Art Pepper – Close To You Alone (1980)

From the album One September Afternoon, recorded 5th of September 1980.

Art Pepper – alto saxophone / Stanley Cowell – piano / Cecil McBee – bass / Carl Burnett – drums

Archie Shepp – Body And Soul (1969)

Recorded August 12, 1969 in Paris. Last track on the B side of the album Yasmina, a Black Woman by Archie Shepp.

It features musicians from the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The first track, giving its title to the album, is a long free jazz piece by an eleven-piece orchestra; in it, the references to Africa that Shepp had experimented with only a few weeks earlier in Algiers are to be found in the use of African percussion instruments, or the African incantations sung by Shepp himself at the beginning of the track. The other two pieces, a homage to Sonny Rollins written by trombonist Grachan Moncur III and a standard, played by a more traditional quintet and quartet respectively, are more reminiscent of the hard bop genre, although the fiery playing of the musicians, notably Shepp himself, gives them a definite avant-garde edge. [source]

Archie Shepp – tenor saxophone
Dave Burrell – piano
Malachi Favors – bass
Philly Joe Jones – drums.

[via Ronnie Rocket]

Dave Brubeck – Unsquare Dance (1961)

Unsquare Dance is a musical piece written by the American jazz composer Dave Brubeck in 1961.

Written in 7/4 time, the piece is a typical example of Brubeck’s exploration of time signatures. According to Brubeck, it was written during a single trip from his home to therecording studio, and was recorded the same day. Based on a blues form, the piece is driven by a strong bass figure, with percussion provided primarily by the rim of the snare drum and hand claps. It combines duple and triple meter. [source]

Errol Parker – Hard on (1973)

Tilte track on the album Hard On from 1973 by Errol Parker. All instruments played by Errol Parker.

Bill Evans – You Must Believe In Spring (1977)

You Must Believe In Spring is the title track of the album by Bill Evans.

With his longtime bassist Eddie Gomez and his drummer of the period, Eliot Zigmund, Evans explores such songs as “We Will Meet Again,” Jimmy Rowles’s classic “The Peacocks” and the “Theme from M*A*S*H.” It’s a solid example of the great pianist’s artistry. [source]

Bill Evans – piano / Eddie Gomez – bass / Eliot Zigmund – drums

David Murray Infinity Quartet – Be my Monster Love (2013)

Have you ever loved mega monster much ? The titeltrack pleads; Be my Monster Love, on the album from 2013 by David Murray Infinity Quartet.

If jazz is ever to escape from the “specialist” ghetto in which it finds itself in 2013 the simple truth is that we need more people with the vision of David Murray and more records as good as this one. [source]

Tracks: French Kiss For Valerie; Be My Monster Love; Stressology; Army of the Faithful; Sorrow Song; About The Children; The Graduate; Hope Is A Thing With Feathers.

Lineup: David Murray – Tenor Saxophone / Jaribu Shahid – Bass / Nasheet Waits – Drums / Marc Cary – Piano, Organ

The John Cartet Octet – Ode To The Flower Maiden (1982)

Second track on the album Dauwhe by The John Cartet Octet, recorded and mixed at The Music Lab, Los Angeles, February 25, 28 and March 8, 1982.

The first of clarinetist John Carter’s five-part series in which he musically depicts the history of black Americans is one of the strongest. The five originals pay tribute to life in Africa a few centuries ago, mixing together folk melodies with very advanced improvising; Newton and Callender in particular really excel in this setting. Highly recommended for open-eared listeners. [source]

John Carter – clarinet / Bobby Bradford – cornet / James Newton – flute / Charles Owens – soprano saxophone, oboe, clarinet / Red Callender – tuba / Roberto Miranda – bass / William Jeffrey – drums / Luis Peralta – waterphone, percussion