Nathan Davis - Rules of Freedom [1967]

"Nathan Davis (born 15 February 1937) is an American hard bop jazz multi-instrumentalist who plays the tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet and flute. Born in Kansas City, KS, Davis is probably best known for his work with Kenny Clarke, Ray Charles and Art Blakey.

Nathan traveled extensively around Europe after the war and moved to Paris in 1962. He holds a Ph.D in Ethnomusicology and is a professor of music and director of jazz studies at the University of Pittsburgh since 1969. He is also founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Annual Jazz Seminar and Concert." -- wikipedia.com

Personnel

Jimmy Garrison - bass

Art Taylor - drums

Hampton Hawes - piano

Nathan Davis - flute, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone

The Iceburn Collective - Polar Bear Suite [1997]

Alright. It's about time this hit the blogs. Got this from a very kind fellow I met on youtube. Iceburn at their most jazzy and experimental. Enjoy.

Personnel

Bassoon - Alicia Poore
Clarinet [Bass] - Aaron Hansen
Double Bass - Cache Tolman, Doug Wright
Drums - Dan Day
Edited By - Todd Winn
Engineer - Brian Kesler, Chad Wagstaff, Chris Hill (5)
Guitar - Chris Hill (5), Gentry Densley
Mixed By - Chris Hill (5), Gentry Densley
Saxophone - Jared Russell

Baroque Jazz Trio - S/T [1970]

"Beautiful stuff – and one of the most stunning jazz albums ever recorded – a blinding mix of harpsichord, cello, and Indian percussion – with a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! The album was the brainchild of the cross-culturally fertile Saravah records at the end of the 60s – home to experimental work by Brigitte Fontaine, Barney Wilen, The Art Ensemble Of Chicago, and others. From the start, the group wanted to work in a boundary-less territory that really pushed the limits of jazz – drawing in inspiration from world music, and working in a style they called "baroque", to emphasize the bizarreness of their project. Given the heavy use of tabla on the set, the album's got a really driving rhythmic component – making for some funky numbers that have been sought-after jazz-dance tracks for years. And the role of the harpsichord is surprisingly strong – played in almost modal lines, but with a hesitating, lilting groove that's quite different to similar use of the piano at the time." 

-- dustygroove.com

Personnel

Jean-Charles Capon - cello 

Philippe Combelle - tabla, drums

Georges Rabol - harpsichord

Sinawi Music of Korea [1984]

"Korean sinawi music originally accompanied propitiatory rites presided over by a female shaman, or mudang. The word sinawi is also synonymous with musical improvisation based on various rhythmic and melodic devices--the most important characteristic of this genre. This collection of sinawi-derived pieces, performed by groups of varying size and instrumentation, evokes the otherworldly sonic space of the shamanistic spirit realm. The opening "Sinawi ensemble" contrasts full-throated female vocals with the pinched, nasal keening of the double-reed piri and the two-stringed fiddle haegum, gradually building in speed and intensity. In "Haegum-sanjo," haegum virtuoso Choe Tae-hyon plays like a man possessed, etching jagged melodic flights with exaggerated vibrato and an almost violent bowing technique. "Piri-sinawi" is a brilliant exposition of the timbral peculiarities of the oboe-like piri, conjuring associations as disparate as Scottish bagpipe music and the plunger acrobatics of trombonist "Tricky Sam" Nanton." -- Dennis Rea


Personnel
see: http://www.discogs.com/Various-Sinawi-Music-Of-Korea/release/2561813

Charlie Nothing - The Psychedelic Saxophone of Charlie Nothing [1967]

"Charles Martin Simon (July 8, 1941 – October 23, 2007), better known as Charlie Nothing, was an American musician, musical instrument maker and writer. He created the dingulator, guitar sculptures made out of American cars, and performed at several music festivals in the United States and Europe. He made two albums and published 12 books." 
-- wikipedia.com


Personnel
Charlie Nothing - alto saxophone, flute
Unknown - gong, conga, banjo ukelele

Steve Lacy - The Window [1987]

"The Window is an album by Steve Lacy which was released on the Italian Soul Note label in 1988. It features six of Lacy's compositions, one featuring text by the poet Mary Frazee, performed by Lacy, Jean-Jacques Avenel  and Oliver Johnson." -- wikipedia.com


Personnel
Steve Lacy - soprano saxophone
Jean-Jacques Avenel - bass
Oliver Johnson - drums

Cecil McBee - Music From The Source [1977]

"Other than a 1974 set for Strata-East, this post-bop effort was bassist Cecil McBee's earliest recording as a leader. With Chico Freeman (heard on tenor and flute) as the most impressive soloist, McBee performs two originals and a piece by Hal Galper in a sextet that also includes trumpeter Joe Gardner, pianist Dennis Moorman, drummer Steve McCall andDon Moye on conga. The music is spiritual in nature, sometimes quite modal and in the adventurous genre of John Coltrane without being derivative. A fine live set, one of two recorded within a two-day period at New York's Sweet Basil." -- allmusic.com


