Fantasy American Explorer Series

About one year ago we posted Exploring The American Explorer Series, an in-depth overview of an almost-forgotten Elektra/Nonesuch series from the 1990s which sought to shine a spotlight on some American musical artists whose contributions were under-regarded or near-forgotten. As usual, we got some feedback from our regular followers.

However one Anonymous comment stood out:

“The American Explorer Series of the early 90s at Elektra was the product of the best intentions of the label's leadership to revitalize deserving American artists coupled with the extraordinary skill and ability of the A&R staff at the time to deliver on the vision. Profit motives and the bottom line were NOT a factor in this mission!”

We were intrigued by this remark and queried the writer for more details, which subsequently did follow via email. It turned out that one of the actual people involved in the American Explorer Series, Elektra A&R man Peter Lubin, had reacted as he was pleasantly surprised to see that some people still remembered that series fondly!

During the year emails were exchanged and the idea of doing an interview with Peter started to grow and ultimately materialized in a Zoom meeting with Koen last December.  He somehow managed to convert the rambling but highly informative and entertaining chat into a more coherent text. The results were shared with Peter and after loads of emails and revisions a fully-illustrated 27-page PDF had become a reality!

As everyone involved was rather pleased with the results, we continued on to the next phase of the project: a brand new “Fantasy” American Explorer Series with full input from Peter!  He took this challenge very seriously and subsequently presented us with a massive master list of 84(!) potential candidates that could possibly qualify by meeting the criteria to ‘bring forgotten artists back into the spotlight’. Even so, that list scared the sh#t out of us. Where to start??!?

With Peter’s guidance, we began living out the "fantasy" of being hard-boiled A&R men making critical decisions for the good of the record label as well as for the benefit of the listening public at large. This too required plenty of time as we took the mission seriously indeed. Some of the artists hadn’t recorded anything in years and it seemed too far-fetched to “revitalize” them, while others were disqualified owing to their citizenship (this is the ‘American’ Explorer Series, after all!) or a variety of other factors. Some, sadly, passed on during the time it took to bring this project to fruition.

We then hemmed and hawed about how we could approach compiling the music to accompany the interview. Finally it was decided to simply find the most recent recordings by each artist on the list and choose an appropriate song from that material. This rule applies in many but not in all cases.

Jonder took the lead and presented us with compilations of potential songs. Unlike some Tesla dude who enjoys wielding a chainsaw, we very slowly fine-tuned the number of chosen songs.

Jon’s original concept for the blog still stands—we post CD-length compilations—so there was the task of paring the material down to two volumes. All that remained was the running order of the tracks, which we created with an eye towards offering the best possible listening experience.

Koen submitted artwork for the front and back covers, and capped it all off with this introduction. ;-)

We let Peter have the final word: “I think this evokes the spirit of the original undertaking as well as the fantasy that we set out to conjure!”

For your reading and listening pleasure (and musical education) we proudly present…

Fantasy American Explorers Volume 1: Staxability

Fantasy American Explorers Volume 2: Kentuckiana

A fully illustrated 27 page interview with Peter Lubin PDF

Blue Note Funk: Steady Groovin'

During the nineties and early noughties (Koen sez), the famous jazz label Blue Note Records added a bit more FUNK into their records.

Their reissue programs included a Lost Grooves compilation, the Rare Grooves series, and a four disc set of Blue Break Beats, which became highly popular in some of the jazz clubs.

For new recordings, veteran guitar slinger John Scofield delivered some serious funky licks.

Newcomer Charlie Hunter did a great job as well.  Whether with a Trio or Quartet, his guitar playing was cookin’.

Soulive was a grooving jazz trio with a guitarist, drummer, and Hammond organist who maintained a tight beat throughout most of their work.

Medeski, Martin & Wood (another trio) already had a few albums under their belts before joining Blue Note, where they continued developing their sense of funky grooves.

The former Greyboy Allstars frontman Karl Denson plays a mean sax producing dance-inducing, driving grooves.

