot - Copland has a warm touch and great sense of harmony, and Liebman displays his more mellow side.

And while we're on the subject of duos.... back in June I picked up The Fallout of Dreams (Rogue Art) from the Downtown Music Gallery. During August I finally got around to giving it a few listens. It features Liebman on soprano/tenor/flute/piano/drums alongside poet Steve Dalachinsky (with pianist Richie Beirach joining them on a couple of tracks). If you are interested in jazz/improvised music with spoken word, The Fallout of Dreams is definitely worth a close listen.

Click on the image to view PDF of the full article. More vintage magazine articles are available here.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Blindfold Test

Rahsaan Roland Kirk takes Leonard Feather's "Blindfold Test." Down Beat split it over two issues (July 25 & August 8, 1968) so there is plenty of room for Kirk's thoughts. As I prepared this post last month, Kirk's 1964 all-flute outing I Talk with the Spirits had a few spins and I followed that up with Domino last week. Along with The Inflated Tear and Charles Mingus' Oh Yeah, I Talk with the Spirits is some of my favorite Kirk. If you haven't checked out his playing, those three albums would make good starting places.
Click on the image to view PDF of part 1 & 2. More vintage magazine articles are available here.

Steve Lacy and his Poly-Free Bag

One of my long-time favorites, Steve Lacy, is featured in the May, 1980 issue of Down Beat. This article appeared the shortly after NY Capers & Quirks was recorded (the trio with Charles and Boykins can be seen below). Although it is a favorite album of mine, I hadn't given it a listen for a while so it got a spin as I prepared this post (and a few more since). I've heard a fair bit of Lacy's vast discography, and I would place NY Capers & Quirks right up there. There's a different energy here than with the later trio recordings with Jean-Jacques Avenel on bass and John Betch or Oliver Johnson on drums. There is a fiery, surging, free-wheeling quality that I enjoy and isn't as present in the later trio works. I had the melody of "We Don't" rolling around my mind as I went for a stroll this morning. Highly recommended! Click on the image to view PDF of the full article. More vintage magazine articles are available here.

Miles Davis Blindfold Test

Down Beat split the Miles Davis "Blindfold Test" over two issues (June 13 &27, 1968) giving Miles plenty of room to share his opinions with Leonard Feather . Click on the image to view PDF of part 1 and part 2. More vintage magazine articles are available here.

Evan Parker: The Breath & Breadth of the Saxophone

Paul Keegan's feature article on Evan Parker for the April 1987 issue of Down Beat magazine. Click on the image to view PDF of the full article. More vintage magazine articles are available here.

Stan Getz Blindfold Test

From May 10, 1973, Stan Getz takes Down Beat's "Blindfold Test." Dan Morgenstern tests Getz with tracks by Chick Corea, Dexter Gordon, Lee Konitz, Miles Davis and even a track by Getz (from 25 years earlier). More vintage magazine articles are available here.

The Return of Sonny Rollins

In the January 4, 1962 issue of Down Beat, Bill Coss announced the return of Sonny Rollins from a two year hiatus. Click on the image to view PDF of the full article (sorry, it's a bit on the dark side). More vintage magazine articles are available here.

Cannonball Adderley: Two Blindfold Tests from 1965

Cannonball Adderley takes Leonard Feather's Blindfold Test for Down Beat magazine. This one was split over two issues (December 16 & 23, 1965) with tracks from Lucky Thompson, Paul Desmond, Marshall Allen, Wayne Shorter, Johnny Hodges, Sonny Rollins and more. Click on the image to view PDF of both articles. View more vintage magazine articles here.

The Witty Paul Desmond - Down Beat 1965

From the September 9, 1965 issue of Down Beat, here is Dan Morgenstern's feature on Paul Desmond. Click on the image to view PDF of the full article. More vintage magazine articles are available here.

The New Illinois Jacquet..... on bassoon

As I scrolled through the microfilm, this article leapt out at me - I never knew Jacquet played bassoon. He discusses it in the April 7, 1966 feature from Down Beat. More vintage magazine articles can be found here.

Sonny Rollins Blindfold Tests 1962

I haven't posted a Blindfold Test for a while and as today is Sonny Rollins' birthday (September 7, 1930) these articles, from August 2 and 16, 1962, seem like the appropriate choice. My introduction to Sonny came by the way of his classic recordings from the 50s, starting with Saxophone Colossus, then Way Out West... Newk's Time, Freedom Suite, Monk's Brilliant Corners, Dizzy's Sonny Side Up, and one that got a lot of airtime - A Night at the Village Vanguard. These days I find myself checking out his work from the 60s,  The Bridge and Sonny Meets Hawk were introduced to me back when I was at music school, but until more recently I never really gave this era a decent listen. There's plenty up on YouTube - today I spent some time watching a few videos from the late 60s with Alan Dawson and NHOP, and a couple of earlier clips featuring groups with Jim Hall and Don Cherry. Whereas Coltrane used composition to develop his music, Rollins developed his by delving deeper into the standard repertoire. Eventually I will get around to listening to more of the live recordings from this era - they're well worth a listen!
Open the images in a new window to view the full size articles. More vintage magazine articles can be found here.

A Long Look At Stan Getz (part 2)

Part Two of Don DeMicheal's feature on Stan Getz from Down Beat (June 2, 1966). Part One is here. Click on the image to view PDF of full article. More vintage magazine articles can be found here.

A Long Look At Stan Getz (part 1)

Part one of Don DeMicheal's feature on Stan Getz from Down Beat (May 19, 1966). Stay tuned for Part Two. Click on the image to view PDF of full article. More vintage magazine articles can be found here.

Andrew Hill: Roots, Culture & Economics

From the May 5, 1965 of Down Beat - Andrew Hill discusses the economic realities of being a jazz musician. This reel of film had some damage running down one side - hopefully it's not too difficult to read. Click the image to view PDF of full article. More vintage magazine articles can be found here.

Yusef Lateef: Music As Color - Down Beat

This month I have been listening to a few albums by Yusef Lateef (Jazz Moods, Before Dawn, Into Something, Eastern Sounds and 1984 have all had airtime) so I thought it was fitting to post this article by Pete Welding from the May 20, 1965 issue of Down Beat. Click on the image to view PDF of full article. More vintage magazine articles can be found here.

John Coltrane & Eric Dolphy Answer the Jazz Critics

This famous (and often quoted) article from the April 12, 1962 issue of Down Beat. The title sums things up and looking back now it can be hard to image all of the fuss. Click on the image to view PDF of the full article. More vintage magazine articles can be found here.

Elvin Jones: The Sixth Man

A feature on Elvin Jones from the March 28, 1963 issue of Down Beat. Elvin is one of my favorite drummers and lately I've been listening to him on Wayne Shorter's Night Dreamer and Juju (I'm working my way through Shorter's Blue Note albums.... more Elvin up next with Speak No Evil). Click on image to view PDF of full article. View more vintage magazine articles here.

Inside Ornette Part 2

Part Two of Don Heckman's look at the music of Ornette Coleman for Down Beat (December 16, 1965). Part One is here. More vintage magazine articles are available here.