Personnel
Cecil McBee - bass
Chico Freemann - flute, tenor saxophone
Joe Gardner - trumpet, flugelhorn
Dennis Moorman - piano
Steve McCall - drums
Don Moye - percussion

Arthur Jones - Scorpio [1970]

"Arthur Jones had one of the warmer and more romantic styles in "energy music," making this, his debut as a leader, a highly enjoyable set. While the late-'60s avant-garde jazz scene is typically associated with heated and furious solo flights, Jones managed to fuse his love of older bop and blues players with the prevalent tendencies of the day. In this way, Jones was as adept at caressing a ballad as he was at shredding apart a fast one. Both of these sides are in evidence -- quite literally -- on this disc. The searing "C.R.M." opens the session with a relentless frenzy of notes; cutting and slashing everything in it's path. It is one of four Jones originals. The evocative and gritty ballad "Sad Eyes" begins the second on a much different note. This piece as well as the opening bars of the album's closer, "Brother B," provide a wonderful example of an avant-garde player digging into his blues roots. Where Archie Shepp incorporated a soulful Ben Webster swagger into the New Thing, Jones applies the style of another elder statesman, particularly that of Johnny Hodges. The result is also reminiscent of Ornette Coleman's mid-'60s trio sessions with David Izenzon and Charles Moffett, only Jones had the tendency to employ more squeaks and growls than did Coleman. Bassist Beb Guerin and drummer Claude Delcloo round out the trio and both are given a good amount of solo/duet time on each side's opener. Scorpio was recorded only a month after the trio supported Jacques Coursil on his first Actuel date, the quartet session, Way Ahead. This is a very warm and firmly rooted free jazz record. Highly recommended." -- allmusic.com


Personnel
Arthur Jones - alto saxophone
Claude Delcloo - drums
Bob Guerin - bass

Sahib Shihab - Conversations [1963]

"Because he spent so much of his career living in Europe, Sahib Shihab is primarily known for being a baritonist in the bop era. As this very interesting CD shows, he was also quite original on the alto, soprano and flute and by the early 1960's was open to the influence of the avant-garde without losing his own musical personality. Shihab, who is teamed on this live Copenhagen session with flugelhornist Allan Botchinsky, guitarist Ole Molin, drummer Alex Riel and the 17-year old bassist Niels Henning Orsted Pederson, performs "Someday My Prince Will Come," "Charade" and a lengthy version of "Billy Boy" along with five originals including the three-part "Conversations." This surprising music is well worth several listens and shows that Shihab was a much more diverse player than is usually thought." -- allmusic.com


Personnel
Sahib Shihab - alto, baritone, soprano saxophones, flute
Allan Botchinsky - flugelhorn
Ole Molin - guitar
Niels Henning Øersted Pedersen - bass
Axel Riel - drums
Bjarne Rostvold - snare drum on "Charade"

Michael Gregory Jackson - Clarity [1976]

"Before his career defining records on Arista/Novus in the 80s and 90s, jazz and fusion guitarist Michael Gregory Jackson recorded his debut for ESP-Disk'. The sessions, recorded in New York, Connecticut and Los Angeles in the summer of 1976 are wildly meditative and personify the seventies laid-back vibe. A trio of soft, lilting melodies set the mood; David Murray on tenor sax, Oliver Lake on flute, and the album's leader, Michael Gregory Jackson on acoustic guitar. The unfolding stream of ideas make these improvisations vital today; arrhythmic strumming, an enchanted R&B vocal from Mr. Jackson, avant percussive clatter, processed electric guitar, and fiery horn lines over timpani and flute. Composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, cited as a major influence by Mr. Jackson himself, is featured on the album." -- espdisk.com


Personnel
Leo Smith - tp, stp, flh, Indian fl
Oliver Lake - fl, ss, as, talking d, cowbell
David Murray - ts
Michael Gregory Jackson - ac-g, vo, el-g, el-mand, bamboo fl, timp, mar, per

John Handy - Recorded Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival [1965]

"John Handy's performance at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival was a sensation and arguably the high point of his career. The altoist, using a quintet that included violinist Michael White, guitarist Jerry Hahn, bassist Don Thompson, and drummer Terry Clarke (all of whom were young unknowns at the time), played two lengthy songs: the 27-minute "If Only We Knew" and "Spanish Lady," which lasts a mere 19 and a half minutes. After a brief theme, "If Only We Knew" mostly features unaccompanied solos. Handy's opening statement immediately quieted the crowd, which was amazed by the altoist's courage and the logic of the advanced yet tonal music. "Spanish Lady" also has a long Handy statement and builds up to a very exciting conclusion. Even over three decades later, the music sounds fresh, colorful, and innovative. The original Columbia LP (which has been long out of print) had reversed the order of the songs and even their titles so this Koch CD reissue is very welcome on several levels. Highly recommended." -- allmusic.com


Personnel
John Handy - alto saxophone
Jerry Hahn - guitar
Michael White - electric violin
Don Thompson - bass
Terry Clarke - drums