The above artists recorded several albums for Blue Note (except Denson, who had only one).  Here’s a sampler to give you some idea of their work. We hope you enjoy Steady Groovin'!

Jamaican Jazz from Island Records

Island Records is well-known among music lovers as a quality label [Koen writes], the same for its subsidiary Mango Records. But at times Island tried out different directions…

In 1996 Chris Blackwell launched his new label Island Jamaica Jazz with two new albums by Monty Alexander and Ernest Ranglin. Three more albums, by Ranglin, Dean Fraser, and the Skatalites, followed in 1997 but after that, someone pulled the plug and that was the end of Island Jamaica Jazz …

All five albums featured an interesting mix of jazz, reggae, dub, ska, and mento, combining classic reggae/ska covers with original compositions!

The five albums are:

Monty Alexander - Yard Movement (1996)

Ernest Ranglin - Below The Bassline (1996)

Dean Fraser - Big Up! (1997)

The Skatalites - Ball Of Fire (1997)

Ernest Ranglin - Memories of Barber Mack (1997)

Ernest Ranglin played guitar on all of the albums, except for Dean Fraser’s Big Up! Monty Alexander played piano on Ranglin’s Below The Bassline.

A sampler of these 5 records was never released, therefore I decided to rectify this omission with 2 songs from each album, resulting in a decent 1 hour+ CD.

Note from jonder: Thank you Koen for another excellent post and compilation! A pdf is included in the download with more information on each of the Island Jamaica Jazz albums. The always excellent blog Things And Time Will Tell recently posted Monty Alexander's Love And Sunshine (1975), which also features Ernest Ranglin. 

Twilight Time at Blue Note

The 1970s weren’t very kind to the Blue Note label [says Koen]: jazz was under pressure by rock and pop, and talent like Grant Green, Ronnie Laws, Ronnie Foster, Bobby Hutcherson, Bobbi Humphrey and Donald Byrd were recorded in more commercial settings that were laced with wispy R&B, disco grooves and strings.

In the mid-’80s, however the arrival of Bruce Lundvall as CEO led to a proper reactivation of the label, and under him Blue Note thrived on creative and commerce-savvy fronts.

Lundvall brought on board newcomers like the pianistic guitarist Stanley Jordan and the one-man choir Bobby McFerrin; started a program for reissues and previously unreleased recordings; and recruited legacy Blue Note artists like Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw. 

He also invested in highly influential stylists like Cassandra Wilson, Don Pullen, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Greg Osby and Jason Moran; and experienced unimaginable sales with Norah Jones’ debut.

During the late 1980s and early 90s, I spent considerable time browsing through cassette shops(!) in Penang, Malaysia, and Bangkok, Thailand, as I was in between vinyl and CDs. Among the tapes I bought were Bobby McFerrin’s first Blue Note solo album Spontaneous Inventions, the great Duke Ellington’s Money Jungle reissue with Charles Mingus and Max Roach, and Stevie Ray Vaughn’s first two solo albums.

You may wonder what the connection is between Blue Note and Stevie Ray Vaughn.  I had read about one particular Blue Note album which I couldn’t find anywhere. Only much, much later I finally managed to score a digital copy and was very pleased to be able to play it at last! I guess not many music fans are aware of this classic album at all.

Tenor saxophonist Bennie Wallace had only one album on Blue Note, 1985’s Twilight Time. The producer, of all people, was Dr. John (The Night Tripper!), who gave it a neat R&B and funk vibe!

The core musicians included Ray Anderson on trombone, Eddie Gomez on acoustic bass, Chris Parker and Jack DeJohnette on drums, John Scofield on guitar, and the good old doctor himself on piano & organ. Tracks 1 and 7 included Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, and Bernard Purdie on drums.

