Donald Bailey's Philly Based Hard Bop

This is the third of three reviews I did reviewing the initial batch of releases on the Taking House Records series, Blueprints Of Jazz. I received review copies I believe in Jazz & Blues Report, but I am unaware if this review ever ran. I will be running the other reviews in the next several days.

A series of new releases from Talking House Records, Blueprints Of Jazz, shines the spotlight on lesser known innovators and style-setters in jazz. Series co-producer Marc Weibel noted the series “is unique in that it presents a collection of modern recordings by some of the few remaining musicians that have a true historical connection to jazz scene of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. … Blueprints of jazz gives the casual jazz fan a chance to discover significant jazz artists they weren’t aware of before - artists that are peers with the jazz legends they’re already familiar with. The series first releases spotlight drummers Mike Clark and Donald Bailey along with saxophonist Billy Harper. each is handsomely packaged with digipacs that include liner booklets as well as use modern and vintage photographs, the latter using or evoking the classic work of Francis Wolff and used not only in the booklets, but the back cover and the disc labels.

Blueprints in Jazz, Vol. 3, showcases drummer Donald Bailey. Bailey is best known for his stint with the late great jazz organist Jimmy Smith with whom he spent nine years and played on many of that legend’s most celebrated recordings. Bailey grew up as part of Philly’s very vibrant jazz scene playing with the likes of Lee Morgan, Bobby Timmons, Jymie Merritt, Jimmy Garrison, Jimmy Health and John Coltrane, although his most important mentor was the highly influential, although obscure pianist, Hassan Ibn Ali and with whom he played with extensively, attributing to that experience how he “learned to play drums.” In 1982 he relocated to the Oakland area, but for this session he surrounded himself with Philadelphians. The band here includes two veterans of Max Roach’s group; the terrific unsung saxophonist, Odean Pope and bassist Tyrone Brown. Pianist George Bailey fills out the band with trumpeter Charles Tolliver appearing on one track.

Pope’s Plant Life opens with a hot groove and a robust solo that Bailey kicks and the rhythm kicks along. Hassan Ibn Ali’s Blues It was an unrecorded original by the pianist that Bailey supplies a Caribbean groove with Burton introducing the theme before Pope makes his entrance. Tyrone Brown opens on bass on his composition Gone Now with a 5/4 time signature, while Bailey’s brother, Morris Junior (father of bassist Victor) supplied the lilting jazz waltz, Variations.

Pope’s “Fifth House” is a variation on Coltrane’s Giant Steps, with Pope’s impressive utilization of the sheets of sound approach. It is followed by the ballad For All We Know, which opens with Pope unaccompanied before joined by Brown’s bass. It is followed by Pope’s Family Portrait, that Scott Yanow suggests is similar to Coltrane’s 1960 recording of Summertime, and if the performance conjures up the classic Coltrane Quartet, the players each display their own distinctive styles. A medley of Brown’s USQ, a stunning bass solo, that leads into Pope’s Trilogy on which Charles Tolliver makes the group a quintet, with a horn line that suggests some of Sun Ra’s horn arrangements with Bailey driving the piece along.

On the closing Blue Gardenia, Bailey is on harmonica with Burton and Brown supporting him on a charming performance that shows a different side of him. Its a surprising conclusion to another excellent recording in what one hopes is simply the initial; batch of releases in this series of recordings.

Here is a you tube video with Donald talking about his career and playing harmonica.

Odean Pope's Potent Free Jazz Universal Sounds

Saxophonist Odean Pope may be best known for his tenure with the late Max Roach, but was also part of the legendary cooperative group Catalyst and also the Saxophone Choir. The Philadelphia based tenor saxophonist is joined on his newest recording Universal Sounds (Porter Records) with Marshall Allen, one of the principal saxophonists with the late Sun Ra, on alto sax and electronic wind instruments, bassist Lee Smith and three drummers, Warren Smith, Craig McIver and Jim Hamilton creating an unusual setting for the performances here.

Listening to this CD, a number of reference points strike me. Custody of American Spirit, opens with Pope’s strong tenor contrasted with Allen’s electronic wind instrument followed by the Warren Smith’s employment use of percussion and what sounds like Indian chants and whoops backed by Lee Smith’s arco playing followed by Warren Smith’s timpani and the other drummers creating a wall of percussion as Pope and Allen, both on saxophones state the theme. Pope and Allen state the theme of Mwalimu with its African flavor followed by Lee Smith’s dueting with one (or more) of the drummers. The Binder conjures up some of the more intense free jazz of the sixties and seventies which evokes some of the recordings by Pharoah Sanders, Coltrane (particularly the latter recordings with Rashied Ali, including those which included Sanders and/or Donald Garrett). Allen follows with a furious solo with a fair amount of overblowing, screeches and honks set against the furious cacophony of the percussionists.

She Smiled Again is a more pensive composition with Pope’s ballad playing employing a slightly harsh vibrato with Lee Smith anchoring the performance while the drummers add their own accents here. Bassist Smith contributed the lively Go Figure, which is a lengthy bass feature with the drummers adding their comments. The Track by Allen has him on the electronic wind instrument contributing various electronic effects and sounds and engaging in a musical colloquy with Warren Smith on marimba and timpani. Allen’s playing here was interesting and suggests the possibility of electronics in the mix of usual wind instrument musical ideas with sounds one might associate more with, say, keyboard synthesizers. Blues opens with some driving percussion before the saxophones state the simple blues riff at the performance’s heart leading to fresh and robust blues playing by Pope (once again Lee Smith’s bass playing merits kudos) with some intense, fresh passages. A longer rendition of Custody of the American (Bullshit Version), concludes with Warren Smith’s wordless chanting supplemented by soft shouts of ‘Bullshit,” with more furious percussion by the trio of drummers.

There is powerful music here and when one considers that Pope is 72, Warren Smith is 76 and Marshall Allen is 86, one has to be astonished by the energy they impart into these performances. Obviously if one is not a fan of free jazz, this will not appeal to that individual. However, there is more on Universal Sounds than what might strike some as the frenzied cacophony during The Binder. Most of the performances more structured and providing for some fascinating, and thoughtful musical conversations. While admittedly this won’t be for everyone’s tastes, this is a most potent session.

I purchased this CD.