With a lineup like this you hardly could go wrong, and Twilight Time doesn’t let you down.  It swings in all the right places!  [Leonard Feather called it "hectically eclectic" - jonder]

Bennie and Dr. John teamed up later once more, for the 1988 Bull Durham soundtrack, for two tracks in a similar vein (one with Bonnie Raitt on vocals!), and therefore I added these as bonus tracks (#10 & 11). As far as I know this classic record is only available second hand nowadays -- and certainly not in this slightly extended version only here on jonderblog, so enjoy!

Eva Cassidy: Stylist

STINKY SEZ: Eva Cassidy was an American singer/guitarist known for her interpretations of jazz and blues classics. She died of melanoma in 1996. While she was honored by The Washington (DC) Area Music Association, she was almost unknown outside the DC/Maryland/Virginia area until her posthumously released recordings scored three UK #1 records and sold more than 10 million copies. Her music has also charted Top 10 positions in Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, & Switzerland.

Eva By Heart was the singer's only true studio album, and hints at the promise which was never to materialize due to her early demise from cancer. Cassidy had the ability to transform a standard or a traditional into her own song, and she could belt out the blues as good as anybody else.

Stinky's share today is called Eva Cassidy Stylist.  A writer for the Washington Post once said that that "she could sing anything — folk, blues, pop, jazz, R&B, gospel — and make it sound like it was the only music that mattered."  Stinky has assembled 20 live and studio recordings that demonstrate what made Eva Cassidy one of the great song stylists. 

NRBQ's Jazz Jukebox

Hope you all had a Terry Christmas, everybody! Can't let 2022 end without completing the NRBQ Jukebox series.

It seems a shame to separate these jazz tunes from the other NRBQ sets (since the Q is nothing if not eclectic), but some of the songs are quite lengthy.  

Terry's idols Thelonious Monk and Sun Ra are present, as well as the Carla Bley composition "Ida Lupino" (recorded by NRBQ on their debut album), and "Things Are Getting Better" by Cannonball Adderly (which NRBQ covered on Scraps).

"South" by Benny Moten's Kansas City Orchestra appeared on Froggy's Favorites; Sonny Rollins' "Valse Hot" was on The Scraps Companion. The Q took on Roland Kirk's "Here Comes The Whistleman" during the Ludlow Garage live set; and "Paris" (a composition from late in Moondog's career) was featured on NRBQ's live album You Gotta Be Loose.

Claude Thornhill's composition "Snowfall" falls outside the chronology of these compilations (as it was recorded by the reformed NRBQ on 2012's We Travel The Spaceways), but I invite you to listen to NRBQ's version here.  

I first heard "Snowfall" as a child, on the Ramsey Lewis Trio's More Sounds Of Christmas LP (1964).  That album (and its 1961 predecessor, Sounds Of Christmas) were in heavy rotation on the family stereo every December when I was growing up, and they are still the first records I put on when I'm ready to get into the spirit of the season.  It was a thrill to hear Terry and the guys do "Snowfall", back when Pete Donnelly of The Figgs was NRBQ's bassist.  Klem Klimek (a frequent NRBQ collaborator) sits in on harmonica.

Here's the Ramsey Lewis Trio's version of "Snowfall".  If you only think of Ramsey Lewis as a "smooth jazz" player, his acoustic recordings from the 60's on the Chess and Cadet labels are a revelation.  Ramsey passed away in September, 2022.  Ramsey was a pianist who could really swing, and I bet Terry was a fan.

Stinky's Songs Of NYC

 

Stinky shared a weeklong tribute to New Jersey this past Spring. Today he visits the Big Apple: songs of its boroughs, bridges,  beaches, bodegas and other landmarks.

NYC has long been an inspiration for songwriters, both its native sons and its newcomers. There's a bit of everything here. Songs about uptown, downtown, from Skid Row to Broadway and beyond. Hail a cab, take the A train, or pound the pavement with Stinky as your guide to the city that never sleeps.

When I received Stinky's compilation, I was reminded of my favorite NYC album, Songs Of New York by Mel Tormé. It was originally issued in 1964 as Mel Tormé Sings Sunday In New York And Other Songs About New York, but Atlantic Records had the good sense to abbreviate the title when it was reissued. 

Mel can belt out "New York, New York" with the best of them. "Harlem Nocturne" highlights his impressive range and tone, and "Let Me Off Uptown" shows off his great sense of rhythm. But the best songs are the ones where Mel really swings: "Lullaby Of Birdland", "42nd Street", Rodgers & Hart's "Manhattan", and (above all) "The Brooklyn Bridge". You might think I'm joking, since it's outside the usual fare for this blog, but I sincerely love this record. I hope Stinky doesn't mind sharing the spotlight today: as the old song goes, I want to be a part of it.

Cassandra Wilson Cornucopia!

In this final set, Cassandra Wilson sings the blues of Muddy Waters, J.B. Lenoir and Billie Holiday; sets to music the poetry of Maya Angelou ("Equality") and Ishmael Reed ("Sacred Ground"); and pays tribute to Duke Ellington and Stephen Sondheim. Musical collaborators include Don Byron, Courtney Pine, Steve Coleman, Dave Holland, and Mark O'Connor.

One of the things I admire most about Cassandra Wilson is the diversity of her work: she seems equally at home with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, avant jazz groups like M-Base or David Murray's Black Saint Quartet, and the alt-country of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.

Guest Spots: Cassandra Wilson In A Contemporary Mood

Here's a set of Cassandra Wilson collaborations with a more contemporary feel. Styles range from jazz and soul to hip hop. The oldest song is from 1981, and the most recent was released in 2015. A few covers (of the Beatles and Prince) are included.

Cassandra Wilson was born in Mississippi. I believe she started her recording career in New Orleans with a Latin jazz group called Jasmine. She moved to New York City in 1982, and soon became involved with the M-Base Collective. 

After nine solo albums, Cassandra signed with Blue Note in 1993, and found immediate success with Blue Light Til Dawn. She has released another ten albums since then. Cassandra Wilson's next album will be titled Jupiter Rising. Hopefully it will be out soon, with some tour dates as well!

Guest Spots: Cassandra Wilson Sings Standards

Today is the birthday of Cassandra Wilson, one of our greatest living singers. Several sets from her stellar musical career are on the way, but let's start with standards, shall we?

Ms. Wilson is an outstanding interpreter of jazz, rock, blues and country music. Her 1995 album New Moon Daughter opened with the tragic "Strange Fruit" and concluded with a breathtaking version of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" -- and in between, Cassandra performed unique readings of Hank Williams, Son House, "Love Is Blindness" and "Last Train To Clarksville", as well as stellar originals such as "Solomon Sang".

Today we have a collection of songs that have been essayed by innumerable balladeers over numerous decades. As with other features in this blog's "Guest Spots" series, these songs are not drawn from the artist's own albums. Cassandra Wilson has collaborated with many musicians, and has contributed songs to soundtracks and tribute albums. Romantic jazz isn't the usual fare around here, but hopefully you will find as much pleasure as I do in the richness of this extraordinary voice.

Sherwood In Dub

The Near Jazz Experience

Here's a set of dub versions and remixes produced by Adrian Sherwood during the past 20 years. Included is a track from his recent collaboration with the Near Jazz Experience (thank you to The Swamp for sharing this recording, from a NJE radio session). 

The NJE is a trio led by Terry Edwards (sax and trumpet), with Mark Bedford (Madness bassist) and drummer Simon Charterton.  Back in the 1980's, Charterton and Edwards were in the bands Serious Drinking and The Higsons. Bedders and Edwards first recorded together in 1988 as Butterfield 8.

The Voice Of Thunder (Prince Far I) is heard on two tracks: "Wise Blood" (from Echo Dek, Sherwood's dub version of Primal Scream's Vanishing Point LP); and "Garden Of Perfume" by Temple Of Sound (a tune that also features Jah Wobble and Ghetto Priest). Singers and players seem to keep reconnecting with each other in the On-Universe.